Obituaries for the day of August 17, 2009

McPhee, Conaway, Trotter, Killgore, Clark, Cook, Fisher

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

Aug. 18 — Hope McPhee, viewing, 5 to 7 p.m., Gray’s West and Co., Baker City

Aug. 19 — Hope McPhee, graveside service, 10 a.m., North Powder Cemetery

Aug. 22 — Ruth Conaway, graveside service, 11 a.m., Grandview Cemetery

Aug. 22 — Michael Trotter, memorial service, 1 p.m., Hilgard Park; potluck dinner to follow.

Virgil L. Kilgore, 75, of La Grande and formerly of Weston, died Aug. 13 at Evergreen Vista Care Center in La Grande. Arrangements are pending. Munselle-Rhodes in Milton-Freewater is in charge of arrangements.

Charles “Chuck” Evans Clark, 95, of Enterprise, died Aug. 13 of age-related causes. A graveside service will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Oakhill Cemetery in Eugene. Bollman Funeral Home in Enterprise is in charge of arrangements.

Charles was born May 28, 1914, to Ray and Nellie Clark in St. John, Wash. He graduated from Steptoe High School. He married Bertha Lubben in 1935. She died in 1982. They had a ranch in Yoncalla for 17 years. They moved to Pleasant Hill where he was the custodian for Emerald Christian Academy. In 1984 he married Faye Sanders of Yoncalla, and they moved to Enterprise in 1990. She preceded him in death in 2007. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Wassom of Sisters and Carolyn Lipscomb of Arabi, Ga.; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one niece; stepchildren, Bud Sanders of Joseph, Bid Sanders of Mountain Home, Idaho, Delores Carrera of Houston, Beverly Journigan of Union and Marcella Raines of Pendleton; and numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Wilmer Loyd Cook, 96, of Enterprise, died Aug. 9 in Council, Idaho. A celebration of his life was held Aug. 15 followed by burial at Alder Slope Cemetery. Bollman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Wilmer was born to Lee and Arlie (Brock) Cook Sept. 4, 1912, and spent the majority of his life in Enterprise. He lived on Alder Slope where his motto was “too rocky to hoe” relating to his love of gardening.

Wilmer began his schooling at Swamp Creek/Elk Creek School of rural Enterprise and continued his education through the eighth grade. He then began working numerous farm jobs throughout rural Enterprise, until he was drafted into the U.S. Army on April 9, 1942. He served three years and four months during World War II, obtaining the rank of CPI Tech 5 and receiving nine conquest stars.

Upon discharge from the Army on Aug. 31, 1945, he married Mary Catherine Gillham in La Grande on Sept 23, 1945. “Katie” as Wilmer most often called Mary, remained the love of his life until her death on Dec. 11, 2001. In 1947 he went to work for the U.S. post office as an Enterprise rural mail carrier until he retired in 1973.

He spent his retirement years with hobbies including gardening, collecting out-of-print books, gold panning, huckleberry picking, bee keeping, collecting old songs, milking his Jersey cows (up until he was 92 years old) and making hand-crafted juniper checker boards (he had made 112 at last count and never sold even one but enjoyed donating them for benefit auctions or to “give to anyone that ask for one”) and beating anyone willing to challenge this master checker player to a game.

Gardening, on the rocky slope, was a particular challenge, but one that Wilmer and Mary loved to engage in. They grew a beautiful garden with numerous rows of raspberries with new rows being added each year. One infamous year, they produced 106 flats of nice big berries. When they opened the patch up for “you-pick,” he enjoyed visiting with anyone who would come pick and always had a story at the ready.

He never entered anything in the fair but had a big smile when he saw the purple ribbons that he won on the numerous exhibits that daughter Joyce would gather and enter for him.

Wilmer was an active and outstanding member of the community in and around Enterprise up until his death. He was a member of the First Baptist Church for more than 60 years.

He was an active member of VFW and a member of 1st Engineer Special Brigade Assn 531st Engineer Shore Regiment, the National Rifle Association and the Rural Letter Carriers Association.

Wilmer and Mary were always willing to go that extra mile for others over the past 20-plus years when they have offered the opportunity of their acreage to any 4-H or FFA member who lived in town to raise fair animals. His generosity and work earned him a distinguished service award in 2005, and honorary chapter degree in 2006 from Enterprise FFA.

He is survived by brother, Wayne Cook of Enterprise; sons and their spouses, John and Sharon of Pendleton and Fred and Bertie of La Grande; daughters and their spouses, Joyce and Steven Zollman of Enterprise, Doris and Kent Miller of Brookings and Donna and Paul Bates of Condon; and 14 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents; three sisters; one brother; and two granddaughters.

The Wilmer & Mary Cook Agricultural Memorial scholarship has been set up at The Bank of Eastern Oregon.

Janet Ruth Fisher, 89, of La Grande, died July 27 at her home.

A family gathering will be held in September in California. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Janet was born March 27, 1920, to Herbert and Ruth (Littlepage) Roberts in

Los Gatos, Calif. She lived most of her life in Los Gatos and had many lifelong friends there. She lived in the La Grande area for the last six years after moving from Santa Rosa, Calif. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, Chapter BZ of the PEO Sisterhood in Los Gatos and the Oakmont PEO Group in Santa Rosa. She enjoyed visiting with friends, doing projects and listening to San Francisco Giants baseball games.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Robin and Robert Ostermann of

La Grande and Nancy and Larry Anagnost of Eureka, Calif.; sister, Rosemary Baum of San Jose, Calif.; and three grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Eldon R. Fisher, in 1989.

Memorial contributions may be made to the National MS Society, P.O. Box 4527, New York, NY 10163 or to any other charity.

Ardyth Hope McPhee, 79, lovingly known as “Hope” to family and friends, died peacefully Aug. 11 at her daughter’s home in Elko, Nev. A celebration of her life was held today at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Visitation will be held locally from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. Graveside services will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the North Powder Cemetery. Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel in Baker City is in charge of arrangements.

She was born Nov. 20, 1929, to Clyde and Audrey McPhee at their ranch in North Powder. She graduated from Booneville High School while living with her sister, Yvonne Hess.

During her life she worked as a cosmetologist, bus driver and psychiatric technician. She devoted much of her life helping special needs children and adults, retiring from this vocation in both California and Nevada.

For 35 years, she resided in Reno, and one of her main passions was traveling with friends, family and her beloved dog, Cuddles, in her motor home. She enjoyed knitting and sewing for her adored family and was blessed with a green thumb. She will be remembered for her willingness to always help others, charities and those in need.

Hope is survived by her daughter, Cindy Wahrenbrock and her husband, Jon, of Elko, Nev.; and son, Wesley Hotchkiss III and his wife, Yvette, of Auburn, Calif.; four grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Hope was preceded in death by her father, Clyde McPhee; mother, Audrey Glasscock; and sisters, Barbara June and Yvonne Hess.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elko Senior Citizen Center, Elko Hospice or any animal rescue organization.