A2
Family
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
O BITUARIES
William Donaldson ‘Bill’ Palmer
Dec. 11, 1920 - Jan. 1, 2018
William Donaldson “Bill” Palmer,
97, passed away Jan. 1 in Prairie City.
He was born Dec. 11, 1920, in
Portland to William Donaldson and
May (Fletcher) Palmer. He grew
up and attended school in Port-
land. After graduating, he received
training as an aviation technician.
He served in the Army from 1939-
1945. He then worked for the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration as an
aviation radar technician from 1950 until he retired in the
1960s.
Palmer loved hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and mining.
He fought back from a head injury resulting from a dynamite
blast while working on a mining claim.
He was a member of the Whiskey Gulch Gang, the Assem-
bly of God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Thelma Ruth;
second wife, June Palmer; and two sisters.
He is survived by his twin brother, Donald Palmer, Klam-
ath Falls; son, Bill Palmer, Myrtle Creek; sister-in-law, Lo-
relei Hinton, Mt. Vernon; three grandchildren; and five
great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 at Canyon
City Cemetery with a dinner following at the Seventh-day Ad-
ventist Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the
charity of one’s choice.
Richard ‘Dick’ Read
May 23, 1935 - Jan. 16, 2018
Richard “Dick” Read, 82, born May
23, 1935, in White Salmon, Washing-
ton, to Wern and Myrtle Read, passed
away Tuesday, Jan. 16, at Blue Moun-
tain Care Center in Prairie City. A me-
morial service will be held at 11 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Faith Baptist
Church of Harney County in Hines. To
leave a condolence for the family, visit
driskillmemorialchapel.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 email, editor@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.
D AYVILLE S CHOOL STUDENTS OF
THE MONTH — D ECEMBER
Donald L. Schultz Jr.
Oct. 27, 1932 - Jan. 16, 2018
Donald L. Schultz Jr., 85, passed
away Jan. 16 at his beloved mountain
home on Little Indian Creek Road in
John Day. A celebration of life will be
held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at the
John Day Church of the Nazarene with
a private interment at Prairie City Cem-
etery.
Born in California on Oct. 27, 1932,
he was the second child of Donald and
Martha Schultz. Upon graduation from
the University of California at Berkeley, he married Sharon Shir-
ley in 1954 and began his engineering stint with California High-
ways Department in Bishop, California. They began their family
there, seeing the arrival of their first two children, Debbie and
Steven, transferring to the California Bridges Department in Sac-
ramento and moving to Rancho Cordova, California, where their
next two children, Christopher and Martha, were born.
He took a managing engineering position with Aerojet/Gen-
Corp and earned his master’s degree in business attending night
school. His duties there found him overseeing the rocket nozzle
for the Saturn V rockets that lifted all the lunar spacecraft of the
1960s. Because of his additional duties of designing the place-
ment collar for the Saturn V, he was present at Cape Canaveral/
Kennedy for each of the moon shots. With one seven-year pe-
riod as managing engineer for Inter Lake Industrial Rack, after
the lunar mission shut down, he was re-hired to finish his career
at Aerojet, receiving a scientist/manager designation and retir-
ing in 1993.
For several years before retiring, the couple traveled to
John Day, attended church and even subscribed to the local
paper to see about moving there. One summer he decided
to enter the lumberjack ax throwing competition during the
fair. He won first place and without hesitation signed over his
cash prize to the local 4-H to which the Blue Mountain Reg-
ister stated, “This Californian can move here anytime!” They
moved to John Day after acquiring the Little Indian Creek
Ranch in 1993, bringing with them two of their grandchildren
they had just adopted. This began many years of activity at
John Day Church of the Nazarene and local schools and 4-H
with Marshall and Myia both graduating from Grant Union
High School.
Schultz was an avid outdoorsman. He had a keen mind and
desired to know information thoroughly on a wide range of top-
ics. He had a passion for his Savior Jesus Christ and the further-
ing of the Gospel through the local church and missions, often
sitting on church boards and giving to missions work.
He is survived by his sister Shirley Schultz Anderson, Au-
burn, California; wife, Sharon, of 63 years; children Debra
(Paul) of Visalia, California, Steven (Cindi) of Rocklin, Cal-
ifornia, and Chris of Rocklin; eight grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Martha.
To leave a condolence for the family, visit driskillmemori-
alchapel.com.
Steven R. Weeks
Jan. 11, 2018
Steven R. Weeks passed away
peacefully in his sleep on Jan. 11 in a
care facility in Boise, Idaho.
A much-loved brother, father,
grandfather and friend, he led a very
blessed life and touched many lives
with his gentle soul and easygoing day-
to-day lifestyle.
At the age of 18, Weeks was drafted
into the Army and served his country in
the Vietnam War for two years.
When he arrived home, he lived in Seneca and Burns,
working for the logging industry and providing for his fam-
ily.
His joys in life were his kids, Coryell and Angela, his cars,
rides on his ATV and fishing and hunting with his family in the
Malheur National Forest where they named his favorite spot
“Pudge’s Point.” This is the place his ashes will be spread for
him to rest.
Burns held a very special place in Weeks’ life. It was the
place he loved most and the place he never wanted to leave. He
enjoyed the friends and the memories he made there. It was his
love of Burns that set his last wishes to have a celebration of
his life to be held in the spring (to be announced later) with his
friends and family, sharing their favorite stories and memories
of Weeks and his life.
Contributed photo
Dayville School students of the month for December:
Ciera Mabe, grades 3-5; Kaslynn Martin, grades K-2;
Rowdy Israel, grades 6-8; and Rico Sparka, high
school.
Mary Frances Elligsen Conrath
Feb. 3, 1919 - Jan. 2, 2018
Mary Frances Elligsen Conrath, 98,
died Jan. 2 in Moses Lake, Washington.
She was born Feb. 3, 1919, in To-
ronto, Canada, to Arthur Julian Mock-
ford and Frances Rose Alford, who had
immigrated to Canada from England in
1913. Her father worked in banking. The
family moved to California in 1923. Her
father was ordained into the priesthood
for the Episcopal Church. The family
was completed there with three boys and
two girls.
When she was 14, her father took a position as a priest at St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oregon City, and the family moved to
Oregon. She enrolled in Oregon City High School, becoming ac-
tively involved in many school activities and sports. She graduated
from Oregon City High School in 1936. During high school she
met a “handsome tall blond boy” who played the banjo, Frederick
Melvin Elligsen. She won his heart, and they married in 1940. He
was an Oregon State Police officer. Between 1940 and 1946 they
lived and worked in Tumalo, Hood River, Garibaldi, Coquille and
Burns. Four children were born to the couple: Frederick Stuart,
twin girls, Sharon Rose and Karen Annette, and Julie Ann.
In June of 1949, the family moved to John Day, where Fred
Elligsen became chief of police. Canyon City became their long-
term home, and they were active in the community. She belonged
to Rebekah Lodge, Lady Elks, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and
a gun club. They enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting and spending
time in the Eastern Oregon outdoors. She worked as a nurse’s aide
and an office nurse from 1955-1965, working for Drs. Martha and
Jerry van der Vlugt and Dr. Brian King. In 1962 a surprise child,
Mary Laurie, was born. Sadly, Fred Elligsen passed away in 1963.
She continued to work as an office nurse until 1968. She then
attended Portland Community College and became a certified
medical records technician. She worked in that capacity in John
Day from 1969-1971. In 1971, she and daughter Laurie moved to
Moses Lake, Washington, where she took a job as medical records
supervisor at Samaritan Hospital from 1971-1984.
In 1974, she married Henry “Jack” Conrath in Moses Lake, and
the two enjoyed dancing, traveling and raising Laurie. Jack Con-
rath passed away in 1996. She continued in good spirit and chal-
lenging work. She was an active member of St. Martin’s Episcopal
Church, Moses Lake Chapter of AARP, Moses Lake Women’s
Club, Block 40 Gloydette’s, a volunteer for hospice, Moses Lake
Senior Center and Samaritan Gift Shop. She took up wood carving
as a hobby and loved to garden and work in her yard. She was the
family matriarch, and loved to spend time with her children, grand-
children and great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husbands, Fred Elligsen and
Jack Conrath; brothers Stuart Mockford, Martin Mockford and
Roger Mockford; son, Frederick Elligsen; son-in-law Max Mor-
ley; and grandson, Dustin Reynolds.
She is survived by her sister, Margaret Foss; daughters Sharon
(Max) Morley, Karen (Ray) Dockery, Julie (Dennis) Reynolds,
Laurie (Iver) Odegaard and Edith (Fred) Elligsen-Smith; 15 grand-
children; 19 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and
friends.
A memorial service honoring her life was held Jan. 20 at St.
Martin’s Episcopal Church in Moses Lake. A final burial service
will be held in Canyon City when weather is warmer, the date to be
announced later. At her request, contributions may be made to the
St. Thomas Episcopal Church maintenance fund.
A man wakes up in
the morning after
sleeping on an
ADVERTISED BED,
in ADVERTISED
PAJAMAS.
G RANT U NION STUDENTS OF THE
MONTH — D ECEMBER
Grade 12
Hadley Boethin
Parents: Tim
Boethin and
Hailey Boethin
Grade 11
Aidan Broemeling
Parents: Don and
Karen Broemeling
Grade 9
Ben Henry
Parent: Joan
Walczyk
Grade 8
Grace Taylor
Parents: Jake
Taylor and Mandy
Taylor
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
Grade 7
Ashlynn Langum
Parents: Zeke and
Brandy Langum
Monday - Thursday
7am- 6pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Mendy Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
36631
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Grade 10
Makenna Culley
Parents:
Brandon and
Christal Culley
notforsale
35460
Blue Mountain Eagle
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