Obituaries for the day of September 12, 2011

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

Sept. 12 — Laurose Hibberd, celerbation of life, 3:30 p.m., Elgin Stampede Hall; burial, Elgin Cemetery

Sept. 13 — Gerita Alexander, graveside service, 11 a.m., Island City Cemetery

Sept. 17 — Flora Russell, graveside service, 2 p.m., Union Cemetery

Sept. 24 — Hobert Nelson, service, 11 a.m., First Baptist Church, 1701 Sixth St., La Grande

Sept. 25 — Star Longley, celebration of life gathering, 4 p.m., pow wow grounds, Wallowa; potluck to follow

Oct. 1 — Gladys Nobles, celebration of life, 3 p.m., Enterprise Elks Lodge; dinner to follow

William ‘Bill’ Bonner

Union

William “Bill” Bonner, 56, of Baker City and Union, died Sept. 10 at St. Alphonsus Regional Hospital in Boise. Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Star Longley

Wallowa

Star Longley, 72, of Wallowa, died Sept. 5. A celebration of life will begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at the pow wow grounds in Wallowa. A potluck will follow.

Bollman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Gerita G. Alexander

La Grande

1918-2011

Gerita Geraldine Alexander, 93, of La Grande, died Sept. 9 at a local care center. A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Island City Cemetery.

Gerita was born Jan. 2, 1918, to William David and Florence (Jordan) Cameron in Washtucna, Wash. The family moved to La Grande when she was 3. She graduated from La Grande High School and worked in the business office of the telephone company before working in dispatch for the Union Pacific Railroad. 

On June 20, 1937, she married Edwin Alexander. They celebrated 60 years of marriage before his death in 1997.

She was a charter member of the La Grande Church of the Nazarene and held many offices over the years. She played golf with her husband and enjoyed knitting and crocheting. She crocheted afghans for all of her grandchildren upon their graduation from high school.

Survivors include her daughters and their husbands, Carolyn and Jerry Schmidt of La Grande and Diane and Keith Langley of McCall, Idaho; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ed; and brother, James Cameron.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nazarene Missions in care of Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, OR 97850.

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.