SMULL, George John

George Smull Durkee, 1936-2014 George John “Wick” Smull, 78, of Durkee, died March 2, 2014, at St. Alphonsus Care Center in Baker City. There will be a celebration of George’s life at 1 p.m. March 15 at the Durkee Community Grange in Durkee. There will be a potluck afterward. George was born on Jan. 19, 1936, at Dallas, Ore., to George and Daisy Smull. The family owed and worked a small lumber mill. George learned many skills in his younger years while working at the family mill. At the age of 7, he learned to drive Caterpillar and logging equipment pulling logs to the mill. After his two big brothers and older sister returned from the war, his two brothers moved to Haines where they found work on local ranches. As a result, George became passionate about the ranching lifestyle. To achieve that goal and to join his brothers, George, at the age of 13 in 1949, worked an extra job to save $9.36 to pay the price of a bus ticket to Haines. The rest of the family soon followed. In the summers, they would work a small mining claim at Granite. George was a 1954 graduate of Baker High School, where he meets Janice Edwards. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1955, and was stationed at San Diego until his discharge in 1959 when he returned to the Baker area. George and Janice married in 1956 and raised five children: three girls and two boys. They made their home at Baker City, where George spent many years as a building contractor. He learned his cabinetmaking skills at Baker Builder’s Supply. He also worked with Sid Johnson, learning general contracting skills. George then ventured into being a self-employed general contractor, remodeling and building numerous homes in and around the Baker County area. He enjoyed working outdoors and loved his hobby ranching and farming with a few cows and a variety of farm animals. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, and seeing if his 4-by4 pickup would make it through that muddy field or climb that mountain. George and his youngest son, Cas, moved to San Francisco for several of years working construction. He moved to Durkee in 1985, making it his permanent home for the rest of his life doing the things he loved most, farming and ranching for his son, Dale, and in later years his grandson, Jared, along with the rest of the Durkee community. He was always willing to help others ranch and farm, whether it be welding, digging holes with a backhoe, or driving tractor. As life limited his physical abilities, he enjoyed driving around Durkee making sure everyone was OK, and seeing if his friends were getting their work done, if not, he gave them a gentle nudge (grin). He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Zean and Bill Smull; sister, Zelda Harrington; and son, Christopher “Cas” Smull. Survivors include his sister, Daisy (Trevor) Hughes of Logan, Utah; three daughters, Danna Rode (Floyd Morgan) of Baker City, Celeste (Vance) Bennett of Winnemucca, Nev., and Molly Haney- Smull; son, Dale (Sharry) Smull of Durkee; seven grandchildren, Corey Smith, Beamus, Cooper and Duncan Bennett, Jared and Jill Smull and Lorraina Haney-Smull; and three great-grandchildren, Colton and Cas Smith, and Lorelei Smull. Memorial contributions my be made to the Durkee Community Center through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. bakercityherald.com 7 March 2014