The BulleTin • Sunday, May 23, 2021 A9
China’s Mars rover
touches ground
on the red planet
Rescue
Continued from A1
“It’s a pretty humbling mo-
ment, honestly,” Hopper said
Saturday. “Looking back at it, it
seems like a blur.”
Crook County Fire & Res-
cue and Prineville Police re-
sponded around 10 a.m. to the
fire, which was isolated to the
garage.
“They kept the fire from get-
ting into the house,” Hopper
said. “It sounded like there was
pretty minimal damage.”
Hopper gives credit to the
neighbor, who was the first
on scene and called 911. The
neighbor went into the house
and closed all the doors to the
garage, which helped keep the
fire in the garage, Hopper said.
“The guy who flagged me
Associated Press
BEIJING — China’s first
Mars rover has driven down
from its landing platform and
is now roaming the surface of
the red planet, China’s space
administration said Saturday.
The solar-powered rover
touched Martian soil at
10:40 a.m. Saturday Beijing
time, the China National Space
Administration said.
China landed the spacecraft
carrying the rover on Mars a
week before, a technically chal-
lenging feat more difficult than
a moon landing, in a first for
the country. It is the second
country to land and operate a
spacecraft on Mars, after the
United States.
Named after the Chinese
god of fire, Zhurong, the rover
has been running diagnostics
tests for several days before it
began its exploration Saturday.
It is expected to be deployed
for 90 days to search of evi-
dence of life.
The U.S. has an ongoing
CNSA via AP
A landing platform and the sur-
face of Mars are seen from a cam-
era on the Chinese Mars rover
Zhurong.
Mars mission, with the Perse-
verance rover and a tiny he-
licopter exploring the planet.
NASA expects the rover to col-
lect its first sample in July for
return to Earth as early as 2031.
China has ambitious space
plans that include launching
a crewed orbital station and
landing a human on the moon.
China in 2019 became the first
country to land a space probe
on the little-explored far side of
the moon.
March 17, 1922 - May 13, 2021
L. Colleen (Harkins) Pickett died peacefully in the early
morning of May 13, 2021 at Mt. Bachelor Memory Care,
Bend, Oregon. She was born at the family home in
Liberal, Barton County, Missouri on March 17, 1922 to
Buford and Beulah (Murray) Harkins. She married Roy
Jennings Pickett , July 8, 1940 at her parents’ house. Two
hours later they left for California, where Roy worked in
the early days of aerospace, to begin married life. The
couple resided in Glendale and Yucaipa for several years,
moving north to Sacramento unti l reti rement took them
to Bend, Oregon. Roy predeceased her on March 20,
2002. She is survived by her children: Robert Pickett
and Chris (William) Weatherman of Bend, and Catherine
Pickett of Edmonds, WA; her niece, Carolyn (John)
Kretzer of Wichita, KS; three grandchildren: William
(Paige) Weatherman and Robin (Alex) Robinson of the
Bend area, and Kari (Robert) Kern of Portland, OR; 10
grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
Linda Ann Burger
(Sturm)
1951 - 2021
Linda Ann Burger (Sturm),
beloved mother and “Granny”,
age 69, of Redmond, OR passed
away unexpectedly on February
25, 2021 of natural causes.
Linda was born in 1951 to
Donald and Jean Sturm of
Wausau, WI and later became
a big sister to two brothers, Jeff
and Tom. Linda graduated from
Newman High School in Wausau
in 1970 and graduated in 1975 from the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a bachelor’s degree in Home
Economics. Her beloved son Jason was born in 1980 and
in 1984 the family moved to Redmond. In 1999, she met
Dennis Heater, with whom she shared many adventures
over their 20+ years together. Linda deeply adored her
grandchildren Xander, born in 2002, and Genevieve, born
in 2006.
Linda worked at Seventh Street Brew House, Lancair, and
Deschutes Offi ce Products. Linda found her true calling
as a special educati on aide at Obsidian Middle School
and cared deeply for each of her students. She reti red in
2016. In her spare ti me, she enjoyed spending ti me with
her family and friends, camping in Oregon and Nevada,
collecti ng rocks and fossils, vacati oning in Wisconsin and
Montana, watching Packer games, att ending concerts,
and listening to music.
Linda is survived by her son Jason Burger and grandchildren
Xander and Genevieve of Redmond, OR, life-partner
Dennis Heater of Redmond, OR, brothers Jeff (Donna)
Sturm of Helena, MT and Tom (Sue) Sturm of Shawano,
WI, nieces Brook Sturm and Ali Rice, nephews Andy Sturm
and Ben Sturm, and too many other relati ves to list. She
was preceded in death by her parents.
A Virtual Celebrati on of Life will be held at a later date.
Donati ons can be made to Oregon Special
Olympics.
Reporter: 541-617-7820,
kspurr@bendbulletin.com
Eldon Cecil Pearson
Submitted photo
Bend Fire & Rescue firefighter and paramedic Jared Hopper pulled
a woman from a burning house in Prineville on Friday.
OBITUARY
Linda M. Connelly
March 31, 1943
- April 17, 2021
Linda M. Connelly made
her fi nal run on a bright
sunny day on a smooth
corduroy trail. She had
a great smile on her
face. She was going to
a greater place where
powder days go on
and on. Linda was 78
years old, a nati ve of
Gloversville, New York.
She arrived with a smile
on her face and it stayed
there ti ll her parti ng
breath. I know because I
was holding her hand ti ll
the end.
- Richard
OBITUARY
Edward Anton Straka Jr.
November 3, 1930 - April 26, 2021
OBITUARY
e e
OBITUARY
OBITUARY
L. Colleen (Harkins) Pickett
down, he’s the one who re-
ally made a lot of the heroic
efforts,” Hopper said. “If he
wouldn’t have done that, I don’t
think the outcome would have
been the same.”
Hopper is grateful he was
driving by as the smoke started
to spread. He was in his truck
on the way to a nearby job site
for his concrete business, Hop-
per Concrete Pumping.
If he passed by any later,
the woman may have suffered
from breathing in smoke, he
said.
“She didn’t have much more
time before the whole house
was full of smoke,” Hopper
said.
“The timing just happened
to be perfect.”
Edward Anton Straka Jr. was born November
3, 1930 and passed away on April 26, 2021 in
Salem, OR from Alzheimer’s. He had a private
dental practi ce in Bend, OR from 1977 to
1994 when he reti red in Dallas, OR. Edward
was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years,
Carleen. He is survived by his daughters Ann
Smith (Bob) of Evensville, TN, and Sally Davies
(Robert) of Dallas, OR. He’s also survived by
fi ve grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
If you would like to honor Ed Straka, please
consider a donati on in his name to the
Alzheimer’s Associati on - Oregon and Southwest
Washington Chapter. Dallas Mortuary Tribute
Center www.dallastribute.com
OBITUARY
William Layton Simmons
May 28, 1939 - May 10, 2021
William Layton Simmons was born May 28th,
1939 in Portland, Oregon to Layton and Minnie
Simmons. He att ended grade school in Lone
Pine, Oregon and graduated from Prineville High
School. He entered heaven’s gates on May 10,
2021.
How does one begin to write an obituary about
Bill, who was so alive with laughter, love for
others, and love for God. One who reached out
to you with a smile, a hug and an encouraging
word. Each grandchild knew they were grandpa’s
favorite (and they were).
In 1961, Bill opened Bill’s Flowers in Madras.
Later he farmed with his Dad in the Mudd Springs
Valley. They were some of the fi rst farmers to
raise mint. In 1970, Bill became a realtor and
started Madras Real Estate. He was sti ll selling 50
years later and was known as a man of integrity.
Beyond the fl owers, farm, and real estate was
his love and service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Bill
and his wife, Judy, sang for over 40 years for
the church and community and they taught 4
year old Sunday School many years. Bill has now
gone home where real life has just begun. He is
survived by his wife Judy of nearly 60 years, his
2 sons and their wives, 7 grandchildren, and one
great-grandchild.
Services will be held May 24th, 10:30 at the
Cornerstone Bapti st Church in Madras.
June 27, 1940 - April 28, 2021
Eldon
Cecil
Pearson (80) of
Bend passed away
on April 28, 2021
with his family by
his side singing
to his favorite
Highwayman
songs.
He
is
survived by his
loving
family
including
fi ve
of six children and ten grandchildren. A celebrati on
of Eldon’s bright life will be held at the residence of
Eldon’s dear friend Donna Pearson (541-388-4545) on
June 5, 2021 at 12:00 noon. Please join us for BBQ, beer,
peanuts and horseshoes, just as Eldon would want it.
OBITUARY
Marsha Lou
(Stevens) Stout
September 14, 1946 - May 12, 2021
Marsha Lou Stevens was
born on September 14,
1946 to Harold C. and Mary
Gene (Marshall) Stevens in
Ott awa, Kansas. She att ended
public schools in Ott awa and
graduated with honors from
Ott awa High School in 1964.
She earned a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree from Kansas State University in 1968.
On June 8, 1968 she married Melvin (Mel) James Stout
at the First Methodist Church in Ott awa and they
embarked on a honeymoon/job intern positi on outside
of Detroit, Michigan that summer. Mel graduated with a
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree in 1969 and
they moved to Washington, D.C. for Mel’s service in the
US Army Engineer Corps. While Mel served in Viet Nam,
Marsha moved back to Kansas and worked at the Credit
Union on Forbes Air Force base. When Mel returned in
1971, they moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Mel
received his Master’s of Landscape Architecture.
In 1972 Mel and Marsha moved to Portland, Oregon,
where Mel had been off ered a positi on with a new, young
landscape architecture fi rm. Marsha began a 21-year
career at the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company, in the
adverti sing and community aff airs departments. In 1996
Marsha became the Director of Membership/Partner
Services for the Portland Oregon Visitors Associati on
(later known as TravelPortland). That positi on lasted
14 years, and Marsha loved both careers and in helping
promote her adopted hometown of Portland.
In 2010 Mel and Marsha reti red and moved to Bend,
Oregon and the home they designed and built on
acreage outside of Tumalo. Marsha became acti ve in
her new community and has served on the boards
of Newcomers Club of Bend, Arts Central, Deschutes
County Historical Society and the Arts & Culture Alliance
of Central Oregon. She became a commissioner of the
Bend Cultural Tourism Fund in 2014 and was a Central
Oregon Ambassador for Oregon Public Broadcasti ng.
Mel and Marsha became early supporters of the zero
populati on growth movement and chose to not have
children. She is survived by Mel, a sister Judith Corbett
of Topeka, Kansas, two nephews and a niece. She is
preceded in death by her parents and sister Patricia
Dempsey Calandrino.
Mel and Marsha were married for nearly 54 years.
Marsha passed away May 12, 2021 from complicati ons
with cancer. She was loved by all who knew her. She
will always be in all our hearts. Her wishes were for
cremati on and no service. Direct cremati on by Autumn
Funerals, Bend, Oregon.
Donati ons in Marsha’s memory may be made to Planned
Parenthood and the Deschutes County Historical Society.