A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
OBITUARIES
Rodney Gary Potter
Stanley Powell
Aug. 2, 1933 – Sept. 7, 2021
Rodney Gary Potter, beloved father and husband, was born
Aug. 2, 1933, in Ione, Washington, to
Ray Potter and Esther (Applegate) Pot-
ter. Rodney resided in Mt. Vernon with
his beloved wife, Sharon Thomas Pot-
ter, in their home overlooking the beauti-
ful Eastern Oregon mountains. He is sur-
vived by his four children, Marc Potter,
Paul Potter, Steve Potter and Sheila (Pot-
ter) Blacketer. He was accepted into the
arms his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on
Sept. 7, 2021. LaFollette’s Chapel was in
charge of funeral arrangements.
July 4, 1934 – Sept. 6, 2021
Stanley Duane Powell, age 86, of Mt. Vernon, passed away on
Sept. 6, 2021.
Stanley was born in Prineville, Oregon, to Virgil and Elda
Powell on July 4, 1935. He married Lavaughn Smith of Kenne-
wick, Washington, on May 10, 1957.
They met while he was stationed at Camp Hanford. After he
was discharged from the Army, they moved to Prineville, where
he worked at Ernie’s Sport Shop. In 1959 they moved to Day-
ville, Oregon, where he started his own logging company. When
his sons Mark and Brett were old enough, they worked alongside
him. Stanley and Lavaughn were able to purchase 40 acres in Mt.
Vernon, Oregon, and build a home they have lived in for 46 years.
Stanley “Skip” was a strong-willed man. He enjoyed many
things: hunting, fi shing, bowling, playing pool, team roping, play-
ing guitar. He could tell hunting stories with the best of them. He
tried his hand at breeding and racing quarter horses, a few cows
and hay.
Stanley is preceded in death by his parents, Elda and Virgil
Powell, and son Todd Vance Powell.
Stanley is survived by his spouse, Lavaughn; children Mark
Powell and his wife Julie of Mt. Vernon, Oregon, daughter Tammy
Powell from Grants Pass, Oregon, and son Brett Powell of Salem,
Oregon.
Stanley is survived by his sister Winona White and her hus-
band Ash; brother Larry Powell and his wife Pauline; along with
numerous nieces and nephews.
Stanley has fi ve grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and
one great-great-grandchild.
In lieu of fl owers, the family has asked that a donation to hos-
pice of your choice is appreciated.
No service is planned at this time.
Alvin ‘Al’ Basil Cummings
Dec. 4, 1949 – Aug. 23, 2021
Alvin “Al” Basil Cummings, age 71, of John Day passed away
Aug. 23, 2021, at his residence. A graveside service will be held at
a later date.
Al was born Dec. 4, 1949, to William Otis Cumming Jr. and
Edna Offi cer in Prairie City, Oregon. He was a veteran of the United
States Navy and worked as an electrician alongside his father at the
family-owned business Cummings Electric.
Al had many hobbies throughout his life he enjoyed volunteer-
ing his time in his community at such place as the Cant Ranch, Fox
Church, Grant County Fairgrounds and the John Day Library. He
liked to study the history of Eastern Oregon, was an NRA instructor,
loved animals, especially dogs, rode motorcycles and was a pilot.
He knew many of the older people in Grant County along with
many of the old stories. He would embellish them or trade names
for entertainment purposes. He enjoyed riding along with his friends
in their log trucks or other rigs throughout any season.
Al was preceded in death by his parents, William and Edna, and
his brother David.
Survivors include his friends, many people of Grant County and
elsewhere who appreciated his personality and his helpfulness.
Malheur National Forest
reduces fi re restrictions
Blue Mountain Eagle
Carol Joy Coombs
July 15, 1957 ~ August 28, 2021
Carol Joy Coombs, of John Day, passed
away unexpectedly in Bend, Oregon on Au-
gust 28, 2021, at the age of 64. She was
born in Canyon City on July 15, 1957 to
Gerald and Joyce Schouten. She was the
first grandchild of Dick and Elsie Schouten
and was the absolute apple of their eye. She
graduated from Grant Union H.S. in 1975.
Shortly after graduation, she met the love
of her life and soulmate Bill Coombs. De-
spite some scepticism and warnings from a
senior family member, they married just 3
months later, on September 5, 1975. Prov-
ing this relative wrong, they spent the next 46 years together as best
friends, happily married and raising their family. Carol remained a
Grant County resident her entire life.
Carol was a loving, loyal and devoted wife, mother and grand-
mother. You couldn't find a better daughter, sister, or friend, but in
her role as Jerry and Krissy's Mom, she found her calling. Carol
was very proud of her family. She was very protective and loved her
children deeply and unconditionally, and this love was absolutely
returned to her. Carol liked nothing more than to spend time with
her family and friends, always ready to visit, share a story or have
a laugh (and what a great laugh she had). Carol was a wonderful
homemaker who filled her home with love, laughter, and great food.
She was generous and inviting and would make room in her home,
and in her heart, for those in need. Carol was down-to-earth and
easy-going. She was very kind and never wanted to hurt or offend
anyone. To know her was to love her, as Carol had a heart of gold.
She was quiet and shy and never wanted to be the center of atten-
tion, but to those of us who loved her, she will always be at the
center of our hearts.
Carol enjoyed camping, fishing, and was an avid hunter. She
even outhunted Bill a few times, being the only one to fill her tag.
Carol loved to go bowling and enjoyed competing locally on her
bowling team. She also loved to cook, so many a Thanksgiving
were spent, working off a turkey dinner, at the bowling alley. Carol
loved to travel and see new places and things. The stories of her
and Bill's adventures traveling, brought her great joy, so telling
these stories she did. A few of them were told at Bill's expense,
but always with love and respect. She was an animal lover from the
start. Wherever Carol happened to be, there was at least one dog
waiting at home for her to return. Her pets were always a special
part of her family and treated as such. Carol was a wonderful hu-
man being who will be tremendously missed by so many people
and animals alike.
Carol's love of cooking made her career choice perfect. Carol
worked in the kitchen at the Blue Mountain Hospital for 37 years.
She was hard-working and a dependable, valued employee, who
got along with everyone. She started at the bottom, but worked her
way to management as the Certified Dietary Supervisor. She was
well respected by her co-workers and will not be soon forgotten.
Carol is preceded in death by her parents Gerald and Joyce
Schouten. She is survived by her husband Bill Coombs; son Jerry
(Cyndi) Coombs; and daughters Kristen Coombs and Casey (Dan-
ny) Komning; and 4 grandchildren, Dalaney, Ryann, Dilynn, and
Levi, all of John Day. Carol had one sister, April (Aaron) Forrester
of Tenmile, Oregon. Carol also leaves Donn Coombs of Yreka, Ca;
Grant (Vickie) Coombs of Oakland, Or; and Mary (Tom) Elliott of
Canyon City, Or. Carol is also survived by many nieces, nephews,
and cousins who loved her greatly.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date when good
health returns to our communities. An announcement will be made
in The Blue Mountain Eagle, with Driskill Memorial Chapel, and
on social media. Donations can be made at Old West Credit Union
in Carol's name. These funds will be used to create a memorial in
honor of Carol at the Blue Mountain Hospital. Paid for by the family
of Carol Coombs.
S261347-1
The Malheur National For-
est moved from Industrial Fire
Precaution Level IV to an IFPL
III and lowered the Fire Dan-
ger Rating from Extreme to
High Sept. 10. Waivers will
still be required for some types
of work.
Under IFPL III, the follow-
ing are prohibited except as
indicated:
• Cable yarding — except
that gravity operated logging
systems employing non-mo-
torized carriages may oper-
ate between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m.,
local time, when all blocks and
moving lines are suspended 10
feet above the ground, except
the line between the carriage
and the chokers.
• Power saws — except
power saws may be used at
loading sites and on tractor/
skidder operations between
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
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wildfi re season isn’t
over yet. On Sept. 9, Harney
County received abundant late
afternoon and evening light-
ning, and two positive strikes
in the Dry Mountain area
north of Riley sparked sepa-
rate wildfi res with surprising
acreage for this time of year.
Quick response from the
Silver Creek Rangeland Fire
Protection Association, Burns
Interagency Fire Zone and pri-
vate contractors kept the Silver
Creek fi re at 86 acres before
being fully contained on Sept.
11, according to a Forest Ser-
vice press release.
The Big Meadow Fire,
burning in heavy timber, with
limited ground access due to
rocky and rough terrain, is still
active at 2,600 acres and only
15% contained.
Once smoke and weather
conditions improved on Sept.
10, a multitude of air resources
were able to fl y and provide
signifi cant suppression support
at Big Meadow. Very Large
Air Tankers (8,000-gallon
capacity), Large Air Tankers
(2,000 to 4,000-gallon capac-
ity), Single Engine Air Tank-
ers (800-gallon capacity), a
Type 3 Helicopter (180-gallon
capacity, and passenger space)
and a Type 1 Blackhawk Heli-
copter (up to 3,000-gallon
capacity) — along with Air
Attack planes who coordinate
and lead these resources from
the air — have all been on site,
dropping water or retardant to
slow fi re spread and drown
active hot spots.
Air resources are expected
to be on scene throughout the
week. Ground crews will con-
tinue securing control lines
and mop-up from the perime-
ter as containment improves.
Type 2 Northwest Inter-
agency Incident Manage-
ment Team 7 assumed con-
trol of the Big Meadow Fire
and assigned staff and equip-
ment on Monday. Their Inci-
dent Command Post and the
fi refi ghter base camp are set
up in Riley for the duration.
Incident management teams
provide a command-and-con-
trol infrastructure to take care
of the operational, logistical,
informational, planning, fi s-
cal, community, politica and
safety issues associated with
complex incidents, essentially
allowing local offi cials to
return to normal work.
A closure of both Bureau
of Land Management and
U.S. Forest Service-adminis-
tered public lands in the Big
Meadow Fire area is in place.
Roads and trails within the
closure are off limits to all
access – hiking, biking, horse-
back, ATV, vehicle, etc. – until
further notice. Boundary roads
along the closure remain open.
Maps of the closure area are
available at the BLM offi ce
at 28910 Highway 20 West
in Hines, the Riley Store,
and Harney County Sporting
Goods, and posted at entry
roads in the fi re vicinity.
Public use restrictions are
still in place: no campfi res,
personal chainsaw use, explo-
sives or parking or driving off
road.
For more information on
the Big Meadow Fire or the
public land closure in the area,
follow Burns Interagency Fire
Zone on social media or call
541-573-4400.
Leighton named to President’s List
Blue Mountain Eagle
Jason Leighton of John
Day has been named to South-
ern New Hampshire Universi-
ty’s summer 2021 President’s
List. Eligibility for the Presi-
dent’s List requires that a stu-
dent accumulate an academic
grade point average (GPA) of
3.7-4.0 and earn 12 credits for
the term.
Southern New Hamp-
shire University is a private,
nonprofi t institution with an
89-year history of educating
traditional-aged students and
working adults. Now serv-
ing more than 150,000 learn-
ers worldwide, SNHU off ers
approximately 200 accredited
undergraduate, graduate and
certifi cate programs, avail-
able online and on its 300-acre
campus in Manchester, New
Hampshire.
October 31, 1945 ~ September 5, 2021
Fred Waterman left us on Sun-
day, September 5, 2021 at his home
in Tallahassee, Florida, surrounded
by his family and dog while watching
his beloved Oregon Ducks win their
home opener. Fred leaves behind his
wife, of 38 years, Pat (Caddoo), sons;
John Waterman and Travis Conn,
Daughters in law; Ana Waterman and
Danielle Conn, and 7 grandkids; Riley,
Matthew, Nicholas, Ryan, Isabella, Na-
than and Michael. He was preceded in
death by his parents John and Irene
Waterman, sister Verna, brother Steve
and infant nephew Christopher.
Born October 31, 1945 in Prairie City, Oregon and Fred was
raised in John Day, Oregon. While calling Tallahassee home for
the past 16 years Fred also resided in New York, Iowa, Illinois and
Oregon.
A graduate of Grant Union High School where he was a member
of the varsity football team, Fred subsequently went on to the Uni-
versity of Oregon as a member of the Oregon Ducks football team.
After graduation from the University of Oregon in 1968, Fred joined
the US Army and proudly served as a sergeant in the 199th Infantry
– Comanche Warriors in Vietnam from 1968-69. During his time
in Vietnam, he served with men who became lifelong friends and
brothers. Upon honorable discharge and receiving a Purple Heart,
Fred began his 37-year career with the Veterans Administration
working at 4 VA hospitals in 4 states Ending his career in New
York, Fred and Pat moved to Tallahassee, where he became a very
happy retiree, learning the love of golf, joining the Killearn Country
Club and enjoying new found friends while a part of the “SLUGs”.
Fred adored his family, valued his friends and was a proud Vietnam
veteran who was honored to serve his country when asked.
Fred, per his request will be interred at the Tallahassee National
Cemetery at 11:00AM on Thursday, September 16, 2021. Dona-
tions can be made in his name to the Leon County Humane Society
or a charity of your choice.
Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.
bevisfh.com) is assisting the Waterman family with their arrange-
ments. Paid for by the family of Fred Waterman.
S261399-1
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Tuesday ........................................................... 96/56
Wednesday ..................................................... 79/58
Thursday .......................................................... 96/59
Friday ............................................................... 70/50
Saturday .......................................................... 76/46
Sunday ............................................................. 78/49
Monday............................................................ 75/48
the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m.,
local time.
The following are permitted
between the hours of 8 p.m. and
1 p.m. local time:
• Tractor/skidder, fell-
er-buncher, forwarder or shovel
logging operations where trac-
tors, skidders, or other equip-
ment with a blade capable of
constructing fi reline are imme-
diately available to quickly reach
and eff ectively attack a fi re start
• Mechanized loading or
hauling of any product or
material
• Blasting
• Welding or cutting of
metal or any other spark emit-
ting operation not specifi cally
mentioned
Public Use Restrictions
on the Malheur National For-
est will remain at Phase C. For
more information regarding
Public Use Restrictions, call
541-575-3113.
Late season wildfi re
reaches 2,600 acres
Mary Lee (Cork) Lesley
November 1, 1927 ~ September 2, 2021
Mary Lee (Cork) Lesley passed
away September 2, 2021 at the age of
93 in John Day, Oregon. Her husband,
Bob, preceded her in death in 2016.
Mary Lee was born in Fossil, Oregon
on November 1, 1927 in her grand-
mother’s house which still stands to
this day. She was the oldest daughter
of Roy and Ouida Cork and grew up
in Monument, Oregon with her sister
Betty and her brother Barney.
Mary Lee and Bob have been John
Day residents for the past 40 years and
have loved being back in Eastern Or-
egon after spending time in Bend, Oregon raising their three chil-
dren. They were active members at the John Day Golf Course and
spent many years developing lifelong friendships with their fellow
golfers.
Mary Lee always felt blessed for her friends and family and of-
ten said what a lucky woman she was to be surrounded by so many
who loved her. She also loved the travels and adventures that she
and Bob took throughout their married life. Back in the early ‘80s
Mary Lee and Bob took a job mining for gold on the Yukon River
in Alaska. The male miners could not believe a woman would will-
ingly follow her husband to the Interior of Alaska, let alone live in
a tent, cook their meals on a cook stove, and even drive a loader
when extra hands were needed. Anyone who knew Mary Lee knew
that she had a zest for life and was always up for any adventure that
came her way.
Mary Lee leaves behind her three children, Newt, Harold (Dean),
and Jerri along with two grandchildren, Kimberly Young and Ryan
Young, Ryan’s wife, Maureen, and three great grandchildren, Tyler,
Blair and Scarlett, as well as friends too numerous to mention as
everyone who met her loved her.
At this time there is no formal service planned but per their
wishes Mary Lee’s and Bob’s ashes will be placed together in a
gravesite at the Monument Cemetery, Monument, Oregon. Paid for
by the family of Mary Lesley.
S261249-1
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF S EPT . 15-21
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Sunny
Sunny
Partly
sunny
Chance of
showers
Chance of
showers
Slight chance
of showers
Mostly
sunny
79
75
78
72
64
64
72
39
46
52
46
41
32
38
