A5
THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, JANuARy 20, 2022
OBITUARIES
Gwynn Marie Bakkensen
Joseph Edward Bakkensen
Portland
Oct. 4, 1931 — Nov. 1, 2021
Portland
Feb. 9, 1929 — Nov. 8, 2021
Gwynn and Joe Bakkensen were together scouting and the Rotary club, as well as any
till the end. Gwynn died on Nov. 1, 2021, at organization her kids were involved in.
90, and Joe died on Nov. 8, 2021. They were
Her kids’ activities often took her out of
married for 68 years, had five chil-
her comfort zone. She learned to
dren, 14 grandchildren and three
load a horse in a trailer, took sew-
ing classes so she could keep one
great-grandchildren. Gwynn was
step ahead and brought home
proud of her family, and they were
snakes and frogs from the country
always the center of her life.
She was preceded in death by
club to entertain her sons.
her eldest daughter, Laurie Bak-
She was involved in the League
kensen Odlum (Jim), and sur-
of Women Voters, and felt strongly
vived by Nancy Bakkensen
about educational opportunities for
Plumlee (Maury), of Vancouver,
women. She was a lifelong learner.
Washington, Joni Bakkensen Juer-
The Philanthropic Educational
gens (Eric), of Madison, Wiscon-
Gwynn and Joe
Organization was a passion of
sin, Drew Bakkensen (Debbie),
Bakkensen
hers. Gwynn was the chairwomen
of Portland, and Jim Bakkensen
of the educational committee for
(Laura), of Scappoose.
many years.
Gwynn Marie Calkins was born on Oct.
Although Gwynn immersed herself in her
4, 1931, in Portland. Gwynn had a difficult husband’s Scandinavian culture, she was also
childhood, with limited parental involve- proud of her heritage. She knit Irish fisher-
ment. She never used this as an excuse not man afghans for all her children and grand-
to succeed.
children as high school graduation gifts. Con-
Gwynn graduated from Astoria High sidering the crippling arthritis in her hands,
School. She married Joe Bakkensen on June this was a gift of pure love and devotion.
6, 1953. The newlyweds lived in Portland
Joe and Gwynn loved the game of golf,
and Seattle, settling in Astoria in 1961.
and it influenced much of their leisure time,
Gwynn later got an associate degree as well as travel. Gwynn had three holes-in-
from Clatsop Community College. She then one, and fully enjoyed the competition and
worked as a realtor in Astoria. When Joe’s the social aspects of the game.
work took them to Oklahoma, she continued
They built a home in Surf Pines, and
her education at Oklahoma State University. enjoyed the proximity to the Astoria Golf &
At the time she had three children in college, Country Club. Gwynn walked a loop to the
and found humor in comparing GPAs, as hers beach most days with her dog, and stayed fit
was always a 4.0.
her whole life. Gwynn was also a master gar-
Typical of her generation, Gwynn’s pri- dener, although the sandy soil in Surf Pines
mary focus was her family. Gwynn managed challenged her green thumb.
a household with five children, and always
There will be a celebration of life for both
had room at the table for cousins and friends. Gwynn and Joe on March 5 at Our Saviour’s
When they remodeled their Astoria home in Lutheran Church in Seaside, with a reception
the 1970s, Gwynn put a picnic table in the to follow.
kitchen. You could always add another per-
To accommodate any COVID-19 related
son to the table with bench seating.
changes to this plan, please RSVP to gwynn.
Kindness and humor were hallmarks of joe.service@gmail.com
Gwynn’s personality. When Gwynn’s health
Donations may be made in Gwynn’s
made a move to assisted living necessary, memory to the P.E.O. Oregon Marguerite
one of her big concerns was who would take Scholarship Fund; donations may be sent to
the Meals on Wheels route that she and Joe the Oregon State Chapter P.E.O. Sisterhood
covered.
Charitable Trust, in care of A. Carpenter, P.O.
Gwynn took on leadership roles in church, Box 777, Astoria, OR., 97103.
Joe and Gwynn Bakkensen were growing up, and for him that was the mea-
together till the end. Joe died at 92, on Nov. sure of success.
Joe had an infectious enthusiasm for
8, 2021, joining his wife, Gwynn, who died
life. He was a raconteur, and thor-
on Nov. 1, 2021. They were
oughly enjoyed entertaining. He
married for 68 years, had five
could remember events in great
children, 14 grandchildren, and
detail, up until the end of his life.
three great-grandchildren. Joe’s
One constant in Joe’s life was a
family was his pride and joy,
dog. From his first dog, “Wacky,”
and the center of his life.
to his last dog “Hari,” they could
He was preceded in death
always be seen by his side. They
by his eldest daughter, Lau-
rie Bakkensen Odlum (Jim),
were usually waiting for a table
Joe and Gwynn
and is survived by Nancy Bak-
scrap or a ride in his truck, and
kensen Plumlee (Maury), of
Bakkensen
they were important to him. He
even suggested his loyal com-
Vancouver, Washington, Joni
Bakkensen Juergens (Eric), of Madison, panion Hari should be nominated for
Wisconsin, Drew Bakkensen (Debbie), of sainthood.
He was devoted to Astoria, and served
Portland, and Jim Bakkensen (Laura), of
the community in numerous ways. He vol-
Scappoose.
Joseph Edward Bakkensen was born at unteered for, was on the board of, or was
home, in Astoria, on Feb. 9, 1929. He was president of, many local businesses and
the youngest of nine children in a loud and nonprofit organizations. Joe never met an
loving Scandinavian family. Joe graduated organization he didn’t want to join and
from Astoria High School early, and joined lead. He was known by his colleagues for
his intelligence, but was quick to remind
the U.S. Army at 17.
He served in World War II in Japan, and his children, “it’s nice to be smart, but it’s
then returned to Oregon, using the GI Bill smarter to be nice.”
Joe loved playing, watching and coach-
to attend Linfield College. Joe was presi-
dent of his fraternity, and his class, while a ing sports of all kinds. Golf was his pri-
mary sport, and something he shared with
student at Linfield.
He married Gwynn Marie Calkins the his family. He had three holes-in-one. Joe
weekend after he graduated from college and Gwynn enjoyed international travel for
on June 6, 1953. They lived in Portland work and pleasure, often with golf clubs in
and Seattle, returning to Astoria when Joe tow. Joe was a grandmaster at bridge, and
became a sales representative for Bum- he loved a good bridge tournament.
In June 2014, Joe, Gwynn and their
ble Bee Seafoods. Later, to avoid reloca-
tion out of state, Joe became vice president youngest son, Jim, were thrilled to attend
of Barbey Packing Co. Joe purchased Bar- an honor flight to Washington, D.C.
A celebration of life for Joe and Gwynn
bey Packing, and expanded the business to
will be held at Our Saviour’s Lutheran
include Union Fish.
Joe was fond of retiring, but was not Church in Seaside on March 5. A reception
good at it. After he sold Barbey, he went will follow.
To accommodate any COVID-19
to work as business manager of Clater-
bos Construction. Next, Joe put his polit- related changes to this plan, please RSVP
ical acumen to work as a Clatsop County to gwynn.joe.service@gmail.com
commissioner. Finally, he worked for the
To honor Joe’s love of golf and edu-
federal government with the National Oce- cation, memorial donations may go to
anic and Atmospheric Administration. Joe the Evans Scholarship for caddies: Evans
provided many opportunities for his chil- Scholars Foundation, 2501 Patriot Blvd.,
dren and grandchildren that he did not have Glenview, IL., 60626-8022.
OBITUARY POLICY
US plans for more thinning,
controlled burns to reduce wildfires
By MATTHEW BROWN and
JONATHAN J. COOPER
Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden
administration said Tuesday it will sig-
nificantly expand efforts to stave off cat-
astrophic wildfires that have torched areas
of the U.S. West by more aggressively
thinning forests around “hot spots” where
nature and neighborhoods collide.
As climate change heats up and dries
out the West, administration officials said
they have crafted a $50 billion plan to
more than double the use of controlled
fires and logging to reduce trees and other
vegetation that serves as tinder in the most
at-risk areas. Only some of the work has
funding so far.
Projects will begin this year, and the
plan will focus on regions where out-of-
control blazes have wiped out neighbor-
hoods and sometimes entire communities
— including California’s Sierra Nevada
mountains, the east side of the Rocky
Mountains in Colorado, and portions of
Arizona, Oregon and Washington state.
Homes keep getting built in fire-prone
areas, even as conditions that stoke blazes
get worse.
“You’re going to have forest fires. The
question is how catastrophic do those fires
have to be,” Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack said. “The time to act is now if we
want to ultimately over time change the
trajectory of these fires.”
Specific projects weren’t immediately
released, and it’s not clear who would
pay for the full scope of work envisioned
across almost 80,000 square miles — an
area almost as large as Idaho. Much of that
area is controlled by states, tribes or is pri-
vately owned.
Reaching that goal would require an
estimated $20 billion over 10 years for
work on national forests and $30 billion
for work on other federal, state, tribal and
private lands, said Vilsack spokesperson
Kate Waters.
Vilsack acknowledged that the new
effort will also require a “paradigm shift”
within the U.S. Forest Service, from an
agency devoted to stamping out fires, into
one that uses what some Native Americans
call “good fire” on forests and rangeland
to prevent even larger blazes.
Forest Service planning documents
indicate the work will focus on “hotspots”
that make up only 10% of the fire-prone
areas across the U.S. but account for 80%
of risk to communities because of their
population densities and locations.
The recently-passed federal infrastruc-
ture bill put a down payment on the ini-
tiative — about $3 billion over five years
that Vilsack said will get work going
quickly.
Wildfire expert John Abatzoglou said
lessening fire dangers on the amount of
land envisioned under the administration’s
plan is a “lofty goal” that represents even
more acreage than burned over the past
10 years across the West. But Abatzoglou,
a University of California Merced engi-
neering professor, said the focus on wild-
fire hazards closest to communities makes
sense.
“Our scorecard for fire should be about
lives saved rather than acres that didn’t
burn,” he said.
SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
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TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL FORECAST
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Seattle
51 42
49 36
52 38
A little morning
Rather cloudy
rain
Partly sunny
52 39
Partly sunny
53 38
52 38
Partly sunny
Plenty of
sunshine
51 39
Mostly cloudy
Aberdeen
Olympia
50/39
52/42
Wenatchee
Tacoma
Moses
Lake
52/38
ALMANAC
UNDER THE SKY
TODAY'S TIDES
Astoria through Tuesday
Tonight’s Sky: Aries, the Ram,
is located between Taurus and
Pegasus nearly overhead before
midnight.
Astoria / Port Docks
Temperatures
High/low ................................ 49/45
Normal high/low .................. 50/38
Record high .................. 61 in 2009
Record low .................... 11 in 1943
Precipitation
Tuesday ................................... 0.05”
Month to date ...................... 12.45”
Normal month to date ......... 6.41”
Year to date .......................... 12.45”
Normal year to date ............. 6.41”
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Sunrise today .................. 7:51 a.m.
Sunset tonight ............... 5:03 p.m.
Moonrise today ............. 8:01 p.m.
Moonset today ............... 9:45 a.m.
New
First
High (ft.) Time Low (ft.)
3:11 a.m.
2:12 p.m.
Full
2:47 a.m.
1:51 p.m.
3:00 a.m.
2:04 p.m.
Warrenton
3:06 a.m.
2:07 p.m.
Knappa
3:48 a.m.
2:49 p.m.
Depoe Bay
Jan 25 Jan 31 Feb 8 Feb 16
7.6 8:43 a.m. 3.2
8.5 9:13 p.m. -0.2
Cape Disappointment
Hammond
SUN AND MOON
Last
Time
2:03 a.m.
1:03 p.m.
7.4 7:49 a.m. 3.6
8.5 8:26 p.m. -0.2
7.7 8:12 a.m. 3.4
8.8 8:45 p.m. -0.3
7.9 8:27 a.m. 3.3
8.9 8:57 p.m. -0.1
7.8 9:44 a.m. 2.8
8.7 10:14 p.m. -0.2
7.5 7:17 a.m. 3.7
8.8 7:56 p.m. -0.4
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Wash., DC
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
49/35/r
34/10/sn
16/7/s
36/21/pc
41/24/pc
80/65/pc
47/33/r
75/52/s
78/69/s
35/13/sn
71/47/s
59/47/s
38/19/r
37/28/sn
20/13/pc
23/16/s
44/24/s
37/20/sn
81/68/s
46/30/c
73/51/s
79/68/t
22/15/pc
70/46/s
62/49/s
27/20/c
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy,
c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.
48/36
Hermiston
The Dalles 55/37
Enterprise
Pendleton 41/30
53/35
53/38
La Grande
44/34
56/39
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi/Lo/W
41/33
Kennewick Walla Walla
49/35 Lewiston
53/35
52/42
Salem
Pullman
48/28
Longview
51/42 Portland
54/41
39/29
Yakima 41/27
51/38
Astoria
Spokane
39/29
Corvallis
54/37
Albany
54/37
John Day
Eugene
Bend
54/38
55/29
46/37
Ontario
37/28
Caldwell
Burns
45/25
41/30
Medford
59/38
Klamath Falls
50/23
City
Baker City
Brookings
Ilwaco
Newberg
Newport
Today
Hi/Lo/W
35/26/sn
58/44/c
51/46/r
54/40/r
50/40/r
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
38/20/pc
59/47/s
50/40/c
50/35/c
51/39/pc
City
North Bend
Roseburg
Seaside
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Today
Hi/Lo/W
54/39/r
54/42/c
51/44/r
55/43/r
54/40/r
Fri.
Hi/Lo/W
55/38/pc
51/35/pc
51/37/c
49/34/c
51/34/c