Lloyd Lane Roland, age 67, passed away unexpectedly on August 8, 2021 at his home in Lewiston due to natural causes.

Lloyd was born in Eureka to Carrol and Lyla Roland. He grew up in Freshwater, roaming the woods on dirt bikes, fishing, camping, swimming at Freshwater Park and many more adventures, along with his four siblings and a passel of friends that were thick as thieves. After graduating Eureka High School in 1972, naturally Lloyd went straight to work for the US Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter. This sparked his passion for a lifelong career in the woods, specifically the timber industry as a log truck driver; which took him on many adventures throughout California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. For a few years he did drive long-haul, but the woods always called him back where he was always most at peace.

In his down time, Lloyd enjoyed traveling the backroads while jammin’ to classic rock, camping, watching old westerns, spending lazy days reading (Louis L’Amour a favorite) enjoying Folger’s coffee in his treasured Samoa Cookhouse mug, skipping rocks across the river (master rock skipper!), crack of dawn wood cutting trips, tinkering around the shop, E. Clampus Vitus doin’s, and of course spending many hours with all the good friends.

Lloyd was a man with a gregarious nature, easily making friends wherever life took him. His tremendous heart and twinkle in his eye made many lasting impressions, and his ginormous bear hugs legendary. Speaking of legendary, one can’t forget his off-tune singing of “You Are My Sunshine” at the top of his lungs to those unwise enough to sleep in after him!! Lloyd also had a huge heart for “critters”, as he would say. He lived for the outdoors, and always had a dog by his side hiking through the woods. Many years ago his good boy Sabbath landed in dog jail, so after bailing him out he bought him a big ol’ cheeseburger, feeling sorry that Sabbath was subjected to “jail food.”

Lloyd was preceded in death by brother Richard “Buckwheat” Roland, parents Doyle and Lyla Strid, Carrol Roland; Grandparents Willis and Nellie Evans; Kenny Cookman, Donnie Cookman, Uncle Ginty, Sabbath and Zipper. Survived by his beloved kitty CaliCat, daughters Cali Roland of Weaverville and Laina Roland of Chico; siblings Dan Roland (Becky) of Coquille, Oregon, LeAnn Roland of Jerome, Idaho, LaNell (Russell Johnson) of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Deborah Beebe of Willow Creek, Tom Cookman (Lavonne) of Freshwater; mother of his children, Judith French, of Weaverville; and numerous nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews.

“Papa Lloyd’s” legacy continues with his grandsons: Russell Moeai of Chico, Nathan Harlan of Grants Pass, Oregon, and Daniel Roland of Chico.

Lloyd will be laid to rest in the Freshwater area. A celebration of Lloyd’s life (respectfully socially distanced) will be held at Freshwater Park, Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 12 p.m., RSVP lainaroland@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to Trinity County Animal Shelter P.O. Box 1228 Weaverville CA 96093, or take a stroll through the woods in his memory.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Lloyd Roland’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

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Toward the end of a six-hour special meeting on Tuesday, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of a policy that will require all unvaccinated county employees to submit to weekly testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Technically, this approach stops shy of an employee vaccine mandate, an option that drew a stream of vociferous and often ill-informed objections during the public comment period. But neither did the board opt to stay with the status quo of having employees follow the local masking order — this despite hearing from several department heads who urged them to do so.

Staff in the County Administrative Office will hash out the details — figuring out the logistics of how to test hundreds of county employees, for example, and getting sign-off from the various labor unions repping county workers — before bringing the policy back to the board for approval. Once the policy is implemented, employees will have six weeks to comply.

In introductory comments, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said he and his staff support any efforts to increase vaccination against COVID-19, calling it “our best tool to end the pandemic and get us out of this.” 

“It is doing exactly what it was intended to do, which is to reduce hospitalizations and mortality from this very deadly disease,” Hoffman added, noting that across the state and nation, people who are unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated.

Locally, the average age of unvaccinated people who wind up in the hospital with COVID is 57 while the average age among the vaccinated is 75, according to Hoffman.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, who was filling in as chair of the meeting, asked department heads to weigh in with their opinions. 

Connie Beck, director of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), urged the board to stick with the status quo, explaining that her department is already short-staffed, with a vacancy rate of 23 percent or 324 positions. She said a vaccine mandate could hurt employee recruitment efforts. 

Assistant Director Michelle Stephens said that about 700 of the department’s 1,100 employees are already required to be vaccinated or get tested weekly, per the state health officer’s order, issued in August. About 50 of those 700 have yet to be vaccinated, so they’re getting tested weekly, and another 50 are on leave, Stephens said.

Sheriff William Honsal said the county should be applauded for its handling of the pandemic, and he predicted that eventually the disease “will just fade into just being a normal flu.” The CDC explains that COVD-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses. COVID can also cause more serious illness; it can take longer before people show symptoms; and people can be contagious for longer.

Like Beck, Honsal urged the board to maintain the status quo, citing the staffing crisis. 

“And so you put this [a vaccine mandate] on us right now, and we will have people that leave our departments,” Honsal said. “You’re talking about essential workers that pushed this county all the way through this pandemic, that showed up every day to work dealing with this pandemic on the front lines. … And at this point in time the county is going to say, ‘Hit the road because we want a vaccine.’” He also said that enforcement could be challenging considering the protections enshrined in the Peace Officers Bill of Rights. 

Chief Probation Officer Shaun Brenneman, meanwhile, said he strongly supports vaccination, noting that people come to the courts because they have to, “so we have a real obligation to those people to be safe and provide the most safe environment for them … .” But he also expressed concerns about the logistics of testing and suggested the board refrain from issuing a vaccine mandate.

Public Works Director Tom Mattson, District Attorney Maggie Fleming and Treasurer-Tax Collector John Bartholomew joined the chorus of department heads urging the board to continue with the status quo so as not to harm efforts to recruit and retain employees.

Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass said that while they’d heard a lot of anecdotes about people quitting their jobs due to vaccine mandates, state data show that only a small percentage of people under the vax-or-test policy have actually done so. 

Honsal countered that his department has received a lot of inquiries from employees of cities or counties that put vaccine mandates in place, saying they intend to find jobs elsewhere.

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said it seems like vaccinated people are spreading COVID just as much as unvaccinated people. 

Hoffman said that while the Delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants of the virus and can be spread by the vaxxed and unvaxxed alike, symptoms among the vaccinated are significantly less, and data suggests that they’re 50 percent less likely to spread it than unvaxxed folks.

Hoffman also said that all these deliberations may wind up being moot. He expects the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and its California counterpart to issue their own workplace regulations in the coming weeks. 

As alluded to above, the public comment period contained a lot of apocalypse-flavored vitriol, with numerous callers referencing tyranny, citing dubious statistics, falsely referring to vaccines as “experimental” and invoking the authority of both the U.S. Constitution and the Nuremberg Code. 

That latter document, for the record, is a set of research principles addressing Nazi war crimes. It does not apply to COVID-19 vaccines, nor is it legally enforceable. 

A number of public commenters also brought up the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a government database that compiles unverified, self-reported accounts of symptoms that may or may not be cause by vaccines. It’s designed as an early warning system, and the CDC explicitly warns that VAERS is not designed to determine whether a vaccine caused a given health problem.

Of the 37 people who called in to speak on the issue, just five were in favor of a vaccine mandate. On the other hand, only three callers identified themselves as county employees, and two of them were pro-mandate.

After the public comment period, Bass, Wilson and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said they believe a lot of county employees were too intimidated to call in and voice their opinions. Madrone said he was troubled by the disparaging remarks and threats, including a threat to recall any supervisors who supported a vax mandate. 

“These things don’t sit well with anybody, and it’s really not the way to get your point across,” Madrone said.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn said he came into the meeting leaning toward an employee vaccine mandate with testing for those who opt out. He fully believes vaccines are the best way to get the pandemic under control, but he said he worried about adding testing and enforcement duties to the county workload. He initially suggested waiting for orders from the state or feds.

“I guess we’ll just stay status quo until the big guys force something on us, and that’s not too far away,” Bohn said.

Bushnell was the most vocally skeptical of vaccine requirements. “I don’t want to make a choice for someone to get a vaccine and they get an adverse reaction,” she said. She acknowledged that such complications are rare but added, “If that one [exception] is your family, your loved one, I don’t want that on my shoulders.”

Wilson argued that appeals to “freedom” are a bit simplistic given that the county already has other requirements governing health and public safety — coming to work clean and with clothes on, for example. 

“We’re also not reinventing the wheel here,” he said, noting that other government agencies, including the City of Eureka, have passed vaccine requirements.

Madrone wound up making a motion to require either vaccination or regular testing of all county employees along with a recommendation that even fully vaccinated people get tested regularly.

“Nobody’s going to require anybody to get a vaccination if they don’t want to,” Madrone said. “There are options; it’s called testing.”

Bushnell was still skeptical. She asked Hoffman a number of questions about whether regular testing would really be effective at protecting employees and if so, why not test all employees, vaxxed and unvaxxed alike?

Hoffman said neither the CDC nor the California Department of Public Health recommend surveillance testing of entire workforces, and research shows that vaccinated people represent a much lower risk of spreading the virus.

The supervisors tossed Madrone’s motion around a bit, questioning various specifics until Bass, who’d seconded his motion, said she’d prefer to go with an option already spelled out in the staff report — requiring weekly testing for all unvaccinated employees. 

Madrone agreed to modify his motion to that option, and after a bit more discussion, the vote to approve was unanimous. 

Afterwards, the board briefly considered implementing another policy to require all new county employees to get vaccinated. Wilson advocating for it, but the rest of the board wasn’t interested in passing such a policy — at least not yet.

Again, the County Administrative Office will now work out the specifics of the county’s vax-or-test policy and bring it back to the board for approval at a future meeting.

Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office press release:

District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced that on October 8, 2021, a Humboldt County jury found 54-year-old Sergio Lopez Roman of Eureka guilty of assault with force likely to produce bodily injury (Penal Code [PC] §245(a)(4)). The jury also found true two sentencing enhancements: personal use of a deadly weapon (PC §12022(b)(1)) and personal infliction of great bodily injury (PC §12022.7). 

The trial stemmed from events in January 2020. During the week-long trial, Mr. Roman’s uncle testified that Mr. Roman initiated a verbal altercation with him while the uncle was caring for an elderly family member. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Roman initiated a physical altercation with his uncle as the latter tried to walk home. During the altercation, Mr. Roman used a knife to stab the victim multiple times. 

The defendant waived his right to a jury trial concerning the validity of the “strike” prior alleged by the District Attorney’s Office (negligent discharge of a firearm) and on October 12, 2021, Judge Killoran found this allegation true. Mr. Roman has been convicted of four prior felonies including the “strike.” 

Deputy District Attorney Luke Bernthal prosecuted the case with the assistance of District Attorney Investigator Alan Aubuchon and Victim Advocate Velda Gooden. Defense Attorney Victor Campos represented Mr. Roman. Judge Killoran presided over the trial. Mr. Roman is scheduled to be sentenced on November 4, 2021.

In year one, he used the routine to demonstrate differences from his predecessor, signing dozens of bills that Jerry Brown had vetoed — but also vetoing a greater proportion of bills than Brown typically did.

In year two, with the Legislature largely sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom signed fewer new laws than any governor has in more than 50 years, instead governing through numerous executive orders.

And this year, his third, Newsom used his veto pen at about half the rate as he did in his first year as governor, saying “no” to about 8% of the 836 bills that hit his desk.

In doing so, Newsom largely demonstrated a traditional governing philosophy, using his veto power to block bills that cost more than the state budgeted for, clashed with work already under way in his administration or were repeats of ideas he’d already nixed. Essentially, Newsom’s vetoes in 2021 proved more about what he has in common with his predecessors than how he is unique.

“He is similar to other governors in that there are some consistent themes or bases for governors to veto legislation,” said Chris Micheli, a lobbyist and attorney who teaches law school courses on the legislative process.

“His first year in office was very different.”

While Newsom held celebratory public events with legislators to sign their bills, he announced vetoes by listing them at the end of press releases. So many of them flew under the radar. It required reading his veto messages to get explanations or justifications of why he didn’t believe the proposals should become law in California. On some bills, he cited multiple reasons.

Here are some key themes that emerged from Newsom’s 66 vetoes this year:

That’s not in the budget

Some bills advancing causes that Newsom has championed in the past got his thumbs-down nonetheless. Why? Because, he argued in many veto messages, the proposal would cost money the state had not budgeted for, despite an unprecedented windfall of state revenue and federal aid.

That’s what Newsom said in nixing a bill to raise the amount of salary that workers can receive while taking paid family leave — even though he signed two expansions of the family leave program in years past. A spokesperson from Newsom’s finance department told CalMatters that the bill would have hiked the cost for both employees and the state, including millions in computer upgrades and public outreach.

Newsom also made the cost argument in vetoing a huge expansion of college financial aid. Just months ago, he signed a budget that includes an additional $3.3 billion for colleges and universities, including $1.5 billion in increases for student grants and work study opportunities. “Expanding access to financial aid has been a priority for my Administration,” he wrote in his veto. But, he told lawmakers, massive changes to the system need to be considered as part of the regular budget process.

I already told you ‘no’

As he’s becoming more seasoned as governor, a new theme is emerging in Newsom’s vetoes: Calling out the repeats.

“As I stated in a veto message on similar legislation in 2019,” Newsom wrote in nixing a bill that would prohibit paying petition circulators per signature gathered, “I appreciate the intent of this bill to incentivize grassroots support for the initiative, referendum, and recall process.”

But, he said, changing the way workers are paid to gather signatures could make the process more costly, giving wealthy interests even more influence over the initiative process.

Similarly, he vetoed legislation to let supervisors in state government settle disputes through binding arbitration by saying it could add costs and create conflicts with existing procedures, “the same concerns I had with a previous, nearly-identical bill… which I also vetoed.”

Former Gov. Brown — who saw plenty of repeats as California’s longest-serving governor — also had a habit of using his veto messages to highlight the rationale behind his prior vetoes.

Overwhelming support is no guarantee

Newsom blocked a number of bills that were not controversial as they moved through the Legislature, making his veto a surprise after proposals advanced for months drama-free.

An attempt to crack down on the use of “bots” to scoop up camping reservations at state parks, for example, passed the Legislature with sweeping bipartisan support and had no formal opposition. Newsom, however, said the bill is unnecessary because the state has added security measures on its camping reservation website.

A measure requiring police officers to be trained in “interpersonal communication skills and ethical science-based interviewing” similarly sailed through the Capitol without a single “no” vote. Newsom said he likes the idea but doesn’t want to create a mandatory cost for police departments. In vetoing the bill, he said he’ll direct the commission that trains police to create the training course and leave it up to departments to decide if their officers take it.

Patio umbrellas hardly seem like a controversial subject. Lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed that state law should allow alcohol manufacturers to give away promotional patio umbrellas to venues that sell their liquor. But Newsom — owner of the Plumpjack wine and hospitality business, who often talks about launching a small wine shop as a young entrepreneur — vetoed the legislation, saying it would “increase alcohol signage and advertisements in public areas and disadvantage small alcohol manufacturers that cannot compete with the marketing budgets of multibillion dollar corporations.”

Caution in assessing some new ideas

On two bills meant to address the scourge of drug addiction, Newsom just said no.

A bill allowing Yolo County to create a rehab program for drug addicts who commit certain crimes earned bipartisan support from lawmakers in both houses, but Newsom vetoed it saying it would lead to “forced treatment” which could hinder “participants’ long-term recovery from their substance use disorder.” Many progressive criminal justice reform groups opposed the bill, including the Drug Policy Alliance, whose board member George Soros donated $1 million to help Newsom fight last month’s recall.

At the same time, Newsom vetoed another bill that the Drug Policy Alliance supported, a measure to pay money to people recovering from drug addiction as incentives to stay sober. He wrote that the state is trying to launch a similar pilot project, the results of which he wants to evaluate before agreeing to any expansion. That bill cleared the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, but was opposed by Newsom’s finance department.

Similarly, he blocked two proposals aimed at changing rules of the road for walkers and bicyclists. One would have decriminalized jaywalking and the other would have let bicyclists ride through stop signs.

Supporters of the jaywalking bill said people of color are unfairly targeted. Newsom agreed, but pointed out California’s high rate of pedestrian deaths and warned that the bill “will unintentionally reduce pedestrian safety and potentially increase fatalities or serious injuries.”

Likewise, Newsom said the bicyclist bill could backfire and increase collisions and deaths, especially among “children, who may not know how to judge vehicle speeds or exercise the necessary caution to yield to traffic when appropriate.”

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CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal contributed to this story. CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Joshua James “Josh” Dodson
January 14, 1983 – Sept. 20, 2021

Joshua James “Josh” Dodson left this world to join Jesus on September 20, 2021 at 38 years of age.

Josh, as known by his family and many friends, was born in Sacramento before moving to Fortuna at 12½ years of age. Josh took to Humboldt like a fish to water and a bear to tree as his favorite past-times were hiking, camping, fishing, fort-building and surfing every wave he met. Photos of him have been somewhat hard to come by as he was an avid photographer who preferred being behind the camera, honing his skills capturing local landscapes, friends, and family. He also never met a stranger and would literally give the shirt off his back to someone in need.

By vocation he was a commercial and residential painter around Humboldt for various companies and would work from the highest cranes in some of his work. He did some construction labor seasonally. The thing he loved most and did well was organic farming from Arcata to Southern Humboldt. He loved all things horticulture and dirt and would bring his family and friends a bounty of vegetables regularly.

Josh’s love of travel took him many places. As a youngster he loved to go camping with Papa Jim, trips to Burney Falls with Granny Bear & Grandpa John, family trips to Gabbs, Nevada to see Grandpa Bill, aunts, uncles and cousins and weekends at any lake full of fish with “Daddy Jeff.” He equally loved a trip to Burger King with PawPaw & Gramma Dodson or In & Out Burger with Aunt Judy or A Mart for Haagen Daz with Aunt Minnie and last but not least, Uptown Gabbs with Aunt Rita for Indian tacos. (Yes, Josh was a foodie in training). Also closer to home, Josh enjoyed hanging out with cousins Quinton and Brandon. He would play Super Mario Bros with Quinton and his Sissy or ride go-carts and carnival rides with Brandon. He spent a lot of time with his “cool” Uncle Jimmy with whom he shared a love of nature, music, and JEOPARDY. 

As an adult he went to Mexico, Seattle, Oregon and San Diego to spend time with his Sis. In recent years, he traversed the U.S. to visit two of his three children in Louisiana and would come home to Humboldt full of tales of his experiences.

Joshua’s most valued treasure in life is his love for Jesus and his family. He literally counted his kids as the jewels in the crown with which God gifted him. He had many adventures with Rhea Violet, Magnolia Mae, and James William; hiking, swimming & camping & attending arts/music festivities all over Humboldt. He shares a particular deep love for nature and photography with his oldest daughter Rhea. I’m sure he is bragging about them all as this is written. Little Sis, Morgan Justine, is not just his sister by birth. They were literally the best of friends and were indelibly connected since she entered his life by miracle and their mutual ability to over explain every joke and still fall off their chairs laughing. He loved his nephew and nieces, Max, Lily, and Lex and they always knew when “YaYa” was about as he’d be in his corner spot on the front porch.  

Joshua James was salt of the earth in his character and kindness at his core. In life application he was Tigger. Always seeing the upside of things and ready for the next adventure. Safe travels my Sonshine.

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

Joshua was preceded in death by great-grandparents James P. Dodson and Ila Mae Dodson, great-uncle Fred J. Dodson, great-grandparents William E. Hanifen and Grace L. Hanifen, grandmother Athena Karamoudas Blesgraeft, uncle Albert Blesgraeft.

He is survived by his family: daughters Rhea Violet (15), Magnolia Mae (11); son James William (7); sister Morgan J. Dodson; nephew Preston Max; niece Lilyana Penelope; brother-in-law Jose “Joe” Mendez and daughter Alexis; brother Eric Blesgraeft and wife Elise; grandmother “Granny Bear” Hertha M. Langdon; grandfather “Papa Jim” James D. Dodson; uncle Jimmy Dodson; mother Susan “Suzi” Dodson and many more beloved aunts, uncles and cousins near and far.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Josh Dodson’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Let me spend a while telling you a bit about my sister, Nikki Lynn Moxon. Much of what follows is true, some of it’s hearsay, but it makes a heck of a story nonetheless.

Nik was born to Clarence “Bud” Jones and Leota “Tokie” Jones in the spring of 1961, on the 11th of March. While she was born in Eureka, her first home was in a logging camp in Redwood Valley. Her brother Mike, all of 3 years old at the time, was happy to take on the task of teaching her how to get into mischief, but it didn’t take long for the family to discover that Nik didn’t really need much help in that area.

Unlike many young girls, Nikki wasn’t one to play with dolls and such. She would rather be with her Dad, wherever he might be headed. Our Dad used to say that for the whole time she was a kid, he had a moldy spot in the middle of his back from her breathing on him while following him around. By far her favorite thing from a very early age was being around horses.

The family moved to Freshwater, then off to Blue Lake, before moving up to Aldergrove Road in Arcata in the mid-’60s. During that time, Dad got a couple ponies from a friend in Ferndale, and you couldn’t get Nik off her pony with a stick, but there was a time it almost worked…

Nik used to tell a story of trying to get her pony, Sassy, to go when Nik was about five years old. We lived on Aldergrove at the time on a small ranch with a long gravel driveway. The ponies would get saddled up by the house, then Mike (8) and Nik (5) would go off riding with the neighbor kids. At that time, Aldergrove was littered with kids of all ages, all of them horseback. Nik was never large in stature, and when she was 5, she was particularly dainty. Sassy was a good size pony and Nikki’s little legs barely reached over to the sides. Her pony saddle was still a little big for her and her feet barely reached the stirrups, but she didn’t care… she was horseback. The problem was, Sassy was barn-soured. For those of you that don’t know, a barn-soured pony travels really well as long as you are headed for the barn, but they are stubborn as a mule when you try to get them to travel any other direction. As our little barn was at the end of the driveway, they had a great ride for about a minute, and then the pony would stop at the barn.

Mom and Dad had told her over and over that she had to make that pony mind, which she was all for because she wanted to go. She’d pull her feet out of the stirrups (they were too heavy on her feet for what she had in mind) and kick Sassy in the side as fast and hard as she could, her little legs looking like hummingbird wings. Sassy didn’t really notice. Dad would find her down at the barn, tired and out of breath, forehead down on the saddle horn, miserable. She wouldn’t give up, though.

The last time Sassy thought of stopping at the barn, Dad had worked out a plan. Nik in the saddle back by the house, he went down the driveway and hid in the bushes by the barn with a stick. Nikki said that the ride to the barn that day was the worst ride of her life, because she knew what was coming. When she finally rode down to the barn, the pony slowed… and got a surprise whack on the backside, and the race was on. Dad watched Nikki and her pony ride all over the fields that day, and that pony never went in that barn again. (Well, that last part might be stretching it a bit.)

I was born about that time and Nikki and big brother Mike were so excited to have a little brother. There was a bit of an age gap, but Nikki was all for teaching her little brother how to get into mischief. She was pretty good at it by that point.

We moved to McKinleyville when she was 8, then to what would become our home place for the next 44 years in Arcata Bottoms when she was 11. She had many friends in McKinleyville with horses when we lived there, and at that time you could hardly travel across town on a sunny day without seeing someone on horseback. That someone was often my sister.

Some of her fondest memories of her childhood were of horse trips to the Marble Mountains and the Boulder Lakes in Trinity County. Riding, fishing, camping… swimming her pony across a swift flowing creek and nearly over a waterfall… all were stories she would tell with a smile on her lips and a far off look in her eye.

Nik graduated from Arcata High in 1979, and went to Humboldt to study accounting. She worked as a bookkeeper for several outfits over the years, eventually ending up in the trucking industry. She spent many years with Gosselin Transportation, and I think she was part of a package deal when the company was sold to Customer Truck.

In those years following high school, Nikki found her cowboy. Morris Moxon made her his bride on the 29 of October, 1988. Morris and Nikki had many adventures over the years, many of them horseback. They took trips to the mountains, traveled to rodeos, surrounding themselves with good friends. A couple of those adventures are named Jacob “Jake” and Colton “Cole” Moxon, two sons that have been the center of her universe since the time they were born.

Both boys called home a place just up the road from both sets of grandparents when they were little, but their Mom and Dad wanted them to have the chance to be free on horseback while they were still young enough to create wild childhood memories, so they bought their own home place in Hydesville. This gift to their kids, and to themselves, was one of the greatest to be given. Having the place allowed them to continue doing the things they loved, much of it centered around the boy’s raising calves and pigs to show at the county fair. It was those fall days in Ferndale, surrounded by laughing “fair-kids” and barnyard animals, that their friendship with Chris and Dana Warren, and the Harndens, Daryl and Kathy, grew to the point that they became inseparable. In the many years since those days at the county fair, those camp trailers could be found each summer up in Lewiston, with the sound of laughing and stories filling the evening air.

Jake and his lady-love, Marissa, gave her maybe the greatest gift a person can be given as we all get older, a beautiful little grand-son name Walker just last year. I’d love to say that he is the spitting image of his grandma, but it’d be a fib. The boy is all Jake.

Nikki has moved on down the trail, now, leaving her loving family to carry on the traditions that she passed along. She is survived by her husband, Morris, her boys Jake and Cole, and her grandson, Walker. Her Mom Tokie Jones and little brother Erik Jones are still around, as are her sis-in-law Nanette Jones, and her many nieces and nephews… Travis, Tyler, Jordan, Katelyn and Sarah… all Jones’. Morris brought with him, many years ago, his own family, and we have been blessed with having his sister Donna Moxon with us. Morris’ oldest son, Doug Moxon, has a loving family of his own to be proud of.

Well, Nik, Dad and Mike are waiting down at the barn. The horses are saddled, and the mountain trails await. Love you.

Ed always had a story to tell and a side story… now it’s our turn to tell his story. He loved his career of fighting fires just as much as his family.

Ed was proud of his family roots. His parents both came from large Irish farming families of Missouri. Ed had over 45 first cousins. He was born on November 9, 1948 as the third of four sons to Maurice and Madonna Brady in Santa Rosa. Ed attended Catholic school at St. Eugene’s Cathedral until 6th grade never letting a nun forget his name with his witty personality. He had a deep Catholic faith that he carried with him his whole life.

Ed attended Montgomery High school where he found his two loves wrestling and his high school sweetheart, Carolee Wiesenburger.

After high school in 1966, he started his summer job that turned into his career working for the California Department of Forestry. Ed was drafted May 8, 1968 and spent two Christmases in Okinawa. He was a military police officer. He enjoyed sharing stories of winning the iron man competitions, transporting prisoners back to the United States and driving way too fast on the island. Ed was like a walking map he rarely got lost, so it made out running the other military police fun. When he returned home, he continued his career with CDF working in the Santa Rosa area. He married Carolee September 4, 1971 and shortly after they moved to Garberville/Redway and started their life together raising their daughters Heidi and Deborah.

Ed was actively involved in many volunteer community groups. He joined the Redway Volunteer Fire Department in 1976 and became fire chief in 1993. When he retired from CDF 2002, he handed over the chief position to Brian Anderson, so he could travel to Alaska with their good friends then around the states in his fifth wheel with his sweetheart. He continued volunteering with the fire department as a commissioner until 2019 when his health issues became too much.

Ed enjoyed living and raising his family in Southern Humboldt. He loved to fish, rock pick abalone, he play softball for a number of years with CDF friends traveling to Elk Grove for tournaments and watching football. Ed loved to tailgate with friends at the Niners games. He watched his final 49er game with his grandson, Caden by his side before he passed. He also enjoyed his favorite holiday St. Patrick’s Day cooking corned beef and cabbage for his family, friends, and as a fundraiser for his church. It was always fun to toast with green beer straight from the keg celebrating his Irish roots. While his daughters were young, you could always count on him to volunteer with the PTA, booster club and 4-H. He also volunteered many hours helping coach wrestling in the ‘70s and the ‘90s at South Fork High School, sharing his passion of the sport.

Ed was very proud when his family started to grow. Heidi married Tony Harrison and Deborah married Joe Sauls. He was proud of both of his son in laws and the men they are.

In 2001, his first grandchild, Kenzy, was born and through the years Chaz, Caden, Mason, Gavin, Kegan and Ryden joined the family. Ed’s grandchildren were so important to him. He enjoyed spending time and making memories with each of them. He was most proud watching his grandsons find the joy of wrestling on the mat. Ed could always be heard when he was cheering.

He enjoyed his retirement years traveling to Yuma with his wife every winter spending time with friends going to Mexico on day trips, riding quads in the desert and visiting with friends, but his wife, daughters and their families was his world. Ed always made it a point to make it home for the holidays.

Sadly, Ed passed away September 22, 2021 at his home of 46 years surrounded by the love of his family. He is now reunited with his parents, brother Jim, his best friend from childhood, Tim Keegan and his firefighting buddy Jack Young. He will be dearly missed by his wife of 50 years Carolee, daughters Heidi (Tony) Harrison and Deborah (Joe) Sauls. His grandchildren: Kenzy, Chaz and Caden Harrison and Mason, Gavin, Kegan, and Ryden Sauls. His also leaves behind brothers Bob Brady, Ron (Evangeline) Brady, his sister in laws: Toni Harper and Margie (John) Cline along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The family is having a small Catholic funeral on Saturday, October 23 at Our Lady of the Redwoods Church. We welcome everyone to attend the celebration of life on May 14, 2022 at 1 p.m. at the River Walk in Fortuna. Please come and share stories and memories

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Ed Brady’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.