A2
Family
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Student vaccination deadline Feb. 17
Health Dept.
advises parents
to update
immunization
records
Blue Mountain Eagle
Immunization laws have
changed in the last year, and
students whose records are
not up to date will be sent
home Feb. 17.
State law requires all chil-
dren in public and private
schools, preschools, Head
Start and certified child care
facilities have current docu-
mentation on their vaccina-
tions, or have an exemption.
Grant County Health De-
partment Manager Jessica
Winegar said parents should
be aware of new immuniza-
tion laws and updated vac-
cine requirements.
The hepatitis A vaccine
is a two-dose series now
required for children 18
months and older in child
care, preschool and kin-
dergarten through seventh
grade. Seventh-graders also
need a Tdap booster to help
protect them and others
from pertussis (whooping
cough).
Senior year high-school-
ers preparing to leave for
college are now required to
have the measles vaccines.
They are also encouraged
to get a meningitis vaccine,
2015 Grant County
vaccination rates
• Tdap: 92.3 percent (92.1 percent statewide)
• Meningococcal: 42.5 percent (70.3 percent)
• Seasonal inl uenza: 12.9 percent (24.3 percent)
• MMR (1+ doses): 98.2 percent (96.1 percent)
but it is not required by all
colleges.
Winegar said the old re-
ligious exemption, signed
before March 1, 2014, is no
longer valid. Parents need
to complete new documen-
tation of immunizations, a
medical exemption or a non-
medical exemption.
Winegar said a lot of par-
ents who were granted reli-
gious exemptions prior to
that date were grandfathered
in, by law, for last school
year.
Under the new law, par-
ents and guardians need to
complete the vaccine educa-
tion module again to claim
the nonmedical exemption.
If parents already did this
last school year, they don’t
have to do it again.
Of¿ ces close for Presidents’ Day
Blue Mountain Eagle
Several of¿ ces and oth-
er places will be closed on
Monday, Feb. 15, in honor
of Presidents’ Day.
B IRTHS
Grayson Lee Montague
Courtney and Bryan Mon-
tague of Mt. Vernon announce
the birth of their son, Grayson
Lee Montague, at 7:55 a.m.
Jan. 20, at Blue Mountain Hos-
pital in John Day. He weighed
6 pounds, 13 ounces and was
19 inches long.
Grandparents are Steven
and Gayla Skeen of Union,
and Vicki and Austin Duane
Drewett of Mt. Vernon. Great-grandparents are Janice Chil-
dress and Ronald “Dee” Childress of John Day.
B arbara B lackstone Ledden
July 29, 1924 – January 22, 2016
Nelda Marie Morton
May 27, 1920 — Feb. 5, 2016
James Louis ‘Jim’ Dyckhoff III
May 17, 1947 - Jan. 8, 2016
Nelda Marie Morton, 95, formerly
of Baker, Malheur, Wallowa and Union
counties, died Feb. 5 at Valley View
Assisted Living facility in John Day. A
graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Thurs-
day, Feb. 11, at Mt. Hope Cemetery in
Baker City.
Morton was born May 27, 1920, in
Bridgeport where her parents home-
steaded a cattle ranch. She went to grade
school in Bridgeport and attended Baker
City High School — the old original high school. Her father hired
a ranch hand, Joseph .ulis, with whom she fell in love — ³at ¿ rst
sight,” she said.
They married in Boise, Idaho in 1939. The following year, their
son, Ken, was born, and they moved to Baker City.
Her father contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and when
he died, they moved back to help her mother run the cattle ranch. In
1952, her husband was killed in a tractor accident on the ranch. She
and her 12-year-old son, Ken, helped her mother continue running
the ranch for the ne[t ¿ ve years. Because of a deer problem, the
Oregon State Game Commission came out to the ranch to assess
the deer damage. That’s when she met Karl Morton.
They married in June 1956 and moved back to Baker. Ken ran
the ranch with his grandmother until it sold in 1960.
Her husband became the manager at Winehaw Game Reserve
in Troy, where they lived until he retired.
After retirement, they moved to Ontario, where they bought
a brand new home. They enjoyed winters in Baja, Mexico, with
friends. After he died from cancer, she and her black kitty, Prince,
moved into Valley View Assisted Living in John Day.
She worked hard most of her life running a ranch. She loved
the outdoors and was an avid gardener. She was a good cook, and
she spent many hours canning and preserving their harvest the
old-fashioned way. She loved her home, and she was an immac-
ulate housekeeper. She enjoyed embroidery and was passionate
about crocheting, creating hundreds of doilies and going through
a new spool of thread every two days.
Survivors include her son, Ken (Gloria) Kulis of John Day;
granddaughter, Donnetta of John Day; several grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. On June 16, 2015, she welcomed her ¿ rst
great-great-grandson, Miles Stoneman.
Memorial donations may be made to Blue Mountain Hospice
through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543 Halfway,
OR 97834.
Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfu-
neralhome.com.
James Louis “Jim” Dyckhoff III passed away Jan. 8 in
Helena, Montana, near family.
Dyckhoff was born in McCloud, California, May 17,
1947, the oldest of 10 children.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war,
then fished the seas of Alaska.
Dyckhoff worked in construction for many years and
even built his own home by hand on 140 acres in Eastern
Oregon. He spent more than 40 years in Oregon where he
lived the outdoor life he loved of hunting and fishing.
Dyckhoff always had a smile on his face, and he was
always willing to help out anyone in need.
He was preceded in death by his father, James L. Dyck-
hoff II, in 2014. He is survived by his mother, Doris Dyck-
hoff, who resides in California.
There will be a memorial at 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Sev-
enth-day Adventist Church in Long Creek. All who knew
and loved this man are asked to come and remember the
wonderful life he lived.
f
This V alentine’
s Day
get them something they can use all year.
Ruth Caroline Cummings, 88, of Mt. Vernon, died Feb. 3 at
Blue Mountain Care Center in Prairie City. Services are pend-
ing at this time.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s
choice through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd.,
John Day, OR 97845.
Kenneth Clinton Lang
Jan. 26, 1920 — Jan. 30, 2016
BEND — Kenneth Clinton Lang, 96, of Redmond, formerly
of John Day, died Jan. 30. There are no services planned at this
time.
Lang was born Jan. 26, 1920, and lived in Redmond and
John Day.
Arrangements are under the care of Baird Funeral Home of
Bend, 2425 N.E. Tweet Place, Bend, OR 97703.
Chapel plans game nights
Blue Mountain Eagle
PRAIRIE CITY — Look-
ing for something fun for the
family?
Grace Chapel in Prairie City
is planning the second annual
family game nights from 6:30-
8 p.m. every Saturday through
the month of February.
Bring your favorite games
and snacks and be prepared for
an evening of fun. Everyone is
welcome.
Grace Chapel is at 154 E.
Williams St. in Prairie City.
Call 541-620-4198 for
more information.
Grant County
Road Department
On February 1, 2016, the Grant County
Road Department will begin a Culvert
Replacement Project, located on Canyon
Creek Lane, County Road 65, south of
395S. It is anticipated this project will
last for approximately 2-3 weeks. There
will be one-lane traffic
with flaggers 24/7.
Check out our new selection of
Verizon smart-phones
For further information, contact the
Grant County Road Department at
541-575-3783, or 541-575-0138.
Monday-Friday, 7am-3:30 pm.
f
DP Home Entertainment
L AST W EEK ’ S T EMPS
NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY
162.500 MHz
f
Ruth Caroline Cummings
Feb. 3, 2016
139 E Main St. • John Day
541-575-1637
f
Barbara Blackstone Ledden passed away in
her sleep at her home on January 22, 2016, at the
age of 91. A Celebration of Life service will be held
at the McMinnville United Methodist Church on
Saturday, March 12, 2016, at 2pm.
Barbara was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to
Lloyd Warren Peck and Estella Mae Blackstone
Peck. She was their first child. She was joined by
three brothers, Thomas and Arthur, now deceased,
and John of Rohnert Park, CA. The family lived in
Sioux City, Iowa where Barbara graduated from
high school. During high school, she played the
cello and rose to occupy first chair in the orchestra.
While spending her adult life as a mother
and housewife, Barbara was active in the life of the
communities where she lived. She was a troop
leader and council member with Girl Scouts. She
was a life member of Eastern Star and participated
with her daughter in Job’s Daughters and Rainbow
Girls. Barbara loved to garden and participated in
Garden Clubs wherever she lived. She was an artist
who used watercolors as a medium to depict nature
in all its glory. She enjoyed making objects of
beauty out of the things nature provided (seed pods
and cones, flower petals, leaves, etc.).
Barbara took an active role in the Christian
life. From early childhood she attended church. In
adulthood, she gave active leadership to the
church’s program where she attended. Her love of
music was expressed in singing in the choir. She
was a member of United Methodist Women and
served as President of local units; President and
Secretary/Treasurer on the District level; and
Treasurer and Vice President of the Annual
Conference U.M.W.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Robert
Ledden Sr., and four children: Sue Ann Strong,
Napa, California; Deborah Strong, Portland,
Oregon; Cynthia Harris, Prairie City, Oregon; and
Marc Strong, Prairie City, Oregon. She is survived
by six grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Terry,
and a son, Robert.
To leave condolences, visit
Paid for by the family
http://www.macyandson.com.
of Barbara Ledden
24/7 F ORECAST
A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122
R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; TRIPCHECK . COM
WWW . BLUEMOUNTAINEAGLE . COM / INFO
by the health department.
Submit the vaccine doc-
umentation as soon as pos-
sible to avoid the risk of
receiving a notice the child
will be excluded due to
missing records.
Parents seeking immu-
nizations for their children
should contact their health
care provider, local health
department or dial 2-1-1 to
find a place to get vaccinat-
ed. Pharmacists can also im-
munize children 7 and older.
To learn more, visit www.
healthoregon.org/imm
or
follow Oregon Immuniza-
tion Program on Facebook.
For more information,
call the Grant County Health
Department at 541-575-
0429.
O BITUARIES
The closures include all
Malheur National Forest
locations, all Grant County
of¿ ces, the Department of
Motor Vehicles and all pub-
lic schools.
J OHN D AY ........................................................HI/LO
T UESDAY ..........................................................39/21
W EDNESDAY ......................................................38/28
T HURSDAY ........................................................44/32
F RIDAY .............................................................52/32
S ATURDAY .........................................................49/37
S UNDAY ............................................................57/33
M ONDAY ...........................................................64/35
Three options are avail-
able:
If the child has received
the vaccines, parents can
turn in the information to the
school or child care.
If parents want a non-
medical exemption, they can
complete the new process
and turn in two forms —
Certificate of Immunization
Status and a Vaccine Educa-
tion Certificate.
For a medical exemp-
tion, parents should get a
letter from the child’s pri-
mary care provider with the
information stated on the
Certificate of Immunization
Status form. Turn the letter
in to the school or child care
facility. Medical exemptions
are reviewed and approved
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF F EB . 10-16
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Mostly
sunny
Partly
sunny
Slight chance
of rain
Slight chance
of rain
Chance
of rain
Slight chance
of rain
Cloudy
and cooler
54
51
55
50
50
53
53
30
34
38
30
33
30
22
Ski Report: Anthony Lakes: Base 66 inches; no new snow.