‘Bill’ Miles

Former Baker City resident, 1930-2017

Willis Burton “Bill” Miles, 86, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 5, 2017, at his home.

There will be a celebration of Bill’s life later (time and date to be announced) due to weather concerns.

Bill was born on Feb. 23, 1930, at Thompson Siding to Watson and Mamie Miles. Their home was just 13 miles southwest of Baker City.

He was raised at Baker and Sumpter, attending Lockhart Grade School and Baker High School. At the age of 16, Bill lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he served from 1946 to 1947.

He was a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1948 to 1949, the U.S. Air Force Reserves from 1949 to 1953 and served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1951.

In 1952, Bill married Leatha Mann. They had one child. They divorced in 1956.

He married Ramona Adams in 1961 and together they had four children. They were divorced in 1988.

Bill loved Eastern Oregon and lived most of his life in La Grande, Baker City, North Powder and Medical Springs.

During Bill’s employment he worked for the Standard Oil Co., Union Pacific Railroad, Boise Cascade Corporation and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. He was also a longtime member of the La Grande Elks Lodge and the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Union, Post 4060.

Bill enjoyed riding four-wheelers, snowmobiles and simply being outdoors in Eastern Oregon. He was proud of all his children and thought they were all doing great.

He was preceded in death by both his parents; brothers, Ray, Wes and Kenneth; and sisters, Frances and Mildred.

Survivors include his sons, Donald, and his wife, Nancy McDowell, of Spokane Washington, Randall and his wife, Robin, of La Grande, and Ron and his wife, Cheryl; daughters, Robin, and her husband, Tim Rawlings, of Sheridan, and Raye Miles of Portland; nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; and brother, Norman Miles of Klamath Falls.

The family suggests memorial contributions to the Union VFW through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences may be made at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com

Dale Young

Baker City, 1925-2017

Dale May Young, 91, died Jan. 11, 2017, at her daughter’s home in Baker City.

Due to adverse weather conditions and the severity of the winter, a celebration of life will be scheduled later when traveling conditions improve.

Dale dearly loved life, family, and friends and was deeply loved in return. Her cheerful attitude and sense of humor was an inspiration to many. She had a firm handshake and a big smile for everyone, and her favorite color was blue.

Dale was born on July 17, 1925, at Baker City to C. Russell Mitchell and Dessie Lee Sharp Mitchell. She was raised at Sparta where her family enjoyed ranch life.

She had an older brother, Haldor, and a younger brother, Alva. She and her siblings walked or rode horseback or skied to elementary school, which was two miles away. She attended high school in Baker City for three years then went to Nampa, Idaho, to finish and to take college courses simultaneously. She graduated from Northwest Nazarene College and the nursing program there in 1947.

She worked as a registered nurse at Nampa and then Council, Idaho, as well as in Salem.

In 1952, she married Robert L. Young and they made their home along Highway 86 beside the Powder River at the “red bridge.”During the 54 years they lived there together, they raised three children, opened their home to friends and family, and cared for aging parents of their own.

Dale loved doing things for people, making quilts and clothes, canning fruits and vegetables, picking huckleberries, baking homemade bread, and just generally making life comfortable and pleasant for all those around her. She especially loved having her grandchildren around and spent hours reading to them and playing with them and being as involved as possible in their lives.

Through everything, she found her strength in God’s Word and prayed faithfully for each of her loved ones daily. She was a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene.

Shortly after becoming a widow in 2006, she went to live with her daughter and family, first at Brownsville and then in Baker City when they moved back in 2011.

Survivors include her children, Sally Hufford, and her husband, Del; Jeff Young and his wife, Johanna, and Susan Zoon and her husband, Lawrence; grandchildren Jennifer and Carl Peterson, Jacinda Young, Benjamin Zoon, Nathan Zoon, Malcolm Zoon, and three stepgrandchildren, Doug, Tommy and Heather, and their families.

The family suggests memorial contributions to the Northeast Oregon Compassion Center through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences maybe shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com

Priscilla Smith

Baker City,1923-2017

Priscilla Ann Smith, 93, died Jan. 4, 2017, surrounded by loved ones and friends at Settler’s Park in Baker City.

No services are planned.

Priscilla was born on April 2, 1923, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Charles D. Yauch, and Matilda Branmiller. Priscilla attended school and grew up in Ohio, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a fuel ration clerk and later as a dental hygienist.

Priscilla always worked, from her position at S&H Green Stamps making $40 a week to the million dollar club as a real estate agent, when upper-end homes sold for $60,000. Priscilla worked as a flight dispatcher for Beckett Aviation at the Youngstown Municipal Airport, where she met her future husband, Howard Smith. She enjoyed working crossword puzzles and playing bridge with her friends and neighbors.

Priscilla and her husband, Howard, moved to Mesa, Arizona, upon Howard’s retirement as a corporate pilot and opened an Exxon service station. After several years, Howard got the home building bug, so they sold the business and started Kachina Homebuilders.

Howard built the homes and Priscilla sold them. They were quite the team. During this time Howard and Priscilla were foster parents for two young girls, encouraging and mentoring them to succeed in life.

In 1990, Howard and Priscilla decided to move to Redmond to be closer to family. Within a year, Priscilla opened another business, High Desert Property Management, in a two-car garage behind the house that Howard had converted into an office. Priscilla managed the properties while Howard did all the maintenance work.

Over time they built up a steady clientele, which developed into a solid business. Upon retirement from the property management business, Priscilla’s daughter, Diane Marr, bought her out and continued the business until selling, and starting her own property management business, Marr Management.

Priscilla involved herself in the community with volunteer work at the Redmond Hospital Gift Shop, Chamber of Commerce, Redmond Library, Meals on Wheels, and her church.

The family would like to thank the staff at Heart ‘n’ Home Hospice of Baker City for their professional, considerate and gentle care during her stay at Settler’s Park. Lastly, our sincere thanks to the staff of Settler’s Park for creating an atmosphere of family for Priscilla, which was made possible by their dedication to providing the love and kindness only a family can provide.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard Smith, who died in 2000.

Survivors include two children: her son, Chuck Meagher, and his wife, Marsay, and daughter, Diane Marr of Redmond; two grandchildren, Ted Meagher of Seattle, and Somer Wilson and her husband, Brian, of Bend; and one great-grandson, Cyrus Wilson, of Bend.

Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispine valleyfuneralhome.com