Obituaries for Feb. 15, 2017

Published 12:35 pm Wednesday, February 15, 2017

‘Chuck’ Rohner

Baker City, 1937-2017

Charles “Chuck” Allen Rohner, 79, a longtime Baker City resident, died Feb. 11, 2017, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City.

There will be a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Eagles Lodge, 2935 H St. Those attending are asked to bring their best stories to share.

Chuck was born on March 4, 1937, at Baker to Charles F. and Charlotte “Lottie” M. Rohner. He lived in Baker City all of his life except when he was 8 years old and the family moved to Port Orford.

He lived with his uncle & cousins and stayed at the fishing lodge “The Castaway” that they owned for a year. He attended the Wingville School until it was closed and then attended Baker schools until he graduated in 1955.

Chuck married Roberta Graham and together they had three daughters. After 13 years, they divorced.

He later married Brenda “Cookie” Shankle and together they share a daughter. They also divorced after 13 years.

He found his true love when he met Wilma Shankle and her three boys. Though they never married, they had been together for 35 years and were still going strong. He always said “why ruin a good thing?”

Chuck’s life revolved around the petroleum industry. He worked at the truck stop on the southeast side of Baker and then bought the “Phillips 66” service station. He later bought the bulk plant and then sold them both and went to work at Humbles until he retired in 1999.

He was a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge and had been a member of the Eagles since 1972. He also belonged to the Wingville Grange until it closed and then transferred to the Haines Grange.

Chuck was happiest when he was out in his wood shop building furniture, cars, toys and signs of all kinds.

If he had a Cheshire cat grin on his face you knew that he was up to no good or some silly raunchy joke was going to pop out of his mouth. He loved to see the embarrassment on your face. He loved to play shuffleboard and dance. All of the women loved to dance with him, and visit with his many friends.

He was in the National Guard in Baker for eight years. He loved to play marbles (Aggravation). He always had to have the black marbles and loved to kick his opponent’s butt. He was never really enthused that he lost, but he took losing in stride.

Survivors include his lifetime friend and partner of 35 years, Wilma Shankle; his daughters, Cheryl Guzman of Baker City, Lynnette Hazzard of Pasco, Washington, and Dawna Cara of The Dalles; his stepson, Randy Shankle; 10 grandchildren, Grover White of Riverside, California, Miguel Guzman of Baker City, Cody Brown, Brittney Hazzard, and Beau Hazzard of Pasco, Washington, Trevor Shankle, Alan Shankle, Kayla Davis, Sarah Shankle, Janelle Shankle and Chelsy Groat of Baker City, Shara Powers and Christie Postema of The Dalles; and 13 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Charlotte Rohner; brother, Orville Rohner; three sisters, Doris Hunt, Bonnie Gard, and Fannie Jacobson; sons Rod Shankle and Rick Shankle; and his daughter, Debra Rohner.

The family suggests memorial contributions to the (Eagles) Max Baer Heart Fund through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online condolences may be made at www.tamispine valleyfuneralhome.com

Grant Young

Richland, 1956-2017

David “Grant” Young, 60, died Jan. 25, 2017, at his home at Richland, surrounded by his loving family and devoted friends.

His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, at the Nazarene Church, 1250 Hughes Lane, in Baker City. There will be a reception afterward at the Baker City Elks Lodge, 1896 Second St. Pastor Katy Nicole and Gene Bunyard will officiate.

Grant Young entered this world of deep lakes and happy hunting grounds on June 7, 1956, in Moscow Idaho. He was the first of three children born to his parents, David Wayne Young and Judith Ann McCanse.

Grant graced Haines Elementary and Baker middle and high schools with his many antics; graduating in 1974. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in geography from Eastern Washington State College in 1978.

Grant met and fell in love with his wife, Carol Lee Yeoumans, in January 1984. They were married on the bridge over the outlet stream at Anthony Lakes on July 28, the same year.

Together they raised one child, Brandon Allen Young. In October 2009, they welcomed their beloved daughter-in-law, Jessica Brooke Ewing, to their family. They were blessed with little Emmet Walker Young on October 26, 2014, and their joy knew no bounds.

Grant’s professional life was spent at two vocations, farming and land-use planning. Many of his happiest early years were spent farming in the Haines and North Powder regions of Eastern Oregon, a labor of love for Grant. He transitioned to land-use planning in 1993, working for Coos, Baker, and Curry counties, the City of Ontario and finally the State of Oregon.

Grant served as a director of the Union County SCS and as president of the Wheat Growers League during his farming years.

Grant had many loves: his family, hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather.

He passed his hunting prowess on to his son, and others who expressed an interest in learning. Grant was a fisherman of extraordinary skill and patience and spent endless hours on rivers and streams attending the great church of nature God provided.

Grant was an avid reader and faithful follower of war documentaries and Fox News, his knowledge of which he would generously share at 5 a.m. with guests sleeping over in his living room.

Grant was an animated joker and storyteller, punctuating the facts with his well-known laugh and racy language, for emphasis.

The Grant Young family lived in many communities in Oregon but always considered Eastern Oregon their home. They purchased their retirement home in Richland, Oregon, the summer of 2015 and looked forward to many years watching game and enjoying beautiful sunrises and sunsets from their sunroom in the Eagle Valley.

Grant was preceded in death by his grandparents and parents.

Survivors include his wife, Carol Lee; son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Jessica Young; his only grandchild, Emmett Walker Young; siblings, Mark and Bonnie and their families; numerous extended family members; and, lastly, his faithful Yorkie companions, Maximus and Odysseus.

Memorial contributions may be made to Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) through Gray’s West and Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

To light a candle for Grant or leave a condolence for the family, go to www.grayswest co.com.

Annie Perkins

Baker County, 1932-2017

Annie Perkins, 84, died Feb. 12, 2017, at her home on Chandler Lane near Baker City.

She had requested to not have a service or memorial.

Annie was born on Dec. 16, 1932, in the town of Komiza, on the island of Vis, off of the coast of Croatia (previously within Yugoslavia). Her birth name was Anka Felanda. Her father was Frane (Frank) Felanda and her mother was Anka Stanojevic. Her father immigrated to the Los Angeles area prior to World War II, and Annie, her mother and her brother followed after the war.

Annie graduated high school in San Pedro, California. This is a large Croatian community, and her father moved his family (Felanda was changed to Felando) because of commercial fishing opportunities including sardines, tuna and any types of fish that were caught by seining nets. San Pedro was heavily into this industry with dozens of boats and canneries close by. In fact, the town of Komiza has a worldwide reputation for fishermen and their skills to use nets in shallow water where other fisherman are fearful of losing or damaging their equipment. One of the fishing families from Komiza (with a small population of only a few hundred people) started the Star Kist cannery in the San Pedro area.

Annie’s future husband, Eugene Brent Perkins Jr., was stationed at the Army base in San Pedro (Fort McCarther) during the Korean War. He and some of his Army buddies were very fond of dancing and started attending weekend dance clubs. Annie also loved dancing and was in a dance group that loved both modern dancing along with folk dancing from her Croatian culture. Her Croatian group and other friends attended the same dance club where she met Eugene. He started to dance with her and they became an exclusive dance partnership when both were at the club. Their dancing became a lifelong passion.

They were married on Jan. 18, 1953, at San Pedro. Eugene’s discharge from the Army was at the same time and after their wedding he brought her back to the Perkins homestead ranch (started in 1874) near Baker City. In her honor, the ranch was incorporated in 2004 with the name of Komiza Ranch.

Her legacy is primarily in the providing, protection and love of her family. She was particularly skilled in the art of cooking. She learned to cook almost any kind of cuisine just by her ability to detect the techniques and spices necessary for each type of culture. In other words, she did not use recipes. She could put a complete meal together within a matter of an hour or two and for any number of guests. Her skills were verified by having people remind her of a meal that they might have had over 30 years earlier and could even remember what was served. Eugene and Annie also amazed many people with their graceful and skilled dancing for more than 50 years.

She will be missed by friends from all walks of life, relatives (European and USA), children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and others. Her giving nature, childhood stories and incredible meals will always remain in people’s memory.

Annie is survived by four children: Gary, Shirley (Dinger), Frank and Steve Perkins; 10 grandchildren: Nathan, Nicole (Lyon), Rebecca, and Mathew Dinger; Alisa (Perkins) Boulter, Steven Perkins; Natalie and Brian Perkins; Jeffrey Perkins and Logan Perkins; and nine great-grandchildren: Maxwell and McKenzie Lyon, Charlie, Bentley and Jacob Boulter, Brynn Dinger, Sawyer, Ruby, and Joel Perkins.

Annie was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene, in March 2011; both of her parents; her brother, in 1968; and one granddaughter, Jessica Perkins, in 2008.

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