Obituaries for the day of January 20, 2010

Joseph L. DeLashmutt

La Grande

1915-2010

Joseph Lehman DeLashmutt, 94, of La Grande, died Jan. 17 at his home. A graveside service will begin at

2 p.m. Thursday at Hillcrest Cemetery. Viewing will run from 4 to 6 p.m. today at Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation and Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande.

Joseph was born March 8, 1915, to George E. and Loretta (Fulwider) DeLashmutt in Hunter Hot Springs, Mont. His family moved between Idaho and Oregon during his school years. He spent two years of high school in La Grande. He was in the CC Corps in Idaho.

During WWII he served with the Air Force. He was a crew chief on B24 and B29 bombers and an airplane mechanic at Panama Canal and Galapagos Island.

In 1945 he married Marjorie Kilpatrick. They had two sons, Dan and Carl. He worked for the Mount Emily Lumber Co. and then Boise Cascade until 1980 when he retired. He and his wife moved to Florida, and she preceded him in death in 1981. Nine years later he moved to Idaho, and in 2006 he moved to La Grande where he lived with his son, Dan, and daughter-in-law.

He liked hunting, fishing, farming, working on old cars, dancing and playing games with family and friends. He was a member of the VFW and American Legion in Gooding, Idaho.

Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Bev DeLashmutt; son, Carl DeLashmutt; two grandsons and two granddaughters and their spouses; six great-grandchildren; two brothers and their spouses, Bill and Lou DeLashmutt of La Grande and Walter Ed and Alice Jean of Oak Harbor, Wash.; three sisters and their spouses, Mary Lou DeLashmutt, Laura Jane and Bob Welk of Apple Valley, Calif., and Lois and Maury of La Grande; several nephews and nieces; and other relatives.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in care of Daniels-Knopp.

Jerry R. Spainhower

Enterprise

1938-2010

Jerry Roy Spainhower, 71, of Enterprise, died Jan. 16 after a long battle with cancer. A celebration of his life will begin at 11 a.m. Jan. 30 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Enterprise.

Jerry was born the fourth of five children Dec. 16, 1938, to Welby Roy and Goldie Pauline Spainhower in Kaycee, Wyo. The family later moved to the Northwest and finally to Pendleton.

At the age of 5, he began singing for local church services, civic organizations and radio stations.

Jerry attended school in Pendleton through his junior high years before enrolling in boarding school at Mount Ellis Academy in Bozeman, Mont., where he was active in the music program and met many of his lifelong friends.

In 1958 Jerry met Betty Krieger, and in April 1959 they were married in Billings, Mont. The couple moved to Boise where Jerry worked at a local mortuary. Their first son, Kevin, was born in September 1960, the second, Tod, in March 1964.

Jerry then moved the family to San Bernardino, Calif., to pursue a career in radio. He remained in radio for many years, eventually landing in Caldwell, Idaho, as an on-air personality and sales manager. The couple divorced in 1970.

Through his life, Jerry was active in the music business. In 2001 he pursued a full-time music career performing gospel music in venues throughout the United States and Canada. He has recorded 14 albums of gospel music and toured extensively.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Laura of Enterprise; son, Kevin Spainhower and his wife, Dee, and their daughter, of Caldwell; son, Tod and his wife, Tracy Spainhower, and their daughter and son of Boise; two sisters, Marilyn Overbaugh of College Place, Wash., and Donna Klein of Murfreesborough, Tenn.; and a brother, Carroll Spainhower of Edgemont, S.D.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Rosalie Chamberlain; and two brothers-in-law, Lewis Overbaugh and Gordon Klein.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Ken Cox Ministries at P.O. Box 1027, Loma Linda, CA or at www.kennethcoxministries.org.