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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2020)
2A — BAKER CITY HERALD THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020 O BITUARIES B AKER C OUNTY C ALENDAR TUESDAY, MAY 26 ■ Baker City Council: 7 p.m., City Hall, 1655 First St. For details on how to access meeting go to bakercity.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 ■ Baker County Commission: 9 a.m. to noon; for details about how to access the meeting, go to bakercounty.org T URNING B ACK THE P AGES 50 YEARS AGO from the Democrat-Herald May 22, 1970 Ninety Boy Scouts and their leaders took to the hills last weekend to learn more about “Our Heritage of Freedom.” The Eagle District Camporee was held at Bulger Flat May 15 and 16. Boy Scouts from throughout Baker County gathered in the Blue Mountains to recognize what it means to be a citizen. According to Dave Secl, chairman of the Campo- ree, the program also assisted the scouts in earning their Tenderfoot, and First and Second Class requirements. 25 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald May 22, 1995 Baker City is seeking proposals from people or organi- zations interested in leasing the Carnegie Library building at 2020 Auburn Ave. The city expects the building will be available by Sept. 1. Elkhorn Family Fellowship’s lease for the library, which is just west of Baker City Hall, expires Aug. 31. 10 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald May 21, 2010 Rising home sales, building permits and construction employment appear to signal a turning point in Baker County’s economy. April home sales reported in Baker County soared 125 percent over April 2009’s fi gures, pending sales were up 27.3 percent, and new listings were 14.3 percent higher, according to the Residential Multiple Listing Service’s Market Action newsletter. The April increases followed a 50 percent increase in sales and 29 percent increase in new listings in March compared to March 2009. ONE YEAR AGO from the Baker City Herald May 22, 2019 Four brothers with Eastern Oregon ties, three of whom fought in World War II and one during the Korean War, will be honored posthumously during a Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 27 at 12:30 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Rick Gloria, Baker County’s veterans services offi cer, will give the introduction. Duncan B. Pierce will perform Taps, and fl ags will be presented by an honor team. Derrick Coats will give the opening and closing prayers. The ceremony will honor the Shoemake brothers, Rob- ert, James, Oscar and Andrew. Andrew died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp on Jan. 31, 1945. His three brothers survived the war but have since passed away. O REGON L OTTERY MEGABUCKS, May 18 4 — 11 — 31 — 35 — 37 — 45 Next jackpot: $1.6 million POWERBALL, May 16 8 — 12 — 26 — 39 — 42 PB 11 Next jackpot: $95 million MEGA MILLIONS, May 19 8 — 19 — 25 — 36 — 66 Mega 9 Next jackpot: $298 million WIN FOR LIFE, May 18 15 — 18 — 44 — 68 PICK 4, May 19 • 1 p.m.: 9 — 7 — 9 — 1 • 4 p.m.: 2 — 7 — 5 — 4 • 7 p.m.: 3 — 3 — 7 — 9 • 10 p.m.: 7 — 5 — 5 — 4 LUCKY LINES, May 19 3-7-10-15-18-21-26-30 Next jackpot: $63,000 S ENIOR M ENUS ■ FRIDAY: Beef hard tacos, Spanish rice, refried beans, green salad, cinnamon roll ■ MONDAY (May 25): Memorial Day celebrated; no meals available. ■ TUESDAY (May 26): Hot turkey sandwich, stuffi ng and gravy, green beans, broccoli-bacon salad, bread pudding ■ WEDNESDAY (May 27): Spaghetti with beef sauce, caulifl ower, garlic bread, pea-and-onion salad, birthday cake ■ THURSDAY (May 28): Breaded pork loin, baked potato, mixed vegetables, roll, broccoli-bacon salad, cheesecake 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. Due to the coronavirus crisis, meals must be picked up; there is no dining on site. C ONTACT THE H ERALD 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 ads@bakercityherald.com Classifi ed email classified@bakercityherald.com Circulation email circ@bakercityherald.com ISSN-8756-6419 Serving Baker County since 1870 Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 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: Baker City (97814), $10.80; all others, $12.50. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pendleton, Oregon 97801 Elvyn Bell Baker City, 1926-2020 Elvyn Edward Bell, 93, of Baker City, died peacefully at his home on May 11, 2020. His memorial service and celebration of life will take place at a later date. Elvyn was born on Dec. 10, 1926, at Wallowa to Leslie “Bus” and May Martin Bell. He attended school in Wallowa and Baker, graduating from St. Elvyn Bell Francis Academy in Baker City. He served his county in both the Army and then the Air Force, returning to Baker in 1950 to marry his high school sweetheart, Patricia Louise Schmidt. Elvyn worked in the lumber industry, at Collins/Pondosa Pine in Pondosa, near Medical Springs, for 8 years and then for the Kinzua Corporation at Kinzua and then at Heppner when the Kinzua Corporation moved its operations. He worked there for 31 years, retiring as a supervisor in 1990. He and Patricia spent many years enjoying retirement. They traveled in their fi fth-wheel to Yuma, Arizona, and beyond with their friends. He and Patti sold their home in Hep- pner and relocated to Baker City in 2003. Elvyn enjoyed hunting, fi shing, travel, woodworking, just being with family, and gardening. He was a member of the Elks, VFW, and American Legion. Elvyn is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons, Kevin Bell (Terri) of Baker City and Kent Bell (Karmen) of Grants Pass; his grandchildren, Kyle Bell (Kelsey) of Portland, Kristen Anderson (Bernt) of Haines, Drew Bell, and Meggan Martin (Miles), all of Grants Pass; his great- grandchildren, Braden Bell (Jacqui) of Temple, Texas, who is stationed at Fort Hood, McKenzie Hayhurst (Kris) of Ra- eford, North Carolina, who is stationed at Fort Bragg, and Salvi Anderson of Haines. He was preceded in death by his par- ents, Leslie and May Bell; a sister, Flor- ence Bell; and a great-granddaughter, Gyda Anderson. Memorial contributions may be made to Best Friends of Baker through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814. To light a candle in memory of Elvyn or to leave a condolence for his family, go to www. grayswestco.com Alan Mellott Alan Ray Mellott, 72, stepped into his heavenly rest on Tuesday, March 12, 2020, after a fast and tough battle with pancreatic cancer and a bacterial blood infection, with his family at his side, at his home. At Alan’s request, he Alan wanted to be cremated and Mellott placed with his parents, at Mount Hope Cemetery, as well as no services. Alan was born in Bend on March 16, 1948, to John and Lois Mellott in an emergency delivery in which neither mother and child were expected to live but by God’s grace and protection, the 26- inch son lived, and his mother received eight pints of blood to save her life. A miracle was granted to both of them by God. Alan spent his entire life in Oregon and, after graduating from college, enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sta- tioned at Fort Hood, Texas, as a person- nel offi ce clerk. His father told him never to volunteer, but when the position came up, it fi t him to a tee. After his service and return to Oregon, he earned a col- lege degree to teach, but after seeing an ad for a claim’s adjuster with Farmers Insurance, he decided to apply for the position. There were many applicants for the job; however, a question on the appli- cation asked, “What do you have to offer our company,” Alan wrote a short reply, “To be of service.” When Bud Darling came out and started going through the applications, Alan’s was the only one he pulled. He was hired the next day and spent close to 30 years working for Farm- ers Insurance as a fi eld claims adjuster, retiring in 2000. From a young age, his family was always out-of-doors, even though his father spent long hours in the woods as a faller. There was not a deer/elk or bird season that Alan, his dad, mom, sister, and many friends weren’t in the fi elds or mountains, enjoying the great outdoors. Fishing was just as enjoyable to Alan from streams and ponds, fl y-fi shing to many a summer trip to the coast to fi sh for salmon and to catch crab. Other times at the coast were spent taking his grandchildren to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, stopping at campsites, and on into Portland for a year-end meeting, usually at the end of March. Picking huckleberries in the Eagles with the grandkids, taking his mother along after his father died, and making sure everyone got some berries, Alan always put more in his mouth, so we always had to combine the buckets to have enough to make a nice big cobbler. It is quite certain Alan was born with a shotgun in his hands. He enjoyed get- ting other people interested in shooting, helping young people, and taking one particular boy, Chris, with him hunting and fi shing. Alan also enjoyed spending time with Chris and his dad, Cody. When the four-wheel ATVs came out, Alan purchased one the fi rst year the son’s and only daughter were gone, attached a mower to the front end and he got their ¼ acre of the yard mowed quick. The kids saw that and remarked, “well that’s something,” dad had us rebuild carburetors in shop class, and we had to mow the lawn with push mowers. He also enjoyed snowmobiling, and when the kids were younger, bought a pair of Rupp’s from the neighbor, living on 5 acres with the Elkhorn Mountains right out his door, made snowmobil- ing a fun sport. There was a blue haze around the house because of the oil the machines burned. Taking a trip with Don and Betty Everson to Yellowstone was truly a highlight, and the park was beautiful. Alan became a Disabled American Veterans driver 10 years ago, and being a former Army soldier, he met so many great veterans, they shared stories, knew of their struggles and several he took fi shing. One recently purchased an English springer spaniel puppy from him and his business partner. A year and a half ago, Alan became a volunteer driver for Community Connection and drove several hundred miles, almost weekly to take veter- ans to Boise, Walla Walla, Ontario, La Grande, and just about anywhere their appointments were. During his career with Farmers Insurance, he felt his driving skill was still needed and enjoyed every one of those people whom he drove to appointments. In his heart, he felt being of “service to others” was so important, and even though riding in a car can be hard on “the backside,” he enjoyed every minute of it. There are so many stories which could be told, there are too many lists and for all of you reading this, near and far, remember those stories, share, build on them and keep the love of the outdoors on your daily schedule. Alan said that his “circle of life” was coming Best Friends of Baker Saturday Market Thank You to all those on the front lines.... Grocers, Gas Station Attendants, Medical Staff and First Responders. We will open soon. Until then, Stay Home and Stay Safe! to an end, it is what it is, so please be positive, do good things, don’t let what’s happening in our world overwhelm you. God is in control, and he was going to see Jesus face-to-face, all his pain and poor health were going to be gone. Alan served on the Baker Trap Club Board and was a member for 40 years. He enjoyed trap shooting. He was baptized at the age of 12 in Bend at the Bend Christian Church and his quiet faith and how he helped serve others is what he was called to do. So, do good, lend a helping hand, give when you don’t think you can be the hands and feet of Jesus, he’ll guide you through every situation and the problem you have in your life. Alan is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jeanne Ann; his stepsons, Scott Shively and his wife, Shelly, and Tim Shively and his wife, Brenda, both of Baker City; his son, Gene Mellott, and his wife, Lynn, of Seiad Valley, Califor- nia; and only daughter, Lucinda Mellott Stephenson, and her husband, Tom, of Corunna, Michigan; grandchildren, Courtney Shively Ackerman and her husband, Ryan; great-grandchildren Ms. Payton, Jack and Max of Albuquer- que, New Mexico; granddaughter, Ash- ley Shively of Beaverton, and grandson Zach Shively of Boise; brother-in-law, Gary Farran, and two nephews, James and Beth Farran, Andy and Tonya Farran and their children. He is also survived by his special dogs, Lucy, Kit, Twig, Wally and Tag. Alan was preceded in death by his parents, John, and Lois, as well as his only sister, Corrine “Corky” Mellott Farran, and two of his favorite dogs, Weaver and Spring. Memorial contributions may be made to Community Connection, Disabled American Veterans, or a charity of one’s choice through Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814. To light a candle in memory of Alan or to leave a condolence for the family, go to www.colestributecenter.com ‘Bobby’ Simonis Baker City, 1960-2020 Robert “Bobby” Simonis, 60, of Baker City, died May 15, 2020, at Ashley Manor in Hermiston. Per his request there will be no funeral. Bobby was born on June 27, 1960, at La Grande to Keith and Valeria Simonis. Bobby He was raised and educated Simonis in North Powder. After graduation he joined a band and toured back east for several years. Bobby’s passion and talent was in mu- sic, especially when it came to both coun- try and rock. He was an entertainer and played both the guitar and keyboards. Bobby was also a social butterfl y with an amazing gift of gab. He loved watching football and had a knack for photography and growing all types of fl owers. Bobby took pride in the simple things. He was always positive, had a good attitude, and loved life. Bobby is survived by his children, Shannon, Bobby Jr., and Sara; his sisters, Linda (Wayne) Burnside, Suzi (Ted) Travis, Jeanna Valencia and Kim (Don) Adcock; and his brother, Dustin (Nancy) Simonis. Bobby was preceded in death by both parents, and a brother, Randy Simonis. For those who would like to make a donation in memory of Bobby the family suggests Best Friends of Baker through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cre- mation Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences can be made at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral- home.com Mobile Service Outstanding Computer Repair Open for all your computer needs during the COVID-19! Fast & Reliable Call or Text 24/7 Dale Bogardus 541-297-5831 www.outstandingcomputerrepair.com Refurbished Desktop & Laptops For Sale House calls (let me come to you!) Drop Offs & Remote Services are Available All credit cards accepted
