Obituaries for the day of January 16, 2012

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

March 3 — Lenore Bigler, celebration of life, 1 to 4 p.m., Powder grange

Marian L. Goldberg

La Grande

Marian L. Goldberg, 72, of La Grande, died Jan. 14 at home. A full obituary will be available later. Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.

Nellie Greer

La Grande

Nellie Greer, 98, of La Grande, died Jan. 13 at a local care center. A funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the First Christian Church in La Grande. A full obituary will be available later.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Kodiac Baptist Mission in care of Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande.

Lavel Pfel

La Grande

1927-2012

Lavel Pfel, 84, of La Grande, died Jan. 12 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A celebration of his life will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday at Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande.

He was born July 29, 1927, the son of Edward William and Irene (Cottle) Pfel in La Grande. He attended La Grande schools and served with the United States Army.

On June 17, 1951, he married Helen Marie Wells in La Grande.

He delivered milk for Valley Dairy before going to work for the state of Oregon as a parks manager, working at Hilgard, Catherine Creek, Red Bridge and Minam Wayside parks. He retired after 30 years with the state.

He was a member of the Eagles Lodge. He enjoyed fly fishing, camping, gardening and yard work. He tinkered with wood and made several wood clocks over the years. He and his wife enjoyed traveling to Arizona during the winter months.

He enjoyed taking his metal detector out and searching for treasures and reading Western books.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Pfel of La Grande; children and their spouses, Patricia “Pat” and Richard O’Dell of La Grande, Peggy and Gary Powers of Umatilla and Steven and Tammy Pfel of North Powder; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; brother, Melvin Pfel of Anchorage, Alaska; sisters, Geraldine “Gerry” Rudd of La Grande and Alice Emery of La Grande; and other relatives.

He was preceded in death by siblings, Louie Pfel and Dorothy “Dot” Hoffman; a 3-year-old brother, Charles; and infant twin sisters.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Cancer Society in care of Daniels-Knopp.

The Observer publishes free obituaries as a community service. Obituaries are edited to fit news guidelines. Photos are encouraged. Paid space is available for families who would like to include more information. Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center posts unedited obituaries at www.danielsknopp.com, and Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory posts obituaries at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.