TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 28, 2024
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
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 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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year. 9 month Student student subscriptions $35/year.
Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher
Annalynn Black ............................................................................................ Editor
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
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Obituaries
Kathleen C. O’Leary
Kathleen Cecilia McEl-
ligott O’Leary was born
August 15, 1927, to Charles
and Cecilia McElligott in
Portland, Oregon. She
passed away August 9,
2024, in Condon, Oregon a
week shy of her 97 th birth-
day.
The rose between the
thorns, Kathleen was the
little sister to brothers, Don
and Dick McElligott, and
the big sister to LJ (Jerry)
McElligott. She spent her
carefree childhood on the
McElligott Ranch in Eight-
mile Canyon near Ione,
blissfully unaware of the ef-
fects of the Depression. She
rode horseback with her
cousin, Clare Moshofsky,
to Davis School under the
watchful eye of big broth-
er Dick. That experience
cured her of ever wanting
to ride horseback again. The
family moved to Portland
in 1936, always maintain-
ing their Morrow County
roots by returning home
to harvest in the summer.
Kathleen graduated from
Immaculata Academy in
1945, spent a couple years
at Seattle College before
buckling down to earn a
teaching degree at Maryl-
hurst in 1949.
While teaching third
and fourth grade in Vale,
Oregon, Kathleen met
many other Marylhurst
alums (Marylhurst College
was a prodigious producer
of farm and ranch wives
all over Eastern Oregon)
and the fellow teacher who
would become her lifelong
best friend and eventual sis-
ter-in-law, Marie Cray. The
two of them ran around with
Ruth and Cameron Cliff
(Marie’s sister) in what
would be best described as
“gallivanting.” A recently
unearthed photo album
showed them in Burns and
California and many points
in between living it up as
fun-loving, single girls.
Kathleen and Marie moved
to Lakeview to teach in
1954. It was in this time
period that a handsome,
young sheepherder swept
her off her feet at a Fort
Rock dance. Kathleen and
Jeremiah O’Leary were
married on July 23, 1955
in Portland and after a stint
in the service for Jeremiah,
settled on their ranch under
Winter Rim in Summer
Lake where they raised
sheep and later cattle. Five
rambunctious youngsters
quickly filled the house.
Kathleen was a lifelong
member of the Catholic
church. She played organ
at St. John’s in Paisley for
many years, parking the
family in the pew right next
to the organ in the event that
misbehavior was detected.
She was a substitute teacher
and taught CCD but mainly
was involved in running the
household and the ranch.
She ran a baler, milked a
cow, nursed bummer lambs,
and did night checks during
calving. She made the best
homemade bread in the
county and could feed a
crew a hearty meal at a
moment’s notice.
Kathleen and Jeremi-
ah retired from the ranch
and moved to Paisley and
later relocated to Silver
Lake where she got the new
house she had been prom-
ised for 50 years. After Jer-
emiah passed away in 2009,
Kathleen moved to Bend
and later to Condon to be
closer to family. Kathleen
and Jeremiah were married
54 years before his passing.
Kathleen is survived
by her children Tom (Kar-
men), Anne Morter (Ralph),
Chris (Viviana), Julie Cur-
rie (John) and Kathryn
Greiner (David); grand-
children, Nolan and Barry
O’Leary, Clayton and Beth-
any Morter, Lauren Billman
and Jack Currie, Joseph and
John Greiner and Julian
Salas Rodriguez. She is
also survived by countless
nieces and nephews and
their kids and grandkids.
She was preceded in death
by a son, Donal O’Leary,
husband Jeremiah, and her
brothers Don, Dick and
Jerry McElligott.
Funeral services will be
held Monday, September 9,
2024, at St John’s Catholic
Church in Condon with a
Rosary at 10:15 am and
the Funeral at 11am. In
lieu of flowers, donations
to Summit Springs Village
Assisted Living, PO Box
687, Condon OR 97823
would be welcome. Swee-
ney Mortuary is in care of
arrangements. You may
sign the online condolence
book at www.sweeneymor-
tuary.com
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Dennis Wayne Miller
Dennis Wayne Miller,
age 80, died peacefully
on August 22, 2024, at his
home in Heppner, Oregon,
after a courageous battle
with COPD and Asbestosis.
Dennis was born in
Portland, Oregon on Oc-
tober 1,1943 while his fa-
ther was working in the
shipyards during WWII.
The family returned to
Ketchum, Idaho, where
he spent his childhood and
youth being loved by his
three older sisters, skiing,
Bald Mountain (Sun Val-
ley) and running around
town with his buddies. In
particular his cousin, Dave
Nance.
He graduated from Hai-
ley High School in Hailey,
Idaho. Dennis married
Jane Exner in 1963 and
joined the US Air Force. He
proudly served for 5 years
and was stationed in Alaska
and Montana.
He and Jane welcomed
2 sons, Brock and Jason,
whom he loved so dear-
ly. Upon his return to the
“Wood River Valley” he
became a carpenter and
made it his lifelong career.
He remained in Hailey until
he moved to Payette, Idaho
in 1974.
In 1975 he met the love
of his life, Pennie Freel in
Payette through the insistent
matchmaking of his sisters,
Arlene and Shirley. The
couple married two years
later and spent 43 years
together as best friends,
business partners and lov-
ing companions. Dennis
and Pennie moved to Hep-
pner, Oregon in 1978, for
the opportunity to become
an independent contractor.
He built homes, remodeled
his home and many oth-
ers and mentored younger
professionals to become
excellent contractors. He
then took on a different role
as a businessman in the oil
and customer service indus-
tries. Dennis and Pennie
bought “Millers’ Mini Mart
and Chevron” and carwash,
“Millers Car Wash”. He
successfully ran this busi-
ness for over 10 years and
thoroughly enjoyed his time
meeting and greeting new
and old customers with his
big smile and willingness to
serve. He then returned to
contracting until he retired
at age 62.
Dennis enjoyed being
a member of the Heppner
community, joining the
Elks Lodge #358, golf-
ing, hunting, and fishing
with friends, playing cards,
shooting pool and drinking
Beer! He was also a strong
supporter of his wife, Pen-
nie, who was an EMT for
the community for over 42
years.
He will be dearly
missed by his wife, his
sons, and all the family and
friends who were so blessed
to have him in their lives.
He is survived by his
wife, Pennie, dear friend
(“sister”), Peggy, 2 sons,
Brock and Jason (Traci),
3 grandsons, Brock Jr.,
Bradley and Nicholas, 3
granddaughters, Kasia, Kei-
ra, and Clarissa, 4 great
grandsons, Allen, Brock III,
Crew and Micah and 1 great
granddaughter, Audrey, 7
nieces and many more great
nieces and nephews.
Dennis was preceded
in death by his parents,
Oliver Miller and Evelyn
Young, his 3 sisters, Shir-
ley, Virginia and Arlene, his
grandson Travis, 1 niece,
Julie and 2 nephews, Lynn
and Howard.
A memorial service
with military honors will
be held at 11 a.m., Saturday,
August 31, 2024, at the
Heppner Elks Lodge. Me-
morial contributions may
be made to the Heppner
Volunteer Fire Department,
PO Box 743, Heppner, OR
97836. Sweeney Mortuary
is in care of arrangements.
You may sign the online
condolence book at www.
sweeneymortuary.com
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
Remember to think of our future and hug a farmer
today!The Father Condon annual golf tournament last
Saturday was another day of good weather, golf, camara-
derie, and tasty noshes for 29 golfers! This remembrance
of Father Gerry is a fundraiser for the church youth.
A thank-you to the Sweeneys for their devotion to
serving our area for over forty years! Standing room only
at their retirement party on Saturday was indicative of
the number of people who hold them dear as thoughtful
and caring (as well as humorous) friends, family, and
neighbors. And everyone is happy to know that they are
retiring but not leaving!
A salute to the 125 years of service to our area by our
volunteer firefighters, past and present, featured a barbe-
que on Sunday hosted by the volunteers! The number of
appreciative citizens might have been smaller than ex-
pected, since apparently, the time for the celebration was
listed in the newspaper as 4 to 6:00 on Sunday but was
later posted on Facebook as a noon function, so some of
the population who are 65 years old and older might not
have seen that time change? Everyone appreciates the
selfless work of these volunteers.
Anyone who crosses Willow Creek on foot can
appreciate the sparkling water, the upbeat sound as it
flows through town, and the much cleaner banks, such
an improvement over last year, thanks to conscientious
individuals!
Quite enticing, the Water2Wine Cruise ship in Rich-
land, WA, so a few area residents satisfied their curiosity
last Sunday in perfect weather by leisurely cruising the
Columbia for an hour and a half while enjoying their
made-to-order lunches: Allen and Nancy Anderson, Ter-
ry and Karen Thompson, Betty Gray and daughter Deloy
Marcyes, Eva Kilkenny, Molly Rill, and Doris Brosnan.
As long as contributors supply tidbits to dbros-
nan123@gmail.com or call 541-223-1490, this column
will add positive notes to area news! Here’s hoping that
good news comes to everyone reading this.
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Specials 8/29 - 9/4
Thursday - Hamburger dip with potato salad
Friday - Grilled cheese and bacon sandwich
with salad
Saturday - BBQ Beef Sandwich and fruit
Monday - chicken bacon ranch burger and fries
Tuesday - Turkey and pepperoni sandwich with
macaroni salad
Tuesday night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday - Chicken Taco and chips
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
This Sunday, we are back with the Gospel of Mark
wherein the Lord reminds us about the need to change
one’s attitude, to not be a passive listener of the Word of
God but be an active listener. Let the Word of God trans-
form us into doers of good deeds. Through the read-
ings of the day, the Lord asks us to reflect on our lives,
to check whether we are really honoring Him with our
hearts or only with our lips. Have we really been doers
of the word, or merely hearers?
While going through the letter of James (1:17-18,
21b-22,27), I was reminded of one of the anecdotes I
read somewhere in social media about uprightness and
integrity. A man and a lady enter a take-away restaurant
and the man orders two fried chicken dinners. The girl
at the counter mistakenly gives him a bag of money, the
entire day’s proceeds, instead of fried chicken. The man
and woman drive to their picnic site and sit down to en-
joy their chicken dinner. To their surprise, they discover
that it is a bag of money, totaling almost $10,000. They
put the money back in the bag, drive back to the restau-
rant and return the money bag to the restaurant manager.
The manager is overwhelmed. He declares the man a
hero and a saint. He goes to call the local press with
the story and the man’s picture for the local newspaper.
“You’re the most honest man in the whole world,” says
the manager. But the man would not let him call the
press. Instead, he leans closer and whispers to the man-
ager, “You see, the woman I’m with is not my wife...
she’s uh, is somebody else’s wife.”
The man might well be a hero, but he’s no saint. As
James tells us in today’s second reading, true Christian
holiness has as much to do with doing good to others
as it has with keeping ourselves pure. “Religion that is
pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care
for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep
oneself unstained by the world” (1:27). The man scores
high on honesty but very low on integrity.
The majority of Christians in our churches belong to
one of two camps: Either they are people like the man
in the story, who score high mark in their commitment
to practical justice and fairness but low in self-discipline
and integrity, or they score high in self-discipline but
low in practical commitment to fairness and upright liv-
ing. James, the apostle of practical Christianity, teaches
us that to be truly holy and acceptable before God, a
Christian must score high marks in both practical con-
cern for the welfare of others and self-mastery.
James makes two important points in today’s read-
ing. He teaches the importance of faith in action, and
he defines for us what true devotion is. True devotion
is not a matter of hearing good preaching and celebrat-
ing inspiring liturgies. Good preaching and inspiring
liturgies are wonderful. Yet the litmus test of true devo-
tion remains how we live out the word of God that we
hear. The words of James: “But be doers of the word,
and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if
any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like
those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look
at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget
what they were like.” (1:22-24)
James uses the analogy of a man who looks in the
mirror and sees his dirty face and untidy hair and goes
away without doing anything about it. The word of God,
like the mirror, shows us how dirty our faces are and
how unkempt our hair is. A wise man would immedi-
ately take steps to wash his face and shave his beard
to improve his looks. That is the purpose of the mirror.
Hearing the word of God alone does not make us holy.
It is when we take steps to put into action what the word
of God teaches us that we make progress in the journey
of faith. James shows us that there are two practical
ways of doing the word of God. One is in reaching out
to our neighbors in need and the other is in disciplining
ourselves and keeping oneself pure.
GT corrections GT closed
Summer Huston was Sept. 2 nd
the Co-Winner of the OTPR
The Heppner Ga-
Barrel Racing, she was
zette-Times will be closed
not pictured in last week’s
Monday September 2 nd for
edition.
Labor Day.
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