Hill, Raymond Chester

Raymond Chester Hill, 89, died Sept. 21, 2008, at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles.

He was born Aug. 4, 1919, in The Dalles, to Chester and Griselda (Pridham) Hill.

Ray lived in The Dalles until 1920, when his family moved to Goldendale. He graduated from Goldendale High School in 1936, then from Washington State College (now Washington State University) in 1940.

On Dec. 20, 1940, he married Helen Willis. Ray enlisted in the Army Air Force on Aug. 29, 1942, in the Army Air Corps Glider Service. He served as a Tech Sergeant for the 370th Bomb Squadron in the South Pacific during World War II. He flew 43 combat missions. He was awarded an Air Medal on three separate occasions, the Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal and a World War II Victory Medal. Ray received an honorable discharge from military service on June 16, 1945.

After the war, he farmed with his father and brother.

Ray was very active in the community and was a member of many fraternal organizations including the Masonic Lodge, Masada Shriners, the Order of Eastern Star, the American Legion and the Washington State Grange. He served as State Master of the Grange from 1983 to 1989. He was a lifetime member of Goldendale Grange 49.

Ray belonged to the Goldendale Methodist Church and served as a Klickitat Valley Grain Growers board member and was on the Goldendale School Board. Besides these community activities, he had many hobbies that kept him busy.

Ray enjoyed woodworking, flying, mountain climbing, gardening, and collecting old tractors.

Survivors include his wife, Helen, 68 years; three children, Lynn Wanless, Ken Hill and Jim Hill; brother, Harold Hill; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Oct. 11, at the United Methodist Church in Goldendale.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Goldendale Grange 49 Scholarship Fund, Masada Shriner’s Hospital of Spokane, or the Goldendale United Methodist Church Scholarship Fund.

The following story appeared in the Washington State Grange News in the November 2008 edition. It has been copied here with the permission (on Oct 25, 2010) of June Hendrickson, Master of the Washington State Grange Death claims past State Master Ray Hill Raymond Chester Hill died Sept. 21 at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles, Ore. He was 89 years of age. For six years (1983-1989) Ray Hill served as master of the Washington State Grange and presided over the decision resulting in a move of State Grange headquarters from Seattle to Olympia. Previous to his three terms as state master he served as State Grange overseer (1973-1983) and later was elected to the state executive committee (1989-1994). On the local level he was a county deputy state master and a special deputy for the State Grange. From 1971 until his election as state master Ray Hill led the organization’s legislative efforts in Olympia. In 1982 he was chosen to sit on the board of the Grange Mutual Life Company. Ray Hill was born Aug. 4, 1919, in The Dalles but the family moved to Goldendale the following year. After graduating from Goldendale High School in 1936 he went on to graduate in 1940 from Washington State College (now Washington State University). On Dec. 20, 1940, he married Helen Willis. Two years later he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served in the Army Air Corps Glider Service. He was a Tech Sergeant for the 370th Bomb Squadron in the South Pacific during World War II, flying 43 combat missions. On three separate occasions he was awarded an Air Medal and he also received the Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal and a World War II Victory Medal. After the war, he farmed in the Goldendale area with his father and brother. Past Master Hill was very active in the community and was a member of several fraternal organizations besides the Grange including the Masonic Lodge, Masada Shriners, the Order of Eastern Star and the American Legion. He was a lifetime member of Goldendale Grange and over the years he held many offices and positions of responsibility with his local and Klickitat County Pomona Granges. Mr. Hill also belonged to the Goldendale Methodist Church and served as a Klickitat Valley Grain Growers board member. He was an elected member of the Goldendale School Board, was for a time an ASCS committeeman (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, now USDA’s Farm Service Agency) and he was president of the Yakima-Klickitat Wheat Association. Over the years he had many hobbies that provided much satisfaction such as woodworking, flying, mountain climbing, gardening and collecting old tractors. Survivors include Helen, his wife of 68 years; three children – Lynn Wanless, Ken Hill and Jim Hill; brother, Harold Hill; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held Oct. 11 at the United Methodist Church in Goldendale. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Goldendale Grange Scholarship Fund, Masada Shriner’s Hospital of Spokane, or the Goldendale United Methodist Church Scholarship Fund.

Howland, Marvin
Published in the Goldendale Sentinel June 2, 1938

Marvin Howland was born at Belmonde, Iowa, November 11, 1876. He attended the University at Madison, Wisconsin, and majored in civil engineering. He worked his way through the university and graduated in 1904. He worked at location and railroad construction work all the way from the east out to the west coat. He moved to Klickitat county in March, 1911, where he did location work for the S.P. & S. railroad. He then took up a timber claim near Appleton, Washington where he lived for several years. A few years later he accepted the position as engineer for the Western Pine Lumber Company, and moved to Klickitat. When the J. Nells Lumber Company bought out the Western Pine they retained him as civil engineer. At the time of his death he was employed by J. Nells Lumber company and was engaged in locating and constructing a new logging railroad from Klickitat into the Mount Adams district. He was residing in Klickitat at the time of his death, May 27, 1938.

He married Grace May Wait in Waukegan, Illinois in February of 1907.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, Miss Alice Howland and Mrs. C. J. McConkey of Klickitat; his mother Sara Lou Howland of Eagle Grove, Iowa; three sisters, Leila Howland and Mrs. Clara Howland Smith, both of Eagle Grove, Iowa, and Mrs. Catherine Vandergone, of White Salmon, Washington; two brothers, E. A. Howland, of Pasadena, California, and H. M. Howland of Klickitat Washington.

Open air funeral services were held from the Gardner Parlors at White Salmon, Sunday, May 29, at 3:30 p.m. Burial followed at the local cemetery in White Salmon.