A2 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
OBITUARIES
John Bennett
Baker City, 1950-2021
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
September 27, 1971
Scholarships were presented by the Baker Kiwanis
Club Friday evening to two county seniors.
Don McLean, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don McLean, Hun-
tington, received a full tuition scholarship to Treasure
Valley Community College. Burnt River High School’s
outstanding senior girl, JoDell Carroll, received a partial
tuition scholarship to Eastern Oregon College.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
September 27, 1996
There will be no additional Oregon State Police offi cers
hired with federal grant money unless the state can pro-
vide matching funds, according to Lt. Gerald Hays.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
September 28, 2011
Baker Middle School teacher Samantha Sullivan urged
the nearly 40 students in her leadership class to work
effi ciently to make the best use of their time while helping
sort food for the Backpack Nutrition Project last week at
the First Presbyterian Church. The seventh- and eighth-
graders joined church volunteers to fi ll more than 100
plastic grocery bags with ramen noodles, instant oatmeal,
crackers and other food to help feed needy Baker School
District students over the three-day weekend.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
September 29, 2020
Volunteers were busy buzzing around work benches
Saturday morning in a work bay at Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative’s headquarters in Baker City.
Almost literally buzzing.
Sanders were spinning and other tools whirring as
about two dozen volunteers assembled bunk beds for the
nonprofi t philanthropic organization, Sleep in Heavenly
Peace, which provides beds to families.
The nonprofi t was started in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Its
nearest chapter is in John Day, said Susie V. Brown, who
is the president of that chapter and organized Saturday’s
build day at OTEC.
“We cover Grant County, Malheur County, Baker
County, and Harney County and provide beds for these
kids,” Brown said.
She said the organization, which started with seven
chapters, received a major publicity boost in February
when TV host Mike Rowe, responding to a request from a
Sleep in Heavenly Peace chapter, featured the project on
his “Returning the Favor” program.
“After it started airing in the middle of February, they
were getting applications to some chapters from across
the country,” Brown said.
At one point, the nonprofi t had about 1,000 applications
from people wanting to volunteer to help build beds.
Today, Sleep in Heavenly Peace has more than 200
chapters nationwide.
“We’re more than happy to support a great project like
this,” said Brown, who started the John Day chapter with
her husband.
For Saturday’s bed-building event at OTEC, the coopera-
tive donated the use of its equipment, and seven OTEC
employees (including two children of employee Ron
Rasmussen) were among the volunteers who assembled
14 beds.
OREGON LOTTERY
MEGABUCKS, Sept. 25
MEGA MILLIONS, Sept. 24
WIN FOR LIFE, Sept. 25
21 — 22 — 48 — 72
PICK 4, Sept. 26
• 1 p.m.: 9 — 1 — 7 — 0
• 4 p.m.: 1 — 3 — 3 — 6
• 7 p.m.: 0 — 0 — 2 — 4
• 10 p.m.: 5 — 3 — 1 — 1
LUCKY LINES, Sept. 26
17 — 21 — 27 — 43 — 56
3-8-10-14-18-22-25-31
14 — 15 — 29 — 39 — 43 — 48
Next jackpot: $3.6 million
POWERBALL, Sept. 25
22 — 23 — 37 — 62 — 63 PB 19
Next jackpot: $545 million
Mega
15
Next jackpot: $22 million
WEDNESDAY: Chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes
with gravy, carrots, rolls, fruit cup, birthday cake
THURSDAY: Pork tips over fettuccine noodles, peas, rolls,
green salad, bread pudding
FRIDAY: Chicken croissant sandwiches, chips, potato
salad, fruit, brownies
MONDAY (Oct. 4): Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes
with gravy, corn, cottage cheese with fruit, cookies
TUESDAY (Oct. 5): Meatloaf, mashed potatoes with
gravy, rolls, mixed vegetables, pasta salad, pudding
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older), $7.50
for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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
John touched the lives of many. He
was a kind man with a huge heart. He
would frequently check on others and
do things for people out of the blue. He
was thoughtful, and people knew he
was thinking of them by the cards, calls
and as technology developed, texts they
would receive from him.
John is survived by a brother, Larry
Bennett and his wife, Mary; his daugh-
ter, Darcy Colton and her husband, Eric;
his son, Ty Bennett and his wife, Debbie;
grandsons Talon Colton, Trevor Bennett
and Morgan Bennett; granddaughter
Shelby Preston; great-grandson Paycen
Preston; a niece, Jennifer Teafatiller,
and a nephew, Nicklas Bennett; and his
beloved dog, Sadie.
John was preceded in death by his
father, Lyle; his mother, Arda; an infant
sister, Lenae Rose Bennett; and a broth-
er, Donald Bennett; and many compan-
ion animals, to include his dog Sammi.
Memorial contributions can be made
to the Eastern Oregon Chapter of FFA
or to the Baker County 4-H Club in care
of Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave.,
Baker City, OR 97814. To light a candle
for John or to offer online condolences to
his family, go to www.grayswestco.com.
‘Bill’ Clark
Baker City, 1944-2021
William J. “Bill” Clark 77, of Baker
City, died Sept. 19, 2021, at his home.
At his request, cremation was held
and there will be no service. Coles Trib-
ute Center is in charge of arrangements.
Bill Clark was born on June 12, 1944,
in Portland to Harry and Nina (Lewis)
Clark. The youngest of fi ve children, he
attended school in Hubbard, Oregon.
Bill served in the US Army for three
years, stationed in Germany. His daugh-
ter, Marilyn Johnson, was born from his
fi rst marriage.
Bill met Jo Ann Gard in Baker City
and they were married for 38 years
until Jo Ann’s death in 2010. Among
his many employments he worked for
Baker Cab, Chuck Rohner, Bill Emery,
Eldon Baker, Johnson Homes, Harold
Staten and Chet Smith Motors.
Bill was a member of Eagles Club
No. 3456, a lifetime member of VFW
Post No. 3048, American Legion Post
No. 41 and Baker City Elks Lodge
No. 338.
He enjoyed deer and elk hunting and
camping with friends and family. Jo Ann
and Bill loved to travel with their trailer
to many places.
He is survived by his sisters, Virginia
Boblink and Harriet Bryant of Wilson-
ville; his brother, Ed Clark of Madras;
his daughter, Marilyn Johnson of
Seattle; his grandsons, Cody and Noah;
great-grandchild, Lauren; many nieces
and nephews; longtime friends, Paul
Dolan and Rosie Logsdon; and caregiver
Marshall Schosser.
He was preceded in death by his wife,
Jo Ann; his parents, Harry and Nina;
and a sister, Janet Phelps.
Those wishing to make memorial
contributions in memory of Bill can
direct them to a charity of one’s choice
through the Coles Tribute Center 1950
Place St. Baker City, OR 97814.
To light a candle in memory of Bill,
go to www.colestributecenter.com.
NEWS OF RECORD
Next jackpot: $11,000
SENIOR MENUS
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
John Alan Bennett,
70, died peacefully on
Sept. 18, 2021, at Saint
Alphonsus Medical
Center in Boise due
John
to complications from
Bennett
COVID. His son, Ty,
and daughter--in-law,
Debbie, were by his side during his last
moments on this earth. His daughter,
Darcy, granddaughter, Shelby, and
grandson, Morgan, were able to spend
some fi nal moments with him in the
hospital on the day he passed.
A celebration of his life will take place
Saturday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m. at Gray’s
West & Company Pioneer Chapel, 1500
Dewey Ave. in Baker City. A reception
will follow at Coles Tribute Center, 1950
Place St.
John Alan Bennett was born on Nov.
5, 1950, in Volga, South Dakota, to Lyle
Conrad Bennett and Arda Irene Bennett
(Dixon). He was their second child, join-
ing his older brother Larry.
John grew up in Arlington, South
Dakota. John lost his mother at the
very young age of 2. He attended school
in Arlington. The summer before his
senior year (1968), John hitchhiked and
hopped box cars to travel from Arling-
ton to Estes Park, Colorado, where he
landed a job helping with a chuckwagon
for a horse wrangling outfi t.
It was there that John caught the eye
of a young, beautiful horse wrangler who
was also working there. The crew was
all sitting around the campfi re when
Bonnie Kay Buri heard John mention
South Dakota. Bonnie approached this
young cowboy and they got to talking.
This conversation revealed that they
only lived about 30 miles from each
other in South Dakota. John shared
with Bonnie that he was an extra in a
John Wayne movie, “Hellfi ghters,” and
had met some big stars. They continued
at the same camp for the next week,
after which John traveled by hitchhiking
and box car hopping to California where
his brother Larry was.
John ended up back in Arlington
before he was to start his senior year of
high school. When Bonnie returned to
South Dakota from her job in Colorado,
she informed her parents that she had
met a movie star. In October of 1968
she reached out to track down John in
Arlington. The couple dated for a month,
got engaged in November and were
married on Dec. 28, 1968, in Watertown,
South Dakota.
John quit high school to provide for
his family. Bonnie and John traveled to
Oregon from South Dakota in the winter
of 1969 looking for ranch work. Shortly
thereafter they learned that they were
expecting a child. Due to lack of work,
the couple made their way back to South
Dakota where Darcy was born on Nov.
30, 1969. Their son, Ty, joined the family
on Nov. 20, 1971.
Seven years after returning to South
Dakota and two kids later, the family
packed up their belongings in a horse
trailer and moved to Oregon in the fall
of 1975 when Darcy was 6 and Ty was 4.
They settled in Baker, and in the spring
of 1977 they rented an 80-acre spread.
A year later, they purchased 60 acres of
the bare pastureland. The couple spent
a year building corrals and putting up
fencing before they moved to the ranch
and started raising longhorn cattle.
Their fi rst three buffalo came to the
ranch in February of 1981. John and
Bonnie parted ways in 1985.
In his younger days John was a
brand inspector, but his passion was
raising cattle, buffalo, Texas longhorns
and trading livestock. John and Bonnie
were the owner-operators of Bennett’s
Texas Longhorn & Buffalo Ranch. They
also owned and operated Bennett’s
Saddle Shop which was located on
Broadway Street in town.
John was a very handsome man
and enjoyed the company of beautiful
women. He had a draw and charisma
about him that attracted a great deal of
lovely ladies. John married a few more
times, attempting to fi nd someone to
share the rest of his days with.
Not only was John a “movie star,”
but fi ve of his longhorn cows starred in
a Marlboro commercial in July of 1993
bringing in $1,500 for a three-day stint.
John and his livestock were frequently
featured in the local newspaper. John
was also known to play guitar and sing
a bit in his younger days.
John loved sharing his passion for
horses and livestock with children of all
ages. He lit up when a child took inter-
est in his buffalo, horses, cattle, etc. He
took great joy in mentoring these young
people, teaching them to ride, rope
and wrangle.
In 1998 John swept a bank teller
off her feet when he passed a yellow
rose through her drive through drawer
at the bank. John later married this
bank teller, June Woodcock, on May 24,
2004. The two enjoyed the company of
John’s grandsons, Trevor and Morgan,
on a regular basis during their time
together. John taught the boys many
things, including how to spit spitwads
in restaurants ... and not get caught. He
loved taking them to Pizza Hut and the
Truck Corral where he excelled in teach-
ing them how to harass waitresses. John
also loved a good buffet!
John and June divorced in March of
2013. John expressed in these past few
months that he sincerely missed the
companionship he and June shared,
stating their time together was one of
the best periods of his life.
John was a creature of habit and his
life consisted of sale days every Tuesday
and Thursday. This was his social life
as well as his livelihood. He had several
business partners in his life, most nota-
bly Sweeney Gillette and more recently,
Hannah Jones. We are quite certain
these two, and many others, have some
pretty good stories about John, his fam-
ily said.
John’s pride and joy were his children
and grandchildren. He was especially
delighted with the birth of his fi rst
great-grandchild. His second love was
his ranch and everything that came
with it. He loved sitting in a chair look-
ing at the mountains, the sunrises, and
sunsets. He took great pride in the natu-
ral beauty that surrounded his property.
John’s home remained on his ranch for
the rest of his days.
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
$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
DEATHS
POLICE LOG
Wade Dahlen: 82, of Baker
City, died Sept. 23, 2021, at his
home. Services are under the
direction of Coles Tribute Center,
1950 Place St. To light a candle
in memory of Wade, go to www.
colestributecenter.com.
David Romine: 87, died on
Sept. 26, 2021, at Saint Alphon-
sus Medical Center-Baker City.
Arrangements are under the
direction of Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home & Cremation
Services. Online condolences can
be made at www.tamispineval-
leyfuneralhome.com.
Elmer Merle Hill: 63, of
Baker City, died Sept. 24, 2021,
in Boise. His funeral will be
Thursday, Sept. 30 at 11:30 a.m.
at the Baker City Church of the
Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane,
with Pastor Lennie Spooner
offi ciating. Interment will directly
follow the church service, at
Mount Hope Cemetery. Memo-
rial contributions can be made
to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
through Gray’s West & Co. Pio-
neer Chapel, by mailing a check
to Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer
Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker
City, OR 97814. To leave an online
condolence for Elmer’s family, go
to www.grayswestco.com.
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
CONTEMPT OF COURT
(Baker County Circuit Court war-
rant): Leon Emil Brandt, 36, Baker
City, 1:24 a.m. Monday, Sept.
27 in the 2100 block of Seventh
Street; cited and released.
ING ORDER: Sean Dean Taylor,
30, Baker City, 1:57 p.m. Sunday,
Sept. 26 in the 1600 block of Oak
Street; cited and released.
POINTING A FIREARM AT
ANOTHER PERSON, MENACING:
Whitney Michelle Collins, 34,
Baker City, 10:54 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 25 in the 1100 block of E
Street; cited and released.
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com
With summer
here, there is
lots of traveling.
Be safe &
have fun!
SACKOS EXCAVATING
BAKER CITY, OR
SHOP SALE
42273 Best Frontage Rd.
Friday, 10/1 & Saturday, 10/2
8AM-4PM
Own Your Own Business...
This is the sale for YOU!
FUNERALS PENDING
Ronald ‘Ron’ Robinson:
Graveside service, Friday,
Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. at Eagle Valley
Cemetery in Richland. Arrange-
ments are under the direction of
Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home
& Cremation Services. Online
condolences can be made at
www.tamispinevalleyfuneral-
home.com.
SECOND-DEGREE CRIMINAL
TRESPASSING, SECOND-DE-
GREE DISORDERLY CONDUCT:
Matthew James Harshman, 30,
Baker City, 6:07 p.m. Sunday,
Sept. 26 in the 2100 block of Sec-
ond Street; cited and released.
RECKLESS DRIVING, RECK-
LESSLY ENDANGERING ANOTH-
ER, VIOLATION OF RESTRAIN-
Lots and Lots of Tools!
2390 Broadway, Baker City
541-523-5223
Wrenches, sockets, ratchets, drill press,
chop saws, shop towels, jacks,
laser servery equipment.....
Anything and everything you can imagine!