Obituaries for Nov. 11, 2009

‘Bill’ Fisher

Roger Wilbur “Bill” Fisher, 88, a former longtime Baker County resident, died Nov. 7, 2009, at his home at Echo.

There will be a celebration of life service at 10 a.m. Thursday, at the Baker Elks Lodge, No. 338, 1896 Second St. Burial with military honors will be at 2 p.m. at the Haines Cemetery.

Bill was born on the family ranch at Muddy Creek near Haines on Aug. 18, 1921. He was the last of six children born to George and Esther Heard Fisher.

He was a 1939 Muddy Creek School graduate and worked with his brother, Orville, on the ranch until World War II. He served on the battleship USS Mississippi with the Marine Corps from 1943 until his honorable discharge in 1946.

Bill returned to the ranch after the war to once again work with Orville. He also worked one day a week for 14 years at the Baker Livestock Yard.

In 1950, while tending bar at Haines for a friend, he met Connie Frericks. They were married in Portland on March 12, 1951.

Bill left the ranch in 1966 to work for Staggs & Weber at Keating and later for Johns, Smith & Beamer, of Athena.

He moved to Echo in 1968 and a few years later he went to work for PGG. He retired from PGG in August of 1986, although he continued to work on farms around the area, including those owned by Dick Snow and Kent Madison.

He finally quit working at the age of 83 because of health problems.

Bill was president of the Haines Rodeo Association for several years in the 1950s and was honored as grand marshal of the Haines Fourth of July Parade in 1996. He served as president of the Echo Quarterback’s Club, raising funds for high school sports.

He served on the Echo City Council for a number of years. He was also a long time member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Baker Elks Lodge and the Eagles Lodge, No. 2909, at Hermiston.

Bill enjoyed dancing, hunting, fishing, traveling and playing basketball (both in high school and later community basketball).

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Connie Fisher of Echo; four children, Pat Fisher and his wife, Marianne, of Antioch, Ill., Roger Fisher and his wife, Myrna, of Spring Creek, Nev., Teresa Voorhees and her husband, Steve, of Hermiston, and Ed Fisher and his wife, Kathy, of Pendleton; and nine grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Orville and H.J.; and three sisters: Thelma, Marie and Georgia.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Road, Portland, OR 97239-3009 or Vange John Memorial Hospice at 1050 W. Elm St., Suite 220, Hermiston, OR 97838.

Burns Mortuary of Hermiston, is in care of arrangements.

Wanda Parkhurst

Wanda Teter Parkhurst, 90, a longtime resident of Halfway and Oxbow, died Nov. 7, 2009, at a Baker City adult foster care home.

At her request, her body will be cremated and buried along side her husband, Oren, at Burley, Idaho. Her memorial services will be scheduled later at Halfway and Twin Falls, Idaho.

Wanda was born on Sept. 2, 1919, at Plymouth, Utah, to Wilburn and Emma Estep. She was the fourth of six children and grew up on family farms at Plymouth and Burley, Idaho.

Wanda married Oren Teter on Nov. 8, 1938, at Soda Springs, Idaho. They had four children and lived at Burley and Kimberly, Idaho. They then moved to Boise and finally to the Oxbow/Halfway area in 1966.

Oren was a truck driver working at Hells Canyon Dam and Wanda cooked at the Hells Canyon Inn. Oren died on May 9, 1971, at Alpine, Idaho, while working there.

Wanda married Harry Parkhurst on July 12, 1972, at Elko, Nev., and they lived at Oxbow until Harry’s death in 1973. Wanda continued to live there until her move to Halfway in 2002.

Wanda always worked as a waitress or cook wherever she lived.

When she moved to Oxbow, she worked at the Hells Canyon Inn as a cook, then the Dew Drop Inn at Halfway (now know as D&D Auto Parts).

She also worked at other local restaurants and then for two years as a cook for the Pine-Eagle School District. Wherever Wanda worked, she always had a loyal following of people who enjoyed her cooking.

After she married Harry, Wanda decided to retire and enjoy her flower gardens at Oxbow.

When Harry died, Wanda decided retirement wasn’t for her and worked for MK and operated the Idaho Power kitchen with Don Scott while work was being done on Brownlee Dam. This led to her running the kitchen for Idaho Power for the next 21 years.

She was known as “Kitchen Wanda” throughout the company and everyone looked forward to working in the canyon and eating at Wanda’s. She loved this job and all the great people she was able to meet and the lifelong friendships that developed, family members said.

Wanda loved any time she could spend with any of her 12 grandchildren. She proudly kept pictures of them throughout her home and enjoyed showing them to visitors.

Wanda also loved music and dancing. She never wanted to miss the chance to dance so she would find different people to dance with. Several times you would see Wanda dancing with several friends, Dorothy Huff, Virgene Payton, Glenna Smith and Helen Gover.

“This was because this group had worn out all the guys there,” family members said.

Wanda’s other loves were her home on Pine Creek and her flower beds. She raised a variety of flowers, but her favorite were irises. She had a wide variety of types and colors. She loved to share them with friends and several of her irises are planted at Copperfield Park at Oxbow and can be seen blooming in the spring.

Wanda moved to Baker City in 2006 due to the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease. She spent the last three years at Ash Court Adult Foster Home.

“Due to the quality of care and love she received, she knew she was home,” her family said.

She was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Rinnie, Clara and Lorene; two brothers, Woodrow and Lloyd; and both husbands.

Survivors include her children, Barbara Nations and her husband, Harlan, Robert Teter and his wife Darlene, Linda Kvamme and her husband, Rod, and Janet Miles and her husband, Duane; 12 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Pine Eagle Clinic at Halfway through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.