System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Nemiro "Ted" Strazdas
Nemiro "Ted" Theodore Strazdas, 90, of Medford, Ore. passed away Tuesday, August 5, 2014 at his home. Arrangements by Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives. 541-770-6505
Alan Lloyd Hoadley
Alan Lloyd Hoadley, 60, of Ashland, Ore. passed away Tuesday, August 5, 2014 at his home. Arrangements by Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland, Oregon.
Susan L. Rambo
Susan L. Rambo, 69, of Ashland, Ore. passed away Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at Linda Vista Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Arrangements by Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives.
Joseph N. Baker
Joseph N. Baker, 87, of Central Point, Ore. passed away Friday, August 1, 2014 at his home. Arrangements by Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives. 541-770-6505
Richard Weaver
Richard Weaver, 74, of Medford, Ore. passed away Saturday, August 2, 2014 at Farmington Square. Arrangements by Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives. 541-770-6505
Coby Dee Berry
Coby Dee Berry, 36, of Medford, Ore. passed away Friday, August 1, 2014 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Arrangements by Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives. 541-770-6505
Wanda Florine Bowers
Wanda Florine Bowers, 83, of Medford, Ore. passed away Sunday, August 3, 2104. Arrangements by Memory Gardens Mortuary. 541-773-7338
Carol Elmore Sturtevant
Carol Elmore Sturtevant, 80, of Ashland, Ore. passed away August 3, 2014 at her home. Arrangements under the direction of LitwillerSimonsen Funeral Home and Crematory, Ashland. www.litwillersimonsen.com
Dorothy O. Considine
Dorothy O. Considine, 80, of Ashland, Ore. passed away August 2, 2014 at her home. Arrangements under the direction of LitwillerSimonsen Funeral Home and Crematory, Ashland. www.litwillersimonsen.com
Kenneth L. Marvin
Kenneth L. Marvin, 77, of Central Point, Ore. passed away Sunday, August 3, 2014. Arrangements by Conger-Morris, Central Point Chapel. 541-664-3361
Gladys Ward
Gladys F. Ward, 92, a lifelong Baker City resident, died April 19, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.
Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St. Pastor Jack Bynum will officiate. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Gladys was born on Oct. 16, 1912, near Wingville to Lewis C. and Laura Phillips Morin. She was married to Al Moser on June 18, 1927.
They had four sons, one of whom died at birth. Al died in March 1968. She married Newton Ward in 1977. Newt died in March 1990.
Gladys was a member of the Royal Neighbors. She was active with the senior citizens and played with the Kitchen Band. She took tap dancing lessons in her 80s.
She was a fine candy maker and dessert cook. She opened her doors to people in need and was always generous and loving with her friends and relatives.
Survivors include her sons, Lewis Moser, and his wife, Patricia, of Anacortes, Wash., and Frank Moser and his wife, Lois, of Caldwell, Idaho; daughter-in-law, Chari Moser of Bellevue, Washington; seven grandchildren, 16 great- grandchildren and two great-great- grandchildren; a brother, Claude Morin of Utah, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her sons, Gary and Bruce Moser; her brothers, Reese, Vernell, Ted, Pierce, and Glen Morin; and her sisters, Clata Morin and Nellie Brannock.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Research Alliance of Oregon or to the charity of one's choice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Sue' Liebe
Caren "Sue" Liebe, 40, of Hermiston, died March 11, 2005, at her home.
There was a celebration of life gathering for her March 16 at the Hermiston Community Center. Disposition was by cremation. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Lostine Cemetery. There will be a potluck gathering afterward at the Odd Fellows Hall at Wallowa. Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Liebe was born on March 15, 1964, at Enterprise to Fred and Darleene Rafferty. She was a 1981 graduate of Riverside High School at Boardman, where she was a natural-born leader. She was involved in various extracurricular activities, including yearbook staff, pep club, pep band, science club and Spanish club.
She was a devoted athlete, participating in varsity-level volleyball, softball and tennis. She even tried her hand at golf. She was a member of the Girls Athletic Association and in her senior year, her fellow students voted her "Most Athletic Female."
She also excelled in scholastic endeavors. She was an honor student, a member of National Honor Society and a Student Council member. She was a Girls State participant and she received the Citizenship Education award her senior year.
She remained involved at school with children in many activities, whether she was helping teach, coaching or encouraging team players.
After moving to Hermiston, she continued her love of sports by participating in softball and co-ed softball, where she earned the name "Top Gun." While playing softball, she met Sonny Liebe. They fell in love and were married on March 27, 1991, at Tacoma, Wash.
Although she was always involved with children in the community, her love and devotion was to her children, David and Mykel, who always came first in her life.
She was self-employed as a licensed tax consultant at Hermiston for several years. She was active in Hermiston Little League, the Blue Mountain Volleyball Association, Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool and numerous other community functions.
Survivors include her husband, Albert Lewis "Sonny" Liebe Jr., her son, David Jacob Liebe, and her daughter, Mykel Raeann Liebe, all of Hermiston; her mother, Dee Stubblefield of Baker City; brothers, Rolin Ray Gorbett of Benton City, Wash., and Timothy David Rafferty of Prosser, Wash.; a sister, Cheryl Ann Post of Pendleton; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her father, Fred Rafferty.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Vange John Memorial Hospice or to TLC Home Health of Hermiston.
‘Bill' Laird
William Edward "Bill" Laird, 66, of Baker City, died April 16, 2005, at his home after a long bout with brain cancer.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Bill was born on Nov. 15, 1938, at Ketchikan, Alaska, to Ruth and Edward Laird, who was an engineer with the Lighthouse Service, now the Coast Guard. Bill's mother died when he was a baby and he was mostly raised by his stepmother, Anna Laura Laird. The family moved to California when Bill was 5, followed by several other moves around the country.
Bill attended high school at the Army Navy Academy in Carlsbad, Calif., graduated in 1957 and served in the army in Germany from 1958-60. He lived in San Francisco in the 1960s where he attended classes at San Francisco State University, worked as a photographer, was involved in a co-operative preschool and spent four months as a kitchen worker on a Norwegian freighter, which eventually broke down in Singapore.
He graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with a degree in soil science in 1973, followed by a year of graduate school at Washington State University in Pullman. He went to work for the Soil Conservation Service in Baker City in the summer of 1974.
Bill married Barbara Bailey in San Francisco in 1961 and they had two sons.
In 1978 he married Mary Sue Rightmire of Baker City. Two weeks after their daughter was born in 1979, the three of them were on their way to Micronesia, where Bill was in charge of a soil survey of the islands. He spent two years surveying Ponape, Kosrae and Truk and six months in Honolulu writing the report before returning to Baker City in 1981. He later worked on soil surveys in Wallowa County and the big island of Hawaii before returning to Baker City after retiring in 1994.
Bill enjoyed gardening wherever he lived as well as carpentry and wood projects after his retirement. He loved traveling by train, ship and car and he and Mary Sue made a trip around the world in 1998 without taking a plane. He was also an AARP tax volunteer for several years and a math tutor with the Literacy Program at the Baker County Library. Bill was a caring person who found his spiritual way in the past year in the tenets of Buddhism, which teaches tolerance, love and compassion.
Survivors includes his wife, Mary Sue Rightmire of Baker City; his sons, Edward Laird and his wife, Pok Cha, of Eugene, and Abraham Laird and his wife, Annette, of Imperial Beach, Calif., and their children, Amber, Amy and Adam; his daughter, Amelia Laird of Portland; his stepmother, Anna Laura Laird; his sisters, Peggy Dennis and her husband, Dean, and Ruth Delaney and her husband, Bill, all of Richmond, Va., and Laura Ann Brutzman and her husband, Bard, of Charlotte, N.C.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Those who wish to honor Bill may do so by showing loving kindness to those with whom they disagree. Memorial contributions may be given to the Literacy Program at the Baker County Library or to Pathway Hospice, 2192 Court Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Lorena Lessman
Lorena Elizabeth Lessman, 86, of Baker City, died April 14, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Care Center.
Her graveside funeral will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery. Sister Kay Marie Duncan of Pathway Hospice will officiate.
Visitations will be today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
Lorena was born Oct. 31, 1918, at Kamiah, Idaho, to Jim and Martha Carrol Smith. The family later moved to Eastern Oregon. Lorena attended school at La Grande and worked for a short time as a cook on the Peach family turkey farm.
While in La Grande she met Glen Lessman, and the couple was married in 1939 at Boise. Two years later, Lorena gave birth to their only child, a son, Donnie Glen Lessman. To care for Donnie's special health needs, Lorena went to nurse's training and became a practical nurse. She devoted the next 52 years as Donnie's at-home caregiver, a job she loved and lived for.
Travel was difficult for the family, so Lorena was always entertaining people in the home. She loved to cook, and she spent hours preparing food for family and friends when they visited.
Glen's job working in the woods drew the family to the outdoors. Travel was difficult, but Glen and Lorena would clear trails for Donnie's wheelchair so their son could experience the camping trips with them.
Donnie, who never spoke or walked, passed in 1985 from leukemia. He was a very loved and well-cared-for man, thanks to the special care from his loving nurse and mother, Lorena.
Lorena spent lots of time canning the fresh foods from her large garden planted every year. She had an appreciation for music, and she enjoyed dancing. Sewing was also one of her pastimes. When you approached Lorena she would always have a large smile to greet you. She had a good sense of humor and loved to play practical jokes on people.
Lorena is survived by her brothers and sisters-in-law, Charles and Wanda Smith of Boise, and Kess and Phyllis Smith of Portland; sisters, Mamie Woolhiser of Portland, Eva Woolhiser and her husband, Ron, of Vancouver, Wash., Frieda Burnett of Milwaukie, Martha "Alva" Key of Springfield, and Donna Marquand and her husband, Dean, of Waldport; sisters-in-law, Alice Lessman of Enterprise and Ruth Wicklund of Sequim, Wash.; friends and caregivers, Barbara and Herb Burton of Baker City; and many nieces and nephews.
Lorena was preceded in death by her husband, Glen; her son, Donnie; her parents, Jim and Martha Smith; a brother, Alfred; a sister, Alta; a sister-in-law, Rose Peach; and brothers-in-law, Ralph Lessman and Don Woolhiser.
Contributions in Lorena's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital or to the Alzheimer's Association in care of Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Will Sullens
Wilbert "Will" L. Sullens, 79, of Medical Springs, died April 4, 2005, at his home.
His memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Dale Bingham will conduct the services. Everyone is invited to a finger-food potluck reception at the VFW Hall, 2005 Valley Ave., immediately following the service.
Will was born Nov. 3, 1925, in Prairie City to Russell and Madeleine (Barlow) Sullens. He was raised and received his education in Prairie City. In 1943, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps, attending flight school in Santa Ana, Calif. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and returned to Prairie City where he became a flight instructor and ran the John Day Airport, which allowed him to accrue the hours necessary to work for an airline.
During this time he also worked as a millwright in the local mill to make ends meet. He married Margaret Howell of Prairie City and to this union, two children were born, Jim and Gloria. They later divorced. Will went to work for United Airlines in Los Angeles and due to scheduling was furloughed. He then went to work as private pilot for Hugh Cotting, Cotting Enterprises, a development builder in San Francisco. While working for Cotting, he also helped in the planning and designing of shopping centers.
In 1955 Will went to work for Pan Am World Airways as a navigator. On one of his trips home he met Janice Wirth, who was singing at a club in John Day. They were married and later adopted a daughter, Karla, in 1967. In 1960, he was stationed in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y., flying to Germany and Africa as co-pilot. He was one of the first charter pilots to fly into Moscow, Russia. He also flew many times into Vietnam during the war. He was stationed in many places, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Frankfurt, Germany, where he flew the Berlin corridor.
In 1971, due to Janice's ill health, the Sullenses bought a ranch near Janice's family in Medical Springs so that she would be near her family. Janice passed away in 1980. Will continued to call Medical Springs home and enjoyed his breaks from flying by working on his ranch. In 1984 he became reacquainted with Holly Wright Menard, a flight attendant he met in 1968. He and Holly were married March 16, 1986, in Irvine, Calif. They moved permanently to their ranch in 1985 after Will's retirement from Pan Am. He worked for the company for 29 1/2 years, the last 9 1/2 as captain flying 747s.
Will was a very talented man who could do anything, be it welding, designer of architect, builder, or political activist. There are so many things that Will did it is hard to acknowledge all of them, but several are worth noting. Will and his brother, Elwin, designed, built and flew the first four-engine B-17 aerial retardant Fire Fighter Flying Aircraft in Chino, Calif. This plane and its design was adopted for use by the U.S. Forest Service. Will designed and helped rebuild the flume for the Big Creek Ditch Co. Will was an excellent carpenter and enjoyed working with wood, metal and cars. As John Wirth, one of his Medical Springs neighbors, said: "Will was the best welder I ever witnessed with acetylene."
Will could fix anything, building the parts needed if necessary. He enjoyed hunting, shooting guns, reading history, listening to music, and flying. However, barbecuing wasn't his forte. He enjoyed politics and was well known for his political letters to the editor. He enjoyed poking fun at candidates and issues but never meanly. He was proud of his heritage and the fact that his grandfather Isaac came over the Oregon Trail in 1854 and his first wife's family blazed the Barlow Trail. He loved life, family and friends and enjoyed each and every day. He was extremely proud of his country and loved being an American.
Will is survived by his wife, Holly, of Medical Springs; his children, Jim Sullens and his wife, Lynette, of Prairie City, Karla Sullens of Pendleton, and Eric Menard of Pacific Grove, Calif.; grandchildren, Jeremy Sullens of Pendleton, and Tiffany Sullens and Brady Sullens, both of Prairie City; a brother, Elwin Sullens and his wife, Dorothy, of Los Alamitos, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother and sister, and a daughter, Gloria.
Contributions in Mr. Sullens' memory may be made to the Powder River Sportsman's Club, Oregonians in Action or Soroptimist of Baker County Gift Memorial Fund. This may be done through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Andrew Jones
Andrew J. Jones, 79, of Nampa, Idaho, died April 6, 2005, at Nampa.
His memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. in Nampa.
Andrew was born Dec. 25, 1925, in Bellevue, Idaho, to Betty and Frank Jones. He married Mary N. Greene in Twin Falls, Idaho on May 25, 1946. They were blessed with three children: Randy, Sue and John.
During World War II Andrew served in the U.S. Navy. Later he owned and operated three motels and a restaurant, was a land developer and retired from Idaho Power Co. where he worked as a commercial industrial representative.
Andrew loved woodworking and building remote control airplanes. He was a fantastic gardener and loved growing flowers and vegetables. He was a past president of the Rotary Club in Monte Vista, Colo., and a past member of the Kiwanis Club. He was a member of Neighborhood Church in Aberdeen, Wash., and currently a member of First Church of the Nazarene of Baker City. Despite tremendous health challenges throughout his life, Andrew had a great tenacity to live and accomplish whatever the Lord had for him to do.
Andrew is survived by his wife, Mary; his children and their spouses, Randy and Yoyo Jones, Sue and Jim Christian, and John and Linnea Jones; seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; four sisters: Ruth Reeder of Emmett, Idaho, Margie Dewey of Boise, Betty Winston of Nampa, and Elsie Loveland of Boise; and a brother, Woodrow Jones of Emmett.
Andrew was preceded in death by his parents and by three brothers, Albert, John and Robert.
Ruby White
Ruby J. White, 75, a resident of Baker Valley, died April 2, 2005, at her home.
Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Ruby Jewel White was born March 3, 1930, at Shoshone, Wyo., to Raymond and Kristen Sanders. She attended school at Canyon City, Prairie City, Belshaw District 20 and was a graduate of Grant Union High School.
She worked for Smith Brothers Moving and Storage and then for Ellingson Timber and Ellingson Lumber, retiring in 1994 after 35 years.
Ruby lived for her family and friends. She was always giving, expecting nothing in return. Ruby played the piano, watched and fed the birds, but most of all loved to hunt — be it for rocks, mushrooms, deer, elk, shed horns or even the missed potatoes in the fields.
Ruby's family hopes that friends will take a few minutes to reflect on their memories of Ruby and share them with others who loved and cared for her.
Survivors include her sons, Doug White of Baker City and Dave White and his wife, Bev, of Baker City; a granddaughter, Jessica White of Star, Idaho; and grandson, Max White of Wesidt, Germany; great-granddaughter, Paige Armstrong of Star, Idaho; brothers, Ray Sanders of Ontario and Jim Sanders and his wife, Lee, of Baker City; and much-loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father; and her husband of 47 years, Duane White.
In lieu of flowers and keeping with what was near and dear to Ruby, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Powder River Sportsman's Club — Youth Education Hunting Challenge (YEHC), which supports local hunter education and activities for the youth of Baker County. This may be done through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Joann Boyer
Joann Boyer, 96, died at her Rock Creek home on April 3, 2005.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Sally Wiens of the Haines United Methodist Church will officiate. Interment will be at the Haines Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward for family and friends at the United Methodist Church in Haines.
Visitations will be from 10 a.m. to noon Monday at Gray's West & Co.
Joann V. Bond Boyer was born on Aug. 29, 1908, to Charles Wesley and Martha Herndon Bond at Missouri Flat. The family arrived there by rail from Kentucky in March of that year. She grew up there and on a farm near Hot Lake, attending high school at La Grande.
Joann had a 28-year teaching career, gaining credentials from Monmouth and Eastern Oregon normal schools, completing a bachelor of arts degree in English at the University of Oregon at Eugene in 1937, and earning a master's degree in education from Eastern Oregon College in 1962.
Over the years, she taught at Imbler, Vale, South Fork School near Unity, Haines, Muddy Creek, and, for the greatest number of years, in the English classrooms of Baker junior and senior high schools. With a flair for the dramatic, she worked to make her classes as lively as they were informative.
In May 1935, Joann married Kenneth Boyer. After time in Eugene and on his family's ranch at Hereford, they moved to Muddy Creek in 1942.
She spent the rest of her life in the Muddy Creek and Rock Creek communities where, in addition to teaching and rearing three children, she was active in the Mutual Improvement Club, the Farm Bureau, education organizations, including the Baker County Retired Educators, and the United Methodist Church.
Among her family's talents was music. Joann taught herself to play the piano and violin. When young, she and her two younger brothers, Champ and Turner, formed a fiddle, guitar, and banjo trio and played for local dances. Later, when teaching high school, she would calm restless students by threatening to play an old-fashioned fiddle tune for them.
Survivors include two sons, Dale, and his wife, Grace, of Boise, and Duane of Haines; seven grandchildren and their spouses, Gina-Kamas Boyer Choi of Haydenville, Mass., Julie and Joe Glasgow, of Vancouver, Wash., Ken and Marie Boyer of Huntington Beach, Calif., Todd and Tabatha Farrington and Kelly and Genevieve Farrington of Puyallup, Wash., Holly Boyer of Haines and Jason Brandt of Hood River; and four great-grandchildren, all sources of pride to her; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth, in the 64th year of their marriage; her much-missed daughter, Dianne; her parents; and her six siblings, Lester, Elizabeth Badsky, Princess Ledridge, Charles Wesley Jr., Champ, and Turner.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Haines United Methodist Church Building Fund or the American Cancer Society.
