The Applegater

2 Winter 2021 Applegater OBITUARIES Robert E. Baize July 10, 1936 – October 9, 2021 Rober t E. "Bob" Baize, 8 5 , p a s s e d away Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, at Providence Medical Center with his family by his side. H e w a s b o r n i n M e d f o r d , O r e g o n , o n July 10, 1936, and graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1954. At the age of 17, he started driving logging trucks. After years of hauling logs, he drove a feed truck for Western Farmers for 18 years. He then spent the next 20 years hauling steel for American and Far West Steel. In between truck driving and starting a family with his wife, Dona, he served in the US Army and was honorably discharged in 1964, after attaining the rank of E6 Staff Sergeant. He spent his entire life in the Applegate Valley. He was a charter member of the Applegate Lions Club, served on the Applegate School Board for many years, and was appointed to Applegate Fi re Di s t r i c t #9 Fire Board. He retired at the age of 62 a n d w a s a n avid collector of vintage log t r u c k s . H e loved his time in retirement w o r k i n g o n restoring the logging trucks and the time he got to spend at truck shows. Bob was preceded in death by his son Dennis. He is survived by his wife, Dona; children, Terry, Patty and Pam; and seven grandchildren. Bob would talk to anyone he came across and considered everyone his friend. He will be missed by many. Bob always said, "I just want to be remembered." In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. is information is furnished by the Applegate Lions Club in memory of a beloved charter member. J e a n n e L e e Fletcher passed away on August 23, 2021, during a visit to the Bay Area to be with her adult children. She was 81 years old. J e a n n e w a s b o r n i n Ha s t i n g s , Nebraska, to Harold and Bonnie Newell. She is survived by her four children: Kim Whitaker Montes, K e l l y W h i t a k e r A g n o l e t t i , R i c k Whitaker (spouse: Jeanne Whitaker), and Kristen Whitaker (spouse: Trey Garcia). S h e h a d f o u r grandchildren: Rick and Lexi Montes, Sarah and Amanda Whitaker; and one great-granddaughter, Eva Rae Ann Montes. Jeanne lived in California, attending Campbell High School and San Jose City College. She was married at age 19 to Richard Whitaker, father of their four children. ey divorced in 1981. Jeanne met Rex Fletcher, and they married in 1986. ey lived in Gilroy, California, then moved to Applegate, Oregon, in 1998. They built two beautiful homes together, one near Watsonville, California, and the other on ompson Creek Road in Applegate, Oregon. Jeanne and Rex loved riding horseback. Their favorite Jeanne Fletcher October 31, 1939 – August 23, 2021 destination was Copper Basin, Idaho, with their " Bu n Bu s t e r s" posse of friends. B o t h p l a y e d w e e k l y p o k e r, a n d J e a n n e was a longtime m e m b e r o f t h e Ap p l e g a t e Poker Club. R e x p a s s e d a w a y i n Ap r i l 2 0 1 3 . J e a n n e l a t e r m o v e d from Applegate to a charming home in historic J a c k s o n v i l l e , O r e g o n , i n 2018. Jeanne became a member of the Jacksonville Boosters Club. Jeanne was a spritely, beautiful individual loved by many in her community. She revered her friends greatly. eir love and support meant a great deal to her. She will forever be remembered for her "classiness," fairness, sense of style, considerate nature, her smile, wit, and sense of humor. She was a true friend to all and loved her friends dearly. Jeanne loved animals, nature, hiking, food, cooking, history, learning, her friends, and especially family. She was a beloved mother, wife, and friend who will forever be in our hearts. T h e R o g u e R i v e r - Siskiyou National Forest has a new district ranger for the Siskiyou Mountain R a n g e r D i s t r i c t . T h e district stretches from the outskirts of Ashland on the east to Oregon Caves National Monument on the west, and from the Star Ranger Station on Upper Applegate Road on the north to the southern reaches of Red Buttes Wilderness in California on the south. Jennifer "Jen" Sanborn, who reported to her new position on October 11, has worked as an assistant f i e l d m a n a g e r f o r t h e Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management, the Butte Falls Field Office, since 2013. Jen said she is pleased to start a new career path while remaining in southern Oregon. After growing up in the Midwest, attending grade school in Michigan, and graduating high school from Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Jen received a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University. Her career has primarily been in southern Oregon, starting at the Medford District Bureau of Land Management as a seasonal Wildlife Technician, then becoming the lead Wildlife Biologist for the Chiloquin, Chemult, and Klamath Districts of the Fremont-Winema National Forest. While in that role, she had three temporary promotions: as District Ranger for the Chiloquin District, Natural Resources Management Staff for the Winter Rim Zone in Silver Lake, and as the Planning Team Leader at the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Randle, Washington. During her time with the Medford District Bureau of Land Management as an assistant field manager for the Butte Falls Field Office, Jen gained experience as a wildfire agency administrator and explored various temporary promotions into Field Manager positions with the Butte Falls and Ashland Field Offices, the Assistant District Manager in Medford, and the Field Manager/National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Manager with the Vale District, Bureau of Land Management in Baker City, Oregon. "I'm excited to lead the district through some very unique and challenging times," Jen said. "I look forward to continuing to work with our high-caliber partners in the Ashland and Applegate watersheds and throughout the Rogue Valley. "Some of my earliest memories are of the scent of ponderosa pines on camping trips with my family in Colorado. I went to grade school in southern Michigan and spent a lot of my leisure time running around in the oak woodlands and fields there. By junior high, I'd decided to have a career in 'something to do with trees'!" For a little over a decade, Jen was one of the seasonal "owl hooters" surveying for northern spotted owls at Medford District Bureau of Land Management, where she met her husband, who was a civil engineering technician. As the supervisory zone biologist responsible for Chiloquin, Klamath, and Chemult Districts, she helped develop and implement large-scale fuels reduction and habitat enhancement projects in partnerships with the Klamath Tribes and local fire districts. Jen and her husband live near Gold Hill with two rescue dogs and a cat. Her hobbies include landscaping projects and photography. She and her husband enjoy visiting wineries and exploring the Rogue Valley and the Northwest, camping with friends, and traveling to see public lands throughout the country. Kelly Wickens Public Affairs Specialist Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest kelly.wickens@usda.gov New ranger appointed for Siskiyou Mountain district BY KELLY WICKENS Jennifer Sanborn is the new district ranger for the Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District. The Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. Map: US Forest Service. Applegater were working with Jeanette LeTourneux on the Facebook page, helping convert archived history articles into digital files, formatting articles prior to editing, and updating the Applegater's display boards of its history. Rachel is back at SOU now, working toward a career in publishing. We miss her at the Applegater, appreciate her work with us, and wish her well as she moves into a career she is well prepared for. Diana Coogle, Board Chair, Applegater Newsmagazine, diana@applegater.org T h a n k s , R a c h e l H a r r i s ! During spring and summer terms at Southern Oregon University, Rachel Harris, a senior at SOU, worked as an intern at the Applegater. is was a most pleasing experience! Rachel was a tremendous help to us, and, according to the evaluation she submitted at the end of her internship, she both enjoyed working with us and learned a lot about the newspaper profession and nonprofit organizations during her internship. Rachel attended editorial committee meetings and board meetings, where she gave us many intelligent and helpful observations. Among the many tasks she did for the

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