A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
OBITUARIES
Leonard ‘Sonny’ Elwood Rider
Aug. 11, 1930 – Aug. 4, 2019
Leonard “Sonny” Elwood Rider, 88, of Seneca
passed away Aug. 4. A graveside service will be held
on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. at
Canyon City Cemetery.
Sonny was born to Leon-
ard and Doris (Mackie) Rider
on Aug. 11, 1930, in Lakev-
iew, Oregon. He graduated from
Grant Union High School in
1949.
After high school he joined
the United States Navy, and
served for three years as a
Radio Man Second Class where
he was awarded three medals and a star for his ser-
vice. Sonny returned home where he went to work in
the lumber mills as a machine operator; he worked
for Ellingson Timber, Hines Lumber and John
Day Lumber Co. After his retirement he worked
for the U.S. Forest Service, officially retiring in
1992.
Sonny was married three times. His love was strong
for each of them. He enjoyed the outdoors whether it
was hunting, shooting, reloading or snowmobiling.
Sonny was a friend to everyone; he was an excellent
marksman, a great father/husband and trusted by all.
Sonny enjoyed being a part of Lake Creek Youth Camp
and attending Grace Chapel Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father;
sister, Wanda Leslie; wife, Mary Lou Rider; wife, Mar-
ilyn Rider; and his faithful dog “Dingo.”
Sonny is survived by siblings, Don Rider of Sen-
eca and Bob Rider of Stockton, California; sister, Alice
Seabart of Burns, Oregon; sons, Lance Rider of Win-
throp, Washington, Ray Rider of McNary, Oregon, and
Paul Rider of Hermiston, Oregon; stepdaughter, Fran-
cine O’Shaughnessy of Camas, Washington; stepson,
Perry Oaks of Vancouver, Washington; Dan Lane of
Milton-Freewater, Oregon; six grandchildren; and six
great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cinnabar
Adult Foster Care through Driskill Memorial Chapel at
241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
To leave a condolence, visit driskillmemorialchapel.
com.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Summer Rendezvous successful
Blue Mountain Eagle
The 2019 Rocky Moun-
tain Elk Foundation Sum-
mer Rendezvous continues
to be a great success.
The Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation has held
the annual summer rendez-
vous at Lake Creek Camp
for over 10 years. As part of
the event, RMEF volunteers
from across Oregon and the
greater Northwest gather
and partner with the Mal-
heur National Forest for a
two-day habitat restoration
work event to celebrate the
RMEF’s continued con-
servation successes in
Oregon.
The focus of the projects
was on aspen restoration.
July 18, three small proj-
ects were planned at sepa-
Contributed photo
Volunteers took part in conservation projects at the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation Summer Rendezvous, which was
held at Lake Creek Camp.
rate sites, including barb-
wire fence removal, big
game aspen fence main-
Forest Service seeks volunteer campground host for Bull Prairie Lake
EO Media Group
The Umatilla National Forest is
looking for volunteers to serve as
campground hosts at Bull Prairie
Lake Campground from now until
October — duration is dependent on
user use, but no later than Oct. 15.
A camp host greets campers, pro-
vides information on the surround-
ing area and generally makes camp-
ers feel at home. Hosts will visit with
campers and day-use visitors, clean
and maintain restrooms, restock sup-
plies, occasionally clean up after
campers and carry out minor mainte-
nance as needed. They keep an eye
on things and set a good example for
others in the campground.
Individuals or couples can apply
to be hosts. Retirees often apply to
the camp host program, finding it the
ideal way to spend the summer in a
beautiful setting.
Hosts need to be friendly, flexible
and responsible. Host applicants may
be subject to a criminal background
check.
Norman DeJong
Norman DeJong always gave his best and he lived a good life. He said, “I
am the happiest man on the planet.” The ones that really knew him and
loved him will have his touch on their heart forever.
Norm was born to Rudolph DeJong and Mary Ann Robins DeJong in Salt
Lake City, Utah. His family moved to Richland, Washington when Norm
was 2. He loved his parents and had huge respect for his amazing dad,
Rudy, whose motto was “The job you do looks like you.” Norm was a
good student, had great stories of his teachers, coaches and basketball
and pole-vaulting in high school. He loved learning, had a great work ethic and achieved a
fantastic education. He was a YoYo champion at 12. He won the National Art contest for metal
sculpting two years in a row.
He went to BYU on a basketball scholarship and on a scholarship to Northwestern Dental
School in Chicago. He worked nights as a nurse at Cook County Hospital four years while in
dental school. Norm got his Masters in Public Health at Harvard and went to Oxford UK for
a fellowship under the Minister of Health Admiral Holgate. While in England he had some
pretty famous friends… Normie had great stories. Even John Lennon knew how special
Norm was. Norm and he were friends and Lennon wanted Norm to go tour with them. Norm
said no! He was not a musician… he was a dentist. After completing his fellowship, Norm
became a dentistry professor at OHSU Dental School and with his love of teaching dentistry
and masterful mechanical and technical skills he left OHSU to be on founding faculty at
University of Connecticut Dental School. The dean of UConn then took Norm with him to
Jackson, Mississippi as founding faculty at University of Mississippi Dental School. Norm loved
Mississippi and made great friends there. He chaired the department and taught restorative
dentistry to the first four graduating classes of UM dental school. He decided to leave
academics in 1978 and head towards his hometown of Richland, Washington.
He remembered the beautiful little town of Prairie City, Oregon from smokejumper parachute
firefighting when he was 19. He drove into the beautiful John Day Valley from the east and decided immediately that he
wanted to practice dentistry in Prairie City. He bought the dental office building before the day was over. Norm and his
dad Rudy transformed the historic building into his dental office. Doc Norm hung his dentistry shingle on the building in
1978. Norm absolutely loved being a dentist and he adored living and working in Grant County.
He loved the people and the beauty of Eastern Oregon. Norm left Grant County for four years. He used his public
health background for Kotzebue Care and clinic building skills to help build a dental clinic in a new hospital in Kotzebue,
AK. He helped provide dental care to the villages of Northwest Arctic Borough from ‘92 til April 1, 1996. He thoroughly
enjoyed his arctic adventure. He recruited adventurous friend of 20 years, Melanie Lott, to work in the villages. Norm and
Melanie fell in love and married in Ambler, Alaska at -48 degrees in 1994. They decided in 1996 to move back to Prairie
City to remodel and reopen as a mom and pop dental shop. Mel and Norm loved working together and lived happily in
Prairie City. Norm never used nitrous oxide but used natural laughter in the dental office. We liked to tell our new patients
if you don’t have a good sense of humor you might have to find another dentist, hahah, wink, wink. We were Smile
Maintenance. Norm enjoyed his patients so much.
Norm attended his Northwestern Dental School 50th year class reunion September 2017. His classmates and Norm
had fun and shared fascinating stories. Norm loved motorcycles and nice cars. He actually restored a Cord automobile in his
garage shop. He restored an Indian hill climber motorcycle on his bench just before he reopened his dental office in 1996.
He was proud of partnering with Pat O’Hara to remodel the former Prairie Schooner Tavern turning it into Ferdinand’s
Restaurant in 1987. Norm and Mel loved investing in Prairie City and enjoyed restoring the landmark Prairie Creamery as
well. Norm enjoyed river rafting and pioneered and navigated many river-rafting adventures. He loved his family, friends
and his dental patients of Grant and Harney Counties and beyond. He coached basketball and taught auto body at the
high school. Norm was super supportive of all things good for Prairie City.
Norm loved the US Constitution and Bill of Rights and knew it backwards and forwards and could discuss its importance at
great depth. He was a great patriot and stayed ultra-current on politics. He loved Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and his
favorite quote was, “My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death.
I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men
should live, and then would be equally brave.” - Stonewall Jackson
Norm is survived by his wife, soulmate and partner, Melanie; daughter, Kendyl DeJong; granddaughter, Melanie
Trulove; grandson, Garrett DeJong; and two great grandchildren; brother, Lamont (Carolyn) DeJong and their family, Bryan
(Lenora) Lott, James Gordon Lott, Bill (Donna) Lott, Sam Lott and Abby Starr (John Gavin) Lott-Buffington; cousins, Jimmy,
James, Hannah, Mike and Mac Lott; and his constant companions, puppy dogs FangLee, Loosy Tooth and Flossy; and close
friend, Karen Magee Jones, who was a God send during this time.
Norm was preceded in death by son, Matthew DeJong; his father and mother, Rudy and Ann DeJong; and
brother, Robin DeJong.
Per Stormin’ Norman’s request, there will be no funeral service. There will be a motorcycle ride starting and
ending downtown at the Prairie City Community Center meet at 11 a.m. Aug. 25. A joyful commemorative mingle
celebrating Norm will follow at the PC Community Center at 2:30 p.m. with wildflower seeds to sow just before the snow
flies and your pocket copy of the US Constitution from Norm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the
Prairie City Community Association, PO Box 758 Prairie City, Oregon 97869 for Prairie City Community Center remodel.
Paid for by the Family of Norm DeJong
Last Week’s Temps
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Those who apply will need to
supply their own trailer, camper
or motor home. Camp hosts will
be provided a campsite, usu-
ally near the main entryway to the
campground.
Though the host program is a vol-
unteer program, a food allowance
and propane is offered, and personal
vehicle mileage associated with host-
ing duties is reimbursed.
Bull
Prairie
Lake
Camp-
ground is located 36 miles south of
Heppner.
Batease named to dean’s list
April 4, 1942 – June 1, 2019
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Tuesday ......................................................... 100/65
Wednesday ..................................................... 93/61
Thursday .......................................................... 85/62
Friday ............................................................... 90/55
Saturday .......................................................... 79/50
Sunday ............................................................. 71/51
Tuesday ........................................................... 81/48
tenance and buck and
pole fence construction
preparation.
July 19 was the major
work day as volunteers
from RMEF worked with
a six-person AmeriCorps
crew, North Fork John Day
Watershed Council youth
crew members and For-
est Service staff as a large
group to construct two buck
and pole aspen fences on
Blue Mountain Ranger Dis-
trict in the Damon Project
area.
A total of 447.5 volun-
teer hours contributed to
0.75 miles of buck and pole
fence protecting approx-
imately 4 acres of aspen,
0.25 miles of aspen fence
maintenance, 0.25 acres of
invasive weed removal and
1 mile of four-wire fence
removal were all accom-
plished during the two-day
work event.
Blue Mountain Eagle
Rebecca Batease was
named to the spring 2019
dean’s list at Marist College.
She studies at the Florence,
Italy, branch campus. To
make the list, students must
carry at least 12 credits with
a 3.4 GPA.
ODF implements fire restrictions
Blue Mountain Eagle
Oregon Department of
Forestry’s Central Ore-
gon District has increased
restrictions on private, state
and municipally owned
lands protected by the dis-
trict. Activities below are
restricted by the regulated
closure. Additional restric-
tions and the full procla-
mation can be accessed at
oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/
restrictions.aspx
• Possession of the follow-
ing firefighting equipment is
required while traveling in a
motorized vehicle, except on
federal and state highways,
county roads and driveways:
one shovel and 1 gallon of
water or one operational 2.5-
pound or larger fire extin-
guisher, except all-terrain
vehicles and motorcycles,
which must be equipped with
an approved spark arrestor in
good working condition.
• Smoking is prohibited
while traveling, except in
vehicles on improved roads.
• Open fires are prohib-
ited, including campfires,
charcoal fires, cooking fires
and warming fires, except in
designated areas.
• Chainsaw use is prohib-
ited, between the hours of
10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Chainsaw
use is permitted at all other
hours, if the following fire-
fighting equipment is present
with each operating saw: one
ax, one shovel and one oper-
ational 8-ounce or larger fire
extinguisher. In addition, a
fire watch is required at least
one hour following the use of
each saw.
For more information,
visit odfcentraloregon.com.
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
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.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF A UG . 14-20
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Mostly
sunny
Mostly
sunny
Mostly
sunny
Mostly
sunny
Partly
sunny
Plenty of
sunshine
Mostly
sunny
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84
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92
90
93
54
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