TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 26, 2023
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Watermelon festival Bank of Eastern Oregon
collects school supplies
this Saturday
The Bank of Eastern
Oregon branches in Hep-
pner and Ione are collect-
ing school supplies for
local elementary students
through Aug. 18. The sup-
plies will be distributed to
local schools in August.
“If you would like
to help, please drop your
school supply donations
at the Heppner or Ione
branch of Bank of Eastern
Oregon,” says BEO Chief
Operating Officer Becky
Kindle.
Each branch will fea-
ture a drawing for several
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing 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: In Morrow County $35/year.
Outside Morrow County $40/year. In County Senior Rate (65 years or older) $30/
year. 9 month Student student subscriptions $35/year.
Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
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 $5.50 per
column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $15 up to 100
words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.00 per column inch.
For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi-
cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested 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.
Lorraine Ruth
(Potter) Bates
Lorraine Ruth (Potter)
Bates, 94, of Condon, OR,
passed away on July 17,
2023, at Mid-Columbia
Medical
Center
in The
Dalles,
OR. Me-
morial
services
will be
held on Saturday, July 29,
at 11 a.m. at Condon Bap-
tist Church, followed by
at graveside service at the
Condon Cemetery. A pot-
luck meal will take place at
the church afterward, with
meat provided.
Daughter of Ralph
and Anna (Duncan) Potter
of Mikkalo, Lorraine was
born on their ranch in the
Ajax area on Oct. 28, 1928.
When the Great Depression
brought bankruptcy to the
Ajax farm, the family relo-
cated to the Ferry Canyon
area, closer to Condon. Far
from defeated by life’s dif-
ficulties, the Potter family
rebuilt and flourished in
their new location. Lorraine
was the youngest of four
children born to Ralph and
Anna; her living brothers
were Clarence and Garland,
while her brother Darrell
Potter was tragically lost
in infancy. At this new lo-
cation, Lorraine attended
Igo Grade School before
attending Condon High
School, graduating in the
class of 1946.
A few short weeks lat-
er, Lorraine traveled to
Union County to attend a
State Grange Convention.
It was there that she met
the love of her life, Mr. Ed-
ward Bates, and their story
began. Lorraine attended
Eastern Oregon Normal
School, now Eastern Ore-
gon University, for a term
until she was swept off her
feet and into matrimony.
The couple married on Dec.
15, 1946. For the following
two years, the couple lived
on Edward’s family prop-
erty near Union. In 1948,
they purchased the Cooke
Ranch east of Condon and
relocated. Bates Ranches
was born.
After settling in Con-
don, the Bates baby-boom
began. In the spring of
1949, the first local Bates
was born, followed by
four more children, each
18 months apart. Wayne,
Bruce, Shirley, Paul and
Dale were raised on the
ranch amongst all its ac-
tivities, with horses, live-
stock and wheat. Lorraine
was well known for her
extravagant harvest meals.
She also counted it an im-
mense honor, privilege and
responsibility to be asked
to design their new family
home overlooking the prop-
erty, which was completed
in 1955.
In 1953, Lorraine ac-
cepted Christ as her per-
sonal Lord and Savior and
was forever changed. Ed,
Lorraine and family were
also central members of
Condon Baptist Church for
the entirety of their lives,
where Lorraine served in
such positions as Deacon-
ness, Sunday School Super-
intendent, and a member of
the praise team.
Music was Lorraine’s
life-long passion. It began
with traveling as a child
with her family, playing
drums in the Potter Family
Orchestra at Grange events
throughout the region. She
went on to learn the piano
and the concert bells as
well. Many family evenings
spent around the piano and
singing hymns are cher-
ished memories. Lorraine
was also an artist and crafts-
woman. She loved to sew
and served her community
and the wider church with
her gift by sewing for mis-
sionaries around the globe
with the White Cross. She
also loved oil painting,
especially landscapes of
the surrounding scenery.
But she loved nothing so
much as spending time
with family, and flying the
region with her favorite
pilot, husband Ed, and with
the Oregon Flying Farmer
organization, even being
chosen as Woman of the
Year in 1974.
In their retirement, Ed
and Lorraine continued
to travel, serving as camp
hosts in Washington State
Parks campgrounds in-
cluding Field Springs State
Park and Chief Timothy
State Park for many years.
Later, they also took to
“snowbirding” in Yuma,
AZ in the winter, where
warmth and community
welcomed them. At the
time of her death, their
family of seven had grown
to include 12 grandchildren,
43 great-grandchildren, and
three great-great-grandchil-
dren.
Life took another sad
turn with Edward’s passing
in 2017 after celebrating
their 70 th wedding anni-
versary. The family re-
joices to know that she is
now reunited with her Lord
and Savior Jesus, as well
as her beloved husband.
She is survived by her five
children, Wayne Bates of
Condon; Bruce Bates (and
wife Debra) of Burley, ID;
Shirley (and husband Al)
Burrows of Condon; Paul
(and wife Donna) Bates of
Condon; Dale (and wife
Sheryll) Bates of Heppner;
their children; and her
great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will
be held on Saturday, July
29, six years to the day
since Edward’s memorial.
Memorial contributions
may be made to Mid-Co-
lumbia Child Evangelism
Fellowship at 820 E. Third
St., The Dalles, Oregon,
97058.
Sweeney Mortuary of
Condon is in charge of ar-
rangements. You may sign
the online condolence book
at http://www.sweeneymor-
tuary.com.
backpacks filled with sup-
plies for a local student.
Community members with
elementary school students
are encouraged to stop in
and fill out a ticket for a stu-
dent. You do not have to be
a Bank of Eastern Oregon
customer to donate supplies
or enter the drawing, and no
purchase is necessary. The
drawings will be held on
August 18.
The Heppner branch
is located at 279 N. Main
Street and the Ione branch is
located at 280 Main Street
in Ione.
$429,000
Last year’s Irrigon Chamber of Commerce parade entry all
decked out in watermelon finery. -Contributed photo
PRICE REDUCED!
Great school and excellent location! This 2,471 sqft
home and two lots totaling 13.12 acres could be the
perfect property to keep your horses and livestock.
Pasture and dry land. Tax ID 5378 and 8939. Selling
as-is. MLS#: 23292049
One of the entries at last year’s Irrigon Watermelon Festival
Car Show. -Contributed photo
The Irrigon Watermel-
on Festival is back this
Saturday, July 29, with all-
day festivities at the Irrigon
Marina Park.
Anyone looking to get
an early start to the day can
grab breakfast from 6:30
to 9:30 a.m. The breakfast,
hosted by Columbia View
Church, will feature pan-
cakes, biscuits and gravy,
ham, sausage, eggs, coffee
and juice.
Next up will be the
downtown parade at 10
a.m., as well as the festival
car show.
Opening ceremonies
at the park at 11 a.m. will
kick off the afternoon’s
entertainment on the main
stage—the Irrigon High
School cheerleaders, Wade
Aylett, Stanfield Taekwon-
do Studio, Gems and Gents,
Brass Fire, Knudson Broth-
ers, Estilo Diferente, and
even a hula-hoop contest.
There will be no short-
age of food, as well as
lots of activities for the
kids. Families can look for-
ward to the National Guard
climbing wall and more,
boat rides from the sheriff’s
department, face painting
and a giant water slide.
The Irrigon Watermel-
on Festival is sponsored by
Bellinger Farms, Umatilla
Electric, Tillamook Cream-
ery and the Morrow County
Unified Recreation District.
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