Death Notice: Calvin Thomas McDermid, 74, The Dalles
Cal was an exceptional curator, a good organizer, and did a wonderful job as the Director of the Fort Dalles Museum. He also made a great donut in Downtown The Dalles.
File Photo from 2020 - Dixie (Webb) Schanno, Rachel Miller and Cal McDermid stand on the steps of the fabled Hi-Way House on East Second Street. Schanno’s grandmother, Belle (Head) Webb Beatie took ownership of the restaurant and turned it into a social hotspot. Miller, at the time was managing the restaurant and nightspot that was undergoing a renovation during the COVID outbreak. McDermid at the time of the photo was the Fort Dalles Museum Director and he remembered learning to dance at the restaurant as a youth on Sunday nights, before heading back out to the ranch in Sherman County where he grew up.
Calvin Thomas McDermid, age 74, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at Pacific Living Center in Hood River, OR, on July 25, 2025.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Cal was an exceptional curator, a good organizer, and did a wonderful job as the Director of the Fort Dalles Museum.
Cal would visit the museum after he took leave of his position, said Crystal Ross, who assumed the role.
“He would come by once in a while and call for Midnight the cat, and she would recognize his voice and she would come right out to him.”
McDermid was also a huge help to CCCNews on local history projects such as the story of Belle Webb who bought the Hi-Way House on Historic Higway 30 on the East end of The Dalles in 1940.
McDermid also purchased the first ad I ever sold back in 2005 when he took on the Bakitchen at 216 Court St., in The Dalles. It was a one inch by one column ad in the newspaper for a free donut.
And it worked, too well. We had to pull it after just a week or two after he was overwhelmed with coupons.
Cal was such a gracious person. He will be missed.
-Tom Peterson
Death Notice: Paulina Pearle Updyke, 93, Hood River
Death Notice: Paulina Pearle Updyke, 93, Hood River
Paulina Pearle Updyke passed away on July 22, 2025, in Hood River, Oregon. Paulina was born May 26, 1932, and was 93 years of age at the time of her passing. A Memorial Service for Paulina will take place at 10:00 A.M. on August 16th, 2025, at Cascade Locks Community Church (5 SW Benson Ave, Cascade Locks, OR 97014).
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Hugh Whitson, 73, White Salmon
Death Notice: Hugh Whitson, 73, White Salmon
Hugh Whitson passed away on July 22, 2025, in White Salmon, Washington. Hugh was born September 15, 1951, and was 73 years of age at the time of his passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Elizabeth Rose Richman, 83, The Dalles
Death Notice: Elizabeth Rose Richman, 83, The Dalles
Elizabeth Rose Richman, age 83, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at OHSU on July 16, 2025.
Spencer, Libby, and Powell Funeral Home is in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: David Rollin Buckbee, 86, The Dalles
Death Notice: David Rollin Buckbee, 86, The Dalles
David Rollin Buckbee, age 86, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at the Oregon Veterans’ Home on July 19, 2025.
Spencer, Libby, and Powell Funeral Home is in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: Mavis Ann Prinzing, 86, Hood River
Death Notice: Mavis Ann Prinzing, 86, Hood River
Mavis Ann Prinzing passed away May 23rd, 2025, at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, Oregon. Mavis was born January 6th, 1939, and was 86 years of age at the time of passing.
A Celebration of Life with reception is planned for 11:00 A.M., Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Graveside committal will follow at Mountain View Memorial Cemetery (1235 Tucker Road, Hood River, Oregon 97031).
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031.
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Richard “Dick” Bagley, 93, Hood River
Death Notice: Richard “Dick” Bagley, 93, Hood River
Richard “Dick” Bagley passed away on July 14th, 2025, at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River, Oregon. Dick was born January 15th, 1932, and was 93 years of age at the time of passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Kirby Harold Denny, 87, The Dalles
Death Notice: Kirby Harold Denny, 87, The Dalles
Kirby Harold Denny, age 87, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local care facility on July 14, 2025.
Spencer, Libby, and Powell Funeral Home is in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: Kelly Knopp, Hood River
Death Notice: Kelly Knopp, 67, Hood River
Kelly Knopp passed away June 18, 2025, at home in Hood River, Oregon. Kelly was born February 27, 1958, and was 67 years of age at the time of passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Kevin Lee Kumm, 58, The Dalles
Death Notice: Kevin Lee Kumm, 58, The Dalles
Kevin Lee Kumm, age 58, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away June 19, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, June 28, 2025, 12 PM at Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home, 1100 Kelly Ave, The Dalles, OR 97058.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: Thomas Lee Tripp, 59, The Dalles
Death Notice: Thomas Lee Tripp, 59, The Dalles
Thomas Lee Tripp, age 59, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at a local hospital on June 20, 2025.
Spencer, Libby and Powell Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: Margaret Ellen Dolan, 84, Hood River
Death Notice: Margaret Ellen Dolan, 84, Hood River
Margaret Ellen Dolan passed away May 19th, 2025, at Providence Dethman House in Hood River, Oregon. Margaret was born May 20th, 1940, and was 84 years of age at the time of passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Obituary: John Burnam Smith, 69, The Dalles
Obituary: John Burnam Smith, 69, The Dalles
John Burnam Smith passed away peacefully on June 14th, 2025, in The Dalles, Oregon.
John, the son of James F.M. Smith and Joanne Adeline Smith, was born March 25th, 1956, in Portland, Oregon.
The fifth of six children, John attended Coe Primary, Odell Grade, and Mid Valley Junior High School in Hood River County before attending Wahtonka High School in The Dalles, 1970-1974.
Industrious, multi-talented, and blessed with a delightful wit, by age 9, John was already moving sprinklers in the pre-dawn hours before school in the Odell orchard of beloved first foster parents Glen and Joyce Allen. Later, he picked apples, pears, and cherries under the summer sun in orchards from Odell to The Dalles. John endeared himself to foster parents Jim and Agnes Mortenson and family on their Mosier farm, where he rigorously undertook every brand of labor.
He was a skilled tractor driver in the dusty orchards, performed every job available in numerous restaurants, and in 1977 served as a vigilant first responder with the Wasco Rural Fire Protection District. John worked in the supermarket industry for 10 years in The Dalles, Marsing (Idaho), Bend, Oregon City, Portland, and Vancouver. In 1987, John graduated from Trend College, Vancouver, and found his true calling as a professional bookkeeper for 25 years until health issues forced early retirement.
For more than four decades, John was a familiar sight cruising in and around The Dalles in his fully restored, dark blue, 1956 Chevy Pickup.
John believed in the maxim “Work hard, play hard.” A natural athlete, growing up, he enjoyed multiple team sports. A gifted swimmer and diver, his antics at favorite Mosier Creek swimming holes – The Pocket, Sixteen Hole, Upper 16 Hole – were legendary. At 25, he boldly dived off a 55-foot-high basalt precipice into the mighty Columbia River.
John’s two lifelong passions were fishing and golf—the former primarily with Gary Gast, his close friend of more than 50 years. John and his foster brother and lifelong buddy Bob Mortenson were golf partners for decades, and in their 50s, especially pleased to renew their friendly rivalry at China Creek GC in Arlington.
Blessed with an unsurpassed love and respect for the great outdoors and God’s creatures who thrive therein, Mount Hood and Lost Lake were first among equals for John, though he enjoyed the stunning vista views throughout Wasco County, all along with the Deschutes, Klickitat and Hood Rivers and the whole of the Columbia River Gorge.
Along the journey – at home, school, work, and play -- John forged lifelong friendships. His unique manner of speaking, honesty, and sense of humor truly served to uplift and enrich the lives of family and friends.
John was rightfully proud of his beautiful home of 20 years at Foley Lakes. His manicured lawn and expert landscaping were the envy of the neighborhood.
In addition to the Allen and Mortenson families, as a teenager, John resided with foster parents Herman and Jeannie Bagge in Mosier and Jim and Lucille Torgeson in The Dalles.
In 2013, John survived a major heart attack, and his health gradually deteriorated from the effects of emphysema, COPD, and Peripheral Artery Disease. In 2018, he entered hospice and moved into Assisted Living at Flagstone in The Dalles, where he long served as an effective advocate for other residents.
An abiding faith in God long served as his anchor and gave John strength and peace as he endured the loss of his mother and four siblings. And enabled him to face his health challenges head-on with inspiring grace, dignity, and courage.
The family would like to extend thanks to the entire Bristol Hospice team, especially John’s caregiver, Megan Reed, for her compassion and countless acts of kindness. And to Doctors Lisa Pearson and Sonia Schuemann,
multiple nurses, and the dedicated staff at the Mid-Columbia Medical Center. Sincere thanks to foster sister Mary Ann Hay (Mortenson), Gary Gast, and Bob Mortenson for their love and ongoing support of John and family throughout this challenging time.
John was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Joanne Adeline Smith, in 1971, and his father, James F.M. Smith (2005). And by sister Sheila (1956), brother Daniel (2011), sister Patrica (2012), and brother Patrick (2018). He additionally forged a steadfast bond and friendship with his late brother-in-law, Roger Muma (2016).
John is survived by his dear elder sister, Florence Muma of Battle Ground, WA, and his beloved nieces Julie, Jennifer, and Heather, along with thirteen grand and great-grand nieces and nephews, each of whom “Uncle John” was so proud.
Services are planned for 1:00 p.m., Friday, June 27th, 2025, at Anderson’s Tribute Center (1401 Belmont Ave, Hood River, OR 97031). Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to watch a livestream of John’s service or to leave a note of condolence for the family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of John can be made to Providence Hospice of the Gorge c/o Anderson’s Tribute Center.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • Celilo Chapel.
Death Notice: Benita Jean McLean, 93, Stevenson
Death Notice: Benita Jean McLean, 93, Stevenson
Benita Jean McLean passed away June 13, 2025, at Rock Grove Assisted Living in Stevenson, Washington. Jean was born December 30, 1931, and was 93 years of age at the time of her passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Rose Marie Miller, 93, Hood River
Death Notice: Rose Marie Miller, 93, Hood River
Rose Marie Miller passed away June 11, 2025, in Hood River, Oregon. Rose was born June 21, 1931, and was 93 years of age at the time of her passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: Virginia “Vir” Kirk, 94, Hood River
Death Notice: Virginia “Vir” Kirk, 94, Hood River
Virginia “Vir” Kirk, formerly of Massachusetts, passed away June 17th, 2025, at Hood River Post Acute Care in Hood River, Oregon. Vir was born June 24th, 1930, in Chesterfield, Massachusetts, and was 94 years of age at the time of passing. Urn Committal services in Chesterfield, Mass., are pending and will be announced later.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: William “Bil” R. Secrist, 79, Hood River
Death Notice: William “Bil” R. Secrist, 79, Hood River
William “Bil” R. Secrist passed away June 17th, 2025, at Hood River Post Acute Center in Hood River, Oregon. William was born on December 10th, 1945, and was 79 years of age at the time of passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Death Notice: LaVine Alice Rathkey, 93, The Dalles
Death Notice: LaVine Alice Rathkey, 93, The Dalles
LaVine Alice Rathkey, age 93, a resident of The Dalles, OR, passed away at The Springs at Mill Creek on June 5, 2025. A Graveside Service at Odd Fellows Cemetery on Cherry Heights Rd will be held on July 12, 10:30 AM.
Spencer, Libby, and Powell Funeral Home is in care of arrangements.
Death Notice: Scott Alan Rumsey, 65, White Salmon
Death Notice: Scott Alan Rumsey, 65, White Salmon
Scott Alan Rumsey passed away on June 2nd, 2025, in White Salmon, Washington. Scott was born February 25th, 1960, and was 65 years of age at the time of passing.
Services are pending with arrangements under the direction of Gardner Funeral Home (156 NE Church Avenue, White Salmon, Washington). Visit www.GardnerFH.com to share a story or leave a note for the family.
Death Notice: Stephen Michael Burdick, 79, Hood River
Death Notice: Stephen Michael Burdick, 79, Hood River
Stephen Michael Burdick passed away June 2nd, 2025, at home in Hood River, Oregon. Stephen was born February 24th, 194,6 and was 79 years of age at the time of passing.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.