1923-2009Benjiman Eldon Tallman, 85, of Lebanon,  died Wednesday atGood Samaritan Regional Medical Center while undergoing surgery for an aneurysm suffered earlier that day.  His loving wife, Betty, was at his side.Eldon was born Dec. 12, 1923 in Imperial, Neb., to James Orrin Tallman and Leona Ethzelda Mather.  August 1932, amid the Great Depression, the family moved west, living in Fairfield and Waverly, Wash.  They settled in Nyssa in 1937.He is a former resident of Spray, Ore., Marsing and Caldwell, Idaho, and Sacramento, Calif., where for many years he owned and operated a mechanic shop and an appliance business.  Earlier years, he owned and drove a logging truck.  In Idaho, he was a mechanic and welder for Payne Auto and Notus Machine Shop.  At the age most men retire, he purchased and operated an appliance business in Lebanon, from which he retired at the age of 80.A charter member of the Idaho Racing Association, Eldon may best be remembered for his winning performance on the racetracks of Wilkins and Meridian Speedways in southwest Idaho.A 1941 graduate of Adrian High School, he was a varsity athlete  After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and  following his military service he worked in the shipyard.Eldon was a former Little League baseball coach and member of the Good Sam's Club.  He enjoyed friends, family and of course, telling a good story.  He will be sorely missed.March 10, 1944, in Reno, NV, he married LaVone "Tiny" Hinton, with whom he had two daughters.  The couple divorced November 1954.He married in Winnemucca, Nev, Aug. 15, 1955, Ruby Ann (Owens) Rea, mother of three.  Of that union, three more children were born.  They divorced in 1986.He married in Albany,  June 9, 1987, Betty Evelyn (Glass) Murphy, mother of four. He was preceded in death by his mother Leona (1963); father Orrin (1990); daughter Debra Annette Tallman (1985); and stepsons Ricky Doyal Rea (1996) and Dana Franklin "Butch" Rea Tallman (2003).He is survived by his wife, Betty; three daughters, Connie and husband David Clapier, Marsing, Idaho, Carol and husband Richard Jones, Caldwell, Idaho, and Cinde and husband Yemi Tallman, Sacramento, Calif.; a son Rodney and wife Teri Tallman, Sacramento, Calif.; four stepchildren, Jody and husband Jerry McFadden, Sacramento, Calif., Floyd and wife Peggy Collins of Albany, Carol and husbnad David Ryan, Clackamas, and Virginia Murphy of Minnville; two sisters, Carol Scott of Westminster, Colo., and Ruth Morgan of Port Saint Lucie, Fla.; and two brothers Merrill and wife Peggy Tallman  of Marsing, Idaho, and Keith Tallman of Boardman.  Also to mourn his loss are grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, as well as extended family and friends.A memorial service will at 10 a.m. Tuesday at AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home.A Marsing, Idaho, memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday, January 30, 2009, at  Sandbar River House Restaurant, 18 E. 1st Ave., Marsing, ID.  Interment of ashes will follow at Owyhee Cemetery.AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements ( www.aasum-dufour.com ).