Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 7, 2020 -- THREE
Obituaries
Bernard Damon
Bernard Damon passed Willagillespie.
Their first child, John,
away September 19, 2020
at RiverBend Hospital due was born at Sacred Heart
Hospital in 1961.
to complications from
The family moved
melanoma cancer. He
to Heppner to help
was a very special fa-
Jean’s folks on their
ther, grandfather and
ranch. John’s broth-
friend.
er Mark was born in
He was born in La
Pendleton in 1962.
Grande, OR on July
Their sister, Ann,
12, 1935 to O.W. and
was born in Eu-
Josephine Damon. He Bernard
Damon
gene in 1965, when
and his older brother,
Bernard returned
Gilbert, attended a
two-room school in Fruit- to teaching and went on to
dale, a suburb of La Grande. get his master’s degree at
He often rode horseback to the U of O. He worked at
school and hitched his horse Kennedy Junior High and
Churchill High School as a
to a post.
He went to La Grande counselor.
In 1976, the family
High School and met new
friends. After graduation, traveled across the U.S. as
he attended Eastern Oregon they pulled a tent trailer to
College to become a teach- see the East Coast. They
er. At the end of his sopho- loved camping together.
After Bernard retired,
more year, he met his future
wife, Jean Marie Graham, he managed the ranch in
at a rodeo dance in Union, Heppner. He enjoyed tak-
OR. She also attended EOC ing his four grandchildren,
to become a teacher. She Eric, Tyler, Allison and
grew up on a ranch in Hep- Julia on long rides and
pner, owned by her parents teaching them to drive on
the ranch. What a gift to
and grandparents.
Bernard went to Na- his family.
He treasured his mo-
tional Guard Camp at Fort
Ord for six months during ments with friends and the
the summer of 1957. On weekly lunch bunch. He
his return, he and Jean were was also thankful for Ann’s
married at All Saints Epis- husband, Dan, John’s wife
copal Church on December Kristen and Eric’s wife
29, 1957. They were happi- Jaimie.
A private family service
ly married for 63 years.
His first teaching job will be held at Gillespie
was at the elementary Cemetery. Arrangements
school in Cove, OR. After entrusted to Lane Memorial
Jean graduated from col- Funeral Home in Eugene.
lege, they moved to Eu- Please sign the guest book
gene. He taught at Whitaker at www.registerguard.com/
School and she taught at legacy.
Arthur Thomas
“Art” Kegler
Art Kegler, grocer, Re-
altor and public servant,
passed away September 4,
2020 at the age of 88. He
was born Arthur Thomas
Kegler on July 15, 1932
to Archibald and Alffaret-
ta (Schuster) Kegler in
Edgerton, Wisconsin. Art
moved with his family to
Vancouver, WA as a young
boy and graduated from
Vancouver High School
at the age of 16. He then
attended the University of
Oregon, earning a bache-
lor’s degree in business and
general studies.
While in college, he
was hired to work at Mont-
gomery Ward’s by Rose
Cerkoney, whom he fell in
love with and married on
September 20, 1952.
Over the next 30 years
Art engaged in several en-
trepreneurial pursuits from
Eugene, Roseburg and Ti-
gard, OR to California.
Along the way four chil-
dren joined Art and Rose’s
family; Terri, Matt, Dean
and Mark.
In 1983 the entire fam-
ily moved to Boardman
where Art found his home
and place in the sun. Art
bought the
grocery
store, made
a change of
hours and Arthur
t h e r e d e - Thomas ‘Art’
signed Keg- Kegler
ler’s Sentry
Market was only one of the
top five stores in the state to
scan products at the check-
out counter. The store is
now a Select Market.
When the store first
opened, the whole family
was involved. Rose was
the upstairs bookkeeper,
Matt, Dean and Mark kept
the shelves stocked and the
cash registers staffed and
Art not only managed the
operation but became ac-
tive in the Sentry Market’s
wholesale business. Daugh-
ter Terri did her part by mar-
rying Jerry Reser of Reser’s
Fine Foods, a wholesaler of
specialty food items.
Not to let grass grow
under his feet, Art learned
the real estate business,
earned his broker’s license
and opened his office as
American West Properties
in 1994, originally in the
Sentry Market building. Art
later expanded his Amer-
Spiritually Speaking
Let us celebrate
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church
Celebrations are part and parcel of our life. The ma-
jority of us look forward to celebrations such as birthday
parties, wedding parties, retirement parties, etc., as they
are occasions of joy and gaiety that add vigor and vitality
to everyone’s life. If these celebrations are special and
only for a select crowd, we feel thrilled to be summoned.
We wouldn’t dream of saying “no” to a VIP invitation,
especially if the person mattered to us a lot. The Lord
Jesus is inviting every one of us wholeheartedly to the
Eucharistic celebration of the Last Supper. Faith is an
invitation to celebrate God in our life and the Eucharist is
the festive banquet. Have we accepted the invitation, will
we join in the banquet, or do we have our stock excuses?
The prophet Isaiah (25: 6-10) uses the allegory of a
banquet to describe the fullness of life that God wants to
bestow, not just on Israel, but on all the peoples of the
earth. “On this mountain the Lord will prepare a banquet
for all peoples…. on this mountain he will wipe the tears
from every cheek. This is our God in whom we hoped
for salvation.” The banquet that Lord hosts stands for
the fullness of life to which God is calling us all. It is
a call to celebrate our intimacy with God and a deeper
and more authentic personal life. But it is also a call to
community with others. The invitation challenges us to
abandon our seclusion and our self-sufficiency and to be
willing to share with others, to associate with others, and
to collaborate with others. We are not invited to celebrate
and satisfy our needs, but to enjoy and reach out to one
another. During this time of pandemic, this particular
passage is very apt for all of us.
The reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians
(4: 12-14 & 19-20) stresses the fact that Christians’ prior-
ity is salvation in Christ. The hope of salvation relativizes
the value of every other good. This is the experience of
Paul who knows “what it is to have little and to have
plenty” and how to live in different circumstances: eating
well and going hungry, having plenty or being in need.
Paul asserts his firm hope in the Lord, “I can do all things
in him who strengthens me,” and asks the Philippians to
do likewise. These words of St. Paul should strengthen
every one of us to build up self-confidence and courage
as we face the pandemic situation around us.
Today’s Gospel, Matthew (22:1-14), compares two
parables, the one of the guests at the wedding feast and
that of the man not wearing the wedding robe, both par-
ables dealing with being invited to the kingdom. The first
parable is linked with the banquet mentioned in Isaiah,
the kingdom to which all are invited. In the first century,
a dual invitation was customary. Guests were invited
ican West Properties to a enjoyed a round of golf
location in Hermiston. He and hunting and fishing
served as president of the with friends and family.
Oregon Association of Re- He especially found time
altors and has served many to enjoy family, particu-
years on their Government larly his grandchildren and
Affairs Committee. In 2003 great-grandchildren. His
he was appointed by the wife Rose suffered from a
Governor to the Oregon long and debilitating illness
Real Estate Board. Art’s and Art was her dedicated
son Dean is now one of 15 caregiver and companion
members of the executive until her death.
board of the Oregon Associ-
Art was preceded in
ation of Realtors, a position death by his parents, Clar-
Art has held.
ence and Alfaretta Kegler;
While Art maintained son, Mark; grandson, Mat-
his American West Prop- thew, and brother, Ted.
erties office in Boardman,
He is survived by
recently in the Port of Mor- daughter, Terri and hus-
row office building, his band Jerry Reser; sons,
Hermiston office was home Matt and Dean Kegler;
to six brokers at the time of eight grandchildren and 17
his death.
great-grandchildren.
Not only did Art take an
A private family gath-
active volunteer role in his ering will be held.
professional and business
The family suggests
organizations but he was an memorial contributions
active and effective mem- be sent to Funland Park
ber of local affairs as well. Playground Rebuild Project
Art served on the Morrow through the City of Herm-
County Planning Commis- iston Parks and Recreation,
sion and the Boardman City to Animal Relief Fund or
Planning Commission. He to the Boardman Senior
served a four-year term as Center.
Boardman’s mayor and was
Joshua 1:19 “Have I
serving on the Boardman not commanded you? Be
City Council at the time of strong and courageous. Do
his passing.
not be terrified; do not be
As dedicated as he was discouraged, for the Lord
to professional and commu- your God will be with you
nity affairs, Art thoroughly wherever you go.”
well in advance and again
gathered when the feast was
about to begin. The banquet
is prepared, everything is
ready, and the king sum-
mons the guests. Shocking-
ly, some simply ignore the
invitation, others head out
of town, and the rest beat
up and kill the king’s mes-
sengers. They all have their Fr. Thankachan Joseph
excuses and justifications.
Now days, we hear a lot about these types of excuses
with regards to God and church matters. It was in a story
by Flor McCarthy that we published in “New Sunday and
Holy Day Liturgies.” Once there was a tailor who mended
the clothes of everybody in town, yet he himself went
about with his coat in tatters. And to the embarrassment
of everybody, he appeared like that in Church on Sundays.
One Sunday a friend said to him, “It’s a disgrace that you,
a respectable tailor, should go around in a tattered coat.
Shame on you for coming here dressed like that.” “But
what can I do? I’m a poor man and I have to work all
week to make a living.” the tailor replied. “Where am I
going to find the time to mend my own clothes?” “Look,”
said the friend. “Here’s $20. Think of me as one of your
customers. I’m paying you to mend your own coat. “I’ll
agree to that,” cried the tailor as he took the money.
However, when he came to Church the following Sunday
the friend noticed that once again, he was dressed in his
old tattered coat. Extremely annoyed, the friend said to
him, “Now there is no excuse for this kind of behavior.
Didn’t I give you $20 last Sunday to mend your coat?
Yet I can see that you never even touched it.” “What can
I do?” said the tailor apologetically. “When I went home
last Sunday and examined my coat, I realized that I’d be
losing money on the job if I did it for $20.” A man like
that will always find excuses. Now days, we have excuses
for not doing what we know we are supposed to do. And
we have excuses for doing what we know we shouldn’t
do. Some of these excuses are reasonable, some shabby.
“Suppose your son is returning home after being out
of the country for five years. He’s scheduled to arrive
sometime next week, but he’s not sure whether it will be
on Thursday or Friday. You call two of his closest friends
and invite them to a welcome-home dinner. You explain
the situation and ask them to hold both dates open. They
agree enthusiastically. When news comes that your son
will arrive on Friday, you call his friends back and say,
‘The dinner will be on Friday night.’ They shock you by
saying, ‘Sorry! We’ve made other plans for that night.’
-It was this kind of situation that Jesus had in mind in
today’s parable. To say ‘yes’ to the advance invitation and
‘no’ at a later date was an insult.” – Mark Link
The refusing guests are like the original invitees to
God’s kingdom, God’s chosen people, the Jewish peo-
ple and in particular their leaders who not only refused
to accept the invitation but put to death the son of God
himself. In the parable, after sending his troops to deal
with the murderers, far from grumbling, the king orders
his servants to go to the highways and byways and invite
everyone they see, both the good and the bad, to the wed-
ding feast. The “good and the bad” are invited to make it
clear that people are not invited because of their merits
but rather because of the generous goodness of God.
Matthew continues with a second parable with anoth-
er theme. Among those who come into the banquet, the
king notices a man without the wedding garment. He is
questioned and thrown out of the banquet. Why was the
king so harsh on the man who was invited at the last mo-
ment? On the literal level, it seems absurd that he would
have a fine garment after being picked up from the street.
Evidently, there is a deeper point being made: accepting
the invitation to the kingdom requires a certain practical
behavior, to which the image of a robe is referring. Since
clothing can be a symbol of new identification with Christ,
the wedding garment evokes the good deeds or quality
of life that must be shown by one who participates in the
banquet of life. Those who accept God’s invitation can’t
just walk in and continue to live as they want; they must
change, they must be seen wearing the wedding garment,
living the Christian life, graced by God and overflowing
in deeds of justice and love.
This invitation from Jesus is one that we may need
to hear far more often than we realize. It’s a gentle in-
vitation to let our Lord lighten our daily burden, relieve
our worries, our stress, our concerns and all that weighs
us down. It’s an invitation of love and mercy and is one
we should always accept. Jesus instructs us, “Make your
home in Me as I make My home in you.” Although we
are unable to celebrate as we would wish due to the
Covid-19 pandemic, let us continue to celebrate God
in our lives, in the company of and reaching out to one
another where possible.
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