Harry & Lorraine Lagestee Community Endowment
Harry and Lorraine Lagestee’s children created an endowment with the Benton County Foundation that will carry on their parents’ tradition of supporting youth and the local community. As of year 2009 it was the largest gift ever made to the foundation and will have a positive impact on local organizations in perpetuity.
The Lagestee family first gave serious consideration to forming their own foundation, but after doing some of the footwork and realizing how much detail was involved, they decided it made more sense to have their community foundation manage the fund. They looked at several other organizations before deciding to place their funds with the Benton County Foundation, where they are able to customize the endowment and target their support to specific local organizations. They will primarily support organizations in Philomath, which was the family’s home for more than 40 years, although the endowment will also benefit organizations elsewhere in Benton County. “We want to continue our parents’ generosity by supporting youth, athletics, and education,” said Nancy Lagestee, Harry and Lorraine’s youngest daughter.
Harry and Lorraine came from humble beginnings. They married in 1940 in Denver, Colo., and moved around quite a bit before settling in Oregon. Once here, they worked hard to build a substantial legacy for their five children—Gerald, Philip, Fern, Shirley, and Nancy—and the community they loved.
In 1952, the couple and their first three children were living in Lebanon. Harry had been laid off from his job and the family was down to their last few dollars when Harry was hired by WOW Lumber in Eddyville—a lumber mill owned by Stan Ouderkirk and the Weinert family. Eventually, Harry and Lorraine were able to make a down payment on a home on 11 acres in Blodgett. Harry became manager of the mill, and by 1967 the mortgage was paid in full. Through his connections at the mill, Harry bought 500 acres of timberland on the Little Elk River by Harlan. When the mill closed, he purchased BAMM Hardware in Philomath. For more than 20 years, the family owned and operated the store. Harry ran the business and Lorraine handled the accounts. As Harry was moving toward retirement, Gerald took over the store’s management.
In 1972, Harry sold all but five acres of the timber property and purchased Meadow Park Mobile Estates on Conifer Blvd. in Corvallis. In 1980, the Lagestees subdivided the Blodgett property, keeping about 10 acres. They purchased a parcel of land in Philomath on a hill with a view of Mary’s Peak, where they built their dream home. They also purchased a second home in Yuma, Ariz., and then another later in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Harry died on Dec. 22, 1993. Lorraine remained in Oregon until her health began to decline, and then she spent half the year in La Quinta, Calif., until her passing on Oct. 25, 2006, at the age of 84.