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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1996)
é M mmméìmmhh Page 16 The INDEPENDENT, Feb. 21,1996______________________________________________________________________________________ .____________ With no prior evidence of flooding, many areas of Vernonia were und teers in all parts of town. About 11:30 a.m., before the town was divided but after all roads out of town were closed by flooding and land slides, a major medical emer gency occurred. A stroke vic tim needed to be transported to a hospital. Lifeflight was unable to respond because of lim ited v is ib ility . The U.S. Coast Guard agreed to send a helicopter that could oper ate by instrument in the in creasingly heavy rain. While waiting for the helicopter, the p a tie n t was evacuated to Washington Grade School, where m edical care was available. A few hours later, with wa ter nearly three-feet deep at the front stairs of the school, EMTs transferred the stroke victim back into the am bu lance, then drove up O-A Hill to meet the Coast Guard heli copter at Spencer Field. (A second medical evacuation was needed later that day and was managed in much the same way— except the water was deeper.) Looking back, it all seems so simple, but with a patient’s life at stake, it took a lot of telephone and radio contact, as well as critical decision making. The evacuation center at WGS was set up without sup plies because the American Red Cross couldn’t deliver equipm ent requested for a 200 person shelter. Principal Randy A ultm an w orked to keep everyone as com fort able as possible while other volunteers scoured the town for groceries, sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. The cafeteria in the base ment co u ld n ’t be used be cause flood water was accu m ulatin g th e re . G ro ce rie s w ere sent, by p icku p and boat, from the fire hall. Volun teers took over in a makeshift “kitchen” , assessed what was a va ila b le and made sa n d wiches for lunch. Hot coffee was a v a ila b le a ro un d the clock. At dinner time, the volun teer cooks served salad, rolls and hot, freshly-m ade veg etable-beef soup to 115 peo ple. It was a remarkable meal considering what they had to cook with — an electric grid dle, one crock pot and an an cient microwave oven. Before dinner, when it ap peared that the shelter would run out of bread, two volun teers braved high water at the Senior Center to see if they could locate surplus bread that had been delivered the day before. The bread was in boxes on a table in the Cen ter dining room. Although the w ater was higher than the table top, the table floated and the bread was high and dry, still in the boxes! Later, bedding was handed out and room assignm ents made. There were some fam- The INDEPENDENT, Feb. 21,1996 er 2' - 4' of water as 500-year flood boundaries are breached «s* I Looking east across Rock Creek from Park toward Grant. A .ir Only the railing of the stairway to the Rock Creek swimming pool is out of the water. ___ Less than a foot of the five-foot fence posts around the Anderson Park horse arena remained above water. DEQ sets free hazardous waste pickup in Vernonia High water at the corner of Grant and “A ” Streets. ily groups, some couples and many single people. Relative s tra n g e rs (and about 12 dogs) shared the floo rs of cla ssroo m s. Some people stayed awake all night, others (including this writer) slept. RYLVIA GRENIA Rylvia “Babe” Grenia, 90, Aloha, died February 12, 1996, at a Beaver ton care hom e. Funeral services were held Feb. 16 at the Donelson, Sewell and Mathews Chapel in Hills boro, with Chaplain Roy Hemphill of American Legion Post #104 in Aloha, officiating. Entombment was at River view Abbey Mausoleum in Portland. Mrs. Grenia was bom January 3, 1906, in Forest Grove, to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Eberly. She was raised and educated in Banks. She married Leslie J. Grenia in 1922. They lived in Vernonia until 1942, when they moved to Aloha. Mrs. G renia and her husband owned and operated the Babe & Les Restaurant and Bar in Vernonia for several years. In 1943, she worked A Trustedftfome In '}uniraiService’ ¿Fuilen-<R ose mortuary cfiapefj, fnc. For the first time, Rock Creek overflowed into Vernonia Drug, causing major damage. TREHARNE CAFE 6« DELI (Formerly Sunnyside) W e a re o p e n a g a in w ith th e s a m e g o o d fo o d a n d frie n d ly s e rv ic e . BREAKFAST ALL D A Y - DELI TRAY5 T O CO • D A ILY SPECIALS SEE OUR NEW M E N U ITEMS, TO O ! HOURS: M O N -S A T 6 A M - 3 PM , SUN 7 A M - 3 PM 58360 Nehalem Hwy. S., Vernonia • Phone: 429-5461________ ...■" Page 17 .....J.............===== We would like to thank our valuable customers for their patience and sup port during our first opening and re-opening. We are here to stay!! We would also like to extend a very special after-flood thanks for the loving support from our spouses - Frank, Dean, Lanny & Skee. We could never have done it without them. Come see us, GERI, TERESA, CHRIS & ROSE OFF 'Jamrfy OcunaJ £ OparaiaJ RUBBER BOOTS Bring in this ad or mention it when you purchase any regular priced men’s, ladies’ or child’s boots HILLSBORO 256 E. Main 640-5866 DERREL & DEANN ROSE JEFFREY & DEBRA ROSE HOYT TINA ROSE REYNOLDS AARON DUYCK Attendant RAYPELSTER • Funeral & Cremation Services • Pre-Arrangement Counseling • Qranite/Bronze Memorial Markers 24 HOUR PERSONAL SERVICE 2308 Pacific Av Frst Grv...357-2161 741 Madison Av Vem....... 429-6611 Ctvo C onvenient B o c a l ions Co S e rv e ^ o u Cn B ooing ClCemory o f ASTORIA 2 3 9 14th S t 325-3972 SEASIDE 600 Broadway 735-9491 SYLVIA “BABE” GRENIA Jan. 3 ,1 9 0 6 Feb. 12, 1996 Services Held In the morning the water was gone. In its place was MUD! It was time to start as sessing damages. The next issue of The IN DEPENDENT will look at the clean-up and the damages. as a cook for the Oregon Forest Ser vice at Wilark. In 1951 she began work at The Shack, now known as The R e e d v ille C afe, w here she worked until she retired in 1986. She was a member of American Legion Auxiliary Post #104 in Aloha. Mrs. G renia was pre ced e d in death by her husband, Les, in 1953; three brothers, Bill, John and Chick Eberly; three sisters, Edith Raymond, Bessie McNutt, and Florence Eberly. Survivors include her son, Dale of Aloha; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Fuiten-R ose Chapel o f Forest Grove was in charge of a rrange ments. DALE E. WALTRIP Dale Eugene Waltrip, 38, Port land, died February 14,1996. Private services were held. Disposition was by cremation. Mr. W altrip was born July 16, 1959, in Chino, Calif. He had lived in Portland for the past eight years. He was a self-em ployed tattoo artist for 20 years. S urvivors include his parents, William Waltrip of Myrtle Point and Margie Post of Antioch, Calif.; daugh ter, Janet Waltrip of Morro Bay, Calif.; sisters, Donna Doney of Portland, Leslie Waltrip of Stockton, Calif., He len Waltrip of Clearlake, Calif.; broth ers, William R. Jr. of Vernonia, Glenn of Novato, Calif., and Gary of Oak Harbor, Wash. Aftercare Cremation & Burial Ser vice was in charge of arrangements. H azardous w astes from households, small business es and a g ric u ltu re w ill be picked up in Vernonia from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday, February 24. The collection by the Oregon Department of E nvironm ental Q uality w ill take place at the railhead on Weed Avenue. There is no charge for the collection. Flood victims are urged to se p a ra te flo o d -d a m a g e d chemical wastes from regular d e b ris and ga rba ge in or lege and worked in medical offices in E stacada and Sandy. She was forced to retire after a motorcycle ac cident in 1985. In 1983, she married William. Survivors include her husband; sons, Sean Reynolds of Sandy and Christopher Reynolds of Mist; par ents, William and Betty Quick of Cor dova, Tenn.; sisters, Diana Quick of Cordova, and Judy Beck of Garland, Texas. Sandy F u ne ra l Home was in charge of arrangements. PETER F. MATIACO Peter F. Matiaco, 69, died Febru ary 2, 1996, in Las Vegas, of cancer. A memorial service was held Feb. 12, in Memorial G ardens Funeral Chapel. Mr. Matiaco was bom March 17, 1926, in Vernonia. He lived 15 years in Rainier and was an excavation contractor. For the past 10 years, he had lived in Las Vegas. He served in the U.S. Navy dur ing World War II. Mr. Matiaco married Joyce Welke in 1982. Survivors include his wife; moth er, Bertha of Santa Cruz, Calif.; sons, Steven of Forest Grove and Michael of Medford; step-sons, Norman John son of Reedsport and Neal Johnson of Bend; daughter, Linda Monte of Forest Grove; step-daughter, Gayle Street of Sherwood; sisters, Joyce Bums of Santa Cruz and Gertrude Magoff of Vernonia; 16 grandchil dren. MABEL CHRISTIANSON KATHLEEN M. OLSZEWSKI Kathleen M. Olszewski, 46, died February 9, 1996. The cause of death has not yet been determined. A memorial service was held Feb. 13, in Sandy Funeral Home. Disposi tion was by cremation. Mrs. Olszewski was bom April 20, 1949, in Elyria, Ohio. Her maiden name was Quick. She trained as a licensed practi cal nurse before moving to Oregon in 1976. She studied massage therapy at Western States Chiropractic Col Mabel Christianson, 87, Salem, died February 7, 1996. At her re quest, no services were held. Mrs. Christianson was bom April 3, 1908. She moved to Salem from Ver nonia. She was a homemaker. Mrs. Christianson was preceded in death by her husband, Carl. Survivors include her step-daugh ter, Norma Christianson of Portland; step-son, Gene of Portland; brother, M e lvin S ykes o f S alem ; s is te rs , around their homes. Do not dispose of hazardous wastes with other w astes, or take them to the flood debris col lection area on Weed Street until next Saturday. The following flood dam aged items will be accepted: a u to m o tive p ro d u c ts (oil, gasoline, degreasers, wax, antifreeze, transmission fluid, brake fluid, batteries), pesti cides, fuel, paint products (paints, thinners, solvents), c le a n e rs (spo t rem o vers, Hazel Boyum of Mentor, Minn, and Ruby Tronavich of Fertile, Minn. H o w e ll- E d w a r d s - D o e r k s e n Chapel of the Gardens, Salem, was in charge of arrangements. EARL PRICKETT Earl K. P rickett, 81, Hillsboro, died January 31, 1996, a t Tuality Community Hospital of causes relat ed to a stroke. A memorial service was held at H ills b o ro C h ristia n Church with interment at Fir Lawn Cemetery. Mr. Prickett was born Aug. 11, 1914, in Banks, to Orville Nathan and Rose (Schlegel) Prickett. He was ed ucated in Hillsboro and later attended Oregon State University. During sum mer breaks he worked for the forest service in fire lookout stations. He worked for PGE before World War II. Mr. Prickett married Gwendolyn Dumas in 1941 at Hillsboro. He served in the U.S. Navy as a radio technician during World War II. After the war, he returned to PGE, where he worked for 35 years as a rural service representative, until his retirement in 1977. Mr. P rickett was a m em ber of Hillsboro Christian Church, where he served as an elder, sang in the choir, taught Sunday school and called on shut-ins. He belonged to Toastmas ters, and had been a 4-H leader. A long with his wife, he d elivered Meals-on-Wheels. He was preceded in death by an infant brother. Survivors include his wife; a son, Kenneth Earl of Hillsboro; two daugh ters, Judy Marie Arbogast of Olalla, W ash, and Joan Susan Snow of L eb anon, Mo; a s iste r, O ra d e ll Griebeler of Forest Grove; a step-sis ter, Ruth Cunningham o f Seattle, Wash.; six grandchildren. Remembrances are suggested to the Leukemia Foundation, Oregon Chapter, 6501 SW Macadam, Port land; the Washington County Hos pice, 427 SE Eighth Ave, Hillsboro 9 7123; o r M e a ls-o n-W h ee ls, c/o H ills b o ro S e n io r C enter, 750 SE drain and toilet cleaners), fer tiliz e rs , and u n id e n tifie d chemicals. Do NOT bring: explosives and radioactive wastes. W hen tra n s p o rtin g ha z ardous wastes, it is important to keep products in original containers if possible, do not mix p ro d u cts, and do not transport leaking containers of waste. For further information call 1-800-452-4011 and ask for Dave Kunz or Maggie Conley. Eighth Ave., Hillsboro 97123. Bronleewe-Bass Funeral Home of Hillsboro was in charge of arrange ments. WILFRED PULTZ W ilfred Pultz, 61, Buxton, died February 6, 1996, at his hom e o f causes related to cardiac arrest. Fu neral services were held a t B ron leewe-Bass Funeral Home in Hills boro. In te rm e n t w as a t F ir Lawn Cemetery. Mr. Pultz was bom May 6, 1934, at Willford, Ark., to Virgil and Edith (Jones) Pultz. He received his early education in Arkansas, then finished in Indio and Strathmore, Calif. His family moved to North Plains in 1949. He moved to Manning in 1953 and to Buxton in 1963. He married Carol M. King in 1973 at Vancouver, Wash.. Mr. Pultz worked for Pacific Plas tic in West Union for 13 years, until ill health forced him to retire in 1981. He was a member of Valley Full Gospel Church in Hillsboro, and the American Association of Retired Per sons. Mr. Pultz was preceded in death by two brothers, Jerry and Rubin; and a sister, Kathryn Willis. Survivors include his wife; a son, Je ffrey o f Banks; step -so n , Dale H aglund o f P a rk d a le ; tw o s te p daughters, Karen Cutright of H ills boro and Teri Skjeie of Forest Grove; brother, Chester Pultz of Strathmore, Calif; two sisters, Mildred Washing ton of Buxton and Shirley Musick of Lindsay, Calif.; nine grandchildren and one great-grandson. Remembrances may be contribu tions to Tri-City Fire Department 300 Main St., Banks 97106. Bronleewe-Bass Funeral Home of Hillsboro was in charge of arrange ments. It’s not what we don't know that hurts, it's what we know that ain’t so. — Will Rogers
