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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021
IN BRIEF
College plans ceremony for
past and present students
Clatsop Community College will celebrate both last
year’s and this year’s graduates at a ceremony this month.
The coronavirus pandemic upended plans for a grad-
uation ceremony last spring, so those students will be
able to participate in the ceremony this year.
The outdoor ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on
June 18 at CMH Field. Students will be allowed a lim-
ited number of tickets for guests. Face coverings will be
required and the college will livestream the event.
David Reid, the executive director of the Asto-
ria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, will be the
commencement guest speaker.
“After the challenges of this past year, the student rep-
resentatives and graduation committee wanted a speaker
who had been here in the community with them through
it all,” Chris Breitmeyer, the college president, said in a
statement. “David is the pinnacle of what it means to be
a part of this community and we are honored he will be
joining us in this celebration of achievement.”
State announces free fi shing weekend
It is free to fi sh, clam and crab in Oregon on Satur-
day and Sunday.
The state will not require fi shing licenses or tags for
residents or nonresidents.
All other fi shing regulations still apply, though,
including closures, bag limits and size restrictions.
Razor clamming remains closed on popular North
Coast beaches because of high levels of the marine toxin
domoic acid.
Astoria police search for robbery suspect
Astoria police are searching for a man who allegedly
robbed the Mini Mart East on Thursday night.
Just before 9 p.m., a white man wearing a white ban-
dana on his head, a white face mask, sunglasses and a
dark colored jacket entered the store on Marine Drive
and showed a demand note to the clerk. He left with an
undisclosed amount of money, police said.
A witness who was in the parking lot reportedly saw
the suspect run north on 23rd Street toward Commercial
Street and then toward the Astoria Riverwalk.
Police said the witness identifi ed the suspect as Cal-
vin Proctor, 29, of Astoria.
Anyone with information about Proctor’s where-
abouts are asked to contact the Astoria Police Depart-
ment at 503-325-4411.
Police search for missing Cornelius man
Authorities are searching for a 76-year-old Cornelius
man who has been missing since May 16.
Washington County Sheriff ’s Offi ce deputies have
continued to search for Ralph Brown and his 2014 blue
Nissan Sentra on the ground and from the air.
The Astoria Police Department has also assisted in
the investigation as Brown has ties to Astoria.
So far, no sightings have been confi rmed, and Brown
has not turned on his cellphone or completed any fi nan-
cial transactions since he went missing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact their
local law enforcement agency.
— The Astorian
Earthquakes strike off the coast
GOLD BEACH — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake
struck off the Oregon Coast early Friday, and the after-
shocks included another 5.9 quake.
But the U.S. Geological Survey said there was no
threat of a tsunami or damage to the coast.
The fi rst 5.9 earthquake struck at 12:52 a.m. Pacifi c time
98 miles west of Gold Beach, at a depth of 5.6 miles. The
next quake struck at 1:17 a.m., slightly deeper and closer.
Both quakes and more aftershocks were far enough
from land that they were hardly felt.
— Associated Press
DEATHS
June 3, 2021
In JESSEN,
Brief
Jane Irene,
75, of Astoria, died in
Astoria.
Caldwell’s
Deaths
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
June 1, 2021
NORDQUIST, John,
60, of Astoria, died in
Astoria. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
POPPENHOUSE,
Flora, 89, of Astoria, died
in Astoria. Hughes-Ran-
som Mortuary is in charge
of the arrangements.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
TUESDAY
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Clatsop Community College Board, 5:30 p.m., work
session, (electronic meeting).
Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., meeting and bud-
get hearing, main fire station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business.
Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., budget
hearing, (electronic meeting).
Gearhart City Council, 6:30 p.m., special meeting, (elec-
tronic meeting).
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Woman died homeless while
the state held small fortune
gets involved due to minor
crimes. Health workers can
help through mental health
and substance use disorder
treatment courts.
Additionally, Baker said
Clatsop Behavioral Health-
care has started hiring peo-
ple with lived experience to
do recovery outreach.
Another option could
have potentially been a civil
commitment , although the
requirements are often more
diffi cult than the standard for
guardianship.
In the end, health experts
say the bar is very high to
force treatment.
Boone was among the
homeless in Astoria
By KYLE IBOSHI
KGW
Cathy Boone died home-
less. She’d been living on
the streets of Astoria despite
inheriting a small fortune.
The state held more than
$800,000 of her unclaimed
money when the 49-year-old
passed away in January 2020.
“It just didn’t make any
sense to me. That money
was just sitting there, and
she needed help in the worst
way,” said Jack Spithill,
Boone’s father.
Boone struggled with
mental health issues and drug
abuse, according to her father.
“She had a rough life but
when she was good, she was
really good,” Spithill said.
Boone was a regular at
the Astoria Warming Cen-
ter . Unlike most visitors who
slept in their clothes, Boone
would take the extra eff ort to
put on her pajamas at night,
explained friends.
“She was a special person
as far as I’m concerned,” said
Donny Holder, who often
shared cigarettes and coff ee
with Boone at McDonald’s.
“She was a sweetheart,”
said Holder, who carries pho-
tographs of Boone, wrapped
in a tattered Ziploc bag in his
coat pocket. “I fell in love
with her.”
Friends and acquain-
tances said they had no idea
Boone had money available
to her. She struggled to sur-
vive, like many others living
unsheltered in a harsh outside
environment.
“We all have our moments
but for the most part she had
more smiles than cries,” said
Glen Lonquist, a friend of
Boone’s.
Struggles
Catherine Boone, known
to friends as Cathy, grew up
in the Portland area.
Her parents separated
when she was young. Her
father, who remarried and
lives in Texas, tried to stay
connected to his daughter.
Boone struggled in her
adult life.
“I attribute it almost all to
drugs, but I think she also had
some mental health issues
and the combination of the
two didn’t work out for her
very well,” Spithill said.
For several years, Boone
volunteered at the nonprofi t
Sisters of The Road Café in
downtown Portland before
moving to Astoria, where
her mother lived. In 2016,
Boone’s mother, Patricia
Jack Spithill
Lupton, passed away. Boone
relapsed into drug abuse,
according to her father.
“When she didn’t have
any connection to family or
friends, and she was using
drugs, then I think she was a
truly lost soul,” Spithill said.
Court records show after
her mother died, an attor-
ney and personal representa-
tive assigned to her mother’s
estate tried to locate Boone.
They took out advertise-
ments in the local newspaper,
messaged her on Facebook,
emailed family members
and tried reaching Boone by
phone. A private investigator
hired to fi nd Boone also came
up empty.
In July 2019, a Clat-
sop County judge ordered
$884,407 of the estate’s assets
be sent to the Department
of State Lands, which han-
dles unclaimed money from
estates where heirs cannot be
located or refuse payment.
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life.
“I think my failure to rec-
ognize her mental health
issues. I kind of gave up
on her because of the
drugs and shouldn’t have
done that,” said a tearful
Spithill.
“This sounds like a very
tragic story,” said Chris
Rosin, Oregon public guard-
ian and conservator.
Rosin explained guard-
ianship is only appropriate
and legally allowable in Ore-
gon when a person is so pro-
foundly cognitively impaired
that they are incapacitated.
Guardianship is a last
resort. It essentially removes
the ability of a person to make
their own decisions and gives
that authority to someone
else who then has the power
to decide where they can
live, what medical care they
receive, where they can go,
who they can see and basically
everything else in their life.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
LANDS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR
FINDING KNOWN HEIRS. INSTEAD,
THE STATE AGENCY IS SIMPLY
REQUIRED TO HOLD THE MONEY
UNTIL THE PERSON ENTITLED
TO IT COMES FORWARD.
It is not clear if Boone ever
knew the money was hers or
if she understood how to get
it, according to her father.
“I don’t think she would
approach them on her own,
but there were enough peo-
ple who could have given her
some help,” said Spithill.
Boone’s father regrets
that he wasn’t able to help
his daughter, nor was any-
body in the court system
or local police. He wishes
someone could have stepped
in to help her take the fi rst
step toward reclaiming her
Many services can be
obtained voluntarily, like
mental health counseling
and drug and alcohol treat-
ment. But, in those cases, the
person must want treatment
for their condition.
“When individuals are
homeless, day-to-day sur-
vival becomes more import-
ant than dealing with a med-
ical condition,” explained
Amy Baker, executive direc-
tor of Clatsop Behavioral
Healthcare.
Baker said sometimes
the criminal justice system
On Jan. 13, 2020, Boone
had breathing problems
while staying at the Astoria
Warming Center . An ambu-
lance rushed her to Provi-
dence St. Vincent Medical
Center in Portland, where
she later died.
In October, the Depart-
ment of State Lands paid
$884,000 to the personal
representative of Boone’s
estate. Court records indicate
the estate is working to iden-
tify all persons who might
have claims to the money,
including her two biological
children.
The Department of State
Lands is not responsible for
fi nding known heirs. Instead,
the state agency is simply
required to hold the money
until the person entitled to it
comes forward.
“Given a year and a half
of eff ort taken by the per-
sonal representative and
the attorney for this partic-
ular estate, there really isn’t
much more that the state
could do,” explained Clau-
dia Ciobanu, unclaimed
property manager with the
department .
Ciobanu said the money
was sitting and waiting for
Boone prior to her death.
She just needed to claim it.
“This is a unique case and
we sympathize with the fam-
ily,” Ciobanu said.
Friends say Boone’s story
helps illustrate the compli-
cated challenges of being
homeless while struggling
with health issues.
“We’re not just statis-
tics,” said Johnathan Kvale,
a friend of Boone’s who
is no longer unsheltered.
“These are good folks. It’s
just circumstances.”
Sometimes the system
just isn’t equipped to get
people the help they need,
even if they’re sitting on a
small fortune.
“There’s got to be more
out there — more just like
her,” said Boone’s father.
Warrenton grad’s composition
featured by Portland ensemble
Morrill’s song will be
performed Saturday
By ALYSSA EVANS
The Astorian
Warrenton High School
graduate Isabella Morrill
will debut one of her latest
compositions as part of a
virtual concert.
The concert, scheduled
for 7 p.m. Saturday, will be
performed by the Portland
Youth Philharmonic Wind
Ensemble. Morrill’s compo-
sition “Barktokian Brass,”
will be performed among
new compositions by other
young musicians. The con-
cert will be free to view at
portlandyouthphil.org/con-
certs-tickets/ but registra-
tion is required to get a con-
cert link.
“This has been a great
opportunity for me, and I
feel honored to be a part of
Isabella Morrill
this initiative,” Morrill said.
Morrill graduated from
Warrenton High School in
2020. A music composition
major at Western Oregon
University, Morrill is inter-
ested in studying fi lm scor-
ing and composing.
Morrill was commis-
sioned to compose an orig-
inal piece for the ensemble’s
97th concert season. The
concert will feature eight
other young musicians, most
of whom are women and
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‘A unique case’
Cathy Boone died in 2020.
musicians of color. Morrill’s
piece is a brass piece, which
is a modern interpretation of
Hungarian composer Bela
Bartok’s “Mikrokosmos.”
“Composing this lively,
energetic piece was a fun
outlet for me to explore my
personal ties to European
music as well as my love for
the brass family of instru-
ments,” Morrill said.
Morrill’s main instru-
ment is the French horn.
She is profi cient in several
other instruments, includ-
ing piano, ukulele and gui-
tar. She also sings.
Morrill’s composition,
“Hymn to the Rain,” pre-
miered at a Columbia River
Symphony concert in 2019.
She has received various
awards, including an Oregon
Music Hall of Fame schol-
arship in 2020 and being
awarded the 2019 co-state
champion in the high school
division of the Oregon
Music Education Associa-
tion state music composition
contest.
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