Page 6A
RECORDS
East Oregonian
Saturday, December 16, 2017
OBITUARY POLICY
Edgar M. ‘Ed’ Neilsen
DEATH NOTICES
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.
Hermiston
September 3, 1929 - December 14, 2017
LaVada Forbes
MEETINGS
For a complete listing
of regional events, visit
easternoregonevents.com
MONDAY, DEC. 18
WEST EXTENSION IRRIGA-
TION DISTRICT, 9 a.m., Irrigon
Fire Department, 705 N.E. Main
St., Irrigon. 2018 budget will be on
the agenda. An executive session
may be called to discuss legal is-
sues. (Lisa Baum 541-922-3814)
ECHO SCHOOL DISTRICT,
6 p.m., Echo Community School,
600 Gerone St., Echo. A budget
meeting will be followed by the
regular board meeting. (541-376-
8436)
HELIX CITY COUNCIL, 7
p.m., Helix City Hall, 119 Columbia
St., Helix. (541-457-2521)
PENDLETON YOUTH COM-
MISSION, 7 p.m., Intermountain
ESD office, 2001 S.W. Nye Ave.,
Pendleton. (541-276-6711)
TUESDAY, DEC. 19
WORK SESSION, 6 p.m., Umatil-
la City Hall council chambers, 700
Sixth St., Umatilla. (Nanci 541-
922-3226 ext. 105)
PILOT ROCK CITY COUN-
CIL, 7 p.m., Pilot Rock City Hall
council chambers, 143 W. Main
St., Pilot Rock. (541-443-2811)
PENDLETON CITY COUN-
CIL, 7 p.m., Pendleton City Hall
council chambers, 501 S.W. Em-
igrant Ave., Pendleton. (541-966-
0201)
EAST UMATILLA COUNTY
HEALTH DISTRICT, 7 p.m., dis-
trict office, 431 E. Main St., Athe-
na. (541-566-3813)
OREGON TRAIL LIBRARY
DISTRICT, 7 p.m., Oregon Trail
Library District office, 200 S. Main
St., Boardman. (541-481-3365)
STANFIELD CITY COUNCIL,
7 p.m., Stanfield City Hall council
chambers, 160 S. Main St., Stan-
field. (541-449-3831)
PILOT ROCK CITY COUN-
CIL, 7 p.m., Pilot Rock City Hall
council chambers, 143 W. Main
St., Pilot Rock. (541-443-2811)
ATHENA CEMETERY DIS-
TRICT, 5:30 p.m., Athena City
Hall, 215 S. Third St., Athena.
(541-566-3862)
IRRIGON CITY COUNCIL, 6
p.m., Irrigon City Hall, 500 N.E.
Main Ave., Irrigon. (541-922-3047)
MORROW COUNTY FAIR
BOARD, 6 p.m., SAGE Center,
101 Olson Road, Boardman. (Ann
Jones 541-676-9474)
UMATILLA COUNTY SOIL &
WATER CONSERVATION DIS-
TRICT, 6 p.m., USDA Service
Center conference room, 1 S.W.
Nye Ave., Pendleton. (Kyle Wag-
goner 541-278-8049 ext. 138)
PENDLETON
DEVELOP-
MENT COMMISSION, 6 p.m.,
Pendleton City Hall, 501 S.W.
Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. (541-
276-1811)
UMATILLA CITY COUNCIL
LOTTERY
Thursday, Dec. 14
Lucky Lines
01-07-11-14-FREE-20-24-
26-30
Estimated jackpot: $23,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 0-5-6-7
4 p.m.: 0-2-6-6
7 p.m.: 3-3-7-0
10 p.m.: 1-4-9-1
Friday, Dec. 15
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-9-7-6
Edgar M. “Ed” Neilsen
of Hermiston, Oregon, was
born on September 3, 1929,
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to
parents Victor George and
Rachel
Lorraine
Carper Neilsen. He
died on December
14, 2017, in Herm-
iston, Oregon, at the
age of 88 years.
Ed was raised
in Council Bluffs,
Iowa,
graduating
from Lincoln High
School in the class of
1948 before joining
the United States
Army. He served
from 1948 until his
honorable discharge
in 1952.
Ed lived in Neilsen
Alaska
before
moving to Baker, Oregon,
in 1957 where he lived until
1963. He went to work for
ODOT (Oregon Department
Of Transportation) as the
Eastern Oregon highway
engineer. Ed married Erma
Reed in Reno, Nev., on July
29, 1977, and they settled in
Hermiston, Oregon, in 1979
where they have lived since.
He retired from ODOT in
1992 and began working with
Anderson Perry & Associates
as a project engineer in 1994,
continuing until 2016 when he
was 86 years old.
Ed was an active member
of Bethlehem Lutheran
Church in Hermiston, serving
as an elder for many years. He
officiated Babe Ruth and high
school basketball, baseball,
softball and football from
1957 until 2012. Ed enjoyed
hunting, model railroads and
was an extremely talented
woodworker.
He is survived by his wife
of 40 years, Erma Neilsen,
Hermiston, Ore.; daughters
Becky Miltenberger (Don),
Umatilla,
Ore.,
and Ramona Culp
(Kenny), Hermiston,
Ore.; son Bruce
Blakeley, England;
brother
Victor
William
Neilsen,
Huxley,
Iowa;
sisters Barbara Frey,
Sioux City, Iowa,
and Jane Jenkins,
Waldorf, Maryland;
12 grandchildren:
Ashelee, Jeremiah,
Shane, Grant, Heidi,
Jacob, Zach, Josh
and Josh, Zane,
Jimmy and Ryan;
five great-grand-
children; and numerous nieces
and nephews.
Ed was preceded in
death by his parents, sons
Bill Neilsen Shaw and Ted
Blakeley, and sister Betty
Streepy.
A funeral service will be
held on Monday, December
18, 2017, at 10 a.m. at Burns
Mortuary chapel, Hermiston,
Oregon. Burial with military
honors will follow at the
Hermiston Cemetery, Herm-
iston, Oregon.
Those who wish may make
contributions in Ed’s memory
to the Bethlehem Lutheran
Church Memorial Fund, 515
S.W. Seventh St., Hermiston,
OR 97838.
Please sign the online
condolence book at burnsmor-
tuaryhermiston.com
Burns Mortuary of Herm-
iston, Oregon, is in care of
arrangements.
Navigating cannabis policy’s complexities
Sunny Jones helps
producers comply with
state’s new regulations
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
EO Media Group
There’s no shortage of confusion
over Oregon’s cannabis rules, and
farmers are no exception.
Establishing a regulatory regime for
the crop has been compared to building
an airplane while it’s in mid-flight, said
Sunny Jones, cannabis policy coordi-
nator for the Oregon Department of
Agriculture.
“When you’re trying to start an
industry from the ground up, there are
going to be some learning curves and
bumps in the road,” she said.
Jones is charged with helping
cannabis producers navigate the
byzantine regulatory system they must
traverse to legally grow the crop.
Consider the complex layers of
its legal status: Varieties of the plant
with minuscule levels of THC, a
psychoactive substance, can be grown
for research purposes as hemp under
federal law, but cultivars with higher
levels of THC, which are considered
marijuana, remain federally prohibited.
Nonetheless, Oregon has legalized
marijuana for medical and recreational
purposes, with both uses regulated
differently under state law.
Several state agencies are involved
in overseeing marijuana’s cultivation
and sale, including the Liquor Control
Commission, the Health Authority and
the Department of Agriculture.
Regulating pesticides used on mari-
juana is within ODA’s jurisdiction, as
is the food safety enforcement of edible
marijuana products and the testing of
scales used for weighing the crop.
Meanwhile, the state’s licensing
system for industrial hemp is also
administered by ODA.
Managing change
If all this wasn’t complicated enough,
Oregon lawmakers are also continually
revising the state’s cannabis laws as the
industry finds its legs.
“We’re only a few years in. It’s going
to continue to change,” said Jones, who
began working as the agency’s cannabis
policy coordinator in 2015, a year after
Oregon voters legalized recreational
marijuana.
Some aspects of the cannabis
industry have evolved in unexpected
ways.
When Oregon lawmakers legalized
industrial hemp, they expected the
crop would be primarily cultivated for
oilseed and fiber.
Instead, most Oregon hemp growers
are focused on cultivating hemp flowers,
which produce cannabidiol (CBD), a
non-psychoactive substance thought to
possess healthful qualities.
At this point, Oregon hemp farmers
lack nearby processing facilities for
fiber and oilseed, Jones said. “We don’t
have a lot of infrastructure for other
uses.”
The production of cannabidiol
extract from hemp is also becoming
intermixed with the marijuana industry,
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Sunny Jones, the cannabis policy coordinator for the Oregon Department
of Agriculture, helps growers navigate the complex regulatory system for
marijuana and hemp.
as cannabis entrepreneurs are seeking to
create novel products by combining the
substance with THC extract.
Such developments require Oregon
lawmakers and regulators to clarify how
these interactions are regulated, Jones
said.
Jones often fields questions about
pesticides and cannabis, which is a
tricky subject because the crop is illegal
under federal law.
Because no pesticides are specifi-
cally labeled for cannabis, growers can
only use products that aren’t subject
to federal residue tolerance rules. The
pesticides must also be labeled for
use on a broad plethora of plants, as
opposed to distinct crops.
Advice lacking
The federal illegality of cannabis
imposes a problem for growers seeking
agronomic advice, since Oregon State
University’s Extension system is
prohibited from advising on the crop.
“Not having extension services is
hard,” Jones said. “Who do you look to
for the best practices?”
The solution may be found in
cannabis farmers working together.
Jones believes it may be wise to form
commodity commissions for hemp or
marijuana, which would allow growers
to pool resources and steer research.
The cannabis community isn’t
limited to the “Birkenstock, tie-dye
crowd,” and includes engineers and
others from diverse backgrounds, she
said.
“It’s really cool the wide group of
people I get to work with on a regular
basis,” Jones said. “Community is a
core value for me as a person, and I
get to put that value into action in this
position.”
Community interactions have played
a significant role in Jones’ career since
she graduated from OSU in 2003 with
a bachelor’s degree in bioresource
research.
She initially advised people on
pesticides at the National Pesticide
Information Center, then was hired by
ODA to run its pesticide use reporting
system.
The system never worked well due
to the disparity between needed infor-
mation and farmers’ privacy interests
— the data was too general to be useful
while growers chafed at reporting
requirements.
When the program was eventually
scrapped, Jones remained at ODA as a
pesticide investigator before taking the
cannabis policy coordinator job.
Though the pesticide use reporting
system wasn’t successful, the experi-
ence has proven valuable in her new
role.
“I’m used to jumping into a position
that hasn’t existed before,” Jones said.
Hermiston
Feb. 11, 1934 - Dec. 11, 2017
LaVada Forbes, 83, of Hermiston died Monday, Dec. 11,
2017, in Hermiston. She was born Feb. 11, 1934, in Colome,
S.D. A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, Dec.
30 at 2 p.m. in the Burns Mortuary chapel in Hermiston.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
Leave an online condolence for the family at www.burns-
mortuaryhermiston.com
UPCOMING SERVICES
SATURDAY, DEC. 16
BAUMAN, PAULINE — Funeral mass at 11 a.m. at
St. John’s Catholic Church, 103 S. Lincoln St., Condon. A
luncheon will follow at St. John’s parish hall.
BERDAR, WESLEY — Memorial service at 10 a.m.
in the chapel at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave.,
Hermiston.
COLLYER, CLARENCE — Funeral service at 12 noon
in the chapel at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave.,
Hermiston.
PERSONETTE, JIM — Celebration of life at 11 a.m.
with luncheon to follow at the Pendleton Eagles Lodge, 428
S. Main St.
VERKIST, ED — Funeral services at 10:30 a.m. at the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1151 N. Elizabeth
St., Milton-Freewater. Concluding services and interment
will follow in the Weston Cemetery.
SUNDAY, DEC. 17
SHOCKMAN, STEVE — Celebration of life gathering
from 2-4 p.m. at the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center,
1705 E. Airport Road, Hermiston.
MONDAY, DEC. 18
BABCOCK, JEREMY — Services at 10 a.m. at Keizer
Funeral Chapel, 4365 River Road N., Keizer, Ore. Interment
will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Willamette National Cemetery,
Portland.
MCELLIGOTT, EUNICE — Recitation of the rosary at
10 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s
Catholic Church, 525 N. Gale St., Heppner. Concluding
service and burial will follow at High View Cemetery in Ione,
with a meal following services at the Ione American Legion
Hall, 325 W. Second St.
NEILSEN, ED — Funeral service at 10 a.m. in the chapel
at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston. Burial
with military honors will follow in the Hermiston Cemetery.
TUESDAY, DEC. 19
No services scheduled
COMING EVENTS
SATURDAY, DEC. 16
SKATING WITH SANTA, 11
a.m.-2 p.m., Pendleton Ice Rink,
Roy Raley Park, 1205 S.W. Court
Ave., Pendleton. Don your skates
and join Santa on the ice. Photos
with the jolly ol’ elf and children’s
activities, plus warm drinks and a
bonfire. Free, but children ages
10 and under must be accompa-
nied by an adult. (541-276-8100)
HIP & HANDMADE, 11 a.m.-
12 p.m., Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton.
Free drop-in project class for
adults. (Roberta Lavadour 541-
278-9201)
“RACE AND PLACE: RAC-
ISM AND RESILIENCE IN ORE-
GON’S PAST”, 1-2:30 p.m., Ta-
mastslikt Cultural Institute, 47106
Wildhorse Blvd., Pendleton.
Pepsi Primetime @ the Museum
welcomes facilitators Anita Yap
and Traci Prices of the Oregon
Humanities Conversation Project
to discuss how Oregon’s history
of racism influences our present
and how understanding historic
and current impacts of racism
contribute to our sense of place
and vision for the future. Refresh-
ments. Free. (541-429-7700)
STRAIGHT TALK WITH
BECKY MARKS, 2-4 p.m., The
Saddle Restaurant, 2220 S.E.
Court Ave., Pendleton. Share
thoughts with Ward I council-
woman. (541-276-9147)
HERMISTON CHRISTMAS
MARKET, 2-6 p.m., Hermiston
Conference Center, 415 S. High-
way 395, Hermiston. Shop local
with 56 vendors, crafts for kids,
refreshments and baked goods
available for purchase, a visit
from Santa, and gift wrapping
for a donation. Free admission.
(BeAnn Smith 541-701-7291)
POTLUCK
CHRISTMAS
PROGRAM, 2 p.m., Columbia
Grange, 32339 Diagonal Blvd.,
Hermiston. In addition to the
meal (bring a salad, side dish or
dessert to share), the program
includes a 150-year anniversary
celebration. Door prizes will be
given away. Everyone welcome.
(Doris or Scot 541-567-8663 or
541-278-0615)
INLAND NORTHWEST MU-
SICIANS HOLIDAY CONCERT,
4 p.m., Echo Community Center,
20 N. Bonanza St., Echo. “The
Spirit of the Season” includes
performances by all ensembles
of the Inland Northwest Musi-
cians of Christmas and holiday
music. Free admission; reserva-
tions are required due to limited
seating. A reception will follow the
concert. (Sally Ketchersid 541-
289-4696)
SUNDAY, DEC. 17
PAUL GORHAM MEMORI-
AL SCHOLARSHIP BREAK-
FAST, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Pendle-
ton Masonic Lodge, 1350 N.W.
Carden Ave., Pendleton. Cost
is $6 for adults and $4 for ages
6-12. Call-in orders welcome.
(541-276-3760)
HERMISTON CHRISTMAS
MARKET, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Herm-
iston Conference Center, 415 S.
Highway 395, Hermiston. Shop
local with 56 vendors, crafts for
kids, refreshments and baked
goods available for purchase, a
visit from Santa, and gift wrap-
ping for a donation. Free admis-
sion. (BeAnn Smith 541-701-
7291)
KIDS KLUB, 9:30 a.m., First
Christian Church, 518 S. Main
St., Milton-Freewater. For chil-
dren of all ages. Includes arts,
crafts, music and more. Free.
(Janet Collins 541-938-3854)
SPECIAL NEEDS OPEN
GYM, 12-1:30 p.m., Pendleton
Recreation Center, 510 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Free for
special needs children and fam-
ilies. (541-276-8100)
GREAT PACIFIC CHRIST-
MAS PAGEANT, 3-7 p.m., Great
Pacific Wine & Coffee Co., 403
S. Main St., Pendleton. Annual
Christmas event features James
Dean Kindle and the Eastern Or-
egon Playboys with special musi-
cal guests Murray Dunlap, Drew
Langton & Jayati Ramakrishnan,
Misty Mouth, REV, Joe Pitt, The
Noodlers and Lincoln Barr. No
cover.
KBLU CITIZENS ADVISO-
RY GROUP, 3 p.m., Pridogal Son
Brewery & Pub, 230 S.E. Court
Ave., Pendleton. Share ideas on
format of Pendleton area’s new-
est radio station. (Vickie or Gary
541-566-2744 or 541-566-0131)
IZZY THE CAMEL, 5-6 p.m.,
Dave’s 12th Street Food Mart
parking lot, 220 S.W. 12th St.,
Pendleton. Meet Eastern Ore-
gon’s most famous camel prior to
his appearance at the Living Na-
tivity. Free. (Pastor Ray O’Grady
541-276-9569)
LIVING NATIVITY, 6-9 p.m.,
Roy Raley Park, 1205 S.W. Court
Ave., Pendleton. Twelve scenes
with live actors and animals por-
traying the biblical Christmas
story. Walk through only from 6-7
p.m., walk or drive though from
7-9 p.m. Izzy the camel will be
in attendance. Free. (Pastor Ray
O’Grady 541-276-9569)
ADULT OPEN GYM, 6:30
p.m., Pendleton Recreation
Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton. Half-court basketball.
Adults only.
ADULT OPEN GYM, 6:30-
8:30 p.m., Pendleton Recreation
Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton. Half-court basketball.
Adults only. (541-276-8100)
BLUE CHRISTMAS SER-
VICE, 7 p.m., First Presbyterian
Church, 201 S.W. Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton. An ecumenical ser-
vice for those who experience
the blues during the holiday sea-
son. Music, scripture, poetry and
prayer, followed by refreshments
and fellowship. Free. (Alice Hep-
burn 541-276-7681)
MONDAY, DEC. 18
TOT TIME, 10-11 a.m., Pend-
leton Recreation Center, 510
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. For
children ages 0-5, $1 per child.
(541-276-8100)
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME,
10:30 a.m., Athena Public Li-
brary, 418 E. Main St., Athena.
For ages birth to 6. (541-566-
2470)
PENDLETON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12-1 p.m.,
Pendleton Senior Center, 510
S.W. 10th St., Pendleton. Costs
$3.50 or $6 for those under 60.
Pool, puzzles, crafts, snacks,
Second Time Around thrift store
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals On
Wheels, call 541-276-1926. (541-
276-7101)
ART STUDIO, 4-5:30 p.m.,
Pendleton Center for the Arts,
214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Free
class for ages 7-12 to develop
skills and encourage art explora-
tion. (Roberta Lavadour 541-278-
9201)
ATHENA
KNITTERS
GROUP, 7 p.m., Athena Public
Library, 418 E. Main St., Athena.
Open to all knitters, crocheters
and lovers of needle work. (541-
566-2470)
TUESDAY, DEC. 19
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME,
10:30-11 a.m., Stanfield Public
Library, 180 W. Coe Ave., Stan-
field. (541-449-1254)
HERMISTON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Our
Lady of Angels Catholic Church
parish hall, 565 W. Hermiston
Ave., Hermiston. Cost is $4 for
adults, free for children 10 and
under, $4 for Meals on Wheels.
Extra 50 cents for utensils/dish-
es. Bus service to parish hall by
donation. (541-567-3582)
BOARDMAN
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m.,
Boardman Senior Center, 100
Tatone St., Boardman. Cost is $4
for seniors 55 and over or $5 for
adults. (541-481-3257)