Lovell Bennett

Odie Lovell Bennett, 85, a lifetime Richland resident, died July 25, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.

There will be a celebration of his life at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Richland Community Park. Gordon Bond will officiate.

Lovell was born on May 4, 1919, to Odic andquot;Odieandquot; Lewis and Anna Adaline Chandler Bennett at the family’s old home place at Richland near Eagle Creek. He was raised at Richland where he attended school. He was a 1938 graduate of Eagle Valley High School at Richland.

After graduation, Lovell went to work at the Army Depot. He married Adelia Thomas on Oct. 16, 1942, and they made their home at Richland while Lovell worked on the family ranch.

His trade of sheep shearing took them all over Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. Lovell and Adelia had two daughters: Marlene and Pam. He learned the trade of horseshoeing when his daughters grew up and wanted horses of their own.

In 1956 Lovell went to work at Brownlee Dam and in 1959 the family moved to Halfway. In the mid 1960s, Lovell became Halfway’s resident peace officer because of the influx in population brought in by the construction of the dams. He went on to work for Brockway Union Oil, which took fuel to the Hells Canyon Dam project.

After that job, he worked for Ellingson Sawmill at Halfway, driving the lumber truck from Halfway to Baker City, sometimes making the trip two to three times in a night.

In 1965 he joined the Hells Canyon Riders and in 1968 served as the organization’s president. In 1968, Lovell also became part of the sheriff’s posse. During this time he served as a guard to the andquot;Paint Your Wagonandquot; wardrobe tents.

In the early ’70s, Lovell drove the gravel truck from the pit near Cornucopia to the Brownlee Dam Site. In the late ’70s and early ’80s Lovell worked as a butcher at the Pine Merc for then-owners, the Fergusons. He worked for Terry Vaughan when he bought the store.

In the late 1970s, he worked as a milker for his daughter, Marlene, who had a dairy at Halfway. In 1978 Lovell and Adelia divorced.

On Sept. 20, 1982, he married Betty Purcell at Reno, Nev. Together they ran a dairy as well as operated a foster care home. In 1999 they bought the Shorthorn Restaurant and Lounge in Richland.

In 1989 he was honored to be the grand marshal of the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo. Lovell enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to fish, hunt, camp, find mushrooms and ride horses.

Lovell especially enjoyed his visit to Alaska; he had always hoped to go back one day. Lovell loved to do anything he could for anyone he could whenever he could. He will be missed by all who were touched by his life.

Survivors include his wife, Betty; daughters, Marlene Geils of Girdwood, Alaska, and Pam and Robert DuMars of Richland; two stepdaughters, Sharie and Bill Andrade, and Anna Steenhard of Richland; four granddaughters, Angie Tucker and Cynthia Tucker of Boise, Idaho, Celeste Prescott and Nicole Geils of Alaska; six stepgrandchildren, Kyle Kenyon, Brandon Cook, Cody Steenhard, Margurite Luna, Shawn Andrade and Joshua Andrade; one great-grandson, Chanc’; three stepgreat-grandchildren, Lucia Luna, Jordan Luna and George Kenyon; nieces, Earlinda Crider and Vanessa Nagy; nephew, Benny Bennett; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins; and his little dog, andquot;Penny.andquot;

He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Ianthis Franklin, who died in 1996, and Earlin Stewart, who died in 1993.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo or to the Diabetes Foundation through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.

Steven Duvall

Steven Wayne Duvall, 37, of Greeley, Colo., died July 13, 2004, at his home.

His funeral was July 17, 2004 at the Harvest Time Tabernacle with military honors by the Greeley Veterans of Foreign War in Evans, Colorado.

Steve was born on Nov. 22, 1966, at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., to Clifford R. Duvall and Karen Lee Wiles. He attended high school at Iraklion, Greece, and at Madrid, Spain and served in the Colorado Army National Guard.

In May 1988 he married Elisa Ann Silva at the Harvest Time Tabernacle in Evans, Colo. Steve enjoyed painting, detailing cars and had a great sense of humor. His children were the love of his life.

He enjoyed every event, game or project that they could do together. Steve was an avid Miami Dolphins fan while his father rooted for the Broncos.

Survivors include his wife, Elsa Ann Duvall; daughters, Makaelynn Rae, 15, Lacee Leigh Anne, 11, and Jill Sheridan, 8 and his son Steven Wayne Duvall Jr., 14, all of Greeley; parents, Clifford R. and Sandra Duvall of Halfway; sister, Shelia Welch of Utah, Jenna Bruner of North Pole, Alaska, and Tami Waldron of Halfway; a brother, Frank C. Krogh of Orem, Utah; in-laws, Dave and Shirley Silva of Greeley, Colo.; brother and sister-in-law, Doug and Merrie Kler of Greeley, Colo.; aunt, Emma Duvall, of California; uncles, Francis and Bill Duvall of Greeley, Colo., Alan Duvall of Gilcrest, Colo., and Melvin Duvall of Arvada, Colo.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his mother Karen Lee Wiles Welch; a brother, Kenneth Lee Duvall; an uncle, Denis H. Duvall; grandparents, Eugene and Ruth Duvall, Johnny and Gladys Fowler Wiles of Greeley, Colo.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Halfway/Oxbow Ambulance Special EMT Fund through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.

Eula Grissom

Eula I. Grissom, 82, a longtime Baker City resident, died July 26, 2004, at her home.

Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Ray Wilson of the New Bridge Church of the Nazarene will officiate. Vault interment will be at Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland.

Eula was born to George and Jasmine Hoffman on Nov. 5, 1921, at Council, Idaho. When she was 2, her parents returned to Eagle Valley.

Here she was able to have her horse that she so very much loved to race. As a child she loved being outdoors and at all costs tried to avoid doing her chores. She loved Eagle Valley and returned as often as she could.

She was raised at Sparta until high school. She attended high school at Chiloquin where she met and married Howard Beymer. They were married in January of 1938 and lived in the Klamath Falls area where their first son, Ole, was born.

In the early spring of 1939, a flip of a coin took them on the adventure of a lifetime. They went north and that was no easy task in those days.

While in Alaska, she and Howard owned and operated several flying services. She loved the mountains and the beauty of the north land. She would fly whenever the opportunity would present itself. She was always wanting to see more of the beautiful country.

She loved the natives and enjoyed learning their customs and history. While in Alaska, she made several lifelong friends. She always traveled with her camera and documented as much of the Alaska territory as possible.

The couple had two more sons, Dick and Arnie, and their first daughter, Janiece, while living in Alaska.

As much as she loved the beauty of the north, the time came to return to the states. The family moved to Nevada for a short time where her second daughter, Shariece, was born.

It soon became clear that she wanted to return to Eagle Valley and her family. She lived in Richland and Halfway for a short time and then moved to Baker City in 1959. Except for a short move back to Nevada in 1969, she had lived in Baker City ever since. Nearly every Sunday, however, she tried to drive to Richland to visit her family. They were all so important to her.

In 1964, she married Roy Grissom. Together they owned and operated several local restaurants. Every chance she got, she returned to the hills around the Sparta area. She never tired of telling her family stories of her childhood in Eagle Valley and was always willing and ready to andquot;go to the mountains and have a picnic.andquot; In her family, she was famous for the huge picnics she always prepared.

Eula loved lots of company. Her niece, Sharon, never disappointed her in that department. They had coffee several mornings a week and Eula always looked forward to that special time.

Sharon got her involved with shuffleboard again after many years of not playing. It is rumored that she never lost her touch. She thoroughly enjoyed that time out with friends.

She loved to prepare big meals and always had enough to feed twice as many as was around the table. She loved her flower gardens and tended them faithfully.

She never hesitated to share her plants with anyone. At one point she had so many iris, she took an entire pickup load to the hills and spent a day planting them. She returned the next spring and the hills were alive with colors from her yard. As you drive around town, rest assured that many of the flowers you see, started at Eula’s house.

She raised a vegetable garden as well and while it wasn’t nearly as big as when she was raising a family, it was always there. She loved to grow the vegetables and share them with her family and friends when they came to visit. She canned all that was left over and then shared that with grandkids and other family members who came from out of town.

Eula was always the first one to offer a bed or a meal to someone in need. Over the years, she opened her home to many nieces, nephews and others when they needed a place for a while. She was a very generous woman.

Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Ole and Judy Beymer, Dick and Janet Beymer, and Arnie and Teresa Beymer; two daughters and sons-in-law, Janiece and Bill Graham and Shariece and Jim Hoffman; 18 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren; a brother, Bill Hoffman; a sister, Peggy Haynes; numerous nieces, nephews and friends, including her lifelong friend, Catherine.

She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Jasmine Hoffman; a brother, John Hoffman; husband, Roy Grissom; and granddaughter, Lucretia Beymer.

Neil Aldrich

Navarro Neil Aldrich, 71, died July 23, 2004, at St. Elizabeth Hospital.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Gray’s West andamp; Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Interment will be at Rock Creek Cemetery. Cliff Cole of Baker City will officiate. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception at Rusty’s home after the service.

Visitations will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Thursday at Gray’s West andamp; Co.

Neil was born on Nov. 1, 1932, at Baker City to Elvin J. andquot;Dutchandquot; and Mona Yankee Aldrich. He spent most of his life in the Rock Creek area, which he loved. He attended Muddy Creek School and graduated at Powder Valley before joining the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict. He saw a large part of the world while serving in the Navy.

Neil tried his hand at several occupations and had fun with all of them. He fondly recalled the time he spent in Long Beach, Calif., running the country’s first double Ferris wheel and meeting people from home who came to ride it.

He proudly pointed to many projects around the country that he helped create as a member of the Laborers and Carpenters Union, including the Durkee Cement Plant, Wolf Creek Dam, and parts of the interstate highway.

He made many friends while working on jobs around the country, even convincing some originally from Pennsylvania that Baker County was the place to be. They moved here not long after the job in New Mexico ended.

His favorite job was farming and ranching on Rock Creek. Haying season often found friends stopping by the fields to visit or to lend a hand. From the time his children were old enough to hold on, they rode on all the equipment with him and generally started andquot;drivingandquot; the pickup around the field to help him feed when they turned 4. Even after he was not able to work the land himself, he was seen daily traveling down the road to help his neighbor and friend, David Anderson, feed or hay and then go with him to the andquot;officeandquot; to visit. Neil loved to visit with people and his friendships were very important to him.

Neil took few vacations in his life. He was content to spend time hunting and fishing in the surrounding mountains. He always had a hunting story to tell, but was also quick to let people know that they had rescued a motherless fawn and raised it on a bottle only to lose it during hunting season even though it had a big red ribbon around its neck.

His three children, Rusty, Randy and Tina, were the brightest spot in his life. He would have done anything for them. Up until his last days he would also offer to watch his grandchildren anytime they could come to the ranch.

andquot;While our dad, grandpa, brother, nephew, and cousin might be gone, his smile and laugh will always be remembered along with his stories and the smell of his famous hot rolls cooking in the oven,andquot; his family members said.

Survivors include his brother, Robert Aldrich of Rock Creek; sons, Rusty Aldrich of Haines and Randy Aldrich of North Powder; daughter Tina Aldrich of Rock Creek; grandchildren, Ashley, Michael, Alyssa, Amy, Kaleb and Aaron; aunt, Virginia; many cousins; and his stepchildren, Steve, Scott, Pam and Kelly Dunn.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Gary Aldrich.

Memorial contributions may be made to the family of Neil Aldrich.

‘Si’ Hoffman

Alvin C. andquot;Siandquot; Hoffman, 87, of Ontario, a former Baker County resident, died July 23, 2004, at his home.

His funeral will be at 2 p.m. (MDT) Wednesday at Park Community Church in Ontario. Pastor Ed Renk will officiate. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Ontario.

Visitations will be until 8 o’clock tonight (MDT) at Ontario’s Lienkaemper Chapel.

Si was born at Powell, Wyo., on May 10, 1917, to Charles and Myrtle Hoffman. The family moved to Ontario in 1918. Si attended Cairo Elementary School and was an Ontario High School graduate. He married Maxine Cartwright in 1938.

Si worked on a ranch in Rye Valley before moving to Granite to work in the mines. After the mines shut down he worked at a foundry in Baker City. He then worked for Oregon-Portland Cement until his retirement.

He and Maxine bought a farm in 1964. Si was living on the farm at the time of his death.

Survivors include a daughter, Sandy Baker of Ontario; a son and his wife, Chuck and Kathy Hoffman of Ontario; grandchildren, Jay Baker of Ontario, Darren and Kathy Baker of Englewood, Colo., Jeff Hoffman of Ballston, N.Y., and Todd Hoffman of Ontario; two great-grandchildren; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Gorden and Elaine Cartwright of Las Vegas, Nev.; sisters-in-law, Donna Ladd of La Grande and Lois Hoffman of Ontario; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Maxine; a brother, Neil Hoffman; and a sister, Faye Wilson.

Memorial contributions may be made to Park Community Church, Elks Rehabilitation Hospital or Heart and Home Hospice through Lienkaemper Chapel, P.O. Box 970, Ontario, OR 97914.