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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, June. 12, 2013,
A moment with Mary: By Mary Halvorsen
I left on a trip to Iowa the morning the
post office burned down, quizzing the person
who told me, “Completely, or just smoke
damage?” unable to imagine something so
crucial disappearing overnight. Driving by
later showed a roofless stand of charred boards
within a yellow-taped perimeter. It was gone.
Scenes from inside the building on
the corner began playing as I turned north onto
Redwood Highway. We had slid into the same
parking spot for twenty-five years, first in a Ford
Econline, then a Club Wagon, a black Lincoln,
a gray Buick, a blue Pinto, a red Audi, and now,
a silver Toyota. We waited in line scrawling
addresses on envelopes and packages, turned in
pink squares of paper at Christmas for packages
of my Mother’s three-layer fudge and my sister’s
chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. Checks
came during the early years to help with visits
home, along with birthday cards, Thanksgiving
cards, letters from aunts and siblings and
congratulation cards when our son graduated
high school. It all sat waiting, loosely stacked,
in the space behind the little locked door.
It was a connection to Iowa and family.
To find out it had burned down on the eve of a
trip home felt unsettling, as if a link had been
severed, an anchor yanked loose. Even with all
the instant communication to choose from, the
important things were sent and received through
the Post Office. Structures in cities across the
country burn weekly and are rebuilt, but when
it happens in a small town, it seems a gaping
crater has formed.
Flying over the western states, it
stayed in my mind, the yellow tape, all the
correspondence that had been waiting to be
picked up, or sent out. I wondered where mail
would go now, if we would get another post
office.
The flight arrived eight hours late, but
we made it to my nephews wedding. Later in the
evening, I listened as my brother, microphone
in hand, reminded a hall full of guests that our
Mother had passed away when his boys were
young, a couple of them too young to remember
her. He spoke of her brothers and sisters, how
afterwards, they began showing up for football
and basketball games, birthdays, vacations,
holidays and barbecues, year after year, making
sure the part of our mother that lived in them,
would be something her grandchildren would
know. Candles glowing, beaded chandeliers
catching the light, he pointed out their table,
asked them to stand, as 200 applauded. It was
a moment of community within a family and I
wondered if moments of family can exist within
a community.
The loss of a tiny post office cannot be
compared to the loss of a Mother, but it was a
beating part at the heart of a town. Maybe like
Aunts and Uncles stepping in to fill a void, so
too will a town and valley come together and feel
the bonds of community a little stronger. The
first visit to the County Building/Post Office,
though, made me wonder. I stood waiting for
the retrieval of my mail, alongside a couple who
had been informed their two large envelopes
could not be processed. sIt was explained that
for now there was box service only. “Really”
the woman replied, the kind of “really” that
seems more statement than question. As it was
offered that the branches in O’brien or Selma
offered that service, she asked “Isn’t there a
post office in Kerby?” The negative response
brought another “really.” A genial voice farther
back in line joked “Welcome to country living.”
She turned and replied, “Well, when I lived
here, we didn’t burn down the Post Office.”
Wondering who was meant by “we”’ I
was barely able to hold back, “Well, neither did
we.” Even in big happy families, especially
in times of stress, dissention is not surprising.
I’m going to try to run with the “Welcome to
country living” take on it.
Letters to the Editor
Illinois Valley News welcomes Let-
ters to the Editor.
Please e-mail them to
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters
to the editor provided they are legible
and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters
must be signed, including name, address
and telephone number. The latter need
not be published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The “News” reserves
the right to edit letters. Letters are used
at the discretion of the publisher.
***
(Editor’s Note: Views and commen-
tary, including statements made as
fact are strictly those of the letter
writers)
The sheriff let the cat
out of the bag. Only 5% of taxes
collected in Josephine County
stay here. The 95% of taxes goes
to the bureaucratic management
aristocracies of the State. It’s
not that Josephine County had
become dependent of the O&C
Forest moneys. It was that the
State bureaucratics are addicted
to their good salaries and
pensions.
Instead of the County and
State demanding, “We the people
fund this prison none of us can
afford,” why not turn it over to
the State and the State patrol
to fund that other 95%with the
money collected in taxes by the
State bureaucratic, management
autocratic?
We the people have had
our jobs and industries exported
to foreign national and foreign
nations many of them tyrannies
lead by despots oppressing their
own people for the benefit of
their own autocratic management
bureaucratic. Most of our money
goes to fuel highly taxed by
the state to benefit a very few
individuals who manipulate the
refiners to keep the prices high.
Until this ends there is no way
out of this depressing recession.
We need a refinery here
in Josephine County better still in
the Cave Junction area. To reine
everything and anything into fuel.
Only last year, Sheriff Gilbertson
stated he was ready to back the
growing of industrial hemp and
the creation of a hemp industrial
manufacturing complex for the
processing of hemp into fuel,
fiber and food. This would help
greatly to lower the cost of fuel
and to create much need jobs and
business right where we live.
We need to reopen
the Cave Junction Sheriff’s
office and small jail under the
courthouse. We need our own
elected Sheriff and deputies on
duty 24/7. They need just like
the old Westerns, to clean up the
town drunks, thieves and violent
criminals and send the hard core
criminals to State prisons not
local jails funded by the County.
We need less square
thoughts which resist circles
of creativity! It is estimated
we the people already pay over
50% of our income for permits,
codes, rules, regulations, laws,
fines, fees and taxes. That’s not
enough for the State now they
want County income tax. Short
of a violent revolution, how do
we reverse enwreathing the few
at the expense of the many? We
did vote no over and over again.
Mark Wichers
Cave Junction
Obituaries
Isabella
“Diz”
Harvey, age 83 , of
Kerby, passed away quietly
at her home on Tuesday, June
4th, 2013 of natural causes.
Graveside services to
be held at 1pm on Thursday,
June 13th, 2013 at Eagle Point
National Cemetery.
Diz was born Isabella
Marie Dingwall on February
23rd,
1930
in
Tulare,
California.
In Oildale,
California she married the love
of her life, Richard C. Harvey
on October 20th, 1951.
She moved from Santa
Margarita, California and lived
in Wilderville, Oregon for five
years before moving to Kerby,
Oregon. While in California
she was a homemaker, motel
manager, active in scouting,
avid golfer and gardener.
Her fondest memories
include gardening, motorcycle
touring throughout the U.S.
and visiting her children,
grandchildren
and
great
grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her husband Richard
(1998) and her son, Stanley
(2012).
Survivors include her
sons, Richard and Russell and
her daughter, Christina. She
had 9 grandchildren and 2
great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions
can be made to the Wounded
Warrior Project (support.
woundedwarriorproject.org).
Please
sign
the
family guest book at www.
since1928hull.com.
Illinois
Valley Funeral Directors are in
charge of arrangements.
John A. Horn, age
62,
of Cave Junction, died
Friday, June 7, 2013 at Rogue
Regional Medical Center.
No services are planned.
Illinois
Valley
Funeral
Directors are in charge of
arrangements.
Ellis Paul [Bud]
Couron passed away on
8 June 2013 at his home in
Cave Junction Oregon. Bud
was born on 1 May 1923 on the
family farm in Milford, Iowa.
The family moved to the San
Fernando Valley, California
in 1935 where Bud actually
attended an elementary school
in bib overalls and barefoot.
Graduating from high school
in 1941, he enlisted in the
Navy and was in boot camp
on the 13th of December after
Pearl Harbor was bombed. He
spent the entire World War II
on a destroyer in the South
Pacific. After 14 years in the
Navy he enlisted in the United
States Air Force and after
six more years, retired after
20 years of military service
in 1962 after achieving the
rank of Master Sergeant. He
married Joyce Johnson in
1944 in Oakland, California.
She passed away in 1968. He
later met and married the love
of his life, Josephine Wilson in
1970 in Hayward California.
In 1978, the couple moved
to Cave Junction and built
a home themselves, where
they lived until Bud passed
away. Bud was an avid hunter
and fisherman and general
handyman for whomever
needed something fixed. He
had a passion for Doberman
Pinschers as house dogs that
his wife continues. He is
survived by Josephine, his
wife of 43 years, and children
Norman
Crainie,
David
Couron, Catherine Couron,
and Anna Marie Crainie. He
will be missed by all who
knew him and benefited from
his help and knowledge. A
viewing will be held Thursday,
June 13 at 9:30 at the Illinois
Valley Funeral Home with a
graveside service at the Laurel
Cemetery at 11:00 am later
that same morning.
Sammy Henderson
of Cave Junction died Friday
May 31. No information was
avaiale at presstiem other than
a Celebration of life is being
held Sunday, June 16, 1 p.m. at
the Sportsman Tavern Potluck,
bring a dish and a story.
HELP! HELP! HELP! HELP!
The Illinos Valley Chamber is looking for help watering the flower baskets. They are ready to be hung and need someone to help
water before they can be hung. The chamber need one person to water for twelve weeks or twelve people to water for one week. . IF
YOU CAN HELP IN ANY WAY PLEASE CONTACT THE CHAMBER OFFICE. 541-592-3326 THANK YOU!!!!
Hi All, it’s been a challenging year and our board has been working hard to identify fund-raisers to make their goal of $20,000 this
year. We will have a yard sale, Friday, August 16th and Saturday, August 17th. We are putting out the call for “gently used” items:
clothing, household items, art, even furniture (but please it must be in good shape). You can bring items to our office (103 S Kerby
Ave.) next to the DMV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So, here’s your chance to lighten your load and help keep community-
based services for survivors available in the valley. Thanks and if you want to call ahead, call 541.592.2515.
Save the date
June 14
June 15
Second Friday Artwalk
2013. June 14 downtown CJ.
Pancakes from Scratch!
A Custom Breakfast fundraiser
for the Volunteer Firefighter
Association will take place 8
to 11 a.m. this Saturday at the
I.V. Airport. The breakfast will
feature omelets to order and
pancakes from scratch with
real butter and maple syrup;
coffee and juice. I.V.F.D.
volunteers must buy their own
June 14 & 16
Madrone
Adventist
Elementary School will hold
its annual yard sale. Yard
sale is a fund-raiser with all
proceeds going to Madrone.
9-3 Friday and Sunday. Closed
Saturday.
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
W.H. Alltheway, LLC
Daniel J. Mancuso, Publisher
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published at
221 S. Redwood Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone (541) 592-2541
FAX (541) 592-4330
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
duty apparel and the Volunteer
Firefighter Assn. helps them
and the district to buy much
needed equipment. Come taste
the world’s best pancakes!
Only $8 adult. Information:
541-597-4814.
June 15
starting at 7 p.m.
June 16
Celebration of life
for Sammy Henderson
Sunday June 16th 1 p.m. at
Sportsman Tavern Potluck,
bring a dish and a story.
June 20
A benefit to help
Junior
Golf will be
Emmanuel “Mic” Day and
starting
on
June
20. Lessons
his family. Entertainment
will be on June 20, & 27, July
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine
County - $28.50
One year in Jackson and
Douglas counties - $32.50
One year in all other
Oregon counties and
out-of-state - $39.00
Illinois Valley News does not refund subscriptions.
Remainder of subscription will be donated to the
charity of your choice.
11 & 18. The Tournament of
Champions - first place winners
will have their names added
to the Frank and Maryellen
Ault Junior Champions plaque
will be July 25. Everyone’s a
winner at junior golf and we
will announce those winners
at the Junior Golf Banquet
on August 1. Junior Golf is
open to those children ages 5
to and including 15. The cost
News - Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Circulation - Kimberly Potter
office@illinois-valley-news.com
Advertising / Composition
Dan Mancuso
dan@illinois-valley-news.com
Mailroom - Millie Watkins
Office Manager-Laura Mancuso
office@illinois-valley-news.com
DEADLINES:
News, Classified and
Display Ads, Announce-
ments and Letters
5 P.M. FRIDAYS
per player for the complete 6
week program is $2.00. We
are also offering a Youth Pass
for golfers 17 years of age and
under for $100.00. The Youth
Pass is valid June 1 - August
31. Call the Illinois Valley
Golf Course at 541-592-3151
or come out to sign up for
Junior Golf, or purchase a
Youth Pass.
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encour-
ages letters to the editor pro-
vided they are legible and not
libelous or scurrilous. All let-
ters must be signed, including
name, address and telephone
number. The latter need not be
published, but will be used to
verify authenticity. The ‘News’
reserves the right to edit letters.
Letters are used at the discre-
tion of the publisher.