S moke S ignals
OCTOBER 1, 2018
Former Tribal Council member
Bob Mercier walks on at age 75
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Robert Joseph “Bob” Mercier,
who served two terms on Tribal
Council from 1989-92 and 1997 to
2000, walked on Sunday, Sept. 23,
at the age of 75 in Willamina.
Mercier was born July 14, 1943,
to Joe and Blandine Mercier and
lived his entire life in the Grand
Ronde and Willamina area.
Besides serving on Tribal Coun-
cil, he served the Tribe on the Spirit
Mountain Development Board of
Directors and Spirit Mountain
Gaming Inc. Board of Directors,
and was a longtime member of the
Tribe’s Timber Committee.
During his first term on Tribal
Council, Mercier worked with fel-
low Tribal Council members to plan
and construct the Tribe’s Health &
Wellness Center, as well as estab-
lish endowment funds for health,
housing and education.
Mercier spent most of his life in
the timber industry, working for
Taylor Lumber and Siletz Trucking
Co. before becoming self-employed
and running his own contract log
hauling business, Bob Mercier
Trucking, in 1985.
He ran for Tribal Council seven
times, being elected in 1989 and
1997. His last run occurred in 2003,
when he finished ninth in a field of
15 candidates.
“I believe
there will be
many chang-
es and chal-
lenges in the
future for our
Tribe,” he said
in his 2003
candidate
statement.
Bob Mercier
“We need to
keep doing the things we feel are
necessary and important, but we
must always be looking at the things
we can do better, too. Two the areas
we must continue to direct our at-
tention to are Elders and children.”
He is survived by his wife of 56
years, Gayle Mercier; daughter,
Tresa Mercier; grandchildren, Ali,
Keiffer and Zoey Holsclaw; and
great-grandchildren, Aurora, Aus-
tin, Red Sky, Laila, Jack and Kail-
iyah, all residing in the Willamina
and Sheridan area.
A celebration of life, arranged by
Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center,
was held Saturday, Sept. 29, in the
Tribal gym followed by a meal in
the Elders Activity Center, 48940
Blacktail Drive.
In lieu of flowers, the family
asks that donations be made to the
American Diabetes Foundation in
care of the mortuary at 287 S.W.
Washington St., Dallas, OR 97338,
or www.dallastribute.com.
Adult Members’ Trust and Minors’
Custodial & Rabbi Trust Funds
Investments in the Adult Members’ Trust Fund and the Minors’ Cus-
todial and Rabbi Trust Funds are updated each business day.
If you are a trust participant and/or if you are the parent/guardian
of a minor member, you can access and review your balance and your
minor child’s balance by visiting www.401Save.com.
To log-in, the initial User ID is your (or your child’s) Social Security
number, and the initial Password is “00” followed by your (or your child’s)
membership number. Once logged in, you can customize your User ID and
password for security purposes. If you have any trouble logging in to or
using the system, contact the 401Save Call Center at 1-888-700-0808
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday.
7
Carolina on her mind
Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, left, and Tribal Council
member Jack Giffen Jr., right, presented a Tribal Pendleton blanket to
photojournalist Michelle Alaimo on her last day of work at the Tribe
on Friday, Sept. 14. Alaimo started working for Smoke Signals in March
2008. During her tenure with the Tribe, she won 14 awards for her
work from the Native American Journalists Association and Oregon
Newspaper Publishers Association. She moved to South Carolina to be
closer to her parents and take over ownership of a pet-sitting business.
Sewing class participants wanted
The sewing classes that have been held at the Elders Activity Center have
been canceled due to lack of participation. Classes could resume if at least
six people commit to attending. To commit or find out more information,
contact Elders Activity Assistant Virginia Kimsey-Roof at 503-879-2233.
George elected chair of
environmental commission
KLAMATH FALLS – Tribal Council member
Kathleen George was elected chairwoman of
the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission
during its Sept. 13-14 meeting held in Klamath
Falls.
The commission is a five-member body appoint-
ed by Oregon’s governor that oversees the state
Department of Environmental Quality.
George was elected by a 4-0 vote; she abstained.
George was appointed to the commission by Gov.
Kate Brown and confirmed by the Oregon Senate
Kathleen George in a 24-5 vote in May 2017. In her role as chair,
George is responsible for the operations of commis-
sion meetings and serves as the presiding commissioner for meetings
or other commission events.