Mary Jane Fine

Mrs. Fine was born Jan. 25, 1923, in Chicago, to Leonard and Edna (Sarre) Johnson, and grew up in the hard times of the Depression years.

At age 14, with a work-for-room-and-board arrangement, she left Illinois with her aunt and uncle, Bill and Mae Taber. They traveled, she riding in the back of a pickup truck, to Steens Mountain. They first lived along Indian Creek, then on a homestead near the Blitzen River. It was there, she often said, she learned the value of hard work by helping them build fence, cutting wood, packing horses and assisting with the Taber’s hunting and fishing guide service.

In 1941, she and a girlfriend moved to Portland to work on ships at the Kaiser shipyards. After World War II, she returned to the Burns area.

She married Clifford Fine in 1948. They lived and worked at Roaring Springs and Three Mile ranches in Catlow Valley just south of Frenchglen. After 12 years, they bought a ranch, and moved the family to the Double O Valley, 45 miles southeast of Burns.

In 1980, they moved to Grant County where they bought a ranch outside Dayville on the South Fork of the John Day River. They scaled down their ranching operations 10 years later, and moved to Mt. Vernon.

After her husband’s death in January 1992, she and her daughter, Sally, continued the ranching operation on a smaller scale. Six months later, she became seriously ill, which forced the sale of the last of their cattle. After recovering from her illness, she spent the rest of her years in her Mt. Vernon home.

Survivors include her son, Joseph Mark Fine; daughter, Sally Fine; granddaughters, Tamora Fine and Shyanne Fine; two great-granddaughters; cousin, Etta Mae Critchlow; sister-in-law, Mildred Fine; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Clifford, and brother, Donald Johnson.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Harney County Senior Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845.