The INDEPENDENT, July 6, 2011
Obituary
Action Ads
From page 20
Survivors include four chil-
dren, Ann Marie Mott, Mary Pat
Nester, Karen Embury, and Bill
Fulkerson; eight grandchildren
and four great-grandchildren.
Tualatin Valley Funeral Al-
ternatives was in charge of
arrangements.
HELEN M. MOEHNKE
Helen Margaret Moehnke,
93, Banks, died June 23, 2011.
A graveside service was held
June 29 at Union Point Ceme-
tery in Banks.
Mrs. Moehnke was born Au-
gust 18, 1917, in Greenville, to
Edward and Olga (Mielke)
Berwald. She was raised in
Banks, where she attended
Schefflin Lutheran School in
the 7th and 8th grades. After
her children were grown, she
earned her G.E.D. from Forest
Grove High School
Page 21
Helen M. Moehnke
In 1940, she married Dor-
man Michael Moehnke. They
made their home in Jewell and
Alsea, before moving to Hay-
ward Hill, near Banks in 1945.
She was a homemaker.
She enjoyed gardening,
houseplants, embroidery, cro-
cheting, sewing, camping and
photography. She was an avid
bowler who loved nature and
animals.
She was preceded in death
by her husband; a son, Michael
J. “Mike” Moehnke; two broth-
ers, Otto Berwald and Oswald
Berwald; two sisters, Marie
Berwald and Ella Snyder.
Survivors include one son,
Robert H. Moehnke of LaCen-
ter, Washington; three daugh-
ters, Linda L. Rieben of Banks,
Irene O. Mott of Evergreen,
Colorado, and Ella M. Duyck of
Parkdale; a brother, Rudy
Berwald of Renton, Wash.; 11
grandchildren; six great-grand-
children; nieces and nephews.
Remembrances are sug-
gested to Doernbecher Chil-
dren’s Hospital Foundation.
Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral
Home of Forest Grove was in
charge of arrangements.
MARVIN O. MEYER, 92, a longtime resident of
the Vernonia community, died Friday evening, June
17, 2011 at his home.
Graveside Services were held on Monday, June 27,
2011 at 2:00 P.M. at the Vernonia Memorial Cemetery,
2080 Bridge Street in Vernonia, Oregon, with Pastor
John Cahill, of the Pioneer Baptist Fellowship in Ver-
nonia, officiating. A Flag Honor Presentation was held
under the direction of the American Post #119 in Ver-
nonia and the American Legion Washington Post #2
in Forest Grove.
Marvin Oren Meyer was born February 13,
1919, at Ridgefield, Washington, to Otto William
and Ida Hathaway Meyer. He was the third child
in a family of five boys and one girl.
Several moves were made by the family before they settled on a farm along
Timber Road. He spoke of early childhood memories, working with his father sup-
plying firewood to the Pleasant Hill school and harvesting cedar poles off of a for-
est ridge with horses. Also as a youth, he worked as a caddy at the nearby
Vernonia Golf Club.
He received his early education at the rural Pleasant Hill elementary school
and Vernonia High School. He left high school to work in the logging industry, first
working with his father. He told of many memories when he worked in the area of
the Sunset Highway (Hwy 26 to the coast) before the highway was completed.
Later, he worked for small private, “gypo” logging contractors.
He married Irene Bergerson; they later divorced.
Before entering the US Navy during WWII, he was an electrician at the Mare
Island naval base in California. While at naval boot camp, he contracted scarlet
fever which resulted in rheumatic fever and heart damage and a year of hospital-
ization. He was discharged with 100% disability.
His love of the outdoors and knowledge of the logging industry led him back to
the forest and to logging. He decided that working for himself was most satisfying
and began to purchase equipment and timberland when possible. As the years
passed, he slowly regained his health.
About 1962, he began growing cultivated and cultured Christmas trees as he
realized a market was developing for the product; he had previously harvested
natural growth Christmas trees. He was a pioneer and innovator for this new in-
dustry. People wanted a fuller, more perfect tree and it was his challenge to pro-
duce just that tree. Noble fir became the “Cadillac” of Christmas trees but its
natural growth was alpine in nature. Marvin was one of the first growers to shear,
align and shape the top of each tree. Over the years his many innovations were
studied and adopted by other growers.
LEGAL NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICES
Request for Bid
2565) or e-mail (kmccall@builtby
pandc.com). Late bids will not be
accepted.
The scope of work for this bid
package includes, but is not limit-
ed to, a full design / build Photo-
voltaic System on the roof of the
new Vernonia K-12 School in
Vernonia Oregon. It is anticipated
that work on site will commence
in September 2011 and must
reach Final Completion no later
than April 12th, 2012.
Beginning on July 12th, 2011,
bid documents may be examined
at the offices of P&C or obtained
electronically by contacting
Rosanna Williamson at P&C
Construction (503-665-0165 or
Please see page 22
P&C Construction
New Vernonia K-12 School
Bid Package Four (BP-4):
Photovoltaic System
Bids Due 2:00 pm PST, July
26th, 2011
Bids for the “VERNONIA
SCHOOL DISTRICT – PHOTO-
VOLTAIC SYSTEM: BID PACK-
AGE FOUR (BP-4)” will be re-
ceived by the Construction Man-
ager/General Contractor (CM/
GC), P&C Construction, 2133
NW York St , Portland, Oregon
97210 by the time and date list-
ed above. Faxed bids will be ac-
cepted. Questions regarding the
proposal shall be in writing and
directed to Kevin McCall at P&C
Construction by fax (503-667-
In 1962, he was awarded the first Columbia County “Tree Farmer of the Year”
award and received that award again in 1972. He was a charter member and di-
rector of the Columbia County chapter of the NW Woodlands Association which
later became the Columbia County Small Woodlands Association, an affiliate of
OSWA. He was very active in the offices of the county association during those
early years.
Before the state-wide Outdoor School program was envisioned, Marvin and a
group of forest owners, including then county agent Don Coin Walrod, held a day
of learning about the forest. This annual event was conducted at Camp Wilkerson
for all of the 6th grade classes in Columbia County.
Every Christmas season through 2009, he hosted Head Start and private
school children on his tree farm to tell them about growing trees. He illustrated
tree growth with seeds and seedlings and how they grow, culminating with the
cutting and baling of a tree which the group of children would take with them to
decorate. In addition, a small treat or memento was offered to each child, some-
times it was their own seedling to plant. He looked forward to their eager faces
each year.
The majestic Sequoia and Port Orford cedar trees in the Vernonia city park and
the trees lining the roadway in Anderson park were donated and planted by Mar-
vin in the early 1960s when they were about 5-6 feet tall. He faithfully watered
them to ensure that they grew. Several area homesteads and rural properties have
beautiful mature trees which he either planted or provided to his friends and ac-
quaintances. He planted many thousands of trees and experimented with nu-
merous types of conifers.
Marvin had many other interests in addition to his life-long commitment to the
forest industries. He was a very competent mechanic, doing most of his own re-
pair work on his logging and tree farming equipment and personal vehicles. He
had a love for the Chevrolet automobile and owned several collector cars and
trucks, showing them to anyone who was interested. He also enjoyed photogra-
phy, gardening, touring with a travel trailer, clam digging, and other outdoor activ-
ities. Before arthritis invaded his knees, he enjoyed square dancing and round
dancing.
He has been a member of the First Christian Church of Vernonia since 1933.
In 1975, he married Ellen Hanson. They constructed their home on the tree
farm and operated a successful u-cut and wholesale Christmas tree business for
35 years.
He was predeceased by all of his siblings. Surviving are his wife, Ellen; sons,
Phillip of Aloha, Ron of Portland, Stanley and Gary, both of Vernonia, and three
grandsons, Justin, Nick and Michael Meyer.
To sign the online guest book or to send a condolence to the family go to
www.fuitenrosehoyt.com.
Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home in Vernonia was in charge of the arrangements.