Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2015)
December 24, 2015 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A Wendy was the bright star in many hearts I W VHHPV VR ULJKW WKDW WKH ¿UVW time I met Wendy Richardson it was to talk to her about a community event that she was or- ganizing. I was a freelance writer in 2008, assigned to write a story for the Coast Business Journal about “Where the Stars Play,” a concert series held in the summer at Qua- tat Park in Seaside. Wendy had organized it for several years on behalf of the Sunset Park and Rec- reation District. It was designed to draw people downtown and into local businesses. Wendy generously gave her time to share with me her enthusi- asm for the event, which, she felt, bene¿ ted the community and gave mostly unknown bands some rec- ognition and a little pocket money. We met in her small of¿ ce ne[t to Seaside Health Foods on Roos- evelt Drive. She worked there as the sales representative for The Daily Astorian. Little did we know that about three months later, I would start working in that same of¿ ce as the South County reporter for The Daily Astorian and we would be- come fast and close friends. Wendy’s generosity, love for her community and desire to help others — even when it meant im- pinging on her own time or re- sources – are the qualities all of her friends are writing about this week on her Facebook page in her memory. Wendy died of a massive stroke Monday. “Your friendship, generosity, kindness and wicked sense of hu- mor have kept me aÀ oat through sad times. You always knew the right thing to say, or when a hug IMPRESSIONS NANCY McCARTHY was just what I needed,” wrote Gretchen Fulop Darnell. “I fear Seaside will never be the same.” “The many lives you have touched, the many people who have been healed by your words! Thank you for your gift of love throughout the community,” wrote Linda Smith. “Thank you for all that you taught me, helped me through and shared with me! I am forev- er grateful for your love and wis- dom,” added Angela Fairless. Every weekday morning for nearly seven years, until I retired last March, Wendy would come into my of¿ ce for a quick chat. It would be our way of starting the day. We shared our personal trials and triumphs in those conversa- tions and usually ended up laugh- ing. She had many tribulations that dogged her throughout the time we worked together, prob- lems that I’m pretty sure few peo- ple knew about because her smile and vivacity masked her stress. In some ways, Wendy seemed naïve about people, but her faith in them usually worked out. Like the time a stranger came into our of¿ ce with some hard luck story. Wendy loaned the woman $25 — money she couldn’t spare at the time. The woman promised to pay her back, even though she was on her way out of town. A few months went by. But to my great surprise, the woman repaid the loan. Wendy was always sheltering people under her wing, especially young people. Whenever we went to lunch together, there inevitably would be a person at the restaurant — a waitress or someone we would run into — who had either lived temporarily with Wendy’s family or who had gone to school with one of Wendy’s three children and who Wendy had somewhat “adopted.” Family was the dominant theme that ran through Wendy’s life. She dearly loved her husband, Al, and her three children, Ali[, Andie and Nick. But what im- pressed me so much was how she raised the kids to be thoughtful, creative, caring, educated adults. Two years ago, Wendy celebrat- ed three graduations in the same month Ali[ and Andie graduated from college and Nick graduated from Seaside High School. Nick is now attending Lane Communi- ty College in Eugene. In this day, when there’s so much talk about high school drop- outs and the high cost of a college education, to have all three chil- dren graduating in the same month is quite a feat! But her motherly instincts didn’t end with her children. Wen- dy was the of¿ ce “mother,” too. When Seaside reporter Katherine Lacaze needed furniture for her baby, Wendy dug out her leftover furniture from her garage. “You showed me how to sew a button onto my jacket,” wrote Er- ick Bengal, former Cannon Beach reporter, on Wendy’s Facebook page. “You shared your home- cooked meals with me....You counseled and consoled me during some of my darker days at the Ga- Wendy Rich- ardson with son Nick. JEFF TER HAR PHOTO/ SEASIDE SIGNAL zette. And I always looked forward to our talks. I can’t believe I don’t have those to look forward to any- more.” “I just realized I still have the jumper cables she loaned me in my back seat,” former Seaside reporter Louie Opatz wrote on Facebook. “Wendy was always so generous, gregarious and loving – and all those things so selÀ essly. She never did--and never would have--asked for those jumper cables back.” Wendy was the true spirit of the Seaside community, a tireless volunteer for the high school, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations. She would work full days at the of¿ ce, then spend evenings and weekends (and, during beach volleyball tour- naments, early mornings) helping out in the community. She taught me the true meaning of the phrase, “It takes a village....” She introduced me to this village of South County, to her friends and her family, and she made me feel comfortable here. There wasn’t a Thanksgiving or Christmas that went by that she didn’t invite me to share it with her and her family. Maybe it is right, too, that we honor Wendy at Christmas. She and her mother ran the Christ- mas shop, “‘Tis the Season” in Cannon Beach for more than 20 years. Christmas was Wendy’s fa- vorite holiday. She often talked about her mother, who died several years ago; Wendy missed her very much. In a ¿ nal Facebook post last weekend, Wendy showed a pic- ture she had taken of a rainbow over the house that she and Al had moved into a few months ago. She adored the house and its location near West Lake. The rainbow seemed to sym- bolize that all was well, ¿ nally, in Wendy’s life, and, as always, she wanted to share the happy moment. “Beautiful rainbow over the house this morning,” Wendy wrote. “Thanks, mom.” Fort Clatsop holiday happenings How the Lewis and Clark E[pedition endured the winter of 1805-06 ASTORIA — Lewis and Clark National Historical Park will offer special pro- grams about the Corps of Discovery’s winter at Fort Clatsop on the days follow- ing Christmas. Starting Saturday, Dec. 26, Fort Clatsop will fea- ture living history programs by park rangers each day through Jan. 2. Costumed rangers will present daily À intlock muz- zle-loading programs at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Hands- on programs about vari- ous aspects of the e[plor- ers’ winter at Fort Clatsop will be available at the fort at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 to 3 p.m. Ranger-guided walks on the Netul River Trail will be offered at 2 p.m. Satur- day, Dec. 26 and Monday through Saturday, Dec. 28 to Jan. 2. Movies will also be playing for visitors to enjoy in the Fort Clatsop visitor center: “A Clatsop Winter Story,” a 22-minute movie about the 1805-06 winter from a Clatsop Indian per- spective, and “Lewis and Clark: ConÀ uence of Time and Courage,” a 34-minute movie about the entire voy- age, will be offered each hour. The park is closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Fort Clatsop is located southwest of Astoria, three miles southeast of U.S. Highway 101. The park, including the Fort to Sea LETTERS Man’s illness and his cure Many of us might re- member growing up in a time when drugs and drinking, foul language and all manner of loose living was rare and even discouraged. Wow, have things changed! I wonder if we have any clue what hap- pened and how. Remem- ber when you didn’t have to lock your door, when a handshake would seal the deal? A man’s word could be trusted. How about a marriage that lasted a lifetime. That sure would be nice if kids could count on the folks being together for their kids to see them growing up. Is it just me, or has a dark cloud covered the earth? Has the human race totally lost its mind? This did not happen over night, but slowly — hardly getting our at- tention. Generation after generation, until we see what a terrible mess we’ve made of things. There seems to be a universal condition that has us bent on our destruction, a pow- erful illness taking its toll. I have the cure for sin. Ask me how? The truth will set you free. Robert Register Seaside 2I¿ cers Iailed to respond to emergency Why would a law en- forcement dispatcher fail to send HELP to two women stranded in a pool of water on the roadway, especially after being told that a 71-year-old woman, with a knee injury, was in the vehicle and need assistance getting out of the car? The person at the dispatch center was also told that the vehicle had stalled and that water was coming into the passenger compartment. At this point it appears the dispatcher, with great calm, told the caller to call a tow truck, which the lady did but ap- parently none responded. Finally after some time a police of¿ cer did stop and offer them a ride. He took them to the Safeway parking lot in Seaside, told them that he had other things to do, dropped them off cold, wet and alone, to take care of themselves from there on. I am dumbfounded. I thought the number one job for law enforcement was to protect life and proper- ty. If this is so, how could a peace of¿ cer, on a rainy cold December night, drop both women off at a Safe- way parking lot — one, an injured elderly woman — and tell them to call a cab. I’m stunned. It appears to me the appropriate thing to have done on a rainy and cold night would have been to take them to the Seaside Police Station and let them make a phone call to a friend for help. Shouldn’t this be part of an of¿ cer’s training? Samuel Patrick Astoria The gift of cancer research funding I am a 20-year cancer survivor who owes her life to the tremendous can- cer research done prior to my diagnosis, and I know most cancer survivors feel the same way. Without research, the successful chemotherapy and radi- ation protocols used to- day would still be on the drawing board. Right now we are in danger of losing the progress we’ve made and derailing future treat- ment advancements unless Congress increases federal cancer research funding. What better gift can Congress deliver this holi- day season than a renewed commitment to ¿ ghting a disease that kills more than 8,000 Oregonians yearly? Over the past decade, À at funding and inÀ ation have jeopardized prog- ress against cancer. Fed- eral funding for medical research has dropped more than 24 percent in inÀ ation-adjusted dollars since 2003, forcing cancer centers to halt promising clinical trials and drying up the grant pool for re- searchers. Budget proposals being voted on in Congress over the ne[t few weeks in- clude the largest single in- crease for cancer research in a decade. Cancer strikes one in two men and one in three women, includ- ing roughly 22,400 Ore- gonians each year. As the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network lead advocate in Oregon, I urge Oregon’s members of Congress to vote to in- crease research funding in the 2016 budget. Let’s ensure more Oregonians with cancer can join me and say, “I’m cancer free.” Lois Fitzpatrick Seaside Trail, the visitor center, fort, Netul River Trail, and the parking lots, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park also includes the Salt Works site near the Promenade in Seaside and the Middle Village/Station Camp site just east of Fort Columbia in Washington. Admission to the Fort Clatsop unit of the park is $3 per adult and includes Netul Landing and the Fort to Sea Trail. There is no admission fee for the Salt Works or Middle Village/ Station Camp. Passes to Na- tional Park Service sites are accepted for free admission. For further information, call the park at 503-861- 2471 or visit www.nps.gov/ lewi. BUSINESS DIRECTORY F LOORING 2/3 of Showroom ALWAYS ON SALE! Window Treatments, Fabric, Wallpaper, Flooring and Interior Design 2311 N. Roosevelt Dr., Seaside, OR 97138 • 503-738-5729 rlflooring@yahoo.com • www.RandallLeesFlooring.com Randall Lee’s Flooring Outlet • 3579 Hwy 101 Gearhart • 503-738-6756 Warehouse pricing • Open to the Public • Hundreds of instock rolls & remnants • In House Binding L ANDSCAPING Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix Soil Amendments YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF (no Scotch Broom) R OBER T C AIN LD , 503-717-1454 45 Y ea rs o f E xp erien ce 34154 HIGHWAY 26 SEASIDE, OR TW O L OCATION S S EAS IDE & HIL L S BORO 740 Ave H • S te 2 • S ea s id e 232 N E L in co ln • S te B • Hills b o ro FR EE C ON S ULTATION • Den tu res fo r a ll a ges , New , Pa rtia ls a n d Cu s to m Den tu res • Den tu res fo r im p la n ts • Relin es & Rep a irs • Den tu re rep a irs d o n e s a m e d a y! • Pers o n a l s ervice a n d a tten tio n to d eta il Open W ed n es d a y a n d Frid a y • 9 -4:30 • 503-738 -7710 C ONSTRUCTION B OB M C E W AN C ONSTRUCTION , INC . E XCAVATION • U NDERGROUND U TIITIES R OAD W ORK • F ILL M ATERIAL S ITE P REPARATION • R OCK OWNED AND OPERATED BY M IKE AND C ELINE M C E WAN 503-738-3569 34154 H WY 26, S EASIDE , OR P.O. B OX 2845, G EARHART , OR S ERVING THE P ACIFIC N ORTHWEST S INCE 1956 • CC48302 102.3 fm BUSINESS the Classic Rock Station DIRECTORY