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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017
OBITUARIES
LAGLER—John C. Lagler,
90, formerly of Mapleton, died
on July 11,
2017, at his
home
in
Veneta while
surrounded
by his family.
John was
born in 1927
in
Wray,
Colo., to Fred
John Lagler
and
Julia
Lagler. He was one of eight chil-
dren.
He was married to Joyce Shell,
his love of 70 years, and they
were blessed with six children.
John was a hard-working,
self-made man of many talents;
an entrepreneur, inventor and
pilot. He was a forward-thinking
businessman who pushed the
industries he worked in and
fiercely supported the educative
processes that keep these indus-
tries alive and viable today.
John was a larger-than-life
presence in the communities that
he lived in. He invested in his
community and served on the
Mapleton
School
Board,
Mapleton Fire Board and con-
tributed to the development of
the Mapleton Track and Field
and community swimming pool.
He raised his family and built
two businesses while living in
Mapleton: Lagler Logging and
Lagler and Son Construction.
John was one of the founding
members of Associated Oregon
Loggers. He was a pioneer in the
logging industry safety program,
with his company the first to
offer Green Stamps as incentive
for his crew.
He started a scholarship pro-
gram at Associated Oregon
Loggers, called Log A Load For
Kids. He was extremely pas-
sionate about education.
He received many awards for
his logger’s safety program and
coined the motto “Safety
Doesn’t Happen, Accidents Do.”
He was also recognized by
the agricultural department for
his development of the Lost
Springs Ranch and the Rock
Creek Upper Reservoir Dam.
John was committed to his
employees. He led by example
to motivate his crew to perform
their best. He was passionate
about fairness, honesty and
respect. In the words of Buzz
Martin, “Where there walks a
logger, there walks a man.”
In 1980, John and Joyce
moved to Burns, Ore. They
owned and operated the Lost
Springs Ranch, developing into
respected ranchers. Later they
moved to Bend, Ore., and devel-
oped properties there before
retiring to Veneta.
In retirement, John took up
his passion for metalworking,
woodworking and gardening.
He loved hunting and camping.
John was preceded in death
by his son, Michael Wayne
Lagler.
He is survived by his beloved
wife, Joyce; five daughters, 15
grandchildren, 17 great-grand-
children and one great-great-
grandchild.
The community is invited to
take a moment to remember the
life and legacy of John Lagler on
Friday, July 21, at St. Mary, Our
Lady of The Dunes Catholic
Church in Florence, at noon.
In lieu of gifts, his family
requests that you graciously
make a donation in John’s name
to the Associated Oregon
Loggers Scholarship Fund at
Oregon
State
University
(www.oregonloggers.org/schol-
arship.aspx), or Log a Load For
Kids at Associated Oregon
Loggers (www.oregonloggers
.org/Logaload.aspx.)
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Florence Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
GILMORE—Theola Mae
Gilmore, formerly of Florence,
died July 2,
2017,
at
home with
family
in
Eugene.
B o r n
March 22,
1928,
at
home on a
farm outside
Theola
Bellwood,
Gilmore
Neb.,
she
was the oldest of five children
born to Theodore and Lurena
Mae Eschliman.
She was followed by Lurena
Eschliman Workman, infant
Teddy
Eschliman,
Larre
Eschliman
and
Lonnie
Eschliman.
In late 1946, Theola met, then
married the man that would
share her life for the next 70
years, William J. (Bill) Gilmore.
Their life together brought them
three children: Michael T. and
Reva Gilmore, Marijo and Elden
Nordahl, Susan and Tom
Owings; along with grandchil-
dren:
Amy
and
James
Thompson, Daniel and Adela
Carnaghi, Brian and Rachel
Nordahl, Damon and Dana
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Nordahl, Erin and Tony Mason,
Caley and James Joy, Jessica
and Mike Harms, Shelly Circle,
and Michele Nordahl; as well as
28 greatgrandchildren and
counting.
Their life together took them
westward from Nebraska to
Idaho, Oregon and Washington,
then back to their home in
Medford, Ore., in 1964 —
where they stayed for more than
40 years raising their children
and greeting new grandchildren.
They found employment as
teachers at McLoughlin Junior
High; Bill as the eighth-grade
boys PE teacher while Theola
found her perfect job as the
Developmental Reading teacher.
After their retirement from
McLoughlin, Theola and Bill
were able to travel the world and
become active in their Sacred
Heart Community until health
problems made it necessary to
move closer to family in
Florence and Eugene.
Theola loved Bill, her family
and her church. She also loved
holding her newborns and hug-
ging her big children — grands
and greats — and singing to
them with her beautiful voice.
She also loved reading.
As members of her family, we
have been blessed by our time
with her on this earth and are
thankful she is with Bill and the
other members of her family that
have preceded her.
In lieu of flowers, Theola’s
family would like her memory
honored by spreading the love of
reading to children in need in
Medford.
Donations can be made to the
Theola Gilmore Memorial Book
Drive at GoFundMe .Com
Her Funeral Mass will be held
Friday, July 14, at 8:30 a.m., at
Sacred Heart Church in
Medford, with interment at
Hillcrest Memorial Park next to
her beloved Bill.
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Florence Funeral Home is in
charge of arrangements.
We invite you to
join us.
• Wednesday, 7 p.m. - Family Connections
• Sunday Worship 9:00am and 10:45am
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email: office@florencecrossroad.org
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