Charlotte Ward

Baker City, 1931-2017

Charlotte Leonora Ward, 86, of Baker City, Oregon passed away at her residence in Meadowbrook Place on Aug. 10, 2017.

Her graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at Mount Hope Cemetery. Cary Huston will officiate.

Charlotte was born on July 6, 1931, at Baker to Clyde and Leonora Ward. She attended schools in Baker and was a 1949 Baker High School graduate. She went on to attend Oregon State College (University) graduating in 1953 in the School of Pharmacy.

As a young adult she was a member of the Oregon Trail Riders Drill Team, riding her pinto horse “Vivo” in the local rodeos. She was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, a member of the Lambda Chi Sigma International Pharmacy Fraternity for women and a lifetime member of the Oregon State Alumni Association.

Charlotte was the past president and life member of the Soroptimist International of Baker County, a life member of the Baker County Historical Society and a member of the Sumpter Valley Railroad group.

Charlotte and her mother bred, raised and trained toy and standard poodles. They showed poodles at the American Kennel Club confirmation and obedience shows.

She was a 4-H leader for the Bow Wow Barkers dog club for many years. Charlotte always had a great love for dogs and owned many different breeds of dogs during her life. Her faithful miniature schnauzer, Jasper, brought her much joy in the past few years.

She started her career as a pharmacist at Glass Drug in La Grande and worked there until 1961, at which time she returned to Baker City to work at Levinger Rexall Drug store until 1983. She worked part time at the Safeway pharmacy until retiring. She was a caregiver for her mother for several years.

She enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening and her gardens were beautiful. She liked to travel and went to many places including South America, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Germany and many locations in the United States.

Throughout her life she shared a love for the family ranch and farm, staying involved by managing the mail, hosting business lunches, picking up parts and helping wherever she was needed.

She enjoyed spending time with her family and was supportive of the many activities in which they were involved, attending many of the events. They enjoyed her excellent cooking. She was a woman of strength, kindness and grace, family members said.

Survivors include her brother, Ralph Ward (Alice); nieces and nephews, Kathy Ward Crawford (Harold), Mark Ward (Lisa), Craig Ward (Cherie), Julee Ward Huston (Cary) and Karen Ward Martin (David); and 12 grandnieces and grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde; her mother, Leonora; brother, Alvin; and nephew, Steven.

Memorial contributions may be made to Best Friends of Baker City or to the OSU Foundation through Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

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

Karolyn Mahon

Former Baker City resident, 1947-2017

Karolyn “Kelie” Kay Mahon, 70, of Kennewick, Washington, a former Baker City resident, died Aug. 13, 2017, at the Chaplaincy Hospice House in Kennewick after a seven-year struggle against leiomyosarcoma.

There will be a viewing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St. in La Grande. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Loveland Funeral Chapel.

Kelie was born on April 14, 1947, at Baker City to Harold and Grace Pearson Rowett. Kelie was raised at North Powder, the third of four children. She also resided at Hermiston, Union, and La Grande.

She graduated from North Powder High School and later attended Kinman Business University. Kelie married William H.“Bill” Mahon in 1968 and they settled in La Grande to raise their son, Rick.

Kelie held several jobs in La Grande, the local Coast to Coast store, eight years in the Liquor Store Agency, four years with La Grande Lumber and then Kelie worked at Eastern Oregon State College in the registrar’s office for 27 years.

Kelie’s husband, William, worked in the Boise Cascade Lumber Mill for 40 years. After retiring, Kelie and Bill moved to Pasco, Washington, to be near their son Rick and daughter-in-law, Darlene. Kelie and Bill were able to complete “bucket list” travel to Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, the Caribbean Islands and Europe.

She was a member of the Order of Rainbow for Girls, received the Grand Cross of Color Award in 1963 and was crowned worthy advisor in 1965. She was salutatorian of her high school, graduating class in 1965. She enjoyed riding her horse, Prince, gardening, beading, crocheting and traveling.

Survivors include her husband, William; son, Rick (Darlene) of Kennewick, Washington; sisters, Judy Fordice (Keith) of Hermiston, and Patricia Christiansen (Gerald) of Montfort, Wisconsin; brother, Harold Raymond Rowett of North Powder; aunts, Hazel Pearson of Pasco, Washington, and Phyllis Fettig of North Powder; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Grace Rowett.

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

Richard Stephens

Haines, 1938-2017

Richard Stephens, 79, of Haines, died Aug. 11, 2017, with family at his home.

Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St., and on Friday at The Church of Latter-day Saints, 2625 Hughes Lane, from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. at the LDS church.

Richard Delbert Stephens was born on May 5, 1938, at Twickenham to Ralph Stephens and Rose Pembroeck Stephens. Richard’s family moved to the Keating area when he was 5, and then relocated to Haines shortly after that.

He attended Rock Creek, Muddy Creek, and Haines grade school, and then graduated from North Powder High School in 1956. Richard then served two years as a mechanic in the United States Army based at Fort Lewis, Washington.

After his Army service, Richard returned to Haines and immediately went to work for his brother-in-law, Elbert Fisher. Richard continued to work various jobs as a mechanic, millwright, and heavy equipment operator while also starting his own farming operation.

Also upon returning from the service, Richard met his eternal companion, Nina Ann Miller. They were married June 29, 1962.

Richard and Nina farmed in the Rock Creek area their entire married life of 55 years. Richard had a great love of the land and farming. He was a cattleman and an avid hunter.

Due to health reasons, Richard semi-retired in 2010. He was an excellent steward of the land and readily shared his knowledge with others. He had an entrepreneurial spirit, he was a fabricator, and an excellent mechanic.

Richard passed a great deal of his knowledge and skills to his children and grandchildren. Richard and Nina raised three children, teaching them the value of working on the farm. He also taught them the importance of honesty, and to have a great appreciation for this land and our great country, family members said.

Survivors include his wife, Nina; his children, Delbert (Sam), Jennifer (Chris), and Cynthia (Eric); 12 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; his brother, Robert (Caren); and sisters, Marilyn Kidder and Evelyn Fisher.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Donald Stephens; and his brothers-in-law, Bill Kidder and Elbert Fisher.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association through Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

To light a candle for Richard or to leave a condolence for the family, go to www.colestributecenter.com.