Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 18, 2004
A&B Family Clothing closing, as Blinds retire
By CHRISTINA HILL
Correspondent
For the past 30 years,
families have depended on
the A&B Clothing & Shoe
Store for all their clothing
needs.
However, at the end of
this month, co-owners
William “Bill” and Atty
Blind (for A&B) will close
the doors for good. And
that means big bargains for
customers, as the couple
clears stock and fixtures.
“We started in 1974
and were here before
Grants Pass had all the big
stores,” said Bill. “There
was no Fred Meyer, no
Wal-Mart
and
no
Gottschalks. We used to be
the only ones who sold
Adidas, Nike, Ocean Pa-
cific; the name-brands that
kids wanted.
“We did really well
before all the big stores
started selling them,” said
Bill.
The quality of their
products and service is
hard to beat, too.
“People used to come
from Grants Pass and the
coast, because our prices
were the best, and our ser-
vice was the best,” said
Atty. “You can’t stay in
business for 30 years if
you don’t do the right
thing. I’m almost 72, so
that’s it, 30 years is
Bill, Atty and Robert Blind
enough for the same own-
ers,” she said.
During the years, the
Cave Junction residents
typically had four employ-
ees who would help run
the store. However, they
have always kept it a fam-
ily oriented business.
“Our son, Robert, is
helping us to the end of the
month,” Atty said.
After that, they plan on
“taking things easy,” they
say.
“We won’t take a va-
cation this year, but proba-
bly next year,” Bill said.
“We’ve already trav-
eled the world twice,” Atty
added. “We lived in Aus-
tralia for seven years, and
that’s where we got mar-
ried and had our two chil-
dren, a boy and a girl.”
Now, they are the
proud grandparents of nine
grandchildren.
Selling the store will
be the closing of a long
chapter in their lives, but
they say they’re ready for
it. Huge discounts and
sales will conclude the last
days of the store’s exis-
tence.
“About three-fourths
of what used to be here is
already gone,” Bill said.
“We’ll be selling every-
thing up to 50 and 70 per-
cent off until it’s nearly all
gone.”
Atty added that a ma-
jority of what doesn’t sell
will be donated to valley
churches. Also, after they
close up shop, they specu-
late that the building,
which has been purchased,
will be used for offices.
Page 9
Shotgun shooting suspect
in Takilma sought by cops
Lawmen are looking
for a Takilma resident in
connection with a shotgun
standoff in which the
weapon was fired, said
Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office (JCSO).
Officers are looking
for Jerry Dwight Blaney,
41, of 9640 Takilma Road.
He last was seen on
Sunday, Aug. 15 wearing a
white T-shirt and blue
jeans. He was carrying a
long gun, possibly a 12-
gauge shotgun, said JCSO.
Deputy Cory Krauss
said that officers, including
one from the forest service,
responded to the Takilma
Road address at 1:36 p.m.
There was a report by
Mary Jane Clough, 48, a
tenant on the property, of a
disturbance involving fire-
arms, said Krauss.
Officers also were ad-
vised that the suspect’s
mother, Gwendolyn Wolf,
61, was at the scene.
En route, officers were
notified that Blaney was
armed with a shotgun and
was firing it.
When officers arrived,
it was unknown where the
suspect was located on the
property, which includes
five residents and several
outbuildings, Krauss said.
Officers located the
two women in a dwelling
and evacuated them from
the immediate area.
They located Blaney,
said Krauss, still armed
with a shotgun, on the sec-
ond floor of another resi-
dence.
While attempting to
negotiate with the suspect,
he fired two shots through
the roof, and one through a
wall toward officers, said
Krauss.
Blaney fled on foot,
still armed, and is wanted
on several felony charges
as a result of the incident,
Krauss said.
Lovejoy touches body, spirit to ready patients
By SHANE WELSH
Staff Writer
Two years ago, a
Lovejoy Hospice bereave-
ment facility was con-
structed in Grants Pass as a
hub for services offered
through Lovejoy to Jose-
phine County residents.
The building serves as
a bereavement support and
information center for pa-
tients who have been diag-
nosed with terminal ill-
ness.
Hospice provides a
means for patients to re-
ceive physical care and
counseling during their
final stages of life.
Pam Allister, Lovejoy
Hospice development co-
ordinator, said that there
are nearly 1,000 deaths
related to terminal illness
in the county each year.
Of those deaths, more
than 300 patients receive
assistance through Lovejoy
Hospice in Grants Pass.
Fifty to 60 patients are
seen each day, and nearly
500 families attend follow-
up bereavement sessions at
that location.
“Our goal here is to
help a patient reach a level
of stability as fast as possi-
ble,” said Allister. “We use
a team and holistic ap-
proach to care.
“We touch upon the
body, the spirit, and the
social environment that
someone lives in. If they
are approaching the end of
life, it is a transition that
can be a crisis for them-
selves and their families.
“There is so much
technology and services
available that there is no
reason a patient has to suf-
fer from their pain and
symptoms,” she said.
The 10,000 square-
PRIME RIB SPECIAL
Friday & Saturday
Open 5 to 9 p.m. - Restaurant parking in rear
126 S. Redwood Hwy., CJ
592-4222 or 592-2892
foot facility, located at 939
Eighth St. in Grants Pass,
was dedicated March 27,
2002. It was designed and
built by architect Ron Voit
of Voit Associates.
The Grants Pass loca-
tion is the hub for all Jose-
phine County Lovejoy
Hospice nursing care,
home health aids, social
workers, spiritual staff and
volunteers that provide
direct service to the pa-
tients and their families.
It also is a place where
support groups meet for
survivors needing help
with bereavement and re-
covery.
“Without this loca-
tion,” explained Allister,
“we couldn’t coordinate
patient activities and ser-
vices. We also do our com-
munity education and ad-
ministrative work here.
Anyone requiring our ser-
vices can reach us here 24
hours a day, seven days a
week.”
There is always a
nurse, social worker and
administrator on call at the
Grants Pass office to help
meet a patient’s needs.
The hospice center has
80 trained volunteers avail-
able who can provide pa-
tients and their families
access to grief support ser-
vices including:
*Family and individual
counseling: appointments
can be made to meet with
professional counselors
who can assist with under-
standing and coping with
the grieving process.
*Adult support groups:
weekly ‘Beyond Loss’
support groups are offered
to help adults walk through
grief with others who are
having or have had a simi-
lar experience.
*Child bereavement
support: Lovejoy Hospice
offers a ‘Good Grief’ pro-
gram to help children and
their parents with their
grieving.
*Nursing care: trained
nursing volunteers can
help a patient tend to pain
and symptom management
as per their doctor’s orders.
*Home health aid: vol-
unteers can help with mov-
ing, bathing, and bodily
comfort and care.
*Crisis-Debriefing: to
help alleviate the stress
that is often involved when
caring for someone who is
seriously ill, support staff
will discuss with families,
and all who were involved
(Continued on page 16)
I will praise God’s name in song and
glorify Him with thanksgiving.
- Psalm 69:30 -