Obituaries for the day of January 15, 2009

Ralph L. Crampton

La Grande

1924-2009

Ralph Leon Crampton, 84, of La Grande, died Jan. 10 at a care center in Baker City. At his request there will be no public services. The family is planning a service in the spring. Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center is in charge of arrangements.

Ralph was born Dec. 4, 1924, to Lewis and Berdie (Devlin) Crampton in La Grande. On Nov. 3, 1943, he married Irene Crist in La Grande. He served honorably with the United States Army during World War II.

They lived in La Grande while Ralph worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1963 they moved to Sisley Creek (outside of Durkee). In addition to working for the railroad, they had a peach orchard. Ralph retired in 1986 and the couple continued with the peach orchard for many years. Ralph also pastored for the Assembly of God churches. He enjoyed gold mining and hunting.

Survivors include his wife, Irene Crampton of La Grande; sons, Wayne and his wife, Carlene, of Island City, Fred, and his wife, Sharon, of La Grande, and Jim of Gresham; daughter, Ann Leach of McCall, Idaho; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by sons, John Franklin Crampton and Don Howard Crampton; one sister; and two brothers.

Fred Kaup Sr.

Formerly of La Grande

1926-2009

Fred Kaup Sr., 82, of Baker City and formerly of La Grande, died Jan. 12 at Mount Angel.

A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Center at the Park, 720 Sprague Ave., Walla Walla. For more information, call 509-520-1583 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Crown Memorial in Salem is in charge of arrangements.

Fred was born Dec. 25, 1926, to George Leonard Kaup and Twhellice (Breedlove) Kaup in Agra, Okla. He entered the Army after graduating from high school in

La Grande. After WWII he moved to Umatilla, then Athena where he raised his family and started his grocery business, Fred’s Market.

Fred married Erma Goff Aug. 28, 1948, in Salt Lake City.

He coached Little League, Babe Ruth and was a member of the American Legion. He was a scoutmaster for many years. He enjoyed sports, hunting and fishing with his family. Fred had grocery stores in Athena, Enterprise, Milton-Freewater, Joseph and Walla Walla, and a meat cutting plant in Elgin.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Erma Kaup; three sons; one daughter; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Dr. Chad D. Lusk

La Grande

1946-2009

Dr. Chad Dalton Lusk, 62, of La Grande, died Jan. 8 at home surrounded by family. A memorial service will begin at 10 a.m.  Jan. 24 at the La Grande High School auditorium. Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center is in charge of arrangements.

Chad was born Nov. 14, 1946, to Hugh Dale “Gene” and Lucille (Abeene) Lusk in Cottage Grove. As a boy, he was a member of the Boy Scouts, London Boys Club and 4-H.

After graduating from high school he continued his education at the University of Oregon while participating in the ROTC program. In 1969 he married his high school sweetheart, Kathryn Workman in Cottage Grove and later finished his doctorate at Pacific University in 1973.

During the years before his career began as an optometrist he worked as a farm laborer for BLM, Weyerhaeuser and was an assistant teacher. He lived in Cottage Grove, Lincoln City, Eugene and Forest Grove before coming to La Grande. He volunteered time to La Grande’s Optimist Club and the Child’s Center and helped with the design of the Veterans Memorial indoor pool.

Chad had a wealth of hobbies including hiking, exploring, studying nature and people, restoring cars, scuba diving, traveling and motorcycle trips. He loved family activities with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed decorating his “man-room.” He built his own Shelby Cobra in his garage. Footage of Chad with his Cobra can be found online at www.youtube.com under “Chad Lusk and his Cobra.”

Those who knew him say he loved life, maintained a positive attitude and brought out the best in others. He loved to invent things and take on big projects that would seem impossible to most people. He was well respected in the community and loved by his patients.

Survivors include his wife, Kathy Lusk of La Grande; children and their spouses, Amy and Clayton Bond of Walla Walla and Matthew and Jennifer Lusk of Porterville, Calif.; eight grandchildren; mother, Lucille Lusk; siblings, Farrys Ostendorp of Portland, Craig Lusk of Cottage Grove and Cole Lusk of Salcha, Alaska; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his father, Gene Lusk.

Marvin L. Wigglesworth

Union

1922-2009

Marvin LeBlonde Wigglesworth, 86, of Union, died Jan. 10 at his home. At his request there will be no public services. Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center is in charge of arrangements.

Marvin was born Nov. 29, 1922, to Frank and Lola (Van Order) Wigglesworth in Medical Springs. During World War II he served with the United States Navy. He served on the USS Audrain. After his honorable discharge he went to work for the Boeing Corp. until his retirement in 1987. He returned to Union after his retirement.

He worked as a handyman until 1995. He enjoyed jobs around the house, fixing faucets, light switches, etc. He will be remembered for always doing the electrical work at the stock show grounds. He enjoyed gardening, both flowers and vegetables.

Survivors include his sister, Nancy Wortman of Elgin; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by sisters, Norma Litter, Edith McCain and Lula Mae Pfel; nephews, Mike McCain and Jim Frades; and a niece, Louise Stika.