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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2017)
2 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, May 27, 2017 OBITUARIES JOHNSON—Robert LeRoy Johnson was born in Woodland, Calif. on June 27, 1926. He quietly passed away May 6, 2017, in Auburn, Calif., near the home of his daughter, Kim Swayze. Bob grew up in Woodland and Petaluma, Calif., where he graduated from Petaluma High School. After service in the U.S. Navy, Bob married, raised a family and had a successful career in insurance sales in Petaluma. Bob was an agent for Metropolitan Life and later Don Ramatci Insurance. After catching a trophy size 54-lb salmon in the Siuslaw River, Bob and his wife, Mary Lou, decided to move to Florence. Bob was a great outdoors- man and when not out fishing volunteered in the Oregon STEP program. Bob was an avid golfer and a member of the Florence Elks Club. Bob was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. In 2014, he was honored by the Oregon Honor Flight and traveled to Washington D.C. with a contingent of WWII vets. Bob is preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Mary Lou Johnson; his parents Roy and Elsie Johnson of Petaluma; and a sister, Betty Fraley of Lakeport, Cali. He is survived by his sister, Darlene Derby, of Florence; son Robert Bradley Johnson of Orlando, Fla.; his daughter Kim Johnson Swayze of Colfax, Calif.; and his grandson, Evan Johnson Swayze of Colfax, Calif. B L A L O C K — Wa l t e r “Lance” Blalock died Thursday, March 9, 2017, at Peace Harbor Hospital. Lance was born on May 27, 1941, in Denver, Colo., to Woodrow Blalock and Thelma (Kochenower) Blalock. He was the middle child of three chil- dren. His older brother, Larry Blalock, along with his younger sister, Paulette POLICE LOG (Blalock) Larson, and his par- ents all preceded him in pass- ing. Lance attended Adams City High School where he was not only a schol- ar but excelled in track and field, hold- ing both the long jump and pole vault records more Walter Blalock for than 25 years. In the Junior Olympics, he silver medaled, almost mak- ing it to the Olympics. Upon graduation at the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Navy. He briefly toured Europe on his way to his first assignment in Reykjavik, Iceland, after which he was stationed in the Florida Everglades serving as a Naval Intelligence officer intercepting and decoding Russian commu- nications. After receiving an honorable discharge, he returned to WEATHER DATA D ATE Florence Police May 23 Dispute was reported in the 700 block of Quince Street. Theft was reported in the 800 block of Highway 101. Theft was reported in the 2300 block of Oak Street. Child neglect was reported in the 3800 block of Spruce Street. Dispute was reported in the 91000 block of Highway 101. Hit-and-run accident was reported on Bay Street. Theft was reported in the 3600 block of Highway 101. Accident, without injury, was reported in the 5900 block of East Glenada Road. May 24 Child neglect was reported in the 1100 block of Hemlock Street. May 25 Trespass was reported in the 2400 block of Highway 101. Death investigation was conducted in the 1000 block of Ninth Street. May May May May May May May H IGH 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 56 58 65 63 61 69 78 Rainfall Month: 6.31” L OW R AIN 46 43 41 42 48 45 46 0.95 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 Week: 1.03” Year: 68.31” Courtesy of Roger Cunningham Voice Your Opinion! Colorado and attended Colorado School of Mines, subsequently gaining employ- ment with Chevron Research as a chemical engineer. In 1968, Lance hired on with IBM and worked as a field engineer for 30 years. He took an early retirement in 1998 and spent the next 14 years full- time RVing with his wife, Carole. They travelled to 48 of the 50 states, Canada and Mexico, playing golf and visit- ing as many National Parks as possible. Many wonderful summers were spent at a cottage they purchased on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and many win- ters were spent in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Lance was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2007. Upon receiving that devastat- ing news, he and Carole trav- elled to Florence, where they settled in 2009. He continued to golf, fight- ing both the Parkinson’s Disease and the accompanying dementia for the next 10 years. He fought a valiant fight. Lance is survived by his lov- ing and devoted wife, Carole; his son, Troy; his daughter Tanya (from a prior marriage); four beautiful grandchildren: Talia, Brody, Adam and Candice; one great-grandson, Noah; a soon-to-be-born great- granddaughter, Alyce; and numerous uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Lance will be inurned with honors at Eagle Point National Cemetery in Medford, Ore., at 10 a.m. on June 16, after being sealed to his wife Carole at the Medford Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on June 15. Lance is sorely missed. He was a wonderful, loving man. The Lord be with you and may you rest in peace. “When I have holed my final shot, let all the bad strokes be forgot.” May he finally get that elusive hole-in-one. Meet the brightest Central Coast startups! Th is year, RAIN launched the Mid-Coast’s fi rst-ever Pre-Ac- celerator programs for startups located between Lincoln City and Florence. Join us at the Coastal Demo Day where our 11 graduat- ing companies will take the stage to showcase their startups! Food, Beer and Wine Provided Free registration closes on June 13; $12 to register aft er June 13 Coastal Demo Day Wednesday, June 21 5 – 8:30 PM Florence Event Center Food, Beer and Wine Provided Register for Free by June 13 at http://bit.ly/raincoastaldemoday • Networking • Food, beer and wine provided • Keynote by Sam Gross, CEO/Cofounder of Chef Mel’s (chefmels.com) • Business pitches from the Pre-Accelerator companies • Learn “What’s Next” for the Mid-Coast’s entrepreneurial ecosystem Florence EDITOR@ THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM As a tribute to all of the brave men and women who have fallen in service to the United States, I encourage everyone to connect with our local VA centers where there is always a great need for volunteers. Th ere is so much we can do to show our appreciation to our veterans – or just lend a helping hand – right here on the Oregon Coast! Please do not hesitate to contact our offi ce for more information on recent legislation that helps protect and support our state’s veterans. Call (503) 986-1705 or email sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us. Senator Arnie Roblan Democrat - District 5 - Coos Bay www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan
