2A — BAKER CITY HERALD
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020
O BITUARIES
Betty Rouse
Baker City, 1936-2020
B AKER C OUNTY C ALENDAR
TUESDAY, JAN. 21
■ Elkhorn Community Preparedness: 5:30 p.m. supper;
6:30 p.m. meeting; at the Sunridge Inn Restaurant, 1
Sunridge Lane.
■ Baker City Council: Special meeting to hear the Verizon
appeal, 6 p.m.,Council Chambers at City Hall, 1655 First St.
FRIDAY, JAN. 24
■ Live Music by Keith Taylor: Ragtime piano, 4:30 p.m. to
5:30 p.m., Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn
Ave.; no charge; continues most Fridays.
TUESDAY, JAN. 28
■ Baker City Council: 7 p.m., City Hall, 1655 First St.
MONDAY, FEB. 3
■ Haines Fire Protection District Board: 6 p.m. at the
Haines Library.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5
■ Baker County Board of Commissioners: 9 a.m.,
Courthouse, 1995 Third St.
FRIDAY, FEB. 7
■ First Friday Art Shows: Baker City art galleries are open
late to showcase the month’s new artwork; opening times
vary between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
T URNING B ACK THE P AGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
January 20, 1970
NEW YORK — The sound of wedding bells will be heard
more often in Baker County from now on. This is evident
in the sharp increase in the number of young people who
will be in the age bracket in which most marriages take
place.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
January 20, 1995
SUMPTER — The Elkhorn Crest Sled Dog Races are
planned Saturday and Sunday.
“Mushers” from throughout the West will compete in
the event sponsored by the Sumpter Merchants Asso-
ciation, Sumpter Valley Days Association and Sumpter
Snowmobile Club.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
January 20, 2010
State wildlife offi cials shot and killed an emaciated adult
cougar earlier this month after the cougar killed a dog in
the yard of a home near Durkee.
The female cougar weighed 60 pounds.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
January 21, 2019
The campaign to aid Baker County’s struggling sage
grouse population has received a nearly $2 million boost.
And that might just be the start of a multimillion-dollar
effort to not only protect the chicken-size bird but also to
improve the condition of rangeland, much of it privately
owned, across the county.
The $1.7 million award from the Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board, approved last week, is the fi rst in-
stallment in a planned $6.2 million from the Board, which
receives its money from the Oregon Lottery, over the next
six years.
Local offi cials also hope to use the state money to lever-
age federal grants and other sources that could make
available several million dollars more to combat invasive
weeds, deal with predators and do other work to aid sage
grouse recovery, said Mark Bennett, a Baker County com-
missioner and a member of the governor’s sage grouse
council.
O REGON L OTTERY
MEGABUCKS, Jan. 18
11 — 17 — 34 — 39 — 42 — 46
Next jackpot: $1.8 million
POWERBALL, Jan. 18
20 — 24 — 38 — 56 — 68 PB 18
Next jackpot: $343 million
MEGA MILLIONS, Jan. 17
3 — 25 — 30 — 54 — 70
Mega
9
Next jackpot: $116 million
WIN FOR LIFE, Jan. 18
11 — 48 — 55 — 62
PICK 4, Jan. 19
• 1 p.m.: 9 — 7 — 7 — 4
• 4 p.m.: 0 — 9 — 7 — 4
• 7 p.m.: 9 — 7 — 5 — 5
• 10 p.m.: 1 — 6 — 6 — 6
LUCKY LINES, Jan. 19
4-5-10-14-17-23-27-31
Next jackpot: $19,000
S ENIOR M ENUS
■ TUESDAY: Chicken-fried chicken, potatoes and gravy,
mixed vegetables, biscuit, cottage cheese with fruit,
brownie
■ WEDNESDAY: Pork fi let mignon, parslied red potatoes,
succotash, roll, coleslaw, peach crisp
Elizabeth Marian “Betty”
Rouse, 83, of Baker City, died
Jan. 16, 2020, at Settler’s
Park Assisted Living Com-
munity.
A visitation
will be Friday,
Jan. 24, from 2
p.m. to 5 p.m. at
Gray’s West &
Co. Pioneer Cha-
Betty
pel, 1500 Dewey
Rouse
Ave. Recitation
of the rosary
will be Friday at 6 p.m. at St.
Francis de Sales Cathedral,
First and Church streets.
Mass of Christian Burial will
be celebrated on Saturday,
Jan. 24, at 10 a.m. at the
Cathedral. Father Suresh
Kumar Telagani will offi ciate.
Interment will be at Mount
Hope Cemetery after the
service. Friends are invited to
a reception in the Parish Hall
at the church after the inter-
ment. All are welcome.
Betty was born on Aug. 17,
1936, at Baker, the second
of three children to Lloyd
and Elizabeth (Holland)
Izatt. She, her older brother,
Mariner, and younger sister,
Eleanor “Ellie,” were raised
on a ranch in the McE-
wen Valley, near the ranch
of Lloyd’s sister Ellen (Izatt)
Defrees and her husband,
Albert Defrees. She had many
fond memories of riding
horseback during World War
II to the McEwen School and
all over the ranch as a child.
She also used to talk about
all the practical jokes she and
her siblings would play on the
hired hands that worked on
the ranch.
Her father, Lloyd, died
unexpectedly in 1942 and
her mother ran the ranch
through the end of the war. It
was tough for a young widow
with three little children, and
a shortage of ranch hands, to
keep the place running well.
So in 1946 Elizabeth sold the
ranch to Dan Warnock and
moved everyone into Baker.
Betty went through the
rest of her schooling in Baker
and graduated from Baker
High School in 1953. She at-
tended Eastern Oregon State
College, now Eastern Oregon
University, and graduated
with an associate degree in
business in 1955. She then
went to work at Baker High
School as a secretary in the
offi ce for a couple of years.
While attending Baker
High School she met Michael
Joseph Rouse. Michael and
Betty were married on July
7, 1956, at the St. Francis de
Sales Cathedral in Baker.
They went on to have three
sons, Michael, Jeffery and
Timothy, and a daughter,
Michelle, which kept her very
busy cooking, cleaning, and
just being a mom. Her hus-
band Michael died suddenly
in April 1996, just a little over
two months short of their
40th wedding anniversary.
Betty worked for Pioneer
Bank for close to 20 years
until Sterling Bank bought it
out in 2007, and she enjoyed
working there. She always
talked about how much she
liked working there. “It was
easy to go to work when
you’re working with nice
people,” she said.
Betty always enjoyed
gardening and especially her
love of high quality registered
roses. She would spend hours
pruning and caring for her
roses.
Survivors include her
children, Michael, Timothy,
and Michelle Rouse-Lien; her
father’s half-brother, Profes-
sor Reed Izatt; her cousin,
Lyle Defrees; her grandchil-
dren, Melissa Rouse, Nick
Lien, Chris Lien, Caitlin
Rouse-Anderson, Ryan Rouse
and Whitney Rouse, and her
great-granddaughter, Evelyn
St. Mars, all of Vancouver,
Washington; her nieces, Kelly
Charlton and Betsy Charlton-
Powell of Sauvie Island; and
her cousin, Ken Holland of
Portland.
Betty was preceded in
death by her parents, Lloyd
and Elizabeth; her husband,
Michael; her brother, Mariner;
her sister, “Ellie” Charlton;
her son, Jeffery; and her
nephew, Paul Izatt.
The family would like to
thank Betty’s in-home care-
givers, the staff at Settler’s
Park and the doctors at Saint
Alphonsus for their excep-
tional dedication and help for
Betty; also, longtime friends
and neighbors, Bob and Mari-
lyn Harrison; and the Defrees
family for all they have done.
The family suggests memo-
rial contributions to the St.
Francis de Sales Cathedral
Boiler Fund through Gray’s
West & Co. Pioneer Chapel,
1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City,
OR 97814.
To light a candle for Betty
or to leave a condolence for
her family, go to www.grays
westco.com
Gary Lair
Haines, 1954-2020
Gary Lair, 65, of Haines,
died Jan. 17, 2020.
A celebration
of Gary’s life,
and a potluck
luncheon (meat
to be provided)
will take place
Gary Lair
Saturday, Jan.
25, at 2 p.m.
at the Baker City Christian
Church, 675 Highway 7.
Gary was born on April 15,
1954, at Caldwell, Idaho. His
parents, Cliff and Virginia,
moved to Emmett, Idaho,
where he grew up with broth-
ers, Kenny and Lonnie, and
sister, Judy. He spent his sum-
mers back in Caldwell, help-
ing his Uncle Lawrence on his
ranch. Gary attended school,
and graduated from Emmett
High School in 1973.
Fulfi lling a lifelong dream
to cowboy, Gary then went to
work for a ranch at Midvale,
Idaho. It was on a trip home
where he met Suzanne (Suzi)
Johnson, the love of his life.
They were married on Dec.
10, 1977, at Emmett. Gary
spent a short time at the
Boise Cascade mill. During
this time, Gary and Suzi were
blessed with a son, Shane.
Gary loved the ranch-
ing lifestyle, and wanting
to raise Shane a’horseback
surrounded by cattle and
open range, they took their
fi rst ranch job as a family at
Bruneau, Idaho. From there,
their life’s journey took them
to Northern Nevada and back
to Eastern Oregon. They fell
in love with this area and
have called it home ever since.
Gary and Suzi spent many
years working side by side.
One of Gary’s favorite seasons
was calving time, heifers
especially. Of course, brand-
ing time was also an annual
highlight, as Gary enjoyed
getting caught up with the
other ranching families and
soaking in the camaraderie,
stories and laughter. Gary
was a tease, known for his
wide mustachioed grin, and
you knew he took a liking to
you if you were a target of his
teasing.
Gary was especially proud
of Shane. Shane has a way
with animals, and Gary loved
to watch him show his cattle.
Later, as Shane took on school
and a career as a helicopter
mechanic, Gary was fi lled
with pride for the life his son
had built.
Gary loved his family.
When Shane married, Erin
became the daughter Gary al-
ways wanted. He hardly ever
spoke of her as a daughter-in-
law, but as a daughter. Then
his heart would never be the
same when his fi rst grand-
daughter, Audrey, joined the
world. He thought his heart
was full, but he was proven
wrong when God blessed him
with another granddaughter,
Brooke. He loved to take them
camping, watch them ride,
and have them loud and busy
around the house.
Gary enjoyed packing into
the mountains. He and Suzi
would pack in to the Eagle
Caps for a week or more. He
loved the mountains and
fi shing in the high mountain
lakes. After a few years, they
purchased a camp trailer
and started camping and
fi shing in a new way. These
trips took them to the Oregon
Coast, and the Deschutes
and Wilson rivers. The
trailer also regularly held
two precious granddaughters
on many adventures. Shane
and Erin, along with Logan
Kerns, blessed him with a trip
to Alaska in 2018. He enjoyed
deep sea fi shing for halibut,
and salmon fi shing the rivers.
Most of all, he loved paus-
ing to take in the majestic
landscape of a state he always
dreamed of exploring, with
some of his favorite people.
Gary loved Eastern
Oregon, the country and
the people. He considered so
many in the valley part of
his family, and he cherished
time spent with each. John
Wooden said that “the truest
test of a man’s character is
what he does when no one
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Published Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 1668 Resort St. (P.O. Box 807),
Baker City, OR 97814.
Subscription rates per month are:
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Postmaster: Send address changes to
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City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
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Richland 1924-2020
Walt Forsea, 95, a longtime
Eagle Valley resident, died
Jan. 16, 2020, at his home.
A graveside service with
military honors
will take place
on Friday, Jan.
24, at 1 p.m. at
the Eagle Val-
ley Cemetery
Walt
in Richland.
Forsea
Friends are
invited to join
the family for a reception at
the Eagle Valley Grange after
the interment.
On Sunday, June 28,
2020, “Walt’s Birthday” — a
celebration of Walt’s life, will
take place at the Eagle Valley
Grange Park. More details
will be announced as the date
draws near.
Walter John Forsea was
born on June 28, 1924, at
Home, Oregon, on the Snake
River to Blanche and Dan
Forsea Sr. and delivered by
“Mom” Basche. He was raised
in a family of fi ve siblings:
Harold, Bob, Margaret, Walt
and Pearl.
Walt attended the Park
Creek School, a one-room
school on the Snake River, for
grades 1-8. At age 6 or 7 he
rode to school on a horse. His
teacher drove a Model A and
often stayed with the family
while teaching. At one point
he was the only student his
age at the school. For high
school Walt came to Richland
and stayed with a family to
attend school, which is now
the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. Walt graduated in
1941 at age 16, a class of 15
students. He also lettered in
football.
See Obituaries/Page 3A
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com
Baker Dental Group would like to welcome Dr. Brandon Snow to their
General Dental practice. Dr. Tod Chandler will be retiring in February and
1668 Resort St.
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Copyright © 2020
Fax: 541-833-6414
Regional publisher
Christopher Rush
crush@eomediagroup.com
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.
com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
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Classifi ed email
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Walt Forsea
“Youʼll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., 11:30
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $4.50 donation (60 and older), $6.75 for
those under 60.
C ONTACT THE H ERALD
is watching.” Everyone who
knew him would tell you
that Gary embodied genuine
and solid character. There
are also many stories to tell
when people were watching,
so immediately following the
celebration of his life, there
will be an opportunity to do
something he enjoyed most of
all: share stories and a meal
with his family and friends.
Not one for “goodbyes,” he told
Suzi, “see you later,” and he
“would have a horse waiting
for you in Heaven!”
Survivors include his wife,
Suzi; his son, Shane (Erin);
his granddaughters, Audrey
and Brooke; his mother,
Virginia; his brothers, Kenny
(Gloria) and Lonnie; and
his sister, Judy Eisenbarth
(Corey).
He was preceded in death
by his dad, Cliff Lair.
The family suggests memo-
rial contributions to either
Heart ’N Home Hospice (Opal
Foundation), Rachel Center,
or MSTI in Fruitland, Idaho,
(Cancer Institute) through
Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home & Cremation Ser-
vices, P.O. Box 543, Halfway,
OR 97834. Online condo-
lences may be made at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.
com
Brandon was born and raised in Boulder City, Nevada, a small town outside
University where he met and married Jill Richards of Baker City. The couple
University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine in 2016. For
the past 3 1/2 years they have been in Fruitland, Idaho while Brandon has
worked for Valley Family Health Care in Ontario and Nyssa. They are excited
to be moving to Baker City with their family to a community that they love.
News of Record
on Page 3A