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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
A2 FAMILY Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization to hold meetings Public invited to help shape future of local health care Blue Mountain Eagle Eastern Oregon Coor- dinated Care Organization will hold community meet- ings in each of the 12 coun- ties it serves. EOCCO serves Ore- gon Health Plan (Med- icaid) members through- out the 12-county region, according to a press release. A meeting will be held from 12-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Grant County Regional Airport in John Day. The meetings present an opportunity to learn about community-driven health improvement efforts and to consider shared strategies under the state’s next phase of coordinated care, known as “CCO 2.0.” “The greatest strength of Eastern Oregon communi- ties is collaboration. As we move into a new era of coor- dinated care, Eastern Ore- gon is uniquely positioned GRANT UNION STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — SEPTEMBER Izyk Thompson Grade 7 Parent: Brenda Thompson Sydnie Brandon Grade 8 Parent: Kristopher and Fawn Brandon Allie Clark Grade 10 Parents: Brent and Shawna Clark Devon Stokes Grade 11 Parents: Kelly and Lori Stokes Janie Koopman Grade 9 Parent: Jane Kimble Erika Dickens Grade 12 Parents: Arthur and Janice Dickens to raise the bar on health- care for the individuals and families who call this region home,” said Kevin Camp- bell, chief executive officer of EOCCO. “We look forward to hear- ing from community mem- bers as we work together to build and consider new approaches to improving the health care system. Our com- mitment is better care and better health at lower costs for Eastern Oregon com- munities,” said Sean Jessup, EOCCO president. Established in 2012, EOCCO serves about 50,000 members across a 50,000-square-mile service area — roughly the size of New York state. “We’re really proud of the way the health care com- munity has come together to form and support the CCO. Through these partnerships, we are rapidly becoming a nationwide model for suc- cess in rural communities,” said Robin Richardson, chief operating officer and board chair of EOCCO. On Sept. 27, the Oregon Health Authority announced EOCCO’s five-year contract award as the coordinated care organization serving Ore- gon Health Plan members in the following counties: Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Har- ney, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler. EOCCO will enter its next contract cycle on Jan. 1, 2020. This fall, EOCCO will engage the public at meet- ings throughout the region. “EOCCO has played an important role in the health of Grant County through the efforts of the Local Commu- nity Advisory Council and community partners. As the Coordinated Care model is improved, we encourage you to bring your comments and suggestions to the pub- lic meeting on Oct. 15 at the airport at noon. Join us in identifying other opportu- nities for a healthier Grant County,” said Kathy Can- cilla with the Grant County Local Community Advisory Council. For more information about the upcoming meet- ings, call 541-298-2101 or visit eocco.com. Officials monitoring conditions for prescribed fires Blue Mountain Eagle Officials continue to monitor con- ditions for prescribed fires on the Mal- heur National Forest. Blue Mountain Ranger District will continue ignition this week on hand and machine piles, according to a press release. These piles are stacks of wooded debris left behind from either thinning or logging operations. The smoke from the pile burning operations may be visible from High- way 395 and southwest of the town of Seneca. Smoke can also be expected in the vicinity of the Middle Fork of the John Day River. Prairie City Ranger District planned to begin ignitions on Elk 16 M-1 unit (81 acres) just west of the 14 road and south of the 1410 road, as well as the Summit 3 and Summit 22A units, weather and conditions permitting. Emigrant Creek Ranger District planned to begin some pile burning in the Devine Ridge/31 road area this week. Pile burning will continue as Beth Marie (Gohlinghorst) Piete Jan. 12, 1946 – Sept. 27, 2019 Contributed photo/U.S. Forest Service Prescribed fire helps remove slash and debris fuel build-up on the Damon South Unit near Seneca in 2018. More prescribed burns are planned for fall 2019. weather permits. Prescribed fires are also planned on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter operations are taking place. About Obituaries Beth Marie (Gohlinghorst) Piete reached her goal in heaven Friday, Sept. 27. Beth was born in Norfolk, Nebraska to Ernest A. G. Gohlinghorst and Rose B. Dittberner, Jan. 12, 1946. She was preceded in death by her father in 1959 and her mother and sister in 2015. Her life led her from Nebraska through Idaho Falls, Idaho and Pendleton, Oregon to John Day, Oregon in 1952, where she attended grade school and Grant Union High School (Prospectors) where she graduated in 1964. From there she went to Oregon Technical Institute where she met and married Robert E. Piete of Applegate, Oregon, and received her bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology after a one-year internship in El Cajon, California. She then continued life in El Cajon and lived there for 40 years. Laboratory work was not her life and after three years she embarked on raising a family where she bore and raised two sons, Timothy Robert and Douglas Jon. Her life was consumed by love and care for her family and church. As her boys grew up and started to leave the nest, she started a new career as an administrative assistant at Lutheran Border Concerns Ministry, which worked in serving the poor in Baja, California, retiring after 18 years in 2004. During her life she had traveled with her husband and family visiting all states west of the Mississippi River (except Kansas), Michigan, New York, Maine, Mexico, Canada and 16 countries in Europe. She was a life-long member of the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) attending Atonement Lutheran Church in Spring Valley for 26 years, until moving to Applegate, Oregon in 2007, becoming an active member of Applegate Community Church where she attended church services, regular bible studies and served as secretary for the Women’s Outreach Ministry. She enjoyed hand work of knitting, crocheting and quilting; she regularly attended a neighborhood quilting group. She loved hanging clothes on the line to dry. She loved and collected images and figurines of angels and of birds. Her house is decorated in both and will be a reminder of her presence having been with us. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Bob; son, Timothy (Kelly) with daughter, Amber, and son, Aaron; son, Douglas (Marisol) with daughters, Alyssa and Isabella, and son, Caden. She has led a blessed life and will be missed, but the family rejoices that she is surely in heaven with her Savior. Her funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Applegate Community Church, with burial following at the Missouri Flat Cemetary. Paid for by the family of Beth Marie (Gohlinghorst) Piete. 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 re- published as paid memorials. Obitu- aries 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. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com James “Jim” Newcomb May 3, 1936 – Sept. 30, 2019 Smoky conditions may also reduce visibility to a level that would require additional temporary closures. During prescribed fire operations, there is potential for impacts to camping and hunting. Hunters are advised to plan ahead. For their safety they should not camp in or near an area of prescribed fire activity. All prescribed burn activity is weather and condition dependent. With the potential for smoke to set- tle in certain areas during active opera- tions, the public can monitor the smoke and air quality in the area and across the state by visiting oregonsmoke.blogspot. com. Additional information regard- ing prescribed burning on the Mal- heur National Forest is available on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ incident/6299/ or by viewing the Pre- scribed Fire Activity interactive map at http://arcg.is/2wUZIil. For more information, visit fs.usda. gov/malheur or call the Supervisor’s Office at 541-575-3000. OBITUARIES Steven J. McNeil Nov. 22, 1946 — Oct. 1, 2019 Steven J McNeil, 72, died unexpectedly Oct. 1 at his residence in Lakeview, Oregon. He was born Nov. 22, 1946, in Albany, Oregon. Steve grad- uated from Junction City High School in 1965. He was in the Army National Guard for seven years. He married Patri- cia Williams; they had a son, Scott. They later divorced. He moved to Burns, Ore- gon, to follow his dream of being a buck- aroo. Met and married Marilyn and had a daughter, Naomi. He adopted Marilyn’s two previous kids, Tina and Rod. They divorced in 1986. He moved to Baker City/Haines, Oregon, and then to Seneca, Oregon. He decided to get his degree in counseling and work with troubled juveniles. He worked in Vale, Oregon, then on to Burns Oregon Youth Authority. Then transferred to La Grande, Oregon, at Oregon Authority Camp Riverbend. He retired in 2017. He will be dearly missed by his fam- ily and his good friends, and he had a lot of them. He is survived by sister, Linda (Del) of Albany, Oregon; nephew, Mike of Oregon; daughters, Tina (Vince) of Vale, Oregon, and Naomi (Clint) of Lakeview, Oregon; sons, Rod (Patty) of Burns, Oregon, and Scott (Julie) of Albany, Oregon; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and many cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. At his request there will be no services. Donations can be made in his name to Kids Club of Harney County, 267 S. Egan, Burns, OR 97720 or OHA, 67494 Market Lane, Cove, OR 97824 or to one’s choice. Arrangements by Desert Rose Funeral Chapel, Lakeview, Oregon. James “Jim” Newcomb, 83, of John Day, Oregon, died Monday, Sept. 30 at Cinnabar Adult Foster Home in Mt. Vernon. At his request, no service is planned. Jim was born May 3, 1936 to parents Thomas and Katherine Newcomb in Greeley, Colorado. His family moved from Colorado to Great Falls, Montana, when he was young and he graduated high school there in 1954. He then moved to the Willamette Valley in 1972, living mostly in McMinnville, Oregon, until retiring in 1999 to Mt. Vernon and John Day. Jim married Fern Rowland Brown in Port Angeles, Washington, in 1978. Between them they had five children. After many years with Carlton Nursery in Dayton, Oregon, Jim launched J.R. Newcomb Construction in McMinnville. He ran a successful business there until his retirement. Before he moved, Jim was an active member in the Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias Diana Lodge #63. Retiring to the John Day area fulfilled a life-long dream to live in cattle country. Jim will be remembered for his sense of humor, for lending a helping hand, tool or equipment from his former shop on Laycock Creek Road, and for crafting custom cabinetry and furniture. He was preceded in death by his son, Stan Newcomb; parents, Thomas and Katherine Newcomb; brothers, Walter, Frank and Thomas Newcomb; and father-in-law, Jerry Rowland. Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Fern Newcomb of John Day; children, Liesel O’Hagan and family of Denver, Colorado, Susan Newcomb of Seattle, Washington, Jerry Brown and family of Dundee, Oregon, Karen Brown and family of John Day; brother, Bradford Newcomb of Belt, Montana; sister, Lynn Shanks of Great Falls, Montana; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. For those who would like to make a donation in memory of Jim, the family suggests Blue Mountain Hospice through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services, PO Box 543, Halfway, Oregon 97834. Online condolences can be shared at tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com. Paid for by the family of James “Jim” Newcomb. Last Week’s Temps John Day ...........................................................HI/LO Tuesday ........................................................... 49/34 Wednesday ..................................................... 58/28 Thursday .......................................................... 58/41 Friday ............................................................... 53/37 Saturday .......................................................... 59/32 Sunday ............................................................. 66/32 Monday............................................................ 71/37 24/7 F ORECAST A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122 R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; TRIPCHECK . COM NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY 162.500 MHz Music Lessons: Now registering piano students! Guitar, voice, percussion, and flute lessons coming soon. Sign up for instrument, teacher, and time slot; for 3-month sessions. Author’s Presentation: Karen Spears Zacharias: Thursday, Oct. 10, 5:30 - 7:30 PM. Free public event! Learn about the true crime story Karen is currently working on & more. Beginning Photography Class: Oct. 9, 10, & 11, from 4:30 - 6:30 PM. All skill levels welcome! Chalk Fun: Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Chalk couture class, using chalk paste and reusable silk transfer onto chalkboard surface. Arts After School: Ongoing, Mon-Thus 3:30 - 5:45 PM, and Fri 8:00 AM - 5:45 PM. Follows school calendar. Youth Arts Program: Ongoing, Monday 6:00 PM rehearsals through Dec. Basic Drawing Class: Ongoing, Wednesdays through Nov. 6, at 5:30 - 7:30 PM. For more info or to register visit paintedskycenter.com or email paintedskycenter@gmail.com. Sponsored By: W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF O CTOBER 9-15 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Possible morning snow Sunny Mostly sunny Partly cloudy Partly cloudy Partly cloudy Partly cloudy 42 51 59 64 62 61 63 18 24 29 43 37 25 38
