TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 22, 2020
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Obituaries
Richard Ellis Wayne Delia Murrell Smith
Pettyjohn
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
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Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
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subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor
Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising
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On Thursday, April 9 friends. He would be happy
Richard Ellis Wayne Petty- to know that his efforts to
john passed away of natural get sober led to his ability
causes at the age of 46 in to help others. On Saturday,
Gillette, WY. He was born April 11 Donor Alliance in
on June 23, 1973 in John Denver, CO stopped Rich-
Day, OR to Richard
ard’s heart to donate
E Pettyjohn and Sha-
both his kidneys and
ron G Dryer.
liver to help three
Richard grew up
strangers.
in Heppner, where Richard Ellis
Richard had
he worked on his Wayne
family, friends and
grandfather’s ranch. Pettyjohn
animals on the oth-
He loved to fish with
er side, to welcome
his siblings and his uncle him. Grandparents from
Robert Hughes and play both sides of the family,
basketball. He traveled Uncle Earl, Uncle Dale,
from ranch to ranch most of Aunt Shirley and the many
his adult life putting the les- dogs that had shared their
sons his Grandpa Pettyjohn time with him.
and Uncle Earl Pettyjohn
Richard is survived by
taught him to use. He was his mother, Sharon Adams;
an accomplished carpenter father Richard Pettyjohn
and took great satisfaction and bonus mother, Jean-
in working with his hands. neine Miller; his sisters,
Richard loved to share Cindy and Tara and his
his love of music with his brothers, Ryan and Colton;
friends and family; every- his children, Brandon, Brit-
thing from Chris LeDoux tany, Dawn and Wyatt; his
to Eminem. He had a deep grandchildren, Alana, Ma-
ingrained love for women, son and Bell; and his many
whiskey and tall tales. He nieces, nephews, family
will be remembered by and friends.
those who had his heart,
Richard’s last request
Melanee, Aloh and Jamie. was to have his ashes spread
And the one that got away, at his favorite childhood
Keri Altergott.
spot near Penland Lake.
Over the course of Family and friends will
Richard’s life he battled hold a celebration of life at
with addiction. He had a later date.
started reconnecting with
his children, family and
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Students
make
honor
roll at
OSU
Morrow County stu-
dents who have made the
Scholastic Honor Roll
Winter term have been an-
nounced by Oregon State
University.
Students from Board-
man with a 3.5 or better are
Taylor R. Hamby, Junior,
Biology; Tania Mendo-
za, Senior, Public Health;
Jennifer Rodriguez Pena,
Senior, Design and Inno-
vation Management; Edith
E. Velasco, Senior, Human
Devel and Family Science.
Heppner had one stu-
dent with a straight-A av-
erage: Jessica M. Kempken,
Senior, BioHealth Sciences
and one with 3.5 or Better:
Kevin P. Murray, Senior,
BioHealth Sciences.
In Irrigon students who
had a 3.5 or Better were
Brandy Quezada-Hermosil-
lo, Senior, Human Devel
and Family Science; Alexus
R. Williams, Junior, Animal
Sciences and in Lexing-
ton were Logan S. Grieb,
Junior, Marketing; Alex
R. Lindsay, Sophomore,
History.
To be on the Honor
Roll, students must carry
at least 12 graded hours of
course work.
Delia (Dee) Murrell regretted her choice. She
Smith was born in Leices- worked for many years at
ter, England to Timothy the Yakima YWCA nursery
and Delia (Collins) Murrell where she helped raise hun-
on May 30, 1923 and died dreds of children, includ-
April 6, 2020 at the age 96 ing those of Governor Jay
Inslee, who she was proud
in Yakima, WA.
to call “my friend.”
Much of her
She lived a robust,
time in England was
full life in Yakima,
darkened by WWII,
finally able to own
but she found joy in
her own home and
being a bright and
stay in one place.
popular student and
Her three young-
going dancing with
Dee Smith
est sons, Patric,
her sister Kathleen
Daniel and Collin,
and friend Enid. She
faced the tragedy that many thrived in Yakima, keeping
airmen they danced with her active as a parent, even
were gone the next week. as she began what was tru-
She met paratrooper Ray ly the favorite part of her
Smith in May 1944. They life, being a grandmother.
married August 9, 1944, In 1968, her daughters,
caught in a war time sense Amanda and Tamara gave
of urgency; Ray ordered to her the first of 15 beloved
grandchildren; Stacy and
ship out.
Delia sailed March 2, Amy, and finally the last,
1946, with 6-month-old son Erin, Patric’s daughter ar-
Michael, to New York, then rived in 2000. Dee also had
by train to Oregon City. For 13 great-grandchildren.
According to her fam-
the rest of her life, Delia
wrote to other war brides ily, Dee was gracious, lov-
she had met on the ship. She ing, welcoming and kind.
soon discovered that her She had a dry British humor
new husband had a severe and sharp quick wit that
case of wanderlust that led lives on in her children and
them to move eight times grandchildren. She taught
in the first eight years. This her grandchildren how to
was offset by her discov- make playdough, pies and
ering a love of camping, applesauce, to knit, wash
sleeping in the forest under dishes by hand and grow
the stars and any place and a garden. Most of all, she
showed them how to take
any time at the ocean.
In 1953, the family the high road and be coura-
moved to Heppner. Dee was geous when things weren’t
very active in the communi- always ideal. She was the
ty, a member of the Catholic Queen of Pies, baker of
Church, English Club, a cinnamon rolls (with and
boy scout den mother and without raisins) and an avid
the head of the Ground knitter.
She spent her final
Observer Corps, while her
husband was the printer of years at the Summitview
the Heppner Gazette. Her Health Care Center with
three oldest children grad- many family visits, cared
uated from Heppner High for by kind and loving staff.
She was preceded in
School, Michael (1963),
Tamara (1965) and Tim death by her parents, Tim-
(1967), who set the HHS othy and Delia (Collins)
two-mile track record. Mi- Murrell of Leicester, En-
chael enjoyed playing bass gland; her sisters, Agnes
with the Leonnig family at Cusack and Nancy Ryan;
their Wagonwheel restau- her brother, John; and by
rant downtown and briefly three half-siblings Mary
in a band with Jim Sherman (Mai), Christopher and
and Roger Leonnig. Tim Margaret (Peggy), the chil-
picked up the bass and dren by her father’s first
continued the band as the wife, Annie, who died in
Henchman for four years childbirth in Ireland. An-
with Roger Leonnig, Jim nie’s children were ulti-
Sherman and Kathy Melby. mately raised by her sisters
Because of Dee’s welcom- after their father emigrated
ing nature, her living room with his second wife. She
rocked as one of the few was also preceded by life-
places the band could prac- long friends Enid Sewell
tice. Amanda was usually (England) and Beth Van
on a horse somewhere in the Schoiack (Oregon).
She is survived by
hills or barrel racing at the
fairgrounds, while Tamara her sons and daughters,
climbed to the top of every Michael (Avena), Selah,
hill she saw. While in Hep- WA, Tamara (Jim) Weaver,
pner, Dee passed the US Bend, OR, Timothy (Pam),
citizenship exam in 1959. Wenatchee, WA, Amanda
The family moved (John) Wagner, Sequim,
briefly to La Grande, OR WA, Patric (Jodi), Yakima,
before settling in Yakima, WA, Daniel (Lauri Leaver-
WA. After a few years in ton), Collin; sister, Kathleen
Yakima, Ray left to live at Wall, Eugene, OR; brother,
the Oregon coast: Dee no Timothy (Karen) Murrell,
longer had to follow her England; her grandchildren,
husband as he moved on. great-grandchildren and
She said that many war many friends.
A gathering of remem-
brides got right back on
the ship to England after brance will be held at a
they arrived, but she never later date.
Honesty • Integrity • Independent
VOTE
Cody High
MORROW COUNTY TREASURER
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