A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Harvest festival
returns to fairgrounds
By STEVEN MITCHELL Blue
Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The orga-
nizers of Grant County’s annual
fall festival aim to celebrate the
county’s frontier heritage and
the talent within the community.
Dubbed the Best of the Old
West Harvest Festival and Quilt
Show, the event — free and
open to the public — will run
from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct.
15, and 9 to 6 p.m. on Satur-
day, Oct. 16, in the Trowbridge
Pavilion of the Grant County
Fairgrounds.
The festival will feature
multiple vendors from Grant,
Harney and Baker counties and
beyond, according to organizer
Samni Bell with the Strawberry
Mountain Quilt Guild, a non-
profi t. Bell said the guild makes
between 20 and 30 quilts a year
and donates them to the Sleep in
Heavenly Peace Project, a vol-
unteer organization that builds
bunk beds for children and fam-
ilies in need.
Bell said she expects
between 100 and 150 quilt
entries for the show, where
viewers can vote on their favor-
ite quilt. Bell said the quilt-
maker in the adult category who
gets the most votes could win
$150, while kids 7 to 12 can win
$25 and teenagers can win $35.
Bell said a 4-foot-by-4-
foot barn quilt that she made
would be raffl ed around
5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Raf-
fl e tickets can be purchased at
the Grant County Chamber of
Commerce in John Day.
Entries for the quilt show
can be dropped off at the Trow-
bridge Pavilion on Wednesday,
Oct. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. and
Thursday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Arrangements can be
made for those unable to drop
off entries during those times,
according to Bell.
Bell said the festival has
demonstrations on quilting on
both days of the event, includ-
ing hand-quilting on a loom,
quilting on a domestic machine,
and new quilting tools.
Bell said the quilt guild is
sharing the costs to rent out
the pavilion with the Harvest
Festival.
Zach Denney, Grant County
rural venture catalyst with
RAIN and an organizer of the
Harvest Festival, said regardless
if people are interested in quilts
or the harvest festival, there is
something for everyone.
Denney said the festi-
val would have multiple food
vendors, a costume contest, a
pie-eating contest and a raffl e to
win a Traeger grill.
Denney said those interested
in having a booth at the festival
should contact him at 541-589-
5565 or zach@oregonrain.org
“If you want to be a vendor,”
Denney said, “and you show up
on Friday, the day of the event,
then I’ll fi nd a spot for you.”
Denney said there is no cost
to become a vendor.
“Everybody’s welcome,”
Denney said. “The more people
we can get out there, the better.”
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
OBITUARIES
Joyce Valene Harig
Constance E. Smith
Feb. 17, 1933 — Sept 26, 2021
Joyce Valene Harig, age 88, of John Day passed away
Sept 26 at Valley View Assisted Living. A graveside ser-
vice will be held Saturday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. at the Ham-
ilton Cemetery in Hamilton, Ore-
gon. A celebration of life with be
held following the graveside service
at the Mt. Vernon Community in Mt.
Vernon at 1 p.m.
Joyce was born Feb. 17, 1933, in
Courtrock, Oregon, to Archie and
Zella Gienger.
She enjoyed being outdoors, hunt-
ing and fi shing. She also enjoyed
crafting, gardening, crocheting,
and painting. But mostly she loved
spending time with her family.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Archie and
Zella Gienger, two brothers and three sisters.
Survivors include her daughter, Joyce Offi cer of John
Day; three sons, Don (Elfrieda) Harig of Prairie City,
Dale (Jody) Harig of Seneca, and Dean Harig of Califor-
nia; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and one
great-great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions can be made to the American
Alzheimer’s Association through Driskill Memorial Chapel,
241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To light a can-
dle in memory of Joyce or to leave online condolences for
her family, please visit www.driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Feb. 23, 1940 — Oct. 2, 2021
Constance “Connie” E. Smith, 81, a longtime resident of
John Day, lost her battle with cancer on Oct. 2 in Redmond,
Oregon. At time of passing she was a resident of Regency
Redmond Nursing Home.
She was preceded in death by her parents, F.C. and Lucille
Christensen, daughter Karisten Day and husbands Del Van-
detta and Paul Smith. She is survived by her daughter Sandi
(Ron) Edwards, five grandkids, nine great-grandkids, and six
great-great-grandkids.
Cremation was choice of disposition. A memorial will
be held at a later date. Since there will be no immediate
service, the family suggests that if you so desire you may
send a donation to the American Cancer Society in lieu
of flowers.
Larry Duane Bryant
Larry Duane Bryant, age 77, passed away on Oct.
3 in Boise, Idaho. A visitation will be held Friday,
Oct. 8, from noon until 4 p.m. at Driskill Memorial
Chapel. A graveside service is planned for Saturday,
Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. at the Fox Cemetery in Fox, Ore-
gon, with Pastor Al Altnow officiating. A reception
will follow at the Fox Community Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fox
Cemetery through Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241
S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To light a
candle in Larry’s memory or to offer his family
online condolences, please visit www.driskillmemo-
rialchapel.com.
Dorrine Marilyn May
11/17/1931 - 8/29/2021
It is with sadness that we announce that
our dear mother passed away this summer
from heart complications.
Dorrine May, or “Dode” as she was
known by many locally, lived a good, long
life. She was born in Prairie City, Oregon,
and was the middle child of 5 children. Her
home was on a sheep ranch up Dixie Creek north
of Prairie City. Her parents were Charles Mattis
Swearingen and Mary Almira Kole Swearingen.
Dode was the last surviving child of these family
members, Viva Salter, Katheryn Miller, Laura Lee
Raines, and Wayne Swearingen.
After graduation from high school, Dorrine
moved to Hood River, Oregon, to work in the local
hospital as a bookkeeper, boarding with and under
the auspices of family friends, Glen and Mary How-
ell, formerly of Prairie City, Oregon. Mr. Howell
was the administrator at the Hood River Hospital at
the time. It was in Hood River, that Dorrine met her
future husband, Warren L. May, an Odell native.
Dode married Leslie Warren May in 1951, in
Stevenson, Washington, and together they had
three girls, two of whom survive. Laura May, Jackie
May, and Farin May. Warren died in March, 2000,
and sadly, Laura passed away in September, 2020.
After their marriage, Dorrine and Warren as-
sumed purchasing and working the orchard on Lenz
Butte in Odell, Oregon, belonging to his parents,
Wally C. May and Selma Annala May. Another,
larger orchard of 33 acres was purchased south of
Hood River in 1963, where the bulk of the family
years were spent working and raising a family. In
between trips to Mexico in the winters, Dorrine
worked in the orchard, worked for a time at Duck-
wall Fruit in Odell as a bookkeeper, raised a huge
garden and canned much of the produce, made
award-winning wine, and took care of the girls. She
imparted many good skills and instilled values in her
children. She was an excellent seamstress and made
the best pie crusts!
After selling the Hood River orchard in 1974,
and after a sojourn of three years as foreman on
an orchard for a family friend in the state of Chi-
huahua, Mexico, Warren and Dorrine returned to
Oregon and began phase three of their lives. With
brother-in-law Jim Miller and his boys Neal and
Chris Miller, of Prairie City and John Day, Warren
began taking contracts with the Forest Service for
handpiling brush, thinning timber acreages, and
anything else available. He and Dorrine purchased
an RV and lived out on the jobs in the woods, which
both of them enjoyed very much.
They began annual trips with their RV in tow,
to Yuma, Arizona, where they lived for a few
months while the snow was flying in Oregon and in
the forests. Once spring breakup arrived, they trav-
eled back to Oregon for more work. Dorrine loved
to read, and she volunteered at the libraries in the
Yuma area. She also enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, read-
ing, and attending bingo games, and while in Yuma,
met up with an old Odell schoolmate of Warren's,
Trevor Russell, and his wife, Vivian. The couples
enjoyed many games of horseshoes, at which both
Dorrine and Warren won trophies. Mom had a great
pitching “arm.” In later years, Dorrine became a
caretaker for Vivian Russell until her passing.
All these years, through Dorrine's cancer treat-
ments and other tragedies, Warren and Dorrine
upheld one another and were survivors. His loss
in Arizona in March of 2000, was a shock to the
family, and Dorrine moved her RV back to Madras,
Oregon, and lived on the property of her daughter,
Jackie, for three years. In 2003, Dorrine recon-
nected with her old school chum, Laurance “Willy”
Howell, and moved to North Portland. They enjoyed
a pleasant life together until his passing in October
of 2018. Dorrine began experiencing heart prob-
lems and was hospitalized many times. We lost her
in August of this year, and this fall we will put her
to rest in the shadow of Strawberry Mountain, in
the Prairie City cemetery, where she can sleep, side
by side with many family members and Willy. The
mountain that she loved will be forever hers. She
has come Home, for good.
Her survivors include her two daughters, Farin
and Jackie, and numerous cats and dog “grandchil-
dren,” and many nieces and nephews, most in the
Grant County area. Niece Charlotte McCumber and
family in Mt. Vernon, niece Cathy Miller Workman
and husband, Pat, of Wasilla, AK; niece Lenora
and Randy Saul and family of Prairie City, Oregon;
nephew Chris Miller of Prineville, Oregon and his
children, Chelsea and Matt; niece Dianne and Mike
Powell and families in Post Falls, Idaho; nephew
Fred Swearingen, Prairie City; great niece, Kristen
Simerson, the daughter of nephew Neal Miller (de-
ceased); nephew Marty and Hollie Miller and family,
Prairie City; niece Jodi and Doug Venneri and family
of Walla Walla, WA, and nephews Jeff and Jon
Salter of Washington and Oregon. She had a special
friendship with a longtime Odell family, the Melvin
“Chuck” Picking family, and her fellow Rebecca
Lodge member, Mary Ellen Wirrick Picking, now of
Sandy, Oregon.
Godspeed Mom, I am certain that you
are entertaining others with your singing of
“Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” and “Dark
as a Dungeon.” Paid for by the family of
Dorrine May.
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 53/33
Thursday .......................................................... 61/36
Friday ............................................................... 62/37
Saturday .......................................................... 60/38
Sunday ............................................................. 63/33
Monday............................................................ 46/29
Tuesday ........................................................... 45/31
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
Linda Levon Holland
Feb. 10, 1948 — Sept. 24, 2021
Linda Levon Holland, age 73, passed away Sept. 24 at her res-
idence with her family by her side. A graveside service was held
at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Fox
Cemetery in Fox, Oregon.
Linda was born Feb. 10, 1948, in
Prairie City, Oregon, to Orville “Cook”
and Pauline “Bonnie” Allen. She grad-
uated from Long Creek High School in
1967 and married Jerry Holland in Day-
ville, Oregon, on June 28, 1980.
She worked as an engineering tech-
nician for the Malheur National Forest
for 25 years until she retired in 2008.
Linda enjoyed hunting, fi shing,
crafting, and painting. She was an
Elkette and a member of the Grant County Genealogy Society,
which she was especially fond of.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Pauline
Allen; and one sister, Judith Savage.
Survivors include her husband, Jerry Holland of John Day,
Oregon; a daughter, Kara Allen of Eureka, California; a step-
daughter, Kathy (Paul) Smith of John Day, Oregon; three step-
sons, David (Lisa)
Holland of John Day, Oregon, Richard (Kim) Holland of
Shady Cove, Oregon, and Robert (Alisa) Holland of Eagle Point,
Oregon; a brother, Harley (Sherrie) Allen of Mt. Vernon, Oregon;
a sister, Beth (Orb) Cherry also of Mt. Vernon, Oregon; and many
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Grant County
Genealogy Society or Blue Mountain Hospice through Driskill
Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.
To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit
www.driskillmemeorialchapel.com.
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 information may be corrected and
republished as paid memorials. Obituaries longer than 300 words may be published as paid
memorials. Send obituaries by email, offi ce@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.
Valores
Ann Hall
March 23, 1936 ~ September 25, 2021
Valores Ann Hall, age 85, of Long
Creek passed away peacefully Sep-
tember 25, 2021, at her residence in
Long Creek. Per her request there will
be no services at this time. Valores
will be laid to rest next to her hus-
band, Brooks Hall in the Long Creek
Cemetery.
Valores Ann (Perry) Hall and her
twin sister Valerie were born March
23, 1936, in Sauk Rapids, MN to Ver-
non and Elizabeth (Juhas) Perry. In
1943 the girls and their mother came
out by train to join their father in Van-
port, OR who was working in a Portland shipyard. Just after arriv-
ing the girls broke out with measles.
She attended grades first through third in Vanport, Or; then
moved to Camp 5 which was a lumber camp and completed
grades fourth through sixth. Transferring to Kinzua for the sev-
enth and eighth grade she finished her high school years in Fossil,
Or; graduating in 1954.
She married Elmer Nesselrodt in September of 1954 and
helped raise his two daughters Retha and Beverly. From this
union her son Elton was born in 1960. The marriage later ended
and in 1966 Valores married Brooks Hall, “The Love of Her Life”
as she thought of him. They lived in Mt. Vernon then moved to
Long Creek, Or in 1972 where she lived the rest of her life.
Valores’ mail route career began in 1976 when she took over
the Long Creek to Kimberly route. She had the contract for 34
years up until she retired. She enjoyed her customers and friend-
ships formed through the years. Watching as the children on her
route grew up and started families of their own, as well as all the
changes that took place up and down along the route.
During those years Brooks passed away in 1984 and Charlie
(Charles) Boone a companion and a “soulmate” came into her life
in 1987 till his passing in 2004.
Valores loved a good game of cards, gambling at the casi-
nos occasionally, and attending Bunco with the ladies from Long
Creek, Dale, and Ukiah. At one time in her life making Afghans
was also something she enjoyed, going to yard sales, reading
books, and working on puzzles. Sharing memories with friends
and caregivers brought many hours of enjoyment. She served on
the Long Creek Cemetery District Board for 35 years.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Vernon, and Eliza-
beth; son, Elton; sister, Valerie; daughter, Retha; grandson, Dale
and Elmer, Brooks, and Charlie.
Survivors include her daughter Beverly, a nephew and a niece.
Paid for by the family of Valores Hall.
S265121-1
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF O CT . 13 – 19
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
AM snow
showers
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
47
52
64
67
60
65
68
34
30
35
36
32
37
40