>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

John Whitney Marrs, 79, formerly of La Grande, died in Portland April 16. Burial was at the Willamette National Cemetery where he received military honors.

Mr. Marrs was born March 20, 1927, in Port Angeles, Wash. He graduated from La Grande High School, and lettered in football, baseball, track and basketball. He told of a summer job driving a produce truck to and from a POW camp in Eastern Washington.

He served in the Navy during World War II, and attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. In 1948, he transferred to the University of Oregon and changed his major from music to physical education.

He married Jean Hudspeth. The couple moved to Myrtle Point, where he taught junior high school and coached the football team. He worked as a district manager for World Book Encyclopedia for 10 years in Portland, and for the Business Equipment Bureau in Salem and Portland for 28 years. He sold 3M products to schools and churches. He was a member of the Evangel Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife and children, Ron, Tana, Tracie, Lance, Karen and Paul; 14 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and other relatives.

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Lois Irene Lay, 92, of Boise and formerly of Union, died Sunday in Boise. The funeral will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Ginger Creek LDS ward 11918 W. Ustick Road in Boise. Viewing will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. before the service. A graveside service will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Union Cemetery.

Mrs. Lay was born June 14, 1914, to Charlie Lewis Deardorff and Minnie Meyer in Baker City. She graduated from Baker High School, and married Guild Duel Lay April 1, 1938. They lived on a ranch near Medical Springs until selling the ranch and moving to Union in the early 1970s.

After open-heart surgery on her 87th birthday she moved to Boise to live with her son.

She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 16, 1969. She received her temple endowments on July 6, 1982, in the Seattle temple.

Survivors include her sons Denzel of Chicago and Charles Hindman and his wife Jeanette of Boise; seven grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren and other relatives.

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Carol May Smith, 76, of Gresham died July 5. A graveside service will be conducted at Island City Cemetery in Island City at 2:30 p.m. July 27.

Mrs. Smith was born July 23, 1929, in La Grande to Clayton and Edith English Hargett. Her grandparents were homesteaders in Oregon.

She graduated from La Grande High School in 1947 and then from Eastern Oregon College in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Mrs. Smith was an elementary teacher in Prineville and then decided to go back to school at the University of Oregon where she obtained a master's of education in 1953. For several more years she taught high school in Harrisburg, Joseph and Wallowa.

On June 9, 1956, she married Roland E. "Smitty" Smith on her parents' ranch near La Grande. She returned to the University of Oregon in the 1960s and received a master's of science with a librarianship major in 1967.

In 1968 the Smiths moved to Lubbock, Texas, where she worked for 18 years at Texas Tech University as a reference librarian. After retiring, they moved to Gresham in 1986.

Mrs. Smith was a well-organized woman and in earlier years liked to sew and knit. She and Smitty enjoyed their bridge clubs, where Carol was one of the top players. She loved to work on jigsaw puzzles, to garden, read, take weekly trips to a mall and fish at Wallowa Lake. She was also a lifelong cat lover, always willing to care for the neighbors' cat when they were on vacation.

She is survived by her husband, Roland "Smitty" of Gresham; sisters-in-law Helen Hargett of Toledo, and Darlena Hargett of La Grande; and several nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Her parents and three brothers, Eugene, Vern and Dale Hargett, died earlier.

Memorials may be made to the Oregon Humane Society, P.O. Box 11364, 1067 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland 97211.

American Burial & Cremation of Oregon is handling arrangements.

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Marvin L. Maxwell, 78, of Lostine died Saturday at Wallowa Memorial Hospital. A graveside service will be begin at 10 a.m. Friday at the Wallowa Cemetery. Bollman Funeral home is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Maxwell was born Jan. 29, 1928, to Bailey and Carmen Maxwell in Clarkston, Wash. He graduated from Enterprise High School, and served in the Army and during World War II. On March 13, 1949, he married Blanche Lermeny.

He worked for First National Bank of Oregon, First Interstate Bank and Wells Fargo before retiring as branch manager in Enterprise after 46 years. He served as mayor of Canyon City and worked for Congressman Bob Smith's election campaign. He was county chairman of the Republican Party, and served on the Oregon Community Foundation Committee.

He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Shriners, Elks and Masons, and volunteered during Hells Canyon Mule Days. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Survivors include his wife of Lostine; a sister, Norma Gray of Shingle Springs, Calif; a brother, Bud, of Joseph; sons and daughters-in-law, Jim and Glenda, of Clarkston, Wash., Don and Kathy of The Dalles, and Dale of Portland; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A brother, Bill, died earlier.

Memorials may be made to the Shriners Children's Hospital, 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, 97201 or the Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise.

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Freda Mae Vaughn, 79, of Union, died July 14 at a local care home. A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at the Union Cemetery.

Mrs. Vaughn was born on Nov. 2, 1926, to Harry David and Ruth Irene Scott Fisher in Enterprise. The family moved to Union County when she was a child.

On July 2, 1948, she married Guy Vaughn. She worked as a teller for First National Bank in Union for many years before she and her husband purchased Reuter's Hardware Store in Union in 1966.

They operated the store until they sold it in 1986.

Mrs. Vaughn enjoyed nature and especially enjoyed bird watching and watching the wildlife in her yard. She was an avid sports fan and loved her dogs. She was an active member of the VFW Auxiliary.

Survivors include her daughter-in-law, Connie Johnson of Stanfield; two grandchildren, a sister, Carlene Earley of Alaska, and other relatives. Her husband and a son, Kenneth D. Johnson, died earlier.

Memorials may be made to the VFW in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St.

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Elizabeth "Libby" F. Knight, 87, of La Grande died July 12. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. A private inurnment will be conducted at the Grandview Mausoleum.

Mrs. Knight was born Jan. 4, 1919, to Bristol and Mary Jones Farrar in Detroit, Mich. She attended the University of Alabama, and on Sept. 12, 1942, she married Dean Knight in Eugene. The couple settled in La Grande, and lived in the same house for 58 years.

She was a member of Beta Theta Sorority Chapter, AAUW and the retired teachers association. She enjoyed going to the Elks Lodge with her husband and was an avid reader.

Survivors include her children and their spouses, Libby and Bill Smisko of Valencia, Calif., John Knight and David and Marilyn Knight, all of La Grande; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and other relatives. Her husband died earlier.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude's Hospital or any charity in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande 97850.

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Gretchen Adeline Dayton, 85, of Elgin died July 17 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A graveside memorial will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Elgin cemetery.

She was born Dec. 25, 1920, in Port Townsend, Wash., to Asa and Sylvia Fowler. She spent most of her life in the Puget Sound area, living in Tahuya and Brinnon.

In 1981, she married Darius Dayton and moved to Elgin.

She loved the outdoors, especially fishing and hunting, and enjoyed watching the sunsets from her kitchen window. She was a great storyteller and loved the antics of the young children who grew up in her neighborhood.

Her husband, Darius, preceded her in death in 1990.

Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

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Betty Ann Blaylock, 61, of Salome, Ariz., and formerly of Cove, died suddenly July 18. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Calvary Baptist Church, 707 Main Street, Cove. Loveland Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.

She was born in La Grande at the old Grande Ronde Hospital, May 31, 1945, to Leonard Francis Barnett and Lela Melvina Land. She spent all of her childhood years in Cove. She graduated from Cove High School.

She married Clarence Lee Blaylock June 6, 1964, in Cove.

Mrs. Blaylock had a love for life and always had a smile on her face. She enjoyed the outdoors, camping, fishing, gold mining and spending time with her 11 grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Clarence of Salome; her sons, Tim and his wife, Tami, of Salem; Brian and his wife, Lani, of Elgin; and Paul of Union.

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Ruth Marie Cunningham, 86, of La Grande died at a local care center July 16. A celebration of life will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday at the La Grande United Methodist Church.

Ruth was born April 18, 1920, to Arthur and Edith Bennett Miller in Belgrade, Neb. She was member of the United Methodist Church,VFW and the Wesleyan Circle.

She married Norman Ernst Cunningham July 13, 1942, in Santa Maria, Calif..

She enjoyed helping others.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Jan and Jerry Arnoldus of La Grande, sister Pauline Rieken of Emmett, Idaho, brothers Edward Miller of Seattle, Dale Miller of Yakima, Charles Miller of Idaho Falls, Idaho and Tom Miller of Rupert, Idaho, one granddaughter, two step-granddaughters and three step-great-grandsons.

Memoriala can be made to Grande Ronde Hospice or the United Methodist Church in care of Loveland Funeral Chapel 1508 Fourth St., La Grande 97850.

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Dr. Ali Reza Shapur Shahbazi, 64, of La Grande died July 15 in Walla Walla after a long battle with stomach cancer.

A memorial service will be conducted at Eastern Oregon University Sunday at 3 p.m. in McKenzie Theatre. A reception will follow in the lobby. All are welcome.

The seventh child of Ebrahim and Malihe Shahbazi, he was born Sept. 4, 1942, in Shiraz, Iran.

In 1960, as Iran's highest-ranking geography student, he was awarded an academic scholarship to the University of London, where he earned a master's degree and doctorate in archeology. He later completed his post-doctorate degree in Iranian historiography from Georg August University in Goettingen, Germany.

Dr. Shahbazi founded the Institute of Achemenid Research at Persepolis, Persia's ancient ceremonial capital, and served as its director from 1973 until the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

As one of Iran's most prominent intellectuals, he lived in exile in Germany and the United States after the upheaval of the revolution. It brought him great pride and joy to eventually reopen the institute and resume his scholarly and professional career in Iran, in which he remained very active until his death.

He taught at the universities of Shiraz, Tehran, Goettingen, Harvard, Columbia and Eastern Oregon, and was one of the world's foremost authorities in several areas of pre-Islamic Iranian history, language and culture. He is the author of 16 books and 180 articles and publications, and received numerous international honors for his scholarly contributions.

He won the national Book of the Year Award for his first major work, a biography of Cyrus the Great, when he was still in his 20s. Most recently, he was the first recipient of the North American Middle East Studies Association Houshang Pourshariati Award in Iranian Studies, "for his role as one of the few Iranians who have single-handedly rewritten Iranian history." He was admired and loved by his students, and he received EOU's Distinguished Teaching Faculty Award in 2005.

He shed light on many complex historical questions, including the dates of Persia's epic poet Ferdowsi, and of Zoroaster, the founder of the world's first monotheistic religion. He was cherished by the Zoroastrian community throughout the world for his contributions and dedication to the study of their religion.

He was also an esteemed writer and editor for Encyclopedia Iranica for three decades.

His historical studies and discoveries ranged from the fourth century BC to the 10th century CE. However, his knowledge was not limited to Iran and the Middle East. He was an expert in history, archeology, geography, religion, art, politics and literature.

Dr. Shahbazi was tireless in sharing his knowledge and helping the world understand different angles and perspectives of history, culture and current events. He was highly respected by the international community in numerous fields, and was sought out and consulted regularly by scholars, as well as such organizations as the United Nations, UNESCO, National Geographic, BBC and the Discovery Channel.

In 1976 he married Theresa Louise Christensen. Their daughter, Rudabeh Alana — named after the great Persian heroine — was born in Germany in 1982. This marriage ended in 1988. He married Farideh Karimi Alvijeh in 1994.

He gave selflessly and devoted all his energies to the three greatest loves of his life — his family, his country and his scholarly work. Aside from his brilliance, he was known for his determination, high ethical standards, lively sense of humor, compassion and legendary generosity. He was a true gentleman.

At the time of his death he was completing a monumental book on the Sassanian dynasty, which will be published posthumously.

He is survived by his daughter, Rudabeh; his wife, Farideh; 13 siblings; and numerous family members in Iran. His parents and sister, Maryam, preceded him in death.

In recognition of his role as an Iranian national treasure, he will be buried at the tomb of the 14th century mystic poet Hafiz in Shiraz, an honor reserved for the most beloved literary figures of Iran.