A2 FAMILY Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 6, 2021 No new COVID-19 cases reported in Grant County Health care worker vaccinations underway By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County has not reported a new COVID-19 since Dec. 29, according to the county’s health department. The county continues to remain in the low-risk category for Oregon restrictions. As of Jan. 4, the Oregon Health Authority reported that in Grant County’s Region 7, shared with Deschutes, Har- ney, Klamath, Jefferson, Lake and Wheeler counties, 50 COVID-19 patients are being hospitalized. OHA’s report said 12 of those people were in intensive care units while nine were on ventilators. Two staffed ICU beds are available while 54 non- ICU hospital beds are available. At St. Charles Hospital in Bend, 34 COVID-19 patients are being hospitalized as of Jan. 4, up from 29 last week. Ten of the COVID-19 patients Contributed photo Dr. Zach Bailey receives his COVID-19 vaccination last month at Blue Mountain Hospital from nurse Jenelle Moulton. are in the ICU, up from eight last week, and seven are on ventilators. St. Charles reported they had administered 2,290 Pfiz- er-BioNTech vaccines. Blue Mountain Hospital District Director of Emergency Medical Services Rebekah Rand said the hospital has used about 50% of its initial alloca- tion of vaccines and has been assured a shipment of the sec- ond dose for already vaccinated people will arrive before the second vaccination date arrives. “We are finding that as our employees see their team mem- bers experience mild to no side effects, additional employees continue to come forward with interest in receiving the vac- cine,” she said. “Thus far, we have not seen any severe side effects of the vaccine.” Rand said the hospital is strategically staggering vacci- nations to avoid unnecessary impacts to the workforce. Grant County, as of Jan. 4, vaccinated 39 people, accord- ing to OHA’s webpage. The county vaccinated 17 of those people on Dec. 31. Statewide, 51,275 vaccines have been given. In neighboring Baker County, OHA reports that 64 people have received the vac- cine while Malheur County has vaccinated 95 people as of Monday. On Sunday, there were 1,421 new and presumptive cases reported in the state, and upwards of 118,000 total pos- itive COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to OHA. State health officials reported eight new deaths Sunday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion, the total number of cases nationwide since Jan. 21 is just over 20 million. OBITUARIES Donna L. Wyllie Oct. 27, 1938 – Dec. 24, 2020 Donna LaVelle Porter Wyllie passed away Dec. 24, 2020. She was 82. Services will be held on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, at 1 p.m. at the Assembly of God Church, 896 E. Main St., John Day, Oregon. Donna was born Oct. 27, 1938, in Redding, California, to parents Robert L. Porter and LaVelle (Por- ter) Shank. Donna and her younger brother, Robert Porter Jr., lived in Fall River Mills, California, until 1940 when they moved to Court- rock near Monument, Oregon. Both kids attended school in a one-room schoolhouse at Cottonwood. At 16, Donna returned to Fall River Mills to live with her father and graduated school there in 1956. She met Harry Santos, and they married in 1958. They had two boys, Lindsey and Russell. In 1962, Donna married Lau- rie Wyllie, who adopted her sons, and added Kelly, his son from a previous marriage, to the mix. Then, together Donna and Laurie had two daughters, Lora and Jamie, and one more boy, Layton. They divorced in 1975. Donna moved to Fal- lon, Nevada, in 1987, and returned to Grant County in 2013. Donna never knew a stranger. She enjoyed life, and worked a broad spectrum of employment, including sales, nursing, retail, dispatch and building materials. Wherever she was, everyone knew her. She was rich in kindness, char- ity and a loyal friend to all. She was an amazing mother and grandmother/great-grandmother and lived a very full life. Memorial contributions can be made in her honor to Hope 4 Paws animal rescue through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com. Mask sales result in $500 donation for firefighter foundation By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Etc. owner Sherrie Riniger and artisan Michele Bishop are donating $500 to the Wild- land Firefighter Foundation as a result of sales from face masks. Bishop said the foundation is near to her heart because her husband was a wildland fire- fighter for 40 years, and her daughter was one for three years and also worked in dis- patch. Her future son-in-law is also a wildland firefighter. “This foundation is really special to me, and I wanted to do something to help them, and this was the perfect oppor- The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Artisan Michele Bishop and etc. owner Sherrie Riniger wear the masks they sold to raise $500 they will donate to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. tunity to do it,” Bishop said. “I brought the idea to Sherrie and said, whatever I made from the masks, the money would go the foundation.” Rininger said she would also donate her portion as well. Bishop said this foundation honors past, present and future wildland firefighters while giving them recognition for their work. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation focuses on help- ing families of firefighters killed in the line of duty. They assist injured firefighters and their families, according to their website. Sixty masks were sold at etc., and Bishop made another batch of around 75 masks, which she donated to wild- land firefighters in Idaho and Oregon. “I appreciate all the peo- ple that have supported us and helped by donating money or buying a mask,” Bishop said. December was slightly colder than normal in John Day Blue Mountain Eagle Temperatures in John Day averaged slightly colder than normal during the month of December, according to pre- liminary data received by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Pendleton. The average tempera- ture was 31.4 degrees, which was 0.7 degrees below nor- mal. High temperatures aver- aged 41.2 degrees, which was 0.5 degrees below normal. The highest was 58 degrees on Dec. 22. Low tempera- tures averaged 21.5 degrees, which was 0.9 degrees below normal. The lowest was 10 degrees on Dec. 29. There were 30 days with the low temperature below 32 degrees. There was one day when the high temperature stayed below 32 degrees. Precipitation totaled 0.21 inches during December, which was 1.03 inches below normal. Measurable precipita- Patty Moore tion was received on 10 days with the heaviest, 0.04 inches, reported on Dec. 27. Precipitation in 2020 totaled 10.80 inches, which is 2.37 inches below normal. Since October, the water year precipitation at John Day has been 1.37 inches, which is 2.21 inches below normal. Paid for by the family of Patty Moore Patty Moore, of John Day, slid the last drink to the other end of the bar on December 14, 2020. A Celebration of Patty’s Life and Potluck (which she loved) will be held in the Spring of 2021 (time, place & date to be announced). Patty was the only child born to James and Hazel (Yarber) Lemons in Mount Vernon, Oregon. She was raised and edu- cated in Mt. Vernon. Patty married just out of high school. Her first husband had a logging business and she worked by his side. She then married her second husband John Lawrence Francis and together they had two daughters, Pamela and Tammy. She worked during that time for a family-owned Flower Shop business owned by Cecille and Charlie Lewis. Patty and Lawrence later divorced, but they remained friends and were always respectful to each other, sharing and being a part of their daughter’s lives. Patty later married Oren Moore. At the time of his death they had been married 30 plus years. During her life she worked as a bartender (approximately 65 years) for the Wounded Buffalo, Branding Iron and John Day Golf Course. Patty had a gift for it, in having those regular customers, she never forgot what they drank till the day she died. Her yard was extremely important to her. She had a fluorescent thumb. She had hanging baskets, plants and flowers and they were all beautiful. Her love of animals was phenomenal. She loved politics - she was a politician without an office. Patty was a beautiful artist, whether it be painting, scenery or portraits. She loved canning, picnicking, huckleberry picking, cooking, RV camping and fishing. Patty lived for the holidays, her second thing next to her children whom were “my world.” She loved to entertain, she had a fabulous flair for her wardrobe and bling. When Patty walked into the room, you knew it. She loved almost everyone. She would check in on her friends religiously, and was calling them right up to just a few days before her death. To Patty, age was just a number and hers was “unlisted.” Patty, a memorable fabulous soul, who gave the gift of herself to all who were blessed to have known her. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her husbands, John & Oren. Patty is survived by her daughters, Pamela Suzanne Francis, Tammy Cartner and partner Rick Saul; grandchildren Jeremy Rider, Rheanna Cartner, Lanea Osborn, Kevin Rapp; several great grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and her rescue dog “Skippy.” All of her special friends “you know who you are”; Greg Jackson and all involved for your donations getting Skippy out of Vet Bill jail; and to all others of whom she Loved. For those who would like to make a memorial donation in memory of Patty, the family suggests “Hope for Paws” through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services PO Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com S224549-1 Last Week’s Temps John Day ...........................................................HI/LO Tuesday ........................................................... 31/17 Wednesday ..................................................... 46/31 Thursday .......................................................... 41/34 Friday ............................................................... 45/32 Saturday .......................................................... 42/36 Sunday ............................................................. 48/39 Monday............................................................ 47/34 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 Helen M. Bogart Helen Marie Bogart, 97, formerly of John Day, passed away Dec. 21, 2020, at Spokane Valley, Washington. A memorial service will be held in the spring of 2021. Her urn will be interned at the Canyon City Cemetery in Canyon City, Oregon. Memorial contributions can be made to the John Day Senior Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To offer an online condolence for the family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com. Susan E. Kyriss Susan Elaine Kyriss, 72, of Mt. Vernon passed away Dec. 29, 2020, at Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day, Oregon. A memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, at 2 p.m. at the Living Word Christian Center in Mt. Vernon, Oregon. Pastor Sharron Miller of Living Word Christian Center will officiate. Her urn will be interned at the Prairie City Ceme- tery. Memorial contributions can be made to the Living Word Christian Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To offer an online con- dolence for the family visit, driskillmemorialchapel.com. Clara Ann Lemley Clara Ann Lemley, 80, of John Day passed away Dec. 18, 2020, at her residence. A memorial service is planned for Sat- urday, Jan. 16, 2021, at 1 p.m. at Driskill Memorial Chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriner’s Chil- dren’s Hospital through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To offer online condo- lences to the family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com. Jessie Mae Lewis Jessie Mae Lewis, 84, a longtime Canyon City resi- dent, died Dec. 31, 2020, at her daughter’s home in Boise, Idaho. A funeral service is tentatively planned for Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, with the location and time yet to be deter- mined. Check the Driskill Memorial Chapel or Blue Moun- tain Eagle website for updates throughout this week. A com- plete and updated funeral notice will be published next week. Memorial contributions may be made to the Smokey Gibson Memorial Skate Park through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To offer online con- dolences to the family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com. Nancy M. Viggers Nancy M. Viggers, 90, of Prairie City passed away Dec. 29, 2020, at her residence with her family by her side. No services are planned at this time. Memorial contributions in her honor can be made to the Grant County Library through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. 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 infor- mation 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. W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF J AN . 6 - 12 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Snow likely Mostly sunny Chance of snow Partly sunny Mostly cloudy Chance of snow Cloudy 42 41 41 40 40 41 45 31 29 25 25 26 16 32