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Blue Mountain Eagle
O BITUARIES
Jay Danny Nance
July 11, 1960 - July 27, 2016
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Elliott receives fi re district award
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Jay Nance died unexpectedly at
his home in Boise, Idaho, July 27. He
was born and raised in Prairie City
and graduated from PCHS in 1979.
He worked on the family ranch until
allergies and injuries prompted him
to move to Ontario, where he owned
and managed a motel. In 1999, he
moved to Boise, where he continued
to work throughout Idaho correcting
problems at motels.
He was an enthusiastic outdoorsman. In the summer
of 1976, he crewed on the salmon troller ILHAVO. He
greatly enjoyed a hunting trip to Alaska in 1988. Nance
recognized and frequently mentioned the need to restore
and give back to the land we use. He was an avid collec-
tor of rare cartridges with an encyclopedic knowledge of
classic hunting firearms. He collected and loved the art of
Thomas Kincaid. He learned great details of any subject
that interested him. Woodworking was a special interest
he excelled at. He loved animals and was especially good
at training and using dogs.
Nance was a kind, loving, honest man. He had deep,
long-lasting friendships. He will be sorely missed and for-
ever loved.
He is survived by his parents, Bonnie Nance of Prai-
rie City and Ralph Nance of La Grande; brother, Ivan of
Juneau, Alaska; and half-sister, Leslie of Richland, Wash-
ington. He was predeceased by niece Madeline Nance.
A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Monday,
Aug. 15, at the Prairie City cemetery.
Bill Wilcox presented an
Outstanding Service Award
to Dean Elliott for more than
40 years of service to the John
Day Rural Fire Protection
District.
Wilcox, who is board
chairman of the fi re district,
and board members Mary
Walker, Dale Stennett, Todd
McKinley and Eric Julsrud
met Elliott and his wife, Betty,
at their Prairie City home on
Saturday surprising him with
the award.
The plaque states, in part:
“... his vision and effort to-
ward a new fi re station in John
Day has been realized in no
small part by his unrelenting
pursuit, while serving on the
Board of Directors.”
Elliott was the board chair-
man for many years.
“All my life, one of the
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Dean Elliott received
this plaque for
outstanding service
to the John Day Rural
Fire Board on Saturday,
accepting the award at
his Prairie City home.
things I wanted to have get
done before I died was to
see that fire station built,” he
said. “We have a beautiful,
functional fire station that
we needed desperately for
years.
“The community can be
really proud of the efforts that
everyone has done — all you
guys can be proud of all that
you have done.”
Oregon author pens
novel set in state’s
central mountains
Betty Irene Palmer
Betty Irene Palmer, 80, of John Day passed away Monday,
Aug. 8, at the Serenity Adult Foster Care home in Canyon City.
Services are pending. Arrangements are under the care of
Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR
97845.
To leave a a condolence, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Blue Mountain Eagle
About Obituaries
News obituaries are a free service of the Blue Mountain Eagle. The paper
accepts obituaries from the family or funeral home. Information submitted is
subject to editing. Obituaries submitted to the Eagle with incorrect information
may be corrected and republished as paid notices. Send obituaries by e-mail,
cheryl@bmeagle.com; fax, 541-575-1244; or mail, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John
Day, OR 97845. For more information, or to inquire about a paid memorial, call
541-575-0710.
Drexel talent show in
Vale set for Thursday
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Drexel H. Founda-
tion’s free annual talent show
is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug.
11, at the Rex Theater in
Vale. The only requirements
are family-appropriate acts,
pre-registration (signed by
guardian) and mandatory at-
tendance at the dress rehears-
al at 6:15 p.m. Aug. 10. The
show is split into four age
categories: children, 4-11;
middle school, 12-14; young
adults, 15-19; and adults, 20
or older. The fi rst-place win-
ner in each category wins
$100 and prizes. Each contes-
tant goes home a winner, with
a grocery sack full of prizes
and gift certifi cates.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Dean Elliott, center, received an Outstanding
Service Award Saturday for his years of work with
the John Day Rural Fire Board. Surrounding Elliott
at his Prairie City home are Mary Walker, board
chairman Bill Wilcox, Dale Stennett, Todd McKinley
and Eric Julsrud of the John Day Rural Fire Board.
Contributed image
Oregon author Jim Stewart released his first novel
set in the mountains of central Oregon in January.
- I n loving m em ory of Larry D aniel (B oonie) M artin -
Paid for by family of Larry Martin and Mary Bennett.
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Jim Stewart
Ochoco Reach betrays
the author’s obvious affec-
tion for the forested moun-
tains and high prairies of
central Oregon as well as
the people who live there.
The second installment of
the series is already under-
way, and the third is taking
shape in Jim’s imagination.
All that practice is paying
off.
A professional writer for
more than 25 years, Stew-
art has published dozens
of stories and essays, tech-
nical manuals and poetry.
He lives in Portland, Ore-
gon with his wife, Laura.
Ochoco Reach was released
in January and is available
in paperback and on Kindle
from Amazon.
$
Larry (Boonie) Martin, 73, of John Day, passed away July 28 at Blue Mountain
Hospital. A memorial service was held on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Canyon City Cemetary
at 1:00 p.m. with Pastor Michael Harvey officiating. Thank you Pastor Mike, job well done.
Larry Daniel (Boonie) Martin was born on Feb. 28, 1943 in Prairie City, to Harold
Martin and Verna (Jones) Martin. He attended Dayville School and spent two years at Grant
Union.
Larry was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at age 6, but that never slowed him
down. When he was a young boy, a neighbor custom built his first “chair,” which was such a
wonderful gift and helped Larry become independent. Then in his early 20’s, Grant County had
a fundraiser to help Larry get his first real wheelchair. Grant County loves its people.
Thank you.
Larry loved people, and made friends with everyone he met. His smile and personality drew
everyone to him. He left an emptiness that can’t be filled here in Grant County or in his friends an d family’s hearts. Larry
loved trucks of any kind, but since this is a logging community, he especially loved log trucks. Les Schwab was his
second home. He spent a lot of time there and every person who worked there made him comfortable and welcome. Les
Schwab people are awesome!
Larry also loved old cars and went to the car shows in Prairie City and at the Elks Lodge here in Jo hn Day. He
collected die cast cars and had a big collection. He and I talked about how he and I wanted to give his cars to family
members if anything happened to him, so we had a lot of memories and laughs as they picked the ones they wanted.
Several of them said they felt guilty for touching them because as little kids, there were told they could look but not
touch. His CB handle was “Roll Away” because of the fact that he spent most of his entire life in a wheelchair.
Larry, your friends, family and I will miss your bright smile, love, compassion and warmth when you were
around. I miss my calls day and night and most of all, I miss you. In my heart, memories and thought s you live forever.
Love, Mary!
Larry is survived by his sister, Nancy Martin and her partner Dave Hight, companion of 29 years; Mar y Bennett
and her family, Fawn, Josh and Carson; nieces, Marla Mattz, Pattie (Mike) Luttrell, Julie (Vic) Solu s and Judy (Will)
George; nephews Jim (Debbie) Burril and Jeff Downing; many, many great and great-great nieces and ne phews; his aunt
Jean Jones and her sons Curt (Kath) Jones and Johnny (Becky) Jones and too many friends to count.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Harold (Happy) Martin and Verna (The Classy Lady) Martin; hi s uncle
Hilmer Jones; his cousin, Hilmer Martin; many more aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
“Roll Away” is no longer stuck in a wheelchair but a bright shining star in the sky. If y ou look
real close, he has a smile for you. Bye now!
Arrangements are under the care of Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241 S Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845.
Oregon author Jim Stew-
art spent decades building
experience in writing jobs
before his first novel was
picked up by Word Hermit
Press.
“I think all aspiring writ-
ers cherish the tales of au-
thors who burst into fame
from obscurity, like JK
Rowling,” he said. “But a
more common story is one
of a long, slow journey.”
In Stewart’s debut novel,
Ochoco Reach, the action
follows a Portland-based
private eye from the mo-
ment he is approached by
a lovely new client. She
asks him to get to the bot-
tom of suspicious happen-
ings on her cattle ranch not
far from Prineville, in the
Ochoco Mountains, where
the smells of juniper and
sage wrap the characters in
place.
The case is intriguing,
and the client even more
so. Six days in, the case has
turned up three dead bodies
and an alphabet soup of se-
cretive federal investigators.
The private eye is thinking
the client just might be the
one. When she is kidnapped
by a corrupt DEA agent, the
story heats up.
B UILDING Y OUR B UDGET
�
Sponsored by
C OMMUNITY C ONNECTION
of Northeast Oregon, Inc.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
D EPARTMENT OF H UMAN S ERVICES
725 W. Main St.
John Day, OR 97845
RSVP by August 16, 2016
D EBBIE V OTAW , H OUSING M ANAGER OF
C OMMUNITY C ONNECTION
1-800-838-3186
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