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Barbara Ann Ellis Burke, Donald Keith Meldrum

Barbara Ann Ellis Burke

Nov. 25, 1944 ~ Feb. 23, 2018

Barbara Ann Ellis Burke was born November 25, 1944 in Carlsbad, New Mexico to Herbert Roswell & Florence Elva Ellis. She was second to the youngest of 16 children. She is preceded in death by her husband, Bob Burke, her parents, and brothers Bill and Donnie. She is survived by her sisters, Lena Worsham, Myrtle Alston, Martha Racknagle, brother Wesley Ellis, and sisters Katherine and Margaret, plus 18 nephews and nieces. Barbara & her siblings lived in the Corsecana Orphanage in Texas for seven years, then moved to Salem, Oregon in 1959. They moved to Brogan in 1970. Barbara met Bob Burke in 1971, and they were so smitten with each other they married in 1971. They lived in John Day for 20 years, then Brogan, then settled in Ontario and traveled to Quartzsite, Arizona during winter months. Barbara and Bob loved to travel, go fishing, rock hunting, and being with friends & family. Bob passed away in 2002. Barbara was a hard worker, learning with her family to prune trees, pick apples, beans, cherries, and how to maintain a fields of strawberries. Later, she worked in restaurants; then in Brogan, she worked for the Harada family and the McGordys. Brogan was her favorite place, but no matter where she lived, she knew everyone and was a friend to all. Barb was cantankerous, bull-headed and stubborn. But she was nice and kind, sweet and funny and she was loyal and a good sister. Barbara Ann Ellis Burke passed away February 23, 2018, in Ontario at the age of 73. Graveside services will be held at the Brogan Cemetery on March 16 at 11 a.m. With a potluck following at the Brogan school. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Brogan Society are appreciated.

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Donald Keith Meldrum

April 9, 1923~Feb. 27, 2018

Donald Keith Meldrum passed away February 27, 2018, at an assisted living facility in Vale. Don was born April 9, 1923 in Provo, Utah, to Calvin Ray and Mildred Patten Meldrum. He was the third of five children. He helped his parents on the family farm, taking care of the orchards and the animals until the Depression hit. Land was opening up in Oregon, under the Vale Oregon Irrigation Project. The family packed up and moved to Vale in 1935 when Don was 12. When they moved, their belongings were packed into one side of a railcar and their livestock and Don’s pony on the other side. He rode in the car to tend to the animals from Provo to Vale. They homesteaded on an 80-acre property they cleared from sagebrush on the East Bench in Vale. Don (Keith) graduated from Vale High School in 1941. Don went to Benson Polytechnic School of Portland, a trade school. There he studied electrical systems for airplanes. He was assigned to work at Gowen Field, where he met his wife, a cute secretary, Leah Patterson. They were married May 5, 1943, in the Salt Lake City, Utah LDS temple. He was drafted into the Army Air Force in July 1943 and spent two and a half years in Europe on the Warrington Airbase repairing and maintaining the airplanes. He served in the 597th Bomb Squadron of the 397th Bomber Group. After his discharge in January 1946, he moved his family to Ontario, Oregon where he built the house he raised his family in. He lived there until this last year. He worked as an electrician at Amalgamated Sugar Factory in Nyssa, until he was hired to be the electrical supervisor for Ore-Ida Foods at its inception. He retired from Ore-Ida in 1986. Don spent his retirement years doing the things he loved the most. He loved the outdoors, and Hells Canyon was his favorite area. He fished, hunted and camped all over the West. He enjoyed spending time in his yard. He had beautiful flowers and abundant fruit and vegetables. He spent a lot of time with family. He loved his church family and served in many callings throughout his life.  He helped build the Red Rock Chapel, the first LDS Chapel in Vale. Leah passed away in 2002. In 2003 he married his widowed sister-in-law, Jahaza Patterson. Donald Keith was preceded in death by his wife, Leah, and his parents; his sisters Evelyn Haws, Lenore Brown and Belle Fasbender; and his brother Ray Meldrum. Don is survived by his wife Jahaza; six children, Brent (Sydnee) Meldrum of Olympia, Washington, Ted (Sheryll) Meldrum of Auburn, Washington; Jeannie (Dennis) Ackroyd of Ontario; Sue (Jay) Jones of Ontario; Ruth (Lowell) Whitaker of Vale; Laura (Dennis) Buckmaster of Newport, Oregon; 29 grandchildren; 70 great-grandchildren; six step-children and their families; and brother-in-law, Gerald Fasbender. Services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Stake Center, 1705 NW 4th Ave., Ontario, on March 9 at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Rosedale Memorial Gardens in Payette, Idaho. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at [email protected]. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Pioneer Place Assisted Living in Vale.