Obituaries for the day of September 21, 2010

Published 12:39 pm Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Hart, Mason, Stone, Ward

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

Sept. 25 – Florence Read-Workman, celebration of life, 1 p.m., lawn at 707 Fourth St., La Grande

Sept. 27 – Gary L. Webster, memorial service, 11 a.m., First Christian Church, La Grande

Lynn ‘Gail’ Hart

La Grande

Lynn “Gail” Hart, 61, of La Grande, died Sept. 8 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. A celebration of life will begin at 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at Riverside Park. A full obituary will be available later. Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Gertrude F. Mason

Union County

1907-2010

Gertrude Francis Mason, 102, a lifelong resident of Union County, died Sept. 19 at her home. A private graveside service will be held at the Union Cemetery. Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

Gertrude was born Dec. 7, 1907, in Ladd Canyon, at the home of her parents, Frank and Edith (Furgason) McClure. She spent her entire life in the Grande Ronde Valley.

Gertrude had a simple philosophy of life: be honest, work hard and do the right thing. She could always be found in her home or garden where she practiced this philosophy along with a unique resourcefulness and a desire to be a good steward of the earth’s resources. She often said, “Happiness is still homemade.” Those who knew Gertrude say she was grateful for what she had and wished for nothing more.

She leaves her family a few cherished items from an earlier era: a favorite garden hoe, an ice pick, lots of canning equipment and a pie lifter that her great-grandparents brought to the west on the Oregon Trail wagon train. She was meticulous about the care of all equipment.

Gertrude was known for her perseverance, resourcefulness, and devoted love and commitment to her family.

Survivors include one brother, Francis McClure of Forest Grove; two sons, Wayne Spears of Seattle and Mike DeVore of Union; two daughters, Gracia Goodrich and Darlene Saunders, both of Ashland; and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by three husbands, William Beverage, Art DeVore and Harry Mason; daughter, Ethel Beverage and son, Dale Beverage, both of Union; brother, Henry McClure of North Powder; four sisters, Nell Schmitke of Portland, Leona Krueger of Portland, Lula Counsel of La Grande and Margaret Chandler of La Grande.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Union Family Medical Center, 142 Dearborn, Union 97883.

Marsha L. Stone

Union

1947-2010

Marsha Lynn Stone, 63, of Union, died Sept. 10 at her residence. A private graveside service is planned. Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

Marsha was born June 9, 1947, to Lawrence and Mary (West) Weber in Long Beach, Calif. In 1968, she married Geoffrey Stone in Reno, Nev.

Marsha was a Realtor, retiring in 2001. She volunteered for the American Red Cross and numerous other volunteer organizations. She was a member of the First Christian Church of Christ.

Marsha is survived by her spouse; mother, Mary Jones of Vista, Calif.; father and his spouse, Lawrence and JoAnn Weber of Dixon, Calif.; two daughters and sons-in-law, Gail and Raymond Maes of Sacramento, Calif., and Diana and Jason Hamby of Citrus Heights, Calif.; three sisters and two brothers-in-law, Linda and Bill Huntley of Vista, Vickie Weber of Vallejo, Calif., and Barbara and Steve Lewis of Lakebay, Wash.; two step-brothers and two step-sisters in California; three grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grande Ronde Hospital Home Care Services, 900 Sunset Dr., La Grande.

Helen M. Ward

La Grande

1931-2010

Helen Margaret Ward, 78, of La Grande, died Sept. 15 at a local care center in La Grande. No services are planned at this time.

Helen was born Nov. 1, 1931, to Albert Orlando and Pearl Mabel (Matteson) Carey Jr. at Springfield.

She lived in Vale and then Ontario to be closer to her work at the Presbyterian Care Facility.

In 1997, she was awarded the Carrie Young Open Arms Award.

After her retirement, she moved to La Grande to be closer to her grandchildren. Helen enjoyed reading romance novels and canning and preserving. However, her greatest love was spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Steven Ward and his companion, Ramona, of La Grande; daughter and spouse, Carla and David Deffenbaugh of Cheyenne, Wyo.; three brothers and their spouses, Albert and Barbara Carey of Rogue River, Milton and Mary Carey of Lapine and Fulton and Connie Carey of Lincoln, Neb.; and several grandchildren.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents; spouse, Cecil Ward; two sons, John and Scott Earl Ward; and two sisters, Roberta Dawson and Alberta Van Arnum.

A memorial fund has been established to help the family with burial cost. Contributions may be made to Loveland Funeral Chapel.

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