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Homer Verdon Merrell ‘Don’
April 9, 1921-Sept. 10, 2009
Ontario - Homer Verdon “Don” Merrell, 88, passed away Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009, with family by his side in Ontario, Ore.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay, Ore.
Don was born April 9, 1921, in Palisade, Neb., to parents Homer and Marie Merrell. He graduated from Palisade High School with a high academic scholarship and later served in the United States Army as a combat engineer, earning the European Victory Medal and a Campaign Medal with the Bronze Service Star during World War II. Don was an accomplished trumpet player throughout high school and his military career.
Don moved to Coos Bay, Ore., in 1948 and married Elizabeth Jean “Ruth” Palmer. He and his wife were married 39 years.
Don graduated from business college in Portland, Ore. He soon became the general manager of Brookmead Dairy in Coos Bay for more than 25 years. While in the dairy business, he belonged to the Oregon Dairy Association and served as president for several terms. He retired in 1986 as the general manager of the Bandon Cheese Factory in Bandon, Ore.
Being a talented high school athlete, he enjoyed watching and supporting all sports but loved golf and played for more than 60 years. His other interests included bowling, football, baseball, deer and bird hunting, reading and music. He was an active member of the Coos Bay Pirates, an active member of the Ontario and Coos Bay Elks for more than 50 years, and belonged to Ontario First Church of the Nazarene. He devoted much of his time and energy as a loving husband, father, grandfather,and friend.
Mr. Merrell is survived by daughters, Sherry Nickolson, and husband, Daryl, of Salem, Ore., and Jeanne Patton, and husband, David, of Ontario, Ore.; sons, Larry Merrell, of Salem, Ore., and Don Palmer, and wife, Joyce, of Panguitch, Utah; grandchildren, Katherine Soccozzo, of Las Vegas, Nev., Robin Swain, of Kula, Hawaii, Renee May, of Sisters, Ore., Justin Nickolson, of Salem, Ore., Elizabeth Hammon, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and April and Ali Patton, of Ontario, Ore.; good friend, Jean Tichenor, of Ontario, Ore., and numerous great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Merrell; daughter, Beverly Palmer; and brother, Myron Merrell.
Don Merrell’s family would like to thank the following for their counsel and comfort: Ontario First Church of the Nazarene, Pathway Hospice, Presbyterian Community Care Center and Dr. Andrew Peterson, Holy Rosary Medical Center, all of Ontario, Ore.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Pathway Hospice, 1050 SW 3rd Ave. Suite 1600, Ontario, OR 97914, or Presbyterian Community Care Center, 1085 N. Oregon Street, Ontario, OR 97914.
David Leo Messer
Aug. 11, 1949 - Sept. 29, 2009
Jamieson - David Leo Messer, 60, of Jamieson, Ore., died as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, one mile north of Jamieson, Ore. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, at the Vale Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1554 Highway 20-26, Vale, Ore. Graveside services will follow at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, at the Lostine Cemetery, Lostine, Ore.
David was born on Aug. 11, 1949, in Great Falls, Mont., the son of Leo Eugene Messer and Elizabeth Lucille Jenson. He attended Great Falls schools and graduated from Charles M. Russell High School.
He took courses in land surveying with the Montana State Highway Department and North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and obtained his Montana State Land Surveyor-in Training license.
In 1977, David married Nadine Hayes in Sandpoint, Idaho. They lived in the greater Seattle area and Kalispell, Mont., where he worked for 20 years in the private land surveying field.
In 1989, the couple moved to Pendleton, Ore., where David earned associate degrees with honors in civil engineering technology and math/computer science from Blue Mountain Community College.
In 1995, he opened a computer consulting business, which he operated in Pendleton and, more recently, in Vale, Ore. He enjoyed reading, travel, ham radio and working with computers.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine, of Jamieson; brother, Stephen Messer, of Fairbanks, Alaska; sisters, Cheryl Hansen, of Hartland, Wis., Judy Parker, of Mesquite, Nev., Beverly Rogers, of Whitesburg, Kent., and Susan Guerrero, of Hoodsport, Wash.; and numerous nieces and nephews. David was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Nancy Messer.
Isamu Uchida ‘Sam’
Sept. 29, 1919-Sept. 5, 2009
Ontario - Isamu "Sam" Uchida, 89, of Ontario, OR. passed away on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at home. Memorial Services will be conducted Friday, September 11, 2009 at 11:00 AM at the United Community Methodist Church in Ontario, Or.
Private family inurnment will be at a later time at Evergreen Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario. On September 29, 1919, Isamu "Sam" Uchida was born to Iwaye and Sahei Uchida. His parents were from Okayama-Ken, Japan. He was the first born son of six children--Three sisters, Kazue, Kiyoko, and Chiyoko, and two brothers, Minoru and Sho. Like many of the nisei children, Sam and his siblings attended English grammar schools during the day, followed by Japanese classes after school.
He graduated from Fife High School. While attending Fife High School, Sam lettered in basketball and baseball.
He later participated in the Courier League for basketball and baseball which allowed him to discover the West Coast by traveling from Vancouver, British Columbia to San Jose, California. In May of 1942, the entire family was evacuated to the Puyallup Fairgrounds for three months. Sam and his younger brother Sho were given the choice of moving with the family to Minidoka, Idaho or traveling to Chinook, Montana to work on a "row crop" farm, They chose Chinook, Montana . Last week, 57 years later, Sam was able to travel to Chinook, see the town, and visit Mr. Ron Findley, the man who employed him during the war years.
In 1944, Sam moved from Chinook, Montana to Vale, Oregon. He married Toshiko Fujita on December 22, 1945 in Payette, Idaho.
In 1950, Sam and Tosh moved to Ontario, Oregon and purchased the property in which they presently reside. Sam served as a trustee and member for the United Community Methodist Church, Vice President and lifelong member for the Snake River Japanese American Citizen League, director and member of the Malheur Potato Industry, Sugar Beet Grower Association and the Malheur County Onion Association. Sam is survived by his wife, Toshiko; daughter and son- in-law Christine and Jerry Matsui (Eugene, OR); son and daughter-in-law David and Suzie Uchida (Ontario, OR); three grandsons, Jonathan Matsui (Claremont, CA), Tom and Shannon Uchida (Beaverton, OR), and Marcus Uchida (Beaverton, OR).
Juanita Justine (Mosley) Cramer
May 9, 1923-Sept. 22, 2009
Ontario - Juanita Justine Mosley Cramer was born to Dana Crocket Mosley and Sally Juanita Kincheloe Mosley on May 9, 1923, in Johnson City, Tenn. Her parents and brothers, Dana Carl and J.B. Mosley, moved to Roswell, Idaho at the age of 6 to live in the area. She went to school in Vale, Ore., and lived most of her life in the Treasure Valley. She was a well-known waitress in the area, working at the Pheasant Grill and Welcome Inn in Vale, Brownies Cafe in Nyssa, Maudie Owens in Payette and The Dutch Maid in Ontario.
She married the love of her life, Russell Warren Cramer, Nov. 23, 1973. They were paper carriers for the Idaho Statesman and Ontario Argus Observer for around 7 years, being awarded carriers of the year in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
She was a dedicated member of the Rebekah Lodge for 61 years, attending in Drewsey, Vale, Ontario and Nyssa, Ore., Seward, Alaska, and Parma, Idaho, and holding all the offices.
She went to Alaska on the AlCan Highway in 1949 to homestead in Ninilchik. She flew alone with six children on the 1st TransWorld Airways flight from Ontario to Anchorage, Alaska. She had a great sense of humor, loved adventures, dancing, camping at Sumpter, Ore., every year, coffee with the group at Anderson’s and her family. She was a fantastic cook and a loyal friend.
She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers, two sons, one step son, one nephew and three grandsons.
She is survived by husband, Russell Cramer; one son, Aurther N. Jury Jr. (Mila); three daughters, Jodi Bagley, Cindy Foster (Jerry) and Patty Phillips (Mike); three stepsons, Ray McManus (Yoshi), Mike McManus and Wayne Cramer (Becky); daughter-in-law, Nellie Cramer (Tom); and three stepdaughters, Janica Crammer, Stormie Upward (Robert) and Shirley Ramsey; and numerous grandchildren, nephews and nieces.
A gathering of family and friends is planned from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 at their home at 1245 N. Fortner St., Ontario.
Arrangements under the direction of Haren-Wood in Ontario.
Raymond Emanuel Novotny
July 6,1921- Sept. 5, 2009
Ontario - “Only once in every blue moon or so a community wakes up to the realization that within their midst is a person almost universally loved. Such a man is Ray Novotny.” (Burns Times Herald, 12/ 21/ 1967).
Ray Novotny was born July 6, 1921 in Lewiston, Montana. He died at his home in Ontario, Oregon on September 5, 2009 attended by Rose, his beloved wife of 38 years. Throughout his 88 years of life, he touched and changed the lives of thousands of individuals.
Born to Robert and Martha Novotny, he shared his young life with his brothers, Ernest, his twin Robert and William, all proceeding him in death. The family moved to Nebraska and then on to Douglas County Wyoming in 1927. Ray, his brothers and father were true mountain men. They hunted, fished, logged and worked really hard at all they did.
Ray and Robert attended the school at Morton until their junior years, 1939, when they moved into Riverton. They built a 'one room shack to live in' for “a roof over their heads' and batched their ways through their senior year. Working multiple jobs for meals and some cash, they graduated. Ray received several football scholarship offers, accepting the one from University of Wyoming because the school agreed to have his twin join him as the team manager. Ray played end and back positions for the Cowboy football team. Although he excelled at footfall, his love was basketball.
In his junior year, when America entered WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ray hitchhiked home to get his parent's written permission to enlist in the Marines. He was selected for officer's training, eventually becoming a First Lieutenant. He spent time in Guadalcanal, Guam and the Okinawa campaign. Ray was present at the official surrender of the Japanese at Tsintoa, China. After spending 8 months in China after the surrender, he returned to U. of Wyoming to finish his studies. He graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor's in argronomy and animal production.
He worked 31 years for the Extension Service. For 5 years after graduation, he worked for the Wyoming extension service, leaving to take the County Extension Agent position for Harney County in 1951. Ninety percent of Harney's income was dependent on agriculture; and Ray spent the next years concentrating on programs to upgrade its livestock industry which included increased forage production and livestock performance testing.
Ray was dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural America. In one year, he logged 20,000 job-related miles. In Harney County, Ray provided leadership to one of the nation's most extensive sagebrush eradication and range land management programs. He organized spraying for over 250 thousand acres of sagebrush and the revitalization of over 30,000 acres with the seeding of crested wheat grass. He successfully promoted and helped form an electrical cooperative in rural Harney County. Ray worked tirelessly to obtain electricity and then phones to 300 homes in rural areas. In 1957, he was one of an official party which switched on electricity to Crane High School, the electrical co-op's first customer. The electricity was instrumental in development of large irrigation project in Harney and northern Humboldt County Nevada.
Ray was all things to all people. He advocated for agriculture. He was integrally involved in 4-H and youth programs. He promoted Delintment LakeYouth Camp and then worked to successfully replace the aging facility with Lake Creek Camp. Harney Chamber named him “Citizen of the Year” in 1955, “Man of the Year” and “Father of the Year” in 1957. That same year, Harney citizens thanked him for his hard work by giving him a surprise: a trip to the Sugar Bowl to watch his Wyoming team play. He belonged to multiple civic organizations including Elks and Masons.
He completed his Master's in Range Improvement at Oregon State in 1970. In 1972 Ray took the County Agent's position in Malheur County where he continued his agricultural and civic work.
He created the Grass and Top Op tours of ranch and farm operations. In Malheur, he worked to reorganize the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, watching it develop into a viable group. The National Association of County Agricultural Agents recognized Ray for public relations in 1977 and distinguished service in 1978. In 1978, Ray retired from Extension. He was later honored, 1995, for his service and added to the Diamond Pioneer Agricultural Registry.
Although known best for his work in agriculture, he and his wife Rose operated Novotny Realty for several years after his retirement from Extension.
He is survived by people who love and will truly miss him which include his wife Rose, daughters Sharyn, Mona, Teresa and Cheryl, son David, grandchildren and beloved friends too plentiful to name. One of the many messages he taught was, “If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability, or don't do it at all.” His life is a reflection of this. Ray will rest in a special spot in his beloved Wyoming mountains near his twin and niece. Final arrangements are being made by Lienkaemper-
Thomason in Ontario where remembrances may be sent. If desired, donations can go to the 4-H Foundation.
