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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2016)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ JULY 13, 2016 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE Leo Stapleton C ATHERINE J. R OURKE For the Siuslaw News _____________ the weather, or even “feeling under it,” deter him. The indefatigable 82- year-old rises early every morning to make his rounds for the cause. “I get tired sometimes,” he said. “But knowing the good it’s doing motivates me to keep going.” A recent bout of walking pneumo- nia didn’t stop Leo from making his appointed rounds. Instead, he got on his feet to help others get on theirs. “Four families still found me,” Leo said with a laugh, describing how he supplied a walker, wheel- chair, shower stool and bedside com- mode. “I felt the worst I ever have in my life, but I never miss helping people out.” That includes bringing cookies to the VA hospital in Roseburg for 22 years. As a retired veteran who looks out for his military family, Leo traces his Navy roots back to his teens. Born in Colorado to a farm work- er with 11 children, Leo moved to Oregon at age 7 when his family traveled west to follow the harvest, eventually moving to Florence in 1947. “I didn’t want to get stuck behind a desk,” he said. “I just wanted to join the Navy my whole life.” So Leo enlisted at 17 and began a 24-year Navy career as an aerial photographer in 1951. “N either snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couri- ers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” While that slogan describes Leo Stapleton’s 20 years as a former rural carrier for the Florence postal service, it sums up his current work supplying medical equipment at no charge to people in need. It also reflects his lifelong passion: helping others in all weather, at all hours. “Some weeks I don’t stop from daylight to dark,” Leo said. “If there’s an emergency, if it’s a week- end, I don’t care; they’re going to get what they need.” Although he retired from the USPS in 1996, Leo devoted another 20 years to volunteer endeavors. For the past three years, he has made it his mission to collect, clean and repair used medical equipment, lend- ing out walkers and wheelchairs to the disabled. Turning his home into a warehouse and operating out of the Elks Lodge thrift store, Leo often works seven days a week at his own personal expense and will not accept any payment in return. “The secret to happiness is to love According to him, the word what you do and do what you love.” around town is “If —LEO STAPLETON you need it, Leo will get one.” “My objective is to supply every- “I thought I died and went to body’s needs so they can get outside heaven,” he said, describing how he and enjoy life,” he said. “I really got the chance while stationed in enjoy taking care of people and California to work with famous pho- keeping them mobile.” tographer Ansel Adams. While it’s no simple task, Leo When Leo retired from the Navy, doesn’t let things like weekends or he made a beeline back to Florence, turning down big jobs with Kodak to work in construction and the lumber yards in the town he loved instead. It was love at first sight when Leo met Shirley and proposed on their first date. Now married 57 years, the couple raised two children and adopted two others. “Florence was the place I always called home,” Leo said. “It’s the friendliest place in the world.” He fondly recalls sitting around the pot belly stove at Bill Karnowski’s outboard motor repair shop under the shadow of the Siuslaw River Bridge, listening to Bill’s yarns about how he helped build it in the 1930s. “People here help each other,” Leo said. “If anybody needs some- thing, this community makes sure they get it. You can’t find that any- where. It’s a loving, caring town that’s a magnet for volunteers. Wherever I go, I’m proud to say I’m from here.” Leo joined the postal service in 1976, delivering more than just mail to the folks on his route. Whether bringing fresh crab to shut-ins or supplying “milk and hogs,” Leo became a surrogate Santa for what he calls “the little folks” of the Florence community. Once he took time off from his job, without pay, to move a crippled woman on his route to her new home. After retiring in 1996, he devoted nine years to assisting local fisher- men for 14 to 16 hours a day. Nicknamed the “Dockside Saint,” Leo unloaded the boats, ran the hoists and fixed the ice machine, often during the wee hours before dawn. “I did whatever they needed and it was mostly things that would’ve never gotten done,” he said. His pay? “I got lots of fish and crab,” he PHOTO BY CATHERINE ROURKE Leo Stapleton volunteers from dawn to dusk with his dog Rockin’ Bob at his side, “helping folks in need in the friendliest town in the world.” boasted. “But the best part was giv- ing away sand dollars.” Leo pulled dozens of sand dollars from the crab traps, bleaching them and handing them out around town. He also volunteered for Florence Food Share and served 28 years on the Lane County Road Advisory Committee. “I did it so I could help all the poor people,” he said. “I really enjoy looking out for the interests of the little guy.” That includes kids, and one of Leo’s most memorable equipment “matches” came when he found a wheelchair for a 3-year-old. The family sent Leo a photo of the child visiting the Oregon Zoo in Portland. “That one was worth a million to me,” he said. “It was the best payoff.” Leo started out with four crutches, four walkers and one wheelchair. Today he has over 200 walkers and 40 wheelchairs loaned out and, on an average week, he assists six or seven families. “This is just who I am and what I love doing,” he said. “The secret to happiness is to love what you do and do what you love. The good Lord put me here to help people and I’m just doing my best to live up to it.” ______________________ Catherine J. Rourke is an award- winning writer, journalist and book editor who teaches creative writing at the Florence Regional Arts Alliance. She may be contacted at CJReditor@gmail.com. LETTERS I asked Google, “What year was the FBI hacked?” and it turns out that the FBI, the CIA, the DHS and many other government agencies have been hacked “for years.” Maybe the government should consider hir- ing Hillary’s email server. “Let he who is with- out guilt cast the first stone.” Seems to me I have heard that one since I was young boy. Al Anderson Florence Delightful DMV I moved to Florence in August 2015 and of course you must make several changes because of the move, which includes DMV. I was dread- ing this because all dealings with the Arizona DMV are nightmares, extremely rude and downright mean clerks that go out of their way to make your visit to their office as impossible as they can. Well, what a delight it was to visit the Florence DMV — pleasant clerks with smiles on their faces, professional work ethics, great sense of humor and just an enjoyable 30 minutes. I have had to go in on four occasions for additional vehicle registration items and each time it was the same atmosphere from all the employees. What a joy to take care of the necessary DMV business dealings in nice surroundings with great one-on-one service. Thank you. Ralph Jackson Florence L ETTERS P OLICY Assault weapons Are assault weapons “hardware”? I think not. Rather, they probably are a good revenue source. I cannot think of a good reason for a hardware store — in this case True Value Hardware — to carry assault weapons for sale. This is a small community. Very few fences or gates. Everyone is friendly. Neighbors help each other. After many people dead from mass shootings just in the last month, why, in a town like this, does any store carry assault weapons? Madelyne Barnett Florence Hillary’s emails The political conversations regarding Hillary Clinton’s emails: I guess Hillary was lucky dur- ing her service as Secretary of State. She didn’t have any hacking of her emails. Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi- tor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verifica- tion. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the vol- ume of letters received. Libelous and anony- mous letters as well as poetry will not be pub- lished. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com. USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2016 © Siuslaw News John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Pres. Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us