TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 26, 2024
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Obituaries
Heppner
were evident in his metal
art, showcased at Heppner
Daycare Center, Heppner
Masonic Cemetery, and
numerous homes. Most re-
cently, he dedicated his time
to grounds maintenance at
Willow Creek Golf Course,
where his cheerful demean-
or and positive attitude
made him a well-liked and
respected figure among col-
leagues and visitors alike.
An avid golfer, Steve
spent countless hours on
the course, enjoying the
game and the camaraderie it
brought. He was also a tal-
ented cook who took great
pleasure in preparing meals
and hosting dinners for
family and friends. Steve’s
kitchen was always a place
of warmth and joy, reflect-
ing his generous spirit and
love for bringing people
together.
Steve is survived by
his loving family, including
his mother, Shirley Mar-
tin, son, Montana Marlatt,
grand-daughter, Ashlynn,
brother and sister-in-law,
Joedy and Tammy Mar-
latt, sisters, Cathy Smith,
Jennifer Jorgensen, and
Susan Warner, and nu-
merous friends who will
miss him dearly. He was
preceded in death by his
father, Ralph Marlatt, and
stepfather, Tom Martin.
His family takes comfort in
the many happy memories
they shared with him and
the lasting impact he had
on their lives.
A celebration of Steve’s
life will be held at Willow
Creek Country Club in
Heppner, Oregon, on July
6, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Light
dinner and drinks will be
served. In lieu of flowers,
the family requests that
donations be made to Wil-
low Creek Golf Course
in Steve’s memory. Steve
will be remembered for his
unwavering enthusiasm,
infectious smile, and ability
to make everyone around
him feel valued and loved.
May he rest in peace.
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
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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 177 N Main St. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax (541)
676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or sykeschris@hotmail.com Web site:
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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
Annalynn Black ............................................................................................ Editor
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
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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 $15
Obituaries
Bridger Baker
Bridger John Baker, 48,
a former Ione resident, died,
on Saturday, June 1, 2024,
in Arizona while visiting
family. A graveside me-
morial service with Military
Honors will be held at 1
p.m. Monday, July 1, 2024,
at the High View Cemetery
in Ione. A reception will
follow at the Ione Legion
Hall.
He was born November
13, 1975, at Hermiston,
Oregon, the son of Rob-
ert Baker and Robin Bak-
er-Krebs. He was raised
and attended school in Ione,
graduating from Ione High
School in 1994. While
in high school he played
football and was chosen
to play in the East/West
Shrine football game his
senior year. He also played
football in Scotland and
England.
Bridger worked harvest
for Gregg Rietmann and
Rod Taylor. After gradua-
tion in 1994, he joined the
Navy and was honorably
discharged in 1999. While
in the Navy he served on
the carrier USS AMERICA
and also on the destroyer
DAVID R RAY. Bridger
traveled around the world
three times. He also served
in the National Guard for
a time. Bridger retired as
a Lieutenant in 2019 from
the Oregon Department of
Corrections.
He met his wife Bar-
bara Cody in 2005, they
were married in Culver,
Oregon on June 26, 2009,
and remarried in Redmond,
Oregon on July 1, 2018.
Their marriage created a
blended family consisting
of Bridger’s two children,
Christopher and Made-
line Baker, and Barbara’s
son (adopted by Bridger)
Deaven Baker, Bridger and
Barbara went on to have
a son, Bridger Baker, and
later adopted Elias Baker.
Bridger was a mem-
ber of the NRA and had a
lifetime membership with
the Ione American Legion
Post 95. He loved all things
history and was very proud
to have traced his fami-
ly’s military history to the
American Revolution, he
was an avid genealogist.
He also loved horseback
riding, spending time with
family, traveling, read-
ing, and writing. His high
school English teacher Jim
Raible entered him in a
writing contest sponsored
by Korea. He took first
place.
Survivors include his
wife of 15 years, Barbara
Baker, his five children;
Deaven Baker (Amiriya),
Christopher Baker (As-
pen), Madeline Baker,
Bridger Baker, and Elias
Baker; grandson Sawyer
Baker, mother, Robin Bak-
er-Krebs; siblings Joseph
Baker (Kimberly), Corey
Baker (Gina), Roseann
Baker Jewett (Brian), Jeani
Baker, and grandmother,
Jean Harrison (Jim).
Memorial contributions
may be made to the Ione
American Legion Post 95,
PO Box 384, Ione, OR
97843.
Sweeney Mortuary is
in care of arrangements.
You may sign the online
condolence book at www.
sweeneymortuary.com
Steven Marlatt
Summer Reading 2024:
Read, Renew, and Repeat
is officially underway!
Need help logging into
your child’s Beanstack ac-
count? Reach out to the
Heppner branch or visit our
website for more informa-
tion, get kids registered, and
begin the summer reading
fun.
July’s Crafty Nights at
the Library will be on July
10th at 6:00 pm. Register on
the website or call 541-676-
9964 to reserve your spot.
OTLD has two excit-
ing new offerings on our
website!
Mango Language
Learning is now available
from the app stores! Man-
go offers over 70 foreign
languages and more than
20 English classes for for-
eign language speakers.
Little Pim, by Mango, is a
language learning for kids.
Mango also offers ASL and
...Pirate!
Visit our website and
log in with your library
card for a summer of new
language learning!
Discover and Go, a new
cultural pass program spon-
sored by Libraries of East-
ern Oregon (LEO) provides
OTLD patrons with access
to participating museums or
local arts, culture, history,
and recreation organiza-
tions in our region. Visit
our website to reserve these
passes to go with all your
summer road trips.
Working on the farm
got you missing out on your
reading time. Check out
our Playaway audiobook
players. No CD player or
internet is required. Play-
away audiobooks are an
all-in-one device made to
go with summer work on
the ranch.
We will be closed on
Thursday, July 4th. Happy
Independence Day!
Correction
Death Notice June 5th MC
BOC meeting
William V. Bacon
William “Bill” V. Ba-
con of Hermiston was born
February 21, 1953, in Bend,
Oregon, the son of William
and Kathleen (Skelton)
Bacon. He passed away
in Hermiston on June 19,
2024, at the age of 71 years.
Burns Mortuary of Herm-
iston is in care of arrange-
ments.
Steven “Steve” Martin
Marlatt, beloved father,
grandfather, and friend,
passed away peacefully on
June 16, 2024, at the age of
63. Born on May 5, 1961, in
Heppner, Oregon, to Ralph
and Shirley Martin-Marlatt,
Steve spent his formative
years in Heppner, gradu-
ating from Heppner High
School in 1980.
Steve was an active
and vibrant member of
his community. During
his youth, he excelled in
sports, participating in foot-
ball, basketball, and track.
He also had a passion for
rodeo, roping calves, and
steer wrestling. Steve’s ad-
venturous spirit extended to
riding motorcycles, and he
developed a lifelong love
for the outdoors, especially
bow hunting for elk and
deer with his brother.
Steve’s professional
life was as varied as his
interests. He worked on
the oil pipeline in Alaska,
built fiberglass boats, drove
trucks, and crafted saddle
trees for Merrill Barrel
Saddles. Renowned in the
barrel racing community,
he even built the duplicat-
ing machine for saddle tree
parts. His artistic talents
OTLD July
happenings
Caitlyn
Ochsner to
perform at
MC Rodeo
-Continued from PAGE ONE
with a heavy dose of fiddle
and pedal steel, Ochsner’s
sound is a pure country
blend.
Known for her vocal
range, high-energy per-
formances, and ability to
seamlessly transition be-
tween emotional ballads
and up-tempo anthems, it
is Ochsner’s faith, west-
ern heritage, and authen-
ticity that truly captivate
audiences. Her lead single,
“Home,” pays tribute to her
upbringing and showcases
the raw emotion and trans-
parency she brings to her
songwriting.
Don’t miss the oppor-
tunity to experience Caitlyn
Ochsner’s incredible talent
as she performs at the MC
Rodeo. Her performance is
sure to leave a lasting im-
pression on all who attend.
For more information, visit
Caitlyn Ochsner’s website
at www.caitlynochsnermu-
sic.com.
The Port of Morrow
Commission has agreed to
donate a portion of the port
owned property formerly
known as the “Kinzua Mill
Site” to Morrow County.
The Port Commission has
also agreed to donate up
to $500,000.00 worth of
in-kind labor for the labor
and equipment use for the
installation of a 12-inch
water line from the City of
Heppner connection to the
edge of the Port property
to provide water to Kinzua
site. If there are additional
grants available, then all
parties’ expenses should be
reduced.
Heppner
Christian
Church
host VBS
Heppner Christian
Church will be hosting
VBS on July 8th-12th from
9:00am to 11:30 pm. 3yr to
5th grade can attend.
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Heppner Gazette-Times
Sykes PrintingQua L. Tiorum
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
Reach out and touch him!
The Gospel this Sunday narrates two amazing mir-
acles performed by Lord Jesus during His public min-
istry: two sick women; one is an adolescent brought
back to life and faith, and one is an old woman who
was socially dead for nearly twelve years. Both women
believed in Jesus. The old woman believed that all she
had to do was touch the hem of His robe and she would
be well. And just as soon as she contacted Him, power
flowed out from Him and He healed her. The thirteenth
Sunday scripture readings invite each of us to have this
experience of healing and touch by the Lord in our life.
The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom
(1:13-15, 2:23-24), clearly portrays God’s plan for each
of us. God has created all things so that they might ex-
ist. He has made us all in His own image. Hence, we
can affirm that we exist because God in His loving plan
wants us to exist. We are neither the errors of nature nor
those of our parents. Perhaps, our parents did not want
us or planned to destroy us when we were formed in the
womb. But, if we continue to exist despite human at-
tempts to destroy us, it is a confirmation that God wants
us to exist. Secondly, we can affirm that God wants us to
exist forever because He has not created us for death, but
for life. The third affirmation specifies the way to live
forever: “righteousness is immortal.” Another word for
righteousness is “right relationship” – love. Love does
not die, though our mortal bodies may undergo decay.
For today’s Gospel, we continue to read from
Mark (5:21-43). Last Sunday we heard about Jesus
calming the storm, the first of four miracles Jesus per-
forms in the district of the Sea of Galilee. Each of these
four miracle stories offers us a glimpse at Jesus’s power.
Now we hear about the third and fourth miracles, skip-
ping the second miracle, the healing of a man from Ger-
asene who was possessed by a demon.
Mark reports in these two healing stories about a
father’s great love for his dying daughter and about a
desperate woman who risks much as she seeks healing
from Jesus. In each story, the request for healing is it-
self a courageous act of faith, and yet very different cir-
cumstances are represented by the life of each suffering
person.
Jairus is described as a synagogue official, a man
of significant standing in the Jewish community. Dis-
tressed over his daughter’s poor health, he approaches
Jesus and asks Him to heal her. Although Mark doesn’t
provide many details, we can imagine that the daughter
has been ill for some time and that her condition is dete-
riorating. As Jesus leaves with Jairus, Mark describes a
second person who seeks healing from Jesus, a woman
with a hemorrhage. This woman secretly touches Jesus
from behind and is immediately cured.
From both miracles we can learn: The contrasts be-
tween Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage are
unambiguous and revealing. One is a man, the other a
woman. One is an important person in the community.
The other is a woman who has lost everything to find a
cure to a condition that separated her from the communi-
ty. One approaches Jesus publicly. The other approaches
Jesus secretly. One woman is nearly dead physically:
the other socially and psychologically. Jairus’s daughter
represents the adolescent group, and the adult woman is
old. Yet in both cases, faith leads them to seek out Jesus
in their time of need.
Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” His focus turned
to the frightened and trembling woman. She hadn’t
planned on being found out. Just a touch and she would
sneak away. Of course, Jesus knew who touched Him.
He wanted to complete this miracle by speaking assur-
ance and love to her hurting heart: “Daughter,” (a beau-
tiful term of endearment, by the way) “Your faith has
made you whole. Go in peace and be well of your ill-
ness.” Do you need a special touch from the Lord today?
Has illness or trouble or circumstance beset you and you
feel hurt, lonely, and hopeless? I pray that between the
lines of this message, you will hear the loving voice of
the Master calling you into His Presence. Don’t be sat-
isfied to “rub shoulders” with the Lord! Reach out and
touch Him! The Gospel concludes with Jesus’s instruc-
tions to remain silent about this miracle.
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Specials 6/27- 7/3
Thursday - Chili dog with mac n cheese
Friday - Turkey & ham bagel sandwich
with fruit
Saturday - 2 sausage & cheese English
muffins with hashbrowns
Monday - Chicken bacon ranch wrap in a
garlic herb tortilla with chips
Tuesday - Chicken plus burger with potato
salad
Tuesday night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday - Fish sandwich & jojos
IONE RURAL FIRE
PROTECTION DISTRICT
BURN
BAN
No Open Burning - No Burn Barrels
FIRE BAN STARTING
JUNE 24th UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE
By order of Fire Marshall