Author: paedwards

Sweet Lorane Community News, March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023Newspaper Columns, , , Leave a comment

The Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
March 9, 2023
By Pat Edwards

Marna and Bob Hing

Sadly, the community of Lorane is having to say goodbye to another one of our much-loved and long-time residents. Bob Hing quietly passed away on the morning of March 8, 2023. He and his wife, Marna, with their children, moved to Lorane in 1971. For years, Bob worked for Sears Roebuck in Eugene where he met and became best friends and fishing buddies with Loranian, Charles Drullinger, and the two spent many happy times enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer.

Bob and Marna were active Grange members where he served as Master for 3 years, and they both played major roles in the forming and development of the Lorane Volunteer Fire Department—Bob as a responder and board member, and Marna as a responder and, later, an EMT.

Marna worked with me at the Lorane Family Store during the “early years.” She became one of my very best friends and through our alliance with each other and Nancy O’Hearn, who was an equally good friend and our first employee, together we researched and wrote Sawdust and Cider; A History of Lorane, Oregon and the Siuslaw Valley in 1987 for the Lorane Centennial.

Bob and Marna farmed their property which they purchased on South Territorial. After his retirement from Sears, Bob formed his own company, Bob Hing Construction, specializing in roofing, fencing and gutters, and in 1995, they purchased the Lorane General Store.
Throughout our friendship, the Hings and Edwards spent many evenings together cheering on our Crow Cougars and/or volunteering at the local schools. Socially, we got together occasionally for pinochle games, barbecues or community get-togethers. Their daughter, Kandi, worked at our store, as well, helping to form the tradition that made it truly a “family” store.

We lost Marna in 2010. She and Bob were married in 1964. It was her second marriage, but they had known each other since their high school years at Tigard, Oregon, where they were classmates. They even shared the same birthdate—March 19, 1941—and celebrated it together each year. With the marriage, Bob welcomed her children as his own. He was her life’s companion and soulmate who was by her side every step of the way throughout their marriage. Bob missed her terribly through the years after she passed, as he did his fishing buddy, Charles, who died in 2020.

So many of us who knew them feel comforted by the hope that they are now reunited in a better place, but Bob will definitely be missed. He will always be remembered for his warmth, friendliness and his generosity in providing whatever he could for his family and the community. Jim and I send our deepest condolences, with love, to all of his family and friends.
*****
Upcoming Lorane events to mark on your calendars are:

On Saturday, March 18, the Lorane Grange will hold its Dessert and Bingo Night at 7:00 p.m.
The raffle for the pretty yellow and white shed that was built by the Crow High School’s Construction Class will take place on Friday, March 24. Tickets will continue to be sold for $50 each until March 23. It is sitting in front of the school for those who are interested in viewing it until the lucky winner takes it home.

On April 16, the annual Rural Art Center/Lorane Grange Talent Show and the Grange Open House will take place. Admission is free and it begins at 3:00 p.m.; talent participants should plan to be there by 2:45 p.m. Artistic talent displays will be set up in the kitchen area. Call Lil Thompson, 541-942-5701, or Lisa Livelybrooks for more info or to register as a participant. Light refreshments will be served following the show.

Sweet Lorane Community News, March 2, 2023

March 2, 2023Newspaper Columns, , Leave a comment

The Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
March 2, 2023
By Pat Edwards

This week, a beautiful angel flew home. Kathy Warden held a special place in Jim’s and my hearts. I wrote about her in my column a few weeks ago without naming her. She worked for us at the Lorane Family Store for many years and she and her husband, Gary, raised their children, Jeramie and Paula, in the home they rented from us across the street from the store. She was more than an employee… more than a friend… so much more to not only us, but many others in the community of Lorane. She loved children and related to them easily… she was “Aunt Kathy” to not only our grandkids, but to many other young people in the community, as well. She babysat them when they were little and she and Nancy O’Hearn, who lived with the Wardens for many years until her passing, welcomed them and their friends in the home the Wardens moved to on south Territorial as they grew into their teenage years and later, adulthood.

Once Jeramie and Paula began providing her with grandchildren, her world revolved around not only them, but those belonging to her “chosen family” that she claimed and loved through the years. Those 3 granddaughters, 4 grandsons and 1 great-grandson, who all lived close-by, were her pride and joys and they brightened her world until the very end.

Kathy’s health deteriorated over the years to the point that she spent way too much time on a ventilator in the hospital, but each time she came home, she seemed to bounce back to Gary and the family who was always there for her. The pandemic years were the hardest. Her health was so fragile that she stayed isolated at home as much as possible and she had few visitors. Jim and I hadn’t seen her for two years when we made our “goodbye” visit to her a couple of weeks ago when she was put in hospice care at home.

I believe she was at peace when she left us, and we are all grateful that she is no longer suffering the pain and discomfort that was so familiar to her. Our deep condolences go out to her husband Gary and all of her family at this painful time. Kathy leaves a piece of herself in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

The Lorane Community Association just announced that the beautiful and very popular Lorane mural, created by local artists, Karen Pigeon and Alix Mosier, will soon be placed at its new location at the corner of Territorial and Cottage Grove-Lorane Roads. The new owners of the Lorane Family Store asked it to be moved as they needed the space where it was originally placed. It has been in storage until a new site could be chosen. It will still be on the store property, but closer to the corner, beyond the gas tanks. The construction for its placement is beginning this week thanks to the Jentzsch family who have volunteered their services.

This past week, Jim and I attended the Lorane Grange Dessert and Bingo Night as we try to do each time it’s held. We always have a good time and there is usually a good turnout from the community. The Grange is active and quite a few members take part in it as well as non-members. This past week was exceptional, however. Lil Thompson reports that she counted at least 40 people in attendance… many new ones and several who say that they will be returning later this month. It’s always a lively and fun group, and Randy Eschleman, the caller, keeps the game moving along at a good clip and evokes lots of laughs throughout the evening. No one seems to mind if they aren’t able to yell “Bingo.” It’s for a good cause as the proceeds go towards building maintenance, scholarships and community activities.

The Crow Grange is returning to its 1st and 3rd Saturday evening schedule for dinner and bingo. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. and bingo begins at 7:00 p.m. I’m too late in announcing this for the first March game, but the next one will be held on March 18.
Creswell Grange has their bingo night once a month on the 3rd Wednesday, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The next Rural Art Center movie night at the Lorane Grange is on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a dinner of soup and fresh-baked bread before the movie begins.

Hopefully, we’ll be enjoying some dry and warmer weather by the time this is in print. I think we’re all a bit tired of snow and ice now. I know that I’m aware of Spring Fever beginning to nibble at my consciousness. Fingers crossed!

Sweet Lorane Community News, February 16, 2023

February 16, 2023Newspaper Columns, Leave a comment

The Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
February 16, 2023
By Pat Edwards

Sadly, the community of Lorane, Oregon, has lost one of its own this past month.
Bill Mitchell was one of the few remaining “old-timers” of my generation who had been born and lived his whole life in Lorane. He and his wife Charlotte, who preceded him in death in 2015, were good friends of ours. In fact, Jim and I bought our store—the Lorane Family Store—from the Mitchell family in December 1977. The Mitchell and Edwards families were the only owners of it until we sold it in early 2022. Our combined ownership encompassed 87 years—the Mitchells owned it for 43 years and Jim and I had it for 44 years.

Bill and Charlotte Mitchell on their wedding day

Jim and I attended the memorial reception in Bill’s honor at the Lorane Rebekah Lodge last weekend. As expected, the hall was filled with many whose lives Bill and Charlotte had touched through the years. The food buffet, that was provided by the Rebekah and Theta Rho groups was filled with wonderful, home-cooked casseroles, salads and desserts, that were so much in keeping with the way potlucks were done in years past. There wasn’t a single bucket of KFC or bag of potato chips in sight.

Don’t get me wrong… I realize that our modern day “potlucks” are the result of health concerns about food preparation done in unlicensed kitchens in private homes and the fact that today’s families are made up of parents who both work full time jobs, making it necessary for some to provide fast food options for group gatherings. I confess… I love KFC, so it’s not such a hardship as far as I’m concerned. It’s just that the tater-tot-topped hamburger casserole, the yummy pot of bacon and an assortment of beans, the always popular green bean casserole, the very cheesy mac-and cheese, the peach cobbler, chewy brownies, and so many others, were all fun to experience again. Bill would have been thrilled. I’ve attended a lot of these local get-togethers with both Bill and Charlotte and the food and the company present that day honored them well.

We extend our deepest condolences to the Mitchell family and the Lorane community for the loss of a friend and good man.

After we left the reception, Jim and I made our way down the road to pay an extremely hard—yet very special—visit to a long-time friend. To maintain her privacy, I won’t mention her name, but she worked for us for many years; she babysat our grandkids, was a surrogate “auntie” to them and showered them with love through their childhoods. Jim and I haven’t visited her since the pandemic kept us all apart, but we kept in touch through messages and an occasional phone call. Her fragile health kept her isolated from all but family. But, last weekend was an exception; we called ahead to see if she would be up to seeing us… if home hospice care would allow visitors.

Goodbyes are so hard, but I’m glad we went. We didn’t stay long, but while we were there, we were able to share our memories of the store, as it once was, and the friends and families we had through the years. Our daughter, her son, and his little daughter and infant son—our great-grandchildren—visited her the next day to say their goodbyes, too. I got the sense that she was at peace, knowing how much love surrounds her from a caring family and the many friends she has made through the years.

That’s the way it should be.