Herschel D. "Butch" Malone Jr. obit photo

May 20, 1956 – September 19, 2020

Herschel Delbert “Butch” Malone Jr., 64, of La Grande, passed away on Saturday, September 19, 2020, at a local care facility. A Celebration of Life will be held at Optimist Field on Saturday, October 3, 2020, at 2 p.m. Attendees must wear a mask and practice social distancing to meet COVID-19 guidelines. Please bring a lawn chair.

Butch was born on May 20, 1956, in La Grande, Oregon, to Herschel Sr. and Peggy (Yates) Malone. He attended Greenwood Elementary, La Grande Middle School, La Grande High School, and Eastern Oregon University. He married his one true love, Cindy Lou Rogers, on September 30, 1976.

Butch worked for Oregon State Parks and retired from Union Pacific Railroad after working over 40 years as a conductor. He was president of UTU and Local 473 for four years. He was a member of Peer Support and head of Total Safety Culture for UPRR. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, baseball, softball, coaching, refereeing, basketball and boating.

Butch is survived by his wife, Cindy Lou Malone of La Grande; son and daughter-in-law, Heath and JoElle Malone of Ephrata, Washington; sister and brother-in-law, Cherie and Bill Beetchenow of Yakima, Washington; brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Angie Malone of La Grande, Oregon; and grandchildren, Hayden Malone, Hannah Malone, and David Malone of Ephrata, Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents, Herschel Sr. and Peggy Malone; and sisters, Linda Malone and Jenny Malone.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.