Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2014)
I Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 12,2014 -NINE MAHONEY GRAND MARSHALS -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE William Patrick “ W.P.” M ahoney, alo n g w ith brother Tom and investor J.I. M onks, decided to move their fam ilies out west and set up a bank in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. W.P helped open the First State Bank and managed it until the partnership with Monks was dissolved and he and Tom decided to move further west to W.P Mahoney Oregon. W.P. and wife Harriet moved to Heppner from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on March 17, 1917, with their children, Doris (Ball), Kathleen (Mather), Patricia (Beaver) and Phillip. They left their two older children, Kenneth and Vera, in Idaho to finish school. Kenneth died shortly after the family left for Oregon. Aside from being part owner and the first manager of the First National Bank of Oregon in Heppner until his death in 1936, W.P. alw ay s had several large bands of sheep and spent many hours tending them on forest service allotments on Martin Prairie, Bear Creek and Swale Creek. P h i l l i p W illia m Mahoney, better known as P.W. or Phil, was only five years old when he came to Heppner with his parents, W.P. and Harriet. He re c e iv e d bo th his elementary and high school education in Heppner. When he was 16, Phil went to the University of Washington and obtained his law degree in 1927. Phil married Hazel Hyatt o f Pendleton, OR on Feb. 14, 1936 and had three children, Richard Patrick, who died shortly after birth, Robert Phillip, and a daughter, Shannon. When Phil returned to Heppner he was involved in many high-profile criminal cases as District Attorney for Morrow County and, later, the City Attorney; he bought the law practice of Cal Sweek and practiced law in Morrow County until his death in 1972. Phil also often practiced law on the streets of Heppner and at the comer table at the Elks Club at no charge. Phil was involved in many business ventures to b o lster the H eppner economy, among which was the Heppner Lumber Company he and Orville Smith started; they later sold it to Kinzua Corp. “I can still remember P hil M ahoney say in g , ‘I m ade my m oney in Heppner and I am going to spend it in Heppner doing whatever I can to make our town better,” said Howard Bryant. P h il w as a ls o instrumental in the creation of Penland Lake, as well as serving in many civic roles throughout his life. M any p eo p le also rem em ber P h il’s w ife, Hazel Mahoney, a hard w orking, petite woman with a commanding voice who also was very active in the community. She was a 4-H leader and worked at the fair for many years. She was very active in All Saints Episcopal Church where she served on the vestry and the altar guild. During all of her life, she was an avid supporter of youth sports and loved to watch her children and grandchildren compete in biology and sociology with a minor in business from Pacific University, where he went on a football scholarship and played on their winning team for three years. Bob always loved the ranch life. Phil told Bob if he really wanted to ranch, when he graduated from college, he would help him get started. True to Phil’s word, Bob’s parents bought a small 2,700-acre ranch on Clarks Canyon from Amanda Duvall. When Bob returned from college, he worked on the HM Ranch for a small salary. In 1962, Bob and his sister. Shannon, bought the Spring Hollow Ranch. Fom that time, HM Ranch has continued to grow. B ob m et S h a ro n “ Sherree” Wager, a girl fro m P alm S p r in g s , CA.while at Pacific. They married on June 1, 1963, at All Saints Episcopal Church in Heppner. They have three children, Tara, Trisha, and Michael, and seven grandchildren. Bob, following in his fa th e r ’s fo o tste p s, has always been active in his community. He is a past ■rm Phil and Hazel Mahoney. -Contributedphoto their two children, Torunn and Boden. Greer works at Brighton & Jones as a financial consultant. S h a n n o n and H a rla n continue to be partners in the HM Ranch and visit Heppner as often as they can. They are actively involved in all o f their grandchildren’s activities and sporting events. Exalted Ruler of Heppner Elks and a lifetime member. He was a member of the Morrow County School Board for ô-'A years and was the Oregon National Director for High School. Rodeo for 14 years, and also the National President of the H.S. Rodeo Association. He is a member of Oregon Cattleman’s Association, Wheat Growers A ssociation, All Saints Episcopal Church, and is past president and current b oard m em b er o f the Morrow County Rodeo for many years. Sherree Mahoney has worked on the HM Ranch since she married Bob. She was the bookkeeper and office assistant, she baled hay, rode for and doctored cattle, babied calves in her kitchen, cooked for the harvest crew in the summers and cooked for all the men who have worked on the ranch for are owners and partners at Entro Inc., a mechanical and structural engineering and consulting firm. Shawn and his wife Kristin, who is also employed by Entro Inc, have three children, N ate and tw in sisters, S a m a n th a (S a m ) and Elizabeth (Lizzy). Greer lives in Maple Valley, WA with his wife Jana and Skipping back to Phil’s generation, his sisters ended up m oving all over the map. Vera never married and moved to California. Patricia Mahoney married Cecil Espy, who was a Prisoner Of War and later killed in the Baton Death March. She later married Clayton Beaver and they had one son. Bill. Pat lives in Palm Springs, CA. Kathleen Mahoney married D. Mather and they had one daughter, Mary Jo. Phil’s older sister, Doris Mahoney, married, Archie Ball, and they had 7 children Bobby, who died as a young child. Laurel, H arriet, Eileen, Beth. Nancy and Archie. They continued to reside in Heppner and Archie was part owner and foreman for W.P. Mahoney Ranch and ran the sheep operation until the Great Depression. Archie and Doris ran the Ruggs Store for many years and in 1962 Archie went to work for Bob Mahoney on HM Ranch until he retired. Some o f D oris and A rchie’s children, Phil’s nieces and nephews, stayed in Morrow County to raise their families, and others moved away. Laurel Ball m a rried LaV erne Van M arter II, who was an Insurance Agent in Heppner for many years. They had three children. La Verne III, that they try to practice these acts “every day!” The topic did, however, stimulate stories o f such kindnesses by strangers and how much they were appreciated, as well as stories of small kindnesses that used to be common in our society but seem no longer to be. Maybe kindness is not a trait inherent in a card game, but it might trigger som e sy m p a th y from other players for a player who faces a particularly difficult hand to play. Those o cca sio n a lly o ccu r on Wednesdays at the pinochle and bridge games at the Terrace. Al v i n a P a d b e rg e s p e c ia lly e n jo y s the opportunity to play pinochle with three friends, and Liz Bueller has been pleased to have three other players join her for bridge. For a few weeks, Marjorie Gorham also joined the bridge game, while she was on a respite visit at the Terrace, but she has now returned to her home town. A planned visit by the OF Time Fiddlers had to be postponed in February, but on March 8, the entertainers showed up and the foot stompin’ and hand clappin’ was on. Residents always enjoy the Fiddlers’ music, and this performance might have included some tunes that w ill be heard this Saturday evening during the Wee Bit O ’ Ireland celebration. This Thursday will find the Terrace residents and staff hosting a public open- house welcome for Dr. Dan Hambleton, who has just moved to Heppner from Alaska. Everyone is invited to this 1:30 p.m. social event, after which some residents may choose to travel to the St. Patrick's parish hall for Fr. C ondon’s new stage production that will mark the beginning of Heppner’s St. Pat’s weekend events. S ince M arch 15 is N ational Q uilters Day, m orning d ialo g u e w ill surely bring m em ories of quilts made and quilts received over the years. This day will precede the starting day of the kitchen renovation work, which everyone hopes will be just a minor inconvenience fo llo w e d by a m a jo r improvement. The 16th also begins National Chocolate Week, which will probably feature so m eth in g d elic io u sly chocolate each day. One su g g ested co n co ctio n , chocolate cream pie, would give staff member Sam Fisher another opportunity to demonstrate her mastery o f the art o f p ie-crust making. Sam has proven her finesse recently on Cherry Pie Day, Banana Cream Pie Day, and with a previous chocolate cream pie. Her fame probably has her targeted for another creation on the 29,h, National Lemon Chiffon Pie Day. The a re a 's w eather seems to have “turned the corner” ju st in time for the weekend activities and surely indicates that spring truly is near. P lants are pushing through the ground of the raised flow erbeds, and W.P and Harriet Mahoney’s children, Vera, Ken, Doris, Kathleen and Phil. -Contributedphoto all of their activities and events. Bob Mahoney was bom in Pendleton on November 10, 1941 and received his elementary and high school education in Heppner. There are many stories about the antics he was part of with his friends during his school years. As much as he likes fun, he is equally a hard w orker and started at a very early age. Bob worked in the summers on area ranches from the time he was nine years old. When he was older, he worked at the H eppner Lumber Company which had mills in Spray, Heppner and at B lake’s. Bob pulled the green ch ain and la te r was prom oted to “pond monkey.” Bob played all sports in high school, but excelled in football even though he was small in stature until college. He holds degrees in over 50 years. She has done everything imaginable and unimaginable that one can do on a ranch. She also worked for Phil in his law office, w orked as clerk and bailiff for circuit and district court, and at JC Penny’s, Krolls Dept. Store, Murray’s Drug Store and, in later years, worked part time for the Kuhn & Spicer law office. She has been active in her community and continues to serve on many committees. B ob’s son, Michael, continues the ranching tradition and works for the HM Ranch. Mike and his wife, Nicole, who is the Chief Financial Officer for Morrow County Health District, have two children, Jaiden and Blane. They love working and living on the HM Ranch and growing up in Heppner. Tara Mahoney Clark lives in Pendleton and owns TM Counseling and Consulting. Her husband Greg works at the state prison as a counselor and mediator. He also referees many basketball games in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Tara has two children, Devin and Alexis Doutre. Trisha Mahoney W irth lives in A uburn with her husband Damon. They have three children, Michael Wesley, Spencer and Savannah. Damon is a practicing physician and Trisha is a very busy stay- at-home mother. Shannon M ahoney, Phil and H a z e l’s only daughter, graduated from Heppner High in 1963 and Oregon State University in 1968, with a degree in home economics. She married Harlan Smith in 1968 and they have two sons, Shawn and Greer, and five grandchildren. They live in Hillsboro, OR where Harlan and Shawn Bob Mahoney at 14 months old with one of the family’ s sheep. -Contributedphoto A View from the Hill By Doris Brosnan V a le n tin e s g a lo re were part of a Valentine’s Day event at the Willow Creek Terrace, along with 20 p resch o o l stu d en ts who came for the party. Everyone enjoyed visiting and refresh m en ts, and everyone helped everyone else plant some nasturtium s e e d s in b r ig h t red containers. Reports in from the children confirm that their plants are growing, as are the residents’ plants, so everyone w ill have reminders of this enjoyable afternoon together. The week o f Feb. 16 held daily rem inders o f how important “random acts of kindness” can be, but residents generally agreed that they don’t need a nationally designated week for encouraging acts of kindness. Most reported WEDDING TABLES Adam Paul Doherty & Molly Sue Turrell Reception- A pril 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 Kasie Dawn Peterson & Brandon Lee Haynes A pril IQ, 2 0 1 4 M llM 'j D j UIA- c 217 Nortti Main S t , Heppner • Phone 678-9158 • ptsral 676-9426 Serving Morrow, Wheeler & Gilliam counties Since 1959 * Marie and Paul. Eileen Ball married Roger Steiger and had two children, Doug and Derinda. Beth Ball married Cy Flack and had three daughters, Donna, Rene’ and Doreen. Beth now lives with her husband Clarence Hughes in Stanfield, OR. Nancy Ball married Herb Ekstrom of lone and had four children. Herb, Cindy (Greenup), Jan (Gridley) and John. H arriet Ball m arried G ene Hall and lived in Heppner their entire life. They had two sons, David and John. They had a small ranch on Rhea Creek and eventually w orked for Bob Mahoney on the HM Ranch for 25 years. Archie and his wife Diana (Fulleton) have lived, raised their family and worked in Heppner most of their lives and continue to in their retirement. They had two children Duane and Andrea. Duane and his w ife, Stefanie (Payne), have three children, Jake, Carter, and Ali and reside in Cashmere, WA. Andrea now lives in Lexington, OR with her husband, Andy Fletcher, and they have two sons, Casey and Cody, who attend Heppner Elementary School. The Mahoney Family is humbled and honored to be recognized as the Grand Marshals of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for 2014. The M a h o n e y s wi s h everyone a rainbow Sunlight after showers Miles and miles o f Irish smiles Golden happy hours Shamrocks at your doorway Luck and laughter too, And a host o f friends that never ends Each day your whole life through. thoughts are turning to the garden plot, which Jerry B aker w ill soon begin preparing for this year’s planting. M aybe the w arm er weather and the beginning day of spring will heighten th e f r is k in e s s so m e residents may feel on the 22nd, the Act as Young As You Feel Day. M aybe, on the 28th, Beer Brewers Day, some residents will have good stories to share, stories of their own brewing ex p erien ces or related events? A nd m ay b e som e residents are eager for the last day of the month, the official opening day of baseball season. O ne re sid e n t m ust surely be eager for March 29 to c o m e . Ma r g e Burgess will then blow out the candles of her 96"' birthday, or simply enjoy a special birthday meal with family and neighbors. Her neighbors will appreciate this special day for Marge, as many view birthdays as the best reason to celebrate at the Terrace. I
