14
NOVEMBER 1, 2022
Smoke Signals
Walking On...
Julius Kurt Hill II
Aug. 7, 1984 – Oct. 7, 2022
Julius “BJ” Kurt Hill II was born Aug. 7,
1984, weighing in at just four pounds. On Fri-
day, Oct. 7, 2022, BJ was greeted in Heaven
by his mother.
BJ was many things: a son, brother, neph-
ew, uncle, father and friend. BJ was born and
raised on the Yakama Indian Reservation. He
graduated from the Yakama Tribal School
where he was a class clown and made lasting
friendships. He played basketball and cared
deeply for his teammates.
BJ loved so hard and unconditionally. He
had the most charismatic smile, truly one that
could get you to smile along with him. He could get you to smile even when
he was the reason you were mad in the first place.
BJ had a passion for basketball. It literally was life for him. He played
ball since he was a little guy. It wasn’t long before he became over 6 feet.
There was a time when you could most definitely find him at open gym or
balling it up at any empty basket court with his brothers.
BJ became a forest firefighter right after high school. BJ was a Mr. Fix.
He learned a trade in construction and used that to help so many people
and Elders. He would stroll in with minimal tools and somehow get things
fixed.
The laughter, the hugs, the handshakes, clowning around on the court
and silly times, picking at cooking food in the kitchen, and dancing in
the clubs will be greatly missed. BJ had a light that illuminated strong
within his heart.
Julius was preceded in death by his mother, Carmanita Pimms, and
his maternal grandparents, Frank and Reta Stevens. He leaves behind
his son, Jay-Dee, and daughter, Neiamonie; father, Julius Sims; birth
father, Julius Hill Sr.; siblings, Jamaal Pimms, Donna (Peter) Bennett,
Charity Sims (Maarqqus) and Jamisha Sims (Robert); nieces and nephews,
“Auntie” Moms and his gram Anita Swan (grandpa Norm) and grandmom
Mary Sims.
A Mass was held Oct. 13 at McKinley Indian Mission Church of Christ
in Toppenish, Wash., and burial occurred at Satus Point Cemetery in
Toppenish.
Jason Todd Norwood
Aug. 26, 1998 – Oct. 7, 2022
Tribal member Jason Todd “J.T.” Norwood of Willamina, Ore., passed
away on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, at the age of 24.
J.T. was born on Aug. 26, 1998, to Leanna and Jason Norwood of Salem,
Ore. He attended Willamina elementary and middle schools and graduated
in 2017 from Sheridan High School. J.T. had the most genuine soul and
one of the biggest hearts. He loved all sports, but had a passion for base-
ball. His favorite teams were the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, and the
Oregon Ducks. He also enjoyed golfing, riding his dirt bike and spending
his free time adventuring with his friends and family.
After graduation, J.T. worked at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
as a teacher’s aide at the preschool and later as a security guard. He also
worked as a guard for Loomis and most recently was employed at Farnham
Electric and was an apprentice to become an electrician.
He is survived by his mother, Leanna VanScoyk; stepfather, Craig
VanScoyk; biological father, Jason Norwood; siblings, Corey, Caden and
Imari VanScoyk; grandparents, Richard and Vivian (Grams) McKnight
and Karen Larsen; and aunts, uncles and cousins along with “his people”
as he would refer to his close friends who became family over his lifetime.
A service was held Saturday, Oct. 22, in the Grand Ronde Tribal gym.
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, please reach
out to someone and talk. National Suicide Hotline: 988.
Charles Gordon Haller II
July 31, 1972 – Oct. 8, 2022
It is with deep sorrow and heavy
hearts we announce that Charles Gor-
don “Chuck” Haller II passed away
on Oct. 8, 2022, at the age of 50 after
suffering complications of the heart.
He was born on July 31, 1972, in
San Jose, Calif. He is a descendant
of Louis Shanagrate and Therese
Calapooia-Long Toms Tribe, a descen-
dant of Chief Joseph Shangaretti and
Nancy Pisk, and was a member of the Kalapuya Tribe which confederated
with the Tribes that make up Grand Ronde.
He was proceeded in death by his parents, Charles Gordon “Two Feath-
ers” Haller and Sherlyn Yvonne “Sis” Hensley. He is survived by his sisters,
Rebecca Sigler, Talease Haller, Wendy Bowers-Drumheiser and Tomika
Haller; brother, Robert Hansen Haller; children, Dane Haller, Bella Orner,
Levi Englund, Brandon Englund and Cole Williams; nieces, Mhya Pearson
and Tia Blaize; and nephews, Matthew Englund, Jacob Gonet, Michael
Sigler, Samuel Sigler, Johnathan Pierce, Connor Hansen and Hayden
Drumheiser. He is also survived and preceded by countless aunts, uncles,
cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
Charles – or Bub or Chuck or Bubbles or Brother – was a passionate mu-
sic aficionado, a gifted and profound poet and conversationalist who loved
to share his knowledge and experiences of world travels with family and
friends. Charles was a kind, authentic, brilliant and eloquent human being
who discovered the wonder of travel at a young age, a lifelong obsession
that would eventually take him to 33 countries. He had a keen wit and a
sly sense of humor that could easily demand the attention of any room, and/
or jukebox. From his cigarette flipping trick to knowing how to say cheers
in several different languages, Charles was always the life of the party.
Always an advocate for advancing the underserved and the betterment of
communities and individual lives, Charles was committed to serving in the
nonprofit sector, starting at the World Assembly of Youth in Copenhagen,
Denmark, in 1992 at the age of 20. He returned to attend the University
of Oregon where he earned a master’s degree in Planning, Public Policy
and Management. Throughout the years, he went on to work for several
nonprofits stateside that included Beyond Toxics, The Child Center, Hope
& Safety Alliance (formerly Womenspace Inc.) and Evergreen Treatment
Services. For the last two decades, Charles has been involved with social
causes and nonprofits. Grant writing and fundraising for nonprofit organi-
zations was not a stint or job or even a career for him. It was a course of life.
A celebration of life event was held Thursday, Oct. 20. Tribute services
started at the Grand Ronde Tribal gym and were followed by a gravesite
burial at the Tribal Cemetery where he was laid to rest near his father.
Clothes Closet open Fridays
The Clothes Closet is open from 9 a.m. to noon Fridays on the Tribal
campus near the Elders Activity Center at the end of Blacktail Drive. The
Clothes Closet accepts clothing, small appliances, small pieces of furniture,
electronics and household goods that are clean and in good condition. It does
not accept books, large TVs or furniture, but there is a community board
where people can post those items.
For more information or emergency clothes, contact Lori Walker-Hernan-
dez at 559-847-7565. 