A2
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Anita Hope Brown Ertle
July 29, 1927 – August 17, 2021
Having recently enjoyed her 94th birthday, Anita
passed away peacefully at home on the morning
of August 17.
Anita was born on a ranch seven miles southeast
of the small town of Joseph, Oregon. Her mother died
of a congenital heart defect soon after her birth. For
the first three years of her life, she, and her sister Dor-
othy (Dotty), and her brother Gerald (Jerry) were cared
for by her maternal great-grandmother Mary Adams.
Anita’s great- grandparents had emigrated to Wallowa
County and homesteaded in 1876, thereby becoming
some of the first settlers in the Wallowa Valley.
These were difficult times, but they became tougher when the Great D pres-
sion settled in. Anita was usually with Jerry when they were dispersed from family
to family and given to whomever had the means to care for them at the moment.
Dotty usually stayed with their Auntie Norma, their mother’s only sister, who was
a schoolteacher in Joseph.
Anita started school at age five; at a little one room schoolhouse a mile north
of their ranch. The family they were living with at the time lived right across the
street, from the school. Anita had spent the previous year sneaking across the road
to peer in the window at her brother Jerry who started school at six. Jerry kept
getting in trouble because of Anita and had to keep taking her home. It was de-
cided that Anita would start school the following year at five. Anita spent most of
her time that first year being carried around by the schoolteacher, while she was
taking her nap. Her early admission to school led to her graduation from Joseph
High School at age 16.
The town of Joseph played an important role in Anita’s life. She spent much
of her time in town with her Aunt Norma once she turned 11 or 12. Her constant
companions were Rita, Hank, Louise, and Helen; friends she kept for life. They
loved Wallowa Lake, and enjoyed the surrounding area including, Prairie Creek,
Hurricane Creek, the Imnaha River, Big and Little Sheep Creek, and the vast ex-
panse of the Zumwalt Prairie.
Beginning at age 12, Anita followed Dorothy into the agricultural fields in
Hermiston, Oregon during the summer where they made money working and
harvesting all the crops. Anita was particularly proud of the fact that she could
drive a pea truck by age 13 by sitting on a pillow so she could reach the pedals.
After high school graduation, Anita continued her education at Eastern Or-
egon College, where she majored in Education. She was the only student from
Joseph in her graduation year to be granted a full-tuition scholarship to college.
At that time, there were three career options for women: secretary, nursing, or
teaching. Dorothy had become a secretary. That was out. Anita was not particu-
larly empathetic; however, considered nursing because of WWII and felt she could
contribute to the war effort that way. However, a requirement for nursing training
was that you must be 18 years old. That left teaching. Her first college roommate
was Marge Olson, who became a lifelong friend. At that time teachers were ex-
pected to teach everything, including PE and Art. Her most difficult subject was
music. She was tone deaf, could not sing a lick, and the fact that she played an alto
sax in high school had a lot more to do with the lack of available band students
than it did with her musical talent. She convinced her college advisor to let her
take Music Appreciation instead of any other music class. Her music professor was
going to fail her as he said she must be able to sing to teach music. She pleaded to
get by and displayed to him by playing the piano to students, that she could teach
them to sing. He reluctantly gave her a passing grade. After three years, Anita
graduated with a Teaching Certificate.
At the time of her graduation, teaching jobs around Oregon had consider-
ably different pay scales. A fellow college classmate from Bend indicated that the
teaching jobs in Bend were paying about 30% more than other teaching positions
in Oregon. She didn't have the money to travel for an interview
but did receive a job offer after a telephone interview, an uncustomary and happy
occurrence.
Anita moved to Bend, Oregon in August 1947. As she arrived, she looked at
the Cascade Mountains, and thought it was the most beautiful place that she had
ever seen. That was an astounding assessment, given the fact that she was raised
in the “Little Switzerland” of Oregon.
In Bend, Anita moved into an apartment with a woman who had been recent-
ly divorced. That woman had a new boyfriend, and the boyfriend had a very good
friend named Richard (Dick) Ertle.
So, one night, when the boyfriend came over to see his girlfriend, he brought Dick
with him, and Anita and Dick were together from then on for the next fifty-seven
years.
Dick and Anita married on August 8, 1948, in the Presbyterian Church on
Franklin Avenue and started married life in a little apartment on Newport Avenue.
The apartment was not furnished, and it did not come with a refrigerator. They
saved all fall, winter, and spring and were able to buy a refrigerator by June of
1949. It was their first big purchase together and it began a partnership and a fi-
nancial strategy that they used throughout their marriage. Neither one ever made
a commitment to a large ticket item without both being on board. The refrigerator
still exists: It moved to E. Irving Ave. It moved to OB Riley Road, and in 2003 it
moved to Murphy Road where it lives in the garage and was the beverage/beer
fridge for many years.
Anita was the proud mother of four children, Susan, Alan, Regan, and Lynne.
The kids’ friends always claimed that the Ertle children did well in school because
their mother was a teacher. If those kids had only known that there could have
been nothing further from the truth. Their dad might have helped them with
math occasionally, but Anita patently refused to do, or help, with anyone’s home-
work. She absolutely expected her kids to pull their own weight, whatever it was
that they were doing. She believed her kids were capable and she thought that her
assistance would be a hindrance to their development in the long run. She often
said that she was not going to take the credit for any of her children’s successes
and on the other hand she was not going to take the blame for any of their mis-
takes. At least she was consistent.
Another thing that Anita expected of her children was to help with her an-
imals and her small farm on OB Riley Road. Dick and Anita had purchased seven
acres there in 1965 and Anita proceeded to fill the place up with cows, chickens,
ducks, horses, and a large family garden. There were sprinklers to move, animals
to feed and usually a cow to milk. Anita did not confine her love for animals to
dogs and cats. She loved and appreciated all living things.
Anita was an educator inside and outside of the classroom. She scoured the
Central Oregon landscape looking for remnants of the ancient people and early
settlers. She looked through all the caves and found many ancient petroglyphs.
Every Sunday was some sort of family adventure: fishing, picnicking, hunting,
looking for arrowheads, (which was not prohibited at that time) etc. However,
her spirit of adventure was somewhat hampered by her total lack of a sense of
direction: Or maybe better said, her opposite sense of direction. Dick never let her
go adventuring on her own, knowing if he did, he might never see her again. Her
adventures were shared with friends and groups, one of her favorite trips was hik-
ing trip into the Grand Canyon, with a geology class.
In the classroom, she was innovative and successful. Jack Ensworth, one of
Oregon’s few National Teachers of the Year, referred to Anita as the best primary
teacher he ever knew. She pioneered the system or looping her first graders in to
her second graders. Anita would have the children for two formative years instead
of one. Another teacher would do the same and while Anita taught second grade
the other teacher would teach the incoming first graders and take those children
for two years.
She refused to have the special needs children removed from her classroom
unless absolutely necessary for something like speech therapy, believing that
main-streaming special needs kids gave them a better chance of success. When
she retired from the Bend School District, her final assignment was to write down
her lesson plans for reading and math for the first two years of education in Bend.
Those lesson plans were followed system-wide for several years after her retire-
ment.
In retirement, Anita learned to play golf, which she absolutely loved. She in-
cluded her grandchildren (Kira, Justin, Maija, Eric, and Adam) in her golf games
and they often golfed around the farm with her. In addition to golf, Anita enjoyed
traveling and she and Dick took many cruises and had many trips during those
years. They sold the place on O. B. Riley Road and moved to Murphy Road in 2003.
After Dick’s death in 2004, Anita enjoyed life in the new home they had chosen on
Murphy Road. Her love of gardening never waned and the tomatoes now ripening
on her deck are from seeds she cultivated this spring.
Anita’s legacy continues; she is survived by her four children, Susan, Alan,
Regan, and Lynne her five grandchildren, Kira, Justin Maija, Eric, and Adam, and
her four great-grandchildren, Alanna, Evan, Marin and David. She was very fortu-
nate that she had recently seen and visited with all her clan. They are fortunate in
return if they received an ounce of her resilience, determination, optimism, and
enjoyment of life.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Youth Art Fridays start Oct. 1 in Joseph
Chieftain staff
JOSEPH — Youth Art
Fridays begins Friday, Oct.
1, at the Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture in Joseph.
The class runs from
9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. through
Dec. 10. It is for youths
age 5-17 and costs from
$55-$80.
During the fall session,
students will have the oppor-
tunity to explore painting
and drawing or ceramics.
Ceramics is a hand-build-
ing class exploring fun,
diff erent techniques of
slab-building, coil construc-
tion and more.
In the drawing and paint-
ing course, students will
explore those media using
a variety of diff erent media
and techniques, including,
but not limited to tempera
paint, watercolor, pencil, oil
pastel, crayon resist, colored
pencil and some collage.
At this time, the center
requires that patrons wear a
mask while inside the build-
ing. Other than students 12
and younger, proof of vac-
cination and masks will be
required.
Jerold W. Power
August 6, 1925 - September 10, 2021
Jerold W. Power, 96, passed away Friday, Septem-
ber 10, 2021, at Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewis-
ton, Idaho.
Jerold was born on August 6, 1925, in Colome,
South Dakota, to George and Nora (Krauss) Power. The
family arrived on the Palouse when he was 10 years old
and he graduated from Palouse High School in 1943.
In November, 1944, Jerold was inducted into the
Army for combat duty in World War II. He spent 16
months in combat in the Philippines. Later, he and sev-
eral others were readied for the invasion of Japan. On
his birthday, August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima,
Japan, and three days later, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
Jerold was sent to Hiroshima shortly thereafter. He received several medals for
his service, including the Bronze Star. Jerold was one of the last living World War
II veterans on the Palouse.
On June 12, 1948, Jerold married Dolores (Syms) Power in Onecho, Washing-
ton. The couple made their home in Palouse, Washington.
After harvest season in 1950, Jerold was recalled to active duty and served in
the Korean Conflict as a staff sergeant, training new recruits for combat duty.
In 1967, the couple moved to Wallowa County, Oregon, for a new adventure.
They loved the area but work was scarce. So, in 1971, the couple moved to Mos-
cow, Idaho, where Jerold worked for the University of Idaho until his retirement
in 1990.
Jerold enjoyed ranching, farming, hunting, fishing, and horse trips into the
mountains. But most of all, Jerold enjoyed his family and friends. He loved going
to reunions, family gatherings, or watching grandchildren play basketball, base-
ball, football, track, volleyball, and even cheerleading. He did this throughout his
life. He will truly be missed.
Jerold was preceded in death by his wife, Dolores, of 63 years; brother
George W. Power; grandchildren Brandon Power and Tina Bies; and great grand-
child Aaron Power.
Survivors include sons, Jerold D. (Roxanne) of Goodyear, Arizona; Gale
(Michele) ofWalla Walla, Washington; Gary of Huntington, Oregon; Daryl (Kathie)
of Troy, Idaho; and daughters, Connie Hepburn (Dean) of Damascus, Oregon; Terri
Seifert (Jim) of Irrigon, Oregon; sister, Carol Wilcox of Wenatchee, Washington;
and brother, Myron Power (Marie) of Cheney, Washington. He is also survived by
18 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held on October 2, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the
Palouse, Washington Cemetery, with a gathering to follow for family and friends
at the Palouse Community Center.
In lieu of flowers and gifts, Jerold and his family request that all donations be
given to Inland Northwest Honor Flights, 608 W. 2nd Avenue, Ste 309, Spokane,
Washington 99201. Jerold’s experience on an Honor Flight was very moving and
he wanted to help other Veterans be given this opportunity.
Kramer Funeral Home of Palouse, Washington,
is caring for the family. Online condolences
may be left at www.kramercares.com .
CORRECTION
In a story about the
new Chief Joseph Days
court in the Sept. 22 edi-
tion of The Chieftain, an
error occurred regarding
two of the court members’
background.
Maggie Zacharias was
the queen for the Elgin
Stampede and Bailey Ver-
nam was an Elgin Stam-
pede princess.
The Chieftain regrets
the error.
Death Notice
Glenn Jay Butner of Pasco, WA passed away on
Sept. 5, 2021. He was born to Glenn and Vera Butner
on April 25, 1935 in Enterprise, OR. He is survived
by his wife, Nelda, and two daughters, Rena Alvarez
and Ginann King, three brothers, Jim, Bill, John and
sister Marie. Several grandchildren and great-
grand children. A graveside service was held in
Enterprise, OR on September 15, 2021.
Carol Anne Reams Odhner
July 8, 1930 - September 20, 2021
Mrs. Carol Anne Reams Odhner died 9/20/2021
at the age of 91 in Independence, OR. Carol was born
7/8/1930, in Bryn Athyn, PA and considered Bryn
Athyn, PA their hometown. She moved to Wallowa
County in her twenties and worked as a caseworker
for the welfare department. She met Robert Wayne
Reams II, a widower and WWII veteran with four
children when she brought her car into Reams Ser-
vice Gas Station. They married in 1957 and had four
more children before moving to Athena. Robert
Wayne Reams II is the son of Arlene Blevans, whose
parents settled in the Imnaha.
Carol was a true pioneer with grit, enduring many hardships in life. She
was a faithful and dutiful wife and mother. Taking on life with her quick wit
and sharp sense of humor, she was always aware of and connected to what
was happening with her family and friends. She loved her garden and being in
the kitchen cooking for people and preserving food. She was an independent
woman and was in charge of her personal affairs until the time of her death.
She is survived by her four children, three step-children, three grandchil-
dren, three step-grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She will be greatly
missed.
Farnstrom Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
410 Monmouth St, Independence, OR. 97351. (503)838-1414
www.farnstrommortuary.com d.hills@farnstrommortuary.com
Erna Green Murri
July 8, 1930 – August 20, 2021
Erna Green Murri passed away peacefully at the
age of 91 on Friday, August 20, 2021, in Enterprise, Or-
egon. She battled vascular disease and heart failure in
her later years and made several miraculous recoveries,
but was finally “ready to go” shortly after experiencing
a massive stroke. We will miss her, but we’re also happy
for her—she lived a good, long life with a fair share of
love and adventure.
Erna was born at home in Alta, Wyoming in 1930
and grew up along the banks of Teton Creek. The sec-
ond of six children, her parents were hoping for a boy
after the birth of her older sister, so instead of “Ernest” after her father as they had
planned, they named her “Erna.” She graduated from Teton Valley High School in
1949 where she played basketball and had many friends. She then went to bus-
ness college and put her amazing typing and short-hand skills to use as a secre-
tary in Idaho Falls.
Erna married an entertaining, dark-haired young man named Robert D. “Bob”
Murri in 1951. The couple soon had three daughters (Nola, Karyn, and Nelda)
while living in Idaho Falls and one more (Peggy) shortly after moving to Salem,
Oregon in 1964. Erna always said she didn’t like the snow—when she was little,
she preferred staying inside and doing the dishes to any of the outside chores—so
living in the Willamette Valley was a welcome change from the long, cold winters
in the Tetons. She and Bob had a modest house built on a couple of acres in the
countryside outside of Salem and lived there together until Bob passed away in
2005 at the age of 76.
Mom had an adventurous streak. Family vacations were often spent on horse-
back trips in the Tetons or on trips to the Oregon Coast. She played many roles
in her life—daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, and homemaker—also thor-
oughbred horse trainer, small business owner, landlady, backpacker, and quilter.
Erna learned how to quilt from her mother, Vada. Her skill and artistry grew
over the years, and some of the most prized possessions in our family are her
beautiful hand-sewn quilts. She loved the idea of Bigfoot—later in life she made
Bigfoot quilts that make us all hope he is out there somewhere.
Mom loved good food—especially homemade pie, fresh apricots, corned
beef and cabbage, and banana dessert. She went through stages as a homemaker
making butter, raspberry jam, bread, chocolate-covered cherries and caramels,
and she also preserved cherries, pears, and more. As a child of the depression, she
knew how to cook a good meal on a budget and how to sew her own clothing.
She was an old-school expert at “reduce, reuse, recycle” and composted every-
thing she could.
Mom loved family get-togethers, a good movie, bird-watching, an interesting
story, dogs and cats. She was soft-hearted and loved her children, grandchildren,
and grand-dogs unconditionally. Perhaps the greatest gift she gave her daughters
was that she let us decide for ourselves what to believe about life. She raised us
to be independent and let us follow our own paths. We all turned out a bit stub-
born, just like her—but also strong, self-reliant, and resilient, just like her. We are
strong because a strong woman raised us.
Erna was greatly loved and will be missed by the family she has left be-
hind: her three brothers—Del Green of Spokane, Washington, Ben Green and
Ken Green of the Teton Valley; her four daughters—Nola Driskell of Enterprise,
Oregon; Karyn Kistner of Salem, Oregon; Nelda Murri of Lostine, Oregon; and
Peggy Rollens of Boise, Idaho. And her five grandchildren and one great-grand-
child—Simon Driskell of La Grande, Oregon; Blake Clark of Tehachapi, California;
Miles Driskell of Twin Falls, Idaho; Zane Kistner of Salem, Oregon; Chloe Rollens
of Seattle, Washington; and the newest addition to our family—great-grandson
Henry Driskell. We hope that the bravery, strength, and integrity she displayed
throughout her life will carry on inside all of us.
In her later years, Mom went through a phase where she absolutely insisted
on paying for everyone’s meal whenever we’d go out to eat. Wherever she is now,
we’re pretty sure that she’s probably insisting on paying the bill. In lieu of flowers
or a donation in her name, please enjoy a hot fudge sundae in our mom’s honor.
She would love that.
Linda Jane Lewis
October 31, 1964 - August 25, 2021
Linda Lewis, 56, of Enterprise, Oregon died on
August 25, 2021 at Wallowa General Hospital.
Linda Jane was born on October 31, 1964 to
James and Mary (Parker) Harvey in Shelton, Wash-
ington. She grew up in Shelton, Washington and
Walla Walla, Washington before moving to Enter-
prise Oregon. Linda Graduated from Enterprise High
School in 1982. She continued her education and
graduated from college in 2019.
Linda was married to John A. Lewis from 1983
to 1990. She worked in many fast-food industries
before turning to refurbishing and painting. A favorite color red, she enjoyed
the fall and loved all flowers.
Linda’s favorite catch phrase was “Karma girlfriend” or “Peace out Sista.’”
Linda had a gift for arts and crafts, her laugh is unforgettable, her sense of
humor and strong independence were some of her finest attributes.
She was preceded in death by her mother Mary Genevieve Parker.
Linda is survived by her son Joel and his wife Crystal Lewis and daughter
Christina Lewis; son-in-law Charles Williams; 7 grandchildren; father James R.
Harvey; brother Jim Harvey; sisters Cindy Stone, Mary Tuttle, Barbra Jackson;
and her beloved dog Ruben.
Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com
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