Sue Baisley

Sue (Taylor) Baisley, 88, of Baker City, died Wednesday, October 17, 2018 in Baker City at the Saint Alphonsus Medical Center with her family at her side.   A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, October 27, 2018~ 1:00p.m. at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception to be held immediately following the service at the Baker City Nazarene Church on Hughes Lane.

Sue was born October 26, 1929 in Talihina, Oklahoma.  She was born to Roy and Mollie Taylor as Ida Sue, but she always preferred being called Sue.

She moved to Portland, Oregon when she was quite young.  Sue had fond memories of her school days there.  She spent a lot of time roller skating at the Oaks Park.  In fact, she became quite an accomplished figure/freestyle roller-skater. 

When Sue was in high school, her family moved to Baker, Oregon where her father, a carpenter, began his own house-building business.  During her teenage years, Sue worked at the well-known Tops Cafe. 

Eventually, Sue met a man who would become her best friend and life-long partner.  She married Vern Baisley on December 4, 1954 in Baker, Oregon.  Their journey together began in the small towns of North Powder and later Unity, Oregon.  Vern’s job with the lumber mill brought them back to Baker.  After much hard work and planning they were able to eventually build their dream home on 160 acres outside of Baker City during the mid 1960’s.  This home on Alder Creek Road was built by Sue’s father Roy Taylor.  Here they raised five children, cattle, sheep, horses and numerous crops.

Music and laughter often filled the rooms of the home Vern and Sue built together.  The kids were entertained by watching their parents dance around the kitchen together to the sounds of their favorite old country tunes.  Sue loved games, not just card games, she wasn’t afraid to hit a ball or shoot hoops with the “kids.”

Sue’s hobbies included sewing, crosswords, and gardening.  She loved to cook for family gatherings.  Whether it was a 4 a.m. breakfast for a hunting party, a Thanksgiving feast, or feeding the hay crews, Sue never seemed to waiver in her determination to make sure everyone was well fed. 

Her caring heart went well beyond just feeding friends and family.  She was a devoted grandmother who loved nothing more than to cuddle her grandchildren or sing them a catchy little tune they still recall.  Over the years she spent hours helping Vern on the ranch and nursing lambs and calves back to health.  Sue was also very involved in the Baker County 4-H program.  She was not just a supportive 4-H parent, but she was a club leader and fair clerk for many years.

After losing her soul mate, Sue moved back to town where she became a member of the Nazarene Church and volunteered at their Compassion Center.  She spent her remaining years in Baker City often visited by her loving family and friends.

Sue was preceded in death by her husband Vern Baisley; Infant Twin daughters and daughter Marlinda Baisley; son-in-law Chris Ellis; grandson Bill Lethlean; infant great-grandson Paxton York; sister Maudie Dawley.

She is survived by daughters Diana Evans York (Paul) of La Grande, OR; Gladys Lethlean (Kim) of Baker City, OR; Sami Walton (Dennis) of Payette, ID; son Mike Baisley of Bend, OR; 8 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren and numerous neices and nephews.

For those who would like to make a memorial donation in honor of Sue, the family suggests the Baker County 4-H Association Scholarship Fund through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services PO Box 543, Halfway, Oregon 97834.  Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com