Obituaries for the day of July 29, 2009

Brown, Imel, Gray, Wilkinson, Pender, Comstock, Conaway, Davis, Rysdam

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

July 30 — James ‘Jimmy’ Brown, casual dress celebration of life, 10 a.m., Loveland Funeral Chapel

July 31 — Herbert Imel, celebration of life, 2 p.m., Loveland Funeral Chapel

July 31 — Elsie Gray, graveside service, 11 a.m., Island City Cemetery

Aug. 1 — Myron Wilkinson, funeral services, 11 a.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gekeler Lane, La Grande

Aug. 1 — Vera Pender, graveside service, 9 a.m., Island City Cemetery

Aug. 1 — Roy Comstock, celebration of life, 1 p.m., Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Creation and Life Celebration Center; burial, Cove Cemetery

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

The celebration of life service for James “Jimmy” Brown, of La Grande, who died July 17, will be casual dress. It will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande.

Vera Pender, 61, of La Grande, died July 27 in an ATV accident. A graveside service will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Island City Cemetery. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Myron Dean Wilkinson, 87, of La Grande, died July 27 at his home. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Gekeler Lane. Loveland Funeral Chapel and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Roy David Comstock “Pickles,” 86, lifetime resident of Cove, died July 17 following a brief and courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by his family at his daughter’s home in Sandy.

A celebration of life service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande. Burial will follow at the Cove Cemetery.

Roy was born Dec. 3, 1922, to Ralph and Emma Comstock in Cove. He was the youngest of six children raised in Cove where he attended grade school and high school. Roy served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, as an SPD dive bomber pilot, with the VMSB 243, Flying Goldbricks. He flew 85 missions in the South Pacific and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Following WWII, Roy married Ruth Cornelia Willhoit Aug. 23, 1945, in La Grande. They lived in Tulsa, Okla., several years while Roy attended Sparten School of Aeronautics. They moved to Charles City, Iowa, in 1947, where Roy managed an airport and taught flying. In the summer of 1949, Roy and Ruth relocated to Cove where they made their home and raised their four children. In later years, they spent the winter months with one of their daughters in Sandy.

Along with farming, Roy worked at the Boise Cascade particleboard plant, retiring in 1984. Roy enjoyed gardening and was considered a master gardener by many.

Roy was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, camping and hunting. He particularly enjoyed fishing trips to Mexico with treasured friends, now departed; Canada with one of his sons; and his last fishing trip, November 2008, to Mexico with one of his grandsons. Roy especially took pleasure in the trips he and his wife took with good friends to Alaska and Oklahoma. He enjoyed watching and following all sports, was a loyal supporter of Cove High School athletics and was considered to be a literal sports fact dictionary. Roy loved to play cards with his family and friends. Above all, Roy loved his family.

Roy was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in La Grande. He was a life member of the La Grande Elks Lodge No.365, the VFW Post No. 2990 and a longtime member of the Cove Sportsman’s Club where he had held various officer duties over the years. He was an active board member of The Inn at Spanish Head for many years. Roy was the last original board member of the Dewuhs Keckritz Educational Trust serving Union and Wallowa counties.

Roy is survived by his children, John Comstock of Salem, David Comstock and his wife, Pamela, of La Grande, Nancy Comstock of Cove and Joyce Hyland and her husband, George, of Sandy; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and nieces and cousins. Roy was preceded in death by his dearly loved wife, Ruth; his parents; siblings; and many lifetime friends.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Relay for Life (Lighthouse Team) or Mount Hood Hospice in care of Daniels-Knopp.

Elsie Komma Gray, 85, of McMinnville and formerly of La Grande, died July 21 at her home. A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Island City Cemetery.

Elsie was born Oct. 14, 1923, to Walter Raymond and Dula Alice (Cook) Weatherly in Portland. On April 29, 1948, she married George Arthur Komma in Vancouver, Wash. They moved to La Grande and co-owned Hub City Lockers and Hub City Food Center, which they operated until his retirement in 1977. He preceded her in death Oct. 28, 1985. On March 28, 1991 she married Forrest Gray in La Grande. They later moved to McMinnville.

She was a member of the La Grande First Christian Church and Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. She enjoyed watercolor painting and playing cards.

Survivors include her husband, Forrest Gray of McMinnville; son, Michael Komma of Minneapolis, Minn.; step-children, Deborah Reilly of Philadelphia, Pa., Phil Gray of Africa and Dalhi Gray of Baltimore, Md.; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister, Carol Long of McMinnville; and other relatives. She was preceded in death by a son, Greg Komma; and siblings, Kenneth and Raymond Weatherly and Alice Kersey.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church or any hospice organization in care of Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande 97850.

Kenneth Verdell Davis, 84, formerly of North Powder, died July 25 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Visitation was held this morning at Bonney-Watson: Washington Memorial Funeral Home. A graveside service followed at Washington Memorial Park at SeaTac, Wash. 98188.

Kenneth was born May 23, 192, the third of five children of Edward Alvin and Henrietta Clementine “Hattie” Myers Davis at the family ranch west of North Powder. Kenneth was a grandson of John S. and Susan Dealy Davis, who homesteaded the family ranch in North Powder in 1872 and Sam and Anna Haynes Meyers of Union County.

Kenneth grew up in North Powder, spending time with his grandmother on the family ranch. He attended school in North Powder until the 10th grade when he quit school and went to work to help support the family. Kenneth was drafted in the U. S. Army on 1943, went through basic training at Douglas, Utah, served during World War II and was discharged in 1945.

Kenneth married Mary Louise Gregory Oct. 16, 1956, in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.

Kenneth worked for his brother, Clayton, at a Richfield gas station in Seattle, Wash. He worked for Murphy Brothers Construction until he was injured and was unable to work in construction. He then went on to work for Trusspan in Redmond until he retired in 1989. In 1989, Kenneth and Mary moved to Wallowa, and settled on a cattle ranch. There he was a member of the Eagles, Odd Fellows and American Legion.

Ken enjoyed the country life. He loved fishing, hunting and horseback riding. Most of all he loved his family. Kenneth and Mary moved to Montesano, Wash., in 2006.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Mary Davis of Montesano; brother, Clayton Alvin Davis of Seattle; children, Donna Marie and her husband, Terry Mehl, Kenneth Corwin “K.C.” Davis, Gregory Edward Davis and David Duane Davis; step-children, Colleen Sue Rollins, Michael E. Krause and his wife, Linda, Patrick Allen Krause and his wife, Marilyn, and Linda Lee Stauffer; 29 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandfather.

He was preceded in death by his father, Edward Davis in 1964; mother, Hattie Pearson in 1983; sisters, Susie Cecilia and her husband, Owen Gorham of Wallowa, Ida Joyce and her husband, William Tippett of Wallowa and Jacqueline and her husband, Louis April, of Baker City; and sister-in-law, Marie Davis of Seattle.

Delbert A. “Deb” Rysdam, 54, of Elgin, died July 23 at his home in Elgin surrounded by his family.

A graveside funeral service was held this morning at the Cricket Flat/Highland View Cemetery on Good Road outside Elgin.

Deb was born March 12, 1955, the first of four children to Delbert D. and Betty (Hayes) Rysdam in La Grande. He attended school in Elgin, graduating with the Class of 1974. He married Kathy Miller of Elgin on Sept. 14, 1974, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in La Grande.

Deb worked for various logging companies including Art Gilliam Logging, Eagle Creek Logging, Hafer Logging and Higley Logging.

Besides his children, Deb’s biggest enjoyment was deer and elk hunting and spending time on Cricket Flat, often seen doing the “Cricket Flat Crawl.”

Deb is survived by his wife Kathy; children, Jeff Rysdam of Wilsonville and Amy Calabretta and her husband, Ben, of Moscow, Idaho; mother, Betty Rysdam of Elgin; sisters, Teresa Higley and her husband, Gene, and Tammi Rysdam, all of Elgin; brother, Doug Rysdam and his wife, CeCe, of Elgin; brother-in-law, Bobby Miller and his wife, Terri, of Elgin; four nieces; one nephew; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives. Deb was preceded in death by his father Nov. 4, 2000.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Elgin Little League for field renovations or the Grande Ronde Hospital Home Healthcare Hospice in care of Loveland Funeral Home.