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Albert R. Spencer, 82, of 901 4th St., La Grande, died Saturday at a local hospital.

Spencer was born on April 14, 1889 at La Grande, the son of Josephine and Joseph Spencer. He was a member of the First Christian Church of La Grande, and the Elks Lodge No. 433. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman.

Survivors include his wife Abbie of La Grande; daughters, Margery M. Reynolds, La Grande and Thelma Eden, Pendleton; four grandchildren, Mrs. Lee Wick of Aloha, Ore., Mrs. Robert Strans of Beaverton, Mrs. Marva Wiggins of Portland, and Mrs. Dan Luvy, Eugene; and 11 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the First Christian Church with the Rev. Gordon Mildrum officiating. Vault interment will follow at the Grandview Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Daniels Funeral Chapel.

A memorial service will be held in the middle of August at Trinity Methodist Church in Los Osos.

Mr. Spencer was born in his grandmother's log house in La Grande, Ore., on Dec. 31, 1901.  His mother died when he was 3 years old and his mother's sister cared for him until his father remarried.  During high school he played the trumpet and saxophone in the high school band.  He kept up with his music while he was attending Oregon State University, not only
in the school band but in a small dance band he organized.  He majored in general merchandising but continued to play music all his life.  After college he was offered a position with a small merchandising chain store in La Grande.  In Union, Oregon he became reacquainted with a high school friend, Zelpha Beach.  They were married on June 29, 1924, and recently
celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary.

Mr. Spencer was sent to Wenatchee, Wash., to work as the manager of the company store.  He left there to work in the only large department store in Wenatchee as the assistant manager of the shoe department.  He soon became manager but left a short time later for an opportunity to buy the lease and own his own business in ladies shoes.  He kept the business for 32 years.

After a visit to the California coast, he and his wife retired to Los Osos, moving there in 1968 to the Daisy Hill Mobil Home Estates.  He was active there in the social committee, as well as the breakfast committee, called Bingo for 25 years and enjoyed companionship at the pool table.

He loved people, nature, music and sports and was an avid golfer.  He was a member of the Rotary International with 26 years perfect attendance and was a member of the merchants committee in Wenatchee.  He was secretary of the Salvation Army Board of Directors and then served as President for three years.  He also was a member of the Washington State Apple Blossom Committee for several years and was a member of Trinity Methodist Church in Los Osos for many years.

He is survived by Zelpha Beach Spencer, his wife of 74 years; a brother, Fred Spencer, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family asks that contributions be made to the Building Fund at Trinity Methodist Church in Los Osos.

 Jesse W(ells) Spencer, 53, for the past 32 years a conductor and brakeman for the Union Pacific railroad in the Grande Ronde valley, died at a local hospital yesterday. Coroner L.L. Snodgrass believed from a heart attack. He had undergone an operation for appendicitis.

 Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the Snodgrass Funeral home with Rev F.L. Shoemaker officiating and burial in the Masonic cemetery.

 Mr. Spencer was born July 5, 1887 in Lucas, IA. He had been a resident of the valley for the past 34 years. He lived at 2110 Cedar Street and was a member of the Elks lodge and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, No. 315.

 Survivors include his widow Mrs. Ruth (Plass) Spencer; his parents Mr. And Mrs. Elijah Spencer, Lucas, Ia; one son Stanley, LaGrande; three daughters, Mrs. Dorothy (Stanley) Bradshaw and Mrs. Doris Allen, LaGrande, and Mrs. Evelyn VonWald, Van Nuys, Calif; three brothers and two sisters in Iowa, one brother in Portland and two grandchildren.

Death yesterday ended a long and painful illness suffered by Joseph Spencer, a well-known citizen of North La Grande. Mr. Spencer was ill for several weeks. He was about 63 years of age at the time of his death and is survived by a widow and several grown children.

The funeral was held this afternoon from the family home near the planing mill and Dr. J. D. Gillian officiated.

Mr. Marion Francis Spencer, 96, a retired Grande Ronde Valley farmer died in a local nursing home Monday. Funeral services will be held at Dempsey's Funeral Chapel, Wednesday at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Gordon Mildrum officiating. Burial will be in the Island City Cemetery.

Mr. Spencer was born near La Grande on the Old Stange Ranch area on January 15, 1874, and he lived all of his life in the Grande Ronde Valley. He was the oldest son of Joseph and Mary Josephine Spencer.

He leaves a brother, Albert Ross Spencer, who is the youngest son of the family and the only one left of the ten children. There are 18 nephews and nieces, other relatives and friends.

Mr. Spencer was a banjo player in the Blue Mountain Wranglers during the 1930s.

Services and arrangements are entrusted to the care of the Dempsey's Funeral Chapel.

Death called two of the Grande Ronde valley's foremost pioneer women during the weekend, when Mrs. Mary Spencer, 83, died Friday afternoon and Mrs. Mary Foley, 72, early Saturday morning. Each had been closely associated with, and helped make, the history of this country for 71 years, each having settled here in 1865.

Funeral services for Mrs. Spencer were held at the Snodgrass & Zimmerman chapel yesterday afternoon, with Rev. Paul De. F. Mortimore in charge. Burial followed in the cemetery at Island City beside her husband, Joseph Spencer, who died August 26, 1911.

Mary Josephine Buchanan was born in Iowa February 26, 1853. She crossed the plains to the Oregon country with her parents in 1865, locating in the Grande Ronde valley where she lived until her death. She was married to Mr. Spencer in December 1871, in La Grande. Three of her 10 children preceded her in death. She died after a long illness at her home here, at the age of 83 years, 4 months, 7 days. Mrs. Spencer was a member of the Christian church.

Survivors include 7 sons; Marion, Jesse, Charles, Roy, Fred, Lawrence and Bert; a brother, Joe Buchanan, Burns; a sister, Mrs. Eliza Martin, Moro; 20 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Jess W. Spencer, of Emmett, Ida., but formerly a business man at Union, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Eva Hess [Hessemer], Montesano, Wash., yesterday morning, it was learned here today.

Funeral services for Mr. Spencer will be held at the Methodist church at Union Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock.

Mr. Spencer was the son of pioneer, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Spencer, who came to this valley in the year 1863.

Full details of his obituary were not available today.

GRANGE HALL. Nov. 23 - (Special) - A large circle of friends and relatives were present for the funeral service held for W. J. Spencer at the Methodist Episcopal church in Union Monday afternoon.  The services were held at 2 o'clock with Rev. Cecil G. Hannan, of the First Methodist Episcopal church of La Grande, officiating.  Burial was in the Union cemetery.  An unusual feature of the services was that Mr. Spencer's pall bearers were his six brothers.

William Jesse Spencer, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Spencer, Grande Ronde valley pioneers of 1864 and 1865, was born in the Grange Hall district, near La Grande on Sept. 23, 1875, and died of bronchial pneumonia Friday morning, Nov. 19 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Eva Hessemer of Montesano, Wash.

Married In 1897

Mr. Spencer spent the early part of his life on a farm east of La Grande.  His school days were spent in the Liberty and the Island City schools.  In 1897 he married Miss Nannie Childers, daughter of valley pioneers and to this union two children were born, Eva and Gerald.  After the death of his wife, which occurred in 1904 he move to Union where he was in business for almost a quarter of a century, and a part of this time acting as salesman for a large implement company.

In 1907 he marred Miss Virgie Boles, daughter of another Union county pioneer family, who survives him.  Four children, a daughter and three sons, were born to this union.

About ten years ago he, together with his family, moved to extreme Eastern Oregon where he was in the hotel business.  A year ago the family moved to Emmett, Ida., his home at the time of his death.

Of very recent years the deceased became the subject of heart trouble.  Three weeks ago, by the recommendation of his physician, he joined his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hessemer at Montesano, hoping the lower altitude would benefit his health.  But shortly after his arrival there he contracted the illness that was the cause of his death.

Besides his widow he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Hessemer of Montesano, and Miss Cleo Spencer of Emmett; four sons, Gerald, of Wenatchee, Wash.; Claude, of Seattle, Wash.; Gilbert, of Emmett; Fred, of Fresno, Cal., and two grandchildren, Doris and Robert Hessemer of Montesano.  Six brothers - Marion, Charles, Roy, Fred and Bert, all of La Grande and Lawrence of near Summerville survive.  All the members of his immediate family, except Fred of Fresno, were present for the funeral.

Mr. Spencer was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, having united with that organization in 1934 while living at Nyssa.