Dulcie Ralston

Dulcie Ralston, 92, of Baker City, died March 7, 2005, at her home.

Her memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Jack Bynum of the United Methodist Church will officiate.

Dulcie Mae Ross Ralston was born Dec. 24, 1912, at Mandan, N.D., to Edgar Ross and Daisy Eileen Wheeler Ross. When she was 6 she moved with her family to Oregon City. When she was 13 the family moved to Boulder Creek, Calif., where she met Rollie Ralston.

They were married on July 15, 1932. Their daughter, Barbara, was born June 13, 1933. In 1945 the Ralston family moved to Albany, Calif., where they lived until Rollie’s retirement in 1974. They then moved to Concord and Lafayette, Calif., and in 1989 settled in a mobile home park at Lodi, Calif., to be closer to their daughter.

After the death of her husband in 1997 and her daughter in 1999, Mrs. Ralston moved to Baker City to be near her grandson, Jim Flavin, and his family.

Survivors include three grandchildren, Jim Flavin and his wife, Irene, of Baker City, Daniel Flavin and his wife, Jessica, of Oakland, Calif., and Sandra Flavin of Tennessee; three great-grandchildren, Steven Flavin, Shawn Flavin and Joshua Flavin; one brother, Gene Ross of Walnut Creek, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, daughter, and one sister.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pathway Hospice through the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Rush Long

Rush Ernest Long, 86, of Pine Creek, died March 6, 2005, at his home.

His memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Oxbow Christian Fellowship Church at the Oxbow Schoolhouse.

Friends are invited to join the family for a reception at the church after the service.

Rush Ernest was born on Sept. 3, 1918, to Elizabeth and Harry Long at Ponca City, Okla. He was raised and educated at Ponca City. His parents were ranchers until the Depression. They moved to California in 1936. In 1938 he married Mary Cecil at Compton, Calif.

Early in his life he worked as an electrician helper until the war started. He then went to work in the shipyards in Portland, then to Tillamook at the blimp base. He then worked at the military hospital at White City, then to Klamath Falls to open the Marine Air Field.

Shortly after arriving in Klamath Falls, the war ended. He and his family stayed in Klamath Falls until 1959 when he moved to Brookings and went into the electrical contracting business. He stayed in that position until his retirement. In his retirement he moved to his andquot;favorite place,andquot; Northeastern Oregon.

Rush and Mary had two children, Rush L. and Cathy. Rush was a good provider. He always worked hard and brought home a good living. He was an honest man whose word was his bond his kids learned that at an early age. If he told you something, you could count on it being true.

His favorite pastimes were hunting and fishing. He was also a very good rifle shot and enjoyed shooting sports of all types.

Survivors include his children, Rush L. Long of Pine Creek and Cathy Long of Eugene; five grandchildren; and a brother, C.J. Long of Klamath Falls.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Panhandle Range Club through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.

David Pollentier

David Allen Pollentier, 59, died on March 5, 2005, at his home.

There will be a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Friday at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Jon Privett of the Nazarene Churchwill officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Visitations will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Gray’s West andamp; Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.

Dave was born on Jan. 15, 1946, at Ontario to Alfons and Doris Giesler Pollentier. He was raised at Jordan Valley and Burns, where his father was station commander for the Oregon State Police.

He was a 1964 Burns High School graduate and attended Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario. He married Terry Marie Boyer on April 30, 1966, at Payette, Idaho. He had two daughters, Cassandra and Mary.

Dave was employed by the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1964 to 1967. His career with the Oregon State Police began in September 1967 as a recruit with assignment to the Baker Patrol Office, where he spent his entire career. He was a highway patrolman until March of 1988, when he transferred to the criminal division.

During his career, he received numerous honors and awards, including the Oregon Peace Officers Association’s Non-Criminal Lifesaving Award and an Outstanding Service to Crime Victims Award from the Crime Victims Assistance Network of Oregon. He was known for his excellence in conducting sexual abuse and homicide investigations in Baker and Grant counties. He retired in June 1995.

After retiring, he worked at Cashway Lumber Co. for a short time before beginning work for the District Attorney’s office as an investigator. He investigated mainly homicides, domestic violence and child abuse cases until July of 2000.

Dave served the Lord daily in his work, at home and at his church. He was the most generous, caring and compassionate man anyone ever met. He loved going on Work and Witness trips with teenagers and adults. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, going on picnics, and drives in the mountains. The joy of his life was his loving wife, kids and eight grandchildren, who referred to him as their andquot;Papa.andquot;

Survivors include his wife, Terry; his daughters and their husbands, Cassandra and George Martin and Mary and Chris Black; grandchildren, Christine, Austin, Dakota, Abigail, Alex, Jessica, Joe and Emily, all of Baker City; sisters, Patricia Chichester and her husband, Ken, and Mary Lou Foster and her husband, Dough; a brother, John Pollentier; nieces, Kim Hedrick, Renee Frazier and Jennifer and Michelle Pollentier; nephews, Brian and Alan Foster; aunts and uncles, Glen and Denise Giesler, Donna Clancy and Joanne Pollentier; and numerous cousins.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Hope Fund at the Nazarene Church or the Northeast Oregon Compassion Center through Gray’s West andamp; Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.

Donna Heller

Donna Marie Heller, 75, of Richland, died March 2, 2005, at her home.

There will be no funeral. A family gathering will be scheduled later.

Donna Marie was born on Dec. 29, 1929, at Wamic to Milo Oliver Wood and Madge Kistner Wood. She was raised and educated at Wamic. At the age of 16 she married Ralph Heller. They had two children, Bob and Judy.

During Ralph and Donna’s married life, Ralph worked for the U.S. Forest Service on the Fort Rock Ranger District in Central Oregon.

Donna was andquot;everyone’s mother.andquot; She enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing cards, gardening, flowers and games. She enjoyed cooking and baking, and most especially loved spending time with her family. She moved to Richland in 2000.

Survivors include her daughter, Judy North, and her husband, Don, and son, Bob Heller, of Richland; grandchildren, John North, Crystal North, Jeff Heller and Paul Heller; great-grandchildren, Christopher, Brittny, Elena and Candice; and a great-great-granddaughter, Cassie.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Jim.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Diabetes Association through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.

Paul Domby

Paul Domby, 83, of Ontario, died March 6, 2005, at Holy Rosary Medical Center in Ontario.

His graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Evergreen Cemetery in Ontario. Paul’s grandson, Maj. Brad S. Domby will officiate. There will be a public viewing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lienkaemper Chapel in Ontario.

Paul was born at home in Malheur on Feb. 1, 1922, to Stephen H. and Ella Kish Domby. He attended Ontario schools and married Joey Genevieve Larson on Jan. 1, 1943, at Weiser, Idaho.

He joined the U.S. Navy in 1941 at Baker City and was later stationed at Pasco, Wash., Klamath Falls, and San Bruno, Calif. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and spent most of his time in the Philippines as Storekeeper 3rd Class.

After being discharged in 1945, he worked for his brother, Frances, on the homestead at Malheur. Later he worked for the Oregon State Highway Department for three years. He then turned his hand to farming and ranching on Porter’s Flat and took a second job at the Oregon Portland Cement Co. at Lime, where he worked for 25 years.

In 1979, he retired from the cement company early after the plant moved to Durkee. After farming on Porter’s Flat for about 50 years, he moved in with his daughter, Marcia, in Ontario in the fall of 1997.

The family expressed appreciation to the nurses and doctors at Holy Rosary Medical Center and the nurses at Holy Rosary Home Care for their compassion in caring for their father and grandfather. He was deeply loved by his family and friends and will always be remembered for his love of gardening, they said. His witty sense of humor and sparkling eyes will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Joey; his grandson, Jason Jackson; and his son-in-law, Melvin Tucker.

Survivors include his four children and their spouses, Steven and Glenda Domby of Weiser, Marcia and Earl Adams of Ontario, Christie and Celestino Hernandez of Ontario, and John and Tess Domby of San Diego; eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Marvin Foster

Marvin LeRoy Foster, 87, died March 3, 2005, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise of complications from surgery. His daughters and sister were by his side.

At his request, his body was cremated and there will be no service.

Instead the family asks that you keep him in your thoughts this way, andquot;When I am gone, remember me with laughter for that is how I will remember you. If you can only remember me with tears, don’t remember me at all.andquot; That’s the way he would have wanted it.

He was born the third of four children to Martin and Mary andquot;Maeandquot; Wilding Foster on Jan. 23, 1918, at Hunter, Utah. In 1937, he accompanied a friend to Sun Valley, Idaho, looking for work at the Sun Valley Lodge, which in those days was a favorite vacation spot for Hollywood stars.

He performed several jobs there, including work as a bell boy and as a caretaker for the children of people such as Bing Crosby and Ernest Hemingway. He took Hemingway’s boys bird hunting, bowling, skiing and ice skating and came to love them very much. He had many treasured pictures of his andquot;kids.andquot;

On May 26, 1940, he married Helen E. Bolek, a chambermaid he met at the lodge. They finished working out the season at Sun Valley and then moved to the Bay Area of California where he worked in the shipyards.

He joined the U.S. Navy when World War II broke out and spent many miserable months at sea where he never completely got over seasickness. But he served his country proudly and loved his homeland with all his heart. After the war, he moved his family to Boise and went to work for Idaho Power Co. on the survey crew.

Though he had to be gone from his family more than he wanted, he dearly loved the surveying job and worked at it for several years. He surveyed for the construction of the dams and the power line on the Snake River.

On July 5, 1959, they moved to Baker City when they purchased the Tower Motel, then went on to own the Green Gables Motel for many years. For a short time they also owned the Western Motel.

After selling the latter they moved to Ontario to live, but missed Baker City and the surrounding area and moved back for good. He couldn’t stay idle and went to work at McDonald’s to be around people. He worked there until he was 86.

Marvin loved being outdoors and had a strong, special love for the Snake River country. He loved to fish and shared many good times fishing with his daughters.

He had an infectious smile and a keen wit, always loving a good joke. He loved to work with wood and always had a project going.

He had a green thumb and took great pride in his flowers, especially his roses. His house was always surrounded by colorful flower beds.

He was a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Wilford; a sister, Helen; his son, Allan, in 1988; and his wife of 64 years, Helen, in 2004.

Survivors include his daughters and their husbands, Gail Foster and Bruce Stofer of Culver and Pat and Tim Pope of Baker City; his sister, Thelma Eytchison of Boise; and nieces, LeAnne and Margaret.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army or Baker City food banks through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Phyllis Wichman

Phyllis L. Olander Wichman, 76, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, died March 6, 2005, at a Council Bluffs hospital.

Her funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Broadway United Methodist in Council Bluffs.

She was born on Oct. 6, 1928, to Carl Melvin and Myrtle Dorothea Swanson Olander at Stanton, Iowa. She was a 1946 graduate of Elliott, Iowa, High School and a 1950 graduate of Tarkio College at Tarkio, Mo. Her post-graduate work was done at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; the University of Northern Iowa at Cedar Falls, Iowa; Iowa State University at Ames; and the University of Iowa at Iowa City.

She began her teaching career at Walnut, Iowa, in 1950. She taught business classes at Thomas Jefferson High School from 1953 to 1960. She taught at Abraham Lincoln from 1960 to 1962 and then returned to Thomas Jefferson where she was head of the business department and a lead teacher. She retired in 1990.

She was a member of the Broadway United Methodist Church where she a member of the choir. She was a member of the American Association of University Women, Delta Kappa Gamma Beta Chapter, Council Bluffs Retired School Personnel, Federated Women of Iowa, Council Bluffs Art Council, Chapter GQ of PEO, AAUW Study Group and Book Review Group, Joslyn Art Museum and JAMA Southwest Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Darold O. Wichman, who died on Jan. 2, 1991; her son-in-law, Joel Waldo of Baker City, who died on Oct. 22, 2004; and her parents.

Survivors include her daughter, Cynthia A. Waldo of Baker City; son, Mark D. Wichman, and his wife, April, and daughter, Lisa D. Keathley, and her husband, Thomas, all of Omaha, Neb.; a brother and his wife, Merrilll and Sharon Olander of Elliott, Iowa; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and numerous friends.

Memorial contributions may be made to Broadway United Methodist Church through the Cutler-O’Neill-Meyer-Woodring Funeral Home, 545 Willow Ave., Council Bluffs, IA 51503.

Lurley Sutton

Lurley A. Sutton, 78, of Gresham, a former Baker County resident, died March 2, 2005, at Fairlawn Good Samaritan Care Center in Gresham after a long illness.

There will be a celebration of her life at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Buckhorn Restaurant Banquet Room in Vernonia.

Lurley Alveda Sass Sutton was born on Nov. 22, 1926, at Richland to Claus and Alveda Morrison Sass. She was raised and educated at Richland. After her high school graduation, Lurley moved to Portland. She worked for the Army Corps of Engineers where Lurley met her future sister-in-law, Madge Heman, who introduced her to Clyde.

She married Clyde Sutton on June 30, 1946, at Richland. After their marriage they made their home at Vernonia. Clyde and Lurley celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary just two days before his death in 2001.

Among her interests, Lurley enjoyed doing for her family and friends. She was an excellent cook just ask anyone who had one of her infamous cotton-filled biscuits. She also enjoyed sewing and crocheting. Lurley loved to socialize.

She also was preceded in death by her parents, Claus and Alveda Sass.

Survivors include two daughters and sons-in-law, Sandra and Jerry Bruce of Gresham and Sherry and Jerry Hays of La Grande; two grandchildren, Sandy Meshke, and her husband, Steve, of Warrenton and Jason Hays and his wife, Rheadean, of La Grande; and four great-grandchildren, Emily Meshke, Ryan Meshke, Breanne Hays and Noelle Hays; two brothers, Orin Sass of Baker City and Norma Sass of Yuba City, Calif.; two sisters-in-law, Madge Heman and Wally Sutton; and several nieces and nephews.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Mount Hood Hospice, P.O. Box 1269, Sandy, OR 97055. Fuiten, Rose andamp; Hoyt Funeral Home at Forest Grove is in charge of arrangements.