Haines, Oregon
Laura Gebert, 82, of Haines died June 22, 2002, at her home.
Her graveside funeral will be at 11 a.m. Sunday at Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland.
Laura Bell Bennett Gebert was born on Jan. 7, 1920, at Green Creek, Polk County, N.C. She was a daughter of Willard Bennett and Kitty Mae Higgins.
At the age of 14, she left North Carolina with her husband, Charles Willis, and they traveled by Model T to Oregon, camping along the way. She lived at La Grande and Pondosa for a short period and then walked with a small baby, husband and her two sisters into the Portland area where she spent 66 years raising family and working at various jobs. She loved family, quilting, and gardening.
Survivors include her children, Paul Bennett of Vancouver, Wash., James Bennett of Sedona, Ariz., Charles Bennett of Canby, JoAnn Illingsworth of Haines, and Fred Dennis of Gresham; sisters, Betsy Mercer of Dallas, Ore., and Geraldine Riddle of Gray Court, S.C.; stepsister, Irene Pedersen of Portland; and 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Diabetes Research through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, June 28, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
