Clinton Cosner
Clinton Cosner, 89, died May 24, 2010, at Providence Brookside Manor in Hood River, where he had resided about one month.
Clint was born Jan. 29, 1921 near Bend, Ore., to Homer and Jesse Kight Cosner. He lived and attended school in Lyle. In January of 1936, his family moved to La Grande, Ore.
In January 1941, he came to the Centerville area to visit a sister. He was lucky to get a job with Hugh Cameron, a good farmer. He worked three years for Cameron and learned a lot about dry land farming. Cameron told him about a young girl who came by his place quite often. Her name was Mary McKillip. Cameron told him he should get acquainted with her, which he did. They were married Aug. 15, 1942, her father’s birthday.
Two years later, his father-in-law was tired of farming with horses and felt he couldn’t do the farming anymore, so the farm was leased to Clinton and Mary. They farmed for 40 years and lived in the folks’ big, beautiful house on Stringstreet Road. Clint was the ninth of 13 children and the third and last boy.
He is survived by two sisters Hulda Kalmbach and Nancy Rayburn, both of La Grande, Ore.; his wife Mary of The Dalles; two sons and two daughters, Louis and wife Trish of Centerville, and Robert and wife Cheryl of Weston, and Gail and husband John Nall and Susan Baxter all of Redding, Calif.; as well as 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services were held May 29, at the Community Grace Brethren Church. Pastor Greg Howell officiated with burial at the Centerville Cemetery under the direction of Columbia Hills Memorial Chapel. Several Centerville and Goldendale fire trucks led the funeral procession from the church to the Centerville Cemetery with their lights flashing. Before laying Clinton to rest, the fire department had a “last call for Clinton Cosner” announced over the pagers. A luncheon followed at the Centerville Grange. Many friends and family attended.
