Obituaries for Dec. 1, 2010

Virgil O. Hensley, 99, of Baker City, died Nov. 24, 2010, at St. Elizabeth Care Center.

Cremation was by Eastern Oregon Pioneer Crematory in Baker City. A graveside memorial service will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland.

Virgil was born June 6, 1911, in Eagle Valley to Beal L. and Iona (Graven) Hensley. He married Alice Ann Malone in Baker City on July 6, 1937.

Virgil retired as school custodian in 1977. He enjoyed fishing, gardening and family and he was a member of the Eagle Valley Grange.

He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Alice, of Baker City; his daughter and son-in-law, Rita and Harold Marcum of Enterprise; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren.

Virgil was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Ed and Leon Hensley; his sister, Esther Holcomb; and a daughter, Ila Hensley.

Memorial contributions may be made to Eagle Valley Ambulance through Gray’s West & Company Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

Roger Scott Jensen, 43, of Huntington, died Nov. 23, 2010, at his home.

A celebration of life will be Saturday, Dec. 4 at noon PST at the VFW in Huntington.

Memorial contributions may be made to Toys for Tots through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Baker City, OR 97814.

Patricia E. “Pat” Mitchell, 76, of Baker City, died Nov. 27, 2010, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center-Boise of respiratory failure.

There will be a private family remberance on Thursday at the home of her son and daughter-in-law in Baker City.

Patricia Kelley was born on  April 29, 1934, at Alameda, Calif., to Albert and Grace Kelley. She graduated from Castilleja School for Girls in 1953 at Palo Alto, Calif., and soon thereafter began to correspond by letter with Bill Mitchell, a young corporal in the U.S. Army Occupation Forces in Germany. Pat and Bill had a special relationship that lasted 54 years. They were married on Nov. 24, 1956.

After the birth of their first son, Bill Jr., the couple moved to Susanville, Calif., where their second son, Mike, soon arrived. The family enjoyed the great outdoors of rural northeastern California with frequent hunting, fishing and backpacking trips.

As a “city” girl, Pat loved her cars but learned how to bring down deer and antelope with her .257. She loved her 49ers, but also any team her sons and grandchildren played for from Little League to college football.

Pets, especially dogs, held a special place in Pat’s heart. The family moved to nearby Janesville, Calif., where Pat went to work in the elementary school cafeteria. Pat’s cinnamon rolls became legendary, as did her insistence on good manners in the lunchroom.

She soon became head cook, a job she held with pride for 27 years. During that time, she also worked as regional director of Food Services with the State of California. Pat and Bill moved to the Medical Springs area in 1992 to be near boths sons and their families, who live and work in Baker City, eventually moving “into town” as health issues surfaced.

Family members expressed their appreciation to Dr. Charles Hofmann and his staff as well as the staff at both the St. Alphonsus hospitals of Baker City and Boise “for their guidance, kindnesses and professionalism.”

Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Bill; two sons, Bill and Mike Mitchell, both of Baker City; daughter-in-law, Kathy Mitchell, and mother-in-law, Amelia Mitchell, also of Baker City; a sister, Barbara Rounds of Fremont, Calif.; four grandchildren, Katy Collier and Dr. Logan Mitchell, both of Baker City, Cody Mitchell of Olympia, Wash., and Casey Mitchell of Portland; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.