System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!‘Al' Oard
Albert G. "Al" Oard, 84, a resident of Baker City, died June 17, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. A private family celebration of life services will be held at a later date in the Burns Cemetery in Burns. Coles Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Al was born on Feb. 2, 1921, at Lawen to James and Clara Kesterson Oard. Their home was a ranch near Lawen, and Al attended the Crane and Drewsey grade schools. He was a 1938 graduate of Crane High School. He went on to college, attending Oregon State College at Corvallis from 1938 until May of 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
He was discharged in October 1945 as a first lieutenant bomber pilot. During his tour in World War II, he served in Europe and flew the B24 Bomber. He was shot down twice. He returned to Oregon State College and graduated in 1946 with a major in forest and range management.
In December of 1945, he married Erma Lee Cawlfield at Burns. They made their home in various parts of Oregon working for the U.S. Forest Service. During his 40- year career with the Forest Service, he served as ranger, branch chief in range and the regional office in Portland, then as forest supervisor for the Malheur National Forest.
In 1974, he moved to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest where he served as forest supervisor until his retirement in the early 1980s. Al and Erma then moved to Colorado where he managed a ranch for five years.
They enjoyed their years of retirement in Baker City going to Yuma, Ariz., every winter for 12 years. Al enjoyed fishing and hunting, going on wagon train trips and making wagon wheels. He collected for his "What Is It?" Museum in his basement, and Dutch-oven cooking. He was a great steward of the land.
Al was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Society of American Foresters, Society for Range Management, and 2nd Air Division Association, 8th Air Force. He served as the commander of the American Legion, Post No. 41, and as president of the Pacific Northwest Section Society Range Management.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Erma Oard of Baker City; his children, Mike Oard of Telluride, Colo., Jim Oard of Baton Rouge, La., and Jane Case of Prineville; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Richard Oard; and his sisters, Etta Temple and Eva Whiting.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice, 2192 Court Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Elmer Dougherty
Elmer P. Dougherty, 89, of Billings, Mont., died June 14, 2005, at Eagle Manor in Billings.
His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. July 20 at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St.
Elmer was born on Nov. 16, 1916, on a farm at Sutton Creek. After graduating from Baker Business College in 1937, he went to work for the U.S. Post Office in Baker City. He retired from the Postal Service after 35 years.
He married Ethel Ebell of Baker City on Nov. 24, 1938. They had two daughters, LeAnn Guess, who lives at San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, Bill, and Judith Rae Hammersmark, who live at Ballantine, Mont., with her husband, Marvin.
After retiring from the post office, he drove school bus for five years. He also enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a longtime member of the Baker Elks Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ethel; his parents; and his sister, Veta Hovde.
Survivors include a sister and brother-in-law, Berlena and Bob Broch of Seattle, Wash.; his daughters and their husbands; six grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Emma Wright
Emma Louella Wright, 91, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died June 15, 2005, at a La Grande care center.
A graveside service and celebration of her life will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at Abbey View Memorial Park in Brier, Wash. Arrangements are under the direction of Loveland Funeral Chapel in La Grande.
Emma Louella Wright was born on Nov. 21, 1913, at Glasgo, Mont. She was the oldest of eight children born to Pete and Minnie Hill Edd. The family moved to Williston, N.D., where she was raised and educated.
Emma married Leland Stroud at Williston, N.D. They later divorced and Emma moved to Seattle, Wash.
In 1945 she married Henry Benter in Seattle, where they lived until 1947 when they moved to Oregon. They lived at Springfield, Mayville and Baker City. They were Baker City residents from 1954 to 1961.
They next moved to La Grande where they remained until Henry's death in 1965 when she moved to Seattle to be near her sisters. She married Bill Wright in 1978 at Olympia, Wash., and lived at Bremerton, Wash., until her husband's retirement from the shipyards. They moved to Canton, N.C. Bill died in 1986. Emma remained at Canton until 1993 when she returned to La Grande.
She was an excellent gardener and could grow anything. She was a wonderful seamstress and loved to sew. She was an excellent cook and prepared wonderful meals for her family. She collected dolls and liked traveling, visiting places in the United States and Europe.
Survivors include her son, Donald Stroud of Ketchikan, Alaska; daughters, Alice Williamson and Roberta Adlard, both of La Grande; adopted son, Richard Benter of Fletcher, N.C.; stepchildren Rayman Benter, John Benterof Crosby of North Dakota and Milred Kjorli of Havre, Mont.; sisters Ruth Trainer, Verna DeWitt, Nyla Wills, and Betty Conners all of Seattle; a brother, Zell Edd of Williston, N.D.; granddaughters, Penny Anderson of Sand Point, Idaho, Terry Tarter of Richland, Sue Lightfoot of Lincoln City, Christine Carlson of La Grande, Beth Schmidt of Monmouth, Bonnie Samples of Oregon City, Connie Stroud of Edmond, Wash., and Lonnie Stroud; grandsons, James Devine of Sand Point, Idaho, and John Williamson of La Grande; 21 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Jess Edd, who died in World War II; and a sister, Edna DeLapp.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice through Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande, OR 97850.
Deborah Luster
Deborah Kay Luster, 44, of Pinedale, Wyo., a former Baker City resident, died June 13, 2005, in a car accident near Evanston, Wyo.
Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the home of Carolyn and Melvin Luster.
Debbie was born on Jan. 13, 1961, at Twin Falls, Idaho. She was the sixth of nine children born to her mother, Mary Helen Sartain Sharp of The Dalles. She also had five siblings from her father, William Bradley "Bill" Barnette.
As a young girl, she moved to Oregon where she attended school. She grew up primarily in the Eugene area. There she met and married William "Bill" Jensen. The coupled followed the family in a move to The Dalles where they raised their children for several years.
After Bill died, she spent several years in the Portland area before she met John Luster. They were married on Dec. 22, 1996. They lived in Oregon for several years before a job led them to their home at Pinedale, Wyo., where they had lived for the past three years.
Debbie was interested in genealogy and finding her family roots. She collected stuffed bears and Simpson memorabilia. Her passion and greatest love in life was for her family and friends. She was a loving wife and mother of three children. She will be deeply missed by those who knew her.
Survivors include her husband, John of Wyoming; her mother, Mary; her children, Jamie Lee Cimon of Portland, Melina Marie Jensen Phillips of Eglin, Air Force Base, Fla., and William Lee Jensen II, also of Pinedale, Wyo.; four grandsons, Avery Quinton and Sydney Alexander Phillips of Florida, William Lee III and Cody Richard Jensen of Portland; her siblings, Michael of Montana, Tish, Lee, Linda, Eddie and Ritchie of Oregon, Jim of Washington, Charles of Wisconsin, William "Chip" and Dean of Georgia, Tim of Virginia and Joyce of Idaho; and numerous nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles.
She was preceded in death by her father; her first husband, William Lee Jensen I; and a brother, Jerry of Idaho.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice through Gray's West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
‘June' Colson
Naomi June Crisp Colson, 78, of Weiser, Idaho, a former Baker County resident, died June 15, 2005.
Her memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Payette, Idaho, S. Ninth and Third avenues. Pastor Skip Johnson will officiate. Inurnment will be later at Hillcrest Cemetery in Weiser.
June was born on Feb. 4, 1927, at Parma, Idaho, to Sidney and Alice Snyder Crisp. She attended Keating School and Gem State Adventist Academy at Caldwell, Idaho.
She was married to Benjamin E. Colson at Baker City on March 30, 1947. She lived at Keating, Nampa, Idaho, Wenatchee, Wash., and Weiser, Idaho. She had worked in radiologic technology and as a purchasing agent.
She enjoyed flowers, vegetable gardens, birds, dogs and housekeeping. She was a lifelong member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church serving as head deaconess, Dorcas leader and children's leader.
Survivors include her husband, Ben Colson of Weiser, Idaho; a son, Russell, and his wife, Becky Colson, of Puyallup, Wash.; daughter, Susan, and her husband, Steve Iwasa, of Weiser, Idaho; brothers and their spouses, John and Malinda Crisp of Sutherlin and Don and Wanda Crisp, of Klamath Falls; sister, Marylis Long, of McMinnville; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Thomason Funeral Home of Weiser, Idaho, is in charge of arrangements.
Judge Lyle Wolff dead at age 85
A former Baker County Circuit Court judge who was known for being very intelligent, eccentric and for taking his dog everywhere died Tuesday in Salem.
Judge Lyle R. Wolff, who was 85, was circuit court judge in Baker County from the late 1950s until 1977.
"He was a very colorful man...a very, very bright man, " said Milo Pope, circuit court judge from 1989-2000.
Wolff was born in Nebraska, graduated from Harvard Law School and became a bomber pilot in World War II before coming west to start a legal practice.
His longtime friend Gary Dielman said Wolff didn't tell many stories from his days flying missions over Europe, but he did enjoy one from his training in North Carolina.
Dielman explained that Wolff and five other planes went on a training flight over the Atlantic Ocean. Wolff's bomber and the others told the lead plane that they were below their halfway point in fuel and they ought to head back. The lead plane told them to keep going and shortly after they turned around, they ran out of fuel.
"He didn't have to bail out over France or Germany but he had to bail out after a little jaunt over the Atlantic, " Dielman said.
A few years after the war ended, Wolff came to Baker County to open a law practice.
"He practiced law here for a number of years, " Dielman said.
In the late 1950s Wolff became circuit court judge. The Herald could not locate an election record in time for this story.
While on the bench, Wolff had quite a reputation among some attorneys.
"He was a pain in the neck for lawyers ... for some lawyers, " Pope said.
Dielman, who was juvenile director under Wolff, agreed.
"He could be pretty tyrannical, but I never had problems with any of his decisions, " he said.
Pope explained that when he was a lawyer he represented Wolff in a matter while Wolff was on the bench. The judge wanted to give his court reporter a raise that the county did not approve.
"Wolff thought (the court reporter) deserved a raise, and they wouldn't give him one, " Pope said.
Wolff's legal team, of which Pope was a part, fought the matter all the way to the court of appeals where they lost.
A short time later, Pope wound up sitting in the back of Wolff's courtroom watching a trial. Pope said that attorney Dave Silven was addressing the jury.
"(Wolff) put his arm up and said, ‘Mr. Silven, please take your seat, '" Pope said. "He said, ‘Mr. Pope, please remain in the courtroom.' He leaned over to the court reporter and said ‘you are going to buy Mr. Pope and the court lunch today.' Then he said, ‘Mr. Silven, please continue.'"
Along with his colorful ways in the courtroom, Wolff was also known for taking his dog, Socrates, everywhere.
"Socrates was a poodle, " Dielman said. "Not a big, full-grown poodle, but a small version. He brought him to work every day."
The small dog would spend time in Wolff's chambers and occasionally on the roof outside of his window.
Socrates fell from the roof once, but Wolff blamed that on someone enticing him to jump, Dielman said.
Socrates survived the fall.
Wolff also was a frequent dinner guest of the family of Lee Bollinger, the current president of Columbia University.
"(He) taught me a lot about the intellectual world, " Bollinger said in a 2002 interview. "I owe a lot to Judge Wolff."
Bollinger's father was publisher of the Democrat-Herald, forerunner of the Baker City Herald.
In 1977 Wolff lost a re-election bid to William Jackson. Shortly after the loss, Wolff moved to Salem where he was appointed an administrative law judge.
This morning's (Salem) Statesman Journal newspaper said that around their newsroom, Wolff was known simply as The Judge, as he would often call their office to give his opinion, tell stories and hear theirs.
While in Salem, Wolff continued to keep in touch with friends in Baker City.
"He had a great deal of friends in town, " Pope said.
Marie Klunder
Marie Klunder, 93, a longtime Baker City resident, died Dec. 24, 2004.
Her graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Jack Bynum of the United Methodist Church will officiate. There will be a reception for family and friends after the service at the United Methodist Church, 1919 Second St. Everyone is invited.
Marie L. Judy Klunder was born on Nov. 18, 1911, to Lloyd M. Judy and Molly Dickison Judy at Sumpter. After graduation from Baker High School in 1930, she used her secretarial skills in the high school office, and later for Philo Anderson Insurance before attending two years at Oregon State College at Corvallis.
She then moved to Seattle, Wash., where she worked for an insurance agency. Next she moved to Salem, where she was employed by the Oregon Unemployment Compensation Commission.
During World War II, Marie worked at Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., for the Bureau of Navy Personnel. Upon returning to Eastern Oregon, she was employed by Pondosa Lumber Co., and worked for Wolff & Johnson, and later Jackson & Johnson as a legal secretary.
For five years, she was chief deputy tax collector for Baker County. She was elected and served for 16 years as Baker County Treasurer.
She married Everett H. Klunder on Nov. 26, 1954, and embraced his family, which included his daughter, Barbara, and his son, Bruce. Marie and Everett loved the outdoors and often camped at Phillips Lake.
They thoroughly enjoyed traveling with a group of friends — caravan style — on several trips. They were members of the Baker United Methodist Church and their church was a large part of their lives.
Marie was a longtime member of the choir and sometime organist. They were active members of the Order of Eastern Star.
After Everett's death in 1977, Marie continued her membership in Soroptimist International, Royal Neighbors, Daughters of the Nile, and Elkhorn Grange.
Survivors include her daughter, Barbara Klunder Garren, and her husband, Donald; daughter-in-law, Joanne Klunder Hardy; sisters, Barbara J. Sanders and Colleen McCord Toombs and her husband, Leo; grandchildren; Kathy Garren Glaser, Debbie Garren Bender, Kim Garren Galaktianoff, Janice Klunder Pal and Douglas Klunder; eight great-grandchildren, one niece and five nephews and their families.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Everett; her parents; her son, Bruce; granddaughter, Patty Garren; and brother-in-law, Otto Sanders.
Although Marie's work took her to many faraway places, she carried Eastern Oregon in her heart. It was home. She was loved by many and will be missed by all.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Church or to a charity of one's choice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
‘Gertie' Fell
Gertrude "Gertie" Fell, 76, of Haines, died June 11, 2005, at her home.
There will be a celebration of her life at 6 p.m. Friday at the Eagle's Lodge, 2935 H St. Private burial will be later. Arrangements are under the direction of Coles Funeral Home.
Gertrude is survived by her two sisters, Sharon Peterson of El Cajon, Calif., and Annette Bracken of Baker City; three children, Robert Fell of Baker City, Janet Ruda of Haines, and Carol Linney of Castro Valley, Calif.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren and one on the way.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Coleman and Irene Stiltz; her brothers Monroe and Larry Stiltz; and her husband, Ernie Fell.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Eagles Diabetes Fund. Contributions may be taken to the Eagles Lodge or mailed to: Eagles Diabetes Fund, P.O. Box 1062, Baker City, OR 97814.
