RECORDS
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
East Oregonian
Jane Elizabeth Keesey
Robert C. Bertsch
Tracy Dean Heaps
Pendleton
December 6, 1951-January 6, 2017
Stanfield
May 14, 1939-December 8, 2016
Pendleton
May 15, 1956-December 31, 2016
Jane Elizabeth Keesey
was born December 6,
1951, in Kansas City,
Missouri, to Paul and Jean
(Hancock) Keesey. She grew
up in Humboldt County,
California, and the Bay
Area. Jane went to Foothills
College, Mesa College, and
Lane Community
College.
She met her
husband,
Chris
Roop, while taking
a course titled
Natural History of
Baja, California, in
December of 1978.
They have been
together ever since,
and were married
on June 22, 1989, Keesey
when they eloped
to Caldwell, Idaho.
After returning from
Mexico, they lived outside of
Junction City, Ore., until she
became pregnant, at which
time they moved to Eugene,
Ore. Their son Cassady was
born August of 1983. The
family moved to Pendleton
in 1984 for two years prior
to moving up the river. They
have lived on the CTUIR
Reservation since then but
did move closer to town.
Jane worked at a number
of
occupations:
book
binding, ordering and inven-
tory control for Kaneka Far
West, plant propagation for
Chase Gardens, real estate
renovation, grading inven-
tory plots among other things
while with the Forest Service
and receiving awards for her
work there, and then worked
for Bill Alexander Forestry
as an office manager. She
also drove her truck to
deliver supplies for forest
fire suppression.
Her interests included
archeology, anthropology,
botany, and biology. She
enjoyed gardening and
working with livestock when
she lived up the river. Jane
was accomplished at deliv-
ering lambs that had birthing
problems. When the family
business took over producing
the June Cruisin car show,
she was the registrar. For the
last 13 years, she
enjoyed attending
and
sometimes
organizing Gary’s
Run, an annual
memorial cruise for
MG sports cars that
alternates between
the
U.S.
and
Canada. She was
a charter member
of the Oregon
Country
Fair
and traffic crew
volunteer
since
1981. Besides volunteering
for the fair and car show,
which benefits Washington
School, Jane donated to The
Giving Tree at Hamley’s, Bat
Conservation International,
and Blue Mountain Wildlife,
among others. Even in death
she was generous, donating
her corneas so that two other
people would be able to see.
Jane was preceded in
death by her mother Jean.
She is survived by her father,
Paul Keesey of Sunnyvale,
Calif.; husband Chris Roop,
Pendleton; son Cassady
Roop of Corvallis; sister
Alice (Fred) Mecoy of
Allen, Texas; brother James
(Jennifer) of Sunnyvale,
Calif.; and nephews Geoffry
and Manfred Mecoy.
A service will be held at
Burns Mortuary of Pend-
leton Saturday, Jan. 14 at
1:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please
make memorial donations
to Blue Mountain Wildlife,
71046 Apaloosa Lane, Pend-
leton, OR 97801.
John Anthony Shippentower
Mission
April 1, 1943-January 4, 2017
John Anthony Shippen- in the mid-1960s and only
tower, 73, passed away recently returned home.
January 4, 2017, at his home In Portland, he worked in
in Mission. His dressing hardware sales and for the
was held January 6, 2017, Portland Area Indian Health
at Burns Mortuary chapel Service, where he later
in Pendleton. He was buried retired.
In his earlier days, he
at the Agency Cemetery on
January 7, 2017, and lunch hunted, fished, golfed and
ran long distances.
was served at the
When he first
Mission
Senior
returned home, he
Center.
used to walk on
He was born
Mission Road but
April 1, 1943, to
even that became
Joseph Alex and
too much as his
Blanche (Williams)
health deteriorated.
Shippentower, in
He is survived
Portland, Ore. He
by
a
brother,
was a member of
Robert
Allen
the CTUIR (Walla
(Beverly Penney)
Walla) and he
Shippentower; a
grew up on the Shippentower
sister,
Rosenda
Umatilla Indian
Shippentower; and
Reservation. He
met Sharon Cunningham a niece, Carmen Joy James.
at a golf course in Portland He also left behind JC
and they were together for Penney, Joan Watlamit, Carl
over 25 years. Sometime Sampson, Fabian Spencer,
James,
Frances
during those 25 years they Sierra
were married. She died from Alexandria James, Isaiah
Shippentower and many
leukemia eight years ago.
He graduated from other relatives and friends in
Pendleton High School in Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
1961 and attended then California and probably
Eastern Oregon College beyond.
He was preceded in death
(EOC) and the University
of Oregon. While at PHS he by his mother Blanche, his
was a three-year letterman father Alex, and his brother
in baseball and coached by William Shippentower.
He did not have children
Bob White, and a two-year
letterman in basketball and but he was a close and
coached by Dale Warberg. good uncle to his nephews
He also played baseball and who also predeceased him
basketball with the Mission in death: Allen Anthony
Indians and other Indian Spencer, Jerry Michael
Spencer and R. Joseph
teams.
While in high school ”Joey” Shippentower, all of
and for another couple of Mission.
Burns
Mortuary
of
years thereafter he worked
at PGG in the parts depart- Pendleton was in charge of
ment. He moved to Portland arrangements.
OBITUARY POLICY
Robert C. Bertsch, Stan-
field, was born on May 14,
1939, and died on December
8, 2016.
Bob was born in Klickitat,
Washington, to parents
Marjorie (Monzingo) and
Robert Bertsch. The family
moved to Oregon shortly
thereafter.
Bob
went to school one
year in Monument,
Oregon, where he
met his future wife
of 54½ years, Judith
Mae
Stirewalt.
Born of this union
were Wade James
and Ward David
Bertsch.
Bob was a fifth
grade teacher. His Bertsch
first school was
in Wilder, Idaho;
he spent the next two years
in Council, Idaho, before
moving to Stanfield and
teaching at West Park Grade
School in Hermiston for 28
years. Bob truly enjoyed the
students and used a variety of
methods to get his students to
especially enjoy reading and
math.
Bob worked every posi-
tion in the lumber mills where
his dad was the millwright.
He also cruised timber, all the
while breaking and shoeing
horses, always his second
love. Bob was a director of
the Mustangers and volun-
teered 40-plus years at the
Pendleton Round-Up.
He was preceded in death
by his mother Marj, his father
Robert Bertsch, brother
Kenneth Donald
Bertsch and a baby
sister.
Bob is survived
by Judy and son
Wade of Stanfield,
Oregon, and son
(Ward) Tiny of
Stephenville, Texas;
granddaughters
Kelly Marie, Katie
Sue and Jayden
Mae
Bertsch;
grandson Taygan
Tee Bertsch; two
nephews, Kevin and Kai
Bertsch; and several other
nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life
will be held January 14,
2017, at 1:00 p.m. at the
Stanfield Community Center,
Stanfield, Oregon. A potluck
luncheon will follow.
In lieu of flowers and
the Alzheimer Foundation,
please mentor a young child
academically and/or in
horsemanship skills.
Larry Leroy Martin
Pendleton
June 6, 1943-January 5, 2017
Larry Leroy Martin was
born on June 6, 1943, at
Caldwell, Idaho, to Francis
and Flora Martin. He lived
with his parents and
older sister Connie
in Caldwell through
fourth grade when
his family moved to
Weippe, Idaho.
He
married
Sharon
Marshall
on March 24,
1963, in Nampa,
Idaho. Their first
“date” was in 1948
in Caldwell when
his family lived
temporarily in a
basement apartment
only four houses
from
Sharon’s Martin
family. Larry was
just 5 years old and
Sharon was 6 years old at the
time. He walked to her home
and asked if she would like to
walk to church with him. The
church was just a couple of
blocks away. They attended
high school together at Gem
State Adventist Academy
and he gave his watch to her
to wear as a sign that they
were “going steady.”
After finishing eighth
grade at Orofino Adventist
Elementary School the
Martin family moved back
to Caldwell, Idaho so Larry
could attend high school
at Gem State Adventist
Academy. After finishing
11th grade the family moved
back to Weippe, Idaho.
Larry enrolled at Weippe
High School but didn’t have
enough credits to be a senior
so was placed in 11th grade.
After finishing 11th grade
(again) in 1961 Larry moved
to Pendleton and was hired
at Harris Pine Mills where
he worked his way up to log
truck driver. On weekends
he pumped gas at Herd’s
Union 76 station and drove
bulk truck for Bonbright
Oil. He also served in the
Oregon National Guard. He
then took a job making local
deliveries for Consolidated
Freightways followed by
a short term driving for
Garrett Freightlines.
Soon he applied
and was hired at
Pendleton
Floor
Covering where he
learned the trade.
In February 1980
he started his own
floor covering store,
Soft-Step Interiors.
In May 2007 he
sold the store and
retired, spending
most of his time in
his shop enjoying
his woodworking
hobby and the deer
at the Martin cabin
in the Tollgate area.
He was a deacon
at the Elgin Seventh-day
Adventist church for 15
years. He will be remem-
bered for installing new
windows in the sanctuary, the
new conference table in the
library, the beautiful wood
lectern he built, bringing a
delicious dessert each week
for fellowship dinner, and
always the first one at the
sink washing the dishes after
the dinner.
In April 2016 he was diag-
nosed with pancreatic cancer
and October 2016 he and his
wife Sharon moved to their
new home in Pendleton to be
near their son Steve.
He is survived by Sharon,
his wife of 53 years; sons
Steve (Dana) Martin of Pend-
leton and Jerry (Ira) Martin
of Tigard; and grandchildren
Joe, Jonny, Jenna and Jasy.
Larry was predeceased by
his parents Francis and Flora
Martin, sister Connie Purvis,
and grandson Timothy
Martin.
A memorial service will
be held on Saturday, March
25, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. in
the Pendleton Seventh-day
Adventist Church, 1401 S.W.
Goodwin Place.
UPCOMING SERVICES
TUESDAY, JAN. 10
BURCHETT, MICHELLE — Celebration of life at 2
p.m. at South Salem Church of the Nazarene, 1661 Boone
Road S.E., Salem.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11
SHIRILLA, DON — Memorial service at 2 p.m. at Mult-
nomah Presbyterian Church, 7555 S.W. 45th Ave., Portland.
Tracy Dean Heaps, 60,
of Pendleton died December
31, 2016, in Pendleton. A
Celebration of Life will
be held at 10:30 a.m. on
Monday, January 16, 2017,
at the Salvation Army
Church in Pendleton.
Tracy was born May
15, 1956, in Idaho
Falls, Idaho, to
Gene and Donna
(Hardy)
Heaps.
He spent most
of his life in the
Pendleton and Pilot
Rock area.
He enjoyed his
work as a logger,
working for various
logging companies.
He once owned Heaps
and operated T.
Heaps Logging Co.
From the 1970s until the
1990s he participated in
rodeos all over Oregon and
Washington, competing in
bareback and bull riding and
his favorite, saddle bronc
Hermiston
February 27, 1926-December 15, 2016
Doloris Virginia “Dee”
Hill, of Hermiston, Oregon,
born February 27, 1926,
passed on December 15,
2016, in Hermiston, Oregon,
at the age of 90.
Dee is survived by her
husband James R. “Jim” Hill,
son Daniel J. “Dan” Hill, and
her granddaughter
Mackenzie
D.
“Mack” Hill, all of
Hermiston, Oregon,
and her sister
Vivian Keithley of
Midvale, Idaho.
Dee was born
to Ruell and Hilda
Doggett in McCall,
Idaho, grew up in
Midvale, Idaho, and
was the first born Hill
of four children,
having
survived
her brothers, Robert and
Richard.
Jim and Dee married on
May 8, 1949, after Jim’s
tour in the Korean War.
They moved to Pendleton
in the fall of 1951 and later
to Hermiston in 1963. Dee
worked at Idaho Power
in Cambridge and Boise,
Umatilla
April 2, 1932-January 3, 2017
Beverly J. Leader of
Umatilla, Oregon, was born
on April 2, 1932, in Polson,
Montana. She died on
January 3, 2017, in Herm-
iston, Oregon, at the age of
84 years.
Bev was raised in Bill-
ings, Montana, and later in
Priest River, Idaho.
She married Roy
W. Leader on June
6, 1952, in Priest
River, Idaho. They
moved to Umatilla,
Oregon, in 1961
where she has lived
since.
Bev
worked
for Lamb Weston
in
Hermiston,
Oregon, for a Leader
short time before
becoming
a
full-time homemaker. She
enjoyed gardening, the
outdoors, camping, trips to
the mountains, crocheting,
playing cards, and Yahtzee.
Bev had a good sense of
humor and enjoyed time
with her family joking and
laughing.
She is survived by her
daughter Cheryl Holmes,
Umatilla, Ore.; son Roy
“Butch” Leader, Portland,
Ore.;
brother
Thomas
Penner, Pendleton, Ore.;
grandchildren
Jason,
Verna Taylor,
HAS
Forrest Cahill,
HAS
1/9-1/10
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
1/11
Rogue One (PG13)
2D 7:00
3D 4:00 10:00
Sing (PG)
4:20 6:50 9:20
Underworld:
Blood Wars (R)
2D 4:30 6:40
3D 9:30
Hermiston H.S.
S. .
ow Starts @ 7:00 P.
P.M.
.M.
H E R M I S T O N
Tickets:
$20- Adults & $10 Students +
$5 if bought at the door
541-215-1888
246 SW Dorion, Pendleton
Jeremy, Jeanette, Devin
and Carrie; great-grand-
children Jason, Elijah,
Isabella, Mateo, Stephen,
Kateri, RJ, and Rudger; two
great-great-grandchildren;
and several nieces and
nephews.
Bev was preceded in death
by her husband; her
parents Earl and
Mabel Barnes; son
Tommy
Leader;
stepsisters Jo and
Pauline; and step-
brothers Daryl and
Gordon.
A
graveside
service will be held
on Saturday, March
4, 2017, at 11:00
a.m. at Sunset
Hills
Cemetery,
Umatilla, Oregon.
Please sign the online
condolence book at burns-
mortuaryhermiston.com
Burns Mortuary of Herm-
iston, Oregon, is in care of
arrangements.
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
Presented
P
Pre
Pr
res
re ese
sent
ente
nte
ted
ed By y:
y:
Ric Jones,
BC-HIS
Idaho, and at Pacific Power
in Pendleton.
Always
social,
Dee
enjoyed being a member of
the Good Shepherd Hospital
Auxiliary, the Garden Club
and was an active member
of the First Christian Church.
She loved gardening, camping
and traveling.
Services
will
be held for Dee on
Friday, January 13,
2017, at 10:30 a.m.
at the First Christian
Church, Hermiston,
Oregon. Burial will
be private and held
at a later date in
Midvale, Idaho.
In lieu of flowers,
donations
may
be made in Dee’s
name to the Good
Shepherd Community Health
Foundation or the First
Christian Church, Hermiston,
Oregon.
Please sign the online
condolence book at burns-
mortuaryhermiston.com
Burns Mortuary of Herm-
iston, Oregon, is in care of
arrangements.
Beverly J. Leader
When they say “You’re so cool!”
and you say “Jump in the pool?”
541-567-4063
riding. He also participated
in wild horse racing and, in
1986, won the Pendleton
Round-Up championship.
He loved his family, music
(Credence
Clearwater
Revival was his favorite)
and horses. He had a huge
heart and a great sense of
humor.
Survivors
include his children
Janelle
Heaps,
Jayda Heaps, Cody
Heaps and Colton
Heaps;
siblings
Tauna Rowbury,
Kathy Irwin-Svan-
cara,
Tammy
Rowbury,
Geri
Rowbury-Kunz
and Eddie Heaps;
and
stepmother
Lois Heaps. He
was preceded in death by
his parents and brother, Brad
Heaps.
Online condolences may
be shared with the family at
www.pioneerchapel.com
Doloris Virginia ‘Dee’ Hill
The East Oregonian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can in-
clude small photos and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge.
Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style.
Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These in-
clude information about services.
Obituaries and notices can be submitted online at www.eastorego-
nian.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@eastoregonian.com, by fax
to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the East
Oregonian office.
For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, ext. 221.
405 N. 1st St., Suite #107,
Hermiston
Page 5A
Tickets outlets: Hermiston Chamber & www.desertartscouncil.com
Passengers (PG13)
4:40 7:10 9:40
Why Him? (R)
4:50 7:20 9:50
Credit & Debit Cards accepted
Cineplex gift cards available
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com
541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216