COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
A6
COMMUNITY BRIEFING
Stirring the pot at the bazaar
Jeramy Schultz
stirs popcorn
Saturday,
May 14, 2022,
at Hermiston’s
Spring Bazaar.
The annual
event at the
Hermiston
Community
Center drew
dozens of ven-
dors and plenty
of locals.
Erick Peterson/
East Oregonian
Work in the spirit of service
SARAH
HAUG
LIGHT OF UNIT Y
“I
was so happy to
see so many people
show up to help the
guy who lives and breathes
helping others.” “He’s one
of the best!” “He has a
servant’s heart. We couldn’t
get along without him.”
These remarks capture
why some 30 friends and
family gathered recently at
my brother-in-law’s farm
outside Colfax, Washing-
ton. It was like an old-fash-
ioned barn-raising, except
we were there to build
fence. We were there, too,
because my brother-in-
law, described in those
comments, spends his life
helping others. This was a
chance to return the favors.
Some people really know
how to work. My brother-
in-law stops working only
to sleep and eat. He has a
servant’s heart — he lives
to serve others. I think most
of us know someone like
him, someone who embod-
ies the Baha’i teaching
that says, “Work done in
the spirit of service is the
highest form of worship.”
Work often means having
a trade, a craft or employ-
ment of some kind, whether
in an offi ce, as an educator,
a homemaker, a tradesman
or any of a thousand occu-
pations. It isn’t restricted.
Any way we occupy
ourselves that can be of
service to others is consid-
ered work. To be of service,
each of us, no matter our
starting point, diffi cul-
ties or natural abilities,
must pursue some form
of work. In turn, soci-
ety has the responsibil-
ity to provide opportunity
for every individual to
develop and utilize her or
his talents. We all have
capacity to be of service
to others through work of
some kind, whatever that
work is. And when we serve
others, we worship God.
What, then, is worship?
Merriam-Webster defi nes
it as, “to honor or show
reverence” to a divine being.
How we do that as human
beings varies across peoples
and religions. Prayer and
meditation are two forms of
worship. They also prepare
Thursday, May 19, 2022
us for service. Though
prayer and meditation are
predominantly private in
the Baha’i faith, Baha’is
do gather for communal
worship. Service to others
is the social act, and the
one that embodies another
admonition, “Let deeds, not
words, be your adorning.”
It isn’t that we need to
work all the time. It’s rather
that when we do work,
we should think about it
as worshipping God —
and see it as “the highest
form” of worship. Besides
its utilitarian value, work
“draws us nearer to God.”
What’s more, Baha’u’llah
promises that any occu-
pation, “is as an act of
worship.” This is true, even
for the rest of us who don’t
always feel the “worship”
part, whose minds some-
times wander during prayers
or fi nd going to work every
day a slog — or run out
of steam so much sooner
than my brother-in-law.
———
Sarah Haug is a member
of the Baha’i Faith and has
called Pendleton home since
2002. You can fi nd her most
days walking on the Pendle-
ton River Parkway with her
husband, Dan.
Good Shepherd
Outreach & Events
May is Older American's Month
Good Shepherd’s Community Health & Outreach
offers free health screenings for community
members of all ages!
Healthy Cooking on a Budget
Second Tuesday of the month (May 10, 2022)
Walk with Ease
May 23 – July 1, M/W/F
GOOD SHEPHERD
COMMUNITY HEALTH & OUTREACH
541-667-3509 | healthinfo@gshealth.org
Events raise
money, awareness
for cystic fi brosis
HERMISTON — The
Bearded Villain East
Oregon Chapter is hosting
a fundraiser in support of
Jessica Brown-Grooms’
annual cystic fi brosis fund-
raising event.
Those in attendance are
in for an evening of fun
while raising awareness
and money to help fi nd a
cure for cystic fi brosis. The
beard contest is Friday,
May 20, beginning at
6 p.m. at The Bridge Bistro
& Brews, 1501 Sixth St.,
Umatilla. Beard compet-
itors must register by
5:45 p.m. — or in advance
at www.eventbrite.com.
The cost is $25.
The beard competition
will feature multiple cate-
gories for beard types, and
no experience is neces-
sary. For additional details,
search www.facebook.
com/rachelle.reed.73113.
The Breath of Life fund-
raiser is Saturday, May 21,
5:30 p.m. at the Maxwell
Pavillion, 255 S. First
Place, Hermiston. Tickets,
$20 each, will be sold at the
door. Children 8 and under
are free.
The May 21 evening
event includes a baked
potato chili bar for dinner
and dessert from Sweet E’s
cupcakes. A live auction
begins at 6:30 p.m. and
entertainment starts around
7:45 p.m. It features live
music with Soul Patch,
featuring local musicians
Luke Basile and Frazer
Wambeke as well as Brew-
er’s Grade, a regional
band that is fronted by Zac
Grooms, husband of the
event organizer.
B r ow n - G r o o m s of
Hermiston was diagnosed
with cystic fi brosis when
she was 18 months old. A
genetic disease, it causes
the lungs to produce a
thick, sticky mucus, result-
ing in a shorter life expec-
tancy. However, because
of advances made through
research, the life expec-
tancy, which used to be age
5, now surpasses 40.
Continued funding of
research helps people with
the disease continue to
breathe. For more about
the disease, visit www.cff .
org; and for more about
the upcoming fundraiser,
go to www.facebook.com/
events/5094466047264289.
PFLAG hosts
educational forum
PEN DLETON —
PFLAG Pendleton is host-
ing an educational event
entitled “Knowing Nancy,
A Lesson in Self-Defi ning
Growth.” Nancy Peterson,
a speaker,
orga n i zer
and writer,
will share
S u n d ay,
M ay 2 2 ,
4 p.m. at
Pendleton
Peterson
Center For
The Arts,
214 N. Main St. Admission
is free and appetizers and
drinks will be available.
Bor n and raised in
Alaska, Peterson had
plans to join the military
but because of a progres-
sive movement disorder
decided instead to focus
on a career as an educator
and advocate for others. As
a non-binary person with
disabilities, Peterson has
personal experiences with
discrimination. Peterson
learned skills as a self-ad-
vocate and educator to help
others.
Peterson is a member of
the Hermiston City Coun-
cil and has participated in
local groups, such as Pride,
Disability Day of Mourn-
ing, “Celebrate! Faith and
Cultures,” and the Women’s
March. Peterson works as a
disability services accessi-
bility specialist at Colum-
bia Basin College.
PFLAG believes in
meeting people where they
are and collaborating with
others. It realizes its vision
through support, education
and advocacy. For more
information, search www.
facebook.com / PFLAG.
Pendleton. For questions,
contact Vickie Read at
vickie_read@hotmail.com.
— Editor’s Note: Nancy
Peterson is the wife of the
Hermiston Herald editor/
senior reporter Erick
Peterson.
EOTEC hosts
shopping
extravaganza
HERMISTON — The
Spring Fling Shopping
Extravaganza features
a variety of home-based
businesses and handcrafted
products all in one place.
Nearly 20 local vendors
will be on hand Saturday,
May 21, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
at the Eastern Oregon Trade
and Event Center, 1705 E.
Airport Road, Hermiston.
Vendors plan to sell furni-
ture, crocheted goods, home
decor, jewelry and more.
For more information,
contact Lynne Hamblin at
541-571-5691 or lhamblin@
eotnet.net.
— EO Media Group
Shirley Ann (West) Donovan
September 14, 1935 – May 9, 2022
Shirley Ann Donovan, 86, a resident
of Boardman, Oregon, died Monday af-
ternoon, May 9, 2022, with family by her
side after a brief stay at Regency Nursing
and Rehabilitation Center in
Hermiston, Oregon.
Shirley Ann Donovan
was born Sept. 14, 1935,
in Pendleton, Oregon, the
daughter of Dewey Walter
West and Althea Delworth
(Wetherell) West. Shirley
was raised in the Arlington,
Oregon, area, along with her
three siblings — brother,
Dewey West Jr., and sisters,
Evelyn and Lois. Shirley at-
tended Rock Creek School
and later graduated from Ar-
lington High School in 1953.
Shirley was united in marriage to Car-
roll Jack Donovan at the First Methodist
Church in Arlington on June 13, 1954,
after purchasing a marriage license for $3
from the Gilliam County Clerk. Shirley
and Carroll soon relocated to The Dalles,
Oregon, where they started their family of
three children — sons, Jerry and Jack, and
daughter, Carol Ann. Old family movies
and photographs reveal that Shirley and
Carroll made many lifelong friends while
in The Dalles. Apparently, the couple
would host BYOM BBQ parties, BYOB
parties, New Year’s Eve parties, and on at
least one occasion, a “Come as You Are
Party.”
Shirley also joined Carroll and his hunt-
ing buddies with their wives on hunting
trips. In the late 1950s and early 1960s,
trips to hunt the Imnaha area and the breaks
of the Snake River required an adventure-
some spirit. The vehicles were often jeeps,
and the camps were primitive compared
to the typical camp today (a green canvas
army surplus tent and a Coleman lantern),
but it is obvious from the movies that Shir-
ley had fun on these excursions. She would
have a big smile as she is seen riding Car-
roll’s Tohatsu motorcycle and target prac-
ticing with both pistol and rifle. Carroll
credited Shirley with him taking his larg-
est ever buck deer — “she spotted it,” he
would say.
On one of the hunting trips, Shirley
asked sister, Evelyn, to watch a couple of
daytime soap operas for her (likely “As the
World Turns” and “Guiding Light”) so her
sister could update Shirley when she re-
turned. Evelyn would later blame Shirley
for “getting her hooked-on soap operas.”
In 1965, Shirley and Carroll moved
to Boardman, Oregon, where they would
spend the rest of their lives (Carroll pass-
ing away in 1996 after a long battle with
cancer). Soon, Shirley and Carroll made
even more friends in the Boardman area,
and they formed a partnership with Shir-
ley’s brother, Dewey, and wife, Jeanne.
The partnership included purchases and
development of several tracts of land in
the Boardman area and several businesses,
including the C&D Drive In, Union 76 Sta-
tion and Tire Center, and the Arco Station
property.
Shirley continued with bookkeeping for
the family businesses and was also co-own-
er/operator of the C&D, along with sister-
in-law, Jeanne. Later, Shirley worked as an
assistant cook at Sam Board-
man Elementary and River-
side High School, where she
loved being with her friends
and co-workers and seeing
the kids each day. During
her days operating the C&D
Drive In and working as a
cook in the schools, Shirley
had the opportunity to meet
and have a positive influence
on the Boardman youth. This
is also evident when review-
ing the countless thank you
cards and letters, quincean-
era celebration announcements, and high
school graduation announcements (Shirley
seems to have kept them all).
Shirley was active in the Boardman
community, including as a longtime mem-
ber of the Tillicum Club and involvement
in other civic organizations and fundrais-
ers. One of Shirley’s proudest moments
was when she received the “Boardman
Pioneer Award.” She also loved pinoch-
le card parties, bowling in the women’s
league, playing golf at Willow Run Golf
Course, being with her family, and going
to the Oregon beaches with her friends and
family.
Later in life, Shirley enjoyed eating
lunch at the Sunrise Café where nobody
was a stranger to her, and you might hear
her say as she was leaving, “I love you and
I like you.” She liked to take short drives
around Boardman, including west past
the golf course on Wilson Road, east past
the family home on Kunze Road, or down
around “the loop” where she might call out
where her friends or family lived. She also
liked to drive down to the Boardman Mari-
na to see how many boats were out fishing
and to see the baby geese.
Shirley was preceded in death by her
husband, Carroll; her parents, Dewey Sr.,
and Althea West; and her siblings, Dewey
West Jr., and Evelyn Russell Locy and her
partner, Troy McGowan.
Survivors include her sister, Lois Hut-
son Gill; her children and their spouses,
Jerry and Susan Donovan of Columbia
City, Oregon; Jack and Anita Donovan of
Boardman, Oregon; and Carol Ann and
Curtis Viall, of Mountain Home, Idaho.
Shirley is also survived by her 10 grand-
children, nine great-grandchildren, and
nieces and nephews.
A graveside service being held on Sat-
urday, June 11, 2022, at 10 a.m. at River-
view Cemetery, Boardman, Oregon. Fol-
lowing the burial service, all friends and
family are welcome and encouraged to
attend the gathering at Boardman Marina
Park Pavilion. Dress comfortably, bring a
chair and stay awhile to visit
Please share memories of Shirley with
her family at www.burnsmortuaryhermis-
ton.com. Burns Mortuary of Hermiston,
Oregon, is in care of arrangements.