Obituaries for May 3, 2010

Rosalie Stowe

Rosalie Marie Stowe, 68, died on April 23, 2010.

Private graveside interment was today at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Rosalie was born on June 22, 1941, at Baker City to Dominic and Dorothy Olsen Harn. Her family moved from Baker City to Nampa, Idaho. Rosalie was a Nampa High School graduate.

She met Dick Stowe and they married on March 5, 1960, at Winnemucca, Nev. Dick and Rosalie made their first home at Nampa.

During their married lives, Rosalie enjoyed being a mother and housewife. She was also the official bookkeeper to Dick’s logging business. They enjoyed camping, fishing and hunting.

Rosalie loved to garden, go antiquing, reading, working in the yard and spoiling her dog “Missy.”

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her sister, Marilee Phillips.

Survivors include her husband of 50 years, Dick Stowe of Baker City; daughter, Tammy, and her husband, Joe Gini, of Burns; son, Randy, and his wife, Sylvia Stowe, of Apache Junction, Ariz.; grandchildren, Meghann Gini and Abraham Stowe.

Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home of Halfway is in charge of arrangements.

Paul Curts

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Mike Webb will officiate.

Paul was born on June 7, 1920, at Harrison County, Ind., along the Ohio River, to Columbus Benson and Anna Etta Brandenburg Curts. He held numerous jobs as a young man, traveling to Butte Falls, with the “3C’s” (Civilian Conservation Corps). He loved the West so much, when he went to work with the Davy Tree Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1939, he requested transfer to Boise, and worked his way through western Idaho, Baker City, La Grande and Pendleton, and Kennewick and Pasco, Wash.

Paul served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a pharmacist mate first class on a PT (Patrol Torpedo) boat tender named Oyster Bay. He spent most of the time in the South Pacific with two stops in Australia.

He worked for Eastern Oregon Light and Power Co. as a journeyman lineman. In 1946, Eastern Oregon Light and Power was purchased by California Pacific Utilities Co. and he was later promoted to line foreman.

He became division superintendent and transferred to Susanville, Calif., for two years, then returned to Baker City in the same position until he retired in December of 1981.

Survivors include his son, Keith Curts, and his wife, Pim, of Baker City; daughter, Diane Robeck, and her husband, Steve, of Tonasket, Wash.; daughter, Gail Worthen of Taylorsville, Utah; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by a son, Bruce Curts; his parents; and a brother and sister.

Memorial contributions may be made to the USO through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave, Baker City, Ore., 97814.

Elizabeth McGonagill

Her memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 2130 Second St. 

Elizabeth was born May 17, 1927, at Sequim, Wash., to J. Kirk and Bessie S. Carr. She married Keith L. McGonagill on Feb. 25, 1945, at Seattle, Wash. After their many adventures with the Forest Service, Elizabeth and Keith retired to Baker City in 1980.

Elizabeth was an active member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Baker City and St. Brigid Episcopal Church at Sumpter. She was also active in the Alpha Theta Master chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.

Survivors include her husband of 65 years, Keith L. McGonagill; daughters and sons-in-law, Marilyn and Phil Shankle of Puyallup, Wash., and Lynn and Bruce Sissel of Tacoma, Wash.; son and daughter-in-law, Jeffery and Rachel McGonagill of Corvallis; eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Stephen Eric McGonagill; and her granddaughter, Jgeanaya McGonagill.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, Ore. 97814.