Lamarne "Jeanne" BirdJuly 30, 1926 - December 10, 2008Lamarne "Jeanne" Bird, 82 passed away peacefully December 10, 2008 at Timberview Care Center in Albany, Oregon.She was born in La Grande, Oregon to Bert and Elvira (Arnoldus) Abel.  In her early years she lived on the family ranch above Perry and at Hilgard, Oregon where she spent her childhood wandering the hills of the Blue Mountains, adventures that she remembered fondly to her last days.She moved into La Grande to attend high school, graduating in 1945.  After school she worked for the telephone company in Pendleton.  During a visit to her parents at the Mt. Emily Company logging camp in the Blue Mountains near Starkey, she met Tracy Bird.  They were married in Walla Walla, Washington on May Day in 1948.  Their first home was at "camp" where their two daughters, Peggy Diane and Cinda Anne were born.  At the closing of the camp in 1955 they moved into La Grande where they lived until 1963 when they moved to Sherman County Oregon.Jeanne spent many years working as a waitress at Biggs Junction, a situation she really enjoyed.  In 2006, a decade after losing Tracy, she moved to Albany to be near her daughter and son-in-law.  She spend one year at Alterra Courtyard and this last year she was a resident at Timberview Care Center.She loved her flowers, gathering bits of this and that from friends and family through the years, and she grew gorgeous peonies.  She loved animals, and was especially attached to her dogs.No one ever left her home without a hot meal if she could prevent it.  She was a generous soul, her door was always open to friends and family, and the table quickly set.  She was intelligent and well read, and was especially interested in science.  She valued what she called "thinking people".She was "Aunt Jeanne" to 23 nieces and nephews, some of whom spent many summer months at the family home in Wasco.She had a unique way of viewing and dealing with the world. She was dearly loved, and will be greatly missed.She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Peggy and Bill Allen of Bellvue, Washington and Cindy and George Kastl of Albany, Oregon; granddaughters Tina and husband Aaron Moy and their two sons Jack and Blake; and granddaughter Lindsay Allen; sister Ann Abel of Portland and brother Don Abel of Cove, Oregon; her dog Lady "Bug" and cat Grendel.A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Monday, December 29 at the Wasco Church of Christ in Wasco, Oregon.Memorial donations are suggested to the Home at Last Animal Shelter in The Dalles, Oregon or the Sherman County Senior Center, Moro, Oregon.  AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements ( www.aasum-dufour.com ).