Rosemary Mitchell, 90, of La Grande, a former Baker City resident, died Aug. 17, 2002, at a La Grande adult foster home.
Her funeral was today at the First Church of the Nazarene in Baker City. Art Evans of the New Life Center at La Grande officiated. Interment was in Mount Hope Cemetery. There was a reception afterward at the Nazarene Church Fellowship Hall.
Mrs. Mitchell was born on Oct. 3, 1911, at Union to Robert and Mary Gilkison Jones. She married John R. Mitchell in Baker City on May 24, 1931. Their first years were spent at Sparta in a home built by John on a site now called “Mitchell Meadows.”
In 1939, they moved to Union where they lived until 1946. Then they moved to Hereford until John retired from logging.
Subsequently they lived at Baker City, Fruitdale, Idaho, and then to Sumpter. After John’s death in 1982, Rosemary moved to Baker City and then to La Grande in 1992 to be near her daughter.
Rosemary enjoyed working with John in the woods, gardening, camping and the outdoors. But most of all, she loved her family and spending time with them.
Survivors include her sister, Hilda McCumber of Mount Vernon; daughters, Myrnie Koontz, and her husband, Chet, of Hereford, Wanda Lowe of La Grande and Neddie Mitchell of Lostine; 17 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great-grandchildren.
She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Anna Jean Munsell; and two brothers, Dale R. Jones and Burl S. Jones.
Memorial contributions may be made to the New Life Center at La Grande or the Baker City Christian Church Building Fund through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, August 23, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
