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Blue Mountain Eagle
O BITUARIES
Thomas Hunt
Thomas Hunt, 81, of Pendleton passed away on Dec. 31,
2016, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Pendleton. Arrangements are
with Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. To leave a condolence
visit grayswest.com.
Raymond Russell Lissman
Feb. 1, 1927 - Jan. 4, 2017
Raymond Russell Lissman, 89, of
Vale passed away peacefully at his
home on Jan. 4.
Lissman was born Feb. 1, 1927, in
Nelson, Nebraska, to Henry and Del-
la (Webb) Lissman. He graduated high
school in Pavillion, Wyoming, then the
family moved to the family farm on
Gem Avenue in Ontario and Nyssa.
Lissman was drafted into the Army
during World War II. After his return
from the service, he married Nila Nadine Hines and from that
union had six children.
He worked for Edward Hines Lumber Company out of Sen-
eca over the next 30 years. After retirement, he started working
again with what he truly loved, ranching and farming.
He is survived by his daughters Nila of Ontario, Carolyn and
Bill of Fossil, Darlene of Burns and Sylvia and Jerry of Vale;
his son Dan of Ontario; daughter-in-law Carol of Rocklin, Cal-
ifornia; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Lissman was preceded in death by wife, Nila Nadine Liss-
man; two sisters; son Kris; and son-in-law Jerry.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 14 at Valley View Ceme-
tery in Vale. There will be a gathering afterward at the American
Legion Hall. Condolences to the family and donations to the
Grant Union High School FFA program in John Day can be
made through Sylvia Wilcox, 4587 N. Road E, Vale, OR 97918.
Elton D. Nesselrodt
Elton D. Nesselrodt of Boise, Idaho, passed away Dec. 22,
2016. He is survived by his mother, Valores Hall of Long Creek.
No services are planned at this time.
Leonard Osborne
Leonard Osborne, 74, of Fox passed away Wednesday,
Jan. 4, at his home. Per his request, no public services will be
held. Memorial contributions may be made to Blue Mountain
Hospice or the Hamilton Cemetery through Driskill Memorial
Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Classic winter travel
Snowmobile
racers compete
in Seneca
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Racers and spectators
braved frigid temperatures
and a blizzard to take part in
the Seneca Winter Classic, a
weekend-long event hosted
by the Grant County Snow-
ballers.
Twenty-one snowmobil-
ers competed in drag races on
Saturday, and nine competed
in oval races on Sunday. Rac-
ers entered classes dictated
by engine size and modifi ca-
tions to the snowmobiles.
Jay Carniglia has helped
host the event for the last
three years and enjoys watch-
ing the racers, especially the
outlaw class in which heav-
ily modifi ed sleds race. This
year he offi ciated the fi nish
line, where sleds would reg-
ularly hurtle by him at high
speeds.
“The big sleds, when they
come up, you’ll know when
they go by. They’re doing at
least 90. And the outlaw class
will do 100. Last year, I saw
one do 106,” Carniglia said.
To ensure a smooth
course and help prevent ac-
cidents, two snow cats were
used to groom the racetrack.
Both cats are owned by the
Snowballers and help groom
and maintain more than 860
miles of trails for all levels of
riders in Eastern Oregon.
“We did the best we could,
and the weather didn’t help
us, or we would have had
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
One snowmobiler beats another to the finish line during a drag race as part
of the Seneca Winter Classic Saturday, Jan. 7.
just go out in the snow, play
and have fun,” Holly said.
Drag race results
440 Fan
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Second: Nolan Merritt, Bend
600 Stock
First: Damon Rand, Canyon City
Second: John Gardner, Boring
800 Stock
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Second: Dave Hanibal, John Day
800 Improved
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Second: Justen Henderson, John Day
800 Turbo
First: Mike Merritt, Bend
Second: Usaud Branstetter, Boise
Outlaw
First: Ryan Merritt, Bend
Second: James Hill, Gresham
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Two snowmobilers pull away from the starting
line during a drag race outside of Seneca.
more spectators and more
racers,” Snowballer Presi-
dent Tim Holly said.
Holly has been the presi-
dent of the Snowballers since
April and an avid snowmo-
biler for years.
He said he would like to
host a few poker runs and fun
rides in the coming months
but will have to wait until the
weather settles down.
“Other than that, we don’t
really have anything else
planned right now other than
Oval Race Results
440 FA
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
440 Fan
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Second: Terry Martin
Masters
First: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Second: Mark Young
Third: Terry Martin
Open Mod
First: Gary Maudil, Walla Walla
Second: Jim Sproul, Canyon City
Third: Bill Sproul, John Day
E AGLE ON V ACATION
Eagle Editor Sean Hart took the Eagle on vacation
to the Rose Bowl game Jan. 2 in Pasadena,
California.
Take a photo with the Eagle, print or mobile editions, while
on vacation and send it to editor@bmeagle.com.
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 submit-
ted 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.
Monday - Thursday
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Friday 8am - 5pm
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2830 10th St.
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Every other Monday
in John Day
170 Ford Rd.
541-575-1311
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