A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Rep. Cliff Bentz to
hold town hall in
Mt. Vernon Thursday
Blue Mountain Eagle
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz,
R-Ontario, will update Grant
County residents of the work
he has been doing since voters
sent him to Washington, D.C.,
in November.
Bentz will hold a town hall
from 10-11 a.m. Thursday at
the Mount Vernon Commu-
nity Hall, at 640 Ingle St.
The in-person, indoor
event format will kick off
with brief remarks, and a con-
stituent question and answer
session.
The press release notes that
Oregon recommends wearing
masks in public and indoor
settings regardless of vaccina-
tion status.
THE 112TH GRANT
COUNTY FAIR
Wednesday-Saturday,
Aug. 11-14, at the Grant
County Fairgrounds in
John Day.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Grant County Fair grand marshal Bonnie Nance stands next to a tractor on her hay fi eld in Prairie
City.
The 112th Grant County
Fair kicks off today
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County Fair grand
marshal Bonnie Nance of Prai-
rie City said it is an honor to be
recognized for the 112th Grant
County Fair Parade.
Born and raised in the
county, she told the Eagle she
had not missed a Grant County
Fair until last year due to
COVID-19.
Nance said, when she
was growing up, the fair was
the place to meet new peo-
ple from all over the county
and catch up with old and new
acquaintances.
She said, in the fair’s early
years, around 1915, her father
Alfred Coombs would ride to
the fairgrounds on horseback.
“It was the grand meeting
for the county,” Nance said.
Nance, 85, who runs a
ranch in Prairie City that has
been in her family for more
than 60 years, said she was on
a horse at 4 years old.
Growing up, Nance said
she loved working the family
ranch and especially working
with horses. Over the years,
Nance has raised, ridden and
trained countless horses, she
said. She said her favorite
breeds are paint and appaloosa.
“A lot of problems get
solved on the back of a horse,”
she said.
These days, though, Nance
said she usually rides a four-
wheeler to get around.
William “Bill” Allen Richards,
October 31, 1949 - July 28, 2021
William (Bill) Allen Rich-
ards, age 71, of Monument
passed away on July 28th, 2021
at his residence. A graveside
service was held Friday, August
6th at 11:00 AM at the Monu-
ment Cemetery.
Bill was born to Van and
Betty Richards on October 31,
1949 in Prairie City, Oregon. He
was the second of 4 children.
He spent the first six years of
his life in Spray, Oregon before
the family moved to Monument,
Oregon. Bill attended Monu-
ment School and graduated
in 1967. Monument School is
where he met the love of his
life, Dorothy Miller. They were
married January 23, 1968. They
were married for 33 years before Dorothy passed away in 2001. Bill and
Dorothy had two daughters, Carrie Jewell and Teri Hamilton. Bill passed
away July 28, 2021 at his home in Monument, Oregon.
Bill spent most of his working years in the Timber Industry. He spent
the early years falling timber and driving log truck. In later years he worked
at the Long Creek Mill working his way up to night foreman. When that
mill closed, he moved to the Blue Mountain Forest Products Mill in Reith,
Oregon where he became a well-known saw filer. He worked there until he
retired in 2015 and moved back to his full-time residence in Monument,
Oregon. Through retirement he stayed busy baling hay at the Hidden Acres
Ranch in Kimberly, Oregon.
Bill spent his free time with his family. He loved hunting the big bucks
and elk with his family. He could be found fishing the banks of the river, or
local lakes. Bill enjoyed watching his grandkids play sports. Anytime some-
one needed a helping hand, he was always there to lend one.
Bill is survived by his daughters, Carrie Jewell of Kimberly, OR; Teri
(Josh) Hamilton of Monument, OR; mother, Betty Richards of Monument,
OR; sisters, Elaine Thomas of Pendleton, OR; and Barbara Mahon of Gard-
nerville, NV; grandchildren, William (Marianne) Jewell, Jack (Teawna) Jew-
ell of Kimberly, OR; Taylor Hamilton and Weston Hamilton of Monument,
OR; one great grandchild, Paul Jewell of Kimberly, OR.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Richards, father Van
Richards, brother Earl Richards, granddaughter Hayden Hamilton, and son-
in-law Arlot Jewell.
Memorial contributions can be made to a charity of one’s choice
through Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR
97845. To leave an online condolence for the family please visit, www.
driskillmemorialchapel.com. Paid for by the family of Bill Richards.
Nance was on the Fair
Court in 1951 as a rodeo prin-
cess and was queen in 1952.
She was riding “Laddie,” a
horse that, at fi rst, had initially
been stubborn.
But, recognizing the poten-
tial in the paint horse, she said,
over time, they forged a bond.
“He was a challenge for me,
and I was a challenge for him,”
Nance said.
In addition riding rodeo
competitions, Nance said as a
kid she took livestock to the fair.
Over the years, Nance said
she has participated in 4-H
and helped kids in the commu-
nity with their animals. Nance
said kids learn a lot of essential
skills in 4-H.
Nance said the fair has
evolved. She said kids are rais-
ing smaller animals, such as
rabbits, goats and sheep. Over-
all, she said the fair had more of
an emphasis on livestock than it
does today.
The activities that have
replaced them, she said, are
clothing, woodworking and
cooking.
In the parade, Nance said
she would ride with the fair
board in a cattle truck.
She said she is looking for-
ward to promoting the fair, and
given everything the county has
been through with hardships
brought on by the pandemic, the
fair will bring an opportunity
for the county to come together.
“In this day and age, we
need to be kind, and do the best
we can,” Nance said. “Let’s get
in there and help everybody.”
Thursday, Aug. 12
8 p.m.: Jesse Leigh con-
cert — center stage
Friday, Aug. 13
7-9 a.m.: Ranch Break-
fast east of the pavilion
Eagle fi le photo
10 a.m.: Kids Day Parade
— meet on Southwest
First Street near the
Catholic Church (from
there, kids walk north
on Canyon Boulevard
to Dayton Street, then
Main Street to Dairy
Queen)
Kimberly Lindsay, Grant County Public Health Administrator.
Only seven intensive care
units available in region
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County has had a
total of 567 reported cases
since the beginning of the
pandemic, according to the
New York Times COVID-19
data tracker.
About 1 in 13 people in
Grant County have been
infected with the virus,
according to the data tracker.
While case counts remain
low, the risk of the unvacci-
nated people contracting the
virus is high, the data tracker
reported, as cases in Baker,
Malheur, Union and Umatilla
counties are surging.
The
Oregon
Health
Authority reported 44 hospi-
6:15 p.m.: John Michael
Montgomery and Colt
Ford concert with Jessie
Leigh opening — arena
gates open at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 14
11 a.m.: Grant County
Fair Parade — starts at
Grant Union Junior-Se-
nior High School, north
on Canyon Boulevard to
Dayton Street, then Main
Street
2 p.m.: Champion Pie
Baker contest — outside
east door of Pavilion
4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock
auction
8 p.m.: Freestyle Bull-
fi ghting — free at the are-
na with fair admission.
Mary Lou McCleary
9:30 p.m.: Live music —
center stage
For more information,
pick up a fair book at
the fair offi ce at 411 NW
Bridge St. or visit grant-
countyoregon.net.
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
talizations Monday in Grant
County’s region seven, which
it shares with Deschutes,
Harney, Klamath, Jeff erson,
Klamath, Lake, and Wheeler
counties.
OHA reports that there
are seven available intensive
care unit beds in the region.
Kimberly Lindsay, Grant
County’s public health
administrator, said state-
wide hospital numbers were
as high as last fall in a Satur-
day email. Additionally, she
said, the state is seeing the
highest number of patients
in the ICU at any point in
the pandemic, and hospi-
talizations are increasing
rapidly.
OBITUARIES
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
Last Week’s Temps
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
Admission is free
Wednesday. Admission
other days costs $6 or $3
for seniors and children
6-11. Children under 5
get in free.
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
S256612-1
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Tuesday ......................................................... 100/61
Wednesday ..................................................... 97/62
Thursday .......................................................... 94/64
Friday ............................................................... 85/58
Saturday .......................................................... 93/56
Sunday ............................................................. 78/56
Monday............................................................ 86/45
Gates open at 8 a.m.
daily. Pavilion open
from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday through Fri-
day, 1-8 p.m. Saturday.
S256616-1
Grand marshal Bonnie Nance has only missed
one county fair — last year during the pandemic
Contributed photo
Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario,
will hold his fi rst in-person
town hall meeting with voters
in Grant County Thursday at
Mt. Vernon’s Community Hall.
Sept. 6, 1928 – July 28, 2021
Mary Lou McCleary, age 92, of John Day passed away July
28, 2021, at Valley View Assisted Living. A private family ser-
vice is scheduled for a later date.
Mary Lou was born Sept. 6, 1928, in
Tacoma, Washington, to Earl and Frieda
Shelley. She spent her high school years
in Gresham, Oregon. Mary Lou married
John Bill McCleary on Sept. 25, 1947, in
Gresham, Oregon, and they welcomed
four children.
Mary Lou worked at St. Vincent Hos-
pital in Beaverton, Oregon, as a switch
board operator, Tektronix Inc. in Beaver-
ton, along with Electro Scientifi c Indus-
tries and was also a car hop.
Mary Lou enjoyed reading, car rides and she made the best
lemon meringue, chocolate cream and coconut cream pies any-
one has ever tasted. She was a loving and caring mother and
grandmother; she was unselfi sh and giving and was always there
to help and volunteer her time to those not as fortunate as herself.
She was a member of the Catholic Church in Waldport, Ore-
gon, and a member of St. Andrews Catholic Church in John Day.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband, John Bill
McCleary, and her son, Christopher McCleary.
Survivors include her daughter Marsha (Mike) Christensen
of John Day, Oregon; daughter Patricia Blount of La Grande,
Oregon; daughter Jeanette (Robert) Zink of Wallowa, Oregon;
son Matt McCleary of Hermiston, Oregon; and seven grandchil-
dren; and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions can be made to Blue Mountain Hos-
pice through Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241 S. Canyon Blvd.,
John Day, OR 97845. To leave an online condolence for the fam-
ily, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com.
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF A UG . 11-17
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