>Baker City Herald | Baker County Oregon's News Leader

Jerald Brust

Jerald Lee Brust, 67, of Scappoose, who had a second home at Sumpter, died Oct. 23, 2008, at Baker City.

His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Missionary Baptist Church in St. Helens.

Jerald was born on Aug. 8, 1941, at Grand Forks County, N.D., to John and Lucille Britton Brust. He graduated from Portland’s Benson High School in 1959.

He married Janice McCain at North Powder on April 9, 2005. Jerald was the owner of JLB & Son Inc. Dump Truck and Excavating Co.

He was a member of the National Rifle Association and enjoyed hunting, fishing, gold mining, restoring Ford pickup trucks and spending time at his second home at Sumpter.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Lucille Brust.

Survivors include his wife, Janice Brust of Scappoose; sons, Craig Brust of Portland, Brian Brust and his wife, Andrea, and Wayne Brust, all of St. Helens; daughter, Wendy Provins and her husband, Pat, of St. Helens; stepdaughter, Staci Caudle, and her husband, Todd, of Wilsonville; stepson, Michael Bronson, and his girlfriend, Tina, of Sandy; family friend, Rick Elliott, of St. Helens; family pet, Jessie Lou; grandchildren, Christina Brust, Shelby Brust, Grayson Provins, Ashley Brust, Oden Brust, Riley Brust, Cole Bronson and Brady Bronson.

Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Laura Garrett

Laura Martha Trump Garrett, a former Baker City resident, died Oct. 30, 2008, at Star, Idaho.

She was born on June 11, 1918, in a log cabin at a logging camp at Eustace Meadows in Wallowa County to William R. and Eva Hayes Trump. She was the second of eight children. Both of her grandfathers homesteaded in Wallowa County.

Her father nicknamed her “Fatty,” and she carried the name “Aunt Fat” or “Fat” the rest of her life, even though she was skinny as a rail, family members said. When she was 16, she moved to town to live with a widowed woman and to tend her children for room and board. She finished high school at Wallowa in 1936.

She married Arthur S. Garrett on Dec. 6, 1936, at Preacher Potter’s house near Promise. He had to borrow $2 from his brother to pay the preacher.

The wife of a logger, she made homes for her husband, and later, two children in several places in Eastern Oregon. Her daughter Ardyce was born in October of 1939. That winter at Bates, they endured with a young baby girl through the winter in a wood-walled tent, all the while looking for a better opportunity for work.

With her husband finding work with Collins-Pondosa Lumber Co. at Pondosa, she finally got the chance to have a house to call her own, although it was owned by the company. She loved to cook, and was good at it.

She loved to have a large garden, and grew flowers and rosebushes wherever she went. When the kids, which included a son, James A., born in September of 1943, were old enough, she went “to camp” in the woods on Main Eagle Creek, and other camps to cook and support her husband and family during the summers.

She was also the chief organizer for summertime trips to the high lakes in the Eagle mountains. Her cooking skills were never more appreciated than when the food was packed by horseback into the lakes and cooked over an open fire.

She supported her daughter’s musical aspirations and her son’s athletic interests by making five or six trips a week from Pondosa to Baker. She even talked her husband into moving to town for a couple of winters, making it easier on everyone.

She was very busy raising chicks for fryers, helping with 4-H projects and doing chores when moving to the Bieber place south of Pondosa. Her husband was logging out of La Grande and was gone most of the week so it fell to her to make sure everything was still alive when he came home.

They later moved to Baker City and then to La Grande in 1961 so they would be closer to work.

After helping both of her children through Eastern Oregon University, she availed herself of some art classes to enhance her considerable skill as an artist. She enjoyed water colors but was especially adept at china painting, as evidenced by the tea sets and plates that have been given to friends and family members.

Laura was very happy when her granddaughter, Jennifer, decided to come live with them and get her degree in music from EOU. She helped Jennifer start a career in music that has grown into a doctorate of music from the University of Kentucky, and a teaching position at the college level in Tennessee.

She took pride in the fact that she helped and encouraged her grandson, Justin, who is also teaching at the college level in Oregon. She was especially proud, and supportive of the accomplishments of her youngest granddaughter, Josie, as an independent businesswoman in Oregon.

The last few years of her husband’s four-decade-long career as a logger, she would go with him to the woods in the summer, living, and cooking, in a camp trailer so he wouldn’t have to drive. She thoroughly enjoyed those last few summers in the woods.

After her husband’s death in 1997, she moved to Idaho to be near family. She became involved in her “Idaho” grandson’s need to be “chauffeured” around to athletic practices of all kinds and especially to the golf course. She attended many activities at Middleton, to support Dustin, and he thrilled her by playing college football at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and later at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

The trip of a lifetime came when she was able to travel to New York to be with her daughter and son-in-law, granddaughters, son and daughter-in-law to attend the New York Opera. Her granddaughter, Jennifer, sang in the opera “The Magic Flute.”

Laura was known as the “champion” pie maker. Every holiday in Idaho included several different requests for special pies. There were never any leftovers. She was the keeper of the glorious flower beds, garden, the planting of trees, dogs, cats and the horses.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 60-plus years, Arthur S. Garrett; her daughter, Ardyce L. Coleman; parents, W.R. and Eva Trump; brother, John, who died after the Bataan death march in a Japanese prison; her older sister, Vivian Wyss; her soul-mate sister, Catherine Spain; and sister, Betty Hayter.

Survivors include her son, James A. Garrett and his wife, Nancy, of Star, Idaho; grandchildren, Jennifer Coleman of Nashville, Tenn., Justin Coleman of Salem, Josie Coleman of Cannon Beach, and their father, Larry Coleman of Lexington Ky., Josh Murray of Boise and Dustin Murray of La Grande; great-granddaughter, Mya Murray of Boise; sister, Barbara Moltman of Hermiston; brothers, Bill Trump of Union and Dick Trump of Pendleton; many nieces and nephews, friends and extended family; one very special source of comfort and connection to the world was her niece, Cheryl Kooch of Enterprise.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Eastern Oregon University football program in her name.

Gary Noble

Gary Lee Noble, 42, of Lolo, Mont., died Oct. 13, 2008.

His graveside service with military honors was Oct. 17 at Western Montana Veterans Cemetery in Missoula, Mont. There was a celebration of his life Oct. 18 at Cornerstone Ministries in Lolo, Mont.

Gary was born June 12, 1966, at Medford. The family lived at Hillsboro when Gary began his schooling. At 17, the family moved to Colfax, Wash., where he completed high school.

Shortly after graduating, he married Teresa Huebner and entered the U.S. Army. After a military injury, Gary was honorably discharged in 1988 and returned to Colfax. In 1991, Gary and his family moved to Clarkston, Wash., and he began his career as a police officer, serving at Washington State University at Moscow, the City of Clarkston, and the Rescue Diving Team.

In 1999, he moved to La Grande to pursue his dream of becoming an athletic trainer. He graduated from Eastern Oregon University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health, with an emphasis in athletic training.

Gary married the love of his life, Jeannette Berglund on June 23, 2001. The couple moved to South Dakota where Gary furthered his education at Northern State University in Aberdeen. In August 2002, Gary graduate with honors with a master’s degree in teaching and learning. The couple then moved to Anderson, Ind., where Gary completed coursework for a doctorate in adult education.

In August 2005, they moved to Jefferson City, Tenn., where Gary worked as the director of the Athletic Training Department at Carson Newman College. In March 2007, he accepted a position in Montana as durable medical equipment coordinator at an orthopedic office. Their youngest son, Thatcher J. Noble, was born on April 10, 2007.

Gary loved spending time with his three sons, Matthew, Aaron and Thatcher. His children and his wife were of top priority and they enjoyed family times of camping, fishing, hunting and playing card games. Jeannette and Gary were actively involved at Cornerstone Ministries.

This year Gary spent time at Missoula 3:16, School of Christ, where his outlook on life was dramatically changed. He was involved in classes to help others who were struggling with addictions.

Gary enjoyed practicing and instructing judo, and had been a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His family said he will be greatly missed and remembered as a God-loving and giving man.

Survivors include his wife, Jeannette, of Lolo; his sons, Matthew, of North Carolina, Aaron of Clarkston, Wash., and Thatcher of Lolo; his parents, Dave and Linda Noble of Baker City; his sister, Anna Christiansen of Sanger, Texas; his brother, Jon Noble of La Grande; and his grandparents, Jim and Virginia Lampkins of La Grande.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in Gary’s name to Missoula 3:16, School of Christ, P.O. Box 16833, Missoula, MT 59808.

Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory was in charge of arrangements.