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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2018)
LEARN YOUR BIRDS WEEKEND BREAK • 1C 146TH YEAR, NO. 60 WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 THE CURMUDGEON IN THE WOODS ONE DOLLAR Astoria Coffee Co. to close storefront Company to sell from home By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Photos by Patrick Webb/Chinook Observer Walt Twidwell lives in rural Pacific County in a rustic home he built from scavenged lumber using a hand saw. Ailing sailor readies for his final voyage In 1991, Rick Murray and Peg Davis fled Seattle to reestablish their small-town roots in Astoria. The couple founded an espresso bar, Astoria Coffee Co., at the time one of the only purveyors of gourmet coffee in town. Two years later, they purchased a former gro- cery store at 37th Street and Leif Erickson Drive, famous for its part in the “The Goonies,” and began roasting their own beans. Four years after the death of his wife, Mur- ray is planning to continue the roasting business from his home near Knappa, closing his iconic storefront by the end of the year and selling the building. He is searching for a retail site to carry his coffees and teas, while setting up online sales. “When Peg suddenly died in 2014 I tried to keep the dream alive, and have tried some new and fun things, but now understand that what we did was a moment in time and cannot work with- out her,” Murray wrote to customers in a recent message on Facebook. Murray and Davis, originally from small towns in Indiana, left for Seattle in 1973. Mur- ray’s experience with the coffee business stretches back to 1979, when after applying on a paper bag he landed a job at the third location of then-nascent local coffee chain Starbucks. He began roasting coffee in 1984 until the two decided to flee the big city and start their coffee company in Astoria. They started with an espresso bar downtown, sourcing beans from Seattle, before purchasing the current location, buying a gas-powered cof- fee roaster and moving upstairs. “We had planned on doing this for as long as we could,” Murray said. His wife’s death “changed what was going on, and so I tried to do some other stuff. We opened a little deli, hired some people. But the location of the shop was probably not good for that.” See CLOSING, Page 7A By PATRICK WEBB Chinook Observer W hen an octogenarian is ailing, it’s a tad unfair to label him a curmudgeon. One exception lives in the woods of northern Pacific County, Washington. “Well, I am,” Walt Twidwell said, with a wry grin. “No,” he frowned, “I’m a teddy bear in a griz- zly bear frame.” But now when the 81-year-old grumbles about something, he has just cause. The old sailor has mesothelioma — terminal cancer caused by pro- longed exposure to asbestos. Twidwell was a boiler tender and fireman for the Navy. His nearly 20 years in uniform began in the aftermath of the Korean conflict and lasted through Vietnam. He conducted maintenance and repairs in See TWIDWELL, Page 6A The Daily Astorian Walt Twidwell, of Brooklyn, is pictured at the Ilwaco Masonic Lodge with an enlarged photo of himself in his Navy uniform. Peg Davis and Rick Murray, pictured in 2009, began roasting beans at Astoria Coffee Co. on the corner of 37th Street and Leif Erikson Drive in 1993. Local crew responds to Hurricane Florence Four-person helicopter crew rescued 19 people in first flight By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian A four-person helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Asto- ria is in North Carolina this week to help with Hurricane Florence rescue efforts. The crew rescued 19 people and five pets Tuesday during its first fly- over. Before the roughly 8 1/2-hour patrol, 2,000 people and 500 animals had already been rescued. Overall, dozens of people and mil- lions of animals have died since the storm dropped trillions of gallons of rain. The crew was scheduled for another flyover Thursday and will remain in the area for at least a week, possibly two. “We’re glad to be here, helping people,” said Christopher Hale, a res- cue swimmer. “It’s definitely awe-in- spiring and something we will all remember for the rest of our lives.” The crew landed in Norfolk, Vir- ginia on Monday morning after a red-eye flight. After driving an hour south to Elizabeth City, North Caro- lina, they were briefed that afternoon Steve Helber/AP Photo See COAST GUARD, Page 7A A Coast Guard aircrew from Astoria assists with relief operations during Hur- ricane Florence.