Thomas Holman

Formerly of Baker City, 1923-2017

Thomas Carter Holman, 93, a former Baker City resident, died April 22, 2017.

A memorial service will be Saturday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at the Albany First United Methodist Church.

Tommy, as he was known to many, was born on July 6, 1923, at Baker to Frederic and Harriett Holman. He had seven siblings — five brothers and two sisters — all of whom have passed away before him. Tommy attended school in Baker and became an outstanding athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He was mentored by a man named Claude Hines, both of whom now are members of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. The Baker YMCA was the place Claude hung out after his professional baseball days, and along with Tommy’s brother Dave, they took advantage of Claude’s expertise. Tommy played and went to the state basketball tournament four years. As a junior and senior, he made the 1st Team All-State Tournament. He also excelled at football and was offered full-ride scholarships to Oregon State in both sports. He accepted the basketball scholarship to play for Oregon State and the late Slats Gill.

World War II called upon Tom, taking him out of college. Tom arrived in Glasgow, Scotland aboard the Queen Mary, which was used as a troop transport ship. He worked his way to the rank of staff sergeant and squad leader. Tom was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action.

Returning from the war and coming back to live with his sister, Dorothea Lewis, in Nyssa, proved to be the right move. One day she told him about this cute girl that would be at a mid-week church function. Lois Elaine Anderson worked with Dorothea at the offices of the Amalgamated Sugar Company in Nyssa, and was told about Tommy Holman from Baker City and a war hero! A match was made and they were married at the Lewis home in Nyssa on May 19, 1946.

Shortly thereafter, Tommy played in an AAU basketball tournament in Nampa, Idaho. OSU’s Slats Gill had received word about an “all-tournament team” guy named Tommy Holman and true to Coach Gill’s loyalty to his players, he called Tommy up and told him, “your scholarship is still good with us, we want you back!” A stellar career playing for the Beavers had begun, Lois Holman in support all the way! His famous “five points in seven seconds” story is still talked about, the one where he single-handedly tied the game against the Oregon Ducks in McArthur Court, the one where it got them in the NCAA tournament, all the way to New York City and the Final Four. Dad has told this to many, but he never fails to mention that Cliff Crandall, the OSU All-American that year, scored 20 points in that game.

Tom graduated from OSU in 1951, and was immediately hired by Corvallis High School and became their varsity basketball coach. He coached Dave Gambee there, who went on to play at OSU and with the Philadelphia 76ers. After three years at Corvallis, a new Albany Union High School was built, and in 1954 he accepted the teaching and coaching job there, staying until 1962. Tom loved the kids and got his administrative credentials before being offered the vice principal job at Memorial Junior High. After one year as VP, he became the principal after Ty Brown resigned, working there until 1975. To top off his career, Tom Holman was offered the principal job at West Albany High, where he worked until his retirement in 1983. He left a legacy at West Albany — teacher, coach, principal, and many who would say he was a “cheerleader” as well! All this earned him the honor from West Albany High just this year, with the dedication and naming of the West Albany basketball court as “Tom Holman Court.”

Retirement from the school system didn’t stop his involvement in community and civic organizations. Recommended by good friends and local leaders, he ran for mayor of Albany and won the election twice.

He is survived by his wife, Lois Anderson Holman; four children: Brian (Placer) Holman, Gregg (Sue) Holman, Jim (Lori) Holman, and John (Tracy) Holman. They have seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harriet Carter Holman and Frederic James Holman; his daughter, Tamara Lee; his brothers, Carl, Louis, Sonny, Robert and David Holman; his sisters, Dorothea Holman Lewis Mitchell and Marie Holman Wilson.

Memorial contributions to the West Albany Sports Foundation may be sent in care of Fisher Funeral Home, 306 Washington St. S.W., Albany, OR 97321.

Condolences may be posted online at www.fisherfuneralhome.com

Milton Prowell

Baker City, 1924-2017

Henry Milton Prowell, 93, of Baker City, died April 19, 2017, at Meadowbrook Place, surrounded by family and friends.

His funeral will be Saturday, April 29 at 2 p.m. at the Baker City Christian Church, 675 Highway 7, with fellowship and a luncheon immediately following.

Milton was born March 22, 1924, at the family farm on Beaver Creek, 10 miles south of Baker City. Milton was the first son and fourth child born to Henry Olar “Bill” Prowell and Mary Henrietta “Etta” (Wallace) Prowell. There were six children in the family: Dorothy (Duggan), Lois (Elms), Marge (Haynes), Milton, Richard and Wallace.

Local children in the area (Wendts, Samuelsons, Stevenses) attended a one-room schoolhouse near the Prowell farm for first through eighth grade. Milton carried water from the farmhouse to the schoolhouse in a 3-gallon bucket for 75 cents a month, paid by the school district. Various teachers boarded with the Prowells in the 5-bedroom house built in 1913 by his father. In the ninth and 10th grades, Milton boarded with Walt and Cleo Sowers and their children, doing housework and various errands. He helped put up a stone wall, two blocks high, at the Sowers’ home at 1740 Fourth St., which still stands today. For his last two years at Baker High School, Milt drove a 1927 Chevy coupe with no windows or heater 4.5 miles to Highway 7 to catch the bus, but would ride horseback in the winter when the snow was too deep to drive.

Milt was active in 4-H and FFA, showing beef animals, and in 1941 was on the state Grand Champion Judging Team with Carl Bartlett and Clyde Conklin at the Pacific International Exposition in Portland. He was the first student in Baker County to achieve the “State Farmer” degree and was awarded a scholarship to attend the National FFA show in Kansas City. He also attended 4-H Summer School in Corvallis, an honor both his children repeated in the 1960s. He graduated from Baker High School in 1942.

The fall of 1942 found Milton working as a “knot bumper” in the Sheep Rock Lumber camp for Stoddard Lumber. Wages were 62 cents per hour, they slept in railroad cars, and he was dropped off by the company “crummy” on Friday nights to walk the 4.5 miles home to help his dad on the farm on the weekends.

Milton entered the Army in August of 1944 and took basic training in Fort Bliss, Texas. He spent 17 seasick days on the USS William Wiegel’s first voyage with 5,000 other men, landing in Europe. He served as an anti-aircraft gunner and military police in Germany, France, and Belgium. He re-enlisted to get the extra $300, but the war ended and he was shipped home in March 1946.

His sister Marge introduced him to Norma Faye Porter in 1946. After seven dates, he presented her with a $100 engagement ring and they married on April 21 in a small Easter ceremony in Corvallis. That fall they moved to Beaver Creek to run the farm. Life was hard for the city girl who ran the household with no electricity, a propane fridge, wood cookstove, and an “uptown” pitcher pump in the kitchen — the “bath” was a “path.” Their daughter, Marlene, was born in 1947, and their son, Roger, in 1948. They had two babies under age two, no phone, and no near neighbors. Milt worked nights at Baker Mill and Grain for several winters and always said, “Farming was just a hobby!” He had to WORK for a living!

In the summer of 1953, the Prowell family purchased a house at 2222 Nevada Ave. in Baker City, as Marlene was to start first grade, and there was still no bus service to Beaver Creek. Three years later, Cal-Pac finally ran electricity to the end of Beaver Creek Road, and the remodel of the farm house to accommodate modern plumbing and electrical services, meant that the family could move back to the farm.

Milt rented and farmed 1,000 acres of dry land, so summers were busy with harvesting hay, grain, irrigation, keeping the machinery running, and managing 100 head of cattle. Winters Milt spent working other jobs: delivering oil for Chet Smith, working in the potato cellars for Clyde Ward, logging for Kenny Miles. He spent several months recuperating from a logging accident in 1959 where a log rolled over him and broke his back.

By 1963, most of the Hayes and Warnock land he had been renting was put into the Soil Bank, a “gummint policy” where farmers were paid NOT to farm.

Two memorable family vacations were in 1962 to the Seattle World’s Fair with Bob and Dorothy Wooters and kids, Mike and Patrick; and a trip to Disneyland for Marlene’s 16th birthday, because it was too wet to plow.

Milt and Norma always made time for fun as well. They enjoyed the Crazy 8’s Square Dance Club at the Rod & Gun Club, the Pinochle Club with potlucks with the Elmses, Pittmans, Georges, Crocketts and Doughertys, water sports on hot summer days at Brownlee with JoAnn and Melvin Dunn, and dances at various locations with Warnocks, Perrines, Defreeses, Hayeses, Hansons, Simpsons and Gyllenbergs. Holidays mean big dinners with the Prowell relatives, Christmas tree gatherings with hay rides, fire and food. Branding in the spring and 4-H functions with the kids, and visiting with friends was always enjoyed.

In 1967, with both kids gone from home (no more free help) Milton and Norma decided to put the farm up for sale and bought a house on East Street in Baker. In 1968 they bought a beer distribution business and named it P&E Distributing, with Blitz-Weinhard as the major product.

Milt was widely known for his weekly cards (slightly risque and funny) that he shared while delivering beer to accounts across the county. He bought a brand new semi-truck and made weekly trips to Portland and California to pick up beer and wine products. He won several sales trips and traveled to Germany and Sweden, Hawaii, San Francisco and Chicago.

In 1972 Milt and Norma took a month-long trip to Australia and New Zealand to visit their son Roger and his wife Susan.

In 1981, Milton and Norma decided to retire and sold the beer business. Never one to sit around, Milt had lots of “contracts” he worked over the years. He drove truck for Ben’s Transfer, Gary Smith, Sno-Cap, Farmterials, Wards and Kerns, and logged 10,000 miles one year with community Department of Human Resources driving clients to medical appointments in Boise, Ontario, La Grande and Portland.

In 1997 Milton married Wynona Morrison. They enjoyed playing cards, gardening, volunteering, and took their last cruise together two years ago.

Always fond of traveling, Milt visited all 50 states, driving up to Alaska and across the US twice. He also visited Denmark, Germany, Canada, the Caribbean, Singapore, Australia, Greece and Turkey, and a “sibling trip” to Africa. Milt also traveled to Washington, D.C., in 2010 on the Oregon Honor Flight for recognition of his military service during World War II.

Thirty years of injuries and accidents may have slowed Milt down a bit, including his ileostomy in 1980, a broken neck in 1985, two broken feet from a roof fall in 1987, a triple bypass in 1997, three heart attacks, two knee replacements, hernia, skin cancer, and a serious bout with pancreatitis, but the man never stopped.

He was a lifetime member of the Elks Club and was named Elk of the Year in 1978. He was also a charter member of the Eagles, the VFW, and attended the Christian Church for more than 50 years.

Milt kept 360 acres on upper Beaver Creek and always enjoyed hunting deer and elk with his son and other family and friends. He last killed an elk on this property at the age of 81.

Milt never met a stranger, and could talk to anyone, always make a lasting connection. He was well known for being kind, generous, honest, and trustworthy. He was a true gentleman who loved to dance (never missed a New Year’s Eve) and party.

Milt is survived by his brother, Wallace, and his wife, Roberta, of Beaverton; his daughter, Marlene Prowell of Baker City; his grandsons, Erik Prowell, and Brett Prowell and his wife, Lindsay, of Portland; his daughter-in-law, Susan Prowell of Bend; his former wife, Wynona; several cousins and many nieces and nephews; and special friends Vic and Judy Endicott.

Milt was preceded in death by Norma, his first wife of 50 years, in 1996, and his son Roger in 2014.

The family wishes to acknowledge the loving care Milton received from the staff at Meadowbrook Place and the faithful friends who visited regularly in the past six months. Also the caring ways of the staff at Heart ’N Home Hospice care.

Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity or to the Elks Meadowood Speech Camp through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City OR 97814.

To light a candle in memory of Milton or leave a condolence for the family, go to www.grayswestco.com

Shanté Parker

Former Baker City resident, 1990-2017

Shanté Marie Parker, 26, a former Baker City resident, died April 18, 2017, at her home in Moscow, Idaho, of complications from epilepsy.

Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries, Idaho. There will be a celebration of her life at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Good Bear Ranch, 14803 Mill Creek Lane, Baker City.

Shanté was born on Sept. 17, 1990, at St. Maries, Idaho, to Michael Parker and Beulah Johnson. She spent her childhood in Baker City with her mom and stepdad, Jim Harmon.

Shanté graduated high school from Blue Mountain Community College a year early, gave birth to her son, Tré William Parker, and moved to Sandy to attend ITT Tech in Portland. She earned her associate degree in criminal justice in 2010.

She and Tré moved to Pendleton with her mom and stepdad where they lived until moving to St. Maries, Idaho. She met her boyfriend, Charles Christian and his two sons. They moved to Moscow, Idaho, where she gave birth to their son, Talynn Michael Christian.

Shanté was a member of the Church of Christ at Moscow. She enjoyed photography, crocheting and volunteering at Tré’s school.

Her children were the love of her life and she was a wonderful mother. She was loved by all and will be sadly missed, family members said. She always went out of her way to help anyone in need.

Her family made this tribute to her memory:

“She couldn’t feel her wings, but knew they were there, so she built a ladder that led to the sky and when she touched the clouds she remembered how to fly.”

Survivors include her sons, Tré and Talynn; her father, Michael Parker of St. Maries, Idaho; her mother, Beulah Harmon of Pendleton and stepdad, Jim Harmon, of Pendleton; grandfather, Melvin Gallagher of Plummer, Idaho; sister, Megan Harlan, and her husband, Derek, of Baker City; brother, Michael G. Gregory of Stayton; numerous aunts and uncles; her niece, Abby Niehaus; nephews, Taryn and Brice Niehaus, and Landon and Gage Harlan.

Memorial contributions to help with funeral expenses may be made to Hodge Funeral Home, 138 S. Eighth St., St. Maries, ID 83861.