Obituaries for the day of September 6, 2011

LOCAL FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS

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

Freida G. Chandler

Formerly of Union County

1923-2011

Freida Grace (Posey) Chandler, 87, died Sept. 1 at the Mennonite Home of causes related to advanced dementia. Freida had said she did not want a memorial service.

She was born Oct. 12, 1923, in Union, the daughter of Fred Posey and Leona (McClelan) Posey. She grew up on the family farm with two brothers and two sisters. She graduated from Union High School. As a teenager, she worked at Hot Lake Resort near La Grande.

She married Dwight Smith in La Grande and they moved to Portland, where their son Stanford was born. They later divorced and Freida raised her son on her own in Eugene. She worked as an office manager for Clear Fir Lumber Co., and for 18 years at Eugene Fruit Growers, which became Agripac. She retired from Agripac in 1983.

Freida married Frank L. Chandler in Eugene on Dec. 9, 1960. They built a house in the Cal Young neighborhood of north Eugene, where Freida had a large garden. She canned fruits, vegetables and meat for many years and made jams and apple butter.

She did long-stitch embroidery and made latch-hook rugs; many she framed and hung for display. She and Frank hunted and fished for many years. All her life, she loved animals, especially cats and dogs.

Freida and Frank moved to Quail Run in the Mennonite Village in September 2007. Freida moved to the Mennonite Home in September 2010 to recover from a broken hip. Her ability to communicate was severely limited in the last two years by deafness, macular degeneration and dementia, but she was always able to smile.

Frank died in January 2009, and Freida was the last of her two brothers and four sisters. A step-son, Ralph Chandler, also preceded her in death.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Stanford and Marilyn Smith of Albany; step-daughter, Carol Ann Smith of Desert Hot Springs, Calif.; one grandson; two granddaughters; one great-granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews.

Her family encourages contributions in her memory to the SafeHaven Humane Society or Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House Capital Campaign, in care of Fisher Funeral Home, 306 SW Washington St., Albany 97321.

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