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.
E xcavation • u ndErground u tiitiEs
r oad w ork • F ill M atErial
s itE P rEParation • r ock
owned and operated by
M ike and C eline M C e wan
503-738-3569
34154 Hwy 26, Seaside, OR
P.O. Box 2845, Gearhart, OR
S erving the p aCifiC n orthweSt S inCe 1956 • CC48302
C ONSTRUCTION
Randall Lee’s 0% FINANCING
AVAILABLE
Obituary Policy
The Seaside Signal 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 pub-
lication.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dai-
lyastorian.com/forms/obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.
com, placed via the funeral home or in person at The Daily Asto-
rian office, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, cal
503-325-3211, ext. 257.
Window Treatments, Fabric, Designer Wallpaper, Visit Our
Counter Tops, All Flooring and Miele Vacuums
Outlet!
2311 N. Roosevelt Dr., Seaside, OR 97138 • 503-738-5729
rlflooring @ yahoo.com • www.RandallLeesFlooring.com
Randall Lee’s Flooring Outlet • 3579 Hwy 101 Gearhart • 503-738-6756
Warehouse pricing • Open to the Public • Hundreds of instock rolls & remnants • In House Binding
F LOORING
Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix
Soil Amendments
YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF
(no Scotch Broom)
ROBERT CAIN LD,
powered by
45 Years of Experience
503-717-1454
34154 HIGHWAY 26
SEASIDE, OR
TWO LOCATIONS
SEASIDE & HILLSBORO
Laurelwood Farm
740 Ave H • Ste 2 • Seaside
232 NE Lincoln • Ste B • Hillsboro
FREE CONSULTATION
• Dentures for all ages,
New, Partials and Custom
Dentures
• Dentures for implants
• Relines & Repairs
• Denture repairs done same
day!
• Personal service and
attention to detail
Open Wednesday and Friday • 9-4:30 • 503-738-7710
music fi rst
BUSINESS
DIRECTORY