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June 1, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A Legion membership drops in Cannon Beach As 100-year anniversary approaches, American Legion membership falters By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Hundreds attended Me- morial Day events around the county in memory of those who died while serving in the military. But as wreath ceremonies and flag salutes unfolded, con- cerns about the longevity of the institution that largely coordi- nates these events remained a troublesome undercurrent to an already somber holiday. The American Legion, a wartime veterans organiza- tion that focuses on veteran outreach and community ser- vice, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019. But it has been declining in mem- bership nationwide for years. In Oregon alone, member- ship has dropped from around 21,500 in 2005 to 16,700 last year — and local legion posts are also feeling the crunch. Mike Phillips, the adju- tant of Clatsop Post 12 of the American Legion, said while the local finances have re- mained stable, membership between the Legion, Auxil- iary and Sons of the Amer- ican Legion branches have dropped from 1,110 when he joined in 2002 down to below 800. With fewer people joining, worries have mounted about who will take over organizing traditional ceremonies and events. “We want to get more young people involved,” Phil- lips said. “We only have about 50 members from Middle East wars — that’s the same as our World War II membership.” At American Legion Post 168 in Cannon Beach, mem- bership has dropped about 25 percent in the last 10 years, Adjutant Agris Pavlovskis said. But what has impact- ed this post more has been a decline in turnout at fundrais- ing events like classic oyster feeds and rib night specials. “We’re not in dire straits. We’re just coming to a point where we can’t continue like this,” Pavlovskis said. Fewer people attending fundraising events is begin- ning to impact the Legion’s ability to pay for community events like the Memorial Day wreath ceremony and Fourth of July parade, he said. With less money coming in and newly-instituted city requirements to buy liabili- ty insurance cutting into re- serves, for the first time the Legion will have to require parade participants to pay a $5 fee to enter. The organi- zation may need to find other revenue sources if the parade is to continue. “It’s a national trend,” Pavlovskis said. “We do a lot of community service, but every time we dig out money from the reserves, the less we can do to help veterans.” The cause for the drop is hard to identify. Pavlovskis said in general it is always harder to get younger people interested in community ser- vice when they are busy with jobs and families. Some larger, cultural changes about how the mil- itary is perceived in general could be partially to blame, Phillips said. Locally, with an active Coast Guard popula- tion, there are probably more options for younger veterans in town to congregate else- where, Phillips said. “The average age is 70 when you walk into the Le- gion,” he laughed. “They probably still do a lot of their partying elsewhere.” But there is reason to be hopeful. With the 100-year anniversary of the American Legion approaching, Phillips hopes the message of helping veterans will again be at the forefront of people’s minds. “We just have to keep maintaining the spirit of the post,” he said. “Because as long as you have that, you’ll be okay.” OBITUARIES Tevis Ernest Dooley Jr. John Sandsted Cannon Beach Dec. 11, 1928 — April 22, 2018 Cannon Beach Dec. 23, 1935 — April 24, 2018 Tevis Ernest Dooley Jr., of Cannon Beach, sailed away on the morning of April 22 from Avamere in Seaside, Oregon, surrounded by his family. Tevis was born Dec. 11, 1928, on the island of Guam, the first of four children to Florence Herrero and Tevis E. Dooley Sr. At 15, as a freshman at Seaside High School, he met his future wife, Lily Genevive Forsythe. In 1946, at 17, he joined the Navy, but was reunited with Lily during training in San Francisco, California, where they mar- ried in 1949, and got busy with life and family while he finished his service as a submariner. In San Diego, in January 1950, their first child, Melissa Ann, was born. From there it was to the University of Oregon, where he en- rolled in architecture and they had two more children, Maureen Ann and Tevis E. III. With a growing family, his search for em- ployment led to California, where he worked at numerous architectural and engineering of- fices, eventually settling in Los Gatos in 1958, and set up his own practice. Two more chil- dren, Colleen Ann and Shana Ann, joined the family, and all five children graduated from Los Gatos High School. Tevis went on to join the Architectural Di- vision of Santa Clara County, eventually be- coming the Public Works managing architect, with a staff of 36. He oversaw designs for ev- erything from public parks to airports, court houses, and hospitals. By 1984, with all the children grown and on their own, he and Lily moved up to Can- non Beach, Oregon, preceded by three of the five children. Again he set up his own practice, designing many fine homes, the first being his own for once, where he and Lily lived out their days, filling it with ever increasing amounts of loving memories as the family continued to grow. Tevis Dooley Jr. is survived by his sister, Doreen (Dooley) Allison; and brother, Al- lan Dooley; his children, Melissa (Dooley) Meidinger, Maureen Dooley-Sroufe, Tevis E. Dooley III, Colleen (Dooley) Balzer, and Sha- na (Dooley) Giess; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Lily left us in February 2010. Tevis was driven by an insatiable appetite to study the world around him, and his interests were extensive. A gifted artist, excellent pho- tographer with a keen eye for design, wheth- er it be furniture or a civic building, he was known for unusual cars, (one of the first in the U.S. to own both a Volkswagen Micro Bus and a Bug), and as a snappy dresser. He loved hiking the Sierras and wherever the land met the sea. He left an extensive li- brary, and no doubt about the importance of family. He imparted to all around him a fierce sense of civic duty, of history and community service, sat on numerous committees, attained a state level Fédération Internationale de Foot- ball Association (FIFA) soccer referee cer- tificate, and in his last years volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. The world is a better place for his living in it. John Sandsted passed away on April 24, four stepchildren. He found his greatest joy in 2018, at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice in Al- being a grandfather. John was a skilled wood- bany, Oregon, following a brief battle with worker and made beautiful pieces of furniture for his grandchildren. mesothelioma. Marge and John attended North John was born in Portland, Ore- gon, on Dec. 23, 1935, to Peter and Coast Family Fellowship, and were Frances Sandsted. After attending active in the Bible study for seniors. Benson High School in Portland, In 2004, John and Marge rebuilt Sea John went to work as a plumber Breeze Court in Cannon Beach, and for Industrial Plumbing, which was he took great pride in his work at owned by his family. the motel. After Marge had a stroke, Due to disabilities that John John would take time away from faced, his mother was fiercely de- the motel to go to the nursing home voted to him. John and his mother to help her eat her meals. Marge passed away May 22, 2017. loved to go boating on the Columbia John Sandsted John is survived by his stepchil- River with a large group of friends, dren, Janice Filley (Dave) of Alba- and in the early 1970s they bought ny, Oregon, Ken Quarles (Stepha- a home in Cannon Beach. They en- joyed clam digging and had a beautiful collec- nie) of Cannon Beach, Oregon, Bev Buschert tion of Japanese glass floats. John took care of (Matt) of Tualatin, Oregon, and Nancy Pannel his mother until she lost her battle with cancer. (George) of Henderson, Nevada. John had John enjoyed helping others, and spent years nine grandchildren and seven great-grand- children. He is also survived by his beloved driving friends to doctor appointments. Friends and neighbors were surprised when Dachshund, Bernie. Cannon Beach has always had a cast of col- John announced that at the age of 62 he would be marrying for the first time. John married orful characters, and John fit perfectly into this Marjorie Quarles in 1998, and enjoyed having cast. He will be greatly missed. Obituary Policy The Cannon Beach Gazette publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge. The deadline for all obituaries is 9 a.m. the business day prior. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Death notices and upcoming services will be published at no charge. Notices must be submitted by 9 a.m. the day of publication. Thank You! To the Clatsop County District 5 voters, my warmest thanks for your sup- port in reelecting me to the Board of County Commissioners. Your votes, your kindness, your good ideas, and your constructive criticism all nour- ish and guide me as I work for you, my bosses. Milk chocolate sand castles, chocolate shells and much more to make this the sweetest trip to the beach! Together we can cooperate with people all over Clatsop County, the re- gion, and the state to address the issues facing us. Those vitally import- ant matters include housing, ecologically sustainable economic develop- ment, and resilience. As we honor each other and the beautiful place we call home, we can love the people and the planet. Let’s go forward together to bring out the best and deal with the worst. IONS • T A C O L 2 • Convenient) I’m also asking for your financial support, in order to retire my campaign debt. Please contribute what you’re able to, using the information below. (Easy & Downtown Cannon Beach We face the future with hope, joy, and determination to do right by each other. Let’s get started! 256 N. Hemlock St & Seaside Outlet Mall Lianne WE CAN SHIP CANDY DIRECTLY TO YOU! Proud support ers of the 54 th Annual Sand Castle D ay! CB: 503-436-2641 Seaside: 503-738-7828 www.brucescandy.com Please send your contributions to: P.O. Box 42307 | Portland, OR 97242 You can also make an online donation at: https://secure.c-esystems.com/liannethompson/donation.aspx Paid for by Friends of Lianne
