RECORDS/COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021
DEATH NOTICES
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
OBITUARY
Paula M. Crowell
Oct. 27, 1940 — Dec. 16, 2021
Donald Lee Bennett
May 8, 1933 — Nov. 16, 2021
Stanfi eld
Echo
Paula M. Crowell, 81, of Stanfi eld, died Dec. 16, 2021, at her
home. She was born Oct. 27, 1940, in Le Mars, Iowa. A memorial
service will be Jan. 8, 11 a.m. at Westside Church of Christ, 2185
W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston. Burial will be at a later date at Pleas-
ant View Cemetery, Stanfi eld. Arrangements are with Burns Mor-
tuary of Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryherm-
iston.com.
Donald Lee Bennett, of Echo, passed away on Nov. ranch was located just south of Hermiston on Butter-
16, 2021, at the age of 88. Don was born on May 8, creek, where it thrived for over 40 years.
Don had been involved in several cattle organizations
1933, to J.W. and Marie Bennett and lived the earli-
throughout his life, including the Shorthorn, Her-
est years of his life on the family cattle and
wheat ranch near Winona, Washington. He had
eford and Black Angus Associations. Don had
many fond memories of growing up with his
a passion for farming the land and looked for-
three brothers in the Palouse wheat country.
ward to each new season of crops and harvests.
Don’s parents relocated their family farm-
Don was honored in 2007 by Oregon State Uni-
ing business to Oakville, Washington, when
versity’s College of Agricultural Sciences for
his lifetime achievement in Oregon agriculture.
he was a sophomore in high school. He par-
Don is survived by his wife, Phyllis, of 65
ticipated on several sports teams and gradu-
years; twin brother, Doug of Echo; sons, Dar-
ated in 1951.
Don served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to
ryl of Hermiston and Dwayne of Kennewick;
1956 as a unit clerk in Korea. After his hon-
four grandchildren, several great-grandchildren,
Bennett
nieces and nephews.
orable discharge, Don returned to the family
farm. In September 1956, Don married Phyl-
Don was preceded in death by two older
lis Neace and together they raised two sons,
brothers, Bill and Jack.
A private family graveside service was held
Darryl and Dwayne.
at the Hermiston Cemetery, Hermiston, Oregon.
Don spent fi ve years living in Wallowa,
In lieu of fl owers, contributions in Don’s
Oregon, operating a commercial ranch until
memory may be made to the American Cancer
1976 when he relocated his family to Herm-
iston, where he would live and work the remainder of Society or a charity of your choice.
his life. Don and his twin brother, Doug, went into busi-
Please share memories of Don with his family at www.
ness together, founding the Oregon Hereford Ranch, a burnsmortuaryhermiston.com. Burns Mortuary of Herm-
purebred Hereford cattle and farming operation. The iston, Oregon, is in care of arrangements.
Robert Lee ‘Bob’ Fowler
Sept. 16, 1952 — Nov. 29, 2021
Walla Walla
Robert Lee “Bob” Fowler, 69, of Walla Walla, died Nov. 29,
2021, in Walla Walla. He was born Sept. 16, 1952, in Boise. A fam-
ily gathering will be held. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary
of Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.
com.
Kim A. Huff
Dec. 17, 1954 — Dec. 13, 2021
Hermiston
Kim A. Huff , 66, of Hermiston, died Dec. 13, 2021, in Herm-
iston. He was born Dec. 17, 1954, in Pendleton. A private fam-
ily gathering was held. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Faith community celebrates reason for season
Charlotte Marie Johnson
Oct. 11, 1952 — Dec. 13, 2021
Hermiston
Charlotte Marie Johnson, 69, of Hermiston, died Dec. 13, 2021,
in Portland. She was born Oct. 11, 1952, in Newport, Washington.
Services are pending. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Autumn Rose Jones
Oct. 20, 1999 — Dec. 18, 2021
Boardman
Autumn Rose Jones, 22, of Boardman, died Dec. 18, 2021, in
Condon. She was born Oct. 20, 1999, in Walnut Creek, Califor-
nia. Services are pending. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary
of Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.
com.
Anthony P. ‘Tony’ Loveday
Sept. 20, 1966 — Dec. 16, 2021
Hermiston
Anthony P. “Tony” Loveday, 55, of Hermiston, died Dec. 16,
2021, at his home. He was born Sept. 20, 1966, in Pendleton.
A funeral service will be Wednesday, Dec. 22, 1 p.m. at Burns
Mortuary Chapel, Hermiston. Burial will follow at Desert Lawn
Memorial Cemetery, Irrigon. Arrangements are with Burns Mor-
tuary of Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuary-
hermiston.com.
Cynthia Marie ‘Cyndi’ Martuscelli
Oct. 26, 1951 — Dec. 18, 2021
Stanfi eld
Cynthia Marie “Cyndi” Martuscelli, 70, of Stanfi eld, died Dec.
18, 2021, at her home. She was born Oct. 26, 1951, in Walla Walla.
Services are pending. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston. Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Robert James Powell
Dec. 14, 1934 — Dec. 18, 2021
Umatilla
Robert James Powell, 87, of Umatilla, died Dec. 18, 2021, in
Richland, Oregon. He was born Dec. 14, 1934, in Adrian. A grave-
side service will be held at a later date at Wilder Cemetery, Wilder,
Idaho. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of Hermiston. Share
memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Lester Steven ‘Steve’ Reece
Feb. 6, 1951 — Dec. 15, 2021
Boardman
Lester Steven “Steve” Reece, 70, of Boardman, died Dec. 15,
2021, at his home. He was born Feb. 6, 1951, in Nyssa. Services
are pending. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of Hermiston.
Share memories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Hermiston Herald
Brightly wrapped pres-
ents tucked under a tree is
the hallmark of Christmas.
Members of the faith-
based community enjoy
the tradition of exchang-
ing gifts, however, the hol-
iday has much deeper mean-
ing. While competing with
Santa Claus, Black Fri-
day sales or light displays
like Clark Griswold’s in
“National
Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation,” sev-
eral area church leaders and
members of local congrega-
tions describe Christmas as
a celebration of their faith.
Barb Wattenburger, who
attends New Hope Commu-
nity Church in Hermiston,
acknowledges that exchang-
ing gifts is exciting and fun.
The Hermiston woman also
helps with Operation Christ-
mas Child, a faith-based
outreach ministry that dis-
tributes gifts to disadvan-
taged children across the
globe.
However, it’s more
than just Christmas pres-
ents — she said the project
is wrapped up as an oppor-
tunity to share God’s love
in a tangible way, providing
a “touch of hope.” And for
Wattenburger, it all comes
back to her central focus.
“All the other traditions
and fun activities add to
the celebration, but they
can never compete with the
true meaning, for me,” she
said. “The true meaning of
Christmas impacts my life
every day of the year.”
Pastor Patty Nance of
the Hermiston First United
Methodist Church, Pas-
tor Terry Haight of Herm-
Tammy Malgesini/Hermiston Herald
Chris Early and Phil Hector sing a duet of “O Come All
Ye Faithful” at the conclusion of the Sunday morning
worship service Dec. 19, 2021, at the First United
Methodist Church, Hermiston.
iston’s ZEAL Church and
Jeff Snell, former Hermis-
ton stake president of The
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, agree that
an important factor is carv-
ing out a way of life that
highlights the meaning of
Christmas each day.
“There are a lot of people
saying, ‘What about the day
after Christmas, then what?’
They want to know what
happens after the excite-
ment is over,” Haight said.
“That’s when people need
to have a genuine encounter
with God, where he’s cele-
brated all year round.”
Nance said grumbling
about the glossing over of
the true meaning of Christ-
mas has been a part of the
holiday landscape her entire
life. Snell agreed, saying for
a while he was greatly dis-
turbed with the commercial-
ization of Christmas.
“I used to be pretty
‘grinchy’ when it came to
Christmas. I fi nally had to
realize that I was the one
allowing Christmas to be
commercialized,” he said.
Wrapped up in traditions
Continuing
Church
Theodore L. ‘Teddy’ Williams
April 18, 1984 — Nov. 30, 2021
Hermiston
Theodore L. “Teddy” Williams, 37, of Hermiston, died Nov.
30, 2021, in Paterson, Washington. He was born April 18, 1984, in
Tacoma, Washington, the son of Theodore Prater and Angela Wil-
liams. A memorial service will be Dec. 20, 1 p.m. at the Burns Mor-
tuary Chapel, Hermiston. Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary
of Hermiston. Leave an online condolence at www.burnsmortua-
ryhermiston.com.
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PET OF THE W EEK
MEET PONGO!
He is a very high energy
puppy who needs
training. He needs
another dog to play
with. Prefer someone
who is home to help be
more socialized.
traditions
from her childhood, Carol
Greene of Hermiston enjoys
gathering with family.
Activities can include some-
thing as simple as watching
old Christmas movies, mak-
ing crafts or sitting around a
bonfi re drinking hot cocoa.
And Nance has fond mem-
ories of digging to the bot-
tom of her Christmas stock-
ing to fi nd an orange nestled
deep down in its toe.
Greene, who attends
ZEAL Church, also seeks
opportunities to share about
the blessings in her life,
praying with others and
helping people build their
faith and hope.
“Christmas is a day of
celebrating the birth of
Jesus,” she said.
For David Florea, who
attends Oasis Vineyard
Church, it’s important to
accept invitations to din-
ners, parties and gatherings
with family and friends. He
said reaching out to others
can be helpful and healing.
After becoming home-
less earlier this year, Florea
expressed gratitude to dear
friends who opened their
home to him. Based on his
feelings of sadness and bro-
kenness, Florea could have
easily bypassed Christmas,
but he said doing so would
dishonor God, his friends
and himself.
Instead, he’s trying to
focus on the true mean-
ing of Christmas and how
that aff ects his destiny.
Watching “It’s a Wonder-
ful Life” and “A Christ-
mas Carol” are among his
favored activities, along
with attending a Christmas
Eve service to worship, sing
and pray. Snell, too, likes to
incorporate music and mov-
ies, which he said “brings
a warmth and peace to my
heart.”
Being able to attend
community activities and
extended family gather-
ings has been a highlight
for Wattenburger this hol-
iday season. She also con-
tinues to focus on “pass-
ing important truths on to
the children and grand-
children.” She’s particu-
larly looking forward to
Christmas Tea with her fi ve
grandchildren.
“It is a special tea party,
complete with lots of good-
ies and formal table man-
ners,” Wattenburger said.
“We just have a great time
together, and I plan to con-
tinue it for as many years as
they will participate in it.”
And Nance, Florea and
Snell enjoy reading the bib-
lical account of the birth of
Jesus in Luke 2.
“We are blessed to be
called to share the story
of Jesus’ birth and we are
happy to do that among the
mounds of spent wrapping
paper and ribbons, piles of
gift cards and fruit cakes set
aside for ‘love your neigh-
bor’ re-gifting,” Nance said.
DIRECTORY
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
541-567-6672
JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE
CONGREGATION
ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Services 9:00am Sundays
In-person or streaming
on Facebook or Zoom
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
Seventh-day
COME WORSHIP
Adventist Church WITH US AT THE
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
Sundays at 11:00am
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
Hermiston Christian
Center & School
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
COUNTRY
CHURCH
32742 Diagonal Rd.
Hermiston, OR
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
541-289-4774
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
First Christian Church
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............5:00pm
Tues. Creation Club (Sept-May)..4:30pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......5:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
Sunday Gathering: 10:00 AM
Nursery care is available 3 years & under
Kids Club available 4 years-5th grade
Sunday Prayer Gathering: 6:00 PM
NEED PRAYER? CONTACT US!
1825 W. Highland Ave.
541-567-3480 | hcc4u.org
hcc4u2020@gmail.com
To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact
Audra Workman 541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com