Norvin M. Coles

Norvin M. Coles, 78, of Cove, died March 23 at a local care center. Services will begin at 10 a.m. April 10 at the Lighthouse Church, 705 Island Ave., Island City. There will also be a Masonic Ceremony. Friends may join the family for lunch afterward.

Norvin was born July 13, 1931, to Moody (Buster) Coles and Ethel (Simonis) Coles Follett in Baker City. He was brought up at Wolfe Creek and for some time in the Portland area while his father was being treated for cancer. Eventually his mother moved the family to Union.

Norvin attended school and graduated from Union High. He was active in FFA and was the chapter vice-president. While in school, he met Eleanor Beck and later married her, his high school sweetheart.

As a teenager, he worked for various employers and in his early 20s went to work for Union Pacific. He retired after 40 years of service with the railroad.

He was a member of the Grande Ronde Valley No. 56 Lodge since 1957, and was a past master. He was also past master and Hiram Award winner of Cove No. 91. Other Masonic affiliations were York and Scottish Rite, Shriners, Royal Order of Scotland and Eastern Star. He enjoyed his membership with Cove Sportsman Club and the New Bridge Grange.

Norvin and Eleanor owned homes in Union, La Grande and Cove, where they farmed and lived for the last 40 years. Norvin enjoyed fishing, hunting and mule and horse packing. They maintained cabins at Troy and Richland for fishing.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor L. Coles of Cove; sons, Norvin M. (Skip) Coles Jr. of North Powder and James T. Coles of Olathe, Kan.; daughter, Karen B. Haser of Belfair, Wash.; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Willard; infant son, Richard; and step-father, Lee Follett.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Norvin and Eleanor Coles Scholarship Fund in care of Cove Masonic Lodge or to the Shriners Hospital.

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