TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 9, 2025
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
Heppner Fire Department Humphreys, Albitre headed
to Junior Olympics
receives new fire truck
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. E-mail:
editor@rapidserve.net or sykeschris@hotmail.com Web site: www.heppner.net. Post-
master send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner,
Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: In Morrow County $36/year. Outside Morrow County
$41/year. In County Senior Rate (65 years or older) $31/year. 9 month Student student
subscriptions $36/year.
Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea DiSalvo ............................................................................................. Editor
(L-R) Doug Johnson, Asst. Chief Eric Chick, and Chief
Steve Rhea. -Contributed Photo
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
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Obituaries
Florence Lee Peggy Anne
Nolan
(Taylor)
Lauritsen
Florence Lee Nolan
Florence Lee Nolan,
83, of Redmond, OR,
passed away peacefully on
June 22, 2025. A graveside
service will be held in her
honor at the Heppner Ma-
sonic Cemetery on July 12
at 10 a.m. All are welcome
to attend and celebrate Flor-
ence’s life.
Born on March 24,
1942, in Heppner, OR,
Florence spent her early
years in the community
she would grow to love and
serve throughout her life.
A graduate of Heppner
High School, Florence mar-
ried her beloved husband,
Vern Nolan, in 1962. She
devoted much of her life
to raising her family as a
dedicated housewife and
also worked in several lo-
cal Heppner businesses
over the years. Florence
was deeply involved in her
church and its activities, of-
fering her time and energy
to support others.
She had a passion for
woodworking and garden-
ing, and found true joy in
lending a helping hand to
anyone in need. Even when
she had little herself, Flor-
ence gave generously and
wholeheartedly. Her great-
est pride and joy were her
children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren—and
she cherished the moments
when family gathered to-
gether.
Florence is loving-
ly remembered by her
children, Christina No-
lan-Pickett, Michael Nolan
and Terri Antonucci; 11
grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren. She is
also survived by two broth-
ers, Kip Morris and Robert
Morris, and two sisters,
Doris Brosnan and Edith
Turner. Her love extended
to her sons- and daughter-
in-law, as well.
She leaves behind a
legacy of compassion, self-
lessness and unwavering
love for her family and
community.
In lieu of flowers, the
family asks that donations
be made to a cancer charity
of your choice, in memory
of Florence’s giving spirit.
Sweeney Payton Mor-
tuary is handling the ar-
rangements. Please leave
your condolence messages
for the family at sweeney-
paytonmortuary.com.
Peggy Anne (Taylor)
Lauritsen
Peggy Anne (Taylor)
Lauritsen, 71, of Heppner,
OR passed away on June
30, 2025, at Pioneer Me-
morial Hospital in Heppner,
surrounded by her friends
and family.
A celebration of life
service for Peggy is being
held on Saturday, July 12,
at 1 p.m. All are welcome
to attend.
Peggy was born No-
vember 11, 1953, in Hep-
pner, to parents Avery and
Joanne Taylor. She gradu-
ated with the Heppner High
School class of 1972. She
then met Carl Lauritsen
in 1973 and the two were
married the next year.
Peggy spent her life
in Heppner working at the
Kinzua Mill, Wagon Wheel,
and Cals Lounge. Most
folks remember her from
her time spent working at
Pioneer Memorial Clin-
ic. While there she filled
many roles: kitchen, laun-
dry, nurse’s aide, med aide
and Emergency Medical
Technician.
Peggy was always de-
pendable and there to help,
whether it was saving a life
out on an ambulance call
or covering a shift. She en-
joyed the outdoors, taking
her boys hunting or fish-
ing, going to their sporting
events and playing cards.
She is survived by her
brother, Avery (Butch) Tay-
lor; sister, Christy Sherrow;
sons, Stacy and Paul Laurit-
sen; grandchildren, Katie
Hacking and Lee Lauritsen;
and great-granddaughter
Evelynn Hacking.
In lieu of flowers, me-
morial contributions can be
made to Pioneer Memorial
Hospice in Heppner.
Sweeney Payton Mor-
tuary has been entrust-
ed with the arrangements.
Please leave your condo-
lence messages for the fam-
ily at sweeneypaytonmortu-
ary.com.
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Chris Humphreys (left) and Joe Albitre are headed to the Ju-
nior Olympics in Georgia later this month. -Contributed photo
-Contributed Photos
A new fire truck was
delivered to the Heppner
Fire Department. Funded
by the Heppner Rural Fire
Protection District, it is ti-
tled to the City of Heppner
and operated by the Hep-
pner Fire Department.
A View from the Hill by Doris Brosnan
Yes, summer is here and the days are now growing
shorter, so the Willow Creek Terrace community views
making the best of the sunny days increasingly important.
Most important to Peggy Connor on Monday was her
90 th birthday! She celebrated with the lunch of her choice,
shared with neighbors and with her son and daughter, both
of whom traveled here to be with her.
A few new and returning faces now greet visitors to
the Terrace: Tony Doherty has moved in from Lexington.
Zaleta Masterson has joined the staff as a part-time care
associate for the summer and plans to continue to help at
the Terrace after she starts her senior year at HHS, and
Makayla Silvia has returned after a brief hiatus. They
join the rest of the staff and the residents in appreciation
of the meals produced by Chef Shawn and Chef Robin
Halsworth—who has also assumed the kitchen-coordi-
nator role—and the return of their part-time assistant
Cynthia Wenberg.
Tony moved to the Terrace in time to join the compe-
tition in the “bowling tournament.” Jerry Green has a long
history of great bowling expertise, with many trophies to
prove it, but Tony apparently surprised him that day, so
maybe a rematch will be on the docket before long? Resi-
dents have also been enjoying the volleyball games played
with pool noodles as paddles and a balloon as the ball.
Jerry is tending the vegetable and herb garden, which
has so far produced herbs used and appreciated by the
chefs. And Bev Sherman has reason to be proud of the
entry flower containers that Administrator Lankford says,
“look amazing!”
Residents continue to enjoy LaRae Kindle’s coming
as a representative of the Rebekahs to call Bingo once a
month. The FFA students came as planned to play board
games with residents once and later returned to offer a
session of painting with watercolors. Carolyn Willey,
JoAnne Burleson, Peggy Connor and Butch Christian
benefitted from that activity.
The Fourth of July offered some variety for everyone
interested: Chirella Wallace and her sidekick Grayson
Kennedy brought Fourth of July treats for everyone. And
lunch featured barbecued ribs, potato salad and corn on
the cob. Later, Jasmine and her husband, Colby Murray,
set off some fireworks!
Some residents have been on the go: Alex Camarillo
joined friends and family in Ione for that Fourth of July
celebration. Rita Bowman traveled to Prineville for a
great granddaughter’s wedding. And Bobbi Angell and
Pat Carty went to Ukiah to watch their grandson ride in
the rough stock competition.
Social hours on Fridays are back, and recently some
residents enjoyed conversation and refreshing drinks
while wiggling their toes at a “cool feet” social offered
around a wading pool.
One apartment remains available in the Community
on the Hill, and residents and staff wish to welcome a
new neighbor. Whoever moves in will surely be pleased
with the friendly atmosphere, the social interaction made
possible, the good food, and the opportunities for privacy
and solitude, as well. One feature that might surprise a
new resident is the in-house convenience of the hair salon
and the efforts that Leah Hyatt makes to accommodate
the needs and schedules of her clients at the Terrace. This
month’s “shout out” is to Leah for her consideration that
finds her working her schedule at her shop around the
needs of the Terrace residents, who view her kindness
as pretty special!
Man killed in I-84
crash near Boardman
MORROW COUNTY—
On Thursday, July 3,
around 10:28 p.m., Oregon
State Police responded to
a single-vehicle fatal crash
in Morrow County near
Boardman.
The preliminary investi-
gation indicated a gray
Honda Odyssey, operated
by Timothy W. Nelson,
50, unknown address, was
traveling eastbound on In-
terstate 84 near milepost
162 when it left the road-
way and struck the end of
a guardrail.
Nelson was declared dead
at the scene.
The highway was impacted
for approximately 30 min-
utes during the on-scene
investigation.
OSP was assisted by the
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office, Boardman Police
Department, Boardman
Fire Department and the
Oregon Department of
Transportation.
Local teens Joseph Al-
bitre and Christopher Hum-
phreys are headed to the
Junior Olympics in Georgia
later this month.
Their journey began
five weeks ago and in-
volved a series of increas-
ingly-tough qualifying
meets, which culminated
this last Saturday at the
Region 13 Championships
in Spokane Valley, WA.
Joe and Christopher
faced off against the North-
west’s top high jumpers
and javelin throwers. After
hard-fought competitions
that came down to the wire,
both boys secured a spot
in the top eight in their
field—qualifying them for
the 2024 National Junior
Olympics. Christopher will
compete in javelin, and Jo-
seph in high jump.
The national com-
petition takes place July
21–27 in Savannah, GA.
Both boys will compete
the weekend of the 26 th
and 27 th .
A fundraiser to help
with travel expenses will
be held on July 19 at the
Heppner Elks Lodge. It will
include Bingo and a silent
auction. If interested, please
contact Rebecca Hum-
phreys at rebhumphreys@
hotmail.com or Katherine
Greenup at katedg34@
hotmail.com.
Death Notice
Sheila Denise Pip-
er—Sheila Denise Pip-
er, 54, of Heppner passed
away on June 29, 2025. A
memorial service will be
announced later. Sweeney
Payton Mortuary has been
entrusted with the arrange-
ments. Please leave your
condolence messages for
the family at sweeneypay-
tonmortuary.com.
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