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FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
OBITUARIES
James Lynn Johnson
James Lynn Johnson, 85, of Canyon City passed away on
March 26 at his residence under the care of his family and
Blue Mountain Hospice of John Day. He will be interred at
Canyon City Cemetery on Thursday, April 2, and a private
family service with military honors will take place the fol-
lowing day. To offer online condolences to his family, visit
driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Jerry Coalwell
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
To participate, comment below the bingo post on Facebook and share the actions completed to support local businesses.
The winner’s name will be put into a weekly drawing for $25 Grant County Greenback.
Grant Chamber helping
businesses and sharing the word
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
As COVID-19 continues to affect
businesses around Grant County,
the Grant County Chamber of Com-
merce continues to do all it can to help
during these tough and unsure times.
Office Manager Tammy Bremner
said that Facebook has been one of
the main ways the chamber has been
able to help. They have been sharing
posts and updates from businesses in
the county. They also shared a docu-
ment that lists all the restaurants open
in the county with numbers and busi-
ness hours.
“When you know of something
that will help, just get the word out
and let us know if there is anything we
can do here at the chamber,” Bremner
said.
The chamber also posted a bingo
game on its Facebook page, an idea
from Kattie Piazza, owner of House
to Home and Sherrie Rininger, owner
of Etc., which they saw from the
chamber in Sandy, and the commu-
nity can play the game for a chance
to win a $25 Grant County Greenback
gift certificate.
The bingo card includes activ-
ities that support local businesses
through social media, shopping over
the phone, purchasing gift cards and
more.
To participate, comment below the
bingo post on Facebook and share the
actions completed to support local
businesses. A “bingo” can be achieved
when a player fills in five in a row or
all four corners. The winner’s name
will be put into a weekly drawing.
Bremner said she checks her email
everyday and shares information that
will be beneficial to local businesses
looking for relief. She shares this info
with chamber members through an
email blast and added that businesses
that are not members can request to
receive these messages as well.
“Right now we are not cater-
ing just to chamber members,” she
said. “We’d like to help all of our
businesses.”
Even with businesses closed, the
community can still support many
of them by buying gift certificates to
redeem later or continue to buy food
from them, according to Bremner.
The office may not be open to the
public, but the community can call the
chamber and let them know if there is
any way that they can help.
“My advice would be to help each
other as much as we can, shop local,
check on your neighbors and if you
hear of a way people can help, let peo-
ple know,” Bremner said.
May 16, 1945 — March 19, 2020
Jerry Coalwell, 74, of John Day, Oregon, died on Thurs-
day, March 19, 2020, at the home of his daughter in Vale,
Oregon, after a short battle with
cancer. A celebration of life will be
held at a later date.
Jerry was born May 16, 1945,
in Prairie City, Oregon, to parents
Frank and Betty (Combs) Coalwell.
He was raised and educated in
Bates, Baker City and Prairie City,
where he graduated in 1964.
In 1972, Jerry met Marla How-
land in Bates, Oregon. Their first
date was to John Day for pizza at
midnight. He won her heart with his fast cars and his
quiet personality. On Dec. 23, 1974, they were married
in Weiser, Idaho. They made their home in Bates, Ore-
gon, for a few years until Jerry transferred to the John
Day Mill in 1975.
Jerry loved driving hot rods and buying fast and
pretty cars. His favorites were GTOs and 67 Chevys. He
enjoyed yard sales and finding treasures. In his younger
years he enjoyed running around with Dick Greer and
the Combs brothers. Jerry especially loved playing in
the hills with family and friends. His favorite place to
be was Bates and the surrounding hills. He also enjoyed
watching Bailey and Brayden play basketball and was
thankful to his travel buddies Jim Mays and Ron Combs
for making the trips with him.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marla Coalwell;
parents, Frank Coalwell and Betty Coalwell-Morris; and
stepdad Swede Morris.
Jerry is survived by daughter Susan (Todd) Gregory
of Vale, Oregon; sons Clinton (Tessa) Coalwell of Mt.
Vernon and Terry (LeAnn) Coalwell of John Day, Ore-
gon; sister Diane (Scott) Bogart of Kennewick, Wash-
ington; grandchildren Bailey, Austen and Brayden Greg-
ory, Myckee, Torie, Trevyn, Ryan and Levi Coalwell and
Walker, Kyle and Melissa Erickson; along with his dog
Toby and his cat Squirt; and numerous nieces, nephews,
cousins and in-law relations. He will be missed!
For those who would like to make a donation in mem-
ory of Jerry, the family suggests the Ronald McDonald
house and St. Jude Children’s Hospital through Tami’s
Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services, PO
Box 543 Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences can
be shared at tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
About Obituaries
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.
Local students earn
academic honors
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Liz Aleman, volunteer with Painted Sky Center for the Arts, accepted the grant award Feb. 27. The grant money will go
toward the purchase of a sound system.
Oregon Cultural Trust grant money awarded to
Prairie School District and two local nonprofits
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Three nonprofit organizations
promoting art and culture in Grant
County were awarded Oregon Cul-
tural Trust grant funding from the
Juniper Arts Council Feb. 27 at a
dessert reception held at the Grant
School District 3 meeting room in
Canyon City.
Arts council treasurer Karen
Barntish presented checks for
$4,689.94 to Liz Aleman with
Painted Sky Center for the Arts for
an audio system that will allow the
center to host poetry slams and other
performances, Adele Cerny and John
Day Fossil Beds National Monu-
ment Superintendent Patrick Gam-
man for another outdoor piano con-
cert at Cant Ranch and Wendy Burril
from Prairie City School District
for a stage performance of “Johnny
Appleseed.”
Aleman, a volunteer, accepted the
grant on behalf of Painted Sky Center
for the Arts and thanked the council.
Aleman said the center would be
able to put on performances and offer
poetry slams and other activities with
the funding.
Cerny and Gamman organized a
classical concert with pianist Hunter
Noack with the nonprofit organiza-
tion In a Landscape.
Noack performed his concert
“Classical Music in the Wild, an out-
door classical music concert series.”
Cerny said the concert sold out
last year, and many of the attend-
ees were from John Day and the sur-
rounding areas.
“The idea of having a classical
Last Week’s Temps
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concert dovetailed with what we do
out at the James Cant Ranch,” said
Gamman.
Gamman said the ranch has a rich
history of arts and culture, and the
concert keeps with the tradition.
Like last year, 100 free tickets will
be set aside for Grant County resi-
dents; otherwise, tickets will be $25
at the door.
The date will be announced after
April 15 on inalandscape.org.
Burril, with Prairie City School
District, accepted the grant money
for the stage performance of “Johnny
Appleseed.”
The funds will go to the Missoula
Theatre, a traveling production com-
pany that gives production classes to
children. The children will rehearse
the production of “Johnny Apple-
seed” for a performance in the fall.
Local students have
earned academic hon-
ors at higher education
institutions.
Faythe Schafer was
named to the vice presi-
dent’s list for winter term
at Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College with a GPA
between 3.5 and 3.74.
Cassandra Hire of John
Day was named to the
dean’s list for fall term at
Central Oregon Commu-
nity College with a GPA at
or above 3.6.
Rebecca Batease of Can-
yon City was named to the
dean’s list for fall term at
Marist College.
Art association scholarship
deadline is May 12
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Art
Association is offering a
$1,000 scholarship to a
student pursuing an art
related field of study and
who will be in their fresh-
man or sophomore year of
college for the school year
2020-2021.
Contact Eloise Boren,
541-388-4698 or eloise-
boren@icloud.com, for an
application.
Submit photos or scans
of three pieces of the stu-
dent’s original artwork, a
personal statement, a let-
ter of endorsement and a
completed form to elo-
iseboren@icloud.com.
The art association will
select and notify the win-
ner and school. The dead-
line is May 12. Details
and instructions are on the
application.
The Grant County Art
Association meets the sec-
ond Wednesday of each
month. People interested
in joining should con-
tact Eloise at 541-987-
2138 or Mary at 541-575-
0911.
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF A PRIL 1 - 7
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