Clara “Jean” Haberstock Thorp passed away of an extended illness on September 26, 2022 at the age of 80.

Born in Fortuna to George and Signe Haberstock, with her older brother Ray Haberstock. Some of her fondest childhood memories were of riding horseback with her cousin Kathy on the Shively Ranch, where her father farmed 15 acres of vegetables to supply his nearly famous roadside veggie stand.

Jeannie attended Bluff Prairie Grammar School in Shively from 1948 to 1956, proudly wearing flour sack and chicken feed skirts that her mother made for her, along with matching cashmere sweaters and socks.

On July 4, 1958, as a junior in high school, she met the love of her life, Charlie Thorp, when he was cruising the main street of Garberville. She graduated from Fortuna Union High School in 1960 and eloped with Charlie the minute her graduation ceremony concluded. They were married over 62 years and were very well loved within the Southern Humboldt community.

Jeannie was a wonderful mother and an amazing person. She and Charlie had two children, Donald and Kimberly, who both sadly predeceased her. As a family, they enjoyed bowling, commercial salmon fishing and rodeo.

Jeannie mastered the art of hand-tying fishing nets and enjoyed working at Browns Sporting Goods in Garberville until she retired.

Her grandsons Robbie Maniaci (and wife Liz) and Trevor Maniaci (and wife Lili) were her great delight. Her great-grandchildren Bryson, Brodi, Mila and Weston were the twinkle of her eye. Her little dog Lizzie also brought her love and laughter.

A graveside service will be held at 12:30 p.m. October 15, 2022 at Sunrise Cemetery, 3315 Newburg Road, Fortuna. A celebration of life will follow immediately at Fortuna Firemen’s Hall, 320 South Fortuna Blvd., Fortuna.

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The obituary above was submitted by Jeannie Thorp’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

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Arcata drivers and bicyclists will want to pay extra attention on Saturday morning, because the City of Arcata is holding a one-way traffic demonstration and pop up event, which will temporarily close one traffic lane on Eighth Street between K and J Streets. 

The demonstration is a part of the City’s proposed 8th and 9th Street Improvement Project, which would permanently convert 8th and 9th into one-way streets between F and K Streets. The two streets are already one way between F and I, with 8th traveling eastbound and 9th traveling westbound. This project, if approved, would simply extend the one way segments for two more blocks. 

The proposed change was one of the recommendations made by the Plaza Improvement Task Force in 2020 to help beautify and enhance safety on and around the Arcata Plaza. The task force determined that removing one traffic lane on these segments of Eighth and Ninths would enhance bicyclist and pedestrian safety by freeing up more space for other forms of travel. 

In addition to removing one traffic lane, the project proposes to add a bicycle lane, expand the sidewalk in some sections, add designated parking spaces  and add two raised intersections on J Street. 

The demo event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. The City encourages everyone to stop by to check out the information that will be available and to provide their feedback on the project. If you are unable to attend, you can find more information and take the survey by following this link. 

Whether you choose to participate in the event or not, just remember that you will only be able to travel east on Eighth Street between K and J during the event.

“Members of the community are encouraged to follow all safety directions and traffic control devices within the project area,”  Arcata’s Engineering Department said in a press release. “The department understands that lane closures can be stressful, but appreciates the community’s participation in this demonstration.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Sept. 29, 2022, at about noon, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Fenwick Avenue in Samoa for the report of a road rage incident.

A 22-year-old male victim was transported to a local hospital with injuries as a result of the incident. During their investigation, deputies learned that the victim was driving in the Samoa area when he was confronted by another driver at a four-way intersection. According to the victim, the driver, 45-year-old Kevin Dewayne Willoughby, followed the victim to his workplace and began arguing with him about a perceived traffic violation. At some point during this incident, Willoughby reportedly physically assaulted the victim and then fled the area.

Deputies located Willoughby at a residence on Sunset Street in Samoa. Willoughby was taken into custody after a brief struggle and was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of battery with serious bodily injury (PC 243(d)) and resisting a peace officer (PC 148(a)(1)).

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Sixteen-year-old Raven Casas recalled one English assignment where her teacher sent the students a link to a website called “Native American Artifacts.” The students had to select an artifact and write about its symbolism. But when Casas clicked on the link she found images of merchandise touting the Kansas City Chiefs pro football team.

“They were just things with Native American symbols on them, and they called them Native American artifacts,” she said. “I just educated him about how this was wrong and how this assignment was offensive.”

That’s why Native American students like Casas and tribal leaders are applauding a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week. It establishes the California Indian Education Act, which encourages school districts to collaborate with local Native American tribes to develop history lessons and strategies for closing the achievement gap for Indigenous students. Local districts would then submit their task forces’ work to the state, helping California become an authority in serving Native American students.

Tribal leaders believe a better education in Indigenous history will not only enrich all students but also lead to better high school graduation rates and healthier lives for Native American youth.

“Educating our people kind of takes us out of the shadows,” said Casas. “It shines some light on the true side of things.”

“Educating our people kind of takes us out of the shadows.”
— 16-year-old Raven Casas

Casas is a member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a Native American tribe based in San Bernardino County. Casas and her peers say that despite their own ancestral roots in the region, public schools have failed to educate students about their tribe’s history.

Casas said that instead of completing the artifact assignment, she turned in a message to her teacher educating him about her culture. She said she received no grade or feedback for the assignment. In fact, Casas said, the teacher never acknowledged her note to him. She said this new law might help eliminate other ill-informed assignments.

“I would like to shift the perspective of the curriculum to the Native American point of view,” Casas said.

Johnny Hernandez, the vice chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians who advocated for the new law, emphasized the importance of local history.

“It’s important because as California nations, every single tribal community has unique cultural identities,” Hernandez said. “It’s important for people to learn about native tribes in their regions.”

The new law was authored as a bill by California Assemblymember James Ramos of Rancho Cucamonga, the only Native American member in the state Legislature. This law would require task forces to submit annual reports to the California Department of Education, which would then submit a report to the Senate and Assembly Education Committees. Legislators would use these reports to inform future policies.

The bill was supported unanimously in the state Senate and Assembly. Teachers unions, the California Charter Schools Association and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond all supported the legislation.

“We have to start at the local level,” Ramos said. “The goal is for that local knowledge to feed up to the state and you can have a clearinghouse of all the cultures in California”

Ramos, also a member of the San Manuel tribe, said the bill is long overdue. He remembers one of his own teachers asking him and his fellow tribal members to interpret a Native American drum song from a tribe outside of California. He said his teacher shamed him because he didn’t know how.

“We were told to sit down because we must not be Native American,”Ramos said.

Last year, when a Riverside high school teacher dressed up in a fake feather headdress and imitated a Native American chant to illustrate a math concept, the insensitivity felt familiar to Ramos. But today, there’s enough political momentum to better inform teachers and students and prevent future incidents.

And while the law doesn’t require districts to form task forces, Hernandez says it’s a step in the right direction.

“I’m hoping people are interested in doing the right thing,” he said. “Time will tell, but tribal people will never stop fighting for this.”

Hernandez said his tribe is still working on designing course materials for local districts, but he cited the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians as an example of a tribe that has already developed curricula. The tribe, based in Palm Springs, piloted a third-grade curriculum last year that taught students about tribal history, culture and land use.

The hands-on curriculum used real tribal artifacts to teach students about local customs. The program earned recognition from the Harvard University Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Hernandez said cultural ignorance can fuel cariactures like the incident in Riverisde, while a thoughtful curriculum can help Native American students form “a well-rounded view of who they are as a tribal person.” Hernandez hopes a stronger sense of identity will also translate into higher high school graduation rates.

In 2021, Native American students had a graduation rate of 73%, lower than any other racial or ethnic group except Black students. Less than a third of graduating Native American students completed the courses needed to attend a University of California or California State University, the lowest college-readiness rate among all races and ethnicities.

Hernandez said better education in one’s own culture and history can have ripple effects outside the classroom, especially within Native American communities that experience disproportionate rates of drug abuse and suicide.

“How do you help the whole student and not just the academic parts?” he said. “It’s about looking at the student in a well-rounded way.”

A richer history curriculum leads to less misunderstanding. Less misunderstanding leads to Native American students feeling like they belong on campus, Hernandez said.

“When people think about San Manuel they only think about casinos,” he said. “We have the opportunity to talk about what it means to be a tribal government.”

“When people think about San Manuel they only think about casinos. We have the opportunity to talk about what it means to be a tribal government.”
— Johnny Hernandez, vice chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Hernandez’s 16-year-old son Gauge, who traveled to Sacramento to lobby for the bill before it became law, said his classmates stereotype Native Americans as wealthy casino owners.

“I feel like this happens every single week or month,” Gauge said. “As a Native American, they think all I am is a money machine.”

But Gauge and Casas both want young Californians to know how their people got to where they are today: the genocide and displacement that preceded the present success of some Native Americans.

“In the curriculum, it’s important to maintain our culture and identity,” Gauge said. “We need to see it in a better way.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

A true love story of Dan and Doris Goff, better known as “Papa & Gaga.” Doris Ann Goff, 89, born February 25,1933 in Alhambra, California and Daniel Oscar Goff, 93, born July 14, 1929 in Columbus Ohio. They were married over 72 years and passed away five days apart. Doris passed away on July 29, 2022 and Dan passed away August 3, 2022.

Their love story started in 1941 they exemplified what true love really is and what a marriage is made of, what true love and marriage should be. They met over 80 years ago. Daniel a.k.a. Danny was 12 working as a box boy at the corner grocery store in Alhambra California. Doris was 8 years old and would sneak in the back, collect all the empty boxes to play house. She would tell Danny “I’m going to marry you one day.” He would reply get out of here kid I’m working. Little did he know they would in fact get married on November 23, 1949.

A year later they had their only child, daughter Jeanne, and raised her in Alhambra, where they lived for 48 years. Dan worked in advertising for many years and retired from Dunn Edwards paints. Doris was a homemaker and loved to cook for the family. She made the best darn soups.

Retirement didn’t last long: On May 15, 1997, the family moved to Redcrest, where they purchased The Redcrest Resort & Gift Shop on the Avenue of the Giants. They owed and operated the shop with his Mother Lucile Goff until her passing and with daughter and son-in-law Jeanne and Louie.

Then years later their granddaughter and grandson-in-law Tanya and Jayme moved to help with the growing family business. Great-grandson and namesake Daniel also came to work with the family business.

Dan, besides being “The Big Boss” of the resort, worked and volunteered on many boards for tourism and hospitality in Humboldt County over the years. Doris just loved working in the gift shop helping tourists from all over the world by making them sightseeing maps and helping to pick out souvenirs.

They enjoyed their favorite beers and visiting with friends at the Eel River Brewery, where they were known as the “2 D’s”

What gives the family comfort is knowing that they are together and one did not have to live without the other. They will forever be together as they were cremated together in Brookings. Ironically one of their favorite places to get away was their beach house in Brookings.

They are survived by daughter and son-in-law Jeanne and Louis Colantonio. Granddaughter and grandson-in-law Tanya & Jayme Colantonio-Johnston. Granddaughter April Colantonio and great-grandson Daniel Louis Colantonio

The family would like to express our gratitude and give special thanks and appreciation to their Doctors Phillip Olkin, MD and Rodney Swenson, OD and their entire staff for your patience and always being so kind and helpful.

Thank you to home health “Nurse Amy” — you were always so kind and gentle and compassionate. We grew to love you and we all looked forward to seeing you three times a week with your funny goat stories.

Special thank you to Aimee Mendes and Norm Carmichael who went above and beyond for helping with care and kindness We’ve always referred to us as The Redcrest Resort Family but you’ve helped to form new word “Emplofamily” when you’re more then just an employee. Thank you to Cheyenne and Sherri for filling in with smiles when we need you most.

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The obituary above was submitted by Dan and Doris Goff’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Dolores Marie Simoni (Foster, Bucko)
May 21, 1929 to Sept. 20, 2022

Sadly our beloved Mother has passed away. She leaves behind memories that will be cherished forever.

She was born, raised and spent her life in Eureka. Her parents Maria (Pieri) and Arduino Simoni came to America in 1920 from Lucca and Tuscany, Italy. Her father worked in the woods and her Mom had a full time job raising six children.

Mom attended St. Bernard’s High School and graduated from Eureka High School in 1947. Soon after graduation she married Jack Foster, who she knew since childhood. They had two children, Linda and Jack.

For decades, Dad’s mom, Addie, and Mom owned and managed a boarding house at 1303 I St. in Eureka. They worked hard with over 20 boarders on occasion. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a room for $18 a week. The boarding house was a fun and happy home for the hard-working boarders who worked in the woods, construction, utilities, etc. Every night before dinner, boarders would gather around the kitchen telling stories while Mom and Gram (Addie) would cook. When dinner was served it was family style with many hungry men enjoying the fine meals. Commonly you would hear, “Excuse my boarding house reach”!

Eureka was a “booming” town in those days and the “High Chapparal,” the nickname for the boarding house, was loved by all the residents. Gram passed away in 1982, leaving a huge void, and the boarding house closed.

Mom and Dad eventually parted ways. In 1974 Mom married Henry Bucko. Together they had many years of happiness together. They never had a dull moment and lived life to its fullest. In 2008 Henry passed away.

Mom enjoyed life! She was funny, happy and a beautiful lady. She enjoyed cooking fabulous dinners for family and friends. She was the glue and heart of the our family. She also enjoyed digging razor clams, gathering agates, mushroom hunting, water skiing, camping, gardening, etc.. Many summers were spent at Benbow (when you could water ski in the Lake), Richardson Grove, Lake Shasta, Trinity Lake, Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon (member of the Little Red Hen Ski Club) camping and water skiing.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents Arduino and Maria, siblings Gino (Irene), Carlo (Anita), Dorothy (Dario) and Danny.

She is survived by her children Linda Foster Schulze and Jack Foster. She is also survived by her sister Jeannie and sister-in-law Irene, grandchildren Todd Schulze, Kevin Foster, Lisa Schulze White (Jim), Jason Foster and Josh Schulze (Shannon), great grandchildren Jayme Satterwhite (Trevor), Rochelle Schulze, Brandin Foster, Trinity White, Noah White, Danielle Schulze and Arianna Schulze. Also numerous nieces and nephews.

Thanks to Timber Ridge in Eureka for their wonderful care for Mom in her last year. There will not be any services for Mom and any donations can be made to your favorite Humane Society.

Rest in peace Mom, we love you, Linda and Jack.

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The obituary above was submitted by Dolores Simoni’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• “Going Down,” Sept. 29, 2022.

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Press release from the Fortuna Police Department:

On Thursday, September 29, 2022 at approximately noon, Fortuna Police received a report of a potential threat to students and school personnel at Fortuna Union High School. It was reported that several high school students in E building during class received an air dropped image on their phones from an unknown person, only identified as a skull emoji. The image was a typed message that read, “Gonna light up the school at 12:10.” This message was quickly spread throughout the school via Snapchat.

Fortuna Union High School immediately initiated a school lockdown. Law enforcement and school staff began to investigate and conduct searches. As a result law enforcement and school staff was able to determine no weapons, dangerous devices or current threat existed on school campus.

Once it was determined safe for students to exit campus, law enforcement and school staff conducted a controlled release of students, building by building, classroom by classroom and the lockdown was released. School Officials elected to release the students for the remainder of the day to allow students reunite with parents following the lockdown.

Fortuna Officers continued the investigation, identifying further threatening messages sent out via Snapchat. Officers quickly identified the 13 year old juvenile responsible for sending the ongoing Snapchat threats. Officers responded to the juveniles’ residence in Rio Dell. The juvenile was detained and a search warrant executed at his residence. Evidence was seized, including a cellular phone, clothing identified in Snapchats and multiple firearms. The juvenile was taken into custody and booked into Humboldt County Juvenile Hall on the charge of 422(a) of the California Penal Code, Criminal Threats.

Anyone with information pertaining to these threats and messages is asked to contact the Fortuna Police Department at (707) 725-7550, attn. School Resource Officer Burley.

We would like to recognize and thank our allied agency partners for their response and assistance. Ferndale Police Department, Rio Dell Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Humboldt County Drug Task Force, Cal Fire Law Enforcement were all on scene assisting Fortuna Police Department and School Staff. Eureka Police Department and other allied agencies offered assistance and were on standby if needed. Fortuna Police Department, Fortuna High School and local law enforcement remain committed to the safety of our youth and schools.