John "Bill" William Boothman

John William "Bill" Boothman, 87, of La Grande, died Nov. 20 at a local care center.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday at Loveland Funeral Chapel at 1 p.m. A luncheon at St. Peters Episcopal Church will follow the service.

Bill was born Aug. 14, 1921, to Albert and Nancy (Hitchon) Boothman in Twisp, Wash. He graduated from Tonasket High School in 1937. His family moved to the Grande Ronde Valley in the 1940s, purchasing a cattle ranch at the base of Ladd Canyon.

He married Jackie Wilson in La Grande in 1956, and together with their children they continued ranching. Although the cattle always took much of his time, his family was a very important part of his life.

Bill was a past master of the La Grande Masonic Lodge, past president of the Union County Cattlemen's Association, past president of the Union County Farm Bureau and Cattleman of the Year in 1978.

Survivors include his wife, Jackie, of La Grande; children Dan (Pat) Boothman, Carol (Brad) Byron and Billie Jo Boothman, all of La Grande; nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; a brother, Tant, of Othello, Wash., and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and two sisters.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Home Health/Hospice or the Union County Masons Reading Program.

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