Wallowa County Oregon Genealogy ~ Obituaries

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Wallowa County Obituaries

~Bork~

Agnes (Lindley) BORK	Bertha (Treptow) BORK	Grace (Sewell) BORK
Ivan Richard BORK	Leonard BORK	Raymon BORK
Rena (Miller) BORK	Rudolph Albert BORK	Rudolph Guss BORK
William BORK

AGNES R. BORK

     Agnes R. Bork, 92, formerly of Milton-Freewater died September 1, 1992 in Highland, California.
     Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday, at Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home. Pastor Dick Jewett of the Stateline Seventh-Day Adventist Church will officiate. Concluding services and burial will follow at the Milton-Freewater Cemetery.
     Those who wish to pay their respects may do so today from 1 to 5 p.m. at the funeral home.
     The oldest of three children, Mrs. Bork was born August 19, 1900, in Flora, Ore., to Frank and Ella Davis Lindley.
     The family moved to Wallula early in her life, and later returned to acquire more land through home steading and continue to farm.
     She went to school in one-room schools in several areas, including Star and Sunny Glade in Wallowa County. She attended high school in Flora.
     On May 19, 1919, she married William Bork in Enterprise, Ore. They made their home on a ranch about 30 miles from Enterpise for several years, where they also raised three children.
     In 1939, the couple moved to the Stateline area, where Mrs. Bork lived until the death of her husband in 1988. She then lived with her daughter in California and her son in Pendleton.
     She was baptized into the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 1938. She and her husband helped establish the Stateline Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which was built on land donated from their field.
     For many years, she was a teacher in the children's division of the church. She also was active in Dorcas Welfare. She especially enjoyed making quilts.
     Mrs. Bork was preceded in death by one son, Leonard Bork, as well as her husband.
     Survivors are one son, Herbert Bork of Pendleton, one daughter, Wanda Esposito of Highland, Calif., six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Page 4, Sunday, September 6, 1992

Bertha Treptow Bork

     Mrs. R. A. Bork passed away at her home north of Flora, Tuesday Evening at 4:50, Nov. 13, 1934. After an illness of 4 days.
     Bertha Treptow was born in Rinefield Germany, April 3, 1852. She was united in marriage to Rudolph Bork, January 26, 1872.
     They resided in Germany 13 years, then crossed the Atlantic and moved to Westside, Iowa, where they made their home 7 years before coming to Oregon in 1891.
     Nine children were born to this union, eight of which are living. Frank Bork having passed away six years ago. Mrs. Bork is survived by the following children: Fred Bork, Mrs. Eda Conrad, Mrs. Lesia Evans, Rudolph Bork, Mrs. Lillie Evans, William Bork, Ira Bork and Mrs. Bertha Evans. There are 30 grand-children and 13 great-grandchildren.
     Mrs. Bork united with the Lutheran Church at the age of 14 years and remained a faithful Christian until the end.

Card of Thanks

We wish to thank our friends and neighbors for their help and kindness during the loss of our beloved wife and mother and also for the beautiful flowers-R. A. Bork and family

Chieftain, Enterprise, OR - November 15, 1934

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mrs. R. A. Bork Passes

Mrs. R.A. Bork died at her home, three miles north of Flora from heart attack, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 1934. Just last Wednesday a week ago she walked from Flora to spend the day with her daughter, Mrs. Bertha Evans. Friday, she walked to her son's R. G. Bork's to spend the day and attended church that same evening in Flora. Saturday morning she was not very well and gradually grew weaker and passed away at about 5 p.m., Tuesday; in the afternoon she wished to read a passage from her Bible, but was too weak, so her niece, Mrs. Alma Barr, read the chapter to her. Then she told them that Jesus was coming for her. It surely was a sweet passing with these thoughts in her mind.
Grandma had lived here many years and has many friends to mourn her passing as well as numerous relatives. All her children were with her when the end came. The children are: Fred, Ira, Will, Randolph, Mrs. Charles Evans, Mrs. Edyth Conrad, Mrs. Lillie Evans, Mrs. Bertha Evans; one son, Frank, died some six years ago.

Enterprise Record Chieftain
Thursday November 15, 1934
Page 6

Flora Bork

Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Bork received the sad news Thursday morning that their daughter-in-law, Mrs. Frank Bork, who lived at Emmett, Idaho, passed away that morning. Their son, Fred, took them to Emmett for the funeral. They returned home Sunday. Mrs. Frank Bork was Grace Sewell before her marriage and lived in Wallowa county many years before moving to Idaho. She leaves three daughters and a son and several grandchildren, brothers and a sister to mourn her loss.

Enterprise Record Chieftain
Thursday October 4, 1934

IVAN RICHARD BORK

     Ivan Richard Bork, 84, a resident of The Dalles, since 1966, died at a local care center on Saturday, July 21, 2001.
     He was born May 30, 1917, in Flora, Oregon, the oldest of eight children to Ira H. and Lora (Moys) Bork He was the grandson of early Wallowa County pioneers, Rudolph and Bertha Bork, who came from Germany in 1885 and settled in Wallowa County as United States citizens in 1891.
     Ivan was married to Leola Surber on June 23, 1940, in Enterprise, by the same Justice of Peace, A.B. Conway, that had married their parents, Ira and Lora Bork and Richard and Edith Surber in June 1916. He was a logger in Eastern Oregon until moving in April 1949 to Baker City,
where he worked as a faller and catskinner. In 1959, the family moved to Portland with Ivan logging in Estacada. In June 1962, he went to work at the Tygh Valley Lumber Company, working as a loader operator until his retirement in 1982.
     He was a member of the Solid Rock Community Church of God and being a faithful Christian man, his life's priority and dedication was to his church work. Ivan's favorite pastime was his ham radio, chatting with new friends and helping truckers with driving directions and weather reports. He also
participated yearly in the Diabetes Bike-A-Thon.
     He is survived by his wife, Leola of The Dalles; his children and their spouses, Rosalie and David Harnden, Prineville; Ivan Harry and Saundra Bork, Baker City; Wayne and Sharon Bork, Ft. Wayne, IN and Darlena and Robert Salisbury, Albany; grandchildren, Brian, Lisa, Carl, Crystal,
Timothy and Andy, great grandchildren, Kristopher, Alma, Staranna, Nicholas, Tiffany, Steven and Stacey, his brother, Neal Bork, Baker City; his sisters, Alma Gribling, La Grande; Ila Grenier, Scappoose; Erma Sewell, Sweetwater and Rita Bork, Orville, WA. His parents, two brothers, an infant son and infant grandson preceded him in death.
     Viewing visitation will be held at Spencer, Libby & Powell Funeral Home from 2 to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 23 and 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday.
     Graveside committal services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24, at The Dalles IOOF Cemetery. A memorial service with dinner will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Solid Rock Community Church of God (2308 East 12th St.) with Revs. Ken Post and Ellie Sutter officiating.
     Memorials may be made to Solid Rock Community Church of God or Hospice of the Gorge, 751 Myrtle St., The Dalles, OR 97058.

In Loving Memory
July 22, 2001
Rosalie Bork Harnden

Leonard Bork

     Leonard Bork, 39, of 3571 East L St. died this morning in a local hospital after a week's illness.
     Born in Flora, OR, Mr. Bork came to Tacoma 12 years ago. He was an operating engineer for the Lige Dickson Co. and a member of the Operating Engineers Local 612 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He served with the Army Engineer Corps in World War II.
     Mr. Bork is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; three sons, David, Terry and Dennis of the home; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Bork of Walla Walla; a sister, Mrs. Wanda Esposito of Loma Linda, Calif; and a brother, Herbert Bork of Spokane. Buckley-King Funeral Home will announce services.

Tacoma News Tribune - September 8, 1959

Services for Leonard Bork will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday in the Buckley-King Chapel, with the Rev. Frank E. Brown officiating. Burial will be at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Walla Walla where graveside services will be held Friday. Honorary pallbearers will be William Simpson, Fran Kinton, Marshall Mallet, Max Foster, William Glover and Kenneth Sclimer.

Tacoma News Tribune - September 9, 1959

FALLING TREE KILLS RAYMON BORK
WHILE CUTTING WOOD ON DAY RIDGE

     Funeral services for Ramon L. Bork, who was killed Monday morning, November 21, 1949 about 10:30 by a falling tree, will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Bollman Chapel, with the American Legion in charge of the services. Burial will be in the Enterprise cemetery.
     Ramon was cutting wood logs and while falling a tree the top broke off, striking him and killing him instantly.
     Ramon Louis Bork was born near Flora February 15, 1924 to Mr. and Mrs. Ira H. Bork and had lived his entire life on Day Ridge, with the exception of the time he spent in the service during World War II. He entered the service February 16, 1943, and served as a medical aidman in the 310th Infantry Division until his discharge on October 19, 1945, serving in the campaigns in Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. He was awarded the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart, good conduct medal, and European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal with four bronze service stars.
     Surviving to mourn his untimely passing are his father and mother, three brothers, Everett and Neal of Day Ridge, and Ivan of Baker, and four sisters, alma Gribling, of Joseph, and Ila, Erma and Rita of day Ridge, and also several aunts and uncles, cousins, and a host of friends.

Wallowa County Chieftain
Thursday November 24, 1949
Front Page

Rena Bork

     Lostine resident, Rena Bork, died Oct 4, 1987 at her home. She was 95.
     Rena was born at Anatone, Wash., on Sept. 24, 1892, the daughter of David Jacob and Mary Melvina Cross Miller. She lived most of her girlhood on the Grande Ronde River, just a short distance from the Oasis. Her parents farmed a ranch on Buford Ridge. She went to the Star school and worked for the Bakers who operated the store at Flora.
     On Oct. 17, 1909 Rena married Rudolph Bork at Flora. He had a homestead on Day Ridge. They later purchased a ranch two miles north of Flora where they lived until 1939. They moved to Alder Slope and in 1943 moved to the Lostine area, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
     Rudolph and Rena joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1962.
     Rena liked to raise a garden and worked hard until 93 years old, when she had to quit her favorite hobby. She made the remark, "When I can't dig in the dirt, and raise a garden, you just as well bury me." She raised house plants, African violets and geraniums and made quilts.
     She is survived by two sons, Marvin of Nine Mile Falls, Wash., and Roy of rural Lostine; two grandsons, one step granddaughter, five great grandchildren and two step great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson, and three great-great-step-grandchildren.
     She was preceded in death by her husband on March 15, 1975.
     Funeral services were held at the Bollman Funeral Home, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1987, with President Robert Barney officiating. Interment was in the Lostine Cemetery with the dedication of grave by Dallas McCrae.
     Pall-bearers were Doke, Cole, Charles Frazier, Elmer Pullen, Don Stonebrink, Marvin Maxwell and Roy Shelton.

Wallowa County Chieftain
Thursday October 8, 1987

R. A. BORK DIES AGED NEARLY 93

North End Resident Born In Germany and Came To County In 1891.

     Rudolph A. Bork, one of the oldest residents of the county, died Friday, Nov. 18, 1938, at the home of his son, William, near Flora, where he had made his home a few years. He would have been 93 years old next march. He was in good health until his last illness, and attended a family picnic at Wallowa lake early in October. Before that he had visited around with his children and grandchildren and always had found some chores he could do at each home, usually splitting wood.
     Funeral services were held Monday at the Methodist church, Flora, conducted by Rev. Charles F. Cole. Several numbers were sung by a quartet composed of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Ralls, Mrs. Charley Poole and Grant Johnson, accompanied by Macie Lu Poole. The pallbearers were Charley and Delbert McCall, Lynn Johnson, Ralph Jewell, Wayne Nedrow and Randall Ralls. Burial was in Flora cemetery.
     Mr. Bork was born in Germany March 27, 1846, and was married Jan. 26, 1872. he and his wife came to the United States in 1884 and in 1891 drove into Wallowa county and homesteaded and spent the remainder of their lives here. Mrs. Bork, who was born April 3, 1852, died at Flora Nov. 13, 1934.
     Surviving are eight children: Fred Bork, Mrs. Edith Conrad, Mrs. Elsie Evans, Rudolph Bork, Mrs. Lillie Evans, William Bork, Ira Bork and Mrs. Bertha Evans, and there are 30 grandchildren and 19 great grand children. One son, Frank, died in southern Idaho seven years ago.
     Mr. and Mrs. Bork were well known over the north end and relatives and friends gathered at the celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary, which was observed Sunday, Jan. 24, 1932. They story of their voyage to America was then told again, and appeared in the Chieftain of Jan. 28, as follows:
"In 1884, they decided to come to America with their family of four children. They boarded the ship at Hamburg and started on their journey to American. After one and one-half days it was found the ship was leaking and they must return to Hamburg for repairs. This did not discourage them.
     "After a five days wait they again boarded the same ship and began the journey a second time, which lasted 21 days. All this time they did not see anything but sky and water, the waves rolling completely over the ship at times. A number of passengers were very ill. Two deaths occurred and the bodies were buried in the waters of the Atlantic ocean.
     "They arrived in New York after a very tiresome journey and hurried on to their new home at West Side, Iowa, where they remained for seven years. They had a longing to try a new country and again they started out with their family of seven children, and the west was their destination. Leaving West Side by train they came to La Grande and from there on to their present home at Flora by team and wagons, where they have made their home since the year 1891.
     "All the children were home for the occasion (the wedding anniversary.) The dinner was brought in by them and was a huge success. Mrs. Rena Bork brought the wedding cake. After the dinner everyone gathered in the sitting room and an hour or more was spent in singing hymns that everyone knew. They were accompanied on the organ by Miss Bernice Conrad and the music was greatly enjoyed by all."

Card of Thanks
We wish to thank all the friends and neighbors who assisted us during our recent bereavement; also for the beautiful flowers. - The children of R.A. Bork.

Enterprise Chieftain
Thursday November 24, 1938
Page 6

R. G. Bork Services Held

     Rudolph G. Bork, a retired farmer of Lostine, passed away at his home on Saturday, March 15, 1975. He was born April 20, 1885 at Westside, Crawford County, Iowa, son of Rudolph and Bertha Bork. On Oct. 17,1909 he was married to Rena B. Miller at Flora. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints of Wallowa.
     Survivors include his wife, Rena, at the Lostine home; two sons, Marvin, Nine Mile Falls, Wash., and Roy of Wallowa; a sister, Lesia Evans, Enterprise, two brothers, Ira of Baker and William of Milton Freewater; and three grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
     Memorial services were Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Bollman Chapel with President Dallas McCrae officiating, assisted by Speaker Lester Westenskow of La Grand, with prayer by Robert Barney and Reid Blacker, and with dedication of grave by Paul Bartmess. Carol McCrae and Florence Pullen sang: "I Stand All Amazed" and "Oh, My Father".
     Casket bearers were: Amos Evans, Doke Cole, Harley Caudle, Lyle Cherry, Spencer Bacon and Hoke Ollis; and vault interment was in the Lostine Cemetery.

Wallowa County Chieftain
Thursday March 20, 1975

William Bork

Milton-Freewater- William Bork, 99 of Route 3 died November 23, 1988 at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Walla Walla.

The funeral will be 11 a.m., Monday, at Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home. 902 S. Main st., Milton-Freewater Cemetery, Cemetery Road. Memorial contributions may be made to the Quiet Hour.

Bork was born September 17, 1889 in Westside, Iowa to Rudlph and Bertha Treptow Bork. The seventh of nine children, he moved west with his family in 1891 and settled on a homestead north of Flora, Ore. He attended school through the seventh grade in Flora.

When he was 21, he homesteaded near Flora and continued farming until his retirement. Upon returning from serving in the U.S. Army during World War 1, he married Agnes Lindley in Enterprise on May 14, 1919, a union that lasted 69 years. In 1939, they moved to their home on Stateline. Bork was a member of the Stateline Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Survivors include his wife, at home: a son, Herbert Bork of Pendleton: a daughter, Wanda Esposito of Highland, Calif; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A son, Leonard Bork, died in 1959.

Walla Walla Union Bulletin- November 1988

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