Tracy Martindale
August 19, 1967 ~ June 14, 2020
Tracy Martindale, 52, of Vale, Oregon passed away June 14 at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, of a long-term illness due to his pancreas.
Tracy was born August 19, 1967, in Sunnyside, Washington, to John and Carol Martindale. He was raised in several places in Washington and Oregon including Camas, Chehalis, Centralia, and Milton Freewater because his father was a union carpenter. Tracy’s family moved to Granger, Washington when he was in junior high and he graduated from Granger High School in 1986.
Tracy briefly attended Seattle Art Institute and Columbia Basin College. He worked several jobs including a bakery and Bi-Mart. After that Tracy went to work for his father at Martindale Construction for many years until the business folded. Then he worked for Alliance Restoration and other restoration companies in the Tri-Cities, Washington.
Tracy met and married Mary Fletcher while attending a Bible study in Richland, Washington. They had two wonderful children together. In 2012 the family moved to Vale, where Tracy taught guitar lessons and worked for the Malheur County Courthouse. In 2016 the Malheur Enterprise did a feature on his guitar lessons calling him the “Guitarman.”
Tracy is survived by his wife Mary and two boys Ian and Avery of Vale; son James Martindale and daughter Ashley Foster of Bellevue, Washington; parents John and Carol Martindale of Longview, Washington; brother Jim and his wife Teri Martindale of Richland; sister Rachel and husband Evan Dille and boys of Longview; and sister Marci Farmer of Everett, Washington. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at Butte Baptist Church.
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Carl Elbert Kochsmeier
July 16, 1935 ~ June 30, 2020
Carl Elbert Kochsmeier, age 84, passed away June 30 at Pioneer Place in Vale, Oregon.
Carl was born on July 16, 1935, in Goodland, Kansas, the son of August and Mary (House) Kochsmeier. They moved to Vale in 1937 when Carl was 2 years old. After graduating from Vale High School class of 1954, he then attended OTI in Klamath Falls.
Carl was a lifetime member of the Vale Methodist Church where he could often be found on Sundays ringing the bell. He was drafted and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He held many jobs throughout his life some of which were farming, hauling trailers for Geurdon, working at American Fine Foods, selling Christmas trees and for many years he volunteered to drive the bus to dances for the Vale Senior Citizen Center where he was a longtime member. He loved spending time at Wallowa Lake and for many years helped at the Methodist Church Camp with the annual clean up getting ready for the summer season.
Carl was married for several years to Ruby Frye and later divorced. He later met a special friend Bess Jackson who he spent several years with until that relationship ended.
Carl was preceded in death by his parents and his sister and brother-in-law Arlene and Jim Selvala. Carl is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Mary Ellen and Aaron Cuttlers of Nampa, Idaho; niece Laura and husband Randy Watts of Fruitland, Idaho; along with several great nieces and nephews. Carl will be forever loved and remembered by his family.
Services will be held on Friday, July 10, at the Lienkaemper Chapel in Vale at 2 p.m. Interment to follow at Valley View Cemetery. Per Covid-19 guidelines, masks will be mandatory.
Death:
• Jose Islas Rodriguez, 83, of Ontario, died June 26 at home. Lienkaemper Chapel, Ontario.
• Keith L. McGehee, 84, of Fruitland, died June 30 at St. Luke’s Medical Center Fruitland. Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel.
• William M. Toombs Jr., 74, of Payette, died June 28 at St. Luke’s Medical Center Nampa. Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel.
• Melvin R. Benzon, 81, Fruitland, died June 30 at St. Alphonsus Ontario. Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, Payette.
• Susan Marie Jones, 66, of Payette, died June 30 at home in Payette. Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel, Payette.
• Dari S. Smith, 75, of Ontario, died July 4. Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, Ontario.
• Robert A. Naillon, 73, of Ontario, died June 30. Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, Ontario.
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