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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2020)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A LOCAL & STATE COVID-19 ‘on the march again’ ■ Oregon health officials say willful neglect of safeguards fueling the current surge Health Authority, said at a Friday briefi ng. In the past two weeks, cases have risen The fi ght against COVID-19 is being more than 24% in Oregon. Allen called the undercut by precaution fatigue, willful increase a “stark reversal” of gains the ignorance and mixed messages between state had made previously on tamping health offi cials in Oregon and Washington, down the virus spread. D.C. The state on Friday recorded 418 The result is that after a late summer new cases and six deaths, bringing the lull, new cases of the sometimes deadly statewide totals to 38,935 cases and 617 virus are on the rise again in the state and deaths since the virus fi rst appeared in U.S. Oregon in February. “COVID-19 is on the march again in Allen said it was part of a continued Oregon,” Pat Allen, director of the Oregon high count of cases. By Gary A. Warner Oregon Capital Bureau Centers For Disease Control and Prevention / Contributed Photo A COVID-19 virus particle O BITUARIES Continued from Page 2A Gordon Schroeder Baker City, 1934-2020 would permit. Gordon and Judy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in January 2020. Gordon Schroeder was a man with immense deter- mination and true grit who loved being a cowboy. He had a quick wit and a ready sense of humor which made him more than enjoyable to be around. Gordon’s faith was unwavering and his deep rooted belief in the practices of Catholic social teaching were his guiding principles. He worked hard every day; refusing to give up his chores even when he could barely walk in his fi nal days. He instilled a tremendous work ethic in his children, but his enduring legacy is his love of family. He is survived by his wife, Judy Schroeder of Baker City; his seven children, Kelly Fox, Michael Schroeder, Robin Fox Lavala, Nicki Schroeder Norton, Terri Fox Berth- elsen, Monique Schroeder Devin and Tony Fox; his 16 grandchildren and his 14 great-grandchildren; and his younger brother, Ronald. Gordon was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Thomas. For those who would like to make a donation in memory of Gordon Schroeder, the fam- ily suggests either the Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church or the Alzheimer’s Association through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. On- line condolences can be made at www.tamispinevalley funeralhome.com Gordon served as president of the school board from 1980 to 1984. It was during this time that Gordon and Judy also became founding mem- bers of Country Natural Beef; along with other forward- thinking progressive ranchers who cared about responsible grazing practices and help- ing to leave the land better than they found it. In 1994, Gordon was selected to be on the cover of the farm journal, “Beef Today,” and the fi rst run copy still sits proudly framed on his desk. With shared values for environmental sustainability and produc- ing quality beef, Gordon was proud of his contribution and honorary membership in the Country Natural Beef family of ranchers for 12 years. In 1992, Gordon retired from Unity ranching but couldn’t quite give up his cows. Gordon and Judy moved to Baker City where he enjoyed his third and fi nal career as a fl atbed dealer-installer. Gordon was gifted in his ability to build and improve things and because of his ap- titude for mechanics he could pretty much fi x anything, including the major remod- els of three homes. Gordon treasured his gun collection and even made some of his own. His favorite stories were of elk hunting with his three boys. During his 80th birth- day weekend, Gordon shot a fi ve-point bull. After his kids were raised Gordon and Judy spent their retirement years fi shing, in- nertubing and camping with their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Gordon was Denny Grosse an avid reader, enjoyed west- Baker City Dennise ern movies and always kept Grosse, 89, of his passion for NASCAR Baker City, died racing. Gordon and Judy Oct. 13, 2020, at were always traveling to far a care facility in off places including Australia, Meridian, Idaho. and taking cruises to Alaska Denny In her last and Mexico, but their real joy Grosse days, the care was traveling to be with their facility relaxed grandkids and attending for their COVID-19 protocol and as many events as weather allowed family to be by her bedside. Dennise — or Denny, as she was known by friends — was a native of Michigan but also lived in several other states, as well as with her parents in Germany in the post-World War II years. She always said “bloom where you are planted!” She embraced almost every new home with enthusiasm and in turn was welcomed and accepted by her new community. While her husband, Burck, pursued a career at General Motors, Denny focused on raising their four children — Eric, Barbara, Scott and Russell, at homes in Michi- gan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, then back again in Indiana, Michigan, fi nally retiring to Florida. She moved to Baker City with her beloved husband, Burck, and mother, Dell, from their home in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2006, though, sadly, Burck and Dell passed away not long after the move. Their new home was a 1911 Craftsman, totally renovated for comfort and ADA accessi- bility. It boasted an enormous front porch, outfi tted with comfy wicker furniture. Situated next door to daughter Barbara and son-in-law Dwight Sidway, and across the street from Dwight’s brother, Todd Sid- way, she grew very close to Todd and Dwight and became like a mother to them. Dwight and Barbara re- stored the Geiser Grand Hotel in downtown Baker City, and Denny and Burck pitched in. Denny oversaw the design, creation and installation of all the window coverings. With 103 original windows, mea- suring 10 feet tall, that was quite the undertaking! After moving full time to Baker City, Denny took on conduct- ing the “Step Back in Time” tours at the Geiser Grand. She created her own historic costumes and entertained guests with crazy but true sto- ries of Baker City’s wild west past and how the landmark was saved. Guests raved about how funny she was and how she could make history come to life. Often guests would hang out with her asking questions for another hour! She joined the board of the Baker Historical Society, and served as secretary for many years. She enjoyed exploring the history of her adopted hometown. Church was an important part of Denny’s life. In fact, she met her husband, Burck, at a church social in Flint, Michigan, and they married a year later while he was still in college. Both she and Burck were active in churches wherever they lived; in Baker City she served the First Pres- byterian Church as a deacon and was active in Bible study and women’s support groups. She loved helping with the ministry to children at the middle school. Her husband, Burck, was the love of her life, truly her soulmate. She was enormous- ly proud of him and his great career at General Motors. Back then corporate culture was that every time there was a job promotion, there was also a move to a different town. And that was every 2 to 5 years. She managed the household moves pretty much on her own, all while raising four kids. Denny enjoyed garden- ing, including snapdragons, pansies, daffodils, mint and bleeding hearts by the back door, an Irish tradition she carried on in honor of her be- loved maternal grandmother, Granny Scott. Denny was accomplished at sewing and needlework. She could create tailored clothes and loved to quilt and create needlepoint and counted cross stitch. She famously crafted cross stitch samplers or greet- ing cards for every birthday and milestone. She was quite the baker, famous for her fancifully decorated cakes and wonder- ful cookies and brownies. She took great pride that every- thing in her kitchen was “from scratch.” Whenever the kids would come home for visits, she had to have a variety of cookies freshly made. Every holiday dinner, at least three kinds of pie. She liked to take N EWS OF R ECORD DEATHS Howard Payton: 83, a longtime Wingville rancher, died Oct. 18, 2020, at Saint Alphon- sus Regional Medical Center in Boise. Services are under the direction of Coles Tribute Center in Baker City. To light a candle in Howard’s memory, go to www. colestributecenter.com Bonita “Bonnie” McGil- vray: 83, of Baker City, died Oct. 16, 2020, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City. Inurnment will take place in the near future at Deschutes Memo- rial Cemetery in Bend. Memo- rial contributions in honor of Bonnie may be made to a charity of one’s choice through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814. To light a candle for Bon- nie or to leave a condolence for the family, go to www.grays westco.com. Lora Lee Longwell: 51, of Baker City, died Oct. 17, 2020, at her home. To light a candle in memory of Lora, go to www. grayswestco.com. POLICE LOG Baker City Police Arrests, citations CRIMINAL TRESPASSING (two counts) and THIRD-DEGREE THEFT (Baker County Justice Court warrants): Justin Michael Shelton, 30, transient, 11:56 a.m. Sunday at Geiser-Pollman Park; cited and released. FAILURE TO APPEAR (Baker County Circuit Court warrant): Leigh Ann Hunter, 40, 1757 Broadway St., 11:30 p.m. Sunday in the 2100 block of Third Street; cited and released. PROBATION VIOLATION (Baker County Circuit Court war- rant): Henry Earl Koos, 42, 2650 17th St., 10:07 p.m. Friday at his home; cited and released. Crime reports FIRST-DEGREE BURGLARY: At the Baker City Auto Ranch detail shop at 2201 10th St. between 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. Police Chief Ray Duman said the back door of the building was kicked in by a burglar who ransacked the shop and took a digital camera, tools and keys to two vehicles and drove off in a 2019 Jeep Cherokee belonging to the business. Baker County Sheriff VIOLATION OF RESTRAINING ORDER: Sean Dean Taylor, 26803 Foothill Road, Haines, 9:43 a.m. Sunday on Chico Lane; jailed. FAILURE TO APPEAR (Three Baker County Justice Courts war- rants): Edward Allen Braswell, 45, transient, 9:10 p.m. Friday, at the jail where he is being held on other charges. “Last week’s total set a new high for the pandemic,” Allen said. “On three consecutive days last week we exceeded 400 cases, including a record daily total of 484.” Tests for the infection are currently coming back 6.4% positive. Health offi cials have a target of 5% to keep the virus at a plateaued level. Even a small percentage increase can lead over time to exponential growth. See COVID-19/Page 5A plates of cookies to the police and fi re stations on Christ- mas Eve. Denny loved music, and en- tertained the family playing the piano and singing popular Broadway and movie scores; Nat King Cole’s “Rambling Rose” was a favorite. She dearly loved cats and dogs. She took delight in others’ pets, and completely doted on her own. Denny and Burck loved the adventure of travel! When the kids were young they packed up the station wagon and saw the country every summer in epic road trips, catching national parks from Maine to Florida to the Rocky Moun- tains. Later, after the kids had left home, the two of them traveled the world in style, including the famed Orient Express and European river cruises. Denny loved to read! Every night she would read at least one book to every child individually, inculcating an enduring love of reading and learning with her children. She always was reading; his- tories, murder mysteries and books with cat protagonists were favorites. The most important thing in her life was encouraging her children to become strong individuals and to pursue their dreams. All four children and four adult grandchildren have had very successful careers. She was immensely proud of them all and re- mained close to her kids. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Sidway; her sons, Eric Grosse, Russell Grosse and Scott Grosse; and four grandchildren, Emily Clements, Roger Grosse, Anne Grosse and Robert Grosse. ‘Gene’ Dennis Richland, 1932-2020 LaGene Allen “Gene” Den- nis, 87, of Richland, died Oct. 14, 2020, at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. His memorial graveside service with military honors will take place Thursday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. Gene at the Eagle Val- Dennis ley Cemetery in Richland. Gene was born on Oct. 17, 1932, at New Bridge to Allen Dennis and Opal (Blank) Den- nis. He attended New Bridge Grade School then transferred to the big city of Richland, where he graduated from Eagle Valley High School in 1950. He was then drafted into the Army and served during the Korean War. When the war ended, he came home to Richland. He worked for a time on the Brownlee Dam until a work-related injury caused a head/brain trauma from which he never fully recovered. Gene continued to live alone, ride his bike around town and always had a big smile for everyone. He loved spending time in the outdoors, hunting and fi shing. Gene lived a simple and independent life with dignity. He would say whatever he was thinking; however, he knew the value of family, integrity and forgiveness. He will be missed. Gene is survived by his sister, Betty Hindman; his brother, Everett Dennis, and his wife, Deloris; his nieces and nephews, Audrey Hindman, Carol Hindman, Blake Dennis, Nancy Denig, Keli Dennis and Ralph Dennis. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, David Dennis and Vernon Dennis; his niece, Thomasana Hindman, and his nephew, Kirk Dennis. For those who would like to make a donation in Gene’s memory, the family suggests Eagle Valley Ambulance Fund through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Crema- tion Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences can be made at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral home.com Baker County The Baker County Veteran Service Veteran Service Office will on be will be closed closed October June 1-5 and open for 20th through business on the 22nd Monday, June 8th Fall is here! Cold weather can mean icy spots in shaded areas! Hours: Th urs. Fri. Sat. 9AM–6PM We’re now offering home remodels through the winter months as we’re fully licensed and bonded. 541-519-5268 Disposable Masks • Diapers • Toys • Misc. Household Items Come see our ever changing Inventory ALOTT Bargains A Little of This & That stone.elitesprinklernland@gmail.com CCB#231936 LCB# 9809 2390 Broadway, Baker City 541-523-5223 2013 1st Street • Baker City • 503-477-3398 facebook.com/ALOTTBargains ALOTTBargains@outlook.com