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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2016)
June 10, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A OBITUARIES Gregory Kershul Shirley Aline Backus Charles Horsley May 9, 1925 — June 6, 2016 April 14, 1930 — June 1, 2016 Dec. 7, 1951 — May 24, 2016 Gregory Kershul, 91, of Seaside, died Monday, June 6, 2016, in Seaside. He was born May 9, 1925, in Anaconda, Montana, the son of Joseph and Josephine (Africh) Kershul. He graduated from Anacon- da High School in 1943, and served in the Army Air Force, 117th AACS SQD for three years during World War II in the European and Mediterra- nean theaters. He graduated from the University of Mon- tana with a degree in business organization and management. On June 17, 1947, he mar- ried Patricia L. Lavin from Conrad, Montana. They moved to Dallas, Oregon, in 1950 and operated the Majestic and Rio Theaters. In 1952, Greg be- came the manager of the Park Plaza Apartments in Portland, Oregon. In 1954 he and Pat moved to Seaside, where he managed a private fi sh hatchery on the North Fork of the Necanicum River. In 1955, they purchased the Sunset Drive-in Theater in Gearhart, Oregon, and in 1959, purchased the Times Theater in Seaside, Oregon. He was a member of the Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club, a lifetime member of the University of Montana Alumni Association, a lifetime member of the Seaside Elks Lodge No. 1748, a member of the Amer- ican Legion Post No. 99 for 62 years, and a member of the American Relay League, ama- teur call sign K7OKL. He was chief photographer for the Seaside Police Depart- ment from 1988 to 1994, and a lifelong active outdoorsman. He was very happy to have a street named after him in Shirley Aline Riley Back- us, a lifetime resident of Sea- side and recently residing at Regent Court Memory Care Center in Corvallis, Oregon, passed away on June 1 at the age of 86. She was born on April 14, 1930, in Oakland, California, the daughter of the late Edward R. Riley and Geneva Duncan Riley of Seaside, Oregon. She is survived by her husband, Gouverneur “Chuck” Backus of Seaside, Oregon; two sons, Guy E. Backus of Salem, Or- egon, and Charles S. Backus of Seaside, Oregon; and one daughter, Tara B. Ruth and her husband, Dennis, of Corvallis, Oregon. She attended Seaside Union High School. She met Chuck when he was stationed at the Naval Station Tongue Point, Astoria. They married on Dec. 25, 1948, in Medford, Oregon, and were wed for over 67 years. She was a re- silient Navy wife and mother, enduring numerous separa- tions and several household relocations that included a period of living in Japan at the Yokosuka Naval Base. In 1965, the family settled in Seaside. She worked at Fort Stevens State Park, and then helped build and operate their family-owned kennel board- ing business on U.S. Highway 101 for many years. She also worked part-time in the cafete- rias at Seaside High and Mid- dle school. She was a mem- ber of the Seaside Moose and Seaside American Legion Post 99 Ladies Auxiliary, and held numerous positions in each or- ganization. She was the oldest of seven children, and was preceded in death by her brother, Edward C. Riley Jr.; and her sisters, Donna Jean, Edith Ceita, Mary Louise and Frances El- len Riley, who were tragically killed in a house fi re in 1945 in Seaside. She is survived by her brother, and sole surviving family member, John C. Riley Gregory Kershul Gearhart, Oregon — Kershul Circle. His experience of a life- time was riding in the cockpit of the Concorde supersonic airplane between New York and London, arranged for him by his daughter, Kris. His wife Pat predeceased him on Sept. 10, 1994. Survi- vors include his children, Kris- tine Kershul of Seattle, Wash- ington, Bill and Dee Kershul of Colbert, Washington, and Patty (Kershul) and Mark Bowman of Beaverton, Oregon; grand- children Cassandra (Bowman) Stone and Blake Bowman of Beaverton; as well as nieces and nephews in Illinois, Idaho, Connecticut, and Colorado. A brother, Dr. Victor W. Kershul, preceded him in death in 2009. He had a very dear companion, Lennice Nichols of Gearhart, Oregon. A memorial service is to be held at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Seaside on Friday, June 17, at 11 a.m. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Crematory in Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. Go to www.hughes-ransom.com to share memories and sign the guest book. Death Notice: Jennifer Wilson WILSON, Jennifer Louise, 35, of Warrenton, died in Port- land. She was 35. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Crematory in Astoria is in charge of arrangements. Go to www.hughes-ran- som.com to share memories and sign the guest book Death Notice: Marguerite Reed Marguerite Reed, 97, of Seaside, died on May 26, 2016 in Seaside. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Services of Astoria Shirley Backus of Portland, Oregon; and three cousins, nieces and nephews. Surviving grandchildren are Becky L. Hagan of Weiser, Idaho; Charles E. Backus and his wife, Stephanie of New Plymouth, Idaho; Melissa A. Barnes and her husband, William, of Lincoln City, Oregon; Jessica M. Martin and her husband, Jeffery, of Phoenix, Arizona; and Karen Dow and her husband, Jus- tin, of Portland, Oregon. Her seven great-grandchildren are Chelsie Backus, Cam- eron M. Pierce, Jasmine E. Hust, Alexandria L. Martin, Liam O. Barnes, Reagan K. Dow, and Kevin C. Dow. Her great-grandson, Erik M. Mar- tin, preceded her in death. She enjoyed craft and sewing activities, gardening, square dancing, reading, play- ing cards and board games. Al- though dementia suppressed remembrances of many events of her lifetime the past few years, there was still clarity of special events and people that she would readily talk about. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association Oregon, 1650 N.W. Naito Parkway, Suite 190, Portland, OR 97209, or to Moose Charities, 155 S. In- ternational Drive, Mooseheart, IL 60539. There will be no ser- vice, and burial will be at the convenience of the family. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary & Crematory in Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. Chuck Horsley, 64, passed away May 24, 2016, sur- rounded by his family. Chuck will live on at his favorite place, the ocean. Chuck was born in Chica- go on Dec. 7, 1951. He grew up in Santa Cruz, California, where he started working at the age of 15. When he wasn’t working or going to school, he loved playing sports including baseball, surfi ng and volley- ball. He also managed to be crowned Homecoming King … twice; he was a busy guy! When Chuck left Santa Cruz, he couldn’t leave the ocean behind, but preferred to share the beach with less peo- ple, so he moved to the sleepy town of Astoria. Chuck lived the rest of his life in Astoria, where he raised two daughters and touched countless lives with his giving, loving and community-minded nature. Although Chuck was a self-proclaimed “surfer,” he had an unrivaled work eth- ic. Chuck was known for his ability to work as hard as he could to make sure the job was done well, and his family was provided for. Chuck was a man of his word, and made good on every promise he could. Chuck was also a stub- born man, and a force to be reckoned with. Luckily, once Charles Horsley Chuck considered you family, you forever had him on your team. Some of Chuck’s favorite things to do included spend- ing time with his family, his Thursday night get-togethers with friends, going to his fa- vorite beach and riding his bike at Fort Stevens. He loved Astoria so much, and referred to it as his “God’s Country.” Chuck is survived by his daughters, Caitlin and Nicole Horsley, as well as the love of his life, Stephanie Kefauver. Chuck’s family is plan- ning a celebration of life on Saturday, June 18, at the As- toria Masonic Center, at 1572 Franklin Ave. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., and the program will begin at 12 p.m. Light re- freshments will be provided. Obituary Policy The Seaside Signal publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and, for veterans, a fl ag 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. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dailyastorian.com/forms/ obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.com, placed via the funeral home or in person at The Daily Astorian offi ce, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, cal 503- 325-3211, ext. 257. BUSINESS DIRECTORY F LOORING Customer service pays off when attracting year-round visitors I t goes without saying that Seaside is a community that relies heavily on tour- ism. According to GIS data from the Oregon Employment Department, the percentage of employment in the leisure and hospitality industry is 25 percent for Clatsop County and 43 percent for Seaside alone. Of the 3,551 jobs noted in payroll records for Seaside, 1,521 work in leisure and hos- pitality. The total wages for these tourism jobs is nearly $34 million annually. The impact this sector has is pretty obvious. With those fi gures in mind, stop and think about your feel- ings on customer service. What happens when you have a great experience? Chances are, you likely return to that place for a future business transac- tion. Whether it was a meal, clothing item or type of service rendered, if they aren’t the only option you have — and they performed well — you will likely go back. Now fl ip that the other way. You just experienced extremely poor service. The details will likely stay with you for quite some time, and if there are other options in town, you might never go back, or at least go a long time between visits to that particular business. Studies also show that we tell more people about our bad experi- ences than our good ones. These examples are the very reasons that the City of Seaside Visitors Bureau feels so passionately about good customer service and why for the third consecutive year we’ve offered our Annual Customer Service Program as a way for businesses to volun- teer their establishment to be “secret shopped.” The busi- ness provides the desire to see how they stack up service wise, and then we provide the shoppers and a report on what SIDE RAIL JOHN RAHL went well and what may need some improvement. In 2014, 10 businesses signed up for the inaugu- ral program. Last year, the number of participants rose to 16, while in 2016 we had 22 businesses raise their hand and say, “tell me how we’re doing.” We separate the busi- ness into one of four sectors (dining, lodging, attractions and retail) and then send a secret shopper to investigate and engage in a transaction. Year one of the program gen- erated an 86 percent service rating. In 2015, that rating grew to 89 percent. This year, we dipped to an 85 percent rating. Sector wise, our hotels are performing best and came in with a 98 percent rating. Attractions performed to a 92 percent rating while dining (82 percent) and retail (75 percent) rounded out the four sectors. Each business is rated on nine categories, including items like store appearance, staff attention, staff ap- pearance, the greeting the customer received, product knowledge and whether or not they would recommend the business to a friend. All individual businesses that participate receive a de- tailed report from their secret shopper experience, and we hope it’s a way to either main- tain that excellent service they are already giving or perhaps use as a training tool for their staff to improve. With more than 40 percent of our jobs depending on tourism services, we can’t help but not care about the power of good service. Because, in the end, the better service we all give, the greater the experience our visitors will have and the more likely they will be to return to Seaside for future visits. Have a thought or a ques- tion about tourism in Seaside, or maybe an idea for a future column? Drop me an email at jrahl@cityofseaside.us. Jon Rahl is the director of tourism for the Seaside Visitors Bureau and assis- tant general manager of the Seaside Civic & Convention Center. Randall Lee’s 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE Window Treatments, Fabric, Designer Wallpaper, Visit Our Counter Tops, All Flooring and Miele Vacuums Outlet! 2311 N. 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