SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2017
OBITUARIES
PINKNEY —Jolene
Pinkney, 85, a 62-year resi-
dent of Flo-
rence, died
Monday, Jan.
30, 2017.
Born in
1931
in
Astoria,
Ore., Jolene
was
a
coastal
girl
Jolene
through and
Pinkney
through. She
lived in Cushman for four
years and attended the school
house there.
Her father worked for
CRPA in Cushman and then
for Bumble Bee Seafoods.
They later moved to Newport,
where she graduated from
Newport High School.
Jolene continued her edu-
cation, beginning at Colorado
Women’s College, then trans-
ferring to the University of
Oregon, where she finished
her degree with a bachelor of
science in business in 1953.
She was an Alpha Phi dur-
ing her years at U of O.
Jolene then met Warner
Pinkney, a businessman, from
Florence. They married in
1954 and together they ran
The Sportsman, a sporting
goods store, which is still
open and going on its 70th
year.
She was a very active
member in her church and
community and dearly loved
all of her friends and cus-
tomers. She was a founding
member of St. Andrews
Episcopal Church and a mem-
ber of P.E.O for 50 years.
An avid Duck fan, she
enjoyed going to all of the
games and bowl games.
She was passionate about
traveling and was able to see
many,
many
countries
throughout the world. She
was happiest on a plane tak-
ing her on an adventure.
Jolene is survived by her
three children: Janet Childers,
Bill Pinkney and Sara
McGuire; eight grandchildren
and several great-grandchil-
dren whom she adored and
was adored by.
A service will be held for
Jolene at St. Andrews
Episcopal Church on Saturday,
Feb. 25, beginning at 3 p.m.
A celebration of her life
will follow at The Sportsman
at 5 p.m.
D AV I D S O N — E r i n
Danielle Davidson, 28, of
Florence,
p a s s e d
away Jan.
1, 2017, at
Riverbed
Hospital in
Springfield,
Ore.
Erin is
s u r v i v e d Erin Davidson
by grand-
parents Steve and Maureen
Patterson; mother Christine
Dold; sister Brittany; brothers
Rusty and James; her daugh-
ters Nicki, Jayden and Olivia;
uncles and aunts John and
Shelly and Kyle and Julie;
and cousins Kelsey and
Derek.
A celebration of Erin’s life
will be held at the Florence
Events Center, 715 Quince
St., on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1
p.m.
The family would like it to
be a time for all those who
loved Erin to share stories
about their memories with
her. There will be memory
ENGAGEMENT
books made, and anyone who
contributes a written story
will receive a book when the
stories are put together.
It will be a casual event and
hopefully a time to start heal-
ing from the loss of such a
incredible young woman.
What is Success:
To laugh often and much
To win the respect of
intelligent people and the
affection of children
To earn the appreciation
of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends
To appreciate beauty
To find the best in others
To leave the world a bet
better, whether by a healthy
child, a garden patch or a
redeemed social condition
To know even one life has
breathed easier because you
have lived
This is to have succeeded
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
VA N C U R L E R — O p a l
VanCurler, 83, passed away
Jan.
30,
2017,
in
Florence
Regency
due to age-
related caus-
es.
She was
born Nov. 5,
1933,
in
Opal
Idaho where
VanCurler
her father
worked for the railroad and
her mother cooked for the
respite center for servicemen.
The service men were kind
and helpful to the family.
When Opal was so sick
with Scarlet and Rheumatic
Fever, the sailors would keep
an eye on Opal and Ethel
when the parents were not
able to be there. Opal well
remembered one Christmas,
when she was sick in bed, the
men put on a Christmas play
for her at home to cheer her
up — which it did.
The family moved to
Woodburn, Ore., when she
was a little girl and later to
Florence.
They built a house amongst
the native pink rhododen-
drons on 36th Street. There
were not too many houses
near by then and Opal and
her sister enjoyed exploring
the woods. One day, they
found a huge rhododendron
that bloomed only white
flowers. If you wanted any
you’d have to wait for them
because they were the only
ones who knew how to find
that special bush.
Opal
married
John
VanCurler in 1952 and raised
their three children in
Brickerville. They had a good
life next to the Siuslaw River
with grandparents, aunts and
uncles and cousins up on
Brickerville Hill.
Later, Opal stared working
as a caregiver at the care cen-
ter and in private-care homes.
She enjoyed this work.
She is preceded in death by
her husband, John; daughter,
Terri; and grandson, Luke.
She is survived by her sons
Gary VanCurler and Guy
VanCurler; two grandchildren
and 9 great-grandchildren;
plus many more family mem-
bers and friends whom she
dearly loved.
She told family and friends
that she had lived a “good
life.”
No funeral services are
planned.
Lang – Walker
Mapleton High School
graduates Ashley Lang and
Chad Walker, both now of
Coquille,
Ore.,
have
announced their engagement
to be married.
Both are graduates of
Oregon State University.
Lang has a degree in social
services and is the daughter of
Stan and Angela Lang of
Mapleton.
Walker has a degree in
social services as well, and is
the son of Sherry Dutcher,
stepfather Willard Dutcher of
Indiola, and father Raymond
Walker of Mapleton.
A date and location for the
wedding has not been set.
Civil rights work to be
recognized at library
On Saturday, Feb. 25,
KXCR, Community Radio,
and Citizen’s Democracy
Watch will commemorate 400
years of social
justice
activism.
The event will be held in
the Bromley Room at the
Siuslaw Public Library, 1460
Ninth St., from 1 to 3 p.m., and
is free to the public.
The commemoration will
include a remembrance of
those who gave their lives to
work for equal rights from
1717 to 2017.
The meeting will conclude
with a conversation discussing
issues of social justice and
work that remains to be done.
This program is supported
by KXCR, non-commercial
radio and the members of
Citizens Democracy Watch.
The Siuslaw Public Library
is not responsible for and is
not a sponsor of this program.
For more information, con-
tact Jenny Velinty at 541-997-
7573.
BIRTH
WEATHER DATA
D ATE
MORDECAI— Riley
Nathaniel Mordecai, a boy
weighing 9 lbs., 8.5 ozs., was
born to Anastasia Marie
Riley of Florence on Feb. 2,
2012, at 2:47 p.m., at
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor
Medical Center.
Jan. 31
Feb. 1
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H IGH
47
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47
Rainfall
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37
0.03
0.00
0.14
1.45
1.12
3.57
0.23
Week: 5.54”
Year: 17.69”
Month: 6.51”
TheSiuslawNews.com
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