Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Lifelong resident of Hood River County Jimmie Howard Oates passed away peacefully on Nov. 29, 2019, four days past his 94th birthday. He was the second child of George and Erma Peers Oates of Dee, Ore. His siblings were Mary Jane Oates Dethman and Don Oates. Their first home was in a company house at the Dee Mill. By his teen years, they had moved into Hood River and Jimmie graduated early from Hood River High in order to enter the Navy in 1944. He served in the Pacific, in the invasions of Okinawa and the Phillipines.
After the war, Jimmiemarried his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Frisbie. They raised three children:Â Greg, Mike and Margaret, in their new home on Belmont.
Jimmie and his best friend, Floyd Dethman, had established the D and O Logging company, which they ran for many years. In 1970, Jimmie bought an orchard in Odell and moved his family into a large farmhouse on Chamberlain Drive, where his grandson now lives. Energetically, he applied himself to a new kind of work. In addition to pears, there were a number of peach trees. The family picked them and sold them at the farm. A few cherry trees and apples filled out the ranch. Cider making became an annual family event.Â
His children married and the grandchildren began to arrive in the late ‘70s. He and Marj built a lovely home on Highway 35 overlooking Odell and Mount Adams. They were active square dancers and made many friends throughout the Gorge. Some became camping buddies. They enjoyed camping frequently in the Mount Adams area. They took grandkids along and babysat. The Oregon coast was a favorite destination. Later, they spent winters in Mesa, Ariz.
Jimmie was a founding member of the Westside Fire Deptment. He was an assistant Boy Scout leader and was a member of Asbury Methodist and its partnership in Spirit of Grace Church.
Marjorie preceded him in death in 2014. He is survived by his children, Greg and his wife, Shelley Oates, Mike and his wife, Kathy Oates, and Margaret and her husband, Robert Godard; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life is pending for some time in January.Â
Arrangements under the direction of Anderson’s Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
To plant a tree in memory of Jimmie Oates as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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