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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2016)
SEASIDE BOYS, GIRLS WIN HOME TOURNEY SPORTS • 10A DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2016 144TH YEAR, NO. 122 ONE DOLLAR Prominent attorney Hal Snow dies at 75 Remembered for loyalty to friends, family and community By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian Harold “Hal” Snow, Warrenton’s city attorney who died Thursday in Portland at 75, was known for his exemplary legal mind, generosity of spirit and dedication to his community. The cause of death was not immedi- ately available. Snow and his wife, Jeanyse, were partners in Snow & Snow, a law fi rm on Commercial Street that traces back to the 1960s. Snow also served as the city attor- ney of Astoria from 1986 to 2010. “Hal was a real dean of the legal com- munity in Astoria,” Clatsop County Dis- trict Attorney Josh Marquis said. “He and his wife, Jeanyse, were real giants in the Clatsop County bar. “And were particularly helpful to me when I was appointed back in 1994 at a very turbulent time in the history of the state bar. He is going to be dearly missed by everybody.” Blair Henningsgaard, Astoria’s city attorney, said Snow’s passing “certainly leaves a huge hole in the legal commu- nity here.” See SNOW, Page 7A Hal Snow STEADY AS A ROCK WARR STEPS DOWN AFTER 12 YEARS ON THE CITY COUNCIL Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian A photograph of Don Larson and his wife, Lois, sits on display during the fu- neral of Don Larson, the former Seaside mayor, on Friday at North Coast Family Fellowship in Seaside. A ‘legacy of civility’ Hundreds turn out to honor former mayor By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian Astoria City Councilor Russ Warr smiles for a portrait outside City Hall on Thursday. Warr, who chose not to run for re-election, will finish his third term at the end of the year . He has represented the east side with a gruff sensibility for three terms. P By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian olitically, there are few easier votes than to ban smoking at city parks. Even smokers cringe at the thought of light- ing up near children on a playground or a fam- ily enjoying a picnic. But when the Astoria City Coun- cil approved a smoking ban last year, Councilor Russ Warr voted “no.” “I have a real, basic problem deep in my heart when people ban things that are legal to do just because they don’t like them,” he explained. There were few downsides in Astoria to fi ghting the Oregon LNG project in Warrenton. Public opinion had long turned against the $6 billion terminal and pipeline by the time the City Council heard a symbolic resolution last year. But Warr was again the lone vote in opposition, mindful of Astoria’s relation- ship with city commissioners across Youngs Bay. “We’re going to need them for a long, long time,” he counseled. “And when we act in our own interests, we don’t want people objecting to what we’re doing.” A dozen years For the past 12 years, Warr, 74, has been a pragmatic, See WARR, Page 7A The Daily Astorian/File Photo Don Webb, third from left, receives a plaque and recognition as the official Watchdog of the Astoria City Council after enduring an April Fools´ prank in 2011. Front row from left, former Astoria City Manager Paul Benoit, for- mer City Councilor Peter Roscoe, resident Don Webb, Mayor Willis Van Du- sen, Karen Mellin; back row, City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard, and City Councilor Russ Warr, whose final meeting on the council is tonight. SEASIDE — A man of faith and a playful spirit is the way friends and family members described former Seaside Mayor Don Larson at his memorial service at North Coast Fam- ily Fellowship. The Friday service saw an outpouring of remembrance for the man who has guided Seaside’s civic affairs as mayor since 2002. “If there was one person I know I wish everyone I know could meet, it would have been him,” Larson’s granddaughter Kirsten Riedel described her grandfather. “He cared about people so much. His playful spirit came from a place of love for life and curi- osity and desire to get to know other people, and to learn about the good things in life and the gifts of grace from our Lord.” Jay Barber, who replaced Larson as mayor this month, pointed to Larson’s “leg- acy of civility,” his love for the city of Sea- side and his openness to all citizens. Sea- side’s city workers, police and fi refi ghters and law enforcement throughout the county rose in memory of the former mayor. Speaker after speaker described a man of faith who stressed the model of volunteerism, in city government, in the church and with neighbors. As the city’s fl ags hung at half- staff, Larson’s son Duane Larson recalled how the family came to the Oregon Coast on camping trips every year before settling here permanently upon his retirement as a civil- ian employee for the Oregon National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve. Pastor Larry Rydman shared Larson’s reac- tion to his cancer diagnosis and the special role See LARSON, Page 7A Volunteer fi ghts fi res for the ‘love of it’ Cannon Beach fi refi ghter gives back to town C ANNON BEACH — When the historic Oswald West log cabin burned in 1991 due to an act of arson, JoAnne Cremer was one of the fi re- fi ghters on the scene battling the blaze for hours. It was one of the most mem- orable moments in Cremer’s 32 years as a Cannon Beach volunteer fi refi ghter. “It was the night of my birthday,” she said. “We were there until late in the evening or early morning. It was the hottest fi re I have ever fought in my life because of the logs … We all worked really hard that night.” Cremer was recently fea- tured as Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue fi refi ghter of the month, recognized for her longtime commitment and for being “probably the most posi- tive person with one of the best smiles.” Cremer decided to join the fi re district after living in Can- non Beach for several years and getting to know local fi refi ghters. “I just decided it was a way I could give back to the com- munity,” she said. Cremer said the “love of it” motivates her to continue fi refi ghting. “This is like my other job — my unpaid job,” she said. “Once you get into an orga- nization like this and become so close with everybody, it’s like having a second family. For some of us, it’s our fi rst Lyra Fontaine/The Daily Astorian See CREMER, Page 5A JoAnne Cremer has been a volunteer firefighter with Can- non Beach Fire and Rescue for 32 years.
