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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
Offi cer honored for saving life By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes The fi rst time Keizer Police Department Offi cer Andrew Phelps met the Clason family, it was not a good situation. Tammy Clason had called 9-1-1 on March 1 because her husband, 60-year-old Glen Clason, wasn’t breathing. Phelps was the fi rst re- sponder to the call and ad- ministered CPR until medics from the Keizer Fire District arrived. Eight days later Phelps met the family again at their home – this time after Glen was healthy and discharged from the hospital. “He asked if we were open to him coming over to the house and checking on him,” Tammy recalled Monday. “I said, ‘Please do. I need to give you a great big hug. I’ve been wanting to give you a big hug for eight days.’ I was willing to hunt him down if he didn’t call me fi rst. I couldn’t wait to give him a hug.” Phelps was honored by police chief John Teague at Monday night’s Keizer City Council meeting. His family as well as fellow offi cers were on hand as Phelps was given a lifesaving ribbon. Fire chief Jeff Cowan with the Keizer Fire District was also present to offer his congratulations. Glen Clason enjoyed Mon- day’s interaction with the man who saved his life. “I told him, you can say thank you to a waitress, so say- ing thank you to him is not even close to enough,” Glen said. “It’s way more than I even have words for.” Phelps was honored and humbled by the award and for a chance to interact once again with the Clasons. “It feels fantastic,” Phelps said. “We try to help people every day. There are rare op- portunities when the timing is right and you can be there to help somebody when they need you the most. That’s what happened that day.” Glen doesn’t remember much about March 1 or the week after that. “The only thing I remem- ber is my heart was racing, which it has since I was a kid,” Glen said. “(Tammy) got me aspirin and had me sit in a chair. I turned around and fell over. I sat in my computer chair and apparently I fell face forward on my desk. She did everything until (Phelps) got there.” Tammy had noticed Glen was holding his hand on his heart. “I asked him what’s going on and he said, ‘My heart is racing,’” Tammy said. “I told him to sit down and here’s two baby aspirin. At that mo- ment, he went face fi rst on his computer desk and start- ed sliding across. I thought it sounded like he was snoring, but I found out later it was the sound of all the oxygen leaving his body. I was hold- ing him and reaching for the phone. 9-1-1 was amazing. They were telling me to get him on the fl oor. “Just at that moment offi - cer Phelps burst through that front door,” she added. “He just took over. It was abso- lutely amazing. Glen would No Job Too Big or Too Small • Additions & Repairs • Dry Rot Repairs • Flooring & Countertops • Roofi ng & Siding • Kitchens & Baths • Doors & Windows • Decks & Fences • Patio & Deck Covers 503.393.2875 remodelkeizer.com CCB#155626 JUNE 19, 2015, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3 obituaries Submit an obituary through our website at keizertimes.com or send an email to: editor@keizertimes.com David Alan Turner Dec. 6, 1979 – June 8, 2015 Dave Turner passed away at his home in Keizer at the age of 35. Dave grew up in Tillamook on a dairy farm where his love for dirt bikes started at age 3. He went on to compete in freestyle motocross at the age of 19, traveling around the U.S. and inventing a trick called the Turn Table. In 2001 Dave had a bad crash, having his left leg ampu- tated below the knee. He went on to compete at X Games in 2010 in the adaptive class, again in 2013. He also competed in Adaptive SnoCross in 2011 and 2013, winning a bronze medal. After that Dave and his wife Tabitha purchased a house in Keizer in 2013. In 2014 Dave started Turner Transport LLC, hauling cars and trailers. Dave was looking forward to the ar- rival of his son Tred Turner in August. He was preceded in death by his paternal and maternal KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Top: Offi cer Andrew Phelps and Glen Clason share a laugh at Monday’s Keizer City Council meeting, where Phelps was honored for saving Clason’s life. Above: Tammy and Glen Clason pose with Andrew Phelps, standing next to wife Lauren while holding daughter Alexia, 2, and son Ryder, 4. not be here if not for (Phelps doing CPR). The medics are obviously our heroes too, but he would not have survived if not for offi cer Phelps.” Once Phelps entered the house, instincts kicked in. “I’m a former lifeguard so I’ve been through a lot of training,” he said. “You see the signs of symptoms you recog- nize, so you fall back on your training and react.” Phelps called the hospi- tal several times to check on Glen’s condition, then met him after the discharge. “It was fantastic to see him,” Phelps said. “It was emotional for him. We devel- oped a bond.” Tammy recalled a thought going through her mind over and over as Phelps adminis- tered CPR to her husband. “Because of offi cer Phelps, we got to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary the next month,” Tammy said. “It was one of my nightmares when I watched him laying on that fl oor. I kept telling him, ‘Next month is our 33rd anniversary and I can’t celebrate it alone.’ Thanks to Andrew, or offi cer Phelps, I didn’t have to do it alone.” While he got the ribbon, Phelps shared the credit with medics. “There was a lot of great support,” he said. “Everything we do is to respond to help people. We all come together as a team and do the best job we can.” grandparents Dale and Helen Turner, Harold and Hazel Clark. Surviving David are his wife Tabitha Turner, unborn son Tred, daughter Brynn, mother Eileen Clark, father Jack Turner, stepmother Gayle Turner, sisters Bille Lea (Mike) Guth- rie, Danielle Turner (Lee) Bing- man, Nieces Katelin, Rachel, Brooke, Madi- son, Chloe and Sophia, Neph- ews Cayden and Weston, and numerous friends. Services will be held at Al- bany Motocross Track, 33648 Berry Drive NE in Albany on June 22 at 1 p.m. In lieu of fl owers, do- nations would be appreci- ated at http://www.go- fundme.com/wa2yhns. Arrangements are by Keizer Funeral Chapel. Douglas Michael Johnson Dec. 11, 1952 – May 25, 2015 Douglas Michael Johnson of Keizer passed away at home on May 25 at the age of 62. Doug was born in The Dalles on Dec. 11, 1952 and lived part of his life in Or- egon and part in Washington. He attended school in Salem and graduated from McNary High School in 1971. Doug attended college from 1976 to 1980 at Oregon College of Education and graduated from Willamette University with a degree in economics in 1980. After high school gradua- tion, Doug married Patricia Williams in Reno, Nev. before joining the U.S. Navy. Doug served on the USS Constellation from 1971 to 1973 and after the USS Con- stellation was decommis- sioned in 1973 he served on the USS Ticonderoga from 1973 to 1975. Doug was part of the Navy Intelligence from 1973 to 1975 and was part of sev- eral missions in Vietnam. He also served on the Apollo 16 Moon mission capsule re- cover team while on the USS Ticonderoga. After complet- ing his time in the U.S. Navy in 1975, Doug worked as a lobbyist for Puget Power in Olympia, Wash. Doug enjoyed hunting, golfi ng, weight training and reading in his free time. Doug is survived by his son, Robert Johnson of Snoqualm- ie, Wash. and by his brother Craig Johnson of Maple Valley, Wash. as well as two nephews. Interment will be at Willa- mette National Cemetery.