Elva Elizabeth Pearson, 90, died July 16, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
It was Elva’s wish to have a marker for herself on her mother’s grave. There will not be a service.
Elva Elizabeth was born to an early pioneer family, Lester and Ethel Ingram Stickney in a little house near the creek at Carson on Dec. 9, 1915. She lived at Copperfield on the Snake River until the age of 5.
The family mined, farmed and herded sheep. They later moved to the Union Mine, to Cornucopia and they also lived and worked at the Baker Mill. During the winter, Elva would ride a hand sled from the Union Mine to school and then return home on the Candy Wagon (the wagon that hauled the gold bricks to ship to the smelter) in the afternoons.
Elva’s mother cooked for the Betts family in the mansion at the Union Mine. Elva was hired to baby-sit two of the Betts’ youngest children.
When Elva was 22 she fell out of an apple tree and broke her leg. It was never set correctly, but it never slowed her down.
Elva met and married Jack Davis of Denver in 1936. Jack was killed in Hawaii while working for MK Construction in 1938.
Years later she married Emmett Pearson. They lived at Heppner, Pilot Rock, Pendleton and Stanfield. Elva was a hard worker. She cooked in many logging camps and on a barge in the Columbia River.
Later in life, she moved back to Halfway to take care of her mother, and had made Halfway her home ever since.
Elva enjoyed bingo, crocheting, working puzzles and playing shuffleboard. She loved her birthdays, and looked forward to the occasion. She carefully picked the date for the birthday dinner, invited all of those having birthdays in December and dressed up in her favorite pantsuit, complete with matching earrings.
In February 2006, Elva’s home burned to the ground. She was able to get out of the house with the clothes she had on.
But, Elva was a trooper and she never really let on that it was a hardship — just a bump in the road. Elva had a unique voice, which we will forever lovingly remember.
She was preceded in death by her parents; an aunt, Myrtle Tarter; siblings, Leila, Neal, Vernon, Clifford, Waunita, Alena, Bill and two who died in infancy; a stepbrother, Roy Cosens, and his wife, Pheobe.
Survivors include several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to help pay for the cost of a cemetery marker through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, August 4, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
