These are obituaries that Tom Childers has donated. Please send him a big thanks for thinking of Union county!
If you have any obituaries you can donate, please drop a line to Janine M. Bork.Your information can help others.
Florence Mary (McLachlen) DONAHUE
YAKIMA - Donald Martin Donohue, 71, of Yakima died Sunday May 5, 1991 in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Donohue was born in La Grande, OR on February 18, 1920 to Edward and Florence (McLachlen) Donohue. He was raised and educated in La Grande and later attended Oregon State University and the Colorado School of Mines. He served in the U. S. Air Force during WW II as a Warrant Officer.
In 1950, he was married to Jacquelyn Yoho in La Grande. Mr. Donohue later moved to Richland where he lived for a time before moving to Yakima. For 17 years he was a chemical engineer employed by the Hanford Project. He was also a real estate agent with Clark Jennings and Associates Inc. until his death.
He attended St. Joseph and Holy Family Catholic Churches.
He is survived by seven children, Linda Calhoun of Wapato, Candy Spaet, Joe Donohue, Cheri Ahlers, Mary Glessner and Kevin Donohue all of Yakima; and Shawn Donohue of Bellevue; fourteen grandchildren; two sisters, Angela Keeler and Betty Roe, both of La Grande, OR; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jacquelyn Donohue; his parents; a sister Ethel Wagner and two brothers, Bernard and Ted Donohue.
A memorial mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 8, in Holy Family Catholic Church, 5315 Tieton Drive. A committal service will follow in Calvary Cemetery.
As the result of a distressing accident, Edward Bernard Donohue the fifteen months old son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Donohue, of 1803 Third Street, died yesterday afternoon. Yesterday morning while playing the boy climbed up on a shelf and got hold of some medicinal tablets containing a small portion of strychnine, which [he] put in his mouth and swallowed. Drs. Underwood and Whiting were immediately summoned and worked over the child until three o'clock yesterday afternoon, when he expired. The family have the sympathy of the entire community over the loss of their boy, who was a beautiful and attractive child. The funeral will be held form the family residence, 1803 Third Street, tomorrow (Thursday) at 10 a.m. The burial will be held at the Catholic cemetery. Rev. Father Driscoll will officiate.
A 35-year old career in the La Grande furniture business ended last night for Edward J. Donohue, 57, who died unexpectedly at a local hospital after a one-day illness.
He was one of La Grande's pioneer furniture dealers, having operated his own business on the corner of Jefferson and Fir shortly after he arrived in La Grande about 40 years ago.
After he sold out in that location Mr. Donohue went to work for Joe Carr's furniture store at [the] corner of Adams and Fir and has been employed on that corner since.
Carr sold out to Ed Fitzgerald and Mr. Donohue worked for him until Fitzgerald entered the navy in 1942, at which time the business was purchased by Doyle Zimmerman, for whom Mr. Donohue was working until his death.
He was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1890 and moved west to La Grande when he was about 20 years old. He married Mrs. Donohue, a La Grande girl, 35 years ago.
He was a member of the Catholic church, the Elks lodge and the Knights of Columbus lodge in La Grande.
Surviving him are his widow Florence, and three daughters, Angela Donohue, Mrs. Marion Wagner and Mrs. Melvin Roe, all of La Grande; three sisters, Mrs. Charles Rink and Mrs. Charles Seale of New York; and one son Donald, of La Grande.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. from Our Lady of the Valley Catholic church. Interment will be in the family plot in the Catholic cemetery.
Florence M. Donohue, 2101 First St., died Friday in Spokane, Wash. She was 74 years old.
Mrs. Donohue was born November 25, 1885 in La Grande, the daughter of Donald and Joan (Childers) McLachlen. Her grandfather John McLachlen came to the Grande Ronde Valley as a young boy and was later U. S. Marshall and Sheriff of Union County.
She was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church and at one time worked in the rectory as the priest's housekeeper. She was also an Air Mail carrier for the Post Office.
On May 19, 1912 she was married to Edward Jones [sic - James] Donohue in La Grande. He preceded her in death in 1947. She was also preceded in death by two sons, Edward B. in 1917 and Theodore T. in 1941.
She is survived by three daughters, Ethel L. Wagner, La Grande, Elizabeth J. Roe, La Grande, and Angela J. Keeler, La Grande; one son, Donald M. Donohue, Yakima, Wash.; 20 grandchildren and one brother, Donald Mitchell, Orleans, Indiana.
Recitation of rosary will be Monday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Daniels Valley Funeral Chapel. Funeral Mass will be Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. Father Patrick J. Gaire will officiate. Concluding services will be at Calvary Cemetery.
Suffering from severe burns caused by the ignition of gasoline, Theodore Thomas Donohue, son of Mrs. and Mrs. E. J. Donohue of La Grande died Sunday night at a local hospital.
The accident occurred when young Donohue, accompanied by Bob Blanchard, also of La Grande, had started on a hunting trip and were repairing their stalled vehicle on the road to the intake, between Whiskey and Jordan creeks, about 15 miles southwest of La Grande.
According to Blanchard's report, the youth had taken a lantern to the rear of the car to drain gasoline from the tank. Shortly thereafter, Blanchard saw him running from the car, his clothes aflame, screaming. Blanchard caught him and rolled him in the dirt to extinguish the fire.
The pair made their way to the Ed Bartmess place about three or four miles from the scene of the accident. Both were taken to the hospital from there by the first aid car; Donohue died several hours later; Blanchard is still under treatment.
Ted Donohue was well known in La Grande, of which he was a resident for all his 19 years. He was born here June 30, 1922 and started to school at he Sacred Heart academy, later entering the Central grade school; he graduated from La Grande high school last June and had enrolled at the Eastern Oregon college of Education.
He is survived by his parents; one brother, Donald; three sisters, Ethel Wagner, Betty Roe and Angela; his aunt Nell McLachlen; and other relatives and numerous friends.
Rosary will be said at the Snodgrass chapel at 7:30 Tuesday night. Funeral services will be at the Catholic church at 9:00 o'clock Wednesday morning.
The Observer
Monday, September 29, 1941
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