Helen Bernice Deatherage

Helen Deatherage, age 97, of La Grande, died May 20, 2016 at a local care facility. A funeral will be held on Thursday, May 26th at 2:00 p.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with a sweet reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Private interment will be at the Grandview Cemetery.

Helen Deatherage was born on Dec. 17, 1918 in Wolf Point, Montana to Hugo and Ethel Johnson. She grew up on the ranch her father homesteaded outside Wolf Point, working cattle with her older brother, Walt.

The family moved into Wolf Point so the teenagers could attend High School. Helen graduated in 1936, and went on to North Montana College where she earned a degree in elementary education in 1938.
Helen was almost fired before her first day of school by teaching the school board chairman's children dance steps. His wife pled her case by saying it wasn't dancing - it was rhythmic exercise.
Helen taught in a variety of Montana's one room schools, in Nashua, Pony and while working in Harlem, Montana, she met John Deatherage. They became great friends and were engaged to be married, but World War II broke out. John enlisted in the Navy, and they married in Annapolis, MD, where John was stationed in 1944.

After the war, Helen continued teaching while John studied at OSU and then went to dental school. They came to La Grande in 1952, to set up a dental practice.

Here they raised their family of three children: Mark, Molly, and Meleah. The family spent time camping, backpacking, hunting, fishing, and snowshoeing. Helen taught Sunday School , helped lead the youth group and the couple's club at St. Peter's. In later years, she served as Senior Warden, Lay Eucharistic Minister and actively participated in the ecumenical Cursillo movement.
Helen and John loved ballroom dancing and began teaching some of the young people in Imbler. The Imbler Dance Club was formed and soon La Grande also started a dance club .Many evenings were spent practicing dance steps in the living room.

Helen's real love was children. After moving to La Grande, she became involved with PTA, the United Way, and was very active as a leader in the local and regional Girl Scout program. She also directed a camp at Ascension School in Cove. Helen was tapped as Woman of the Year by the La Grande - Union County Chamber of Commerce in 1973.

Widowed in 1974, Helen sold John's dental practice to Dr. Edgar Shiroma and enjoyed working there until her retirement.
Helen successfully fought a battle with cancer and participated in forming a cancer support group. When asked how she managed to survive the cancer, she responded, "Excellent doctors, a positive attitude, prayer, and pumpkin pie."

She began working with Neighbor to Neighbor when it was mostly a soup kitchen for shut-ins, helping it grow to a strong food bank for needy folks in La Grande. She helped unload truckloads of food, stock shelves, fill boxes, stack wood for winter fuel, and recruited people to help out. Helen was always on the lookout for tall strong men to volunteer, figuring that they could reach and manage the boxes she could not. She worked there until she was 92 and her health began to fail.

She is survived by her son Mark (Lindy) Deatherage of Grants Pass, daughters Molly Deatherage, living in Ballina, Ireland, and Meleah (Dan) Sheehy of La Grande; grandchildren Haley Deatherage Akin, Neil Deatherage, Molly Sheehy Urich, Casey Sheehy, and Danielle Jacks; and two great-grandchildren. Those who wish may make contributions in her memory to St.Peter's Outreach or to a charity of one's choice in care of Daniels~Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center.

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