A5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
OBITUARIES
Ruth Ann Arrington Sprague
June Marelyn (Phillips) Adams
Hillsboro
Nov. 18, 1944 — Jan. 6, 2021
Astoria
March 24, 1954 — Jan. 4, 2021
Ruth Ann Arrington Sprague was born to but liked to add “a little bit of this, or a lit-
Gerald and Magnhild Arrington, in Astoria, tle bit of that.” She enjoyed spending time
on Nov. 18, 1944.
with family, watching Portland Trail Blazers
She graduated from Astoria
games and loved to put together
High School in June 1963 and went
care packages of food for “the ride
on to study at Bernard’s Beauty
home.”
College in Longview, Washing-
She was a lifelong member of
ton. She eventually became an
the Lutheran Church and attended
instructor at Phagan’s Beauty Col-
First Lutheran Church in Asto-
lege, owning and operating salons
ria, Bethesda Lutheran Church
in Warrenton and Hillsboro for a
in Portland and was a member of
short time.
Saved by Grace Lutheran Church
After moving to Portland in
in Gresham at the time of her
the late 1970s, Ruth Ann made
death.
a career change, working as the Ruth Ann Sprague
Ruth Ann was preceded in death
chief dietitian for the Porthaven
by her father, Gerald T. Arrington;
Retirement Community. This would be the grandparents, Marie and John Skille; step-
beginning of a 40-year passion for health father, Edward Jasper; Uncle Karsten and
care, in which she managed various group Aunt Edith Sjoli, Aunt Ruth Sjoli and Uncle
homes for adults with disabilities. She was Robert, and Aunt Rosemary Sjoli; and cous-
a fi erce advocate for her clients, friends and ins, David Sjoli and Robin Miller; as well as
family, and loved sending cards to people at her beloved husband, Lewis.
just the right time.
She is survived by her mother, Magnhild
In 1996, she married the love of her life, Jasper, of Astoria; brother, Jerry Arrington,
Lewis Sprague, a U.S. Marine veteran. They of Astoria; sister and brother-in-law, Diane
moved to Hillsboro to be closer to her cli- and Jon Tierney, of Gearhart; niece and neph-
ents, and lived there for over 25 years. ew-in-law, Ann and Shawn Ornie, of Asto-
During their marriage, they traveled across ria; great-nephew, Timothy Ornie, of Asto-
the U.S. several times, visiting family and ria and Rockaway; cousin, Janice Young,
friends, spent time at their beach home and of California; and stepson, Tom Sprague, of
woke before the sun rose to reach their cabin Portland; as well as many extended family
at Davis Lake in Washington state before members and friends.
lunch.
In lieu of fl owers, donations can be made
She was an excellent cook, known for her to the National Kidney Foundation or the
pea salad, famous “Ruth’s soup” and turkey American Heart Association in Ruth Ann’s
dressing. She rarely measured ingredients, memory.
June Marelyn (Phillips) Adams passed vens State Park or Spruce Run. June enjoyed
away peacefully, with her family at her bringing the camp chair into the shallows of
side, on Jan. 4, 2021, after a long and cou- Coffenbury Lake or the Nehalem River and
rageous battle with cancer, at the age of 66. reclining in the brilliant mid day sun.
One of June’s great passions
June was born March 24,
was public transportation, often
1954, in Broadview, Illinois, the
riding the bus to the far off places
middle child of seven to John
within the region, and in particu-
Phillips and Gwendolyn (Hunter)
lar, she had a love of train travel.
Phillips.
She would jump at the chance
After having her fi rst child,
to catch the “Polar Express”
June traveled cross-country to
(actually
Amtrak’s
Empire
visit with her sister in Arch Cape,
Builder) from Portland to Chi-
before spending time in Tigard,
cago, always eager to catch the
and fi nally settling in Astoria. It
sunrise as the train chugged past
was there that she raised her fi rst
June Adams
Glacier National Park. Her favor-
two children before joining forces
ite stories to tell, which would
with her future husband, Ken.
always make her laugh, involved her jour-
Together they raised fi ve children.
Early on, June worked at the Hilltop neys by train and bus.
At the age of 64, June made her fi rst
Garden Center on Niagara Avenue before
devoting herself full-time to raising her trip abroad to visit her son living in Roma-
nia. She welcomed the “little differences”
children.
While skilled in the kitchen, often cre- Europe had to offer, though her fondest
ating numerous unique and obscure dishes, memory may have been hopping a train to
June would often seek a break and send the a city on the Black Sea to collect seashells
older children out for an adventure to snag and visit thrift stores (50% off!).
June lived a good life by focusing on
“pepperoni pickup” or Whoppers.
Once most of her children were the present moment, and she imparted her
grown up, she took up crafting fantasti- sense of joy wherever she traveled.
Surviving family members include her
cal moss-covered creatures (calling them
“Friends of Bigfoot”) as well as sparkling, husband, Ken; children, Jonah (LuAnne)
glitter-adorned oyster shell ornaments, Sperando, Philip (Hannah) Adams, Chuck
which she frequently sold, traded or mostly (Ani) Adams and Ethan Adams; grandchil-
dren, Skye (David) Loeffl er, Marisol and
gave away at the Astoria Sunday Market.
June could often be seen walking around Mateo Sperando and Mira Nersisyan-Ad-
Astoria along the waterfront, with her dogs, ams; and great-grandchild, Fox Loeffl er.
June’s daughter, Elisha Sperando, pre-
to pick up groceries at Safeway, heading
to church and helping her granddaughter ceded her in death. June’s surviving sib-
deliver newspapers. One of her mottos was: lings include John, Linda, Pam, Dave, Paul
“Walk your dog and enjoy your life as it is.” and Steve, as well as countless adoring
Since she was an unabashedly outgoing nieces and nephews.
Cremation services were performed at
person, she was never shy about talking to
friends and strangers alike that she met at Omega Funeral and Cremation Service in
any given moment, and was always focused Portland on Jan. 8. A memorial for June and
the placement of her ashes will take place
upon the present moment.
Special moments came in the summer, in mid-summer 2021 at one of June’s favor-
when the family would camp at Fort Ste- ite places.
John Carroll Skiles
Toledo
May 25, 1941 — Jan. 4, 2021
It is with sadness we share our dad, John
C. Skiles, 79, of Toledo, passed away Jan. 4,
2021.
He was born May 25, 1941, in Pottstown,
Pennsylvania, the eldest son of Elmer and Lil-
lian (Detweiler) Skiles.
John married Barbara Becker on March
16, 1962. He and Barbara built an incredible
life over their 58 years together. Their claim to
fame was to have had a child in every decade,
starting in the 1950s and ending in the 1980s.
They built a career in various agricultural
entities, including owner/operator of a dairy
in Brownsmead, a cattle ranch in Durkee and
a water well drilling business in Redmond.
Dad also enjoyed nearly a decade of agri-
cultural consulting in underdeveloped coun-
tries throughout the world. One of his many
highlights was the years he spent in Saudi
Arabia as a crops specialist for one of the larg-
est dairies in the world.
Dad and Mom eventually retired and
built a working farm in Toledo, where they
enjoyed their golden years farming and car-
ing for numerous herds of sheep and cattle.
Dad loved his home, and could often be found
driving his farming equipment in pursuit of
the betterment of the farm.
His fi nal years included daily trips in his
“covered wagon,” ensuring all sheep and cat-
tle were healthy and accounted for and check-
ing on “Mr. Big,” his bull elk he watched
grow over many years. Mr. Big was so accus-
tomed to his presence, they formed a sort of
bond.
Dad’s biggest joys were found in family
and friend gatherings. He took on the role of
“Grand PooPaw,” hosting numerous scrap-
ple gatherings and attending yearly Mastodon
parties at Christmas.
His smile, deep laugh and fi rm handshake
would capture the hearts of any who met him.
He had a way of connecting to people, and
they loved him for it. He always had grandi-
ose ideas that to a normal person would seem
unattainable, but for him, were just problems
needing to be solved.
No matter where he went, he found friends,
both old and new. Over his 79 years of hunt-
ing and fi shing adventures, a lifetime of mem-
ories were made with those who shared his
passions.
Dad was funny, clever, kind, warm-hearted
and extremely outgoing. He has left a positive
impression and profound impact on the lives
of the young and old. As his children, we are
proud of the life that Dad and Mom built. He
will be missed immensely.
John is loved and missed by his wife,
Barbara; his children, John, Dolly (Victo-
rine), Doug and Jackie (Wierup); his broth-
ers, Brent, Dale, Jerry and Bill Skiles; and sis-
ter, Sharon (Rogers). He was blessed with 15
grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents;
daughter, Audrey; and Mr. Big.
A memorial service and scrapple party will
occur at a later date.
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CLATSOP
POWER
Wildfi res produced up to half of pollution in West
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildfi re smoke
accounted for up to half of all health-damag-
ing small particle air pollution in the Western
U.S. in recent years as warming temperatures
fueled more destructive blazes, according to a
study released this week.
Even as pollution emissions declined from
other sources including vehicle exhaust and
power plants, the amount from fi res increased
sharply, said researchers at Stanford University
and the University of California, San Diego.
The fi ndings underscore the growing pub-
lic health threat posed by climate change as it
EQUIPMENT , INC.
contributes to catastrophic wildfi res such as
those that charred huge areas of Oregon and
California in 2020. Nationwide, wildfi res were
the source of up to 25% of small particle pollu-
tion in some years, the researchers said.
“From a climate perspective, wildfi res
should be the fi rst things on our minds for
many of us in the U.S.,” said Marshall Burke,
an associate professor of earth system science
at Stanford and lead author of the study.
“Most people do not see sea-level rise.
Most people do not ever see hurricanes. Many,
many people will see wildfi re smoke from cli-
mate change,” Burke added. The study was
published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS
34912 HWY 101 BUS • ASTORIA
503-325-0792 • 1-800-220-0792
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL FORECAST
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Seattle
55 46
52 38
49 42
A shower in the
Partly sunny
a.m.
Cloudy
50 41
51 39
Partly sunny
Some sun
51 36
48 34
Rather cloudy
Showers
possible
Aberdeen
Olympia
51/44
51/42
Wenatchee
Tacoma
Moses
Lake
48/38
ALMANAC
UNDER THE SKY
TODAY'S TIDES
Astoria through Tuesday
Tonight’s Sky: The Great Square
of Pegasus is high in the west.
Astoria / Port Docks
Temperatures
High/low ................................ 55/48
Normal high/low .................. 50/38
Record high .................. 61 in 1986
Record low .................... 15 in 1909
Precipitation
Tuesday ................................... 2.24”
Month to date ...................... 12.22”
Normal month to date ......... 4.17”
Year to date .......................... 12.22”
Normal year to date ............. 4.17”
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Time
High (ft.) Time Low (ft.)
2:23 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
8.0 7:54 a.m. 3.2
9.3 8:42 p.m. -0.8
Cape Disappointment
2:02 a.m.
1:06 p.m.
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Hammond
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today .................. 7:55 a.m.
Sunset tonight ............... 4:55 p.m.
Moonrise today .............. 9:22 a.m.
Moonset today .............. 6:43 p.m.
First
Full
Last
New
2:13 a.m.
1:20 p.m.
Warrenton
2:18 a.m.
1:25 p.m.
Knappa
3:00 a.m.
2:07 p.m.
Depoe Bay
Jan 20 Jan 28 Feb 4 Feb 11
7.9 6:58 a.m. 3.5
9.6 7:46 p.m. -1.0
8.1 7:22 a.m. 3.2
9.7 8:06 p.m. -1.2
8.4 7:38 a.m. 3.3
9.7 8:26 p.m. -0.7
8.2 8:55 a.m. 2.7
9.5 9:43 p.m. -0.7
1:16 a.m. 8.0 6:28 a.m. 3.5
12:19 p.m. 9.8 7:17 p.m. -1.3
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Wash., DC
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
55/42/s
43/30/c
40/32/c
63/38/s
37/22/s
82/70/pc
70/40/s
83/56/s
71/58/sh
47/36/pc
74/47/s
61/48/pc
52/35/pc
53/32/pc
46/40/pc
34/28/sf
56/35/s
43/26/s
83/70/pc
61/38/s
85/58/s
75/62/c
50/43/c
75/48/s
61/49/pc
52/39/pc
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy,
c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.
44/33
Hermiston
The Dalles 41/30
Enterprise
Pendleton 36/28
43/28
46/35
La Grande
37/27
51/42
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi/Lo/W
40/30
Kennewick Walla Walla
43/31 Lewiston
42/28
51/42
Salem
Pullman
44/29
Longview
55/46 Portland
54/43
37/27
Yakima 42/28
48/41
Astoria
Spokane
36/28
Corvallis
51/43
Albany
51/42
John Day
Eugene
Bend
53/45
49/29
45/26
Ontario
37/26
Caldwell
Burns
42/22
38/22
Medford
56/39
Klamath Falls
46/28
City
Baker City
Brookings
Ilwaco
Newberg
Newport
Today
Hi/Lo/W
36/21/pc
56/47/pc
53/45/pc
52/42/pc
56/49/pc
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
38/21/c
55/45/c
52/40/c
52/39/c
52/41/c
City
North Bend
Roseburg
Seaside
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Today
Hi/Lo/W
57/50/pc
59/44/pc
54/45/pc
54/45/pc
52/41/pc
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
55/43/c
54/43/c
52/39/c
53/38/sh
50/36/sh