>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Marinus Jacob "Rien" de Lint, 66, of Alicel, died April 11 at the Grande Ronde Hospital. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Christian Church, 901 Penn Ave. in La Grande. Committal and interment will follow at the Summerville Cemetery.

Rien was born Sept. 9, 1940, in Zevenbergschen Hoek, the Netherlands to Arie and Christina C. (Van de Erve) de Lint. In 1959 he came to the United States as an exchange student with the University of California-Davis and he participated in a work exchange on farms in California. When he returned to the Netherlands he attended university and earned a degree in agriculture in 1964. He returned to California where he worked at Squaw Valley's Olympic Village as a maitre'd in a restaurant and taught ice skating, and where he met his future wife, Cresta May Shaw.

In 1965 he returned to the Netherlands for a year and farmed grass seed before returning to the United States. On May 20, 1967, he married Cresta May Shaw and they made their home in Alicel.

He farmed with his father-in-law, Creston Shaw, and later with his brother-in-law, Paul Rudd. He served as president of Blue Mountain Seeds for many years.

Over the years he became very active in the community. He was a member of the Oregon Seed Growers Association, of which he served as president in 1975 and 1976. He was a member of the Oregon Seed Growers League, on which he served six years on the board of directors and as president in 1995. He was also on the Oregon Fine Fescue Commission and the State Alternative Crops Board. He was a member of the South 40 Club, serving as president from 1974-75 and a member of the Last 40 Investment Club.

From 1991 until 2001 he was a member of the board of directors of the Grande Ronde Hospital Association, serving as president from 1995 until 1998. He also served as a board member of the La Grande/Union County Chamber of Commerce during 1993.

His accomplishments in the agricultural industry were extensive and he earned many awards for his work including Union County Outstanding Young Farmer in 1974, La Grande/Union County Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year in 1992, Outstanding Leadership for Union County Agriculture from the Union County Seed Growers Association in 1993, La Grande/Union County Chamber of Commerce Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2002 and Voice of Oregon Grass Seed Industry Award from the Agri Business Council of Oregon in 2004.

Rien's true love was farming, his wife and his family. He also enjoyed many outdoor activities including motorcycle trail riding, water and snow skiing and flying a plane. He was a certified ski instructor and a U.S. Ski Racing Association official. He traveled with his wife and children for skiing events all over the Northwest.

He loved world history as well as the history of the local farming community. He enjoyed traveling, long walks with his wife and loved his grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Cresta de Lint of Alicel; son and his wife, Mauri and Anita de Lint of Alicel; daughter and her husband, Renee and David Miles of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; son and his wife, Marc and Kari de Lint of Alicel; brothers and their wives, Wim and Ina de Lint, Piet and Luci de Lint and Arie Jan and Hettie de Lint and sister and her husband, Anneke and Hermann Weijnen, all of the Netherlands; parents-in-law, Creston and Dovey Shaw of Alicel; sister-in-law and her husband, Janet and Paul Rudd of La Grande; 12 grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and other relatives and many friends.

Those who wish may make contributions in memory of Mr. de Lint to the Grande Ronde Hospital Foundation in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande 97850.

______________________

Everett M Lyon, 83, died April 9 surrounded by family. Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Mount Vernon, Mo. A private service for burial will be at the Grandview Cemetery in

La Grande.

Mr. Lyon was born May 20, 1923, in Wallace, Idaho, one of 13 children. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Leavenworth, Wash., where he lived until he graduated from high school and married the love of his life, Esther Bates, whom he met at a roller rink. They spent the early years of their marriage in Leavenworth, where Everett was employed at the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery, and where he single-handedly built their first home. They then relocated to the Seattle area, where he worked as a riveter at Boeing Aircraft for three years. He spent the next 35 years of his work career in Pilot Rock, where he supported his family by working at the sawmill.

Survivors include his wife, Esther, of Mount Vernon, Mo.; one sister, Delores, of Dale; five children, Wayne Lyon of Warwick, N.Y., Sharon Campbell of Mount Vernon, Mo., David Lyon and Robert Lyon, both of

La Grande, and Daniel Lyon of Salem; 19 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

______________________

Alvada Gover, 88, of Imbler, died April 14 at a local care home. A celebration of life will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. Viewing will be Wednesday from 4 until 6 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh Street,La Grande.

Mrs. Gover was born May 5, 1918, the daughter of John Lee and Florence Bell (White) Taylor in Halfway. She was raised in Halfway and graduated from high school there.

On June 1, 1937, she married David S. Gover, Jr. in Baker. In 1959 they came to Union County. She enjoyed picking berries, especially huckleberries, playing cards, reading, embroidery work, genealogy research and gardening.

Survivors include her daughters, Ellen J. Gover of Greenacres, Wash., and Joyce M. Gover of Portland,; a son, David S. Gover III; and four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, David S. Gover, Jr., a sister, Annabelle Taylor and brothers, Cliff, Kennett, Derral, Floyd, George, Walter and Oscar Taylor.

Memorials may be made to the Oregon Heart Association, the Oregon Lung Association or the Oregon Cancer Society in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 7th Street, La Grande 97850.

______________________

Roma Rae Knape, 77, died at a local care home April 13. A celebration of life will begin at Zion Lutheran Church Wednesday at 2 p.m. Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Knape was born Dec. 12, 1929, to Charles and Ethyl (Smith) Lammers.

She married Fred Knape, who has preceded her in death, on June 21, 1947. They moved to the Grande Ronde Valley after their marriage where they farmed and raised a family of five children.

She was a devoted wife and mother and a long-time member of the Zion Lutheran Church.

She really loved NASCAR racing and doing word puzzles.

Mrs. Knape is survived by her children and their spouses Charles and Susan Knape, Freda and Larry Simmons, Larry and Lindy Knape, Bonnie and Rayshaun Smith, and Rose and Pat Farmer; sixteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church, 902 Fourth Street, La Grande 97850

______________________

Duane Wesley Ferguson, 75, of Union, died April 14 at the Grande Ronde Hospital. A private family service is planned, and burial will be at the Union Cemetery.

Mr. Fergu-son was born Nov. 4, 1931, to Emery Wesley and Marie (Sanford) Ferguson in Hilgard and was raised in Eastern Oregon. He enlisted in the Army, serving in Korea and Vietnam.

On Jan. 31, 1952, he married Paulette Marie Trse Lallmand in France. His military career took them to various places, including Missouri and North Carolina.

After an honorable discharge, the family moved first to La Grande and then to Cove in 1969. In 1972 they moved to Union.

Mr. Ferguson enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, gardening and canning the fruits of his garden. He loved family gatherings, especially in the outdoors.

Survivors include his children and their spouses, Carole and Phil Marks, Emery Ferguson and Patti and John Hewitt, all of Union; sisters, Gilah Dickenson of Cove and Naomi Dickenson of La Grande; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his wife and a granddaughter, Crystal Marks.

Memorials may be made to the GRH Hospice in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande 97850.

______________________

John E. Myers, 67, died April 13 at his home in La Grande. Funeral services will begin at

2 p.m. Thursday at Loveland Funeral Chapel, followed by burial at Grandview Cemetery.

Mr. Myers was born Aug. 30, 1939, to Edgar and Helen (Crawford) Myers in Klamath Falls. They moved shortly thereafter to Kinzua and then to a small ranch east of Fossil, where John grew up. He attended grade school in Fossil and graduated from Wheeler County High School, where he played football, basketball and baseball, in 1957.

After high school John attended Willamette University in Salem and then returned to Fossil to work at Kinzua sawmill.

He was then drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash. After serving his country, John returned to Oregon, working for Ford's Tire Service in Pendleton and later was transferred to the

La Grande store that became Commercial Tire.

On Sept. 27, 1968, he married Willie Mae Hefner and has since been a resident of La Grande.

He continued to work in the tire business for 32 years, retiring from Commercial Tire in 2001. At the time of his death, he was working for Allen Chase in Hermiston.

John was an avid hunter and loved to fish, camp and vacation with his family. He was a devoted father and grandfather.

Survivors include his wife, Willie Mae; children and their spouses, Kathy and Kelly McDowell of La Grande and John and Joann Hefner of Union; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and brothers, Bob Myers of Cove and Jim Myers of La Grande. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Rebecca.

Memorials may be made to the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, P.O. Box 1052, Union 97883.

______________________

Lonny Paul Shoup, 57, died April 13 at his home in

La Grande, the result of myeloproliferative disorder, a malignant hematological disorder. A private burial will be in the Veterans Circle at Grandview Cemetery. A public celebration of life will be at his home in June.

Mr. Shoup was born Dec. 7, 1949, in Belton, Texas, and was raised in Woodland, Calif. After graduation from high school, he served his country, doing two tours in Vietnam. From 1968 to 1974 he was a LRRP/Ranger, and was in Cambodia in forced recon. He received the following honors: Combat Infantry Badge, Vietnam Service Ribbon, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Vietnam Honor Medal, Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. After returning from military service, he patrolled the Yolo County Game Preserve as a deputy sheriff for a few years.

Lonny married Sara Jane William-son March 14, 1998.

He was an artist and a master model hobbyist, building trains, planes and tanks. An avid historian, he was a Civil War re-enactor. He belonged to the Washington Civil War Actors Association. Last year he participated in several Washington re-enactments.

Although he was raised in the Baptist Church, he was proud of his Jewish heritage and was fluent in the Hebrew language. He loved spending time with family and friends in AA recovery and especially with his two granddaughters, Chelsea and Madi.

Survivors include his wife, Sara Williamson-Shoup; son, Todd; stepchildren, Robert and Becky Williamson, Steven R. Williamson and Julie Williamson; and two granddaughters.

Memorials may be made to the MPD Foundation, 233 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 375, Chicago, Ill. 60606 or through their website, www.mpdfoundation.org.

______________________

Wilma Lucille Womack Hawkins, 92, a longtime Wallowa County resident and pioneer, died April 7 at St. Elizabeth Care Center in Baker City. Graveside services were conducted April 14 at Bramlett Cemetery in Wallowa.

Mrs. Hawkins was born June 18, 1914, to William Womack and Nellie May (Pack) Womack in Parma, Idaho. The family moved to Wallowa in 1919, and she graduated from Wallowa High School in 1932.

She married Alvin Hawkins Nov. 18, 1935, and they spent the rest of their lives in Wallowa County.

After marrying, the Hawkins spent five summers on the Stanley Lookout Tower while Alvin logged with horses during the winter, and they spent springs shearing sheep and living in a tent with Wilma cooking for the shearers. She was a favorite with the working crews, making homemade bread, cakes and pies.

Mrs. Hawkins was a fine seamstress and made all her own and her girls' clothes until they were in high school. She also repaired and dressed dolls, often collecting them from other countries. She gave many of the dolls away to girls who didn't have any. She crocheted doilies and afghans, made quilts and knitted sweaters. She taught her daughters and many others to knit.

She enjoyed painting in oils and watercolors, loved old barns and painting them. When she was 86, a family story goes, she drew a chicken for her great-granddaughter that ended up with four legs. The picture had a place of honor on the refrigerator for many years.

Mrs. Hawkins was 52 when she bought a hot pink Schwinn bicycle and learned to ride it. She and her sister, Wanda, caused many laughs as they peddled around Wallowa.

Other favorite activities were going to TOPS meetings and exercise classes into her 70s, bottle digging at the Wallowa and La Grande dumps, attending yard sales and visiting secondhand stores.

Mrs. Hawkins enjoyed picnics, visiting with family and playing pinochle. She grew beautiful African violets and petunias. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was active in the Relief Society and home visits.

Survivors include her daughters and their spouses, Judy Hauser of Wallowa and Carolyn and Don Thrams of Montana; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a sister, Wanda and her husband, Al, of Longview, Wash.; two sisters-in-law, Bertha of Cove and Bethel of Wallowa; and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband and brothers, Marley, Bill and Bob.

Memorials may be made to Friends of the Wallowa Public Library or to the Wallowa Historical Society.

______________________

Charles Franklin Trump, 89, died April 16 at his home in Wallowa. A funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Wallowa Senior Center. Family and friends are invited to attend a potluck luncheon following the service. Burial will be at the Wallowa Cemetery. Arrange-ments are under the direction of Bollman Funeral Home, Enter-prise.

Known as Charlie, he was born July 20, 1917, to Luther and Mary (Barton) Trump at his grandparents' home on the banks of East Grossman Creek near Promise.

He spent his early years in the Promise area, then moved to Wallowa with the family in 1933. He attended Wallowa High School for a short time, dropping out to go to work to help the family.

He was unable to serve in the military during World War II because of ruptured eardrums, something he regretted his entire life.

He met Ella Haney in 1925 at church in Promise, and they married June 20, 1939. Ella passed away in 1997, just short of their 60th wedding anniversary. He married Nancy McKenzie in October 1998.

Charlie worked as a farmer, concrete man, built roads, whatever was needed. He cut logs in the woods for years before going to work in the mills. He worked at mills in Wallowa, Joseph and finally at Boise Cascade in Elgin, where he worked for nearly 24 years before retiring.

He was an old-time fiddler and earned nearly 100 fiddling awards. He also played guitar, piano, mandolin, some banjo, ukulele and mouth harp and enjoyed playing whenever and wherever asked.

He joined the South Fork Grange after the Wallowa Grange closed. He belonged to the Blue Mountain Old Time Fiddlers Association, where he served as vice-president, president and director for Wallowa County. He was a member of the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association, the National Old Time Fiddlers and Gem State Fiddlers.

Charlie served on the Wallowa Senior Center Advisory Board, the Wallowa County Public Transit Advisory Committee and the Evergreen Sewer District Committee.

He quietly donated thousands of dollars, musical instruments and his talent to help others over the years. He received numerous awards, including recognition by the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce as Unsung Hero for 2006 for various community services.

He was an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish, as did Ella, and they spent many weeks in the woods cutting firewood for themselves, the grange hall and those in need. Charlie was always ready to raise money for charitable causes. He was a truly generous man with his time, his talent and his money, friends said.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, of Wallowa; siblings and their spouses, Gladys McCoy of Wallowa and Clarence and Maxine Chandler of La Grande; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Ruby Woodcock.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wallowa Senior Center Endowment Fund, Blue Mountain Old Time Fiddlers Scholarship Fund or Wallowa Memorial Hospital.

______________________

Robert Lee Campbell, 56, died unexpectedly of natural causes April 18 at his home in La Grande. A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley.

Known as Bob, he was born Dec. 17, 1950, to Charles L. and Tressa June (Needham) Campbell in La Grande. He graduated from La Grande High School and lived his entire life in La Grande.

In 1969, at age 18, Bob was severely injured in an alcohol-related car accident following an underage drinking party on Morgan Lake Road. The accident left him partially paralyzed with acute memory loss and aphasia.

After many years of therapy and continuous support from his parents, siblings, family and friends, Bob was able to live on his own and became a part of the community.

Although he was never able to work, he was known to many people and will be remembered riding his bike and later his motorized wheelchair around

La Grande.

He loved to have coffee at Denny's, shop at Albertsons and eat at McDonalds, all close to his apartment. His friendly smile and outgoing personality gained him many friends.

Bob was a member of Victory Christian Church in La Grande and had a deep faith and a belief that in the after life he would be made whole.

Survivors include his brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Sandy Campbell, and his sister and her fianc, Glenis Harrison and Joseph Hamm, all of

La Grande; four nephews, two grandnieces, four grandnephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.

The family would like to acknowledge their gratitude for the many people and organizations that helped Bob throughout his life, including Dwight Dill, Marladeen Risteen, the many people at New Day Enterprises who loved and cared for him, his case manager, Dustin Willey, and the members of Bob's church.

Memorials may be made to the Union County Safe Communities Coalition, to help curtail underage drinking and driving, in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh Street, La Grande 97850.

______________________

Carolyn "Kay" Owens, 89, of Union died April 17 in Madras following a brief illness. A graveside service will begin at

2 p.m. today at the Union Cemetery. Loveland funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.

She was born in Coos Bay to Cecil and Elizabeth (Cramer) Brown on May 18, 1917.

She married Russell Kullman in Cherokee, Iowa, in 1937, and then C. H. "Slim" Coats in Antelope in 1942.

Kay worked in retail sales and did drafting for the aircraft industry during World War II. She was an accomplished clothing buyer and retailer.

She is survived by her son, Bill Kullman of Culver; two granddaughters; two grandsons; and two great-grandsons.