Stacy E. Cole

La Grande

1911-2004

Stacy E. Cole, 92, died March 26 at a local care center. A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grandview Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Daniels Chapel of the Valley.

Mr. Cole was born in Orin, Wash., on Oct. 18, 1911, to Herman and Marguerite Cowles Cole. In 1916, he moved with his parents to Mullan, Idaho. He attended school in Mullan, graduating from Mullan High School in 1930. He then attended the University of Washington in Seattle.

On May 31, 1941, he married Effie Naomi Huggins in Kalispell, Mont. In 1943 he and his wife moved to Seattle, where he worked for Boeing Aircraft as an aircraft electrician.

In 1953, he moved to Salem, where he worked as an electrician for the State Highway Department. He transferred to La Grande in 1958, retiring from the State Highway Department in 1976.

Stacy and Effie traveled extensively. He once said he had only a few countries left to see to have traveled around the world.

He was known for his love of people, many friends, his sense of humor and his integrity.

Survivors include his sister, Lois Howe of Pocatello, Idaho; two nieces and a nephew; and a special longtime friend, Bryon Higgason of Union.

His wife of 62 years and one nephew died earlier.

Wilma Fruitts

La Grande

1929-2004

Wilma Fruitts, 75, of La Grande, died March 20 at a local care center.

A celebration of life service was held March 27 at Loveland funeral Chapel in La Grande with Pastor Fred Laeger of the Harvesters’ Nazarene Church in Elgin officiating. Burial was at the Elgin Cemetery.

Mrs. Fruitts was born Feb. 26, 1929, to Willie and Bertha Elliott Nall in Douglas County, Mo. The family lived in Elgin, La Grande and Union. She married Raymond Aubrey Fruitts on Aug. 20, 1944, in Elgin.

She was a homemaker and enjoyed gardening, canning, yard work, ceramics, going to yard sales and spending time with her grandchildren, nieces, nephews and all children.

Survivors include two brothers and their wives, Butch and Carolyn Arbogast and Donny and Claudia Arbogast, all of Elgin; a sister and her husband, Bonnie and George Chandler of Elgin; six grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. Her husband, two children, James A. Fruitts and Audrey Geraldine, and three grandchildren all died earlier.

James Wellington Robinson

La Grande

1910-2004

James Wellington Robinson , 94, died March 27 at St. Elizabeth Health Services.

A graveside service will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at Grandview Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Daniels Chapel of the Valley.

Jim was born on Feb. 10, 1910, in Roundup, Mont., and spent his younger years in the Baker Valley working on ranches and sawmills in the area. In 1937, he married Mildred Hanby. They started a family that grew in size and love.

Jim and family spent several years in the Portland area as well as Seattle, where Jim worked for Greyhound Bus Co. for 10 years. Eventually they came back to La Grande, where Jim went to work for the

La Grande School District in various capacities. He enjoyed the people he worked with, but working with the bus drivers was his favorite duty.

For many of the years in La Grande, Jim and Mildred owned two cabins in the Starkey area and spent nearly every weekend in the mountains either hunting for deer or elk or fishing the streams and rivers. Jim was one of the first snowmobile owners in that area and so winter became another adventure for this pair after Jim retired. His love for the outdoors and his appreciation for the beauty of the Blue Mountains never left him.

Jim was well liked by many friends acquired over the years.

He is survived by a sister, Isabelle Murchison, Hamilton Mont.; daughters, Bonnie Langley and her husband Earl, Huntington, and Betty Rutherford and husband Ronald, Seattle; son, Gary H. Robinson, Hermiston; 10 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his wife on June 14, 2000.

Robert E. ‘Bobby’ Scarbrough

Formerly of Union

and La Grande

1929-2004

Robert E. "Bobby" Scarbrough, 79, died March 25 at St. Elizabeth Health Services in Baker City.

Graveside services for Mr. Scarbrough will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Mount Hope Cemetery, Baker City. The Rev. Robert C. Irwin of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral will officiate. Vault interment will follow the service.

Military rites will be accorded by Co. A 3/116th CAV, Oregon Army National Guard. Everyone is invited to the reception at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral Parish Hall following the service. Visitation for Mr. Scarbrough will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, at Coles Funeral Home in Baker City.

Mr. Scarbrough was born Feb. 5, 1925, to Roy C. and Maude Harmon Scarbrough in Union. Due to his mother’s early death, he was cared for by aunts and uncles in La Grande, Union and Medical Springs and attended school in Baker, Pondosa and Union. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served in Hawaii, New Guinea, The Philippine Islands and Japan. His decorations include purple heart, bronze star, sharpshooters, combat infantry badge and good conduct medal.

He married Reva Helman in 1948, and worked as a log truck driver and diesel mechanic for Collins Lumber Co. in Pondosa. In 1958 he moved to Baker, and in 1962 he became a partner in S & W Repair. He retired in 1986.

On July 10, 1970, he married Joan Brtt Miller. He was an member of the Baker Elks Lodge, the Baker County Sheriff’s Posse, VFW and Post Commander. He loved hunting, fishing, golf and the great outdoors, especially the Eagle Creek area.

Mr. Scarbrough is survived by his wife, Joan Scarbrough, Baker City; children, Gaylon Scarbrough and his wife, Carol, Baker City; Janie Morrissey and her husband, Mike, of Keating, Mary Kincaid and her husband, Jerry, of Baker City, Marty Rose and her husband, Bud, of Kennewick, Wash., and Rob and Natalie Miller of Baker City; two cousins; nine grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the St. Francis de Sales Day Chapel or to the Disabled American Veterans Van Fund. This may be done through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place Street, Baker City 97814.

Phyllis Prince

La Grande

1934-2004

Phyllis Jean Prince, 70, of La Grande died March 19 at a local care center after a long illness.

A family service will be held in May in Meridian, Idaho.

Mrs. Prince was born March 3, 1934, to Clovis and Ruby Kyle in Twin Falls, Idaho. She was raised in Boise, and lived for a time in the Idaho Children’s Home with her brother Lee. She sang in the Wayside Chapel choir as a child.

In the early 50s she sang in the Emerald Room at the Oxford Hotel in Boise, and later in California, she was offered a singing job by Spike Jones, the big band leader. She decided to raise a family instead, and never regretted the decision.

She married Earl R. Davis in 1954 in Twin Falls and settled in Ontario. The couple later divorced. She married Robert Prince in 1975 in Mountain Home, Idaho, and lived in Sacramento, Calif., and later in Boise. She raised Yorkshire terriers and continued singing, having a chance in California to join the Billy Graham Choir.

Her husband died in 1992. She moved to La Grande to be near her daughter in 2002.

Survivors include children and their spouses, Debby and Fred Riggle of La Grande, Daniel and Theresa Davis of Durango, Colo., and Jeff and Cindy Davis of Boise; four grandchildren; a brother and his wife, Lee and Anita Harral; a sister and her husband, Janice and John Regnier, and other relatives.

Memorials may be made to Home Health Hospice or St. Mary’s Cancer Center of Walla Walla in care of Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St.

Cecile A. Tucker

Baker City

1902-2004

Cecile A. Tucker, 101, a Baker City resident, died Sunday at Ashley Manor in Ontario. Family graveside services for Mrs. Tucker will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Prairie Creek Cemetery near Joseph. Vault interment will follow.

Mrs. Tucker was born Oct. 6, 1902, in Athena, a daughter of Samuel Stokes and Etta Elizabeth (Read) Bannister. She was raised in Weston and Enterprise, receiving much of her education in Enterprise. She married Grant Monroe Tucker in Enterprise on Oct. 18, 1920. They lived in Union.

After Mr. Tucker’s death she moved to Baker City to be with her family. Mrs. Tucker was a member of the Union Women’s Club and Eastern Star.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Nadine and Norman Baxter, Baker City; four grandchildren; 24 great grandchildren; and 13 great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and a daughter. Services are under the direction of Coles Funeral Home.

Cleitus Caldwell

La Grande

1912-2004

Cleitus Caldwell, 91, of La Grande died March 30 at her home. Viewing will be from 1 to 5 p.m. today at Loveland Funeral Chapel. A graveside service will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at Hillcrest Cemetery with Pastor Wayne Pickens of the First Baptist Church officiating.

Mrs. Caldwell was born Dec. 18, 1912, to Robert H. and Ledona Surbaugh Holland in Sand-stone, W.Va. On April 5, 1941, she married Virgil L. Zickafoose in Green Sulphur Springs, where they farmed until 1945 after they moved to La Grande. She was a homemaker. After her husband died she married Louis J. Dierks on July 9, 1965. He died in 1972. On March 3, 1973, she married Ray H. Snider, retired fire chief of La Grande. He died in 1991. She married Clyde R. Caldwell on Sept. 10, 1994. He died in 1997.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church, The Hi Lighters Missionary Circle, World War I Auxiliary No. 37, the La Grande Garden Club and the Rowena Temple of the Pythian Sisters, and served as the hospital chairman for Veterans Hospitals. She was a good cook, and enjoyed entertaining and embroidering.

Survivors include a brother, and his wife, Robert and Jessie Holland of Sandstone, a sister and brother-in-law, Creola and Art Ogden of Tucson, Ariz.; two sisters-in-law, Christine Holland of Sandstone and Xenada Holland of Elkins, W.Va.; four stepchildren and their spouses, Dick and Charlene Snider, and Mary Lou and David Dean, all of La Grande, Marion and Roland Smith of Olympia, Wash., and Phyllis Snider of Puyallup, Wash.; 9 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Union County Meals On Wheels in care of Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St.

John Chase

La Grande

1960-2004

John Lloyd Chase, 43, of La Grande died March 20 at Grande Ronde Hospital after an extended illness. A private celebration of life will be held later.

Mr. Chase was born Nov. 16, 1960, to Herman Chase and Dorothy A. Schamer-Chase in Walla Walla. He worked as a heavy-equipment operator and in construction, and was gifted in electronics and technology. He had a talent for doing caricatures. He enjoyed motorcycles and motocross racing, and enjoyed teaching computer skills and repair techniques on electronics and bicycles. He gave away bicycles to the young people of La Grande.

He distributed Pennies from Heaven, "wishing luck and love to all" through the La Grande Fire Department. Each child received a penny of their birth year especially wrapped by him.

Survivors include his companion, Shirley Palmer of La Grande; his father and stepmother, Patricia Chase of Walla Walla; children Johnny and Larry Chase; two sisters and their husbands, Belinda and Harvey Tompkins of Tucson, Ariz., and Joan and Gene Weinmaster of Walla Walla; three brothers and their wives, Paul and Martha Chase of Wellesley, Mass., Craig and Jeanne Chase of Walla Walla, and Christopher Chase of Roy, Wash.; a stepsister and her husband, Amy and Dan Kramer of Shakopee, Minn.; stepbrothers and their wives, John and Lisa Walmsley of La Grande, Mark Walmsley of College Place, Wash.; and other relatives. His mother died earlier.

Memorials may be made to Walla Walla Catholic schools or any charity in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St.

Verna Burril

Formerly of La Grande

1938-2004

Verna Lee Burril, 65, of Baker City and formerly of La Grande died March 29 at St. Elizabeth Health Services. A celebration of life will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at the McEwen Bible Fellowship, 23 miles south of Baker City on Highway 7.

Mrs. Burril was born June 6, 1938, to Vernon and Ernestine Kirkwood at Prairie City. In the early 1950s she married Harry "Ted" Barnhart. The couple were divorced in the 1970s and she later remarried.

She enjoyed reading, fishing, camping, hiking, mushrooming and crocheting. She was active in her church for as long as her health permitted. In her younger years she enjoyed water skiing and playing softball. For years she held several track records for running at Prairie City High School.

Survivors include children Ted Barnhart of Lolo, Mont., and Terry and Mitch Barnhart of Baker City; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; her mother and a brother, James Kirkwood, both of Spokane; a sister, Joyce Guerrero of Sacramento, Calif.; and other relatives. Her father died earlier.

Harriet Cunningham

La Grande

1919-2004

Harriet Anne Cunningham, 84, of La Grande died March 29 at her home. A funeral mass will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Union with Father Hank Albrecht officiating. Burial will follow at the Union Cemetery.

Mrs. Cunningham was born June 14, 1919, in Covington, Ky. She graduated from high school in Laurel, Md., and married Newell Major Swartz on Aug. 12, 1938. He died in 1947. She later married Earl M. Cunningham and the family moved to Phoenix, Ariz.

She worked as a waitress, computer assembler and cook before retiring in Show Low, Ariz.

She was passionate about human rights, and was instrumental in founding the Valley Friends of the Farmworkers with Cesar Chavez.

She provided sanctuary for refugees from El Salvador and was arrested for protesting the U.S. government’s aid to the Contras in the 1980s. After moving to northern Arizona, she volunteered with CASA and the White Mountain SAFE House, a shelter for women and children. She moved to La Grande in 1999 and became involved with Oregon Rural Action.

She and Major had five children together. She and Earl had three children. He died in 1965.

She is survived by six children, Newell Major Swartz Jr. of Phoenix, Ariz., Charles Brian Swartz of Mechanicsville, Md., Sister Elizabeth Anne Swartz of El Paso, Texas, Nancy Edvalson of Union, Eileen McCarthy of Snowflake, Ariz., and Nora Robin Crawford of Overguard, Ariz; 14 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

Two sons, Paul Edward Swartz and Joseph Donald Cunningham, died earlier.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Union County CASA in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St.

‘Gordy’ McGinnis

Formerly of Enterprise

1928-2004

Gordon A. McGinnis, 75, of Milwaukie and formerly of Enterprise died March 4.

Mr. McGinnis was born Aug. 30, 1928, to Uley P. and Georgia Childers McGinnis in Enterprise. He graduated from Enterprise High School in 1946 and served in the Army during the Korean War. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Medal and the American Defense Medal.

He graduated from the Oregon Institute of Technology as a master watchmaker in 1955, and went to work for the U.S. Post Office. On Aug. 14, 1962, he married Elizabeth Hargus. He retired in 1987.

Survivors include his wife of Milwaukie; daughters, Kelly Sauierman and Mary McGinnis; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Marilyn Crawford of Keno, and Lolita Fermanich of Antigo, Wis.; and a brother, Pat McGinnis of Enterprise.

Maxine Daggett

Joseph

1930-2004

Maxine E. Daggett, 73, of Joseph died April 1 at Wallowa Memorial Hospital. Burial was today at Prairie Creek Cemetery.

Mrs. Daggett was born Sept. 10, 1930, to Benjamin and Alma Rudger Eckley in Joseph. She married Vernon Daggett who died in 1996. She was a homemaker and Cub Scout den mother, and a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the VFW Auxiliary.

Survivors include children and their spouses, Leland and Sharmin Daggett of Enterprise, and Elaine and David Entermille of Pendleton; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and brothers and sisters, Ben Eckley of Woodlawn, LaVelle Roberts and Mary Howerton, both of Enterprise, and Georgie Waits of Salem. A son, Maryl, two brothers and a sister all died earlier.

Memorials may be made to the Dever Eye Clinic in care of Bollman Funeral Home, 315 W. Main St., Enterprise 97828.

Lovell Howard

La Grande

1919-2004

Lovell Howard, 85, of La Grande died April 1 at her home. A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. Sarah Morningstar Stanton officiating. A private burial will be at Grandview Cemetery.

Mrs. Howard was born Jan. 17, 1919, to George and Ina Mae Griffin Farquhar in Cashmere, Wash. She graduated from high school in Pasco, and in 1936 married Robert Wesley Howard.

In the early 1940s they moved to La Grande, where they had the La Grande Fruit Co., now Don and Larry’s Distributing, until 1975.

She was a member of the La Grande Country Club, the Elks Club, the Order of Eastern Star and Beta Sigma Phi. For many years she helped with the Miss La Grande Pageant and was asked to be a judge for the Miss America Pageant. She enjoyed traveling and was an avid golfer, winning the ladies’ club championship several times.

The couple loved to travel and were active in the community. Mrs. Howard was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where she was active with St. Anne’s Guild.

Survivors include her children and their spouses, Robert Lee Howard, and Candy and Bob Brooks, all of La Grande and Michael and Kolleen Howard of Atlanta; six grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren and other relatives. Her husband died in 1991. Five brothers and a sister also died earlier.

Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to the Blue Mountain Humane Association in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St.