Helen (Basey) Schnabele, 94, passed away peacefully May 4 at her home.

Helen was born Aug. 2, 1925, in Bend, to Stephen and Margaret (McCullough) Basey. She was raised in Suplee, and attended school in the Suplee and Paulina area.  Her father passed away when she was 12 years old and her mother, Marge, raised four kids on her own, working for ranches in the area.

She married Les Schnabele Sept. 19, 1942, in John Day. They made their home in Izee and ranched alongside of Les’ parents, Carl and Minnie Schnabele. They welcomed two boys to the family, Stephen Lester on Sept. 21, 1943, and Carl Lee on May 16, 1945. In 1957, they moved to Crane, where they ranched for nine years. There, the boys attended and graduated from Crane High School.  They returned to the home ranch in Izee where they ranched until Les passed away in 2004. Helen carried on the ranching tradition with her son, Carl, until 2012. She then moved to the Burns area.

Helen was proud of the Paulina community. She was an active member of the Pau Mau Club, and she and Les were a driving force in the production of the Paulina Rodeo for many years. She was honored as the Paulina Rodeo Old Timer in 2003, and was proud to ride a horse around the arena and wave to the crowd.

Helen enjoyed cooking large meals for anybody that happened to stop by at lunch or dinner time.  Her pies were famous and many times took top billing at dessert fundraisers.  She enjoyed watching rodeos and sporting events and no matter how much you won by, it was never enough.

She never gave up on a critter whether it be a chicken, calf, goat, dog, pig, horse, sheep or cat. If it had the will to live, she had the will to help it live. Then there were the milk cows, which she might have been the only one to see their value.

Helen is survived by her son, Steve (Lucy), grandson, John, and  great-grandson, Sean, of Idaho; daughter-in-law, Wanda Schnabele of Izee;  granddaughters, Kelli  (JW) Rose, and Katy (Aaron) Kafka; great- grandsons, TC Hammack and  Tommy Jack Rose; great-granddaughters, Taelor Hammack and Tiersyn Kafka of Crane. She is also survived by nieces, Linda Baker, Virginia Boehlke, Velda Jones, Sarah Basey, and Dinah Basey; nephews, Buddy Basey and Alfred Shultz; and many, many friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Les; son, Carl; great-grandson, John Barry Rose; and brothers, Jim and Tom Basey; and sister, Hazel Gibson.

She will be laid to rest at Beaver Creek Cemetery in Paulina beside her beloved husband, Les.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the John Barry Rose Memorial Fund, 35694 Embree Bridge Lane, Burns, OR  97720.