2 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015
Local
— News of Record —
— Community Calendar —
JAIL ROSTER
DAR meeting
Friday, January 9, at 11:30 a.m. at the Sunridge Inn
is the regular meeting of the Lone Pine Chapter of
the Daughters of American Revolution.
Community Dance
Saturday, January 10, 2015 at Crossroads Art Cen-
ter, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Featuring the live string band
“HouseBlend” and caller Mark Lewis. $5 per person
or $2.50 for any Crossroads member. Please bring
a snack to share. Coffee, tea, and water will be pro-
vided. Sponsored by the Elkhorn Swingers Square
& Round Dance Club. Contact Richard Rubicam at
503-560-9005 with questions.
Library Board meeting
Monday, January 12, 6 p.m. in the Riverside
Meeting Room at the Baker County Public Library.
Gary Dielman of Baker City will chair the meeting.
The primary agenda topic is receipt of the District’s
audit report for fiscal year 2013-2014 prepared by
CPA firm Guyer & Associates of Baker City. Public
comments for the board on any topic are welcome
directly after the opening of the meeting at 6:05 p.m.
Business Round Tables
Wednesday, January 14, 8 a.m., at The Little Bagel
Shop, and Thursday, January 15, at The Little Pig
restaurant.
Dance lessons
Thursday, January 15, 6:30 - 8 p.m. by the Powder
River Dance Club. Thursday nights except the sec-
ond Thursday of each month. At the VFW. Western
and Country Swing, Texas Two Step, Waltz, Cha
Cha, Line Dance, Ten Step, and more. First two les-
sons free. Memberships available. No partner needed
all ages welcome. For more info: Chuck 541-524-
9306 or Sam 541-403-0446.
Oath Keepers Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 6:00 p.m. at Baker City
Hall in the Council Chambers. Meetings are the third
Thursday of every month.
2015 Chamber Awards Banquet
Saturday, January 17. No-host social hour 5-6:30
p.m. Program starts at 6:30 p.m. Dinner starts at 7:00
p.m. “Back to the Future” is the theme. Sponsorships
are still available. Contact the Chamber.
SWCD annual dinner meeting
Tuesday, January 23, 2015. Baker County Soil
and Water Conservation Districts will holding their
Annual Dinner Meeting at the Sunridge Inn. There
will be a “no-host” social hour beginning at 5:30
p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. $15 per
person. Call 523-7121, ext 100 or ext 109.
Mining and natural resources
conference
Tuesday, January 27, noon till 4 p.m. with a
reception from 4-5 p.m. at the Baker County Events
Center.
A Night at Old Auburn
Saturday, February 28. The Friends of the Mu-
seum 6th annual Casino Night Fund raiser are now
available for sale at the museum. At only $28, tick-
ets to this fun event make great holiday gifts! You
can also get museum membership gift certificates for
the 2015 season.
FFA’s BBQ fundraiser
Friday, February 6, 2015, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the
U-shaped driveway by the southern entrance of
Baker High School. Tickets, available for purchase
prior to or at the fundraiser, are $12 each, and the
meal will include tri-tip, baked potato, garlic bread,
green beans and a brownie.
GREGG, John
KEEFE, Timothy
RICHARDSON, Sherrie
BRASWELL, Edward
LOPEZ, Yesenia
TROYER, Jason
SCOTT II, Arthur
COOK, Kristopher
DEMARIS, Cody
CAMPBELL, Casey
ELKSHOULDER, Ida
MASZK, Caleb
MUNSELL, Emily
BELL, Kimberly
WHITMORE, Richard
CULLEY, Andrew
EFIRD, Debra
FISCHER, Jacob
HELLMAN, Kenny
FINE, Tamara
SYPHERD, Crystol
ENTERMILLE, Forrest
DESHIRLIA, Cory
DUNLEAVY, Chance
MCBRIDE, Steven
WHITLOW, Jonathon
PETERSON, Linda
KITCH, Roberto
COMBS, Brian
Leona (Onie) Iris Blank
Speelman
Baker City,
1918-2015
Leona
Speelma, 97,
died on Janu-
ary 2, 2015
at Meadow-
brook Place
Leona
in Baker
Speelman
City.
A tradi-
tional funeral service was
held on Thursday, January
8, 2015, 11:00 a.m. at the
Richland Christian Church
in Richland, Oregon.
Interment was at Eagle
Valley Cemetery. Friends
were invited to join the
family for a potluck recep-
tion to be held immediately
following the interment.
Leona (Onie) Iris Blank
Speelman was born Febru-
ary 9, 1918 at Long Hol-
low (Richland to Hunting-
ton Road) in Eagle Valley
OR. Her parents were
George Washington Blank
and Lottie Gordon Blank.
She had 14 Brothers and
Sisters: Miskel, Nathan
(died as an infant), Melvin,
Marvin, Emmett, Myrtle,
Elmer, Opal, Bernadine
(Pete), Earl, Jack, Harland,
Duane, Dale.
Leona was the eleventh
child of 15 children. Leona
and her brothers and sisters
grew up in Eagle Valley
and all but four lived their
lives there.
Leona attended New
Bridge Grade School and
the Pleasant Ridge Grade
School in Eagle Valley,
and the Eagle Valley High
School.
She married Jack
Speelman, the love of her
life, on Sept 22, 1938, in
Weiser, Idaho.
Leaving High School
Leona moved to Baker and
worked in a soda fountain
in the old Cochran’s drug
store on Broadway in
Baker, and also as a nanny.
Leona and Jack lived
in the Haines and Baker
area during the early years
of their marriage. Then
moved to Vancouver, WA
during WWII where Jack
worked in the shipyards.
They moved to Eagle
Valley in 1946 where they
farmed and Jack worked
out as a logger, carpenter,
and welder.
Leona was devoted
to her family and always
busy doing something for
them. Being a housewife
and mother without all the
modern day appliances was
hard work (ringer wash-
ing machine, wood cook
stove, hand crank cream
separator), but she never
complained. Her pantry
was always full every fall
Violation.
Couch, Cindy Lee. 1/6. Failure to
Pay Fines.
Whitlow, Joshua Kenneth. 1/6.
Nonpayment of Fines.
Richardson, Sherrie Irene. 1/7.
Theft in the Second Degree.
Keefe, Timothy Patrick. 1/7. Baker
Circuit Court warrant for Criminal Im-
personation of an officer and attempt
to elude.
Gregg, John Thomas. 1/7. Con-
tempt of Court.
HAMM, Todd
TREANOR, Kevin
BRINEY, Justin
NICHOLS, Robert
LEWIS, Neil
ANDERSON, Gillian
PAULSEN, Nathan
RICCI, Devin
PARKAY, Samantha
MCLEAN, Jeremy
SCHISLER, Chet
BROMLIE, Scott
TAYLOR, Gene
BOWMAN, Chad
SCOTT, Chancy
MACK, Dale
FREEMAN, David
FUNERALS PENDING
POLICE LOG
Shelton, Kristina Rose. 1/2. Fail-
ure to Pay Fines.
Scott II, Arthur Charles. 1/2. Assault
IV and Harassment.
Troyer, Jason Lee. 1/5. Post-prison
violation.
Lopez, Yesenia Maria. 1/5. Mal-
heur County warrant for Probation
Violation.
Hamm, Todd Jeffery. 1/6. Probation
— Obituaries —
with fruit and vegetables
she had canned during
summer.
Leona was always very
active in the New Bridge
Grange and was one of the
senior members upon her
death. She and Jack be-
longed to the local Square
Dance Club. They were
involved with Boy Scout
activities. She was a Den
Mother for Cub Scouts and
Girl Scouts and an avid
fan of High School sports.
She was also active in the
Dry Gulch Sewing Club
(often referred to as the
hen setten-spit and whittle
club).
She is survived by three
children; Larry and Sharon
Speelman of Richland,
OR; Terry and Lorri
Speelman of Baker City,
OR; Janice and Michael
McCann of Emmigrant,
Mt; 12 grandkids; 13 great
grandkids; 13 great-great
grandkids; and many
nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in
death by her parents, 14
brothers and sisters and her
husband Jack. Leona was
the last surviving member
of the original Blank Fam-
ily, and lived all but a few
years of her life in Eagle
Valley.
Those who would like
to make a donation in
Leona’s memory to either
the Richland Christian
Church or the Eagle Valley
EMT Training Fund can
do so through Tami’s Pine
Valley Funeral Home &
CS P.O. Box 543, Half-
way, OR 97834. Online
condolences may be shared
at www.tamispinevalleyfu-
neralhome.com.
Betty Jo Gray
Baker City, 1930-2015
Betty Jo
Gray, 84,
died on Janu-
ary 1, 2015
in her forever
home, at El-
sie’s House-
Adult Foster Betty Jo
Care in
Gray
Baker City.
A memorial-celebration
of Betty’s life will be held
on Saturday, January 10,
2015, 2:00 p.m. at the
Seventh-day Adventist
Church on Pocahontas
Road in Baker City.
Betty Jo was born on
February 22, 1930 in
Castleford, Idaho to Clar-
ence and Beatrice (Short)
Niccum. She was one of
eight children. The family
moved to Nyssa, Oregon
when she was six or seven
years old. Betty went to
school in Nyssa, but began
having health problems, so
Leland “Link” Millman, 86, of
Richland, Oregon died at his home
on Monday, January 5, 2015. Ar-
rangements are under the direction
of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home
& Cremation Services. On line
condolences may be shared at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Mary P. Cross 75, a resident of
Baker City, OR died Jan. 6, 2015 at
St. Alphonsus Medical, Baker City.
Services under the direction of Coles
Tribute Center.
she quit school in of her
sophomore year. Betty
went back later, after her
kids were born and took
the GED and passed,
never even studying for it.
When she was 17-18 Betty
came to Baker to attend
Baker Business College,
for a couple of years. She
learned to be a secretary,
bookkeeping and typing.
Betty married Fred Earl
Gray in April of 1950.
They made their home
in Baker City. Fred was
a radio/television repair
man in Baker. They had
their first daughter Nancy
in their seventh year of
marriage, then three later
had Susan. The two girls
shared the same birthdate
only years apart. Betty
worked mostly alongside
of her husband. But later
went back to school to get
her teaching degree. She
worked for a year for the
Seventh-day Adventist
School after her children
were pretty much grown.
Daughter, Susan, de-
veloped a brain tumor in
the back of her head, she
lived 20 years, and died in
1988. Fred and Betty later
divorced after 26 years, her
oldest daughter was 16 at
the time.
Betty then met Jack
Darrah. They lived in
Hermiston for 5 years and
then to Baker City. When
Jack and Betty needed
extra care, they moved to
“Reasoner’s Retreat” as-
sisted living, in Richland,
Oregon. Jack later died
in 2007, he and Betty had
been together for 16 years.
Betty then moved back to
Baker City.
Betty enjoyed fishing,
camping and “ just raising
her family.” She was a
member of the Seventh-
day Adventist Church.
Betty was preceded in
death by Jack, daughter
Susan C. Gray, and 6 of
her siblings.
Betty is survived by her
children, Nancy Nelson of
Baker City, Grandchildren
Kristy Watson and Ron
Nelson; 13 great grandchil-
dren; brother John Niccum
and his wife of Pasco,
Washington, several nieces
and nephews.
Those who would like to
make a memorial donation
in memory of Betty, may
do so to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church through
Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home & Cremation Ser-
vices PO Box 543 Half-
way, Oregon 97834. On
line condolences may be
shared at www.tamispine-
valleyfuneralhome.com.
Joaquin Gunter
“Moose” Stephens
Baker City, 1926-2015
Joaquin
G. “Moose”
Stephens, 88,
of Baker City
died January
3, 2015 at his
residence.
His rosary
Moose
as held at
Stephens
7:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, January 7th at
Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer
Chapel and the Mass of
Christian Burial as held
at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday,
January 8th at St. Francis
de Sales Cathedral.
Vault Interment followed
at Mount Hope Cemetery
and a reception took place
afterwards at the St. Fran-
cis Parish Hall.
Moose was born April
30, 1926 in El Paso, Texas
to Joseph Gunter and
Tomasa Maria (Serrano)
Stephens. He attended
Cathedral High School
in El Paso, and went into
the U.S. Army in 1944,
serving in the Pacific and
earning two Purple Hearts.
In 1950 Moose graduated
from New Mexico A&M
and later took graduate
courses at the University
of Idaho. On May 21, 1955
he married Helen McDaid
in Boise, Idaho. The
couple remained married
for 40 years until her pass-
ing on March 1, 1995.
Moose worked for the
U.S. Forest Service for 37
years as a range conser-
vationist and wildlife
biologist and was the snow
ranger for Anthony
Lakes. He enjoyed many
outdoor activities including
skiing, which he continued
to do until he was 84 years
old, hiking, family trips
camping and sing-a-longs
by the campfire. He also
enjoyed bicycling, par-
ticipating in Cycle Oregon
two times.
Joaquin was involved in
the Boy Scouts of America
for 15 years. He started
and was the head coach
of the Baker Swim Team
from 1973 until 1976 and
was an active member of
St. Francis de Sales Cathe-
dral and a member of the
Knights of Columbus.
His greatest legacy was
his faith in God, his love of
family and his love of the
outdoors.
He was preceded in
death by his wife Helen,
his parents, a granddaugh-
ter Mandi Stephens, one
brother Joseph Stephens
and one sister Helen An-
nabell Stephens.
See OBITUARIES / Page 9