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

John ‘Jack' Thorne, 77, of Wallowa, died Oct. 18 in Walla Walla. A memorial service will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the IOOF Hall in Wallowa. A potluck will follow.

Jack was born April 20, 1930, to Homer and Lucille Chapman Thorne in Cloquet, Minn. He grew up in Oregon City and moved to Wallowa in 1993. He served in the U.S. Navy. He married Mary Wiegand in 1952 and was a papermaker and an active union member.

He belonged to the VFW and NRA and was a member of the Church of Christ. He loved hunting and owned a gun shop.

Survivors include his wife, Mary; sons, John of Yelm, Wash., James and his wife, Debbi, of Oregon City; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Steward of Wolf Creek; and many nieces and nephews.

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Douglas Lynn Mallory, 64, of Troy, died Oct. 20 near Troy of a heart attack. Funeral services will begin at 1 p.m. Friday at the Enterprise Christian Church. Burial services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in Union Bartlett Cemetery at Grouse Flat north of Troy near the Washington border.

Douglas was born Aug. 7, 1943, to Willard and Iris Fordice Mallory in Clarkston, Wash. He was raised on a ranch near Troy and attended grade school there. He graduated from Anatone High School in 1961 in Anatone, Wash., and from Blue Mountain Community College in 1963.

In 1963, he married Jean Wittmeyer in Pendleton, where they lived until moving to the ranch at Troy in 1971. They had four children and two grandchildren.

Douglas enjoyed elk and deer hunting with special friends and serving on both the Troy School Board and the Educational Service District board for many years.

He is survived by his wife; sons, Douglas Jr. and his partner, Christen, of Santa Clara, Calif., Robert and his wife, Daphney; daughter, Marci of Long Beach, Calif.; two grandchildren; mother, Iris; brother, Donovan; and sisters, Billie Havens, Nancy Sangster and Ann Sangster. He was preceded in death by his son, Willy, and his father, Willard.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wallowa County Search and Rescue in care of the Wallowa County Sheriff's Office, 104 W. Greenwood, Suite A, Enterprise 97828 or to any other charity.

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William "Bill" Beck, 101, of John Day and formerly of Union and Wallowa counties, died at the Blue Mountain Nursing Home Oct. 19. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Bill was born Sept. 20, 1906, to Adam and Bertha (Heeschen) Beck in Davenport, Iowa. His family moved to Wallowa County when he was a very young child then later moved to Union County. Bill married Florence Dial in La Grande in June 1928. They later divorced. He married Alta (Johns) Frazier in July 1974. Alta died in 2002.

As a young man, Bill was a truck driver, worked at the Mount Emily Mill in La Grande and was a La Grande city firefighter for a number of years.

In 1956 he left La Grande for California where he worked for the California Department of Forestry as fire crew foreman. He went to Grant County in 1959 and worked for the Malheur National Forest as foreman of thinning crews and fire crews. Later he became a log scaler for the Malheur National Forest. He retired in 1972.

Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening and all other outdoor activities.

He is survived by daughter Mary Walker of Canyon City; daughter, Patricia Prince of Seattle; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alta, and six siblings.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Blue Mountain Nursing Home in care of Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day 97845.

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Ruth I. Murphy, 76, of Union, died at Grande Ronde Hospital Oct. 22. A funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Union Ward. A viewing will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Loveland Funeral Chapel, 1508 Fourth St., La Grande.

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Wythal M. Lane, 81, a lifetime resident of Cove, died Oct. 22 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A celebration of life began at 1 p.m. today at Daniels Chapel of the Valley.

Wythal was born June 30, 1926, to Ralph and Gladys (Richards) Puckett in Cove. She graduated from Cove High School and married Max Lane on July 31, 1946. They celebrated 61 years of marriage in July 2007.

Her favorite hobby was making sure that her house was in order and her family taken care of. In earlier years she bowled in a league. She was a sports enthusiast and a longtime supporter of the University of Oregon Ducks Athletic Fund and was a Lady Elk. She loved the outdoors, especially river trips throughout the country.

Survivors include her husband, Max of Cove; children and their spouses, Gary and Barb Lane of Riggins, Idaho, and Reneé and Richard Sjostrom of Pocatello, Idaho; grandchildren and their spouses and families; siblings, Connie Marks of Cove, R.C. "Iron" Puckett of Portland, Zelda Marshall of Cove, Dora Lee "Rosie" Powell of Portland, Jim Puckett of Milwaukie and twins, Ray Puckett of Cove and Gay Zander of La Grande; many nieces and nephews and other relatives.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Ladell "Boggs" Puckett, and a great-grandson, Mason Sjostrom. Memorial contributions may be made to the Nature Conservancy in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St.

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Harold Theodore Morman, 86, formerly of Island City, died Oct. 22. Services will begin at

11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Covenant Church, 5020 S. Liberty St., Salem. Graveside services begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Island City Cemetery.

Harold was born April 16, 1921, to Ted and Delia Morman in a small eastern Colorado community, Deer Trail.

After his eighth grade graduation, he worked on several ranches on the prairies of eastern Colorado, including Hash Knife Ranch. He herded and sheared sheep, tended cattle and harvested hay. He later loved telling stories about the ranch to his sons.

At 21, Harold went to Denver and joined the Army. He never spoke about his war experience until recently. He served in the 95th Division under Gen. George S. Patton. During a skirmish in northeast France, Harold's right arm was shot and the bullet passed through to the other side. He was discharged in November 1944 with the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal and two Bronze Service Stars.

Back in Colorado, Harold married Mary Hope Hamlin on Nov. 19, 1945. They had a daughter, Susan Eileen, who only lived a few days and a son, Gayle Wayne. In 1955 the family moved to La Grande, where Harold worked with the Union Pacific Railroad and later the Boise Cascade sawmill. They had another child, David Allen.

The couple always kept a garden and some cows and sheep. They were charter members of the Evangelical Methodist Church, now called the Grande Ronde Community Church. He served as Sunday school teacher, church treasurer and board member. He often helped in church remodeling projects. Harold also liked making horseshoe and wood art.

The couple moved to Salem in 2001 to be near family.

Those who knew him say Harold had a quick sense of humor and was generous. He loved ice cream; toast and hot milk; his dog, Pug; and the Sons of the Pioneers.

Harold is survived by his wife, Hope; all his brothers and sisters; two daughter-in-laws, Marcia (Hager) Morman and Cindy (Struck) Morman; five grandchildren; two grandchildren-in-law; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Gideon's International Bible Society or the Willamette Valley Chapter of Hospice.

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Ruth Ina Murphy, 76, died Oct. 22 in La Grande. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Union. Viewing runs from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Loveland Funeral Chapel.

Ruth was born Aug. 25, 1931, to Frank and Manila Hassett of Brookings on the family homestead in Brookings. Ruth was the seventh of eight children, having three brothers and four sisters. She graduated from Brookings Harbor High School in 1949, married and had her first child, Gordon.

On Dec. 24, 1955, she married William "Bill" R. Murphy, who brought three stepsons — Michael, William Jr. and Timothy — from his previous marriage. The couple had a son, Sean, in 1963. Ruth and Bill would have celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary this December.

Ruth and Bill were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1958 and continued to live in Brookings until they moved to Alaska in 1975. Ruth and Bill enjoyed many adventures and hobbies while living in Alaska, and Ruth never tired of taking pictures of wildlife and scenery and hunting and fishing with Bill.

She continued to expand her activity by becoming the District Relief Society president, teaching gospel doctrine, seminary and gospel essentials. In 1987 Bill and Ruth retired to Union.

Ruth had always been interested in genealogy since the day she found her father's notes and history in an old family trunk in 1959. She accumulated volumes of genealogical information through the years and became not only the family historian but also a regional expert. Ruth was able to trace many lines back to specific points in history such as the Mayflower landing. She worked in a genealogy library as a researcher and teacher for many years and taught herself and many others the church's genealogy software.

Her family and friends say that Ruth helped thousands of families with research. Her efforts helped the church to perform many "sealings" and baptisms for the dead.

Ruth was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Ruth is survived by her husband, Bill, of Union; son and daughter-in-law, Gordon and Michelle Later of Brookings; son, Michael Murphy of Palmdale, Calif., son and daughter-in-law, William Jr. and Katrina Murphy of Boise; and son and daughter-in-law, Sean and Lynette Murphy of Phoenix; 25 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, one brother and four sisters.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her stepson Timothy, and her brothers Virgil and Charlie.

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Howard Aaron Bingaman, 84, of Imbler, died Oct. 23 in La Grande. A celebration of life will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Summerville Cemetery Chapel. Burial will follow at the cemetery. Viewing will run from 4 to 6 p.m. today at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande.

Howard was born Feb. 23, 1923, to Franklin Harold and Leona (Witty) Bingaman in Alicel. He graduated from Imbler High School and attended Eastern Oregon University. On Jan. 6, 1945, he married Arla Larie Lanman in La Grande. They farmed in the valley, and during his lifetime his homes were all within an eight-mile radius of where he was born.

Howard was a lifetime member of the Wheat League and served four years on the Imbler School Board. He was a longtime member and past chairman of the Summerville Cemetery Board.

He enjoyed watching sports — especially baseball. He liked woodworking and working in his yard. Those who knew him say his family was very important to him and he enjoyed spending time with them.

Survivors include his wife, Arla Bingaman; children and their spouses, Russell and Patty Bingaman of Imbler, Ross and Carrie Bingaman of Imbler and Janet and Ned Hurd of Boise; brother, Elwyn Bingaman of Imbler; sister, Maxine Nock of Roseburg; eight grandchildren; nine great grandchildren and other relatives.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Summerville Cemetery Chapel Memorial Fund.

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Janet Annette Baird Henderson, 70, formerly of Elgin, died Aug. 1 at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, Wash. At her request, no services were held.

She was born Sept. 6, 1936, in Staples, Minn., to Lloyd and Harriet Baird. She graduated from high school in 1954.

She married Donald Henderson on Jan. 2, 1956, in Pendleton at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They lived in several places, spending the most time in Pendleton and in Enumclaw, Wash.

She was an avid collector of Candlewick glass. She enjoyed reading, playing bingo and being a grandmother.

Janet is survived by her husband; mother; children, Tanna and her husband, Steve Crow, of Meridian, Idaho, Dawn Henderson of Echo, Debbie and her husband, Guy LeClaire of Enumclaw and Jerry and his wife, Nancy Henderson, of Enumclaw; sister, Connie and her husband, Rich Wick of Billings, Mont., brothers, Dennis and his wife, Sue Baird, of Elgin and Rex and his wife, Jackie Baird, of Pendleton; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.