TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 9, 2024
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Spiritually Speaking
Obituaries
Elizabeth Ann Gene Douglas
Sheff Barber Orwick
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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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
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 $15
Gazette Correction
In the Health District story in Sept 25th issue, Greg
Greenup was the one speaking, not Greg Grant.
Heppner churches
host bake sale for
hurricane relief
The Heppner churches
are working together to
host a Bake Sale on Sat-
urday, October 26, 2024,
from 9:00 am until 12:00
pm in front of the Heppner
Market Fresh. All proceeds
will go 100% towards relief
funds to help those affected
by Hurricane Helene in
Western North Carolina.
Many people have lost their
homes or have damages
due to flooding and some
have lost loved ones. If
you would like to donate
baked goods, please bring
them to the Bake Sale at
8:45 am during set up or
contact Julia Finch at 252-
382-4450 to make alternate
arrangements. Monetary
donations will also be ac-
cepted. Please make checks
out to Willow Creek Baptist
Church and mail to PO
Box 661, Heppner, OR
97836. Be sure to write
“Hurricane Relief” on any
checks. Thank you for your
support!
Thank You,
Bank of Eastern Oregon
reported 3rd quarter
B E O B a n c o r p
(OTCBB) and its subsidi-
ary, Bank of Eastern Ore-
gon, reported 3rd quarter
2024 consolidated net in-
come of $3.72 million or
$3.03 per share, compared
to $3.6 million or $2.99
per share for the same pe-
riod in 2023. Total assets
were $835.7 million, a
0.5% decrease year-over-
year. Net loans grew by
8.4% to $557.2 million.
Deposits decreased by
2.7%, standing at $741.8
million. Shareholders’ eq-
uity increased by 38.2%,
reaching $79.2 million.
YTD earnings are up 7.5%
compared to 2023. Return
on Average Assets (ROA)
for the quarter is 1.76%,
and Return on Average
Equity (ROE) is 19.72%.
Other Comprehensive In-
come for the nine months
ending 9/30/2024 is $18.34
million, compared to $7.39
million for the same peri-
od in 2023. The securities
portfolio decreased by
3.5% due to maturities, in-
creasing liquidity for loan
funding. A slight decrease
in deposits is expected to
have reached a seasonal
low. Regulatory approv-
al has been received for
a new full-service branch
in Pendleton, expected to
open in December 2024.
2024 harvest yields were
good, but grain and hay
prices are lower than in
2023. The cattle markets
remain strong due to re-
cord-low cattle invento-
ries. Wildfires in the Pacif-
ic Northwest may impact
the region, but the extent is
not yet clear. Loan portfo-
lio quality remains strong,
with growth across the
system, although there is
some expected tightening
of margins during the re-
newal season.
Heppner FFA to
serve drive-through
barbecue again
The Heppner FFA is
going back to Indiana! Beth
Dickenson is taking nine
students to Indianapolis,
Indiana for the Nation-
al FFA Convention. The
group travels October 21
through October 28 and
has a packed schedule with
educational opportunities
and fun activities along the
way. In a fundraising effort
for this trip they will be sell-
ing tickets for a drive thru
barbecue. Dinner includes
a pulled pork sandwich,
baked cowboy beans, cole-
slaw and choice of potato or
macaroni salad finished off
with a homemade dessert.
Dinners can be pre-ordered
for $20 by calling or texting
Beth at (541) 980-8677 or
Ashley at (541) 379-4079.
Dinner will be this Sunday,
October 13. Pickup at St.
Patrick’s Parish Hall 3-5
pm.
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Elizabeth (Bettie) Ann
Sheff Barber was born Feb-
ruary 29 th , 1932, in Pendle-
ton, Oregon, the first child
of Donald Alexander Sheff
and Ida Cora Ullman Sheff.
Bettie was joined in the
family by brother Donald
Allen, and sisters Patsy Ma-
rie (Vincent), Nancy Ruth
(Rogers), and Josephine
Kaye (Flitner).
Bettie lived most of her
life in and around Ukiah,
with short times in Dale,
Oregon, and Central Point,
Oregon. She graduated
from Ukiah High School
in 1950.
Bettie married Wayne
Richard Barber in June of
1950 at the Ukiah Presbyte-
rian Church. They became
parents of Arla Marie Gam-
mond (Pendleton), Donald
Wayne Barber (Heppner),
Clinton Earl Barber (Uki-
ah), and Pamela Elizabeth
Steinke (Terrebonne).
Bettie was employed
by the United States Postal
Service for 29 years, from
1962 to her retirement in
1992.
Bettie was known as
an organized homemak-
er and an amazing cook.
Bettie read cookbooks as
many people read novels!
She was an accomplished
seamstress, sewing not only
for her family, but also for
friends and neighbors who
needed her skills. She took
oil painting classes, and her
home was decorated with
her landscape paintings.
Bettie was a cherished
friend, and was known to
write letters regularly to her
childhood friends, and to
send greetings to acquain-
tances often. She knew and
remembered everyone’s
birthday, sending cards for
anniversaries, graduations
and other special occasions
in their lives.
Bettie moved to Pend-
leton in 2019, where she
participated in a variety of
activities and excursions.
She enjoyed sitting at the
fireplace at the McKay
Creek Estates entryway and
liked to greet all those who
came and went through the
days.
Bettie passed away on
September 6 th , 2024. Bet-
tie is preceded in death by
her husband, Wayne, her
parents, her brother Allen,
and her sister Patsy. She is
survived by sisters Nancy
Rogers (Irrigon) and Jodi
(Mark) Flitner (Lyman,
Wyoming), her children,
nine grandchildren, 20
great-grandchildren and
one great-great grandchild.
Memorial services are
scheduled for October 13 th ,
2024, at 1:00 p.m. in the
Ukiah School Gymnasium.
Burial will be a family
event at the Ukiah Ceme-
tery, in Ukiah, Oregon.
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December 19, 1929 –
September 27, 2024
Gene Douglas Orwick,
94, of Lexington, Oregon,
passed away peacefully
on September 27 th , 2024,
in Terrebonne, Oregon,
surrounded by his family.
Born on December 19 th ,
1929, in Lonerock, Oregon,
to Frances and Roy “Rusty”
Orwick, Gene was a ded-
icated community leader,
small business owner, and
proud Army veteran.
A lifelong resident of
Lonerock, Heppner, and
Lexington, Gene served as
an Honor Guard for Presi-
dent Harry Truman during
his military career. After his
service, he married Dona
Marlene Gayhart in 1950,
and together they raised two
children, Lynda and Mike.
Gene owned and operated
several businesses, includ-
ing the Lexington Chevron
Station and Pendleton-Hep-
pner Freight Lines. In the
1970s and ’80s, he and
Dona expanded into lumber
and snowmobile sales.
Gene was deeply com-
mitted to his community,
serving over 72 years with
the Heppner Elks Lodge,
including roles as Exalted
Ruler and District Deputy
Grand Exalted Ruler. He
was also the first elected
mayor of Lexington and
served as City Recorder
and Councilman for over
two decades. A member
of the Heppner Masonic
Lodge, the Al Kader Shrine
Temple, and the Tri-County
Shrine Club, Gene’s contri-
butions spanned multiple
organizations.
Gene is survived by
his children, Lynda and
Mike, and his grandchil-
dren, Douglas, Liz, and
Sarah. He was preceded in
death by his wife, Dona,
and his siblings. A Celebra-
tion of Life will be held at
Heppner Elks Lodge #358
on October 10 th , 2024, at
11:00 am. Arrangements
are by Sweeney Mortuary.
Gene will be remem-
bered for his love of family,
service to his community,
and passion for the out-
doors. He will be greatly
missed.
Sweeney Payton Mor-
tuary is handling the ar-
rangements. Please leave
your condolence messages
for the family at sweeney-
mortuary.com.
Father Thankachan Joseph
Go, sell what you have
This week’s readings remind us that we possess
nothing in our lives that we refuse to surrender to the
Lord. Instead, most of these things possess us. We have
really made “our things” top priorities. Thus, we violate
the first commandment of God: give absolute and un-
conditional priority to God. The first reading advises us
to use the God-given virtue of prudence and to seek true
wisdom in preference to vanishing realities like riches or
political and social influence.
The Book of Wisdom (7:7-11) relates that in the
first-century B.C., the Jewish community was a minori-
ty in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria, Egypt, cut off
from the comforting religious institutions of Jerusalem
and subjected to great cultural pressure from the pa-
gan Greek society. They were in danger of losing their
identity because of the temptation to follow Greek phi-
losophy and morality rather than their faith traditions.
The Book of Wisdom teaches, somewhat analogous-
ly, that one should prefer wisdom to every other good
thing. It quotes King Solomon’s personal valuation of
wisdom: “I preferred her (true wisdom) to scepter and
throne and deemed riches nothing in comparison with
her.” In his prayer for wisdom, this Alexandrian Jewish
teacher identifies wisdom as the greatest possession of
all and contrasts it with material possessions. True wis-
dom comes from God, the ability to see and understands
things as God sees and understands them. Only divine
wisdom can teach us how to live wisely and success-
fully, making wise choices. We are also invited to see
Jesus as Wisdom incarnate and to give Him priority over
everything else in life.
The Gospel of Mark (10:17-30) tells the story of a
truly good young man who wants to follow Jesus and
who has been deeply faithful to the teachings of God in
his Jewish faith. Yet, when Jesus asks the young man to
give up all his wealth and follow Him, the young man
goes away sad. What a strong teaching. God is always
asking things of us. In so many ways, we are like the
rich young man: good and not yet totally committed.
We don’t know what the young man did later on. Per-
haps he ended up selling everything and giving it to the
poor and following Jesus. But his first response was only
sadness. From today’s Gospel let us draw some conclu-
sions:
1) “Do something beautiful for God” by reach-
ing out to others. Let us give ourselves lavishly. Moth-
er Teresa puts it in a different way: “Do SOMETHING
BEAUTIFUL for God. Do it with your life. Do it every
day. Do it in your own way. But do it!”
2) An invitation to generous sharing. Jesus was so
generous; He gave us His very self. To follow Jesus, we
must have a generous heart and be willing to give our
belongings away to express our generosity. In the heart
of every Christian there should be a desire to give. Mar-
tin Luther says that the man who has given his heart to
God will also give God his wallet. We must manage our
possessions wisely so that they do not gain control over
our hearts. Let us also ask the question: “How do I use
my God-given talents for the good of others?” God gives
us talents; He lends them to us to be used in this world.
3) “You are lacking one thing.” In each of our lives
something serves as a major obstacle to happiness and
peace. We must recognize this and address it head-on.
It may riches, anger, holding grudges, drugs, lust, ap-
athy, lies, unfaithfulness, theft? Let us invite God into
our lives and into our efforts to face that one obstacle to
holiness. We have a decision to make: go away sad like
the rich young man or follow Jesus and be happy.
4) We need to follow Jesus on His terms, not on
ours. This involves step one: giving up whatever in our
lives is evil. Sometimes it may involve giving up good
things. As parents, we might consider personal recre-
ation and relaxation (good things) which we have given
up over the years for the sake of the children. As a moth-
er or father who is also a disciple of Jesus Christ, this
was required of us, and we made the sacrifice. When we
follow Jesus on His terms there may be certain crosses
to bear, but in the core of our being are peace and joy
because we know that we are doing our best to carry out
God’s perfect will in our lives.
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