Wednesday,June2,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
7
OBITUARIES
PA I D N O T I C E S
Venita Shaw
Venita Shaw was born in Sayre, Okla., in the
summer, July 17, 1943, to Leonard and Marie
Mahan. The family moved to Arkansas for
a few years before relocating to Bakersfield,
Calif. Her father accepted a job on The Dalles
Dam and this is were she resided until she
passed away on April 10, 2021.
She married Artie Shaw in July 1961. The
Venita Shaw couple raised three daughters in their home
on East 15th St. She is best known for her ser-
vice at The Dalles family practice, working three decades as
Dr. Peruzzo’s medical assistant. Venita loved being a mother
and grandma. She was a dedicated sports fan and was known
to travel all over Oregon as not to miss her grandchildren’s
events.
Venita leaves behind her daughters Amy Jensen (Dan),
Tracy Keyser (Jeremi), Kelly Freeland (Brent), and Heather
Thomson, whom she loved as a daughter; grandchildren
Emma, Alex, Cody (Ashlie), Josh, Spring, Spencer and Ben; as
well as several cousins she adored.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Artie Shaw,
parents, Leonard and Marie Mahan and her only sibling, Jim
Mahan. A casual celebration of life will be held at Sorosis Park
in The Dalles, Ore., on June 5 at 11 a.m.
DEATHS AND SERVICES
Joseph Hugh Pratt died
March 16, 2021, in Columbia,
S.C. Joseph was born on
Aug. 5, 1978, and was 42
years of age at the time of
his passing. Arrangements
are under the direction of
Anderson's Tribute Center,
The Dalles. Visit www.
AndersonsTributeCenter.
com to leave a note of condo-
lence for the family.
Sara “Lilly” Ellsworth
died April 17, 2021, at her
home in The Dalles, Ore.
Lilly was born on Jan. 23,
1953, and was 68 years of age
at the time of her passing.
A celebration of life ser-
vice will be held at 1 p.m.
on Sunday, June 6 at The
Dalles Civic Auditorium,
323 E. Fourth St., The Dalles,
with arrangements under
the direction of Anderson's
Tribute Center. Visit www.
AndersonsTributeCenter.
com to leave a note of
condolence for the family.
Mary Ishimaru died May
9, 2021, at her home in Hood
River, Ore. Mary was born
on Nov. 29, 1922, and was
98 years of age at the time
of her passing. A graveside
service is planned for 10
a.m. on Friday, June 25 at
Idlewilde Cemetery, 980
Tucker Road, Hood River,
with arrangements under
the direction of Anderson's
Tribute Center. Visit www.
AndersonsTributeCenter.
com to leave a note of condo-
lence for the family.
Lawrence Goudy Jr., age
53, a resident of The Dalles,
Ore., died at a local hospital
May 19, 2021. Services have
been held, and he was laid
to rest at Toppenish Creek
Cemetery, White Swan,
Wash. Spencer, Libby &
Powell Funeral Home is in
care of arrangements.
Robert Anthony Wojtecki
III, age 20, a resident of The
Dalles, Ore., died May 20,
2021. Spencer, Libby & Powell
Funeral Home is in care
of arrangements. A family
directed candlelight vigil was
heldMay 28 at Sorosis Park,
The Dalles. A celebration of
life will be held at a later date,
with details on the Spencer,
Libby & Powell website once
finalized.
David Carl Pratt died
May 21, 2021, in The Dalles,
Ore. David was born on
Jan. 12, 1948, and was 73
years of age at the time of
his passing. Arrangements
are under the direction of
Anderson's Tribute Center,
The Dalles. Visit www.
AndersonsTributeCenter.
com to leave a note of condo-
lence for the family.
Edward Lee Stone, age 61,
a resident of Eugene, Ore.,
died at a local hospital May
21, 2021. Spencer, Libby &
Powell Funeral Home is in
care of arrangements.
Lynnora O'Meara, age 72,
a resident of The Dalles, Ore.,
died May 24, 2021. Spencer,
Libby & Powell Funeral
Home is in care of arrange-
ments. A family directed
memorial will be held at a
later date, with information
posted on the Spencer, Libby
& Powell website once details
are finalized.
Catherine Ann Hickman,
age 64, a resident of The
Dalles, Ore., died at home
May 25, 2021. Spencer, Libby
and Powell Funeral Home is
in care of arrangements.
James Wesley, age
59, passed away at Mid-
Columbia Medical Center
May 28, 2021. Spencer, Libby
and Powell Funeral Home is
in care of arrangements.
GORGE NEWS
Travel Oregon makes local grants
Travel in the Mount Hood
and Columbia River Gorge
areas decreased significantly
in 2020, with travel spending
down 41.6 percent compared
to 2019.
According to Travel
Oregon, a state tourism
agency, 2019 figures show
$446.7 million in travel-re-
lated expenditures in 2019,
compared to $260.9 million
in 2020.
Employment directly
related to travel declined
19 percent from 2019, with
roughly 4,300 jobs in 2020.
This spring, Travel Oregon
has awarded more than $2.4
million in grants for projects
that promote economic
recovery across the state.
Columbia River Gorge
and Mt. Hood region grants
include:
• The City of Maupin will
received a $35,443.12 grant
to improve outdoor space for
dining and physical space for
trip preparation for local raft
companies. A second grant
was awarded to the Maupin
Area Chamber Endowment
of $100,000 to install a regula-
tion eight-lane polyurethane
track and related spectator
facilities replacing the cur-
rent track located on South
Wasco County School District
property.
• Port of Cascade Locks
received $99,998 for parking
lot and trail improvements
to ease congestion on the
Easy CLIMB family-friend-
ly mountain bike trail in
Cascade Locks.
• Port of Hood River
received $40,000 to im-
prove the visitor experience
by increasing safety and
expanding water access and
amenities along the Hood
River waterfront.
• Port of The Dalles re-
ceived $45,230 to improve
safety and infrastructure, in-
cluding launch ramp repairs
and wayfinding enhance-
ments at The Dalles Marina.
• Mt. Hood Outfitters
received $12,760 to con-
struct an onsite boat storage
building to provide a safer
and more efficient way for
boat renters to have access
to watercraft recreation at
Trillium Lake.
The Oregon Tourism
Commission, dba Travel
Oregon awarded a total
of $2,408,124 through its
Competitive & Recovery
Grant Program to support
economic recovery by
investing in projects that
enhance and expand the vis-
itor experience and prepare
communities and visitors for
COVID-19 safe travel.
For this grant cycle, Travel
Oregon received more
than 400 applications with
a request greater than $18
million.
“These projects directly
support Oregon’s tour-
ism economy, from iconic
Oregon attractions like the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival,
to outdoor trail development,
to retrofitting outdoor events
to meet public health stan-
dards,” said Todd Davidson,
CEO of Travel Oregon.
“Many of these entities
have been closed or were un-
able to hold their event in the
last year because of COVID.
Our goal is to support these
businesses, events and
attractions as they operate
safely, restore vibrancy and
create economic stability
in communities across the
state,” Davidson added.
The COVID-19 pandem-
ic has severely impacted
Oregon’s tourism economy.
Dean Runyan & Associates’
preliminary Economic
Impact of Travel in Oregon
report finds that in 2020,
employment related to travel
declined by 22.1 percent and
that total travel spending
declined 49.5 percent from
$12.8 billion in 2019 to $6.5
billion.
Travel Oregon has devel-
oped a variety of programs
to support recovery in
tourism-related and sup-
ported industries as part of
the state’s larger economic
recovery strategy.
Comments welcome on Heights’ future
Oberst
■ By For Gail
Columbia Gorge News
The report summarized
input from 344 people who
answered an online survey
Hood River’s Heights-area and attended community
residents and users said they gatherings and interviews.
Although the online
want a livable community
survey is closed, comments
with improvements that
are welcome at cityofho-
balance safety with busi-
odriver.gov/urban-renewal/
ness access and mixed-use
development.
the-heights-streetscape-plan.
The Heights’ future was the
The Heights, for the
subject of a report to the city’s purposes of future street
Urban Renewal Advisory
planning, includes 12th
Committee, which met May
and 13th streets between
20 to hear the first phase of
Belmont/Union streets at the
proposed project goals for
south end and May Street
at the north end. Today,
the area, including analy-
the neighborhood includes
sis and community input.
homes, businesses, schools,
a hospital and other public
buildings.
As part of State Highway
281, it connects downtown
Hood River with the Hood
River Valley and the farms,
forests, parks and trails that
feed into it.
Initial community input
called for slowing traffic,
creating safer intersections,
promoting livability, sup-
porting local businesses and
improving safety for walkers,
bikers and drivers.
The consultant team said
that they got some input from
the local Latinx community,
but they still hope for more.
They are also seeking addi-
tional suggestions from busi-
ness and property owners in
the Heights.
The plan, once completed,
will help inform future im-
provements to intersections,
sidewalks, streets, parking
and housing develop-
ment in the Heights. The
“Streetscape” plan also in-
corporates other city projects
now in progress, including
“Safe Routes to School”
which is reviewing bike and
walk routes for youths.
Putnam named to Dean’s Honor List
Nate Hochman honored at Colorado College
Cedarville Student Forrest Putnam of Glenwood, majoring
in Mechanical Engineering, was named to the Dean’s Honor
List for Spring 2021. This recognition requires the student to
obtain a 3.75 grade point average or higher for the semester
and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an
accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enroll-
ment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students
in more than 150 areas of study.
Nate Hochman of Hood River was awarded the Edith
Bramhall Award at Colorado College’s recent Honor’s
Convocation, held online on May 11. Hochman is a member
of the Class of 2021. Colorado College is a nationally promi-
nent, four-year liberal arts college that operates on the Block
Plan, in which students take one class at a time in intensive
three-week segments.
Gunnerson of graduates from McDaniel
College and receives senior award
Rachel A. Gunnerson of Hood River earned Summa Cum
Laude with a bachelor’s degree in social work from McDaniel
College on May 22. Select graduating seniors also received
academic, activity and leadership awards at the virtual
awards ceremonies on May 21. Gunnerson was the recipi-
ent of The Dr. Mary Ellen Elwell Distinguished Social Work
Award. McDaniel College awarded nearly 600 bachelor’s and
master’s degrees during the 151st commencement ceremony
on May 22.
DANIELS
health & nutrition
main challenges, said Tina
Lassen, committee member.
The city’s team will con-
tinue to collect input from
business and residents before
drafting goals and reporting
to the Hood River Urban
Renewal Agency Board for
review June 14.
Another 10-12 months
of planning remain in The
Heights project’s three
phases. The second phase
will use identified goals to
create preliminary concepts
which will be refined into a
preferred plan in the third
phase.
Cookie cutter funerals?
SCHOOL NOTES
Quality vitamins and supplements.
Additional plans for the
Heights call for enhancing
the district’s identity as a
diverse neighborhood with
historic roots as the northern
gateway to the city; providing
parks that support Heights
businesses and neighboring
residences; providing trans-
portation and infrastructure
improvements to enhance
safety and efficiency; and
enhance housing and neigh-
borhood services.
Balancing the transpor-
tation corridor with the
housing and neighborhood
concerns will be the group’s
Your Friends
IN THE BRIGHT RED VANS
Expert Service
& Reliability
Quality Sales
& Installation
• Maintenance programs
• Licensed and Bonded
• Over 20 years Experience
• Factory trained technicians
• Furnaces
• Air Conditioning
• Heat Pumps
• Ductless Mini-Splits
and much more!
For a limited time only get up to 72 months no
interest or 6 months no payments or interest
with approved credit on your purchase of a
new Heat Pump, AH, or Furnace.
10% off
one regular priced item.
Serving the Columbia River Gorge Since 1997
NEW LOCATION IN THE DALLES!
918 12th St | Hood River, OR | 541-386-7328
541-296-0701 The Dalles
541-387-3311 Hood River
203004
EHEATHA862KN
Not from us. In your time of loss
your family has unique needs and is
better served with a service that
reflects your unique attributes and
your unique wishes.