A2
Family
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
O BITUARIES
Steven W. Gentis
March 31, 1941 - Nov. 22, 2017
Steve Gentis, 76, of Tigard passed away Nov. 22 at his
home. He was born March 31, 1941, in John Day. He attended
John Day Grade School and graduated from Grant Union High
School in 1959.
Between his junior and senior year of high school, he was
seriously injured in a car crash and was confined to a wheel-
chair the rest of his life. This did not stop him. He attended and
graduated from college with a degree in electronics. He worked
in the computer and electronics field until his health began to
deteriorate, forcing him to retire.
He taught computer and electronics classes in foreign coun-
tries and accomplished amazing feats during his career.
He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Terry Gen-
tis; stepfather, Melvin Kite; and nephew, Mike Gentis.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy Gentis, of Tigard; moth-
er, Thelma Kite, of Prairie City; brother Walt Gentis and wife,
Donna, of Canyon City; nephew John Gentis of Athena; four
great-nephews; and one great-niece.
Gentis’ hobbies included building antique clocks, wood-
working, computers and electronics. He will be greatly missed
by his family and friends. A celebration of life will be an-
nounced at a later date.
Charles G. ‘Chuck’ Christiansen
March 13, 1932 - Nov. 14, 2017
Charles G. “Chuck” Christiansen, 85, of John
lived since. He was a former member of the Li-
ons Club and a member of the Elks Lodge, and for
Day, a former longtime Hermiston resident, died
many years, he was part of the early morning cof-
Nov. 14 in Prairie City.
fee crew in John Day.
Christiansen was born on March 13, 1932, in
Christiansen’s greatest joy was his family. He
Alta, Iowa, to parents, Carl William and Johana
was always there with guidance, advice, wisdom,
(Joan) Alberta Hobbs Christiansen. He was raised
support and love. He enjoyed attending all of the
and attended school in Alta, where he participated in
sporting events and activities that his children and
football and basketball.
grandchildren participated in over the years and
He moved to Reno, Nevada, in 1950 and lat-
er enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in
playing pinochle. He was deeply loved and will be
greatly missed.
Kingsville, Texas, and trained to be a fireman. While
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Betty
stationed in Texas, he met Betty L. Smith, and they
Christiansen, John Day; son David Christiansen (Kari), Herm-
were united in marriage on Oct. 17, 1953, in Kingsville.
Christiansen was honorably discharged and returned to iston; daughters Joni Bebb, John Day, and Debbie Christiansen,
Reno, where they lived until 1970, moving to Irrigon and work- Hermiston; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; brother
ing as a fireman at the Umatilla Army Depot until 1979. He Daniel Christiansen, Redmond; and several nieces and neph-
worked at Sherrell Chevrolet in Hermiston on his days off for ews.
A celebration of life service will be announced and held at
several years before moving to Hermiston in 1975 and making
a full-time change to work at Sherrell’s in 1979. He worked a later date.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in charge of arrangements.
at Sherrell’s for 20 years and then for Myrick Chrysler/Dodge
People may sign the online condolence book at burnsmortuary-
until he retired in 1994.
The couple moved to John Day in 1997 where they have hermiston.com.
I
would like to extend my deep appreciation to everyone who
offered support, kindness and sympathy following Butch
Goslin’s recent passing. Thank you as well to all the
businesses and individuals who offered support through
Butch’s benefit in April, by providing donations or
volunteering your time. I’d like to send my gratitude as well as
my condolences to Wanda and Shannon Voigt, Levi Voigt and
Jim and Loreli Clapp for being such incredibly supportive
people, to myself as well as to Butch. Thank you also to Kevin
Dahlen, who did a beautiful job affiliating the Celebration of
Life. Many thanks to the hospice staff for the compassion they
gave, and Jackie and Chris from Driskill Memorial Chapel, as
well as my personal staff at Mountain View Mini Mart for
working together to create a smooth operation during a rough
time. Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank
Butch’s daughter, Lacy Goslin, and her mom, Kim, for being
angels here on earth simply by helping, honoring and
supporting me as we now travel through this journey in life
side by side, hand in hand and truly heart to heart. Our loss is
immeasurable, but so is the love he left behind.
Sincerely
Chelsey McDaniel
28438
Robert ‘Bob’ Dale Thompson
April 10, 1948 - Nov. 7, 2017
Robert “Bob” Dale Thompson,
69, died Nov. 7 in Harrisburg with
his wife and loving family at his
side.
Thompson was born April 10,
1948, in Portland, to Luther Thomp-
son of Bates and Edna Thompson
of Echo. Around age 3, the family
moved to Monroe. Thompson at-
tended school in Monroe until he
decided to join the U.S. Navy during
his senior year. He served in the Navy from 1966
to 1969. While in the Navy, he received his GED.
He was very proud of that and for serving his
country.
He left the Navy in April 1969, and soon after
he met his future wife, Helen (Kelso). The couple
were married July 18, 1969.
They made their home in Harrisburg, where
they raised their family. He worked at Ameri-
canCan Paper Mill in Halsey from 1974 to 2007.
After retiring, the couple started RVing and loved
to travel, visiting family and friends and fishing
— Thompson loved to fish.
Thompson is survived by his
loving wife, Helen, of 48 1/2 years;
daughter Delisa Magelky and hus-
band, Martin; son Rob Thompson
and wife, Christa; sisters Sharon
Wilson of Cottage Grove and Car-
olyn Ballard of Monroe; brothers
Tom Thompson and wife, Barbara,
of Monroe and Ron Thompson and
wife, Vicki, of Alpine; cousins Wan-
da Madsen and Marlene Woodley
of Prairie City and Judd Olp of Harrisbug; five
grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; numer-
ous nephews and nieces; and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his brothers-in-
law Buck Putney of Bellfountain and Lynn Wil-
son of Cottage Grove.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sat-
urday, Dec. 9, at the new gym building beside
Monroe High School; a lunch will follow. Dona-
tions can be made to the Bellfountain Communi-
ty Church, Bellfountain, Oregon. Arrangements
by Murphy-Musgrove Funeral Home. People
may sign the guestbook at musgroves.com.
C ORRECTION
The Blue Mountain Eagle
incorrectly reported on Nov.
29 that the Grant County Court
Susan M. Horn, November 1960 – 2017
unanimously approved an
ordinance ratifying the creation
of the Grant County Digital
Network Coalition. The court
held a hearing on the ordinance
on Nov. 22 but did not vote on
the ordinance. The ordinance
will come back for a second
hearing tentatively on Dec. 13,
but otherwise on Dec. 27. The
court will vote on the ordinance
after the second hearing.
Susan M. Horn, 57, passed away at home on November 2g after a courageous battle
with Glioblastoma. Sue beat many odds and outlived her prognosis for years beyond
expectation. She was a true fighter and loved life…and it loved her right back.
Sue was born on November 1, 1960 in John Day to parents George and Bonnie Harper.
She joined older siblings Mary, Lola, Lala, Loren (Toink) and John. Together they grew
up along Harper Creek and spent many years without electricity or running water (except
for a pitcher pump). The kids spent their youth playing outside, reading, playing cards
and games like Rummy and Spin the Bottle, shooting squirrels, and learning many songs
through “Name That Tune” with dad on the banjo. One time Sue even got her hair parted
with a rogue arrow shot by her brother John!
After graduating high school in 197g, Sue did some traveling (Alaska, Germany) and
eventually ended up in Elgin in 19g3 where she worked at the lumber mill. Steve Horn
was working there, too, and it was only a matter of time before the two were smitten.
Grant County
Wrestling Club
Sue invited Steve to her house one time and had renovated a lot of it on her own. Steve was hugely impressed by this and
remembers the smell of cinnamon cans sitting on her oil stove. Sue was an incredibly hard worker and was even offered a
foreman job at the mill after only a short time. True to her integrity, she turned the job down because she felt she wasn’t as
qualified as other, longer-tenure employees.
Steve and Sue were married in 19g4, and Steve will tell you this was the best decision he ever made. They raised a
wonderful mix of kids – Stephanie, Tara, Heath, Sterling, Laramie and Nikki. They lived in Elgin, Summerville and Netarts
before settling for good in Mt. Vernon.
Sue held many jobs throughout her life, from firefighting and engineering to office management and even owning a store
in Mt. Vernon. She embraced a variety of titles but would say the true champion of her accomplishments in the working
world was obtaining the official title of Road Master of Grant County. Sue’s ability to motivate others and lead by example
inspired everyone around her to strive for better, whether it be in their personal or professional lives. Her work ethic and
overall good-natured, butt-kicking attitude made her a respected and treasured teammate in every organization she was
part of. Sue’s devotion to Mt. Vernon is easily remembered and marked by her time spent on city council and as town
Mayor, and by her selfless service and dedication to the beautification of and improvements to the community.
Aside from family, Steve and Sue’s houses on Cottonwood Street were her pride and joy. She was the absolute best at
making any place feel like home. She loved all things antique and vintage farmhouse like old wash basins, cast iron,
repurposing, quilting and sewing, and canning. She was a talented cook, cake baker, artist, builder, designer and decorator,
and never feared trying new things or taking on big challenges. Sue spent hundreds of loving hours tending to her
vegetable and flower gardens and was a certified Master Gardener and Food Preserver. Spending time camping with
friends and family on Tex Creek or Murderer’s Creek topped the list of her favorite things, right up there with sitting on
the porch with a cold drink, watching the world go by or visiting with company.
Sue kept life organized for so many in the Horn/Harper/Thissell/Weaver family. She was the glue that held everything
together and her spirit and affection for togetherness will be deeply missed. Her door was always open and she was
genuinely the most giving person – giving of her time, thoughts, hugs, smiles, and conversation. She was the first to
volunteer wherever she was needed, was full of joy and was quite the comedian – she was never afraid to make a fool of
herself and was one heck of a covered wagon racer! Sue especially loved to dance: “Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we’re here, we should dance.”
Sue is survived by her husband of 33 years, Steve; children Stephanie (Ty), Tara (Jeff), Heath, Sterling (Emily), Laramie
and Niki; sisters Mary (Dennis) and Lala (Artie); brothers Toink (Jaunita) and John (Doris); grandchildren Carsen,
Camryn, Cooper, Trevyn, Averie, Kaden, and Kallin; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was
preceded in death by her parents and sister Lola.
At Sue’s request, a lively and joyful Celebration of Life was held to honor her memory: Saturday, December 2, at 2:00
p.m. at the Mt. Vernon Community Hall. A potluck and time of fellowship immediately followed. Contributions in Sue’s
memory may be made to the Mt. Vernon Community Hall for improvements to or maintenance of the facility, in care of
Tammy’s Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97g34.
Come watch as Grant County’s own youth compete!
Spectators: $2
Family: $5 cap
OR Wrestling Assoc. for Youth
Saturday, December 9
at Grant Union High School
Volunteers Needed!
Contact:
Cindy Dougharity-Spencer
at 541-575-1799, ext. 32
or by email at dougharityc@grantesd.org
Take advantage of our low
prices on winter car care
essentials and accessories
“Home Security
Camera
Wooden Bluetooth
Speaker
721 W Main St., John Day
541-575-1850
Open Mon-Fri 7am-6pm
Sat 8am-5pm, close Sun
Paid for by the family of Sue Horn
28693
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S ATURDAY ...................................................................... 43/32
S UNDAY ......................................................................... 37/32
M ONDAY ........................................................................ 38/25
24/7 F ORECAST
A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122
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Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. with ages 8 & under.
Ages 9-14 begin at 12:30 p.m.