A2
Joyce Dowdy
O BITUARIES
farmers could take vacations. She drove the bus to pick up bean
and berry pickers in the summer months and was also the boss of
the fields. She also worked some paper routes for the Eugene
Register Guard Newspaper. Ronald and Joyce lived in Creswell
for 46 years, selling the family farm in 2006 and bought a ranch in
Grant County to be near their kids, grandchildren and great-
grandchildren.
Joyce loved her family. She loved to watch the kids in their
sports, dance and their programs. She taught her whole family
what unconditional love looks and feels like. Joyce had an
awesome sense of humor and loved to tell jokes and make people
laugh.
Joyce is survived by her Husband of 60 years, Ronald; their three
children, LLoydene and her husband Bill, Lewis and his wife
Lynette & Lenny and his wife Sherri, Grandchildren; Simmie
(Wade), Shanna (Chris), Toby (Meredith), Lyssa (Wayne), Lloyd
(Ashlee), Lexie (Bryce), Maycee, Stephanie (Tye), Sylvia (Blain),
Randy (Caitlin), Great-Grandchildren; Trinity, Riddick, Tate,
Jerett, Addy, Emma, Clive, Hunter, Saber, Halle, Taylor, Owen,
Tenley, Cooper, Jordan, Riggin, Keranee, Axtyn, Apryl, Trystan,
Nataley, Ely & Sophia. Joyce has three angel great grand babies,
Payton, Kadyn and Ashyr. Nanny Joyce was very excited to have
two more great-grandchildren due this year.
She was preceded in death by her parents and 3 brothers.
To light a candle for Joyce or leave a condolence for the family,
please visit: www.driskillmemorialchapel.com
Paid for by the family of Joyce Dowdy
Myrtha Fields
Myrtha Fields, 96, died peacefully Saturday, May
20th at Blue Mountain Care Center. She was born
January 22, 1921 to Jacob Lemar and Merdith Edna
Kent Westenskow at their home in Imbler, Oregon.
She was one of eleven children.
Life during the depression era was difficult for
everyone. Her older sister Rowaine died at the age of
6. Her mother became ill after her 6thchild was born.
Her father remarried and his second wife died. He
again remarried and they had 5 children. Because her
family lived on a farm they did not go without
something to eat. She remembers men coming by the
farm looking for work or some food and her father
always finding something for them. She was kept
busy working at home, babysitting, and tending
animals. One of the things she enjoyed doing was
playing outside and watching critters. Once she
watched a mouse family at play and said that it was
like watching any family take care of their home and
children.
Myrtha graduated from Imbler High School and
attended BYU for a year. She thought it would be
great to get away and not be babysitting all the time,
but she got homesick and returned to Imbler. It seems
she missed all of the younger ones she had been
caring for. She graduated from Eastern Oregon
Normal School, which is now known as Eastern
Oregon University. She taught school in Portland for a
year. It seems that there were several young men that
were vying for her attention, but she was informed by
Vern Fields that he was the one she was going to
marry. They were married in her family home in
Imbler by her uncle. They made their home in several
towns as Vern had various jobs and finally they
settled in John Day. They had three children,
Meredith, Bill and Stuart. After her older children
were in school, she resumed her teaching career. She
taught third, fourth, and fifth grades. Her favorite
position was teaching the fifth grade.
Myrtha had many different hobbies. She liked
bowling, fishing, and shooting trap. But most of all
she loved to work in her flowers. She especially liked
roses and iris. When asked what flowers she liked best
she always said she liked them all.
Myrtha was never one to be left behind in any
adventure. There was no way she was going to be left
behind if Vern planned to head out on one. She was a
very caring person and will be missed by her family,
friends and all the young people whose lives she
touched.
Myrtha is survived by her daughter Meredith and son-
in-law Roger Ediger of Mt. Vernon, son Bill and
daughter- in-law Gayle Fields of Canyon City; eight
grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Vern, her
son Stuart, her sisters Rowaine, Betty and Winona,
and brothers Donald and Pete.
Memorial contributions in memory of Myrtha may be
made to Blue Mountain Care Center’s Residence
Fund, Valley View’s Residence Fund, Grant County
Library Foundation or a charity of one’s choice.
Services for Myrtha are scheduled for 2 pm Saturday,
May 27th, at Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S Canyon
Blvd., John Day, OR.
Paid for by the family of Myrtha Fields
Eulala Herbert
Nov. 14, 1911 - May 18, 2017
Eulala Herbert, 105, of John Day
passed away Thursday, May 18, at
Chesley’s Elderberry House in John
Day. A funeral service was held May
23 at the John Day United Methodist
Church. A vault interment service fol-
lowed at the Canyon City Cemetery.
On Nov.14, 1911, Herbert was born
to William O. and Gertrude (Hall)
Cummings. She attended grade school
at Cummingville School, and graduated from Mt. Vernon High
School in 1931. She married Dale Conlee in 1930 and had two
sons with him, Alva and Dee. After Dale’s passing in 1947, she
married Ed Herbert, who passed away in 1982.
She worked for many years at the Grant County Courthouse
for the county clerk’s offi ce, the sheriff’s offi ce and the county
extension agent. Herbert retired in 1973.
She enjoyed crafts, especially knitting, crocheting and
working on puzzles. She was a member of the John Day United
Methodist Church and regularly frequented the John Day Se-
nior Center.
Herbert is preceded in death by her fi rst husband, Dale Con-
lee; her second husband, Ed Herbert; her son Dee; her sister
Eva; two brothers, Larry and Otis; and daughter-in-law Helen.
She is survived by her son Alva and his wife, Margite; her
brother, Robert; three grandchildren and fi ve great-grandchil-
dren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the John Day United
Methodist Church or John Day Senior Center through Driskill
Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
To leave a condolence, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Dorrance Dale ‘Smokey’ Wilborn
Aug. 3, 1925 - May 2, 2017
Dorrance Dale “Smokey” Wilborn, 91, of Prairie City
passed away Tuesday, May 2, at Blue Mountain Hospital in
John Day.
Wilborn was born on Aug. 3, 1925, to Trigg and Wilhelmi-
na (Boyler) Wilborn. After high school, Wilborn joined the
U.S. Navy and served four years as an aviation electrician’s
mate second class. He married Vera “Tommie” Thelma Ebert
(Hamilton) in Nampa, Idaho, in 1975.
Wilborn is survived by his stepsons, Sam Wilson of Cald-
well, Idaho, Warren Wilson of John Day, Dale McCormick of
Seneca and Dennis McCormick of Seneca.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Tommie Wilborn.
To leave a condolence, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Kathleen Agnes Blue
Kathleen Agnes Blue, 74, of Emmett, formerly of John Day
and Marsing, Idaho, passed away Saturday, May 20, at home.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 24, at the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Emmett. Viewing
will be available the hour prior to services. Services are in the
care of the Potter Funeral Chapel of Emmett. To leave a condo-
lence, visit potterchapel.com.
Obituary for
Daniel (Buzz)
Walter Harris
05674
Buzz Harris went to be with the Lord on
April 2, 2017, at the age of 87 after a
short illness in Caldwell, Idaho. A
memorial service will be held on
Monday, May 29, 2017, at 1:00 pm at
Prairie Baptist Church in Prairie City,
Oregon with a graveside committal
following the church service at the Prairie City Cemetery. A reception will
be held after the conclusion of the service at the Prairie City Senior Center
in Prairie City, Oregon. Services are open to the public.
Buzz Harris was born to Clarence and Hattie Harris on November 24, 1929,
in Prairie City, Oregon. He was born on the property where he lived most
of his life, except nine months that he lived in New Mexico. He was the 8th
of 10 children, and he and his brothers helped build the house where he
lived. Buzz attended the Prairie City Schools and graduated in 1949.
Like many of the time, he got his first job away from home when he was ten
years old and earned ten cents per day plus an egg sandwich and a quart of
milk. Additionally, he helped his Dad and brothers in the family mechanics
shop and learned many skills. Buzz was involved in almost all aspects of
the lumber industry from the time of his high school graduation. He built
roads, skidded logs, worked in the mill, hauled lumber, moved heavy
equipment, but most of his time was spent hauling logs. Because of his
diverse work background and skills, one of his bosses at Edward Hines
Lumber Company told Buzz that they did not have a man at the company
who could replace him for all of the different jobs he could do. He retired
from logging in 1994 and then spent the next 14 years working for Wish
Poultry and Mark Wishard in Prairie City.
Buzz married Marjorie M. Sager on June 27, 1959, at the Boise Valley
Church of the Brethren in Nampa, Idaho. Marjorie passed away November
2, 2011, after over 52 years of marriage.
Buzz loved fishing, hunting, gardening, traveling, and spending time with
family and friends. Buzz was a member of Prairie Baptist Church. Buzz
and Marjorie enjoyed their many years helping with the Prairie City Senior
Center, and Buzz was the vice-president of their council in recent years.
Buzz is survived by two sons, Thomas Harris of Boise, Idaho, Jerry Harris
of Caldwell, Idaho, Jerry’s wife, Camille Harris of Caldwell, Idaho, six
grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
Buzz was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Hattie Harris, four
brothers, Thomas, Robert, Frank, and James Harris. Also, five sisters, Jessie
Randolph, Allice Kight, Janette Deardorff, Clarice (Mickey) Plantz, and
Virginia (Ann) Cemelich and four brother-in-laws.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Prairie City Senior Center in
honor of Buzz through Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241 S Canyon Blvd,
Prairie City, OR 97820.
To light a candle in memory of Buzz, please visit:
www.driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Kathren Lois Ritchey Williams
June 7, 1939 – May 16, 2017
Kathy Williams was born
on June 7, 1939 in
Alturas, California to R.J.
Ritchey and Kathleen
Roberts. She died at 77
years of age on May 16, 2017 after a short battle with
cancer, with her family by her side. Our Mom and sister
attended school in Ft Bidwell and Cedarville, California
and Medford, Oregon.
In 1958, in Reno, Nevada, Mom married our Dad, Wally
Williams, and from that union Tami was born in 1959
and Gina in 1961. In 1963, Mom and Dad moved to John
Day, Oregon where Mom started working for Dr.
Bennett. In 1967, Mom and Dad purchased Driskill
Memorial Chapel after the death of Carl Driskill.
Shortly after the purchase of the funeral home, Mom
started working with Dad. That was the beginning of
Mom’s life-long passion of helping people, eventually
leading to her becoming a licensed Funeral Director.
For many years she, and seven other life-long friends,
calling themselves “The Bridge Club”, made annual
trips to Reno, in Jean Sproul’s motor home, for gambling
and shopping. In 1980, she moved to Bend, Oregon
where she started working for Paul Reynolds at
Niswonger Reynolds Funeral Home. In 1986 Mom
moved to Redmond, Oregon to manage Redmond
Memorial Chapel.
Mom was very active in the Redmond community for
many years. She was passionate about her involvement
with the Hospice of Redmond for 30 years and she was
on the board of Directors for 21 years. Mom looked
forward to the Hospice Festival of Trees where she
directed tree traffic, telling everyone where to set up their
trees. She took great pride in bidding up the price of the
trees into the thousands of dollars, all for the benefit of
Hospice of Redmond. Mom
enjoyed working at Lords Acre
day sale at Powell Butte, selling
pies. Mom was active
in the Community Presbyterian
Church where she served as
an elder.
Mom was on the Redmond City Council from 1998 to1999, and
on the Budget Committee for the City from 1999 to present.
Under Mom’s leadership, the columbarium at Redmond
Memorial Cemetery went from a dream to a reality.
Mom loved to play bridge, especially with the “boys”, and going
on trips and cruises with the International Order of the Golden
Rule. She enjoyed many travels with her friend Ardyce Swift.
Her great passion was doing cross stitch, and she always said
she couldn’t live long enough to complete all the patterns she
had collected.
Mom was preceded in death by her parents and step mother
Iris.
Kathy is survived by her daughters Tami (Keith) and Gina
(Fred), granddaughter Ashley and great grandson Jayden,
brothers Kenneth (Joan), Karol, Robert (Sandra) and sister
Susan (Mike).
The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at St.
Charles Hospital Cancer Center for their care and Paul
Reynolds for guidance and support.
Kathy will be missed by all of her many, many friends with
whom she shared her life.
A memorial service was held at the Community Presbyterian
Church in Redmond, on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 11:00.
Donations in her memory may be sent to Hospice of Redmond
for the Transitions Program, the Community Presbyterian
Church and St. Thomas Catholic Church.
Paid for by the family of Kathy Williams
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Wednesday, May 24, 2017
05675
Joyce Dowdy, 78, of Mount Vernon,
Oregon passed away in her sleep, early
on the morning of Sunday, May 7,
2017, at Blue Mt. Care Center in Prairie
City, Oregon. A “Memories of Joyce”
potluck is scheduled for June 24th, 2017
at 11:00 AM to be held at the Grant
County Senior Center in John Day,
Oregon. A Celebration of Life for
Joyce will also be held at the Marcola Christian Church in
Marcola, Oregon at 11:00 AM on July 8th, 2017.
Joyce was born on March 21, 1939, to John and Helen Reynolds in
Eugene, Oregon. She was the only girl and had 3 brothers, John,
Bob, and Terry. Joyce attended school in a one room schoolhouse
on Old Marcola Road, and then went to Springfield High School,
in Springfield, Oregon. She married her high school sweetheart,
Ronald Dowd, on August 31, 1956. Ronald was 6 years old when
he told his Mother he was going to marry Joyce. Joyce finished
her senior year at Marcola High School, graduating in 1957.
Joyce and Ronald went on to have three children; Lloydene,
Lewis, and Lenny. She was a school mom for all of her kids.
Joyce spent most of her life on a farm or ranch and was a very hard
working lady. She did many different jobs and raised many farm
animals. She had a sixth sense when it came to her animals. The
family showed their animals at the Lane County Fair and Joyce
even delivered pigs at the fair for many years. The Dowdy’s
raised cattle and registered pigs, and Cotswold sheep. Joyce also
worked at most of the local dairies, milking cows, so the dairy
Blue Mountain Eagle
Paid for by the family of Buzz Harris
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