A2
Obituaries/Community
wallowa.com
Wallowa County Chieftain
Big Brown Church 75 years young
D EATH N OTICE
Bob Garver
Bob Garver, age 87, of Joseph died in Walla Walla, Wash.,
Aug 27, 2015. A service will be held Saturday, October 17 at 1
p.m. at the Wallowa Methodist Church.
A full obituary will follow.
Bollman Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.
O BITUARY
Dora A. Heasty
Oct. 26, 1932 - Oct. 2, 2015
Dora A. Heasty, 82 of La Grande, passed away at home Oc-
tober 2. At the family’s request, there will be no service at this
time.
Heasty was born Oct. 26, 1932 in Enterprise to Armond and
Leonie (Espitsullia) Vigne. She resided in Joseph, Elgin, and La
Grande. She graduated from Joseph High School. In 1953, she
married the love of her life, Robert Mitch Heasty.
She was a devoted wife and mother for her two children.
She was a hard worker, a good cook, and very patriotic and she
also enjoyed gardening. She was strong and never complained
during her extended illness.
Heasty is survived by her children, Kearns and his wife Lisa
and Kevin and his wife Keitha both of La Grande; brother-in-
law, Biden Tippett and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Mitch
Heasty; parents, Armond and Leonie and sisters, Anna Van-
Dusen, Louise Kellerman, Helen Hopkins, Gladys Fleenor,
and Blanch Young; brother, Armon Vigne; sisters-in-law,
Betty Tippett and Claudine Willis and daughter-in-law, Julie
Fergeson-Lester.
Online condolences may be made at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
About Obituaries
News obituaries are a free service of the Wallowa County
Chieftain. The paper accepts obituaries from the family or
funeral home. Information submitted is subject to editing.
Send obituaries by e-mail, obits@wallowa.com; fax, 541-
426-3921; or mail, PO Box 338, Enterprise, OR 97828. The
deadline to submit an obituary is 2 p.m. Monday for the
Wednesday paper. For more information, or to inquire about
a paid memorial, call 541-426-4567.
By Stacy Green
For the Wallowa County Chieftain
It’s been 75 years since the
members of the Methodist and
Presbyterian churches of En-
terprise joined together to form
The Enterprise Community
Congregational Church, “that
would be adequate and ef¿ cient
to carry on the work they desired
to do,” according to the new-
ly formed congregation’s ¿ rst
“Church Report” from 1940.
“Lenthal was brought up
Methodist, and I was a Presby-
terian,” said Jo Bollman, who
with her husband Lenthal after
moving to Enterprise in 1949.
“We were delighted to learn that
these two denominations had
united.”
Bollman, now a widow in
her 90s, recalled many peo-
ple and experiences enjoyed
through their involvement in
what is commonly referred to
as The Big Brown Church, due
to its iconic three story brown
building at 301 NE First Street.
Bollman remembered a church
quartet consisting of Walter
Strickler, Guy Craig, George
Thompson and Howard Stover,
and a duet of Lois Best and Hel-
en Kay. “It was always a treat
when they performed with Edna
Craig at the organ.”
For the Church’s 50th Anni-
versary in 1990, Bollman took
on the monumental task of or-
ganizing 50 years of newspaper
clippings, photographs of past
ministers, minutes from meet-
ings, annual reports, and other
historical documents. Addie
Courtesy Photo
Five little angels in the front pew with the Virgin Mary (Alyse Fischer Shetler) seated behind
in this 1998 photo of the Big Brown Church Nativity play.
Marks and Mary Louise Nelson
are now the church historians.
Today, the Church’s 75 year his-
tory is neatly contained in a long
shelf of notebooks.
Bollman belonged to a
group of women known as
Stover Circle, and furnished a
room at what was Shelter from
the Storm. Today the group is
known as Women’s Fellow-
ship, and the shelter is called
Safe Harbors. The women’s
group support Safe Harbors,
contribute to senior meals at
Community Connections, and
organize a monthly food drive.
The group has also hosted the
annual Christmas concert per-
formed at the church by the
Enterprise High School choir
for more than 30 years. “It’s
We have what you
need to get your
projects done!
Lumber • Moldings
Laminate • Windows Doors
Siding • Roofing • Paint & Stain
And so much more!
October 7, 2015
COMMUNITY VOICE
something we look forward to
every year,” said member Lor-
raine Crawford.
In August 2015, church
members started a new com-
munity outreach with 17
students at the alternative
high school, run by Building
Healthy Families. “We decid-
ed to look out our windows and
see what we could do in our
neighborhood and that sound-
ed fun,” said church member
Stacy Green. Because of the
large expanse of grass behind
the church’s historic building,
church members invited Build-
ing Healthy Families to use the
lawn for outdoor games for
their children’s programs.
“I believe that is even stipu-
lated in our bylaws,” said Shir-
ley Parker, who with her hus-
band Dave, has been a member
for 53 years. Shirley, who
currently serves as the church
clerk, said, “the property was
donated by Erna Ratcliff, and
she wanted it enjoyed as much
as possible.”
Erna Ratcliff passed away
years ago, but her generosi-
ty lives on at the Big Brown
Church. A special fund set aside
by Ratcliff allows for needed
capital improvements. “We
can thank Erna for the beautiful
pews we sit on each Sunday, as
well as many other things,” re-
called Shirley. Ratcliff’s daugh-
ter, Ann Payne, and her hus-
band Tom, are active members
of the church.
Gail Swart, a member of the
church since she was a child,
attended with her parents Gwen
Gladys Cof¿ n. She was a
Sunday school teacher, and
church organist for 30 years.
Current organist, Lois Hough,
has been dedicating her ef-
forts each week for more than
twenty years. Swart occasion-
ally takes over to give Hough a
break, as she did September 13,
teaming with Enterprise High
school student Victoria Lattin
who performed “How Great
Thou Art.”
Swart recalled a favorite
Sunday school teacher, Mrs.
Ortman, who had been from an
original pioneer family. “There
was a group of us girls and we
were supposed to have a new
teacher each year but Mrs. Or-
tman just moved up with us,”
Swart said.
The Big Brown Church has
long been recognized as a pro-
gressive church, and became a
member of the United Church
of Christ in 1962.
One of the ¿ rst churches
to allow women to serve as
pastors, the United Church of
Christ’s motto is “That they may
all be one.”
High and Low Temperatures
Main Street, Joseph
541-432-1917
Courtesy of Weather Underground. www.wunderground.com
Enterprise
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Low
39
42
39
48
35
26
35
High
80
80
86
73
69
73
57
Lostine
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Joseph
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Low
39
42
39
48
35
26
35
STK #32793. 36 MONTHS @ $225 PER MO. MSRP $25,805. SALE PRICE $22,425 AFTER $1,000 REBATE PROVIDED BY TOYOTA FINANCIAL
SERVICES . SAVE $3,380 AFTER REBATE. 3 YR/12000 MILE PER YEAR LEASE. LEV $15,741. ON APPROVED CREDIT. PLUSS TTD.
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Low
46
45
44
47
40
33
39
High
80
80
86
73
69
73
57
Wallowa
High
80
80
86
73
69
73
57
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Imnaha
STK #32914. 36 MONTHS @ $232 PER MO. MSRP $21,675. SALE PRICE $18,949 AFTER $1,000 REBATE PROVIDED BY TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES . SAVE $2,726
AFTER REBATE. 3 YR/12000 MILE PER YEAR LEASE. LEV $13,655.
Low
39
42
39
48
35
26
35
Low
39
42
39
48
35
26
35
High
80
80
86
73
69
73
57
Troy
High
72
77
87
71
64
68
61
Date
Sept. 23
Sept. 24
Sept. 25
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Low
39
42
39
48
35
26
35
High
80
80
86
73
69
73
57
Six-day forecast
STK #32923. 36 MONTHS @ $232 PER MO. MSRP $25,260. SALE PRICE $22,230. AFTER $1,500 REBATE PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
FINANCIAL SERVICES . SAVE $3,030 AFTER REBATE. 3 YR/12000 MILE PER YR LEASE. LEV $14,903. ON APPROVED CREDIT. PLUS TTD.
Sept. 30 – Oct. 5
Source: Weather Underground
STK #32959. 36 MONTHS @ $244 PER MO. $450 DUE AT SIGNING. MSRP $26,405.
Sept. 30:
H: 78 L: 37
Clear
Oct. 1:
H: 69 L: 35
Mostly Cloudy
Oct. 2:
H: 68 L: 35
Clear
Oct. 3:
H: 63 L: 32
Chance of Rain
Oct. 4:
H: 64 L: 35
Clear
Oct. 5:
H: 68 L: 36
Clear
SALE PRICE $4,659. SAVE $1,746. 3 YR/12,000 MILE PER YR LEASE. LEV $16,635.
ON APPROVED CREDIT. PLUS TTD.
STK #32096. MSRP $37,520.
SALE PRICE $31,717 AFTER $2,000
REBATE PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
FINANCIAL SERVICES. SAVINGS
AFTER REBATE $5,803.
APR FINANCING THROUGH TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES (TFS) WITH APPROVED CREDIT. 0% APR FINANCING FOR 60 MONTHS WITH $16.67 PER $1,000 BORROWED.
FOR ALL OFFERS: NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. ON APPROVED CREDIT. A DOCUMENTARY SERVICE FEE OF $150 MAY BE ADDED TO VEHICLE
PRICE OR CAPITALIZED COST. DOES NOT INCLUDE TAXES, LICENSE, TITLE, PROCESSING FEES, INSURANCE AND DEALER CHARGES. SUBJECT TO
AVAILABILITY. ALL OFFERS VALID THROUGH 09/30/2015.
Oct. 4
Last Quarter
Phases of the moon
Oct. 13
New Moon
Oct. 20
Oct. 27
1st Quarter
Full Moon