July 21, 1928-Dec. 15, 2004

POLSON, Mont. – Lucy Echanis Conder, a longtime Pendleton resident and businesswoman, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004, at her home in Polson, Mont., after a lengthy illness. At her request, there is to be no funeral or memorial service.

The seventh of 11 children, she was born Lucille Jane McKnight on July 21, 1928, at Caldwell, Idaho, to Virgil and Lola Shriner McKnight. She was raised and educated at Ontario, and worked there at Ginzle Jewelry for nine years prior to her first marriage.

In January 1953, she married Andres Echanis at Vancouver, Wash. The couple settled at Yakima, where their two children were born. In 1956, they moved to Pendleton after purchasing Umatilla Distributing Company, a beer and wine wholesale business that thrived and expanded over the years.

Although the couple divorced in 1975, she remained a working partner in the business until its sale in 1984.

While in Pendleton, she was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and did volunteer work at St. Anthony Hospital and St. Mary’s Outreach. It was said she had a capacity for hard work and that she excelled in her cooking, decorating and hostess skills.

After 1984, she lived at both Walla Walla and Portland before moving back to Pendleton in 1990. In 1996, she moved to Flathead Lake, Mont., to marry Dr. John Conder, formerly of Walla Walla. The couple lived in northwest Montana until Dr. Conder’s death in 1999.

Survivors include her son, Carlos Echanis of East Hampton, N.Y.; daughter, Paula Rosenberg of Pendleton; grandchildren, Sarajane Rosenberg and Andrew Rosenberg; and two sisters.

Besides her husband, John, she was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and six sisters.

Memorial contributions may be made to: The Scleroderma Foundation, 12 Kent Way, Suite 101, Byfield, MA 01922, 800-722-HOPE, or The Neuropathy Association, 60 East 42nd Street 942, New York, NY 10165, 212-692-0662.