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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2015)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015 AN APPRECIATION Wendy was the bright star in many hearts I MPRESSIONS Mark Lennihan/AP Photo A jogger and bicyclist cross the Brooklyn Bridge in a heavy fog, Wednesday, in New York. A weather pattern partly linked with El Niño has turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth to the Northeast, a risk of tornadoes in the South and so much snow across the West that even skiing slopes have been overwhelmed. B Y N ANCY M C C ARTHY WVHHPVVRULJKWWKDWWKH¿UVW time I met Wendy Richard- son it was to talk to her about a community event that she was organizing. I was a freelance writer in 2008, assigned to write a story for the Coast River Business Journal about “Where the Stars Play,” a concert series held in the summer at Quatat Park in Daily Astorian File Photo Seaside. Wendy had organized The Daily Astorian advertising team in 2014. From left, Brandy Stewart, Wendy Richard- it for several years on behalf son, Kimberly A. Flaigg, Laura Kaim, Lisa Cadonau, Betty Smith and Holly Larkins. of the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District. It was de- Wendy’s faith in people signed to draw people down- town and into local businesses. usually worked out. Wendy generously gave her time to share with me her en- GUHQ$OL[$QGLHDQG1LFN%XW weekends (and, during beach thusiasm for the event, which, VKHIHOWEHQH¿WHGWKHFRPPX- what impressed me so much volleyball tournaments, early nity and gave mostly unknown was how she raised the kids to mornings) helping out in the be thoughtful, creative, caring, community. bands some recognition and a She taught me the true educated adults. Two years ago, little pocket money. We met in Wendy celebrated three gradu- meaning of the phrase, “It KHUVPDOORI¿FHQH[WWR6HDVLGH DWLRQVLQWKHVDPHPRQWK$OL[ takes a village. …” She in- Health Foods on Roosevelt and Andie graduated from col- troduced me to this village of Drive. She worked there as the OHJH DQG 1LFN JUDGXDWHG IURP South County, to her friends sales representative for The 6HDVLGH +LJK 6FKRRO 1LFN LV and her family, and she made Daily Astorian. now attending Lane Communi- me feel comfortable here. Little did we know that There wasn’t a Thanksgiving ty College in Eugene. about three months later, I In this day, when there’s so or Christmas that went by that would start working in that much talk about high school she didn’t invite me to share it VDPHRI¿FHDVWKH6RXWK&RXQ- dropouts and the high cost of with her and her family. ty reporter for The Daily Asto- Maybe it is right, too, that a college education, to have rian and we would become fast and close friends. Wendy Richardson’s last all three children graduating in we honor Wendy at Christmas. Facebook post to her page the same month is quite a feat! She and her mother ran the But her motherly instincts Christmas shop, ’Tis the Sea- endy’s generosity, love Dec. 19: “Beautiful rainbow for her community and over the house this morn- didn’t end with her children. son in Cannon Beach for more :HQG\ ZDV WKH RI¿FH ³PRWK- than 20 years. Christmas was desire to help others — even ing. Thanks mom.” er,” too. When Seaside report- Wendy’s favorite holiday. when it meant impinging on She often talked about her her own time or resources her throughout the time we er Katherine Lacaze needed — are the qualities all of her worked together, problems furniture for her baby, Wendy mother, who died several years friends are writing about this that I’m pretty sure few people dug out her leftover furniture ago; Wendy missed her very much. week on her Facebook page in knew about because her smile from her garage. ,QD¿QDO)DFHERRNSRVWODVW “You showed me how to her memory. Wendy died of a and vivacity masked her stress. massive stroke Monday. In some ways, Wendy sew a button onto my jacket,” weekend, Wendy showed a pic- “Your friendship, generosi- seemed naive about people, wrote Erick Bengel, former ture she had taken of a rainbow ty, kindness and wicked sense but her faith in them usually Cannon Beach reporter, on over the house that she and Al RIKXPRUKDYHNHSWPHDÀRDW worked out. Like the time a Wendy’s Facebook page. “You had moved into a few months through sad times. You always VWUDQJHU FDPH LQWR RXU RI¿FH shared your home-cooked ago. She adored the house and knew the right thing to say, or with some hard luck story. meals with me. …You coun- its location near West Lake. The rainbow seemed to when a hug was just what I Wendy loaned the woman $25 seled and consoled me during needed,” wrote Gretchen Fu- — money she couldn’t spare at some of my darker days at the symbolize that all was well, lop Darnell. “I fear Seaside the time. The woman promised Gazette. And I always looked ¿QDOO\ LQ :HQG\¶V OLIH DQG will never be the same.” to pay her back, even though forward to our talks. I can’t be- as always, she wanted to share “The many lives you have she was on her way out of lieve I don’t have those to look the happy moment. “Beautiful rainbow over touched, the many people town. A few months went by. forward to anymore.” “I just realized I still have the house this morning,” Wen- who have been healed by your But to my great surprise, the the jumper cables she loaned dy wrote. “Thanks, mom.” words! Thank you for your gift woman repaid the loan. Nancy McCarthy is the me in my back seat,” former of love throughout the com- munity,” wrote Linda Smith. endy was always shel- Seaside reporter Louie Opatz retired Daily Astorian South “Thank you for all that you tering people under her wrote on Facebook. “Wendy County reporter and former taught me, helped me through wing, especially young people. was always so generous, gre- editor of the Seaside Signal and shared with me! I am for- Whenever we went to lunch to- garious and loving — and all and Cannon Beach Gazette. ever grateful for your love and gether, there inevitably would WKRVH WKLQJV VR VHOÀHVVO\ 6KH wisdom,” added Angela Fair- be a person at the restaurant — a never did — and never would less. waitress or someone we would have — asked for those jumper Every weekday morning for run into — who had either cables back.” nearly seven years, until I re- lived temporarily with Wen- tired last March, Wendy would dy’s family or who had gone endy was the true spirit FRPHLQWRP\RI¿FHIRUDTXLFN to school with one of Wendy’s of the Seaside commu- chat. It would be our way of three children and who Wendy nity, a tireless volunteer for starting the day. We shared our had somewhat “adopted.” the high school, the Seaside Family was the dominant Chamber of Commerce and personal trials and triumphs in those conversations and usual- theme that ran through Wen- other local organizations. She ly ended up laughing. She had dy’s life. She dearly loved her would work full days at the of- many tribulations that dogged husband, Al, and her three chil- ¿FH WKHQ VSHQG HYHQLQJV DQG I W W Upside-down weather pattern across US linked WR(O1LxR The Associated Press SEATTLE — Astrid Rau just baked 16 kinds of Christmas cookies, including a batch in the shape of snow- ÀDNHV%XWVKH¶VQHYHUWKHOHVV having trouble getting in the holiday spirit, thanks to fore- casts that have the tempera- ture in her hometown of Per- kasie, Pennsylvania, hitting 72 degrees on Thursday. “I associate cold with Christmas,” the 55-year-old says. “And if it’s warm it just doesn’t feel quite right to me.” A weather pattern part- O\ OLQNHG ZLWK (O 1LxR KDV turned winter upside-down across the U.S. during a week of heavy holiday travel, bringing spring-like warmth WRWKH1RUWKHDVWDULVNRIWRU- nadoes in the South and so much snow across the West that even skiing slopes have been overwhelmed. In a reversal of a typical &KULVWPDV IRUHFDVWHUV H[SHFW 1HZ<RUNWREHLQWKHPLGV on the holiday — several de- grees higher than Los Angeles. The mild conditions have KHOSHG JROI FRXUVHV LQ 1HZ England do brisk business, but the pattern comes at a steep cost for ski resorts that have closed and for back- country skiers who confront avalanche risks. And like Rau, many Americans com- plain that it just doesn’t feel like the holidays without a chill in the air. “It’s been a great snow season so far from the Rock- ies to the higher elevations in the Cascades and the north- ern Sierras, and it’s been the total opposite on the East Coast,” said Bob Oravec, lead IRUHFDVWHU ZLWK WKH 1DWLRQDO Weather Service. Big parts of the county are basking in above-average temperatures, especially east of the Mississippi and across WKH 1RUWKHUQ 3ODLQV 5HFRUG ZDUPWK ZDV H[SHFWHG RQ Christmas Eve along the East Coast, Oravec said. He laid the credit — or blame — with a strong El 1LxR SDWWHUQ WKH ZDUPLQJ of surface waters in the Pa- FL¿F 2FHDQ QHDU WKH HTXDWRU That’s helped drive warm air west to east across the Lower 48 and kept colder air from the Arctic at bay, he said. ,Q WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW and California, the effects RI (O 1LxR KDYHQ¶W UHDOO\ KLW yet. They’re typically seen in January through March, and the heavy rains and snows in the region are probably not linked to the phenomenon, said Washington State Clima- WRORJLVW1LFN%RQG 7KH ZLQWHU LQ WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVWLVVWLOOSUHGLFWHGWR be drier than normal, so the series of storms that dumped feet of snow in the Cascades this month and piled the snowpack back above nor- mal, were helpful, he said. Come summer, farmers and salmon alike will rely on that melting snow. In Washington, authorities have closed the state’s main east-west route, Interstate 90, over the Cascade Mountains repeatedly this week due to heavy snows and avalanche GDQJHU 2I¿FLDOV FORVHG D sledding hill near Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday because the storm kept the state Trans- portation Department from plowing the parking lot. On Sunday, a heavy storm closed Oregon’s Mount Ashland Ski Area when it knocked out power. 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