Frank (Bud) Cyrus Grady, age 92, a resident of The Dalles, OR passed away April 17th, 2022. A Graveside service will be held at IOOF 3mile in The Dalles, OR on April 22, 2022 at 2:00 pm. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Robert A. Delker, age 77, a resident of The Dalles, OR passed away April 9, 2022. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Kelli Diane Holland was born on October 3, 1958 in The Dalles, Oregon, to Bill and Freda Wilson.
She attended school in The Dalles and graduated from The Dalles High School in 1976. She then attended business school and worked in Portland, Oregon, before returning back home to The Dalles.
Kelli was a dedicated employee with 41 years of experience in billing and coding for one medical facility. She had primarily been employed at Mid-Columbia Medical Center and then went on to work for Oregon Health Sciences University. Her experience with billing and coding extended to include Anesthesia, the ER, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, as well as other rural ambulances. She loved her work family and was so dedicated that she continued to work until only four days prior to her passing.
Kelli was an accomplished piano and flute player who used her musical talents to worship Jesus. She played the piano at Chenoweth Calvary Baptist Church for many years and then played the flute at Covenant Christian Church and Cornerstone Church of the Nazarene. Another artistic avenue she enjoyed was painting. Her art was loved by many and came on many different “canvases” such as saw blades, milk cans, ornaments, wood rounds and even rocks.
On November 11, 1983 she met Jeff Holland on a blind date. After a short courtship and engagement, they were married on May 12, 1984 for exactly 37 years and 11 months. Over the next eight years they had three daughters, Katrina, Janna and Karla. Kelli was a devoted wife, proud mother, and an amazing Grandma or “Kaki” (as the grandkids liked to call her). She enjoyed cooking and especially loved to bake cookies, cakes, and cupcakes which were always appreciated greatly by her family and friends.
In November of 2018 she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Throughout the process she was a warrior. Always strong, courageous and positive with each change in medication and treatment. After fighting hard for 3 ½ years, her battle ended and she went home to be with her Savior Jesus Christ. She passed peacefully surrounded by her close family.
She is survived by her mom Freda Knight, husband Jeff Holland, daughters Katrina Spalding (husband Jesse and 4 children), Janna Hughitt (husband Brian and 3 children) and Karla Helms (husband Jesse), sister Karen Wilson Davey (and her 4 children), and 16 cousins.
The love and kindness she gave to those she knew has had an everlasting impact on their hearts. She will be dearly missed and never forgotten.
A Memorial service will be held at The Dalles Cornerstone Church of the Nazarene May 14th, 2022 at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Mid Columbia Health Foundation website www.mcmc.net/memorial
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Jerry Allen Meyer, age 71, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 16, 2022. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Jessy Leroy Sutton, age 82, a resident of Wasco, OR, passed away April 11, 2022. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Laura Ann Sparks, age 85, a resident of The Dalles, OR passed away April 13, 2022. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Tylor Eldon Huxel 38, a resident of The Dalles, OR passed away on Tuesday March 29th, 2022. He was born on October 16, 1983, in The Dalles, OR. Tylor was the youngest of two sons Kurtis Emil and Valerie Dawn (Jones) Huxel.
He was raised in The Dalles and attended Chenoweth High School district and graduated from Watonka High School class of 2002. He enjoyed playing football and baseball while in school.
Tylor worked for Evans Orchard through high school and after he then went to work for MTS Wireless where he traveled across the U.S. building towers. When he came back home, he worked for a few contractors then went to work for Sapa and then hydro.
Ty enjoyed the outdoors as reflected in all his paintings. He loved to spend time on the river in his boat. He liked any type of fishing. Ty hunted just about everything you could think of, didn’t matter if he filled his tag or not, he just liked to out there in nature. One of his favorite places were at our cabin in the mountains with family.
Tylor is survived by his parents Kurtis and Valerie Huxel of The Dalles, his brother and wife Kevin and Shyla Huxel and three nieces Kristi Lili Huxel and MaKenna Huxel all The Dalles. Grandparents Lawrence and Judy Jones of Amity. Several Aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A potluck of family and friends will be held May 1st, 2022, at 1:00 pm at The Dalles Eagles Lodge 7th and walnut St.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Virgil Dewey Knight, age 68, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 5, 2022. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Rolland William Taskey, age 87, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away April 5, 2022. A Rosary service will be held at the St. Peter Catholic Church April 23, 2022 at 10:30 am with a Burial Service to follow at 11:00 am. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
David “Dave” Howard Conlee passed away peacefully on April 5, 2022, surrounded by his three children, after a short battle with lung cancer. He was born May 7, 1942 in Portland, Oregon to Virgil and Flora Conlee, and was raised on a wheat ranch outside of Moro with his only sibling, Nancy.
Over the years, David wore many hats including grain warehouseman, mobile home toter, mechanic, farmer, tool salesman, and circling back to his ag roots as a grain truck driver for Mid Columbia Producers, where he officially retired in January 2021. Because of his great love for his MCP work family, he continued doing odd jobs for them until the end.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and his second wife, Carol (Donahue) Conlee, and stepson Bill Meyer. He is survived by his sister Nancy (Gary) Schrader, his son Chris (Shashana) Conlee, his daughter Jill (Trent) Harrison and their children Andie and Jed, and his youngest daughter Paula (Greg) Costanzo and their children Brooke, Chance, Jennika and Jace. He is also survived by his stepchildren David Meyer, Debbie Snodgrass and Kathy Frisbey, along with their children and grandchildren. Last, but far from least, he leaves behind his beloved dogs and cat Cindy, Teddy, Scooter and Dude, as well as faithful family friend Teresa Farmer.
David loved spending time with his kids, especially over a cold Coors Light. He had also enjoyed boating, riding motorcycles (including his famous red scooter), spending hours tinkering in his yellow school bus shop that he designed himself, raising foster children with Carol, adopting rescue animals, and Sunday morning breakfasts with lifelong friends.
A Celebration of Life luncheon will be held at the Moro Senior Center on Sunday, June 26, at 1pm. Please bring your stories of David, and possibly an outdoor chair. Donations in David’s memory can be made to Home At Last Humane Society in The Dalles.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Michael Dennis Packer, age 71, a resident of Dufur, OR, passed away April 1, 2022. A celebration of life to be held at a later date. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Linda Lee Geiger Valente passed away peacefully at her home in Renton, Washington on March 27, 2022. She was born in The Dalles, Oregon on December 26,1946 to the late Edward and Betty Geiger. She graduated from The Dalles High School and went on to study at Oregon State University before beginning a career with United Airlines as a Flight Attendant.
After retirement from the airlines, she had two children, Joseph and Maria. She spent countless hours in their classrooms, attending recitals and concerts and nervously watching sporting events. As they grew older, Linda began a second career at Fairwood Pharmacy where she met and had a profound impact on all those she worked with. After second retirement, she and husband, Jules, cruised the world, visited the kids and she was present for the births of all four of her grandsons.
Linda is survived by her devoted husband, Jules, children, Joseph Valente and Maria Valente Woodard, brother John Geiger, sister Carrol Clark, four grandchildren, Aiden Valente, Payne Woodard, Hodges Valente, and Freddie Woodard, several nieces and nephews and countless friends.
Linda will be laid to rest on April 15 next to her parents Ed and Betty at St Peter’s Catholic Church, The Dalles Oregon, in a family ceremony.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Walter Lewis Hanna was born November 15, 1936 to Walter Verne and Audrey Hanna. The oldest of two children, he spent his childhood helping with ranch activities. They spanned Wasco County from Bakeoven to Dufur, primarily growing wheat, cattle, and sheep. He graduated from Dufur High School in 1955, and attended college at OIT.
At age 27, Walter married Joyce Etcher. They ran a farm and raised children together. While their marriage did not continue, they remained close friends for the remainder of their life. Walter frequently visited her home, and was friends with her husband Tom. Holidays were spent as a family throughout their lives.
His childhood instilled in him a deep love of agriculture. He made this his life’s work, and was immersed in every aspect of farming and ranching throughout his life. Walter ran his own farm, raised cattle, sheep, and horses, worked wheat harvest, and spent many years working for North Central Ag.
Walter was a dedicated Dufur Ranger fan. He was a regular fixture at any sporting event, spending many hours and miles traveling to watch the Rangers play. His greatest enjoyment was spending time with his friends watching ‘their’ Rangers play.
He is survived by his children, Jim (Glenda) Hanna and Susie Hanna, grandchildren, Walter Charles (Leslie) Hanna, Ben (Bethany) Hanna, Josie (Aaron)Turner, Holly Cant, 4 great grandchildren, 1 nephew, and 1 niece. Walter was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Verne and Audrey Hanna, and sister, Sally Hanna.
There will be a Celebration of Life potluck on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 1:30pm at Dufur Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Walter’s name to the Ranger Athletics Fund at Dufur School.
Arrangements by Spencer, Libby, and Powell Funeral Home.
William Joseph Justesen was born in The Dalles, OR, on February 15, 2000, and passed away too soon on March 21, 2022, in Denver, CO. He was 22 years old.
William attended Colonel Wright Elementary School, The Dalles Middle School and graduated from The Dalles High School in 2017. He participated in many youth sports including soccer, football, wrestling, and continued playing basketball and baseball into high school. He was well-known for throwing a baseball very fast but keeping batters on their toes as he wasn’t always sure where it was going! He later worked at Big Jim’s, Maupin’s Stoves and Spas and Mobley Fencing.
William was an intelligent, creative, and complex soul. Two of his biggest passions were food and music. He often prepared delicious dishes for himself or his family and, although he was an outstanding cook, he was not always the best dishwasher! He loved to try new foods and very much enjoyed a trip to experience Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas for his 21st birthday.
He had a very eclectic taste in music. He was particularly inspired by song lyrics and wrote several deep and moving songs. He shared many of his songs on social media and often sent links to songs that he liked to family and friends.
William was known for his sense of humor. He spent many hours watching stand-up comedy, Arrested Development, and old Saturday Night Live clips. He took great satisfaction in making people roll their eyes at puns he either heard or made up. His intelligent wit made everyone laugh.
He had a huge heart and an infectious smile. Young children adored him and were drawn to his gentle way. He was loyal to his friends and family and loved them all very much. He was fiercely protective and so very proud of his sister.
He took many trips with his family but was most content in the cool, fresh air of the Oregon coast. He truly took great pleasure in flying kites on the beach and playing in the freezing water. He also had a fondness for all animals, but especially the family dogs Chloe and Dexter.
William is survived by his parents, Dawn and Jeff; his sister and best friend, Maggie; his grandparents, Bill and Laurene Sallee; and his aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and friends who all loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his beloved grandparents, Ed and Mary Ann Justesen and his great-grandmother, Mary Fields.
William’s family takes comfort in knowing he spent his last three months in a very supportive environment where he had the opportunity meet new people and to explore his addictions as well as to explore his creativity through journaling, poetry, and song lyrics. He was very aware of his personal struggles but never wanted to be a burden to others.
He is gone too soon but left this earth knowing he was well loved. Our lives will never be the same without him, but all our lives are better for having known and loved him.
A Celebration of William will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2022, at 2:00pm, at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center, 402 E. Scenic Drive, The Dalles, OR.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in William's name to The Next Door, Inc. or Home At Last Humane Society
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Clifford Sidney Baker was born November 12th, 1930 in Dufur, Oregon; To Sidney Ulysses Baker and Velma May Ensley Baker. He passed away with family by his side on March 3rd, 2022 in The Dalles, Oregon.
He lived on Tygh Ridge with his parents and three older sisters where his parents ranched. He attended Harmony Lane School located on the property they farmed 1st-8th grade. He then attended high school in Dufur where he graduated in 1948.
His family worked the ground with horses until sometime in his high school years, when they purchased a crawler tractor. He worked for various ranchers on Tygh Ridge after high school including Bill Hulse.
He married Inez Blair November 7th, 1952 in The Dalles, Oregon. He would jokingly say they got married and when they came back home from their honeymoon he had aged a year. This was because his birthday is on November 12th, five days after his wedding day.
In 1956 he moved his young family to Twisp, Washington, where his oldest sister and brother in law lived. Clifford worked at a saw mill and managed an apple orchard. In 1959 he moved his family back to the Tygh Ridge area to farm the John and Anna Lousignont property. In 1968 he became more involved with the daily farm work on the property where he grew up, adding it to his full time duties in 1971 when his parents retired. In 1975 he added more property to his acreage in Wrentham where they lived until 1996. They moved to their property on Japanese Hollow Road where he resided until his passing. He fully retired from farming in 2015.
His passions were his faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus and Farming. He attended Grace Covenant Church in Dufur all of his life, where he taught Sunday school, and played trumpet in the instrument ensemble over the years. He helped with many building and ground maintenance projects and repairs at the church property. Also, every year he cut firewood for the church fellowship hall and parsonage.
He was preceded in death by his wife Inez, sisters Leta, Anna and Freda. He is survived by his son Curt and wife Gwen in Soap Lake, Washington, Tony in Dufur, Oregon, and Gerald and wife Janet in The Dalles, Oregon, five grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at the Dufur Christian Church, Saturday April 9th at 11am, a fellowship meal to follow. Memorials can be made to Grace Covenant Church in lieu of flowers.
Emma Jean (Eakin) Smith passed away early in the morning of Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at the Columbia Basin Care Facility in The Dalles, OR, following complications from a stroke.
Emma Jean was born January 3rd, 1925 to Dell and Vesta (Newton) Eakin on their family farm in Grass Valley, OR, the youngest of four children. Following two major accidents, one which claimed the life of her brother, Walter, and another which took the leg of her father, Emma Jean had to help with the animals and garden on the farm.
She met her future husband, Myrle Smith in the summer of 1937 when he worked for her father on the family farm. She and Myrle were wed on October 3rd, 1942 in St. Francis, KS. They spent a short honeymoon with his parents near Eckley, CO. She then followed Myrle from one base to another for the next three years as he completed his service in the US Army Air Corps. They came home to the Eakin family farm in Grass Valley, OR in 1945, where they made their home.
Emma Jean and Myrle enjoyed traveling and visited many worldwide locations. They took 10 overseas trips and enjoyed something unique about every adventure. A few locations they particularly enjoyed visiting were the Scandinavian Countries, Africa and China. In addition to traveling internationally, they traveled within the United States extensively, finding that Branson, MO was among their favorite spots to go. In addition to traveling together, Emma Jean and Myrle enjoyed gardening, growing a significant portion of their own fruits and vegetables in their large green house and garden.
Emma Jean loved to sew, making most of her and Myrle’s clothing, her Granddaughter Melanie’s wedding and bridesmaids dresses, and countless other garments. She greatly enjoyed passing this skill on to interested children. She led the Sherman County 4-H sewing club for over 50 years, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2009.
She was also well known for giving back to her community; she joined the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Celilo Chapter in 1989 and held numerous leadership positions, including Registrar where she was instrumental in registering 64 new members to the organization. She donated extensively to the fundraising efforts to benefit the scholarship opportunities managed by the group.
Emma Jean’s interest in history and specifically genealogy was a never-ending quest. She extensively mapped the Eakin family genealogy and coordinated and led the Eakin Family Reunion for many years. It was this same interest and skill that she leveraged into helping DAR gain all those new members.
She was predeceased by her parents Dell and Vesta Eakin, sisters Leta (Eakin) Boitnott and Gertrude (Eakin) Van Metre and brother Walter Eakin. Myrle also preceded Emma Jean in death in 2012 after almost 70 years of marriage. She is survived by her sons, Lowell who continues to live on the family farm and Gordon of Post Falls, ID. She has five grandchildren, Melanie (Smith) Morris and spouse Phillip of The Dalles, Jason Smith & spouse Michelle of Tualatin, Luke Smith of Walla Walla, WA, Cara (Smith) Rullman and spouse Nick of Richland, WA and Laura Smith of Everett, WA. She has six great grandchildren Kayla, Sydney, Kailee, Cayden, Althea and Emma. She is also survived by Sheri Elligsen of Alaska, whom she considered a daughter. Her beloved dog, Lady Bug, who was her constant companion following Myrle’s death, has been adopted by Jason and his family.
A memorial service will be held at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home on April 9, 2022 at 11am. A celebration of life and potluck will follow at the 4-H Pavilion located at the Sherman County Fairgrounds, Moro, OR. at 2pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities which were special to Emma Jean:
Sherman County 4-H Association
Care of: OSU Sherman County Extension
66365 Lonerock Rd., Moro, OR 97039
National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Celilo Chapter
Att: Julie Cantrell
710 Henderson Rd., Hood River, OR 97031
(Please make checks payable to Celilo Chapter, NSDAR)
Sherman County Historical Society (where Lowell continues to volunteer)
P.O. Box 173, Moro, OR 97039
Denise Ernestine Riggs, age 67, a resident of Wasco, OR, passed away March 29th, 2022. A graveside service will be held April 2nd, 2022 at Wasco Sunrise Cemetery at 1:00 pm. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Bob D. Thomas, age 76, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away March 24, 2022. A service will be held at Spencer, Libby and Powell Gathering Hall April 9th, 2022 at 2:00 pm. With mingling and remembering immediately following at the Riv, 410 E 10th st. The Dalles, OR. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Marcelino Perez, age 74, a resident of Pendleton, OR, passed away March 19, 2022. A Rosery service will be held at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home March 31, 2022 at 7:00pm. A Funeral service will be held at the St. Peter Catholic Church in The Dalles Saturday April 2, 2022 at 1:00pm with a Cemetery service to follow at St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
William Henry Parke, age 90, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away March 17, 2022. Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.