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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2020)
A5 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 Pearl Harbor veteran in Bend beats virus OBITUARIES Robert Wayne Koskela By KYLE SPURR The Bulletin Astoria Sept. 12, 1928 — Dec. 13, 2020 Our dearly loved Grandpa Bob peacefully He and Patty played UNO , Skip-Bo and went to meet Jesus on Dec. 13, 2020. cribbage every morning over breakfast with Robert Wayne Koskela was born in Hecla, their bowls of betting quarters. Bob and Patty South Dakota, to Wayne Arvid regularly attended church and Koskela and Lempi Vieno Juliana loved their church family. Wiirre. Later, in 1941, in his junior Bob belonged to a Harley high school years, he moved to Davidson c lub, and owned two Astoria. Harleys. He also belonged to the Bob married Patricia Lee Kan- Long Beach, Washington clowns, gas Westerlund on Nov. 14, 1987, Eagles, Elks, Moose, AARP, the and gained a whole new family. Long Beach Grange and the Asto- After they got married, they built ria and Long Beach senior centers. a new home in Ocean Park, Wash- Bob and Patty volunteered at ington, and resided there until His Supper Table hot meal pro- Robert Koskela 2017, when they moved back to gram for over 10 years. He and Astoria. Patty were grange camp counselors Bob was a loving husband, grandpa and at Mossyrock, Washington, for several years. great-grandpa. Family meant everything to Grandpa Bob will be sorely missed, and him. He and Patty went on many vacations is survived by his sister and husband, Joanne with all of the family, and especially enjoyed and Leo Larson; son and wife, Bruce and their yearly trip to the sand dunes. Kay Westerlund; son, Chuck Westerlund; Bob is a U.S. Army veteran, and served as daughter and husband, Dawn and Joel Jen- an electrician and in chemical maintenance. son; son, David Westerlund; grandchildren, Bob retired with the U.S. Army Corps of Joann, Kristine, Joel Jr., Crystal, Joni, Rach- Engineers, where he worked on the Biddle, elle, Travis and Andrea; great-grandchildren, Essayons and the Chester Harding. Taylor, Andy, Brooklyn, Trista, Brayden, Bob had many talents. He was a photog- Teslyn, Lilly, Jamerson, Lynkon, Jackson, rapher and had his own darkroom to develop Joshua, Jayden, Ember and Tanis; and his his pictures. He was a master carver and many nephews, nieces and dear friends. All carved many different birds with incredible of them he loved dearly. detail and character. He made furniture and He was preceded in death by his wife, was a leather craftsman. He could sew, paint Patricia Koskela; his father, Wayne Koskela; and needlepoint with the best of them. and mother, Lempi Schmidt. Bob loved to walk his dog, “Smoky,” bird- A celebration of life will be held at a later watch and could name every bird he saw or date. heard. He loved to dig razor clams and tend An online guest book is available at cald- to his garden. wellsmortuary.com Dick Higgins, the 99-year-old Pearl Har- bor survivor from Bend, told friends and family last month he would beat COVID- 19 just like he survived World War II and a childhood in the Dust Bowl. A month later, doctors confi rmed Hig- gins’ success. He has recovered from the deadly virus. “He’s going to chalk it up to being an Oklahoma kid that had to survive the Dust Bowl and Great Depression,” said Higgins’ granddaughter, Angela Norton. Higgins, the oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor in central Oregon, tested positive for the virus on Nov. 23, and quarantined at home, which he shares with Norton and her family. Norton’s husband and 6-year- old son also contracted the virus, but are now recovered as well. Doctors told Norton that elderly peo- ple are at a higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, so Higgins is for- tunate to beat the virus, especially without having to be hospitalized. “He got very lucky for someone his age to be able to have such mild symptoms,” Norton said. Despite no respiratory issues or hospi- tal stays, it was still a diffi cult few weeks Dick Higgins, a 99-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor in Bend, enjoyed Christmas morning with his family after recovering from COVID-19. for Higgins. He had painful body aches, no appetite and had to visit the emergency room when his leg swelled. He stopped acting like himself and was losing his will to live, his granddaughter said. “He is doing so much better,” she said. “He defi nitely has more pep in his step.” $ 1,050,000 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 3108 sq ft. Gail Hartley Prineville July 3, 1942 — Dec. 16, 2020 Gail Hartley, 78, of Astoria until recently, died Dec. 16, 2020, peacefully in Prineville . Gail was born July 3, 1942, in Astoria, to Pete Ringstead and Geraldine Glandon. She lived in Astoria for most of her life, making a big impact on many in the community, and was lovingly referred to as “Mama May.” She is survived by her children, Steve Mayfi eld, of Raymond, Washington, Annette Mayfi eld, of Prineville, Gary Mayfi eld, of Warren- ton, Christy Mayfi eld, of Van- couver, Washington, and Scott Hartley and his wife, Lisa, of Mount Hood, Oregon; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Gail Hartley OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER 2675 Sunset Blvd, Seaside It’s all about the location, and you can’t beat this one. Positioned at the Seaside Cove, this luxe townhome is located just feet from the ocean. Each level exhibits expansive views of the Pacific Ocean, the beach, the mountains and the town of Seaside. Embrace the song of the crashing waves as drift off to sleep, cozy up to the fireplace while watching the surfers ride waves or treat yourself in the chef ’s kitchen with Viking Range and Refrigerator. With 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and centrally located elevator to access all three levels, this property has the quality offerings of home and is a sought after vacation rental. We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! CLATSOP POWER EQUIPMENT , INC. SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS Book an appointment to secure your piece of Astoria History today. Christy Chaloux Coulombe 503-724-2400 34912 HWY 101 BUS • ASTORIA 503-325-0792 • 1-800-220-0792 SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Oregon Realtor • Licensed in Oregon MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY REGIONAL FORECAST Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Seattle 50 46 A little morning rain 52 47 Rain 52 45 50 41 49 41 47 40 47 40 Rain Heavy rain possible Cloudy, rain possible Remaining cloudy Windy with rain Aberdeen Olympia 50/45 50/44 Wenatchee Tacoma Moses Lake 50/43 ALMANAC UNDER THE SKY TODAY'S TIDES Astoria through Tuesday Tonight’s Sky: The Winter Circle - Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky followed by Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betelgeuse, Aldebaran and Pollux. Astoria / Port Docks Temperatures High/low ................................ 41/30 Normal high/low .................. 48/37 Record high .................. 60 in 1920 Record low .................... 16 in 1990 Precipitation Tuesday ................................... 0.16” Month to date ........................ 7.39” Normal month to date ......... 9.28” Year to date .......................... 63.74” Normal year to date ........... 66.90” Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Sunrise today .................. 7:58 a.m. Sunset tonight ............... 4:40 p.m. Moonrise today ............. 6:17 p.m. Moonset today ............... 9:29 a.m. New First High (ft.) Time Low (ft.) 2:33 a.m. 1:19 p.m. Full 2:05 a.m. 1:01 p.m. 2:19 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Warrenton 2:28 a.m. 1:14 p.m. Knappa 3:10 a.m. 1:56 p.m. Depoe Bay Jan 6 Jan 12 Jan 20 Jan 28 7.5 7:52 a.m. 3.7 9.1 8:40 p.m. -0.6 Cape Disappointment Hammond SUN AND MOON Last Time 7.4 6:55 a.m. 4.0 9.1 7:45 p.m. -0.7 7.6 7:18 a.m. 3.8 9.3 8:05 p.m. -0.9 7.9 7:36 a.m. 3.8 9.4 8:24 p.m. -0.5 7.8 8:53 a.m. 3.2 9.3 9:41 p.m. -0.5 1:22 a.m. 7.5 6:23 a.m. 4.0 12:11 p.m. 9.3 7:17 p.m. -1.0 City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Honolulu Houston Los Angeles Miami New York City Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC Fri. Hi/Lo/W 61/57/sh 46/29/r 30/24/pc 45/38/r 43/24/pc 81/72/pc 68/43/r 66/47/pc 81/74/pc 48/34/r 61/42/pc 59/44/s 50/36/r 69/52/r 39/34/pc 37/32/r 47/33/pc 37/22/pc 82/72/pc 59/40/s 67/49/s 82/73/s 41/39/r 63/40/s 58/48/pc 42/41/r Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. 43/33 Hermiston The Dalles 45/33 Enterprise Pendleton 39/30 44/33 47/36 La Grande 39/30 50/44 NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi/Lo/W 37/32 Kennewick Walla Walla 42/33 Lewiston 42/30 50/44 Salem Pullman 39/31 Longview 50/46 Portland 51/45 35/31 Yakima 36/30 49/43 Astoria Spokane 33/29 Corvallis 50/43 Albany 50/43 John Day Eugene Bend 51/43 46/31 39/25 Ontario 36/27 Caldwell Burns 39/17 36/25 Medford 48/36 Klamath Falls 39/23 City Baker City Brookings Ilwaco Newberg Newport Today Hi/Lo/W 38/24/sf 51/43/c 51/46/r 51/44/r 51/46/r Fri. Hi/Lo/W 36/28/c 52/47/r 51/45/r 50/44/r 52/47/r City North Bend Roseburg Seaside Springfi eld Vancouver Today Hi/Lo/W 52/45/r 52/41/r 51/45/r 51/42/r 50/41/r Fri. Hi/Lo/W 54/46/r 53/43/r 51/44/r 51/43/r 49/42/r
