12
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Obituaries
Gordon Douglas Halsten
October 4, 1922 – August 4, 2020
Gordon Douglas Halsten,
better known as <Spud,=
passed away peacefully in
his home on Tuesday morn-
ing, August 4.
Gordon was born in
Portland on October 4,
1922, to Mattie and Howard
Halsten and was the young-
est of five boys.
Well known for his mis-
chievous sense of humor,
and friendly disposition, he
frequently regaled his family
and friends with stories of
his daring childhood adven-
tures. From rafting down the
Columbia River to Astoria
to hitching rides on trains
going across the country, and
climbing to the top of the St.
John9s Bridge (!), his love
of travel and adventure was
evident at an early age.
While
attending
Roosevelt High School,
he met the love of his life,
Dorothy Ruth Smith, and
they continued their court-
ship as World War II began.
He joined the Coast Guard
in 1941, and was stationed
in Alaska, which was still a
territory at the time. He often
said he felt privileged to have
served in Alaska <where no
one was shooting at me.=
During his tour of duty
there, he served as Captain
of the Port, Chief Security
Officer, Head Immigration
Officer, and Head of Naval
Intelligence, combined with
his duties as radio operator.
After the war was over, he
married Dorothy and quickly
moved back to Alaska, where
they raised their three daugh-
ters, Kathleen, Christine, and
Deborah. His first station
was at Sheep Mountain,
located above the Matanuska
Glacier. His skills as a radio
operator transferred eas-
ily to his new career as an
air traffic controller and he
served as station manager in
Sitka where he owned a fish-
ing boat; Kotzebue, located
above the Arctic Circle; and
Northway, Alaska. During a
brief relocation in Tennessee,
he achieved another ambi-
tion and became a pilot.
Eventually he transferred
back to Anchorage, Alaska,
during which time he built a
cabin at Lake Susitna where
he enjoyed the peace and
quiet, watching wildlife and
canoeing. The family was
residing in Anchorage when
the great Alaskan earthquake
of 1964 occurred. He was
working in the tower at the
time and was fortunate to not
be injured when the building
was damaged.
Another life-long inter-
est was music, including
playing his guitar and har-
monica. He and Dorothy
also passed on their love of
reading to their daughters
and Spud was always in the
middle of yet another Louis
L9Amour Western. He also
delighted in the poetry of
Robert Service and his tales
of the Far North.
He greatly enjoyed
being an air traffic control-
ler, and succeeded in that
highly stressful occupation
due to his calm and steady
approach to difficult situa-
tions. He continued his suc-
cessful career with the FAA
before retiring in 1972 with
28 years experience.
He later embarked on
another adventure when
he canoed approximately
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500 miles down the Yukon
River with a friend, from
Whitehorse to Dawson City,
Yukon Territory. From that
time on, his <official= nick-
name was Yukon Spud.
Gordon and Dorothy
eventually moved to Sisters,
where he became involved
in numerous civic organiza-
tions as well as being instru-
mental in starting the first
food bank in Sisters. He
also volunteered for several
seasons as a fire lookout at
Green Ridge. His earlier
experiences as a radio opera-
tor came to the fore again,
as he became an avid ham
radio operator. <KB7ORK=
was his call sign and he kept
a map with the locations
pinned of all the places he
contacted including Pitcairn
Island and Antarctica. He
was also a regular fixture at
local coffee shops, where
he would swap stories with
his friends. Gordon and
Dorothy attended Sisters
Baptist Church as well as the
Chapel in the Pines in Camp
Sherman. They continued
their love of traveling and
at one point took a camper
trailer trip across the United
States. They also enjoyed
canoeing in Central Oregon
especially at Hosmer Lake.
Another favorite adventure
was a family reunion trip
to England, France, Ireland
and Wales, which became
the source of so many fond
memories.
After his beloved wife
Dorothy passed away in
1998, he continued to reside
in their Tollgate home with
daughter Deborah and
often returned to the cabin
in Alaska during the sum-
mers. He achieved another
lifelong goal of
touring Israel in
2006, which he
greatly enjoyed.
And in 2016, he
was able to partici-
pate in the Honor
Flight for World
War II veterans to
Washington D.C.,
which meant so
very much to him.
Always ready
with a story and
a laugh, and with
a twinkle in his
eye, his cheer-
ful attitude was a
gift to those for-
tunate enough to
call him father and friend.
His Christian faith was
very important to him and
he never hesitated to help
those in need whenever and
wherever he could. His fam-
ily will miss him greatly but
are so very thankful that he
is now at home in heaven,
enjoying yet one more Great
Adventure.
Spud is survived by
his daughters, Kathleen
Hofmann (Larry) of Phoenix,
Arizona; Christine Ervin
(Dave) of Portland; Deborah
Halsten, Sisters; grandson,
David Hofmann (Nikki) of
Phoenix, Arizona; and great-
grandchildren Trey, Shea,
and Paisley. He was pre-
ceded in death by his parents
and four brothers.
A Celebration of Life will
be held Saturday, August
22, at 2 p.m. in the Fireside
Room at Sisters Community
Church. COVID-19 guide-
lines will be in place.
Gordon will join his
wife Dorothy in being
interred with military hon-
ors at Willamette National
Cemetery in Portland.
Contributions grate-
fully accepted at Hospice of
Redmond, Oregon.
P l e a s e v i s i t w w w.
autumnfunerals.net to leave
comments and memories.
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