Obituaries for the day of August 3, 2009

Shank, Betts, Conaway

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

Aug. 4 — Barbara Shank, memorial service, 2 p.m., Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church conference room

Aug. 5 — Ramona Betts, celebration of life, 2 p.m., Elgin First Christian Church

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

Ramona L. Betts, 78, of La Grande, died July 29 in her home surrounded by her family. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Christian Church in Elgin.

Ramona was born April 15, 1931, in Eugene to George and Mattie (Brown) Binder. She was raised and educated in the Portland area and graduated in 1949 from Cleveland High School.

After working many years for Nabisco, she went to business school and was employed by Lincoln National Life Insurance. She later went to work for the U.S. Forest Service, retiring in 1994.

Above all else, Ramona loved her family and enjoyed being involved in their activities.

Survivors include her children, Rebecca Ambrose and Stephen Betts, both of La Grande; brother and sister-in-law, Carl and Dolly Kreis of Sacramento, Calif,; and six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Arrangements are under the care of Loveland Funeral Chapel.

Barbara (Balloun) Shank, 67, of La Grande, died July 21 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A small memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the conference room of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in La Grande.

Barbara was born Nov. 10, 1941, in Davenport, Iowa. Her family moved to Oregon when she was an infant.

For a time Barbara lived in Laughlin, Nev. She kept active in the senior center there, doing volunteer work, including feeding the poor and homeless and raising money through the center’s rummage sales to help others. When she moved to La Grande, she continued her activities as she could.

Barbara was quite talented. She loved to write and wanted to be a novelist. She also painted in oils and did many kinds of crafts.

She was very dear to her family and friends, especially her best friend, Chris Thorn of Bullhead City, Ariz.

Survivors include her husband, Donald Shank of La Grande; children, Debbie Walters, Chris Ferris and Frank Ferris; brothers, John Balloun, Joe Balloun and Mike Balloun; and her grandchildren.