Alice Opp

Alice Opp, 96, of La Grande died January 17, 2007 at Grande Ronde Hospital. A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home Chapel in Milton-Freewater. Private interment will be in the Milton-Freewater Cemetery.

Mrs. Opp was born December 26, 1910, in Herdsfield, N.D., to Fred and LIzzie Free Aichele. The first of eight children, she had a great deal of responsibility at an early age, caring for her siblings, cooking for harvest crews, tending horses and milking cows, in addition to attending school.

On June 12, 1930 she married John Opp in Fessenden, N.D. Shortly after her marriage, the entire Aichele family and her new husband moved to the Milton-Freewater area. The couple worked for area farmers picking fruit and vegetables. The Opps would take their only child, Bernice, with them to the fields and orchards, where she would play or sleep on a blanket nearby. On occasion they traveled into Washington to work and live in the camps provided by the farmers. They later also worked for greenhouses in Milton-Freewater and Walla Walla.

Alice loved working with plants and it carried over into her yard. She enjoyed knitting and crocheting and participated in many crafts shows, where she enjoyed meeting people who visited her booth. She was a member of the Church of God and attended services in Milton-Freewater and Walla Walla.

In 1999 the Opps moved to La Grande to be near their daughter and son-in-law. In 2004 Alice moved to Evergreen Vista.

Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Bernice and Orville Miller of La Grande; a sister, Inez Seholm of Pasco, Washington; two grandchildren and one great grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband in 2004.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association in care of Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home Chapel, 902 S. Main Street, Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862.