Neva Ayers

Neva Lucille Ayers, 92, a longtime Baker City resident, died July 2, 2008, at Ashley Manor.

Visitation will be until 7 o’clock tonight at Gray’s West andamp; Co., 1500 Dewey Ave. There will be a celebration of her life at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Gray’s West andamp; Co. Pioneer Chapel. Private vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Neva was born on April 8, 1916, near Scio to Robert C. and Lucy Jane Cole Pepperling. She was a graduate of Lebanon High School and Western Oregon University at Monmouth where she earned her teaching credentials.

Her teaching career took her from a one-room schoolhouse in the Willamette Valley to a first-grade classroom in Baker City.

Neva was a devoted member of the Calvary Baptist Church and contributed her musical talent as church pianist for many years. She was a 50-year member of Esther Chapter, No. 11, Order of the Eastern Star. She held many offices and was worthy matron in 1963-1964. She was also an active member of the Retired Teachers Association and was a past-president.

Neva’s favorite hobby was collecting antiques to decorate her home. Her favorite pastimes were picnicking, camping, picking huckleberries and hunting mushrooms. She especially liked to fish in the reservoirs around Baker with her husband and friends.

Her family expressed its appreciation to all of the staffs of Ashley Manor, Pathway Hospice and Gray’s West andamp; Co. for their care and support.

Neva was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Albert; her two brothers; and a sister.

Survivors include her son, Daniel Ayers (Rebecca) of Columbus, Ohio; daughter, Julie Ayers Cox (William) of Baker City; sister, Ina Steward of Scio; four granddaughters; five great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Best Friends of Baker through Gray’s West andamp; Co., 1500 Dewey Avenue, Baker City, OR 97814.

Dora Nelson

Dora B. Nelson, 77, died June 26, 2008, at her home in Blythe, Calif., of natural causes.

Her memorial was June 30 at Zion Lutheran Church in Blythe, Calif.

Dora was born on Sept. 1, 1931, at Halfway, Oregon to RD and Nancy Moseley.

Survivors include her husband, Don Nelson; two sons, Kevin and Steve, also of Blythe; one daughter, Lori Pawley of Chicago; four grandchildren, Destiny, Stevi, Samantha Merrell and Jack Pawley; brother, Fred W. Moseley of Las Vegas, Nev.; and sister, Vi Siler of Salem.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Joe, Dave, and Benette; and sister, Lee Wise.

Herman Sass

Herman B. Sass, 95, died July 2, 2008, at his home at Settler’s Park Assisted Living.

His graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland.

Herman Bernhardt was born on Aug. 7, 1912, at Baker City to Peter and Katherine Nave Sass. He was raised in Eagle Valley and graduated from Eagle Valley High School at Richland.

Herman married Alice Cundiff on July 3, 1948. They made their home in Eagle Valley, started farming the Cundiff Ranch and operated a dairy. According to Herman’s family, when once asked why he never took a vacation, he responded, andquot;Why would I want to do that and miss all of the fun.andquot;

Survivors include his sons, Dan Hammond and his wife, Doris, of Oklahoma, Peter and his wife, Pam, of Willamina; grandsons and their wives, Rod and Chris Hammond and Ross and Lynnet Hammond of Oklahoma, Paul, and Michael and Trisha Sass of Dallas.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and infant son, Steven.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Children’s Hospital through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834

Jimmy Huff

Jimmy Newton Huff, 79, died June 12, 2008, at his home.

A celebration of his life will be scheduled later.

Jimmy was born on Oct. 2, 1928, at Baker City to Clarence C. and Minnie Z. Wilson Huff. He was raised and educated in Pine Valley, graduating from Pine Valley High School at Halfway.

Jimmy was the youngest of nine surviving children born to Clarence and Minnie. There were seven boys and two girls. He went by the name of Jimmy to prevent confusion and misdirected mail due to others named Jim Huff.

He married Bethel Goodwin on Christmas Eve 1947at Baker City. They had two sons: Lyle and Gordon. Jimmy’s working life included some time at Goodwin Sawmill, and Silver Eagle at Baker City and Pendleton.

In 1953 the family moved to Darwin, Calif., on the edge of Death Valley. Jimmy worked in a lead mine for the Anaconda Copper Co. He was employed by Morrison Knutson during the building of the dams on the Snake River and worked for a time for the U.S. Forest Service.

Jimmy was an accomplished equipment operator, known to be smooth and easy on the equipment he operated. He spent the last 20 years of his working life as City Of Halfway maintenance supervisor,

Jimmy enjoyed hunting and was involved in the early years of the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo. He enjoyed trail grooming and participating in other Panhandle Snowmobile Club activities.

He never missed a chance to ride his four-wheeler, whether it was to irrigate or pick huckleberries or fish with Bethel. He was a charter member and honorary chairman of andquot;The Pine Valley Ladies Aid Societyandquot; (not to be confused with the ladies group at the Presbyterian Church). The three members performed andquot;honey-doandquot; jobs for women in the community. Only two members remain to carry on this important work, his family said.

Jimmy was a magnet to family nieces and nephews. He taught them to eat pickles on their ice cream.

He loved seafood and enjoyed a good steak on his birthday and was rarely without what he called andquot;potato saladandquot; (a popular beverage). Friends and family he left behind will miss his sense of humor and willingness to do what needed to be done.

Survivors include his sons, Lyle Huff, and his wife, Lauran, of Haines, Alaska, and Gordon Huff of Cambridge, Idaho; two brothers, Dean, and his wife, Aleah, of Auburn, Wash., and Wayne, and his wife, Juanita, of Lostine; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Ada Marie Litts of Longview, Wash., Grace Gulick of Halfway and Geralean Sneddon of Reedsport; and a number of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers; two sisters; by his wife, Bethel, who died in 2007; and a grandson, who died in 2005.

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

Eric Anderson

Eric Anderson, 77, died of cancer at his home near Sparta on July 3, 2008.

Eric was born Dec. 1, 1930, at Holland, Mich., to Carter Henry Anderson and Mildred Melodie Bunnell. He grew up mostly at Mauston, Wis., moving to Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he graduated from high school. He maintained close friendships from his high school days all his life.

He joined the U.S. Marines during the Korean conflict, later attending the University of Iowa at Ames. He later worked for Boeing Co., where he met his wife, Barbara K. Webb.

While with Boeing Co., they worked at New Orleans, Seattle, Wash., and Alamagordo, N.M. Not wishing to transfer to Florida, they returned to college to acquire their teaching certificates.

This led them to Alaska where Eric was a teacher at Hooper Bay, Chevak, and Marshall, Eskimo villages in the Alaskan Bush. Eric also served as principal at Marshall for a period of time.

During the summer, Eric worked as a commercial fisherman, fishing the Lower Yukon for salmon. He enjoyed the many friends he made during his 19 years on the Lower Yukon, especially the students.

Eric loved to fly and acquired his pilot’s license and the first of two airplanes during this time. He flew from Oregon to Alaska twice, and to many of the villages around Marshall.

He and Barbara retired to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1990, where they lived for 10 years. Eric, growing tired of the long winter dark, traveled to Oregon and vacationed in Eastern Oregon, chancing on the small town of Richland.

It was love at first sight Eagle Valley and its people.

andquot;It’s just like the town I grew up in,andquot; Eric said.

The family moved from Anchorage to Richland in April of 1999. They later found a place above Sparta that suited Barbara’s yen for a wilderness place in the trees.

Eric’s love for Richland and his andquot;coffee crowdandquot; friends had him doing a daily commute to enjoy them.

Eric had an interest and curiosity about nearly everything, his family said. He loved andquot;solving the world’s problems, flying, guns and his many adventures while in Alaska. He enjoyed listening to the rich adventures of his many friends.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara, of 45 years; and his sister, Virginia King of Ashland.

He wishes no memorial and no donations in this time of economic hardship. He just wants people to get on with their lives and enjoy them as much as he enjoyed his, his family said.

John Levanger

John Laurance Levanger, 41, died July 2, 2008.

The rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at Vale. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Burial will be at the Ironside Cemetery in Ironside.

John was born on Sept. 28, 1967, at Ontario to Jerry and Nancy Levanger.

He was raised at Vale, Brogan and Juntura. John was a 1985 Vale Union High School graduate and continued to live in the Vale area. He was an avid hunter and fisherman – some of John’s greatest friendships began with the question andquot;Hey John, do you know where I could get an elk?andquot;

It never mattered how old or young the hunter was, John was always glad to take them out for what many have described as the adventure of their lifetime, his family said.

Survivors include his father and mother, Jerry and Nancy Levanger of Vale, Oregon; brother, J.R. Levanger of Cow Valley; sister, Billy (Chris) Barrett of Kuna, Idaho; nephew, Charlie Barrett of Kuna, Idaho; grandmother, Maria Laurance of Vale; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Lienkaemper Thomason Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.