A2
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Holiday feast feeds community spirit
LOCAL BRIEFING
Bank announces 2022 dividend
John Day Elks Club
prepares more than
400 dinners for
Thanksgiving
HEPPNER — BEO Bancorp will pay a dividend of $1
per share for 2022, the holding company announced.
The dividend will be paid no later than Dec. 15 to share-
holders of record as of Dec. 9.
“BEO Bancorp has paid a dividend 36 of the past 37
years,” Chairman Brad Anderson said in a news release.
“Dividends reflect the financial stability and profitability of
the bank. We are very happy to be able to provide this divi-
dend to our shareholders.”
The $1-a-share premium is the same amount paid to
shareholders in 2021.
BEO Bancorp is the holding company for the Bank of
Eastern Oregon, which operates 20 branches and four loan
production offices in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Head-
quartered in Heppner, the bank has branches in John Day
and Prairie City.
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — Barely
organized chaos prevailed in
the kitchen of the John Day
Elks Lodge on Thursday,
Nov. 23, with as many as a
dozen people bustling about
making fi nal preparations for
the club’s annual Community
Thanksgiving Dinner.
It was a little after noon on
Thanksgiving Day. Dozens
of takeout meals had already
gone out the door, and the
fi rst wave of in-house din-
ers were queuing up to fi ll
their plates. Weeks of prepa-
ration and two days of fren-
zied activity had led up to this
moment, and now it was here.
Showtime.
Looking up from the stove
where he was whipping up
his umpteenth batch of instant
mashed potatoes, Charlie
Caughlin surveyed the hectic
scene and shook his head in a
sort of dazed amazement.
“We cooked 17 turkeys
and we carved 65 pounds of
ham,” said Caughlin, a past
exalted ruler of the John Day
lodge who now serves as
leading knight. “So far we’ve
gone through 7 gallons of
gravy and we’re not even half
done yet.”
Even in the midst of
all the madness, however,
Caughlin had a smile on his
face — as did pretty much
all the other volunteers
working frantically to put
together a holiday meal on a
grand scale.
“We’re a small lodge,
but there’s a lot of good peo-
ple here,” said volunteer Joe
Rubrecht, a recent transplant
from the Portland area. “This
is my fi rst year doing this,
Photos by Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
Volunteers dish up food for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the John Day Elks Lodge on
Thursday, Nov. 23, 2022. From left are Cody Wilson, Cala Fuller, Leslie Traylor and Adele Wilson.
BPA aims to hold rates steady
PORTLAND — The Bonneville Power Administra-
tion has announced a proposal that would hold the rates it
charges for electric power and transmission flat for 2024
and 2025.
BPA is a nonprofit entity that markets wholesale elec-
tricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant to 142
Northwest electric utilities serving Oregon, Washington,
Idaho, western Montana and parts of four other states.
In a news release, BPA officials said strong financial
performance during fiscal 2022 should enable the agency
to keep from raising rates while providing a solid financial
buffer against changing market conditions.
As a nonprofit, BPA is legally required to cover its costs
and adjust rates accordingly. The agency establishes rates
for two-year periods. The current rate proposal, if approved
by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, would take
effect on Oct. 1, 2023, and remain in force through Sept.
30, 2025.
George Johns carries his
plate to the table. His favor-
ite Thanksgiving dishes are
turkey and mashed pota-
toes — with plenty of gravy.
After delivering 40 meals to homebound residents in Prairie
City, volunteer Christine Coyne picks up some boxed Thanks-
giving dinners to take home to her family.
but listening to people who
have been here a long time,
this event means a lot to this
community.”
Last year the Elks gave
away around 300 Thanks-
giving dinners, but the club
easily eclipsed that total this
year. By 3 p.m. on Thurs-
day, the Elks had boxed up
about 200 takeout and deliv-
ery meals and served 230
in-house diners — “and the
volunteers won’t eat until
after 4,” said Josh Fuller.
Fuller was one of about 40
volunteers who pitched in to
put the meal together — not
counting the 10 or so drivers
Grafton Lee Pauls Jr.
September 3, 1936 ~ November 23, 2022
Grafton Lee Pauls Jr., age
86, of Dayville passed away
on November 23rd, 2022 at
St. Charles Medical Center in
Bend, Oregon. A visitation will
take place on Friday, December
2nd from 4:00 until 6:00 pm at
Driskill Memorial Chapel in John
Day. A graveside service will be
held on Saturday, December 3rd
at 1:00 PM at the Dayville Ceme-
tery. Pastor Skip Inscore will of-
ficiate and the Navy will perform
Military Honors accompanied by
the American Legion Post 106. A
reception will follow at the Day-
ville Community Church.
Grafton was born September 3rd, 1936 in Long Beach, Cali-
fornia to Grafton Lee Pauls Sr. and Charlotte Elizabeth (Kilstrom)
Pauls. He served in the US Navy on a destroyer in the 1950s and
continued going to sea with the Navy as a civilian, carrying troops
to many trouble spots. From 1957 to 1966, he served in the Ko-
rean, Vietnam, Congo and the Indonesian/Malayan conflicts. He
loved to travel, visiting 70 countries, Antarctica and many Afri-
can nations. He travelled by rail across Siberia and Europe. He
also visited every state in the United States and every province
in Canada.
On June 6, 1967, he married LaVonne Junker, and began
ranching in Washington state. He was a member of the National
Cattlemen’s Assoc., councilman of the Washington Cattlemen’s
Assoc., President of Lewis County Cattlemen’s Assoc., a member
of the National Woolgrowers Assoc., first vice-president of the
Washington Woolgrowers Assoc., president of S.W. Washington
Sheep Producers Assoc., vice-chairman of the Washington State
Animal Damage Control Board, (Aphis). He was also a member
of the Chehalis River Watershed Council, the Washington Cattle-
men’s Assoc. representative for Ad Hoc Committee on Endan-
gered, Sensitive and Threatened Species listing and delisting,
the Tin Can Sailors Veterans Assoc., the USS Nicholas DD 449
Veterans Assoc., and a council member of the St. Paul Lutheran
Church in Winlock, Washington.
He came to Dayville, Oregon in June of 1993. He built a house
near Dayville and furnished it with his own hands.
Grafton is survived by his greatest love, his wife LaVone and
their two children, Betsy Walter and Brent Pauls.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S.
Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. To offer online condolences
to Grafton’s family, please visit www.driskillmemorialchapel.com.
Paid for by the family of Grafton Pauls.
who delivered heaping plates
of food to homebound resi-
dents across the county.
“They ranged all the way
out to Dayville and Bates,”
said Chauncy Groves, who
stayed busy washing dishes
and whatever else needed
doing in the kitchen and din-
ing room.
Fuller’s job was to order
the food for the feast — a pro-
cess that started in October.
In addition to 17 turkeys
and seven hams, the provi-
sions included 120 pounds of
sweet potatoes, 20 pounds of
dry stuffi ng mix, 40 pounds
of instant mashed potatoes,
60 pounds of green beans, 60
pounds of corn, 24 pies, 400
rolls and “a lot of butter,”
Fuller said.
How
much
butter,
exactly? Try 180 pounds.
This year’s food bill
added up to $5,900, covered
(barely) by a $6,000 grant
from the Elks National Foun-
dation, which is supported by
donations from local lodges
like the one in John Day.
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Virtual visits for COVID-19
PORTLAND — The Oregon Health Authority is offering
free telehealth visits for people at increased risk for severe
COVID-19 illness, the agency announced in a news release.
The new program, a partnership with Color Health,
launched on Nov. 14. It allows all Oregonians, regardless
of insurance status, to make a no-cost telehealth appoint-
ment with a clinician to find out if they are eligible for a
potentially lifesaving oral treatment.
People at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness
whose symptoms began in the previous five days are eligi-
ble for treatment. If eligibility is confirmed, a clinician can
prescribe the medication during the telehealth appointment.
“These medicines can help prevent severe COVID-19
illness, hospitalization and even death,” said Dr. Andrea
Lara, OHA’s therapeutics clinical and equity lead. “They
should be available for free for anyone who needs them,
whether or not the person has health insurance.”
OHA recommends that people with COVID-19 symp-
toms or a positive test first call or visit a health care pro-
vider. If they don’t have a provider or can’t get an appoint-
ment quickly, they can find a federal Test to Treat site. If
they can’t get to a Test to Treat site, they can make a tele-
health appointment through Color Health.
To make an appointment, go online at Color.com/
COVID-19-treatment_OR and take the survey or call 833-
273-6330 and describe your symptoms.
Telehealth visits are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven
days a week, with consultation offered in 17 languages.
Blue Mountain Eagle
Maxwell Justin Upmeyer
September 11, 1973 - November 4, 2022
Maxwell Justin Upmeyer, of
Evans, Colorado took his final ride
at the age of 49 after a sudden loss
of his life.
He was the son of Michael and
Norma (Guilliams) Upmeyer Sr.
He was born in Ontario, Oregon,
on September 11, 1973. Maxwell
attended multiple schools in Payette,
Idaho, Springdale, Washington,
John Day, Oregon, New Plymouth, Idaho and Baker City,
Oregon.
He specialized in mechanics and truck driving, but had
many other jobs throughout his life. When not at work
you could find Maxwell outside. He loved to ski and
snowboard, as well as snowmobile in the winter. During
the warmer months of the year, he enjoyed hill climbing
on his motorcycle, along with other outdoor activities.
Maxwell was married to Laura (Taylor) Edwards.
They later divorced. After a few years, he met Siera
Sears, who he had his beloved son Dalton with.
He leaves behind his son, Dalton, of Colorado, mother
Norma of Baker City; sister, Mary Kenworthy of Payette,
ID, brother Michael “JR” Upmeyer of Pendleton, along
with 13 nieces and nephews and multiple cousins, aunts
and uncles.
Maxwell was preceded in death by his dad, Michael
Upmeyer Sr., grandparents John and Alice Upmeyer, Jack
and Mary Guilliams, brother-in-law, Charles Kenworthy,
and numerous other family members.
There are no services planned at this time. In lieu
of flowers, please donate to either the Go Fund Me for
funeral expenses at GoFundMe, Michael Upmeyer,
https://gofund.me/a859627f or for suicide prevention.
Suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255.
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 42/26
Thursday .......................................................... 48/27
Friday ............................................................... 44/29
Saturday .......................................................... 38/27
Sunday ............................................................. 37/25
Monday............................................................ 32/18
Tuesday ........................................................... 31/27
Janel Parker, the club’s
grant coordinator, said any
leftover cash will be rolled
into other projects to sup-
port the community, such as
putting on a fancy dinner for
Grant County’s small school
prom next spring. The event
has been on hiatus because
of the pandemic, and Parker
said it was especially import-
ant to bring it back this year
to help restore a sense of nor-
malcy to area teens.
“It’s supposed to be a
drug- and alcohol-free expe-
rience,” she said. “Because
of depression caused by
COVID, we need to prop up
our community.”
It’s exactly that sort of
spirit that animates the Elks’
annual Thanksgiving din-
ner, said Kori Martin. Look-
ing around the crowded,
steaming kitchen, where
her fellow volunteers jos-
tled one another as they
fi xed food for their friends
and neighbors, Martin com-
mented on the event’s family
atmosphere.
“We hold our commu-
nity in our hearts,” she said.
“We’re just a family. And we
feed our family.”
DEATH NOTICES
Jack Harvard Kight
and Elaine May (Jenkins) Kight
Jack Harvard Kight, 80, and Elaine May (Jenkins)
Kight, 76, were both discovered deceased in their home
near Mt. Vernon on Nov. 19, 2022.
Their family will be planning a memorial service, to
honor both of them, at a future date. Updates of date, time
and location will be published as planning progresses. To
light a candle for Jack and Elaine or to offer online condo-
lences to their family, please visit www.driskillmemorial-
chapel.com.
CORRECTION
All-league honors: An article in the Nov. 23 edition about
Grant County prep athletes winning all-league honors had Reece
Jacobs’ high school class wrong. Jacobs is a sophomore. The
article also failed to mention Skylar McKay was named to the
High Desert League’s second volleyball team. The Eagle regrets
the errors.
The Blue Mountain Eagle strives to ensure accuracy. If you
see an error in one of our stories, please contact us at editor@
bmeagle.com or 541-575-0710.
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF N OV . 30-D EC . 6
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