The INDEPENDENT, April 2, 2009
Responses reviewed, continued
From page 20
cident were identified. Some
primary areas of improvement
discovered were:
· The long-term need for ad-
ditional plows, sandbags and
four-wheel drive vehicles in Co-
lumbia County.
· The desire to continue to
better coordinate emergency
needs calls between the coun-
ty emergency operations cen-
ter and special needs agen-
cies.
· The request to train addi-
tional city and county officials
to use the WebEOC© program.
Although these events were
not as bad as those that took
place in December 2007, many
agency leaders noted at the
meeting that the storms provid-
ed a successful “test” of emer-
gency procedures and plans.
Local agencies will continue to
work together to improve re-
sponse and review any other
lessons learned.
Due to these weather
events, Columbia County was
declared a disaster area by two
federal agencies:
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency, which is
providing financial recovery
dollars to cover up to 75 per-
cent of local government agen-
cies’ eligible public infrastruc-
ture and emergency response
expenses incurred during a
portion of the storm running
from December 20 through 26.
However, officials from the
county and the City of
Clatskanie are working with
state and federal officials to ex-
pand the program to cover
costs incurred during January’s
storms as well.
The Small Business Admin-
istration is providing low-inter-
est loan programs for business-
Page 21
es adversely affected by the
storms. Businesses interested
in the program are urged to call
1-800-659-2955.
From page 3
The Arts. The students will see
how many laps they can run
around the high school track in
30 minutes. Prizes, t-shirts, and
other awards are awarded for
their participation.
Washington Grade School
couldn’t do it without the sup-
port of the community and oth-
er Run For The Arts parents! At
a time when the arts are van-
ishing from our classrooms,
your support for the Run For
The Arts is especially needed.
As Washington Grade School
gears up for its Run, we hope
to raise enough money for
more cultural and arts assem-
blies for the students, and more
artist in residencies.
Thank you for enriching your
child’s education through your
encouragement and involve-
ment. With your help, our
school will have an outstanding
Run For The Arts! Thank you!
I also invite you to help our
school family have a successful
Run by volunteering some
time. Please contact me, our
school coordinator, to help with
this project.
George Spaulding
K-5 PE Teacher
Washington Grade School
May 16. This year is Oregon’s
150th birthday and the state
has designated May as “Take
Care of Oregon Day”. They are
hoping for a record number of
people to turn out and volun-
teer some of their time during
this May.
Vernonia Pride is also hop-
ing that many of you will turn
out on May 16 to help us on
Clean-up Day.
If you are not inspired to
come out and help with the
community clean up, you might
take a look around your own
home and see if there is some-
thing you could do to make
your own property more attrac-
tive.
Please see page 22
Survivors include his wife; one son,
Jeffrey of Coos Bay; his mother, Irene
Kyser of Forest Grove; two brothers,
Warren of Oregon City and Ronald of
Jewell; one niece; and one grand-
niece.
Remembrances are suggested to a
charity of choice.
Tualatin Valley Funeral Alternatives
of Hillsboro was in charge of arrange-
ments.
unknown; a sister, Dawn Mitchell of
Salt Lake City, Utah; two step-sisters,
Kimberley Urbach of Pensacola, Flori-
da, and Krizia Irish of Alamo, California.
Remembrances are suggested to
Vernonia Flood Relief Fund or Vernon-
ia Cares Food Bank.
Tualatin Valley Funeral Alternatives
of Hillsboro was in charge of arrange-
ments.
Letters
Make Vernonia clean
up day even bigger
To The Editor:
Vernonia Pride’s annual
clean up day is scheduled for
Obituary
MICKEY RAY ALEXANDER SR.
Mickey Ray Alexander Sr., 64, Cor-
nelius, died March 12, 2009. Private
services will be held later.
Mr. Alexander was born May 31,
1944, in Forest Grove to Calvin and
Peggy (Gay) Alexander. His family
moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he
was a child before returning to Forest
Grove when he was a teenager.
In 1963, he married Joanne Lan-
dauer. They made their home in Cor-
nelius. A welder, he most recently had
worked for Columbian Trailers in Hills-
boro.
He was preceded in death by a sis-
ter, Sheryl Wilson.
Survivors include his wife; three
children, Mickey Alexander, Jr. of Gas-
ton, Dalawna Akers of Cornelius and
Bonnie Schnepp of Banks; five siblings,
Kenneth Gay, Darlene Oberg, and
Jeanne Beck, all of Forest Grove, Larri
Patricia Swinford of Ocean Park,
Washington, and Toni Wagner of Gas-
ton; 11 grandchildren; and four great-
grandchildren.
Duyck & VanDeHey Funeral Home
was in charge of arrangements.
WILMA KAY DOBRATZ
Wilma Kay Dobratz, 55, Forest
Grove, died March 20, 2009. A memori-
al service was held March 25.
Mrs. Dobratz was born March 7,
1954, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to Al
and Roberta (Swartz) Orlaska. The
family moved to Hawthorne, California,
when she was a small child and she
was raised there.
In 1972, she married Michael Do-
bratz. They made their home in New
Mexico before moving to Timber in
1976, then to Forest Grove in 1993.
She had owned and operated a land-
scaping business. Recently she had
been a teacher’s aid in Forest Grove,
Hillsboro and Beaverton school dis-
tricts.
She was preceded in death by her
parents and a sister, Jennie.
Survivors include her husband; two
daughters, Morningstar Crane of Forest
Grove and Oshalynn Cronk of Washou-
gal, Washington; two brothers, Mike
Orlaska of North Carolina, and Dave
Orlaska of Mission Viejo, Calif.; one sis-
ter, Lynn Montgomery of Manteo, Illi-
nois; and two grandsons.
Remembrances are suggested to
Women’s Shelter of Forest Grove.
Duyck & VanDeHey Funeral Home
was in charge of arrangements.
DENNIS NEIL HINES
Dennie Neil Hines, 62, Birkenfeld,
died March 16, 2009.
Tualatin Valley Funeral Alternatives
in Hillsboro will provide a full obituary
when it is available.
DARRELL D. K. SCHOONOVER
GENE EDWARD KYSER
Gene Edward Kyser, 52, Forest
Grove, died March 17, 2009. A celebra-
tion of life was held March 26. Private
interment will take place later.
Mr. Kyser was born June 28, 1956,
in Vernonia, to Wayne Leroy and Irene
LaVonne (Sparks) Kyser. He graduated
from Vernonia High School in 1975. He
worked for the City of Vernonia for the
next 13 years.
In 1984, he married Cindy Ashcraft.
They made their home in Vernonia,
then moved to Gaston for a short time
before moving to Forest Grove in 2000.
He worked for Olympic Forest Products
for 13 years, then for Stimson Lumber
Company until the last layoff.
Darrell DeWayne Kenneth Schoon-
over, 29, Vernonia, died March 19,
2009. A celebration of life was held
March 28. Private interment will be held
later.
Mr. Schoonover was born August
13, 1979, to Luvern Kenneth and Mar-
garet Rose (Denton) Schoonover in
Mountain Home, Idaho. He was raised
in Idaho Falls, Idaho, until moving to
Vernonia as a teenager. He attended
Vernonia High School and later ob-
tained his G.E.D. He worked as a Li-
censed Caregiver, most recently for his
father’s adult foster home, My Safe
House, for the past two years.
He was preceded in death by his
mother and a brother, Mickey Todd.
Survivors include his father and
step-mother, Rosalind Karczewski, of
Vernonia; three brothers, Jason Todd of
Twin Falls, Idaho; Frank Alan Todd of
England, and Ian Todd, whereabouts
JOSEPH “BUD” F. TRUSSELL
Joseph “Bud” Fletcher Trussell, 87,
Banks, died March 12, 2009. Grave-
side services will be held at 10:00 a.m.,
on April 4, at the Mountainside Ceme-
tery of Scholls.
Mr. Trussell was born October 4,
1921, in Canadian, Texas, to Eugene F.
and Lou A. (Griffin) Trussell. He was
raised in Longview, Texas. He and his
family moved to Scholls in 1937. He
served in the U.S. Army. He went to
mechanic school after the war and
worked for Haney Trucking in Cornelius
for 25 years. He then owned and oper-
ated Bud Trussell Well Drilling for over
15 years until he retired in 1987.
In 1971, he married Evelyn Flo-
rence Paroz. They made their home in
Banks.
He was preceded in death by a son,
Larry; and two siblings, Eugene and
Delores.
Survivors include his wife; one son,
Donald of Sequim, Washington; three
daughters, Kathleen Vandershere of
Cornelius, Barbara Davis of Santa Fe,
New Mexico, and Beverly Sinha of Los
Alamos, N. Mex.; three step-children,
Ronald L. Carte of Milwaukie, Leslie A.
Carte, and Laurie C. Carte, both of
Banks, 12 grandchildren; and nine
great-grandchildren.
Remembrances are suggested to
the Banks Volunteer Fire Department.
Duyck & VanDeHey Funeral Home
was in charge of arrangements.
"A Trusted Name in Funeral Service"
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Third Generation
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Jeffrey Hoyt, Gregory Hoyt,
Christopher Hoyt, Ross Mathews,
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Attendant: Ray Pelster
2308 Pacific Av. Frst Grv....357-2161
741 Madison Av. Vern.........429-6611
E-mail: Fuitenrosehoyt@aol.com
To sign the online guestbook or send
a condolence to the family, go to:
www.fuitenrosehoyt.com