A2
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
DEATH NOTICES
Robert Thomas Fry
Robert Thomas Fry, 89, passed away on June 12 at Valley
View Assisted Living in John Day. No services are planned
at this time. To light a candle in Robert’s memory or to off er
online condolences to his family, visit www.driskillmemorial-
chapel.com.
Janet Mary Burdeno
Janet Mary Burdeno, 78, of John Day passed away on June
16 at Blue Mountain Hospital. No services are planned at this
time. To light a candle in Janet’s memory or to off er online con-
dolences to her family, visit www.driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Zelva “Nada” Burdick
February 7, 1954 ~ June 10, 2022
Zelva “Nada” Burdick, 68, of Here-
ford, Oregon died on June 10, 2022 at
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
in Boise, Idaho.
 Zelva was born February 7, 1954 in
Daisetta, Texas.  Her name was decided
upon a coin toss by her grandma. Had
the coin toss gone the other direction
her name would have been Zephra. 
Throughout her life, most knew her as
Nada. Nada’s father was in the Navy and they moved to Oak Har-
bor, WA in her youth where she was raised and educated. At four
years old she became a survivor after she contracted polio.
 She met her husband Earl Burdick at a naval air station in Oak
Harbor, WA. They were married November 5, 1971.
  Nada worked various jobs in the berry and Christmas tree
fields and was a natural at caretaking. She also adored and raised
cocker spaniels and sold puppies for 50 years.
 Nada enjoyed reading romance novels, the outdoors, garden-
ing, canning, cooking, cross stitch and needlepoint. She cher-
ished spending time working on a good jigsaw puzzle and taking
care of her beloved cocker spaniel, “Fin.” Her favorite hobby of all
was wood cutting. She was an expert “packer, stacker and limb
thrower.” Nada also enjoyed her International Red Scout which
she had from 1987-2017.
  She loved to take care of people and lived by the quote, “I
shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that
I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let
me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass
this way again.”
 Nada was preceded in death by her parents Billy and Leola
Pike and brother Thomas Pike.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years Earl Burdick of
Hereford, OR; daughter Tammy Burdick of Mt. Vernon, OR; sis-
ters Carol Vinson and Berta Doman. 
For those who would like to make a memorial donation in hon-
or of Nada the family suggests the Carrie Young Memorial Fund
through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services,
PO Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834. Online condolences can be
shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Paid for by the family of Zelva Burdick.
George “Kent” Hettinga
May 29, 2022
George “Kent” Hettinga
passed away at his family
cabin on Rudio Mountain May
29, 2022.
Kent was a fourth gener-
ation descendant of Dayville
homesteaders, Gaynon and
John Campbell Martin.
He grew up and graduat-
ed from Dayville School. He
loved sports and participated
and lettered in basketball and
baseball.
After high school he at-
tended Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity and worked summers
for the State Fire Patrol in Dayville under Big Paul Grindstaft. He
served in the Army from 1966 to 1968.
He worked on the Munro Ranch until he moved to Portland
for a short time with his brother Chet, where he worked as car
salesman. In 1969 he moved to Pendleton where his brother Pete
was going to college and started employment with the Pendleton
Grain Growers, where he worked for 38 years until his retirement
in 2007.
In 1989 he married his soulmate Linda. He enjoyed working
on his cattle ranch on McKay Creek, being around all his animals
and was especially fond of and always had to have his canine
companion by his side. He was an avid hunter and loved to remi-
nisce about past hunts. He grew to love the memories more than
the hunting itself. Camping with his children and their families
brought him great pleasure, especially if he could take them on
an ATV excursion; he loved to fish and always anticipated the next
yearly Hettinga bass fishing trip and what lures he should take.
The Hettinga cabin was special to him and he spent any time he
could there. He married Linda on the cabin front porch 33 years
prior on the day he passed.
The Hettinga family would like to thank all Kent’s extended
family and many friends for sharing and being part of his life. He
touched many with his kindness and wonderful sense of humor.
He will forever be missed.
He is survived by his wife Linda, children Robin Hettinga
(Blanca), Julie Baratone, Jaimi Nye (Brent), brothers Ches-
ter and Peter, sister Vonda and many loving grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Kent will be laid to rest in the Hettinga family plot at the Day-
ville Cemetery.
There will be a graveside service for family and close friends
at 11:00 June 25th with a celebration of life immediately following
at the residence of Matt Hettinga in Dayville.
Should friends and family desire, memorial contributions may
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 of Kent, please
visit: www.driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Ad paid for by the family of Kent Hettinga.
Pool bond goes down in recount
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY — It’s
still a tie.
The results of a hand
recount conducted by Grant
County Clerk Brenda Percy
confi rmed that the pool bond
failed after ending in an
802-802 tie. A majority was
required to pass the measure.
The recount was conducted
on Wednesday, June 15, and
the vote was certifi ed follow-
ing the recount.
The hand recount was
automatically triggered due to
the margin of the vote being
within 1/5 of 1%. The confi r-
mation of the machine count
offi cially ends the doubt and
debate surrounding the $4 mil-
lion pool bond levy that was
presented to voters within the
John Day/Canyon City Parks
and Recreation District during
the May 17 primary election.
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Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
A sign urges voters to reject a $4 million bond measure to fi nance
a new community pool. The vote ended in a tie in early unoffi cial
results.
The bond measure ended
in a 787-787 tie based on early
unoffi cial returns on Election
Night, and an updated tally
the following day still had the
levy deadlocked at 789-789.
The total would be updated
two more times, with the no
votes holding a 798-792 edge
following an update on May
24.
Sixteen ballots with chal-
lenged signatures wound up
deciding the fate of the bond
measure. Most of those bal-
lots were able to be counted
after the signature issues were
resolved by Percy’s offi ce.
The result of that fi nal count
was an 802-802 tie that trig-
gered the hand recount.
If passed, the bond would
have raised $4 million for the
construction of a new pool via
a 20-year bond that would’ve
added 70 cents per $1,000 of
assessed value to property tax
bills in the John Day/Canyon
City Parks and Recreation
District. The new pool would
have replaced the recently
demolished Gleason Pool,
which was built in 1958 and
had been closed for two years.
The city sold the pool prop-
erty and neighboring Gleason
Park to the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department for
a planned expansion of the
Kam Wah Chung State Heri-
tage Site. One of the contract’s
terms of sale with the city was
the demolition of Gleason
Pool and the grading of the
John Day sidewalk improvement begins
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — Construction has
begun on a pedestrian safety project
located on South Canyon Boulevard
between Grant Union Junior/Senior High
School and Southwest Sixth Avenue in
John Day. The project broke ground the
week of June 13.
The project calls for the construction
of new sidewalks that meet Americans
with Disabilities Act standards, widen-
ing existing bicycle lanes, installing curbs
and gutters for stormwater runoff and con-
structing stormwater facilities, according
to project details released by the Oregon
Department of Transportation.
John Day-based Tidewater Contrac-
tors is doing the work for the project. The
cost is estimated at $1.8 million, accord-
ing to ODOT. Funding for the project
comes from the Safe Routes to School
Program and the Multimodal Transporta-
tion Enhancement Program.
ODOT said to expect fl aggers and lane
closures at times during daylight work-
ing hours. Flaggers will control alternat-
ing one-way traffi c through the area. The
project is expected to be completed in
October.
ODOT spokesman Tom Strandberg
said the work is part of a multiyear eff ort
ODOT is undertaking to improve side-
walks throughout the state, as well as an
eff ort to provide a safe walking path to
and from Grant Union. The current proj-
ect is the only one of its type in the county
for this year, but there will be more in the
future, according to Strandberg.
Remember this Disney movie
fi lmed here? Share memories
Blue Mountain Eagle
Do you remember “Napo-
leon and Samantha”? The Dis-
ney movie, starring Michael
Douglas and Jodie Foster,
was fi lmed in Grant County in
1971 and released in 1972.
We’re looking for local
people who have memories
of the fi lm’s production. We’d
like to talk to you for a story
on the movie’s 50th anniver-
sary, which is coming up July
5.
If you’d like to contrib-
ute to the story, please con-
tact Bennett Hall at bhall@
bluemountaineagle.com
or
541-760-3182.
Handout Photo
The promotional poster for
“Napoleon and Samantha.”
Filmed in Grant County, the
Disney movie was released
50 years ago next month.
bluemountaineagle.com
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
A Tidewater Contractors employee oper-
ates a rock-cutting machine on Monday,
June 20, 2022, along South Canyon Bou-
levard in John Day.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Local students earn
advanced degrees
CORVALLIS — A pair of
students from John Day were
among the more than 7,300
students scheduled to receive
academic degrees during Ore-
gon State University’s com-
mencement ceremonies on
June 11.
Katharine Nicolato earned
a master’s degree in sustain-
able forest management from
OSU, and Justin Thorson
earned a master’s in fi sheries
science.
Mt. Vernon man
graduates academy
FORT BLISS, Texas —
Command Sgt. Major Ste-
ven Baldwin, a Mt. Vernon
resident, graduated on June 9
We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone
who gave us so much love and support during the loss of
our Mother, Grandmother, Great-grandmother Mary Ellen
Brooks!
Thanks to Shawna Clark and her family who were
there for her up until the very end. Thanks to Mary Ellen’s
friends and caretakers who checked on her and jumped in
with any help that she needed; you know who you are.
Thanks for all who brought food, helped at her
memorial, sent flowers, cards and donated in her memory.
Thanks to Mitch Mund for a wonderful service. We are
truly blessed to live in this community that Mary Ellen
loved so deeply and has loved her back wonderfully.
Sincerely, The family of Mary Ellen Brooks
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 75/48
Thursday .......................................................... 74/49
Friday ............................................................... 71/47
Saturday .......................................................... 66/46
Sunday ............................................................. 63/45
Monday............................................................ 69/43
Tuesday ........................................................... 78/50
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
from the U.S. Army Sergeants
Major Academy in Fort Bliss,
Texas, according to a news
release from the Army’s 10th
Mountain Division.
Baldwin maintained a 3.7
grade point average during his
studies and has published sev-
eral articles on mission com-
mand and military tactics in
the Non-Commissioned Offi -
cer Journal.
Command sergeant major
is the highest rank an enlisted
service member can achieve.
Fewer than 1% of service
members are nominated to
attend the Sergeants Major
Academy and approved by the
Army’s Headquarters Depart-
ment, according to the news
release.
OTEC bills get
a new look, for now
BAKER CITY — If your
electric bill looks diff erent
this month, don’t worry — it’s
only temporary.
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative has started mail-
ing out monthly billing state-
ments in brown envelopes
after running out of the usual
white ones due to a supply
chain issue, OTEC said in a
news release.
It seems the company that
prints and mails the co-op’s
bills ran out of white paper
for the envelopes, and it’s not
clear when it will be able to
get more.
In the meantime, the ven-
dor has stocked up on brown
envelopes and will use those
until white paper becomes
available again.
The brown paper enve-
lopes will probably be used
for at least two monthly bill-
ing cycles, OTEC said.
— Blue Mountain Eagle
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF J UNE 22-28
Wednesday
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sunny
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sunny
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