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
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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