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Wednesday,February24,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
OBITUARIES
PA I D N O T I C E S
Virginia Koperski
Darrel Gutzler
Diane Logue
Virginia Ann Koperski, 90, passed away on
Feb. 15, 2021, from heart failure. She resided
in Washougal, Wash.
Virginia was born the eldest daughter of
three to John and Stella Koperski on June
19, 1930, in Toledo, Ohio. Virginia (Virgie)
attended Central Catholic school all 12 years.
She then worked as a secretary for a real es-
tate company in Toledo. She met Jim Massey
Virginia
at a dance in 1949, married on Sept. 2, 1950,
Koperski
and had six children over seven years. They
also established a registered horned Hereford cattle business.
She moved 26 times in her life, starting from the Midwest and
landing in Cascade Locks, Ore., in 1969.
She worked as a server at the Cascade Inn and The Spar
Tree in Stevenson, Wash. She went on to be a teacher’s aide
at the Cascade Locks grade school and an administrative
assistant at City Hall. She had a love for learning and attend-
ed Mt. Hood Community College from 1974-75, where she
graduated with an Associates Degree in General Studies.
Upon graduation, she worked as the front desk secretary for
Groves-Kiewit-Granite during the Bonneville Dam second
powerhouse project. She lived in Cascade Locks for 48-plus
years.
Virginia was truly a sweet, thoughtful, and caring woman.
She was always cheerful and bright! All who met her enjoyed
being in her presence. She was always positive! Those who
knew Virginia know that she could talk! And faster than
most people could keep up! They would walk away from a
conversation with her, questioning if they got all of it, but
always remembering her beautiful smile and kindness. She
was generous and helped her children tremendously in
their lives by giving time and effort to help with raising her
grandchildren and later doing as much as she could with her
great-grandchildren.
She was a fashionista throughout her life! She would dress
like royalty for holidays and functions, always leaving those
remembering her presence and beauty. She was part of
the gardening club where she loved exploring new flowers.
She loved going to restaurants and brunch outings with her
family, trying new foods but loved her shrimp cocktail! She
was passionate about reading and owned hundreds of books.
Crosswords, puzzles, Price is Right, and Wheel of Fortune
were daily musts!
Virginia loved to travel with her family. She enjoyed many
coast birthday trips, cruises, and a once in a lifetime trip to
Italy to see the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.
Virginia is survived by one of her two sisters, Patricia
McNutt; four of her six children, Jeannine Massey, Douglas
Massey, Lorraine Massey and Cynthia Massey; and seven
grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She was prede-
ceased by her parents, John and Stella Koperski; her younger
sister Elizabeth (Betty) Becker; and her children, Kirk Massey
and Jennifer (Jenjo) Massey.
Mass will be held at Our Lady Star of Sea Catholic Church
in Stevenson, Wash. Services will be Friday, Feb. 26, 2021,
at 11 a.m. Burial will take place at Cascade Locks Cemetery
following Mass.
Darrel Gutzler passed away Sunday,
Feb. 14, 2021, a few days after contracting
COVID-19. For 96 years, Darrel was kind,
generous, hard-working and wise. He had
an incredible memory and shared his many
stories with his family who loved him dearly.
He will be greatly missed, but his legacy lives
on in his seven great-grandchildren that he
Darrel Gutzler loved deeply.
Darrel was born Dec. 12, 1924, on Juniper
Flats near Maupin, Ore., to Archibald and Erma Studenicka
Gutzler. He spent his early years riding horses and working
on the farm, chasing his dog with his brother Norman, and
attending school at the one room Victor Grade School.
After graduating from Maupin High School in 1942, he
immediately began working as a tugboat deckhand for the
Inland Navigation Company on the Columbia River. He
joined the Merchant Marines in 1944 and went to training in
New York City. After the war, he returned to The Dalles, Ore.,
to work for the Inland Navigation Company. He soon became
a tugboat captain hauling goods up and down the Columbia
River. In 1960, he joined the Columbia River Pilots, and
guided ships from Astoria to Portland for 29 years. He retired
in 1989.
Darrel married Rachael Medler in 1949 in The Dalles,
where they raised four children. In 1960, the family moved
to Portland, Ore., when Darrel became a Riverboat Pilot. The
family lived in southwest Portland where all four children
graduated from Wilson High School. They played a lot of pool
in the basement of their home on 10th Street.
Darrel loved Oregon, especially the coast at Gleneden
Beach and Camp Sherman. For 30 years, they owned a cabin
on the Metolius River where Darrel was always busy doing
projects. Darrel and Rachael loved sharing their cabin with
their family, and he enjoyed feeding the chipmunks and fish.
He enjoyed taking walks on the Oregon Coast and hosting
campfires for his family.
For the last two decades, Darrel lived at Mary’s Woods
Retirement Village in Lake Oswego. Darrel and Rachael split
their time there with frequent trips to the coast and moun-
tains during their first few years there. When Rachael got
sick, Darrel was an amazing and thoughtful caregiver. Darrel
enjoyed the Mary’s Woods community and was a regular at
the Friday poker games. He enjoyed hosting his family at the
fancy restaurants and swimming with his great-grandchildren
in the pool. He also gave many presentations to residents
about his career on the river. He met his best friend Carol at
Mary Woods, and she brought him tremendous joy.
When his beloved wife Rachael passed in 2008, he brought
the family to Camp Sherman to remember her and her
favorite place. The family continues to go every year and their
love of Camp Sherman has been passed on to their seven
great-grandchildren. This summer, the family will gather there
again to join Darrel’s ashes with Rachael’s.
He is survived by his children David, Mark (Sharon),
Marcia (Bill), and Kevin (Amy); six grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to Mary’s
Woods – Sisters of the Holy Names.
Diane Elaine Beldin Logue went home to
Jesus on Dec. 28, 2020. She loved God with
all her heart and joins her parents Bob and
Bobbe Beldin in heaven.
Diane was a dedicated wife, mother,
grandmother and great-grandmother first
and foremost. She treasured her family and
embraced every moment with them. Whether
Diane Logue it was sports, taekwondo, dance, 4-H, school
activities or just driving the family taxi, she
never passed up a chance to be involved. You could write a
book about all the sacrifices and extra miles she went to put
her family first.
She loved without boundary, without time constraints and
without judgment. She always, regardless of the situation,
found the good. In those times when we individually lost sight
that there may not be any good left, she reminded us in her
actions, in her integrity and in her unconditional love- that
there is good. The loyalty, love and support she provided to so
many is incomprehensible.
Diane was born in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 26, 1946. In July of
1968, she married David Logue in McCall, Idaho. She worked
as a paraeducator for more than 30 years in the Lyle School
District. Since retiring in 2016, she enjoyed traveling the
country, jigsaw puzzles, painting rocks, ball games and being
everyone’s “go to” person.
She will be greatly missed by her best friend and loving
husband Dave Logue; daughters and sons-in- law Lisa and
Jeff Mathias, Michelle and Jeff Bush, and Teresa and Marcus
LaFleur; son and daughter-in-law Davy and Amy Logue;
sister Donna Cohron; brother Rob Beldin; 14 grandchildren,
Ty, Taylor, Jayme, Dustin, Haley, Brittany, Jake, Ava, Dugan,
Treane, Ayla, Elly, Zoe and Rae; and six great-grandchildren
Harper, Eric, Teagan, TJ, Michael and Willow.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of Gardner Funeral
Home, White Salmon.
John Deiders
John Deiders
John V. Deiders, son of Peteris and
Dagmara Deiders, passed away on Dec. 26,
2000, at Vancouver, Wash. John was born in
Wurtburg, Germany, in 1947.
He lived and went to school in Trout Lake,
Wash., then went on to Western Washington,
in Bellingham, after which he went to work
for Weyerhaeuser until his retirement.
Troopers respond to numerous crashes
and other messy incidents
Kirby Neumann-Rea
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
way he attempted to grab the
security guard's leg in order
to tackle him. The security of-
Apres-ski conditions were ficer pushed him down. The
male crawled forward and
decidedly wet and unpleas-
ant for Oregon State Trooper grabbed the guard’s ankles.
“He was placed in hand-
Zachary Yoder in the case of
his arrest of Zachary James
cuffs to restrain him. While
David Nyborg, 19, who
transporting the male to
allegedly fought with security Hood River he undressed and
guards on the slopes after
urinated in the back of my
causing a disturbance on the patrol car. Then, he rubbed
ski lift.
his hands in the urine so
Numerous skid-outs, most he could wipe it all over the
of them non-injury, kept
back of my patrol car. Once
troopers extremely busy in
he realized the cage window
the Gorge as snow and ice
was locked he attempted the
descended Feb. 12-16. As the force it open in order to wipe
Oregon State Police activity
urine on me. He kicked and
log reflects, weather-relat-
punched the cage several
times in an attempt to break
ed crashes dominated, but
troopers or tow truck drivers through.” Nyborg, a Hillsboro
also dealt with busted guard- resident, was lodged in
rails, medical responses, and NORCOR for Disorderly
cases of one unruly skier and Conduct, Harassment, and
a group of trespassing skiers. Criminal Mischief III.
On Feb. 15 at milepost
Yoder described in an OSP
report what happened when 88 in The Dalles, troopers
responded to an incident
he was dispatched to Mt.
involving a 2019 Kia Optima.
Hood Meadows at 7:03 p.m.
An OSP Trooper saw the
Feb. 14 to “an intoxicated
driver on the shoulder with
male causing a disturbance
his hazard lights on and
at Hood River Meadows Ski
believed the driver was pos-
Resort.”
“The report was that
sibly involved in a crash. The
(Nyborg) was urinating on
trooper quickly learned the
the buildings and fighting the driver, a 42-year-old Gresham
security staff. Upon my arriv- man, had not crashed but
was having an apparent heart
al the security staff advised
attack. Mid-Columbia Fire
me that the male was highly
and Rescue was dispatched
intoxicated while riding the
and transported the driver
lift,” Yoder wrote. “At the top
of the lift he would not move to Mid-Columbia Medical
Center (MCMC).
from the path of the chairs;
Near the same location
he continued to argue with
the lift operator. This caused a few minutes later, a blue
Toyota RAV4 was eastbound
the lift to stop with all its
in the fast lane passing on
passengers waiting for him
the snowy roadway when
to move. While the security
it hit the concrete Jersey
staff escorted him out of the
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barrier. The Toyota was able
to pull to the shoulder of the
roadway. The female driver
said she was going about 40
mph passing a slower vehicle
when she lost control and hit
the barrier.
A westbound truck crashed
into a center barrier and
guardrail on Feb. 15 at mile-
post 49.5 west of Hood River.
Officer Zachary Bohince
reported that the truck began
to slide on the melting snow,
and hit the center barrier,
knocking it 20 feet into the
opposite lane, and “came
back across both lanes of
travel and struck the guard-
rail, coming to rest blocking
the slow lane.”
On Feb. 15 at 8:59 a.m.
at milepost 12 on Highway
97, a Washington man was
arrested on outstanding
warrants, and charged with
possession of metham-
phetamine after his car was
involved in a wreck on the icy
road. The vehicle had passed
a truck, southbound, when
it lost control on the snow/
slush-covered passing lane,
according to Trooper Les
Kipper. The vehicle, driven
by Cecilia F. Perla-Ramos of
Vantage, Wash., went across
the northbound lane and
off the road, rolling onto its
passenger side. There were
no injuries. The occupants
called Bishop Towing, who
uprighted the vehicle and
pulled it back onto the road.
Kipper wrote: “While inves-
tigating, I learned one of the
passengers had a valid war-
rant out of Jefferson County
for PCS-Meth. The passenger
admitted that he had been
arrested for PCS in Jefferson
County.” Due to COVID-19
restrictions, the suspect,
Leobardo M. Ramos-Delgado
was issued a criminal citation
to appear in Jefferson County
on March 4 at 9:15 a.m.
Trooper Jacob Ferrer
responded to a single vehicle
crash near milepost 79 on
I-84 eastbound, on Feb. 15
at 6:38 p.m. He reported
that a gold semi truck with
box trailer lost control due
to ice and left the roadway.
The 53-year-old driver was
transported to MCMC for
observation. The truck and
trailer remained upright after
damaging approximately 150
feet of guardrail and traveling
down an embankment.
East of The Dalles, at mile-
post 122, troopers respond-
ed to a non-injury crash
involving multiple vehicles
on Feb. 16. Trooper Kaipo
Raiser reported that a blue
bobtail Freightliner was trav-
eling in the slow lane when it
lost traction on the icy road
and slid into the shoulder
concrete barrier and fencing,
Raiser reported. “It came to
an uncontrolled rest at an
angle blocking the middle of
the interstate. A gray Honda
Civic was following the
Freightliner and was unable
to avoid hitting it and came
to rest along the shoulder. An
older blue Freightliner was
traveling in the fast lane and
hit the bobtail Freightliner
after it came to a stop block-
ing the roadway. The older
Freightliner came to rest
blocking the fast lane. A blue
Mazda 5 was following the
older Freightliner and also
hit the bobtail Freightliner
and came to rest along the
shoulder. Arlington Towing
towed the Mazda and Bishop
Towing removed all the other
vehicles. The roadway was
completely blocked for ap-
proximately an hour before it
was reopened to one lane.
At milepost 84 eastbound
on Feb. 15, Trooper Zachary
Yoder responded to a
non-injury crash involving a
1998 Dodge pick-up, driven
by Javier Hurtado, 47. “The
truck hit black ice causing the
camper trailer he was pulling
to fishtail. The vehicles spun
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