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About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2017)
January 6, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A OBITUARIES Robert John Nelson Danniell Ardus Pickell Donald Larson Jan. 4, 1935 — Dec. 16, 2016 July 31, 1943 — Jan. 3, 2017 March 14, 1936 — Dec. 11, 2016 Bob Nelson died suddenly and peacefully of a heart attack on the morning of Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, at his home in Warren- ton, Oregon. Beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and grand- pa, he will be greatly missed by his wife of almost 59 years, Emily, his four daughters and their families: Lisa, (Si) Geo and Spencer Newland; Jana, (John) Mitchell, Isabelle and Will Rob- ertson; Kristina, (Carl) Emily and Lily Perkins and Britta Nel- son and his sister Janet, (Niels) Reimers and their family. We are all taking great so- lace that he passed quickly and peacefully at home in his big blue chair. He has left the deep- est crevasse in our lives, but so many amazing memories and so much love for life and how grand it can be. Ever the posi- tive thinker and always the glass half-full, he lived and loved as big as he could-always to the fullest and with unstoppable Vi- king vigor. He was the best damn bar- tender you’ll ever know. Bob was the consummate handyman able to fix everything. Lucky for his girls, he instilled in us his amazing penchant for fixing things, as well the ability to do it with his engineering ingenuity! He was a dad to so many more than his four girls. He was al- ways available for wise advice (asked for or not), unconditional love, big bear hugs, encourage- ment with his booming voice, and of course, his unwavering support and guidance. Robert John Nelson was born to Eskil and Thelma Nel- son on Jan. 4, 1935, in Portland, Oregon. He attended Franklin High School and was still in contact with some of his friends from the class of 1952. He went on to Oregon State University, where he received both a bache- lor of science degree (1957) and master of science degree (1961) in chemical engineering. Bob was active in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and met Emily when her Pi Beta Phi sorority sister asked her to help the SAEs decorate their house for a dance. Two years later on March 16, 1958, they were mar- ried in Portland Oregon. A job for Proctor & Gamble took Emily and Bob to Long Beach, California, where their oldest daughter, Lisa, was born. Instead of moving back east for a promotion, they chose to return to their hometown of Portland to be near both of their families, and continue to build their own. Bob’s early career was in the pulp and paper industry, where he experienced his first inter- national travel (often with the company of Emily). These early trips spurred his love of travel and passion for experiencing dif- ferent cultures and building new friendships and encouraging his daughters to do the same. Bob and Emily still maintain friendships around the world, as they continued to travel as much as they could: multiple trips zig-zagging through all 50 states, staying a majority of nights with friends or family, purchasing and road testing (2,500 miles) a Volvo in Europe, annual road trips to California, visiting for- mer exchange students in New Zealand and the U.K., keeping up with relatives in Switzerland and visiting old friends wherev- er they were residing. In the early 1970s Bob opened a Portland office of the Arthur Forsyth Company, al- lowing him to spend less time on the road and more time with Emily and his four girls. Throughout the next 20 years, Bob and Emily created a home in Eastmoreland, where every- one was welcomed into their already large family. Robert Nelson Bob loved nothing more than the company of his family and friends at the dinner table en- joying great food and wine, but mostly sharing stories and prac- ticing his professor-like love of history, and politics that often led to raucous conversations. It was known amongst close friends that the Nelsons did not have a typical dinner hour, but rather multiple hours. Bob and Emily continued to welcome old and new friends to their current home, which was the family beach cabin for over 40 years — the place the girls and Emily spent their summers, with Bob joining every week- end. Summers were filled with visits from friends, epic meals, blueberry picking, swimming, clamming, boating, deck build- ing and the annual eating of one oyster each on Willapa Bay. A trait our father instilled in all of us; just try everything once, and then decide. Winter weekends, when not skiing, or entertaining at their home, were also spent at the cab- in, complete with huge crackling fires, lots of reading, listening to albums, playing dominoes and card games. No TV available. After selling the family house in Eastmoreland, the next adventure was living on a house- boat at the Oregon Yacht Club. Bob and Emily had eight and a half lively years, meeting new friends, surviving the flood of 1996, and Bob becoming com- modore. Their 15th move was to a brand new row house in West- moreland, where for 13 years they lived within blocks of their daughters Jana and Kristina and their families. So it was with great love for the family cabin, that Bob and Emily moved to the coast in 2012. Once there, they contin- ued their full rich life, with old and new friends and a very busy social calendar. They joined the Pacific Universalist Unitarian Fellowship, and Sunday fellow- ship was often the highlight of their week. Bob was a people person and loved meeting new people and listening to their sto- ries and telling his own. Always a volunteer, Bob be- came even more active by hold- ing four jobs within the Astoria community. Whether he was holding little kids up to ring the bell on the trolley as a motor man/conductor, informing vis- itors about the Columbia light ship’s duties, cheerfully deliver- ing Meals on Wheels or greeting arriving cruise ship passengers, he always had a big smile and some friendly advice. In honor of what he famously coined all of our parties the fam- ily will host a “GD Mardi Gras Celebration of Bob’s Life” Sun- day, Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. at the Co- lumbia River Maritime Museum Barbey Center, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon. Dress is casual in bright colors — no ties, per Bob’s request. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the groups he volunteered with at the Colum- bia River Maritime Museum (www.crmm.org), Astoria Riv- erfront Trolley (www.old300. org) or Meals on Wheels (www. astoriaseniorcenter.org) Danniell (Dann) Ardus Pickell, 73, passed away Jan. 3, 2017 at his home in Warrenton, Oregon, after his battle with cancer. Dann’s greatest joy in his life was his family. They created many wonderful memories. He leaves his wife, Sue; daughter and son- in-law, Devinee and Rick Martin; son, Danny Pickell; stepson, James Folk; step- daughter and son-in-law, Marci and Mark Utti; and grandchildren, Bryson and Kelsey Martin, Aaron Pic- kell and Emma, McKenzie, Alli and Maddi Utti. Preceding him in death were his parents, Marjorie and William Pickell, two people who gave him his great love for the outdoors, music, singing and dance. Dann began his life in Culver City, California, with his younger years spent in Gresham, Oregon, and then moving to Seaside to fin- ish his high school years. Upon graduation, he joined the Army. He was stationed at Fort Ord, California, and Fort Leonard, Missouri, fin- ishing his military service in the National Guard at Camp Rilea. In 1964, he married Sha- ron McVey and they had two children, Devinee and Dan- ny, the pride and joy of his life. Dann loved adventure and the outdoors, includ- ing boating, flying, fishing, hunting, cars and riding his Harley. Most of all, he enjoyed sharing with his friends and family. Dann al- ways said he was “jack of all trades, master of none.” He prided himself at doing the best at whatever the job was. His last 30 years were spent in the real estate world, where he and his wife of 29 years, Sue, were known as the Pickell Team. He be- gan his passion of helping people make their dreams Danniell Pickell come true at Pete Anderson Real Estate, and ended with ReMax River and Sea. The ReMax family gave him joy in his career, but the support and encouragement were more important during the last several months, and it meant so much to him. Over the years Dann was involved with many community and civic orga- nizations, which reflected his love for people, includ- ing the Rotary (Paul Harris Fellowship Award), Seaside Volunteer Fire Department, Seaside Chamber of Com- merce, Seaside Conven- tion Center, Seaside Kids, American Legion, ABATE, and Lighthouse Christian Church, which gave him his belief and faith to fight his cancer battle. He loved his church family, and the Tuesday Night Bible Study, where he spent time with his buddies. Dann’s friends and fam- ily meant so much to him, and he was always thankful of how each and every one of them greatly enhanced his life. Join us Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at the Lighthouse Christian Church, 88786 Dellmoor Loop in Warren- ton, Oregon, at 2 p.m. Colleen Dilkes Nov. 10, 1929 — Nov. 28, 2016 Colleen Dilkes, 87, a past resident of Seaside, passed away Monday, Nov. 28, at her home in Clinton Town- ship, Michigan, surround- ed by her family and loved ones. Colleen was born Nov. 10, 1929, in the New Llano Colony, Leesville, Louisi- ana. While residing in Sea- side, Colleen worked as a Realtor, was a board mem- ber of Parks and Recreation, an active member of the Sea- side Lioness Club, and an American Legion Auxiliary member. Colleen is survived by her sister, Eula Bishop Fish of Florence, Oregon; her son, Larry Knutson of Clin- ton Township, Michigan; son Bob Mills of Florence; daughter Marcee Teeters Don Larson, a much- loved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away at home Sun- day, Dec. 11, 2016. He will be greatly missed! Don was born in Portland to Elmer and Dena Larson on March 14, 1936, and has a younger brother Jim. He is survived by: Lois, his wife of 55 years; David Larson, Kristin Larson and Nicho- las Clayton; Lorraine and Bill TenHaken and Kirsten and Josh Riedel, Rebecca and Brandon Winebrenner, and Erika and Alex Sneath; Duane and Elizabeth Larson and Rachel, Cameron and Paige. Don spent his career as a civilian employee for the Oregon National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. He retired as Sergeant Major, the highest rank for an en- listed person. Don served 13 years as a member of the David Doug- las School Board, and upon arriving in Seaside he quick- ly became involved on var- ious city commissions. In 2003 he became mayor and retired from that post in No- vember. He loved his role as mayor, and served 14 years, the longest term anyone has served as mayor of the city. The Larsons attend North Coast Family Fel- lowship, and Don served as commander of AWANA for approximately 10 years. He loved hearing, “Hi Com- mander Don!” from a child as he walked down Broad- way. Years serving these kids were some of his best memories. For many years the fam- ily camped at Fort Stevens, and it was during that time that he fell in love with Seaside. For the five years preceding his retirement he said, “I’m going to retire in Don Larson four years and 11 months” (he would count down monthly) “and will move to Seaside and become may- or.” Done! He also said, “Don’t tell me I will love being a grandparent.” His reluctance was instantly forgotten when he caught his first glimpse of Kirsten. His grandchildren were his greatest sense of joy his last 25 years! Don was recently hon- ored by the City Council when they named the build- ing housing the Seaside Public Library as the Don- ald E. Larson Building. He was especially touched by that recognition, and his family was thrilled he was given this honor while still alive. His years of service were further recognized this week when the flags of the city were flown at half-staff in his honor. Don’s wishes were that all remembrances be giv- en to YUGO Ministries (YUGO.org) toward pro- viding a house for a deserv- ing family in the Ensenada, Mexico, area. Hughes-Ransom Mor- tuary & Crematory in Sea- side is in charge of arrange- ments. Please visit www. hughes-ransom.com to share memories and sign the guest book. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. www.eomediagroup.com BUSINESS DIRECTORY L ANDSCAPING B oB M c E wan c onstruction , inc . Colleen Dilkes of Eugene, Oregon; grand- daughter Misty Merrill of St. Louis, Missouri; grandson Brent Merrill of Beaverton, Oregon; plus numerous niec- es, nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and two great-great- grandkids. A celebration of life will be held this coming summer in Florence, Oregon. 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