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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2016)
September 23, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A O B I T UA R I E S A wheelin’ weekend Roger Millard Evansen June 10, 1922 — Aug. 25, 2016 Roger Millard Evansen passed peacefully with his family near at the age of 94, on Aug. 25, 2016, while liv- ing at his treasured home on the Oregon Coast. He was born to Odin and June Evan- sen in Portland, Oregon, on June 10, 1922. As a young boy, Rog- er’s grandparents nurtured his love of the coast with frequent visits to the fam- ily cabin in Tolovana Park (Cannon Beach). In the early years, travel to the beach re- quired at least a day of trav- el, with adventurous road conditions. Raised in Northeast Port- land by his parents, Roger’s family often celebrated their Norwegian and Swedish heritage through their love of cooking. Many of Rog- er’s own delectable meals were favorites from genera- tions past. In 1942, Roger enlisted with the Army Air Force and served in the World War II efforts. Often private about his time served, he was sta- tioned in Guam. His passion for air light grew while he served overseas. Upon his return, he studied engineer- ing at the University of Port- land. After college, a nearby neighbor caught his eye; smitten for life, Florence Bowes and Roger were mar- ried for 53 years. Together, they raised three children, Gary, Scott and Joan. Shar- ing their love for the coast, the family would spend each summer at the beach and in 1983, after working 36 years for Paciic Northwest Bell, Roger and Florence retired to Tolovana Park. In addition to his passion for planes, Roger was a me- ticulous model builder. Well respected for his attention to detail, he created extensive designs and layouts, from elaborate Christmas dis- plays, to his HO gauge mod- el railroad collection. Wheels and Waves and Rod Run show of classic cars, attitude By R.J. Marx Cannon Beach Gazette Roger Evansen Roger was active with the local American Legion and the Cannon Beach His- torical Society. He also vol- unteered as a docent for the Tillamook Air Museum. He was a regular in providing pastries for all, and enjoyed his drives to the museum in his little blue T-bird. The unconditional love Roger and Florence be- stowed upon their children, and for those near and far, will forever bring a moment of pride to the family. Rog- er left a wonderful legacy for his three children and beloved grandchildren, Ira, Erica and Cooper. The family will deeply miss Roger as he gave so much, to so many. A service will be held at Calvary Epis- copal Church in Seaside, Sept. 24, 2016, at 11 a.m. Following, all are welcome to join the family at Rog- er and Florence’s home in Tolovana. In lieu of lowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to your own favorite charity, in Rog- er’s honor. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary & Crematory in Sea- side is in charge of the ar- rangements. Visit www. hughes-ransom.com to share memories and sign the guest book. You gotta have … person- ality. That was the message at Wheels and Waves. Crowds swarmed downtown early the weekend of Sept. 8-11. Clas- sic cars lined both sides of the street, owners camped in lawn chairs nearby and visitors gawked at shiny pistons and chrome. Vendor alley was busy with representatives from the Seaside Downtown Develop- ment Association, which orga- nizes and presents the annual Seaside event with the help of “Rod Squad” volunteers from throughout the Northwest. For Douglas Boseck of Stanwood, Washington, who was at Wheels and Waves, a 1941 Plymouth was only one year younger than himself. The car was originally sort of a combination car and truck, used to deliver everything from lowers to bread, Boseck said. “It’s held up really, really well,” he said. “Everything here is original, other than the tires and the upholstery.” He’s owned it 17 years and “it doesn’t get out too often.” All the more than 400 cars at Wheels and Waves are show-quality from 1965 or older. Some are much, much older. Ford Model A Carl and Melva Atkins, from Gresham, sunned across from their 1929 Ford Model A. They say the car, which sat in disrepair in a California barn for 30 years and in a garage for another 25, brings out their personality. They’ve been win- ning prizes at shows through- out the Northwest. “The crowds just swarm to come and see it,” Carl Atkins said. “That’s what we enjoy most: sharing the car with peo- ple. We get a lot of waves, a lot DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Hundreds of car enthusiasts walk up and down Broadway Street looking at vehicles during the Wheels and Waves car show on Saturday. of thumbs up. We like to take people for a ride-along if the weather’s right. “Every car’s different,” he added. “We enjoy all the dif- ferent kinds of cars here I may not do it their way, but they’re all great because they have the personality of the people who did the build.” The bright orange 1961 Nash Metropolitan of Jan and Jeff Rich of Lakewood, Washington, was inspired by a family car, a yellow-and- white car driven by Jan’s dad. “He had a heart attack while driving home from work,” Jan Rich said. “The Metropolitan hit a house and got totaled. When we got married, Jeff said, ‘What kind of car we are buying?’ We found one in just a few months.” Rich is the club president of the Paciic Northwest Metro- politan Builders Club. The Riches like to take their show car on the road, and they have a map on the windshield detailing their many routes. They upgraded the car with a Toyota four-speed transmis- sion to give it “zip, speed and reliability,” Jeff Rich said. Even then, he added, the car DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP Car enthusiasts seen relected in a 1934 Chevy two-door sedan. could get up to 30 miles per gallon, but with fuel at 19 cents a gallon, “that didn’t impress people.” ‘Rat rod’ Bill Bennett from Tilla- mook deined the phrase “rat rod” as follows: “In the early days when a guy couldn’t afford to buy a new car he’d buy an old one and hop it up and make all the adjustments himself,” Bennett said. “They called ‘em a rat rod. They’re real big on the East Coast, Midwest, Califor- nia.” Bennett’s is a contraption in- geniously devised from a 1936 Dodge truck sitting on air bags, with twin-turbo diesel engine, Chevy S-10 front and rear ends. The vehicle sits on air bags and “just loats along, because it’s on air,” Bennett said. “I found it behind a guy’s barn,” he said. “A tree had fallen over it, the cab was all mashed in.” “What kind of reaction are you getting?” we asked. “The usual,” Bennett re- plied with a smile. “What’s that?” “Awe!”
