Lucile Pearl McCullough, 90, of Baker City, died March 27, 2008, while being cared for by the staff of St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.Private interment at Mount Hope Cemetery. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene will officiate.
There will be a reception for friends and family at the Nazarene Church after the funeral.
Visitations will be from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Lucile Pearl was born on May 23, 1917, at Hollister, Idaho, just a short distance from Twin Falls, Idaho. She was the daughter of Robert Duncan McBride and Eleanor May Owens McBride, joining her brothers, Loren, Lester and Don and a sister, Ruth. The family later was joined by another daughter, Dora.
Lucile’s mother died when she was only about 3 years old and her father was killed in a tragic irrigation headgate accident on Oct. 22, 1922, when she was just 5 years and 5 months old.
She and two of her siblings were sent to live at the Children’s Home in Boise, which was then an orphanage. Her brother, Loren McBride, the oldest was not yet 19, and though he wanted to keep the family together, the State of Idaho would not permit that.
Lucile was sent to the Children’s Home in February of 1923 and was adopted by J.E. and Mable Bates of California. The rest of the family had no idea where she was living until many years later when she was located and eventually came to make her home in Baker City with her brother, Loren, and his family sometime around 1945.
Lucile was married to Norman McCullough on Feb. 12, 1956. He died in Baker City on Jan. 30, 1991. She had lived in her home until the week of her death.
She enjoyed volunteering her time and talents to the Baker City Church of the Nazarene and enjoyed family visits and special occasions. She was an accomplished artist, though very shy at demonstrating those talents.
She also worked at The Inland Cafe that was owned by Loren and Hazel McBride. The family expressed special thanks to her nephew, Rex McBride, and his wife, Betty, who spent many hours in care and assistance to her needs. Also, timely assistance was rendered by Drucilla and Wayne Carpenter, the family said. A special joy for her was to join Wayne, Dru and Sue Stiff for dinner after church every Sunday.
Lucile filled a special niche in the lives of family and friends and will be sorely missed, family members added.
Survivors include her brother, Don Gerald McBride of Seattle, Wash.; sister, Dora Chick of Hagerman, Idaho; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Norman; brothers, Loren, Lester and Clide; and sister, Ruth.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Church of the Nazarene or The Salvation Army through Gray’s West & Co., 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 1, 2008
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
