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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2021)
A2 FAMILY Blue Mountain Eagle BIRTH Wednesday, January 20, 2021 ‘A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol’ performance planned for John Day James Craig Ensign Blue Mountain Eagle Clayton and Thea Ensign of John Day announce the birth of their son, James Craig Ensign, on Dec. 8, 2020. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Grandparents are Craig and Jan Ensign of Long Creek and Wes and Terry Aasness of Mt. Vernon. The production of “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol” is com- ing to John Day. The show will be at the John Day Elks Lodge on Northeast Dayton Street at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 and 2 p.m. Jan. 23. All tickets must be purchased online at paintedskycenter.com, and there is limited seating. John Day Elks Lodge will have dinner sales at 6 p.m. on Jan. 22 prior to the production. Indi- vidual tickets are $5, and family tickets are $12. OBITUARIES Jessie Mae Lewis Dec. 14, 1936 – Dec. 31, 2020 Jessie Mae Lewis, under the care of her daughter Holly and helper Dodie peace- fully passed away Dec. 31, 2020, at Hol- ly’s home in Boise. Lying beside her was Lucy, her little dog; Lucy was always nearby giving comfort to Jessie. She was born to Marvin and Arlene Fuchs on Dec. 14, 1936, on the fam- ily farm outside of Blue Moun- tain, Arkansas. She was next to the old- est of four children. On Jan. 8, 1955, she married Gerald Lewis, and was joined in November of that same year with fi rst daughter, Tracy. In 1957 after moving to Canyon City, Annette came along. Holly, the third daughter, came along in 1960 to brighten the family picture, and the icing on the family tree was the family procasti- nator, Dodie, born in 1971. Jessie in the early years was a stay-at- home mom, but as the girls became older and involved with Girl Scouts and 4-H, she became involved with these groups. She later taught Hunters Safety through the Oregon State Game Commission. She was involved with the Republican Party of Grant County and the American Legion Auxiliary. In 1980, Jessie bought The Oregonian dealership of Grant County. Twice Jes- sie won trips through selling subscrip- tions for the newspaper. First trip was to England and France. Second trip was a cruise to the Caribbean. After selling The Oregonian news- paper, Jessie took an antique appraiser course; she passed and became a licensed appraiser here in Oregon. In the early 2000s, she had an idea. She pulled together several people and formed a committee to raise money and built a skateboard park, the Smokey Gib- son Memorial Park. Jessie is survived by daughters, Tracy, Annette, Holly and Dodie; son-in-law, Jerry; grandsons Jaydden, Bridger and Tristan; granddaughter Sarah; and great-grandchil- dren Reese and Mattie. Darrell Clifford Hopper Nancy Viggers Oct. 21, 1926 – Jan. 8, 2021 Darrell Clifford Hopper, age 94, a long- time Silvies Valley rancher, passed away Jan. 8, 2021, at his home on Dog Creek in John Day, with his fam- ily by his side. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Darrell was born Oct. 21, 1926, in Sil- vies Valley, Ore- gon, to Charles Ellsworth Hopper and Lula Maude (Beavers) Hopper. He attended school through the 10th grade and was a rancher in Silvies Valley for many years. As if owning his own ranch didn’t keep him busy enough, he also worked as superinten- dent for Edward Hines Lumber Company for 36 years. He later worked at the United Methodist Church Thrift Store in John Day for a number of years. Darrell married Gladys May Caroll in Reno, Nevada, on June 10, 1950. The couple remained married until her passing on June 15, 2007. He enjoyed gardening, rock hunting, fi sh- ing, playing cards and word searches. He liked playing the guitar, banjo and harmon- ica, which made him a well-rounded mem- ber of the band he played in. He was a Chris- tian and served in the Episcopal Church as a Lay Reader. Survivors include two daughters, Car- olee Wisor and Callie Moss, and a son, John Hopper, all of John Day, four nieces, one nephew and numerous great-nieces, -nephews and cousins. He had six grand- children and seven adopted grandchildren he called his own along with three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Gladys Hopper; his parents, Ellsworth and Maude Hopper; sisters Zelma Brown, Hazel McKrola and Iris Woods; brother, For- rest Hopper; and three infant boys. Memorial contributions may be made to the Grant County 4-H through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit driskillme- morialchapel.com. The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Sept. 13, 1930 – Dec. 29, 2020 Nancy Monica (Creswick) Viggers, 90, passed away peacefully Dec. 29, 2020, in Prairie City. No services are planned at this time. Nancy was born Sept. 13, 1930, in Toronto, Can- ada. At 17, her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. There she met her beloved Jack at the Church of Our Savior. They moved west to Helena, Montana, in 1950 and were married in the Episcopal Cathe- dral the day after her 20th birthday. As a couple, they lived in many parts of the country, including Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Port Angeles, Washington. In 1993 they found the John Day Valley, which reminded them of their fi rst home. They Moved to Prairie City, Oregon, to happily live out their golden years. Nancy was an outgoing person who made many friends in her life. She was an avid reader, which led her to her fi rst job at the Toronto Public Library, Runny- meade Branch. Later on, she would enjoy her career in sales and marketing for the Idaho First National Bank. Nancy cherished her role as the wife of an Episcopal minister, and the mother and matriarch of an extended family of relatives and friends. She was a good Christian woman who championed causes centered on peace, justice, equal- ity, education and the public good. She was a proud Democrat but was able to get along with everyone regardless of their political differences. Nancy always had a positive attitude and looked for the good in people and situations. She touched and was loved by so many, espe- cially her family. She is survived by her brother Edward Creswick of Ufford, Suffolk, England. Memorial contributions may be made to the Grant County Library through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com. Walter Duane Osborne January 31, 1956 ~ January 10, 2021 Paid for by the family of Walter Osborne The world lost an irreplaceable Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, and dear Friend on January 10th, 2021 when Walter Duane Osborne of Florence, MT passed peacefully at age 64 after a brief but valiant fight with COVID-19. Just as he was throughout his life, Walt was surrounded by his loving family. Walt was born to Ersel (Zeke) and MaryAnne Osborne on January 31, 1956 in Prineville, OR. After graduating from nearby Mt. Vernon High School in 1974, he joined the Air Force and proudly served his country for 5 years. In April 1979, he married Marie Osborne and had two children: Kraig and Megan. In 2014, he married for a third time; Loreen Osborne and her four children all loved Walt deeply and were cherished by him in return. After Loreen’s passing, Walt again found room in his heart for a great love, and in December 2020, Walt married Pamela Osborne, and gained his Canadian family. Pamela was his proud wife and end of life partner. He always told her “You may not be my first kiss, my first date, or my first love, but you’ll be my last everything.” He worked in the timber industry for 18 years as a logger, millwright, and sawmill foreman before moving on to a contractor drilling position for the gov- ernment. This job allowed him to travel extensively, always making new friends along the way. He settled for a few years in Montana with Loreen until he became a widower and heard the road calling to him again. He went back to work directional boring/drilling simply to keep himself and his mind busy. It was during this time that he and Pam began their all-too-short life together. Walt was a source of joy and happiness to all who knew him, and found his own happiness in the love of family and friends, and in time spent in the great outdoors. He was rarely indoors or idle, and loved spending time working, camping, hunting or just riding around the mountains with loved ones. Walt’s rough exterior covered a gentle heart. He was strong, proud, and full of life; he could fix anything, knew everything there was to know about elk hunting, and considered chopping firewood a fun hobby. He was the rare individual who was never afraid of hard work, was always willing to help, and put his family above all else. Walt made every person’s life he entered better. He will forever be deeply and sadly missed. Walt is preceded in death by his parents MaryAnne and Ersel (Zeke) Osborne, his beautiful baby sister Patty Osborne, and his late wife Loreen Osborne. He is survived by his wife Pamela; sister Evelyn (Roy); his son Kraig (Lanea) Osborne; daughter Megan Fowler; Loreen’s children, Virginia, Seth (Vanika), Eric and Jeremy; Pam’s children, Kala (Riley) Christmann, Brayden Grieve; Pamela’s mother Elizabeth Ralph; Grandbabies Korey, Konner, Kadyn, Beau, Ora, Amya, Peyton, Greyson, Dustin, Hannah, Dylan, Ashlynn, Everly and Ollen. A memorial service will be held in honor of Walt in Mt. Vernon, OR at Clyde Holliday State Park on Saturday, May 15th 2021 at 11:00 AM. His ashes will be scattered in the mountains where he created so many memories for all of us.Until we meet again, we’ll think of you always. We hold you close to our hearts, and there you will remain as a source of peace and guidance forever. S226348-1 Last Week’s Temps John Day ...........................................................HI/LO Tuesday ........................................................... 45/35 Wednesday ..................................................... 46/28 Thursday .......................................................... 50/27 Friday ............................................................... 43/28 Saturday .......................................................... 45/27 Sunday ............................................................. 49/31 Monday............................................................ 42/25 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 Grant County Economic Development Director Tory Stinnett in her offi ce on Main Street at the L Building last month. Stinnett draws on crisis background to boost economic development By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County’s Eco- nomic Development Direc- tor Tory Stinnett, who worked for both the District Attorney’s Offi ce’s Victims Services and the Depart- ment of Human Services offi ce, said her background has been key in helping the business community weather the economic uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. “I’m used to working with people suffering and in crises, and right now, busi- nesses and people are suffer- ing and in crisis mode,” she said. Stinnett, who took over the Economic Development Offi ce in August, said peo- ple are experiencing a lot of “fear and uncertainty,” and her time at DHS and Vic- tim’s Services taught her how counterproductive it is to change people’s emotions. She said her previous posi- tions taught her the value of listening and hearing what people have to say to match them with services that can best help them. “It’s also about under- standing that you can’t save everybody at the end of the day,” she said. “And some- times it’s just helping people as much as you can in a hor- rible situation.” Stinnett said what is vital in trauma work is giving people options. “You can give people resources,” she said. “But you can’t tell people what to do.” Stinnett said, especially in a rural area, face-to-face con- tact with people is critical, and those opportunities have been few and far between during the pandemic. “People will listen to you if you can see them and tell them about a program you’re doing,” she said. “They are much more likely to partici- pate than if you sent them an email or they heard about it on the radio.” Stinnett, who grew up in Clackamas and went to Ore- gon State, said she moved to Grant County about four years ago. She said the transition from an urban to a rural area was not as diffi cult as expected. Stinnett said she empa- thizes with people in the community who have mis- givings about some of the proposed changes. “I hear what they’re say- ing because, coming from the Portland area where you have a lot of outsid- ers who are coming with a lot of changes to a place that you’ve grown up and known, it can be an interest- ing transition,” she said. “So, I understand.” For example, she said her commute went from 20 min- utes to an hour and a half because of the infl ux of out- siders moving to Clackamas. Stinnett said recognizing that similarity with people in the community has been positive. She said her experi- ence working with different demographics throughout the county, from the business community to local leaders and the general public, has blown her away. She said, “across the board,” the peo- ple are “really kind.” After attending various city council meetings, she let communities know about COVID-19 relief funds and other grant programs. The overriding response from people in those meetings was that other cities might need more money than they did. “People are just really kind out here,” she said. Stinnet said Grant County is a frontier — not a rural — community. She said recog- nizing that distinction is crit- ical when considering the economic impact the state- wide lockdowns have on frontier communities. The National Center for Frontier Communities defi nes a frontier commu- nity as a sparsely populated area geographically isolated from population centers and services. She said an area like Grant County losing restau- rant access has more signif- icant long-term impacts than in a more densely populated area. She said people, espe- cially business owners, must remember the unique challenges they face oper- ating a business in a fron- tier community and that it is OK to apply for and use the funds within the “right parameters.” “We’re still in a crisis mode, and people don’t want to take more than they need,” she said. “And that is really cool.” In these situations, she said she reminds herself that in “crisis mode,” peo- ple want to know they have choices and are in control. “People are much more receptive to accept help if they’re given options,” she said. W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF J AN . 20 – 26 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Mostly sunny Chance of snow Mostly cloudy Mostly sunny Partly sunny Chance of snow Mostly sunny 45 43 39 37 39 37 39 28 26 23 19 24 20 18