William "Bill" Beck

William "Bill" Beck, 101, of John Day and formerly of Union and Wallowa counties, died at the Blue Mountain Nursing Home Oct. 19.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Bill was born Sept. 20, 1906, to Adam and Bertha (Heeschen) Beck in Davenport, Iowa. His family moved to Wallowa County when he was a very young child then later moved to Union County. Bill married Florence Dial in La Grande in June 1928. They later divorced. He married Alta (Johns) Frazier in July 1974. Alta died in 2002.

As a younger man, Bill was a truck driver, worked at the Mount Emily Mill in La Grande and was a La Grande city firefighter for a number of years. In 1956 he left La Grande for California where he worked for the California Department of Forestry as fire crew foreman. He went to Grant County in 1959 and worked for the Malheur National Forest as foreman of thinning crews and fire crews. Later he became a log scaler for the Malheur National Forest. He retired in 1972.

Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening and all other outdoor activities.

He is survived by daughter Mary Walker of Canyon City; daughter, Patricia Prince of Seattle; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Alta, and six siblings.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Blue Mountain Nursing Home in care of Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day 97845.