Norma Wasson

La Grande

Norma Wasson, 55, of La Grande, died Sept. 11 at her home. An obituary is forthcoming. Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory will be handling the arrangements.

Oliver V. Hopkins

La Grande

Oliver V. Hopkins, 8, of La Grande, died Sept. 8 at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. A viewing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 20 at Loveland Funeral Chapel. A celebration of his life will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 21 at Riverside Park. An obituary is forthcoming.

Mary J. (Gilliam) Meyer

La Grande 1949-2019

Mary Jo Meyer, 70, of La Grande, died Sept. 4 at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 21 at the Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Island City.

Mary was born May 15, 1949, in Corvallis, to Howard and Helen (Blake) Gilliam. Her family lived in Corvallis until she was in high school. She graduated from North Central High School in Spokane, Washington.

Spokane was Mary’s home for 17 years before she moved to Orlando, Florida, where she lived for four years and, as Mary would say, “worked for the Mouse.” She then returned to the Northwest and remained in La Grande for 30 years.

Mary worked at Grande Ronde Hospital in admitting for many years with an early medical retirement. She was one of a kind and never knew a stranger. A strong Christian, Mary was loving, fun and very crafty. She loved to make handmade items and once won a blue ribbon for a quilt at the Union County Fair.

Surviving relatives include her daughter, Hallie May Lauhon; two grandsons; and brother, Paul Gilliam of Beaverton.

She was preceded in death by her infant child, Sara, and parents, Howard and Helen Gilliam.

Raymond ‘Dusty’ R. Rode

La Grande 1951-2019

Raymond “Dusty” Russell Rode, 67, of La Grande, died Sept. 6 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 19 at Harvest Church in Baker City. (The location of the church was misstated in a previous publication.) A barbecue lunch in his honor will be served following the service.

Known as Dusty, he was born Oct. 19, 1951, in Baker City, to Russell and Amy (Asla) Rode. He grew up visiting the family cabin on the Snake River, swimming, water skiing, riding dirt bikes and recreating with his entire family. In 1970, he graduated from Baker High School, then attended Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario.

Dusty worked hard all of his life, starting at 16 driving truck for Baker Valley Pack, a family-owned slaughterhouse. He later worked at Eastern Oregon Meat and Baker Redi-Mix, managed Tasty Bake, was terminal manager for Eastern Oregon Fast Freight, and retired from FedEx Freight. His talents were many, from carpentry to restoring classic cars.

Dusty married Joann Harris Nov. 27, 1996, and was her steadfast friend, helpmate and husband for 23 years. On their first date, he took her to a car show in his red 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback.

Dusty loved cars and owned seven, his favorite being his 1986 GMC Eagle. He was teased that he was the fleet manager, and when his family needed vehicle repair, tires or a top-notch wash and wax job, he was happy to do it.

Dusty volunteered for the Neighbor to Neighbor food bank for 10 years. He committed his time with enthusiasm for helping people and was acknowledged by the community for his good work.

Dusty loved football and watched every Super Bowl ever played. He lived to barbecue and had mastered the art to perfection. He also loved taking drives in the mountains, picking mushrooms and getting winter firewood. Dusty spent 17 summers visiting and helping Joann on fire lookouts. Watching the sun set on a lookout was one of his favorite things to do.

Dusty was consistent in his love, kind, funny, giving and helpful. He loved his family, friends and his dog, Tug. He loved God and prayed for his family every day.

Surviving relatives include his daughters, Dawn Bailey and husband, Tim, and Dana Stone; brother and sister-in-law, Roger and Mary Jo Rode; cousins, Gary and Don Mires; wife, Joann; stepdaughters, Ashli and Carol Anna and husband, Jake Fagan; and nine grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.

Betty Jane Lambert

1942 -2019Betty Jane Lambert, 77, a resident of Grand Ronde died Sunday, September 8, 2019 at her home. She was born on January 27, 1942 in McMinnville, Oregon the daughter of Tom and Agnes Porter Smith. She worked as a secretary for many years in the Natural Resources Department for the Grand Ronde Tribe. She was an excellent quilter and gave many quilts away. She enjoyed sewing, embroidery, baking and visiting the casino. Betty always caught the biggest fish. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Grand Ronde and a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe. She is survived by her husband Carl Sr. of Grand Ronde, daughters Marcia of Mt. Vernon, Suzanne of Johnson City, Tennessee, sons Gary of Elgin and Carl “Duane” Jr. of Grand Ronde along with 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Also surviving is a sister Carol of Grand Ronde, brothers Gary of Monmouth, Steven of Aloha, Ronny of Perrydale, Jim of Elgin and Jeff of LaGrande. She was preceded in death by a daughter Norma and an infant son Tommy.A memorial service will begin at 1:00pm Friday, September 13th in the Grand Ronde Tribal Gym with a meal to follow in the community center. Private interment will be in the Grand Ronde Tribal Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the missionary fund at the Church of the Narzarene PO Box 85 Grand Ronde, OR 97347. The Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center is caring for the family. To leave a message or memory for the family please go to www.dallastribute.com.