TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 8, 2015 Obituaries The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published weekly by Sykes Publishing, LLC and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676- 9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve. net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $30 in Morrow County; $24 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $36 elsewhere; $30 student subscriptions. David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5 per column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $5.75 per column inch. For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for pub- lication must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required). For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space for the obituary. For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. Births Nina Belle John- son—Drew and Hol- ly Johnson of Mon- mouth, OR announce the birth of a daughter, Nina Belle Johnson. She was born May 1, 2015; she weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Nina is the first Nina Belle Johnson grandchild to grand- parents CJ and Andrew Johnson of Heppner, and Susan and Jamie Warne of Pendleton. GATEWAY CAFE The restaurant includes several family-friendly features, in- cluding a popcorn machine for free popcorn and a children’s play area. –Photo by Andrea Di Salvo Forrest Allen Burkenbine It is with heavy heart that I write this obituary for my son, Allen Burken- bine, 57, who passed away unexpectedly while at work on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at Ajo, AZ. A memorial will be held at a later date. Allen was born May 25, 1958 in Heppner to Forrie and Gail Burkenbine. He graduated from Hep- pner High School in 1976 and worked in the grocery business at Central Market Merritt “Harold” Gray Jr. passed away at his home in Portland, OR on June 26, 2015 at the age of 70. A re- ception for Harold’s family and friends will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, at the home of Mike and Marlene Gray, 65308 Rhea Editor’s note: Sheena Christman, Ione native and graduate of Ione High School, is volunteering with World Orphans in northern Iraq. She is sending home weekly updates to family and friends, which the G-T was lucky enough to also receive. We plan on publish- ing these updates as space allows. She writes: 1. Living in Soran. In Soran, the local Kurds (i.e. not the refugees) seem to enjoy relatively easy access to such necessities as shel- ter, food, water, electricity, and the Internet. However, access to electricity can be unpredictable, often because the government’s supply does not meet local demand at any one time. As a result, most locals get electricity from two differ- ent sources: the government and the community gen- erator. Government power, or main power, provides enough electricity to power a house, while, in contrast, the community generator provides each house in the neighborhood with just Creek Road near Ione. Harold was raised and attended school in Heppner and was a graduate of Hep- pner High School, class of 1963. He joined the United States Marines in May of 1964, and was honorably discharged in March of six amps, meaning there is only enough electricity to power the refrigerator, lights and a few ceiling fans. In addition, in order to make sure each household receives their fair share of main power, the govern- ment staggers access to these two power sources. For example, at the Ray house where I’m staying, we generally get govern- ment power every morning and every other night, and we get power from the community generator every afternoon and every other night. However, sometimes the power just shuts off for no apparent reason. For example, several days ago the power was off from about midnight until noon the next day. Obviously this unpredictability becomes more challenging as the weather gets hotter! 2. Traveling from Soran to Erbil. I have made a half-dozen trips to Erbil over the past two weeks. To get from Soran to Erbil, we take the Ham- ilton Road through the entities who reside in theA South Morrow County Ser- vice Area (as defined by the WCVEDG Service Area Map). The requestor must have at least 50 percent of funding (may include in- kind and cash contributions from local and regional sources) for the total project budget committed before application. Exceptions may be granted at the dis- Chamber lunch meeting Morrow County Justice of the Peace Ann Spicer has released the following Justice Court report: -Matthew Adam Looney, 31, of Heppner, was found The next lunch meeting guilty of No Non-Resident Angling License and fined of the Heppner Chamber of $150. Commerce will be Thurs- day, July 16, at noon in Heppner City Hall confer- ence room. Sandy Matthews, and -Continued from PAGE ONE would take effect March 1, hopefully her dad, Don HB 3402 passed the 2016. The full text of the bill Bennett, will be here to House 52-5 and the Senate is available at https://olis. share about the trip they 22-6. The bill now awaits fi- leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/ recently took together to nal approval from the Gov- Downloads/MeasureDocu- Washington, D.C. with ernor. If approved, the bill ment/HB3402. other veterans. Cost of lunch is $10; B u ck n u m s wi l l cat e r. Chamber lunch attendees are asked to RSVP at 541- 676-5536 no later than the Wednesday before to guar- antee a lunch. Heppner chamber would also like to welcome its newest member, Mid- Columbia Bus Company. BURNING BAN Effective June 29, 2015, the Fire Chief of the Town of Lexington is imposing a CLOSED SEASON for open burning based on local fire safety concerns. This burning ban is for the Town of Lexington. A reminder that open burning also in- cludes a “burn barrel.” Long Time Ione Resident 1968. He is survived by his two sons, Forest Arthur Gray of Portland and David Robert Gray of Springfield, and brothers, Michael Lee Gray of Ione and Ronald Dean Gray of Pendleton. Harold has a granddaugh- ter, Avriel, and a grandson, Alec, both fathered by Da- vid. Harold was preceded in death by his father, Merritt Harold Gray, Sr.; mother, Maxine May Barnes Gray; and a brother, David Eu- gene Gray. Sheena Christman uses her Arabic dictionary while conversing with a group of refugees in Iraq. –Contributed photo gorge. Apparently, the Hamilton Road was built in the early 20 th century by Sir Archibald Milne Hamilton, an engineer from New Zealand. The road was supposed to be a short-cut connecting Erbil to Haji Omaran, an Iraqi city on the Iranian border. 3. The Citadel. On Tuesday, I traveled to Erbil with Dawn, Sarah, and Ni- cole to see the Citadel (and take Nicole to the airport). The Citadel sits in center of the city, and it has sup- posedly been continuously inhabited for over 8,000 years. Unfortunately, it is closed for restoration, so I did not get to go inside. 4. Refugee Camps. We have made lots of trips to the three refugee camps over the past two weeks. Note that World Orphans tries to limit each of its refugee camps to 50 fami- lies and, where possible, to families from the same tribal background. By do- ing this World Orphans is able to preserve existing social and relational struc- tures, promote autonomy, and maintain the dignity of those in its care. Grant funds available for community and public enhancements by WCVEDG Justice Court Report Congratulations Ione Fire Department! One of the Best Fireworks Ever ters; Lisa Leonard and Con- nie LaFarge. He was preceded in death by his father, Forrie Burkenbine. We will all miss him and he will be in our hearts forever. Memorial contri- butions may be made to the Heppner Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 743, Heppner, OR 97836. Sweeney Mortuary of Heppner is in charge of lo- cal arrangements. Letters from Iraq Marriage Licenses SPEED LIMIT INCREASE the mountains in his home state. A physical handicap limited his activity but he was well-read. We think he probably read every book in the library. He is survived by his wife, Velvet, in Ajo; his daughters, Jennifer Ham- mons, Monica Madsen, Samantha De Laughder, Stephanie Burkenbine and Amy McRoberts; two step-children; seven grand- children; his mother, Gail Burkenbine; and two sis- Merritt ‘Harold’ Gray Jr. Both of the Lius said it has been a long road to this week. Now, a few days from opening, Alvin Liu said he finally feels excited. “It’s a process,” he said. “We hope people can be patient with us.” Alvin Liu can be Willow Creek Valley reached for catering and Economic Development special party requests at Group (WCVEDG) has 541-980-2014. received funds from the Columbia River Enterprise Zone Board (CREZ) to be used for community and public enhancement for The Morrow County Clerk’s office has released the South Morrow County, the following report of marriage licenses: group announced this week. July 1, 2015: -Mayra Fregoso, 20, of Boardman and Applicant organiza- Edgar Alejandro Llamas, 20, of Boardman. tions must be local orga- nizations, clubs, special districts or a governmental -Continued from PAGE ONE have been John and Celia Moyer. The Lius said the Moyers have been instru- mental in getting the Gate- way Café operational. John Moyer helped repair several key items in the restaurant, including the walk-in cool- er. Celia Moyer’s touch, among other areas, is seen in her artwork that graces some of the walls. with his parents. He was a volunteer fireman for many years with the Heppner Vol- unteer Fire Department. He moved to Ajo, AZ in 2001, where he met and married his wife Velvet Richardson. He worked in the insurance business in Ajo. He was outgoing, friendly, loved working with the public and had a kindness that was un- surpassed. He was dedi- cated to his children. He loved spending time in The closed season will remain in effect until further notice this fall as per ORS 478.960. cretion of the board. A grant application has been developed for use in applying for funding through this grant. Grant requests will be accept- ed from Friday, July 17 through Friday, Aug. 14. A review and decision of grants awarded will be de- cided by the WCVEDG board and the successful applicants will be notified. To receive a grant ap- plication form, Eligibility and Exclusions information sheet and South Morrow County Service Area Map, please contact Sheryll Bates at 541-676-5536 or hep- pnerchamber@centurytel. net. All completed grant applications will need to be forwarded to Bates at the Heppner Chamber of Commerce office. Bank of EO fund set up for fire victims An account has been set up at Bank of Eastern for victims of the recent apartment fire in Heppner. Dona- tions to help these individuals and families recover from the fire may be made directly to the account under the name of Mountain Glen Fire Victims. The account will be administered by apartment manager DeRina Howard. Community lunch menu Lunch on Wednesday, July 15, at St. Patrick’s Senior Center will include turkey pot pie, green beans, cranberry sauce, hot rolls and peach pie. Hope and Valby Lutheran and All Saints Episcopal church volunteers will serve. Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is $3.50 per meal. Menu is subject to change. Beer & Wine Tasting ~ August 20th 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Entertainment! Food Available STORE HOURS- MON – FRI 7:00 A.M. – 6 P.M. SATURDAY 8 A.M. – 6 P.M. PHARMACY HOURS: 9 A.M. – 6 P.M. MON-FRI MURRAY'S DRUG - 217 N MAIN PHONE 676-9158