A2
Family
Blue Mountain Eagle
Bear Valley home
destroyed in fire
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A home in Bear Valley was
completely destroyed in an
early morning fire Sept. 19.
Gregg Haberly said his fa-
ther Byron Haberly and By-
ron’s wife, Linda, were in bed
in the modular house when
the fire occurred. He said Lin-
da smelled smoke and asked
Byron if he had made a fire.
Byron went into the kitch-
en and saw a wall on fire,
Gregg said. Byron tried to
put out the fire using a mop
bucket and the kitchen sink,
but there wasn’t enough wa-
ter pressure to fill the bucket.
When Byron opened a
window to relieve the smoke,
the fire blew up and got into
the ceiling and roof. By-
ron and Linda got out of the
house but had to drive to an-
other home to make a 911 call
for assistance.
Byron, who owns Byron’s
Septic Service and Byron’s
Excavating, suffered mild in-
juries from smoke inhalation
but was going about his nor-
mal errands the next day. He
and his wife were unable to
remove belongings, and the
home was a total loss, Gregg
said.
The John Day Emergen-
cy Communications Center
received a 911 emergency
call reporting the fire at 11:42
p.m. on Sept. 18, according
to Dispatch Manager Valerie
Maynard.
A log entry with the John
Day Interagency Dispatch
Center at 12:25 a.m. reported
a grass and brush fire about
three-tenths of an acre in size.
ODF responded with two
engines, but the home was
engulfed in fire by the time
firefighters arrived, Oregon
Department of Forestry Unit
Forester Ryan Miller told the
Eagle.
Two private water tenders
from nearby ranches were
already on the scene to assist
with the suppression effort
and had stopped most of the
wildfire from spreading and
causing a forest fire. ODF lat-
er sent a water tender to assist
with the suppression effort.
ODF firefighters remained
on scene overnight to prevent
the wildfire from spreading
any further, Miller said. The
burned area was estimated to
be one-third to half an acre,
he said. No firefighters were
injured.
B IRTHS
B URTON
Lance and Sheena Burton of Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho, announce the birth of
their twins, Joella Ann and Ian George,
born July 5 at Kootenai Health in
Coeur d’Alene. Joella Ann weighed
7 pounds, 13 ounces, and Ian George
weighed 7 pounds. Both measured 20
inches. Grandparents are Larry and
Suzy Burton of John Day and Steve
and Tanna Moore of Athol, Idaho.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
O BITUARIES
Christopher W. Swanson
May 11, 1954 - Sept. 15, 2018
Christopher W. Swanson, 64, passed
away on Sept. 15 in John Day.
A celebration of life will be held at
the Community Hall in Mt. Vernon at 2
p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Christopher was born on May 11,
1954, in Prairie City and was the be-
loved son of Wallace and Fay Schrier
Swanson. He and his family moved
to Pendleton in 1957, where he lived
for many years before moving back to
John Day.
He loved his family very much and made sure they all knew
it, and he was always there to help people when they needed it.
Christopher loved the mountains and spent much time roaming
them. He picked mushrooms and at times drove many miles
to make sure his mother and sister got some. He was an artist
and designed the cover for the Pendleton High School Annual
one year. After a very bad hand injury, he was no longer able
to draw.
Christopher was a gentle and totally unselfish individual.
He was preceded in death by his father Wallace Swanson; niece
Carri Dagley; cousins Kenneth and Larry Schrier; and 11 aunts and
uncles.
Christopher is survived by his mother Fay Swanson; sister San-
dra Morris; daughter Savanna Swanson; stepdaughter Leanna Per-
kins; two grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; aunt Rosemary
King; two nephews, Ben Dagley and Jesse Hall; one grandniece,
Avienda Dagley; and numerous cousins.
To leave an online condolence for the family, visit driskillme-
morialchapel.com.
Charlotte (Blank) Low
Charlotte (Blank) Low, 95, Albany, formerly of Canyon
City, passed away Aug. 2 in Albany. A graveside service will be
held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Canyon City Cemetery.
Thomas Ray Bessler
Thomas Ray Bessler, 83, of Seneca died Sept. 13 in Boise.
Arrangements are under the direction of Cremation Society of
Idaho. A celebration of life is being planned for Saturday, Oct.
13, at Seneca City Hall.
Norman Strawn
Norman Strawn, 88, a longtime resident of Mt. Vernon,
passed away July 23. A memorial is planned at 2 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 6, at the John Day Senior Center. Family and friends are
invited to this potluck event.
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John Day * 541- 575-0549
Curtis ‘Curt’ Antone Pereira
Jan. 20, 1976 - Sept. 15, 2018
Curtis “Curt” Antone Pereira, 42, of
John Day passed away at his residence
on Sept. 15.
Curt was born in John Day to Art
Pereira and Cheryle (Cuff) Eggers
on Jan. 20, 1976. He graduated from
Grant Union High School in 1995.
Curt met Lisa Green in 2004. As
they grew to know one another, they
bonded over conversations involving
Ford pickup trucks. Lisa told Curt that
if she married him, he would have to “marry me and my horse”;
they were married on horseback in Mt. Vernon on Sept. 17,
2005.
He spent many years working as a ranch hand and mechanic
for the Holliday Ranch and the Mullin Ranch. In 2012, an op-
portunity came up for Curt to work for Tobias Ranch in Califor-
nia doing the same work. As much as he enjoyed it, he decided
John Day was where he wanted to be and moved back in 2014.
He started working for Tidewater as a truck mechanic later that
year. From a young age, Curt watched and learned mechanics
from his grandfather, who was a big part of his world. He could
be found on a tractor out in the field or in the shop tinkering
away.
He enjoyed being in the outdoors, gathering firewood,
four-wheeling, spending time with his wife and pups, working
in the shop with his father and working on his Kenworth truck.
Curt’s sense of humor and big heart will be missed by his family
and friends.
Curt is survived by his wife, Lisa; parents, Art and Cheryle;
stepfather Ken Eggers; and sister Kelly Pereira. He was preced-
ed in death by his grandparents.
Memorial contributions may be made to Blue Mountain
Hospice through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon
Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
Dennis Smith
April 20, 1932 - Sept. 15, 2018
Dennis Clayton Smith, 86, of Can-
yon City passed away at his residence
on Sept. 15. A celebration of life for
family and friends will be held from
1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, in the
downstairs conference room at the air-
port.
Dennis was born April 20, 1932,
in Seattle, Washington, to Ernest and
Mary Smith. He moved with his fam-
ily to Grant County in 1943, graduat-
ing from Grant Union High School in
1950. After two years of college, he joined the Marine Corps
and spent two winters in South Korea living in a tent. His fa-
vorite time in the Marine Corps was in San Diego where he
enjoyed the warm waters and sandy beaches.
He owned and operated Canyon Builders Supply in Can-
yon City for over 20 years. He was a go-to source for Grant
County and especially Canyon City history and spent hours at
the library, Grant County museum and courthouse researching
available sources to verify his information before writing and
cataloging the information.
He was also actively involved in multiple service orga-
nizations through the years as well as serving on boards and
councils. Dennis had a love for flying and along with his wife,
Barbara, purchased an airplane and became licensed pilots on
the same day.
Dennis is survived by his wife of 42 years, Barbara Fred-
erick Smith; brother Rodney (Sandra) of Baker City; children
Paul (Kathy) of John Day and Kathryn (Jim) Sheets of Phoenix;
stepchildren Tonja Ferguson of Seattle and Todd Thompson
(Sarah) of Nampa, Idaho; seven grandchildren, Robbie, Nicho-
las, James, Jeffrey, Rachel, Raelynn and Jerin; and two beauti-
ful little great granddaughters, Ridley and Gracen.
Memorial contributions can be made in his memory to Blue
Mountain Hospital Hospice through Driskill Memorial Chapel,
241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
About Obituaries
Janet Lee Engle Hardin
04-26-36 - 09-14-18
Janet was born in Fox, OR on April 26, 1936 as the oldest child to Bud and Osie Engle. Janet lived
her younger years in Redmond and moved to Monument in 1946. She attended elementary school at
the Cottonwood schoolhouse. Janet had fond memories of her childhood on Cottonwood, including
riding horseback to school as well as eventually driving other kids to school. She attended Monument
High School and she graduated in 1954. Janet enjoyed horseback riding as a kid and served on the Spray rodeo court. Janet mar-
ried Earl Lewis in August 1954. They had four children together. They divorced in 1973. Janet lived in Monument until 1975
when she relocated to Pendleton where Janet and Lester Hardin spent the majority of the next 40 years until Lester’s death in Au-
gust 2014. Janet owned and operated the Little Club restaurant in Pendleton for a number of years and had people driving for
100’s of miles for her homemade cinnamon rolls. Her door was always open to everyone, and you never left hungry. She could
create a feast fit for a king from seemingly empty cupboards. Janet resided between Pendleton and Bend for the last four years.
Janet enjoyed traveling throughout the United States with Lester’s job; she loved cooking, crocheting and more than anything
loved her family. Between Janet and Lester they had eight children. Sandy Gandee of Sugar Hill, Georgia; Marlene Lewis of Bend
OR; Valerie Hardin of Cartersville, Georgia; Donald “Buddy” Lewis of Umatilla, OR; Darrell Lewis, deceased; Julie Hardin of
Walla Walla, WA; Earlene Dillard of Bend, OR; and Vicki Swenson of Tuscon, AZ. And finally not by blood but most certainly
family, Chris, Kathy, Zeth, and Kate Allen of Pendleton. Janet had numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and
nephews as well as cousins. Janet is also survived by a brother, Gary & Patti Engle of Monument and sister Judy & Will Martin of
John Day. She was preceded in death by her husband Lester Hardin, parents Bud and Osie Engle, son Darrell Lewis, brother
Gayle Engle and grandson Casey Spivey. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the Monument Senior Center. Memo-
rial contributions can be made to Partners In Care Hospice House 2075 NE Wyatt Ct Bend Or 97701
Paid for by the family of Janet Lee Engle Hardin
L AST W EEK ’ S T EMPS
J OHN D AY ..................................................................... HI/LO
T UESDAY ....................................................................... 72/42
W EDNESDAY ................................................................... 69/38
T HURSDAY ..................................................................... 71/39
F RIDAY .......................................................................... 83/43
S ATURDAY ...................................................................... 69/52
S UNDAY ......................................................................... 64/43
M ONDAY ........................................................................ 66/33
24/7 F ORECAST
A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122
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News obituaries of 300 words or less 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 memorials. Obituaries longer than 300 words may be published as paid
memorials. Send obituaries by email, office@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.
Every other Monday in John Day at
Blue Mountain Hospital
170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311
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