Obituaries for Oct. 23, 2009

Hazel Masters

Hazel Belle Masters, 93, a longtime Baker City resident, died Oct. 17, 2009, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center after a battle with cancer.

There will be a celebration of her life at 1 p.m. Saturday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Jack Pittman will officiate.

Hazel was born on Jan. 17, 1916, at Durkee to William Alfred and Henrietta Julia. She started working at the age of 19 at Lowe’s Café where she worked for 13 years. She also worked at the Baker Café for several years, where she met her first husband, Cecil Freitag, a commercial artist. They were married in 1946 at Baker City and were together for 11 years before Cecil died.

While working at Lowe’s, she had a friend who knew there was going to be an opening at Montgomery Ward and put Hazel’s name in for the position. She got the job,and was in the business office for three years.

Her main profession was with the telephone company. She retired from the phone company after 32 years.

She was part owner of Millers Lunch with her second husband, “Tubby.” She married Wilber “Tubby” Masters, a master chef, in 1960 at Baker City. They were married for 11 years before he died.

She would get up in the mornings and go to Millers to help with the bus crowd that came through. When she was done helping feed the crowd, she would go home and get ready to go to work at the telephone company.

At night she would go back and help again with the bus crowd that came through. Somewhere in her busy days, she was able to make all the pies and cakes that were served at the cafe.

Hazel and Tubby owned a cabin at Bourne and spent good quality time there. After Tubby’s death, her daughter, Shirley, talked her into getting snowmobiles. The two of them used to snowmobile into the cabin in the winter.

One Thanksgiving, they took the fixings for dinner and were going to cook the turkey in the wood stove. They were not sure how long it was going to take, so they got up early, prepared everything, put the turkey in the oven, and it was done by 8 a.m. They found out that the wood stove would cook faster than a regular oven.

Hazel and Shirley used to travel to Jackpot, Nev., in their motor home. They would also go camping at Farewell Bend. Hazel’s sister, Vinnie, joined them on several trips. Between the three of them, they would have the motor home set up in less than 15 minutes.

They had several men and women stand and stare at them because these tiny, petite ladies were doing the work that most men do. Several of the men came up to them and asked them to teach their wives how to do all that.

Hazel was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband, Cecil; her beloved husband, Tubby; her daughter, Shirley; her brothers and sisters.

Survivors include her sister, Vinnie Givens; and many nieces and nephews and their families.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Elizabeth Nursing Home, the American Cancer Society or Heart ’n’ Home Hospice of Baker City through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Gladys Teskey

Gladys Teskey, 94, of Baker City died Oct. 19, 2009 at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center.

Visitations will be Monday from 10 a.m. to noon at Gray’s West & Company Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., followed by a celebration of life at 2 p.m.  astor Gordon Bond of the Richland Christian Church will officiate.

Gladys Esther Teskey was born Sept. 27, 1915, on a farm in Millston, Wisc., to Albert Charles Jeska and Amelia Ernestine (Linder) Jeska. She was one of 13 children born to the Jeskas.

At the age of 17, she moved to Milwaukee, Wisc., where she worked until she married Gilbert Teskey on Nov. 18, 1936. They had five children together.  They moved to Salinas, Calif., in 1943 where Gladys’ parents were living. They later lived in Brawley, then moved to Monterey, Calif., in 1947 where Gladys worked at Montgomery Ward’s Credit Office. They lived in Oroville, Calif., from 1953 to 1962 when they bought a rooming house in Ashland, which Gladys managed. 

Gladys moved to Baker City in 1995 to be by her son. She resided at Elkhorn Village until  recently when health issues took her to St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. 

Gladys loved fishing and hunting. Earlier trips elk hunting with Gilbert brought her to the Sumpter area and she enjoyed fishing the 203 Pond and the Powder River.  She enjoyed quilting and made quilts for most of her children and grandchildren. She also enjoyed sewing, gardening and playing card games.

Gladys is survived by her brother, Marvin Jeska, and sister, Betty Schoradt; her children: Rodney Teskey and wife, Peg, of Glendale, Ariz., Suzanne Graham of Lodi, Calif., Dennis Teskey and his wife, Darlene, of Baker City, Sandi Brucio and her husband, Dennis, of Brightwood; grandchildren: Jay and Lisa Teskey, Jeff and Kelli Teskey, Jackie Teskey, Josh Teskey, Blake Graham, Matt and Lynette Graham, Nikki  Lynch and Greg, Colby Lynch, Jerrod Brucio, Season Teskey, Troy Hanson, Angie Moore, Tori Lynn Jones, Dean and Tammi Teskey, and Lisa Teskey; 26 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Marlow; her grandson, Randy; her brothers: Charles, Alfred, John, Russell, Paul, Roger, Robert and Delmar; her sisters: Helen and Suzanne; and son-in-law, Lyle Graham.

Memorial contributions may be made to Heart n Home Hospice in care of Gray’s West & Company, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR  97814.