George Clayton Starner of Umatilla passed away on April 28, 2024 at the age of 75.
He was born on Aug. 12, 1948 in North Bend the third child of George and Gladys Tanner Starner.
George lived with his family in Florence, where his father sold fuel and owned and operated a sawmill until 1958, when the family moved to Bend. In 1962, the family moved to Lostine and opened Starner Lumber, which entailed a sawmill and logging operations that operated until the 1980s.
George attended Lostine School his freshman and sophomore years and Wallowa School his junior and senior years, after the two schools merged. He graduated from Wallowa School in 1966. He was drafted in 1968 and served in the Vietnam War. George and his wife, Terrie had four daughters, lived in Promise for many years, and later divorced. In 1993, George married the love of his life, Jane. Happily married for 23 years, they lived together in Umatilla.
George loved spending time with his family, gardening and being in the outdoors, hunting, mushrooming, camping, and looking for rocks. He and Jane were often carting home the latest finds. Together, they spent many years enjoying a flourishing garden and traveling the western United States. Sadly, we lost Jane in 2016 after a battle with cancer, something Dad never really recovered from.
We’re thankful for the memories we hold in our hearts and the years we got to spend with Dad and only wish it could have been longer. He is greatly missed, and our only comforts are that he can finally be with his wife, Jane again and one day we will see him again.
George is survived by his daughters, Kimi Starner of Wallowa, Niki (Dean) Estes of Enterprise, Klista May of Darby, Mont. and Cindi Starner of Lostine; his stepson, Chris (Robert) Hoots of Portland; 16 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; his sister, Sharylin of Puyallup, Wash.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane; his parents, George and Gladys; and his siblings, Delvin and Joan.
A celebration of life will be held at the Enterprise VFW Hall on Aug. 10, 2024 at noon. Please bring photos if you have them and memories to share.
Online condolences to his family may be left on the Burns Mortuary website, burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
