Bart Bailey

Bart Bailey, 20, of Baker City died June 24, 2002, at Grand Junction, Colo., of injuries sustained in a traffic accident while en route to the Hayman fire near Denver to work as a firefighter with Grayback Forestry Inc.

His Celebration of Life service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastors Lenny Spooner and Mark Trancale of the Nazarene Church will officiate. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception at the Nazarene Church after the service.

Bart moved with his family to Baker City at the age of 2. He was a 2000 graduate of Baker High School. He recently completed his sophomore year at Oregon State University in Corvallis where he was majoring in civil engineering. He also was a residential assistant for his dorm, sang in a men’s choir and was involved in Real Life.

Bart enjoyed fishing, hiking, tennis, basketball and other outdoor activities. He loved music, sang in a band in college and enjoyed participating in drama. Along with numerous high school productions, he also was active in church drama in Corvallis along with his girlfriend, Colsey Bittner of West Linn.

Bart loved the Lord, his family and friends and was an inspiration to all who knew him. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior from the time he asked him into his heart at age 6. Because Jesus was Lord of his life, he set an example of truly loving others, doing his best in everything and spreading the good news of Jesus’ love and forgiveness by the way he lived his life.

His family said: andquot;We believe God’s word, the Holy Bible, as it says in Romans 8:28 that ‘All things work together for good for those who love and serve the Lord and are called according to his purpose.’ Even now, God will turn this tragedy for good and Bart will not have died in vain.andquot;

Survivors include his mother, Carla Schafer Bailey, father and stepmother, Jerry and Nancy Bailey, and twin sister, Brandy Ann Bailey, all of Baker City; a brother, Joe Bailey of Nutley, N.J.; stepbrother, Tyler Frakes of Eugene; grandparents, Lester and Charlotte Schafer of Council, Idaho, and Willis and Barbara Bailey of Joseph; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family suggests memorial contributions in honor of Bart Bailey be directed to the Baker High School drama or music departments through Gray’s West andamp; Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.

Daniel Rama

Daniel Rama, 28, of Baker City, died June 21, 2002, at Glenwood Springs, Colo.

His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Roger Scovil of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the Nazarene Church.

Daniel Rama was born June 6, 1974, at Grinnell, Iowa, to Dave and Judy Rama. He grew up in Nebraska, living at Deshler, McCook and North Platte.

He was a 1992 graduate of North Platte High School. During his school years he was active in Cub Scouts and Little League sports. He played on the Northwest Community College basketball team at Norfolk, Neb., for one year. He moved to Lincoln, Neb., and worked there for four years.

In 1998, he moved with his parents to Baker City where he was employed by Grayback Forestry. He worked for the company until his death in a motor vehicle accident on the way to fight the Hayman fire in Colorado.

At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, he was a large young man known for his love of music, his skills on the basketball court, his passion for his firefighting job and his relaxed ability to get along with most everyone. Gentle good humor, a quick smile and a great sense of fun were personal qualities his friends and family will remember.

He was a good player of trivia games, cards and contests of strategy. He enjoyed the outdoor activities to be found in the mountains, camping, hiking and snowboarding.

One of the aspects of his job that he found interesting was the wildlife he got to see. He had not yet crossed paths with a grizzly or wolf, but felt sure that it was only a matter of time.

He was a good person who was interested in the world around him and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Survivors include his parents, Dave and Judy Rama of Baker City; his friend and former wife, Brandi Nutzman; three brothers, Matt of Madras and Anthony and Christopher of Baker City; two sisters, Taylin andquot;Nicoleandquot; of Ashland and Meagan of La Grande; grandparents, Robert and Barbara Spurgeon of Scottsbluff, Neb., and Frances Rama of Minatare, Neb.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation through Gray’s West andamp; Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814, or delivered to any U.S. Bank location.

Lois Britton

Lois Butts Britton, 88, of Baker City, died June 23, 2002, at Gillette, Wyo., after a long illness.

Her graveside funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lura Kidner-Miesen of the Baker City United Methodist Church and Lynn Shumway of Burnt River will officiate.

There was a memorial service Tuesday at the New Life Wesleyan Church at Gillette, Wyo. Pastor Gary Maness officiated.

Lois Victoria Wilson was born on Aug. 27, 1913, at Richland to Victor and Mary Simonis Wilson. She attended Sunnyside School in a two-room schoolhouse. She and her younger brother, Joe, would walk the three miles to the schoolhouse and build the fire before the others arrived.

She graduated from Eagle Valley High School in 1932. During her childhood, the family spent summers at sheep camp in the Eagle Mountains. They built their beds on the ground and spent the time picking huckleberries. Her mother then canned enough berries to last until the next summer.

She married John Holbrook on Feb. 22, 1934. They lived at mining camps in Idaho where he worked. During that time, Lois ran her own pack string, carrying supplies to the mines.

In 1941, she separated from John and moved to Baker City with her infant son, Ron. While in Baker, City she worked to support herself and her young son. She served as head tax collector for Baker County from 1943 to 1945.

She married Albert Butts of Hereford on Sept. 17, 1945. They lived on several ranches in the Burnt River Valley. Their daughter, Phyllis, was born in 1949. Lois enjoyed the many aspects of farm life, as well as hunting and camping.

In 1958, she and Albert sold their ranch and bought the Hereford Store. They ran the store and restaurant until selling it in 1970. She then worked at the Hereford Post Office, where she soon was appointed postmaster, a position she held until her retirement in 1980.

After Albert’s death in 1986, Lois moved to eastern Wyoming to be close to her family. She married Chuck Britton on May 22, 1989, and moved to Baker City. For several years they enjoyed spending winters in Arizona and summers in Oregon and Wyoming.

She led a very active life and was always ready for anything. Many of her adventures took place after she was 50 years old. She learned to ride a bike, a motorcycle, a snowmobile, to ice skate and to roller skate while in her 50s.

Her family and friends were important to her, and she loved visiting, talking and teasing with all people. Laughing was a major part of her life. She liked to play practical jokes and to have them played on her.

Her activities included quilting, crocheting, crafts and bingo. She especially loved pinochle and spent the last few months of her life teaching her grandchildren and most of her great-grandchildren how to play the card game.

Survivors include her husband, Chuck Britton of Baker City; brothers, Joe Wilson and his wife, Ada, of White Bird, Idaho, and Harold Wilson and his wife, Susan, of Gooding, Idaho; sisters, Anita Smith, and her husband, Hoot, of Riggins, Idaho, and Erma Guyer of Boise; sons and their wives, Ron and Beverly Holbrook of Gillette, Wyo., Howard and Sandee Britton of Baker City and Harold and Judy Britton of Hillsboro; daughters Phyllis Colpitts, and her husband, Ken, of Gillette, Wyo., Betty Braswell of Baker City and Evelyn Plankinton and her husband, John, of Menlo Park, Calif.; 15 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Albert; and brothers, Lester, Frederick and Edward.

Memorial contributions may be made to Northwest Wyoming Hospice in care of Stevenson-Wilson Funeral Home, 210 W. Fifth St., Gillette, Wyo. 82716, or to Pathway Hospice through Gray’s West andamp; Co. Pioneer Chapel, P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.

Faye Carlson

Faye Arlene Carlson, 67, of Elgin, a former Baker City resident, died June 23, 2002, at her home.

There will be a Celebration of Life service for Mrs. Carlson at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Elgin Stampede Hall. Interment will be at the Elgin Cemetery.

Mrs. Carlson was born on Dec. 3, 1934, at Baker City to George and Maxine Ruby Erwin Kirkland. She was a 1952 graduate of Union High School.

She married Jim Evans in 1955. She lived most of her life at Elgin and was a member of the Elgin Stampeders.

She married Frederick G. Carlson in 1975. Mrs. Carlson loved her children and her grandchildren. She also enjoyed riding horses, playing slot machines and betting on professional football games. Country music was her favorite music to listen to.

Survivors include her children, Sherri McDonald and her husband, Glen, Russ Evans and his wife, Tonya, and Kyle Evans and his wife, Sheree, all of Elgin, and Julie Bouchard and her husband, David, of Cove; her sisters, Marilyn Weatherbie of Fruit Heights, Utah, and Iola Irvin of Union; brothers, Roger Kirkland of North Powder and David Kirkland of Summerville; nine grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Dee Harn; and her husbands.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice through Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande, OR 97850.

Laura Gebert

Laura Gebert, 82, of Haines died June 22, 2002, at her home.

Her graveside funeral will be at 11 a.m. Sunday at Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland.

Laura Bell Bennett Gebert was born on Jan. 7, 1920, at Green Creek, Polk County, N.C. She was a daughter of Willard Bennett and Kitty Mae Higgins.

At the age of 14, she left North Carolina with her husband, Charles Willis, and they traveled by Model T to Oregon, camping along the way. She lived at La Grande and Pondosa for a short period and then walked with a small baby, husband and her two sisters into the Portland area where she spent 66 years raising family and working at various jobs. She loved family, quilting, and gardening.

Survivors include her children, Paul Bennett of Vancouver, Wash., James Bennett of Sedona, Ariz., Charles Bennett of Canby, JoAnn Illingsworth of Haines, and Fred Dennis of Gresham; sisters, Betsy Mercer of Dallas, Ore., and Geraldine Riddle of Gray Court, S.C.; stepsister, Irene Pedersen of Portland; and 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Diabetes Research through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Jean van Biene

Jean Ann van Biene, 65, a former Baker City resident, died of pancreatic cancer on June 23, 2002, at Scottsdale, Ariz.

Her memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Messinger Mortuary Chapel in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jean was born in Chicopee Falls, Mass., on March 4, 1937. She graduated from Philip Schuyler High School at Albany, N.Y., and received a bachelor of arts degree in theater and sociology from Eastern Oregon University at La Grande.

Jean and her husband, Frederic, and son, Steven, moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., from San Gabriel, Calif., in 1979.

Jean was actively involved professionally, owning and operating Diet Center franchises in the greater Phoenix, Ariz., area throughout most of the 1980s. She was a past president of the Business and Professional Women’s Organization (BPW).

Later, she was active as a tour guide and as an actress in historical reenactment at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center on Flagstaff Hill. Jean was always active in community theater in Scottsdale and in Baker City. She was a member of the East Valley Teller of Tales as well as being a docent and guild member at the Heard Museum at Phoenix, Ariz.

Jean was a member of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Scottsdale. All who knew Jean will miss her love and presence in their lives.

Survivors include her husband, Frederic; a son, Steven Grumkoski of Scottsdale; stepdaughter, Laura Miller of Baker City; sisters, Joyce Nead and Denise Schultz of Schenectady, N.Y.; and three grandchildren, Aaron, Cal and Emily Miller of Baker City.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Hospice of the Valley, 5111 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 280, Scottsdale, Ariz. 85250-7091.

Margaret Taylor

Margaret Catherine Taylor, 85, of Tacoma, Wash., died June 12, 2002, at Tacoma.

There will be no funeral.

Mrs. Taylor was born at Santa Cruz, Calif. She lived there for 59 years before moving to Oregon in 1977. She moved to Tacoma in 1998.

Mrs. Taylor worked at the John Ingalls Cannery in Santa Cruz for 10 years.

She enjoyed crocheting and reading.

Survivors include her daughter, Margaret Blackledge of Lakewood, Wash., Judy Abma of Scotts Valley and Peggy Caso of Rainier; a son, George E. Taylor of Baker City; 19 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Edward Taylor; and a daughter, Linda Joyce Taylor.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Dryer Mortuary at Tacoma.