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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2015
Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
The Knappa Red Devils throw candy from their float during the Knappa Days parade.
Celebrating Knappa Days
Wyatt Olson races his lawnmower around the track during
Knappa Days Saturday.
Ethan Smalley, 10, of Knappa, gets dunked in a dunk tank
during Knappa Days Saturday.
Rusty Hebert, of Knappa, foreground, and Gary Boettcher,
of Knappa, compete in the Pole Snip competition during a
logging show at Knappa Days Saturday.
Marsch: She helped start the Astoria School District Wellness Program
Continued from Page 1A
“In my opinion, she was
one of the neatest people
I’ve ever met,” said former
Astoria coach and Athetic
Director Mike Goin, who
worked with Marsch for
years at the high school.
“When I took over as
A.D., we needed a win-
ter sports adviser, because
I couldn’t both coach and
serve as the A.D.,” he said.
“She was the only person
I even considered for that
role. When you needed
something done, she would
always do it right away, and
not two days later.”
After news of her death
spread Friday and Saturday,
Facebook timelines quick-
ly filled with thoughts, re-
membrances and messages
to Marsch, especially from
Astoria High students.
“Senior year will be
rough without you, but
there wasn’t a day that your
wise words and smile didn’t
brighten mine … You were
truly the most remarkable
person I have ever met and
I hope to one day have the
strength and courage you
had yourself. Hearts ex-
tremely heavy for you today
but God’s gained an angel”
— Mykka Abrahams.
“… Beyond blessed to
have had the opportunity to
have known Dena Marsch.
Here’s to forever being the
brightest smile to walk the
halls of AHS, you will be
missed and remembered by
so many” — Taylor Mickle.
“Dena Bondietti Marsh,
you taught me some of the
most valuable lessons you
learn from high school,
none of which came from a
textbook. I know so much
more about the woman I
want to be because I had you
to model it for me. I’m go-
ing to miss your smile, but
your wonderful spirit will
live on in all of those you
shared it with — both inside
the classroom and out. Rest
in peace, Mrs. Marsch” —
Dani Bergeson.
“Heaven received another
angel. Miss Marsch touched
so many lives including
mine. I will follow your
advice and will make you
proud. Rest in peace. Thank
you for touching so many
lives” — Jordan Gagnon.
After graduating from
Astoria, Marsch enrolled
at Oregon College of Edu-
cation (now Western Ore-
gon), where she played four
seasons of volleyball, three
years of softball and two in
basketball.
She returned to her alma
mater and coached varsity
volleyball at Astoria from
1980 to 1989, and assist-
ed in basketball and track
(AHS girls track won the
1981 state championship).
During her teaching ca-
reer, she served as class ad-
viser for 29 years, and win-
ter athletics supervisor for
18 years.
She also helped start
the Astoria School District
Wellness Program in the
mid-1980s.
After retiring in June
2009, Marsh and husband
John remained active with
contributions to the AHS
athletic program, purchas-
ing state and sportsmanship
banners that hang in the
school’s gym.
Along with other mem-
bers of the Class of ’72,
Marsch was part of the 40th
reunion celebration just
three years ago.
Playing sports at Astoria
gave Marsch a deep pas-
sion for athletics. Her P.E.
teacher and coach at AHS,
Liz Hewitt, inspired Marsch
to become a P.E. and health
teacher. She joined the AHS
faculty in 1980.
“Teaching was never a
job,” Marsch told The Daily
Astorian reporter Rebecca
Sedlak in 2012. “It was a
dream, and I had the chance
to live that dream every day
during my career. You have
all these influential minds
that are like sponges, just
craving knowledge, and you
have the opportunity to make
a difference in their lives.”
A memorial service will
be held for Marsch 1 p.m.
Friday in the Commons at
Astoria High School.
“She was a real stalwart,”
said Goin, who will serve as
Master of Ceremonies at the
service. “She was beloved,
and will be sorely missed.”
Ban: Proposed ordinance would apply to all tobacco consumption
Continued from Page 1A
“We sympathize, I be-
lieve, with the people that
do smoke,” said Norma
Hernandez, the chairwom-
an of the city Parks and
Recreation Board, which
has recommended the pol-
icy change. “But parks are
— it’s about health, it’s
about nature, it’s about re-
ally having a healthy life-
style. And smoke has no
part in it.
“I’m not telling people
not to smoke. But when we
are maintaining parks that
are supported with people’s
tax money, I have to respect
that money and try to put it
to use in the best way that
we can protect the whole
community.”
Preventable death
Health campaigns to
discourage smoking have
significantly reduced the
places where people are
legally allowed to smoke.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
lists smoking as the leading
cause of preventable death,
and has found there is no
risk-free exposure to sec-
ondhand smoke.
Smokers, who have been
marginalized for consum-
ing a legal product, have
not been very successful at
fending off restrictions.
Last year, Oregon banned
smoking in state parks ex-
cept in vehicles, campsites
and sections of day-use parks
set aside as safety rest areas.
But an attempt to prohib-
it smoking on beaches was
met with public criticism of
government overreach into
personal freedom.
Littering, fire risk
At parks, the issue is not
only secondhand smoke or
setting a tobacco-free ex-
ample for children, but lit-
tering. Cigarette butts are a
common item found during
park cleanups.
Fire risk is also factor.
Smoking is already prohib-
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Residents enjoy a movie screening at McClure Park in July. The City Council will consid-
er Monday night whether to ban smoking in parks.
ited on the elevated wood-
en sections of the Astoria
Riverwalk.
The proposed ordinance
in Astoria would apply to
all tobacco consumption,
including vaping and chew-
ing tobacco.
“It supports our mission
within the Parks Depart-
ment of providing wellness
and well-being through
recreational opportunities,”
said Angela Cosby, the di-
rector of the city’s Parks
and Recreation Depart-
ment. “And that also in-
cludes outdoor recreational
opportunities.
“So to be able to protect
those who don’t want to re-
ceive secondhand smoke,
that is very beneficial for
our parks’ system.”
Clatsop County adopted
a ban on smoking and to-
bacco use in county parks in
May with no public outcry.
While some on the county’s
Recreational Lands Plan-
ning Advisory Committee
and others raised concerns
about personal rights, the
hearings before the county
Board of Commissioners
were uneventful.
The county ban took ef-
fect in June.
“I have not had one
person call me about the
county smoking ban,” said
Scott Lee, the chairman of
the Board of Commission-
ers.