2A — BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
O BITUARIES
Walter Dillman
Halfway, 1944-2021
T URNING B ACK THE P AGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
March 25, 1971
HALFWAY — Pine Valley ski enthusiasts prepare to
graduate from paperwork to ski site as they launch their
fi rst membership drive for next winter’s skiing operation.
A star feature of the new site is the easy access for ‘Co-
pia Highway at Carson, leaving only a half mile of county-
maintained road to the parking area at the lodge.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 25, 1996
The Baker City Council on Tuesday will consider a
resolution sponsoring the city’s application to continue its
enterprise zone.
The city’s existing enterprise zone designation, which
includes almost the entire area inside the urban growth
boundary, expires June 30.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 25, 2011
What do an orthopedic surgeon, a UPS driver, a retired
schoolteacher and a high school student have in common?
A desire to help people in Costa Rica, for one thing.
On Feb. 24, a Work and Witness team that included 17
Baker County residents and members from Phoenix, Ariz.,
and Eagle, Idaho, traveled together for a two-week mission
trip to Costa Rica.
Leaving Baker City in minus-10 degree temperatures,
the group arrived in the valley of San Jose, Costa Rica,
where the temperature was 80 degrees.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 26, 2020
Mairi Nielsen’s initial reaction was close to panic.
Nielsen, who has lived in Baker City for about a decade,
has been in treatment for Stage 4 breast cancer since she
was diagnosed in June 2018.
She takes chemotherapy pills at home.
She travels to Fruitland, Idaho, monthly to see her
oncologist.
She has four children, ranging in age from 6 to 11, all
students in Baker schools.
And Nielsen had just learned that classes will be can-
celed at least through April 28.
Suddenly she needed to add to an already hectic
schedule a system for keeping her kids educated, and
entertained.
During a season when the weather can be less than
conducive to outdoor activities.
“I went, ‘oh no, what am I going to do with all my kids,’”
is how Nielsen, 44, recalls reacting to the extended school
closure due to the coronavirus.
The pandemic was already a major concern for Nielsen,
who as a cancer patient is more vulnerable to the effects
of the virus that has so dramatically affected the country
and the world.
“How am I going to do this?” Nielsen thought to her-
self.
Less than two weeks later, she is still adjusting to this
unexpected challenge.
But she’s optimistic.
“We’ve done OK, actually,” Nielsen said Tuesday morn-
ing in a phone interview from her home, the conversation
punctuated by an occasional exclamation from a child in
the background.
O REGON L OTTERY
MEGABUCKS, March 22
4 — 11 — 16 — 18 — 27 — 46
Next jackpot: $3.5 million
POWERBALL, March 20
1 — 6 — 22 — 42 — 61 PB 4
Next jackpot: $220 million
MEGA MILLIONS, March 23
12 — 23 — 35 — 38 — 55
Mega
11
Next jackpot: $137 million
WIN FOR LIFE, March 22
9 — 17 — 38 — 50
PICK 4, March 23
• 1 p.m.: 0 — 0 — 2 — 3
• 4 p.m.: 4 — 5 — 4 — 3
• 7 p.m.: 1 — 4 — 1 — 6
• 10 p.m.: 7 — 6 — 7 — 2
LUCKY LINES, March 23
1-8-12-15-17-22-25-32
Next jackpot: $51,000
S ENIOR M ENUS
■ FRIDAY: Boneless chicken breast, baked potato, winter
blend vegetables, fruit cup, cinnamon roll
■ MONDAY (March 29): Barbecued pork ribs, au gratin
potatoes, corn, biscuit, coleslaw, cookies
■ TUESDAY (March 30): Hot beef sandwich, mashed
potatoes with gravy, mixed vegetables, ambrosia,
cheesecake
■ WEDNESDAY (March 31): Sweet and sour chicken, rice,
Oriental vegetables, Jell-O with fruit, apple crisp
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
1668 Resort St.
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
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
Walter Lee Dillman, 76, of
Halfway, died March 10, 2021,
at his home from complications
of sepsis.
There will be a double inurn-
ment for Walt
and his beloved
wife, Ronda, at
the Pine Valley
Cemetery in Half-
way, on Saturday,
Walter
May 29, at 11
Dillman
a.m. There will
be a celebration
of life for both following at the
Pine Valley Fairgrounds in
Halfway.
Walt was born on Sept. 22,
1944, at Sunnyside Washington,
to Walter and Luana Dill-
man. He was the oldest of four
children, with a sister, Nancy
(Sammy), and brothers, Lonnie
and Dock Dillman.
Walt and his family moved to
Halfway in 1960 where he at-
tended Pine Valley High School.
In 1961, Ronda, (Walt’s future
bride) went with her friend
Carol Ann to a rodeo in John
Day for the weekend. Ronda
and Walt were acquainted
through high school but were
not dating at the time. Saturday
evening at the rodeo dance,
Walt, Earl and Walt’s uncle Bill
flipped a coin to see who would
dance with Ronda. Walt lost
the toss and at first Walt didn’t
want to dance with Ronda, but
by the end of the evening they
danced and danced. As the story
goes, the rest is history. Through
the years they were admired for
their loving country two-step
waltz.
Walt and Ronda were
married on Feb. 27, 1965, at
Halfway, where they remained,
and raised their children, Josi
and Corey. Walt worked for
Morrison Knudson during
the dam construction at Hells
Canyon early in his career. Fol-
lowing that, Walt was employed
by the U.S. Forest Service as
a surveyor from 1968 to 1986
before retiring and purchasing
Halfway Garage and Towing.
After retirement as a business
owner, Walt worked summers
as a contract driver for the For-
est Service during fire season.
Always involved with the
community of Halfway, he was
a volunteer firefighter for Pine
Valley Rural Fire Department.
Walt and Ronda supported the
Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo and
Baker County Fair through
the years as well as numerous
other community activities.
Walt and his family and
friends enjoyed packing into the
wilderness areas to camp and
hunt. Walt and Ronda were well
known for numerous “hilari-
ous” lip sync presentations at
Wild Bill’s in Halfway and were
Uncle Walt and Aunt Ronda to
many of the kids in Halfway.
His wife, Ronda, passed away
in 2013.
Walt married Eileen Vol-
lertsen on May 27, 2017, and
the two shared horseback
excursions, and enjoyed outings
with the children and grand-
children.
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
$10.75 for print only. Digital-only rates
are $8.25.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2021
Lois Garrison
Formerly of Huntington, 1925-2021
Lois Mary Garrison, 95, of
Ontario, and formerly of Baker
City, died peacefully on March
7, 2021, with her family by her
side.
Lois will be
interred at Mount
Hope Cem-
etery under the
direction of Gray’s
West and Co.,
Lois
Baker City. The
family will sched- Garrison
ule a celebration
in honor of Lois’s life at a future
date due to current restrictions
on travel and gatherings.
Lois was born on May 20,
1925, to Rose (McConnell) and
Virgil McKinney at the home
of her paternal grandparents
in Baker City. When she was 4
years old, the family moved to
the sawmill town of Pondosa,
near Medical Springs, where
everyone lived in tent homes
until houses could be built. Lois
attended eight years of grade
school as a member of a gradu-
ating class of seven students.
While in Pondosa, Lois made
lifelong friendships that she
cherished throughout her life.
She looked forward to visiting
these friends at the annual Pon-
dosa Picnic, which she attended
for well over 50 years.
In the fall of 1939, Lois began
high school in Union. She
loved the excitement that the
community of Union had to
offer — school bus rides, pep
rallies, and seeing her very first
football and basketball games.
She truly treasured her four
years at Union High School,
where she was involved in
many activities, including glee
club and basketball, for which
she was selected for the all-star
team during her senior year. In
1941, she represented the small
community of Medical Springs
as a princess for the Baker
Mining Jubilee on the Fourth of
July. She was selected for this
role because of her horseback
riding abilities and rode her
horse, Patches, during the rodeo
and parade. The only cloud
during those wonderful years in
high school was seeing so many
of her classmates leave school to
serve in World War II.
Soon after graduating from
Union High School in 1943,
Lois enrolled at Baker Business
College where she attended
classes while simultaneously
performing secretarial duties at
a local business. After complet-
ing her business course, she
worked briefly at the Baker
radio station before her employ-
ment with the Selective Service
Board, where she worked with
soldiers who were shipping out
and later returning from World
War II. Just before Christmas
in 1945, a tall young soldier
from Huntington came into the
office to reconcile his discharge
papers. It was Lois’s break time,
and the soldier, Elvin Garrison,
asked her to join him for a
Coke. They soon began seeing
each other, and after a brief
courtship, Elvin and Lois were
married on April 1, 1946, at the
Lutheran Parsonage at Baker.
As Lois’s name was on his
official discharge papers, Elvin
often joked that he just got out
of one hitch and signed up for
another as they signed their
marriage license.
Lois and Elvin made their
home in Huntington, where
they raised their four children,
Gary, David, Shawn and Bob.
Lois’s husband, Elvin, passed
away on Feb. 29, 1996, just
a month before the couple’s
golden wedding anniversary.
Lois continued to live in the
family home at Huntington
until 2004, when she moved
to Ontario. It was very difficult
for her to leave Huntington, as
it was a wonderful community
for raising a family, and it was
a place where everyone looked
out for each other. She was
honored to have been selected
as the Grand Marshal in Hun-
tington’s Fourth of July Parade.
Lois was a beloved mother,
wife, and grandmother. Her
family was everything to her.
Nothing made her happier
than hosting or attending large
gatherings with her family.
She believed that birthdays
and holidays called for special
celebrations. She loved be-
ing active in the lives of her
children and grandchildren
and treasured the time that
she spent attending all of their
ball games, band competitions,
dance recitals, school plays, and
graduations.
Lois is survived by her
brother, Bill McKinney
(Dorothy); her daughter, Shawn
Garrison; her daughter-in-law,
Susan Warren; her grandchil-
dren, David Garrison (Angie),
Donald Garrison (Tara),
Diana Closson (Bill), Daniel
Garrison (Dee), Dustie Maxa
(Coby), Ted Calouri (Laura),
Kristin Johnson, Erin Garrison
(Andrew) and Katie Garrison
(Brian); 28 great-grandchildren;
33 great-great-grandchildren
and four very special nieces and
nephews and their families.
Lois was preceded in death
by her parents, Rose and Virgil
McKinney; her husband, Elvin;
and her sons, Gary, David, and
Robert Garrison.
In lieu of flowers, the family
requests that donations be
made to your local scholarship
or sports booster funds in honor
of Lois’s love and desire to sup-
port young people. You may do
this by making your check out
to the scholarship or booster
fund and sending it to Gray’s
West & Co. Pioneer Chapel,
1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City,
OR 97814.
To leave an online condolence
for Lois’ family, go to www.
grayswestco.com
Louise Shreffler
Baker City, 1943-2021
Louise Shreffler, 77, of Baker
City, died March 10, 2021, at
her home, surrounded by her
loving family.
There will be a graveside
service for Louise
on Friday, March
26, at 2 p.m. at
Mount Hope
Cemetery, with
Pastor Tracy
Louise
Bussard officiat-
Shreffl er
ing.
Louise was
born on Nov. 14, 1943, at Bris-
tol, Virginia, to Charles Wayne
and Margaret Alice (Holt) Pip-
pen. She attended high school
in Santa Rosa, California, at
Montgomery High, graduat-
ing in 1962. Louise married
Dale Shreffler in Mill Valley,
California.
She worked as a supervisor
for Oregon Trail Spring Water
and as a graphic designer later
in life. Louise was self-taught
at the age of 62 to develop
and build websites and create
graphic designs used in mar-
keting and various merchan-
dise.
Louise loved all Cadillacs,
posies (flowers), graphic design,
making people laugh, Great
Pyrenees dogs, and most of all,
her family.
Louise is survived by her
children, Tony (Mary) Bus-
sard of Gahanna, Ohio, Shellie
Mooney (Jimm) of Baker City,
and Tracy (Leah) Bussard of
Idaho City, Idaho; her sisters,
Annette Wyrsch of Spokane,
Washington, and Claudette
Cathcart of Glenrock, Wyo-
ming; eight grandchildren; 16
great-grandchildren; and one
great-great-grandchild.
Louise was preceded in
death by her parents, Charles
and Margaret Pippen; her hus-
band, Dale Shreffler; and her
grandson, Christopher Bussard.
In lieu of flowers, memo-
rial contributions can be made
to Heart ’N Home Hospice
through Gray’s West & Co. Pio-
neer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.,
Baker City, OR 97814.
To leave an online condolence
for Louise’s family, go to www.
grayswestco.com
N EWS OF R ECORD
DEATHS
Robert J. ‘Bob’ Hendrik-
sen: 87, of Baker City, died
March 18, 2021, at his home.
Services are under the direction
of Coles Tribute Center, 1950
Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
To light a candle in Bob’s memo-
ry, go to www.colestribute
center.com
Sharon L. Wulk: 78, of Baker
City, died March 22, 2021, at
Boise. Services are under the
direction of Coles Tribute Center,
1950 Place St., Baker City,
OR 97814. To light a candle in
Sharon’s memory, go to www.
colestributecenter.com
FUNERALS PENDING
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Walt was preceded in death
by his wife, Ronda Ann Dill-
man; his parents, Walt and
Luana Dillman; his nephew,
Jeff Dillman; his grandparents;
and various aunts and uncles.
Walt is survived by his wife,
Eileen Vollertsen; his daughter
and son-in-law, Josi and Larry
Mack; his son and daughter-in-
law, Corey and Cathy Dillman;
his brothers and sisters-in-law,
Lonnie and Marie Dillman, and
Dock and Cynthia Dillman; his
sister and brother-in-law, Nancy
(Sammy) and Kenny Marleene;
his sister-in-law and brother-in-
law, Roger and Dawn Coles; his
brother-in-law and sister-in-law,
Doug and Beth Payton; his aunt
and uncles, Cheryl and Earl
Robinette, and Rolland and
Floyd Baze; nine grandchildren,
15 great-grandchildren and
numerous, nieces, nephews and
cousins.
People wishing to honor
Walt’s lifelong commitment to
the community of Halfway may
do so through donations to the
Pine Valley Fire Department,
Pine Valley Fair Association or
Pine Valley Ambulance. This
may be done through Coles
Tribute Center, 1950 Place St.,
Baker City, OR 97814.
James Dwight ‘Jimmy’
Hebert: There will be a celebra-
tion of Jimmy’s life, Saturday,
April 3, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at
Bonita’s home in North Powder.
Donations in his memory can be
made to Doernbecher Children’s
Hospital in Portland or to the
Wolf Creek Grange No. 596 in
North Powder in care of Gray’s
West & Co. Pioneer Chapel,
1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR
97814. To leave an online condo-
lence for Jimmy’s family, go to
www.grayswestco.com.
Arlene Mae Schoorl: A cele-
bration of her life, with a potluck,
will take place on Saturday, April
24, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
at the Unity Community Hall. To
offer online condolences, go to
www.grayswestco.com
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
UNLAWFUL POSSESSION
OF A FIREARM: Jamie Joseph
Weiss, 55, of Baker City, 7:55
a.m. Tuesday, March 23 in the
2900 block of Broadway Street;
cited and released; police said
Weiss was unlawfully carrying
a .22-caliber handgun on Union
Pacifi c Railroad property. Rail-
road employees called police to
request that Weiss be trespassed
from the property.
Baker County Sheriff’s
Offi ce
WARRANTS (Baker Justice
Court, Union County Circuit
Court): Kyle Ryan Bork, 21, 6:03
a.m. Monday, March 22 on
Magpie Peak Road; cited and
released.
Oregon State Police
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A
MOTOR VEHICLE and ELUDING
POLICE (Multnomah County
warrant): Trevor Brendan Oboyle,
35, of Seattle, 7:37 am. Tuesday,
on Interstate 84, about 5 miles
north of Baker City; cited and
released per the warrant.
Are you Missing?
Young black lab
mix captured
March 20, west
Baker City.
First observed
February 14.
Seeking owner or
info leading
to owner.
Call 541-403-0724
Contact info is
Richard Haines
New Hope for Eastern
Oregon Animals
cell 541-403-0724
rjhaines64@msn.com
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
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