A10
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2019
OBITUARIES
Stephen Edward Smiley
Betty Lorraine Berny
Centralia, Washington
Dec. 13, 1928 — May 6, 2019
Cottage Grove
Sept. 2, 1926 — June 8, 2019
Stephen Edward Smiley was born Dec.
Steve was known for his farming, gar-
13, 1928, to James and Esther Smiley in dening, fi shing, raising Yorkie puppies and
South Prairie, Washington. The Smiley telling jokes and stories.
family moved to Lopez Island,
Steve was preceded in death by
Washington, in 1938.
his wife, Anna, and seven brothers
At the age of 17, Steve joined
and sisters.
the Army Air Corps in 1946, then
He leaves behind three chil-
chose to join the new Air Force in
dren, Dorene (Randy), Caryn
1948 as a World War II veteran.
(Richard) and Greg (Debi);
Steve lived in Anacortes, Sno-
and numerous grandchildren,
homish and Seattle, Washington,
great-grandchildren, nieces and
until he met the love of his life,
nephews.
Anna Ohm, and was blessed with
A celebration of life will be
57 years of marriage. After oper-
held at 11 a.m. June 22 at the
Stephen
ating a dairy farm together south
Centralia Church of Christ, 502 E.
Smiley
of Seattle, they moved to Brown-
Plum St. in Centralia.
smead, Oregon, where they lived
A graveside service will be held
for 40-plus years. Steve then returned to at Bayview Cemetery on Whidbey Island,
Centralia, Washington.
Washington, on Sunday, June 23, at 1 p.m.
Betty Lorraine Berny, a resident of Mag- and Natasha Berny; and great-grandchil-
nolia Gardens Assisted Living in Cottage dren, Sylas, Sierra, Eli, Summer, Eva, Seth,
Grove, Oregon, passed away on June 8, Gwyneth and Clara.
Betty’s family would like to
2019, at the age of 92, from heart
thank all the Magnolia Gardens
disease.
and Signature Hospice employees
Betty was born on Sept. 2, 1926,
for the wonderful, loving care they
in Ontario, California, to Marvin
provided our mother.
and Hazel (Keith) Ericsson.
There will be a private fam-
She married Bud Berny on
ily graveside service at Fir Grove
Sept. 6, 1948, and resided in
Cemetery, followed by a cele-
Ontario until 1979, when they
bration of life at Stacy’s Covered
moved to Cottage Grove. Her hus-
Bridge in Cottage Grove on Thurs-
band, Bud, and her youngest son,
day, June 20, 2019 at 12 p.m.
Brian, preceded Betty in death.
Betty Berny
In lieu of fl owers, please per-
She is survived by her chil-
form an act of kindness on Betty’s
dren, Becky (and Myrl) Walter,
Roxanne (and Alan) Williams and Mike behalf, or make a donation to Signature Hos-
(and Dana) Berny; grandchildren, Jed (and pice in her memory.
Arrangements are in the care of Smith
Lisa) Walter, Sara (and Jeff) Dreiling, Ryan
Williams (and Sophia), Jaimie (and Taylor) Lund Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage
Carr, Michelle (and Chris) Lang and Marina Grove.
Joyce Marie Cameron
Olney
May 4, 1937 — June 10, 2019
Joyce Marie Cameron, a longtime resi- making beautiful quilts.
dent of the Astoria area, passed away peace-
She also loved to travel the coast and
fully Monday, June 10, at her home.
gamble with her dear friend, Susan. She
Joyce was born May 4, 1937,
always looked forward to her Fri-
at St. Mary’s Hospital in Astoria,
day lunches with “the girls.” She
Oregon, to Matthew Walter Wil-
lived a full and beautiful life. She
son and Ina Marie Holt.
was blessed with a granddaugh-
She was raised in Astoria, and
ter and two great-grandsons, who
graduated from Astoria High
brought her much joy.
School in 1955. She then moved to
Joyce was preceded in death by
Portland, Oregon, and worked as a
her husband, Richard E. Cameron,
bookkeeper for Yourgan & Meyer
on Jan. 10, 2005.
from 1956 to 1959.
She is survived by her two sons,
She married her husband, Rich-
Douglas E. Cameron and Paul E.
ard E. Cameron, on July 11, 1959. Joyce Cameron
Cameron, a granddaughter, Andrea
They spent over 50 years together
M. Cameron, and two great-grandsons,
before his death in 2005.
Cody S. Johnson and Korbin C. Tull, all of
In 1959, she and her husband moved to Astoria, Oregon. She is also survived by a
Olney, where she remained until her passing. brother and sister-in-law, Chuck and Jan
She became a homemaker to her two sons, Wilson, of Grants Pass, Oregon; as well as
Doug and Paul.
numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She loved to camp with her family, and
Memorial contributions can be made to
swim. She had a talent for gardening and the Columbia River Maritime Museum in
cooking. She treasured her yard and lovely Astoria, Oregon.
rose bushes. Another hobby she enjoyed
There is no service planned at this time.
was sewing, and she spent nearly a decade H owever, there may be a celebration of life
as a member of the Klatskanie Sewing Club, planned at a later date.
Housing: Councilors expressed interest in
encouraging higher-density development
Continued from Page A1
On the map, most of the
heel-shaped jut of land that
forms Astoria is either pink
or gray. The green sections
of partially vacant land
stand out. There are small
pockets in the dominantly
gray downtown, and larger
parcels to the east.
Astoria’s population has
only just begun to creep up,
but for years has held rela-
tively steady at just below
10,000 people. The esti-
mated population in 2018
was 9,695, according to
Portland State University’s
Population Research Center .
The city is split almost in
half between homeowners
and renters . Across Oregon,
around 39% of the popula-
tion rents and 61% owns.
But Astoria also faces a
higher estimated poverty
rate. Clatsop County has
the highest rate of home-
lessness per 1,000 residents
than any other county in the
state, according to the study.
With many county, men-
tal health and social services
clustered in Astoria, the city
has had to grapple with
how to address an increas-
ingly visible homeless pop-
ulation that draws on these
services. Combined with a
lack of affordable housing
and workforce housing, and
rents that continue to rise,
these issues have forced
policy discussions in recent
years.
The average cost of rent-
als is high in Astoria.
Of the fi ve cities in Clat-
sop County, Astoria looks
much more like Cannon
Beach when it comes to
what people pay in rent. A
one-bedroom unit, on aver-
age, costs $925 a month in
Astoria, and $900 in Can-
non Beach. Two bedrooms
can kick the cost up to an
average of $1,250, while
a three-bedroom unit is an
average of $1,600.
“Property managers and
the U.S. Census do not indi-
cate that rental rates have
grown particularly quickly,
averaging roughly 3%
annually in recent years,”
the study noted. “However,
the greater issue is availabil-
ity, as renters and employers
fi nd it diffi cult to fi nd vacant
units to rent.”
Entire Facebook pages
have sprung up dedicated to
people looking for a place
to live in Clatsop County
and in Astoria in particular.
Property owners who adver-
tise a cheaper-than-usual
rental are often quickly
fl ooded with inquiries.
The study identifi ed a
need for more single-fam-
ily detached styles of hous-
ing for home ownership and
more multi family units for
renters in Astoria.
Higher density
On Thursday, city coun-
cilors expressed interest in
encouraging higher-density
development through strate-
gies like cottage clusters —
groups of smaller detached
homes — and zoning.
“There’s so much in the
study to digest,” City Coun-
cilor Joan Herman said
afterward .
ports what people have
already been advocating ,
City Councilor Jessamyn
West said afterward .
“And that is the need for
more affordable housing,
specifi cally for individuals
who make less than $25K a
year,” she said.
But the question remains:
“How do you incentivize
people to build workforce
housing?” One answer: sub-
sidize it.
City Councilor Roger
Rocka was interested in
the idea of a land trust that
could purchase land and
then lease it to developers.
The move could help reduce
a builder’s costs and pro-
vide the city some guaran-
tee that at least a percent-
age of the housing would
be rented at affordable or
workforce-level prices.
Utilizing land the city
already owns and lever-
aging city loans are other
options.
‘PROPERTY MANAGERS
AND THE U.S. CENSUS DO NOT
INDICATE THAT RENTAL RATES
HAVE GROWN PARTICULARLY
QUICKLY, AVERAGING ROUGHLY
3% ANNUALLY IN RECENT YEARS.
HOWEVER, THE GREATER ISSUE
IS AVAILABILITY, AS RENTERS AND
EMPLOYERS FIND IT DIFFICULT
TO FIND VACANT UNITS TO RENT.’
an excerpt from the study
The City Council plans to
hold another work session to
discuss the study’s recom-
mendations in more detail.
Herman would like to go a
step further and meet with
elected offi cials county wide
to see what could be accom-
plished collaboratively.
“Our workers, our res-
idents, they don’t know
boundaries necessarily so
it just makes sense that we
don’t work independently of
each other,” she said.
The study provided
quantifi able data that sup-
The options could pro-
vide ways to solve diffi cult
vacant land conundrums,
like Heritage Square’s
open pit next to City Hall
downtown.
“I think that’s potentially
a great way for the city to
use properties,” City Coun-
cilor Tom Brownson agreed.
But i t is hard to pick out
any single thing from the
housing study at this point,
Rocka said. “There are good
ideas and some good guid-
ance and a lot more work to
do, ” he said.
Helen Maxine Nelson Holt
Salem
June 6, 1929 — June 6, 2019
Helen Maxine Holt was born in Denver, of God — Coram Deo.
Maxine was a gifted piano teacher, and
Colorado, June 6, 1929, to Hazel (VanNo-
tric) and Clarence Nelson, and died on June 6, taught in Seaside until 2017. Maxine loved her
family and fully embraced being a
2019, at age 90.
grandmother. She was passionate
Maxine
graduated
from
about gardening, clam digging (lim-
Gresham High School in 1947, and
iting into her 80s), garage sales, col-
studied journalism and music in
lecting of all kinds, making sauer-
college.
kraut and clam chowder and hosting
In 1950, she married Don-
dinners with Don in their home.
ald Holt in Spokane, Washington,
She loved picking wild blackber-
moving to Seaside in 1953 to be
ries and mushrooms. She walked
near her parents. Don and Maxine
hundreds of miles on the Prom with
opened Don’s Union 76 station in
friends, talking through life’s joys
1955.
and challenges. Maxine’s faith is
Maxine and Don were members Helen Maxine
now sight.
Holt
of North Coast Family Fellowship
She is survived by her children, Bruce
since the 1950s, where she taught
Sunday school, directed choir and played (Dana Walter), Craig (Debbie Thornton) and
organ for worship services. Maxine lived her Nancy (Scott Trumbo); 10 grandchildren; and
life in the presence, and to the honor and glory 15 great-grandchildren.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Astorian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and,
for veterans, a fl ag symbol at no charge. The deadline for all obituaries is 9 a.m. the
business day prior. • Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style.
Death notices and upcoming services will be published at no charge. Notices must be
submitted by 9 a.m. the day of publication. • Obituaries and notices may be submit-
ted online at DailyAstorian.com/forms/obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.com,
placed via the funeral home or in person at The Astorian offi ce, 949 Exchange St. in
Astoria. • For more information, call 503-325-3211, ext. 257.
Remembering The Japanese
Submarine Attack On Fort
Stevens 77 Years Ago
June 21, 1942
An Interpretation Of The Event
Will Take Place At Battery
Russell, Fort Stevens State Park
Noon to 4:00 PM
June 21, 2019
Why Did The Fort
Remain Silent?
Visit the Historic Site on June 22 nd and
June 23 rd for living history activities