Jean Marie Henson

Born: July 15,1937
Died: February 28,2021

Born on July 15,1937 at General Hospital in Eureka  to George and Dorothy Lampley of Kettenpom, Trinity County, where she lived and went to grammar school. Jean and her sister had to be boarded out into other people’s care when they went to Fortuna Union High School. During high school is where Jean met the love of her life, Bennie M. Henson. Bennie was a year older than Jean. They dated in school and married after Jean graduated. Their wedding day June 30, 1956, was a happy occasion for Bennie and Jean. They lived in Fort Seward and had three girls — the first one born on May 26, 1957, on Bennie’s birthday, the second November 4, 1958, on Jean’s mother’s birthday, and third on February 13, 1960.

They then moved to Klamath. Bennie became a planerman at the Klamath Mill. They lived a year there. On December 29, 1961 had their first son. Following the mill work, they moved to Fortuna, where Bennie worked at the mill in Carlotta.

Jean was a housewife in every since of the word, raising her children, making her children’s clothes, raising a vegetable garden and canning all her own fresh vegetables, making all her own jams, and canning fresh tuna.

Hunting season would open up and Bennie would bring home his limit of two. Jean would process the meat and freeze it. On August 14, 1964 Jean had their second son. They bought and moved into their first real home on Clara Avenue, Fortuna, where they raised their five children.

Jean loved children and not only did she raise all five of her own, she babysat neighborhood children whose moms worked away from their home, as well as her sister’s two boys.

Jean continued making her children’s shirts, blouses, skirts and dresses, then started making quilts, coats and even knitted a few sweaters. She canned and processed Bennie Sr., and Jr.’s venison as well.

During the summer months when Bennie Sr. got his two-week vacations, they would load up the station wagon and off they would go to places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Forest to see Old Faithful, Death Valley, Crater Lake, Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. When it was warm in the summer months, Jean would take her children to the river swimming even though she herself didn’t know how to swim. Thelma Miller’s girls (their cousin’s) one summer taught Jean’s children the basics, how to float, dog paddle, etc., at the swimming hole below Blocksburg on your way to the Alderpoint Fire Station. Then to Swimmers Delight, or down at the river by Women’s Federation Grove, or Grizzly Creek day camp for an afternoon hiking trails or swimming.

In August, the last month of summer, Jean would load up the station wagon and the little Jeep trailer with a tent and all the camp gear and spend the whole month at Grizzly Creek Campground or Albee Creek Campground, while Bennie Sr would commute back and forth to work at Carlotta Mill. Most of the time they would take a couple extra children with them.

Jean even became a camp mom during her second daughter’s fifth-grade year end camp out at Albee Creek Campground. To this day she’s remembered as, “Mrs. Henson, the camp Mom.” As her children grew older, to have a little free time she let her children help out both sides of their Grandparents. Kettenpom would be bringing in the hay for the cattle and horses and their winter wood supply, helping out Grandma Lampley with her garden and orchard. Then out at Fort Seward, helping them with their winter wood supply. There was always an extra child or two that went along as well. In the fall during hunting season they would camp out with Bennie’s parents up on Grizzly Mountain, at Watts Lake, Goat Camp or Waterdog Lake.

At Christmas time, they would all load up in the Jeep, stop at Fort Seward and pick up Bennie Sr’s parents, as they had a Jeep too, and head for Grizzly Mountain. Stop at the forest ranger station and buy two tree permits. Head on up the mountain and fall a couple trees, one for us and other for Grandma Henson. Weather permitting, sometimes would set up an overnight camp. Jeep’s back seats would come out on the ground for the littlest children. Grandma Henson would bring out a thermos of hot chocolate and one of coffee, light a camp fire and we would get to have s’mores and canned peaches.

On February 28, 2021, Jean Henson went to join the love of her life, Bennie M. Henson Sr, who welcomed her with open arms, and is now dancing around the ranch at Kettenpom, tending to her flower and vegetable gardens and the orchard.

Jean is survived by Beverley Miller (Shawn Miller); Julia Rundell (Ross Rundell); Bonnie Benson (Pete Benson); Bennie Henson Jr.; Bill Henson; seven grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Jean is preceded in death by: Bennie M. Henson Sr.; George M. Lampley and Dorothy M. Lampley.

Private family services are planned. Donations in Jean’s memory may be made to American Heart Association.

Born: Eureka, May 19, 1930

Died: McKinleyville, January 27, 2021

Parents: Emil Ludtke (Born in Germany) and Dora Schlobaum (Born in Minnesota)

Brothers and Sisters: Mary Greene. Elsie was preceded in death by her four other siblings: Trudy (Sis) Wilson, Walt Ludtke, Robert (Babe) Ludtke and Paul Ludtke.

Education: Eureka High School (Class of 1947/48), Humboldt State (1948-1950) and Mt Zion

Hospital/Nursing School in San Francisco CA (1950-1952), BSRN

Married: 1952 to 1977 to Robert (Bob) F. Kelly, born 1930, son of Sophie Harms and Frank Kelly of Eureka, CA

Children: Elyse (Blue Lake, CA) and Reed (Scappoose, OR)

Grandchildren: Elyse/Bob Becker: Misty Becker and Bill Becker; Reed/Rykie Shanahan: Reanne Kelly, Siobhan Kelly and Brendan Kelly

Great-grandchildren: Misty and Ben Garberson: Lily and Giselle; Bill and Rose Becker: Beau and Mason

Elsie was born and raised in Eureka. After attending Humboldt State for two years, she attended nursing school for two years at Mt. Zion Hospital/Nursing School in San Francisco where she earned a BSRN degree. In 1952, she married her high school and college sweetheart, Bob Kelly, after he had returned from the Philippines where he had been stationed while serving in the Navy during the Korean War. They moved around a bit while he finished up his service in the Navy (San Diego and Whidbey Island). After a few years living and working in the San Francisco area, they moved back to Eureka where they had both grown up, went to school (Eureka High School and Humboldt State) and had a lot of family and friends.

Elsie enjoyed both being active outdoors and animals. For many years, she was an avid snow skier at Horse Mtn. (a local ski area), Mt. Ashland and Mt. Shasta with friends and family. She also enjoyed horseback riding, including showing her prized Arabian at Redwood Acres. When friends could not join her horseback riding, she took her Great Dane with her. She also enjoyed relaxing in the sun and swimming with the family and friends in the summers outside the Eureka area such as Miranda and Garberville along the Eel River, as well as Shasta and Ruth Lakes. As she enjoyed the outdoors and was adventurous, she joined her husband on a few of his big game hunting trips in BC, Canada, Wyoming and Angola, Africa.

After Elsie and her husband divorced in 1977, she moved away and lived in Rapid City, SD for about 10 years. However, she came back to the Humboldt Bay area in 1988 and settled in McKinleyville, where she lived independently until her death. As her daughter, Elyse, and her children were in the Eureka area, she often visited and spent time with Misty and Bill watching them grow up. In her later years, she was fortunate to have Bill stay in the area and see him have children of his own.

She was a long time member of the Jehovah Witnesses congregation in McKinleyville which she greatly enjoyed and was the focus of her life. This congregation became another family for her and resulted in many lasting bonds and friendships over the years.

In her later years, she also became a recognized and good friend of some of the local birds which she enjoyed seeing and feeding, along with a stray and independent cat as well, which she eventually adopted. Over time, they both grew fond of one another, to the point that the cat would sometimes take walks with her.

Although she will be missed by family and friends, we all truly hope that she is now in the Kingdom that she and her faith believed in so greatly.

Ines passed away on March 1, 2021 at the age of 91. She had been married to her husband, Pedro Furtado for 61 years at his passing four years ago.

Ines was born May 7, 1929 to Joao and Leopoldina Mateus in Ponta da Faja Grande, Flores Azores.

Ines immigrated to the United States in 1963 with Pedro and son Jose, she lived in Arcata for the last 58 years. She first worked at Lazio’s Fish Co then as a Housekeeper until retirement.

She loved to bake and feed everyone. She also did lots of creative needle point work. She traveled many times to the Azores, several other trips to Europe and cruises. Her last cruise to celebrate her 50th anniversary with her family was special to her. Family and faith were especially important to her. She especially enjoyed attending her grand children’s activities and watching them perform.

She is survived by her son Rev Jose Furtado, son Jim Furtado and his wife Keri, grandchildren Justin and Jenna Furtado, sister-in-law Maria L. Furtado, who visited her every day after mom lost dad, Mary Fatima Furtado and Etelvina Mateus, nephew Jose Serpa, who called her every day after mom lost dad, as well as numerous nieces and nephews in the United States and the Azores.

Ines was preceded in death by her parents Joao and Leopoldina Mateus, her husband Pedro Furtado as well as two brothers and five sisters and numerous other family members.

For last four years Ines had a wonderful group of caregivers care for her Jan, Mary, Martha, Brandie, Kerry, Sharon, Dusty, Betty Jean, Betty Lou and Wendy.

The family would like to thank Dr. Marcelle Mchan and the caring staff at Hospice.

A private family service was held March 5, 2021.

Memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s favorite charity.

Raymond George Haberstock passed away March 2, 2021 at the age of 88.

Raymond was born on Dec. 2nd 1932 to George and Signe Haberstock in Arcata.

He attended school in Shively, where he grew up and excelled in his academic studies allowing him to skip two grades. He had many fond memories growing up in Shively, then attended Fortuna Union High School where he graduated in 1949. After high school Raymond entered the Army where he was stationed in Georgia and Alaska. In 1955, he returned home to Humboldt County where he became a land surveyor. His passion for land surveying became his work and love. Raymond continued to survey until 2020 making his license one of the oldest numbers in existence, Ls 3431.

Raymond Haberstock is survived by his wife of 63 years, Annette Haberstock, two children Kent and Craig Haberstock, sister Jeannie Haberstock Thorp. Three grandchildren; Cody, April, and Shane. Raymond is also survived by several cousins, nephews and nieces.

Memorial services are pending: Please contact kcs4086@yahoo.com with any questions.

###

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

###

When the owners of Humboldt Bay Social Club announced on social media that they’d purchased the Scotia Inn with plans to transform and reopen it, the reaction was big: 1,200 likes and almost 200 comments on Instagram, another 750-plus reactions on Facebook and hundreds of comments.

“It was crazy,” said Jon O’Connor, who cofounded the Social Club with his wife, Amy Cirincione O’Connor.  

“We are just shocked at the level of interest about it,” she agreed.

Clad in work clothes and facial coverings, with their young sons Aiden and Jordan scampering about, the O’Connors were offering a brief tour of the stately 98-year-old building, which served as a thriving hotel and bunk house during Scotia’s heyday as a company town for Pacific Lumber Co. but has since fallen on hard times.

In the interim, as the inn cycled through various owners and tenants, it served as a venue for countless special occasions, including weddings, graduation parties, class reunions and anniversaries. So maybe the enthusiasm for its reincarnation shouldn’t be surprising.

“Everyone in Humboldt County has a story about this building, right?” Jon O’Connor said. “So we want people to come back and be excited about the space.”

The O’Connors are looking to build on their success with the Humboldt Bay Social Club, where they’ve combined upscale vacation rentals with a bar, “fast-casual” restaurant and outdoor gathering space on the tarmac of Samoa Field. It’s one of the few local businesses that have actually done better during the pandemic.

“The year before COVID, we had 67 percent occupancy for hospitality, and last year we had 91 percent,” Jon O’Connor said. Some of the guests were locals wanting a staycation but others came from out of town. “We didn’t do search engine optimization or anything. We just did social media stuff and [spent] very little money. And we were full all the time.”

Before COVID hit, the couple was actually considering selling the business. Both have other jobs — Amy is a teacher and Jon works with cannabis company Papa & Barkley on real estate and compliance matters. 

So, with the Social Club, they had a decision to make. “We either had to let it go or go big,” Jon O’Connor said. “So we decided to go big. And that means borrowing money.”

With business partners Aaron Sweat and Matt DeShazo, the O’Connors began looking for ways to build on their success.

“We just needed rooms, and this was the cheapest option per-room that we could find,” O’Connor said.

Standing in the cavernous hotel dining room, he described the vision for the new iteration of the inn, which will initially be renamed the Scotia Lodge. The aesthetic they’re going for is “warm Scandinavian” with mid-century modern furniture and fixtures.

He pointed out some “frou-frou” flourishes on the chandelier above his head — twirling brass spirals and frosted-glass designs on the sconces — and said those are definitely getting removed: “You either gotta pick Victorian or mid-century. You can’t do both.”

The plan is to open in June with 20 rooms of lodging available on the second floor and a full spa in a now-vacant wing of the hotel. There will be a restaurant serving food “about a half-star up from the Social Club” and multiple bars. Lounging spots will be scattered inside and out. The idea is to appeal to locals and visitors alike, as they’ve done at the Social Club.

’If you appeal to your community and that’s where everyone wants to be? That’s where visitors want to be as well,” Jon O’Connor said. 

But that’s just the first phase of their plans. The “aspirational goal” is to transform the inn into a business called The Scotia Lodge and Swim Club. O’Connor explained that he and his partners intend to launch a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to finance a pair of heated swimming pools for the courtyard, which at this point is just a gravel lot between the hotel’s wings.

“And then surrounded by those pools would be six to 12 hot tubs.” he said. “And you could rent the hot tubs per hour, or you get a day pass or a membership … . So it would be more social because they would all be open.” He thought about that for a moment before adding, “There might be some privacy screens in between them.”

With the McMenamins hotels and restaurants as a model, the idea is to attract residents from all over Humboldt County by offering day passes and encouraging them to hang out for hours at a time, eating, drinking, lounging by the pool and maybe getting a spa treatment.

Is that what Jon O’Connor meant by “going big”?

“No,” he said. “This is the first step in going big.” Asked what “going big” might look like, he demurred, saying only, “Um, this is the first step.”

We asked if future plans might incorporate cannabis — say, a smoking lounge or two — and he emphasized that the current business has no connection to the industry. But he believes the local hospitality industry should take full advantage of Humboldt County’s legacy and the proliferation of legal and illegal weed farms here.

“We’re surrounded by more cannabis than anywhere else in the world,” O’Connor said. “So if you’re in lodging and hospitality, we should be talking about that more … because every hotel in Napa and Sonoma, you can buy a bottle of wine there. You can drink it by the pool. You can get a massage and drink wine. You can get a winery tour. It’s very clear. We have more than three times as many cannabis farms with nothing to do. So that’s — that’s a problem.”

Might guests someday be encouraged to light up a joint poolside at the Scotia Lodge and Swim Club? “If and when regulations allow,” O’Connor said, and he, for one, predicts that federal legalization of cannabis is probably only a year or two off.

“If we don’t take advantage of where we are and sort of own our brand as an area, we’re gonna die,” he said. “I think we need to be talking about that more as a community.”

Amy Cirincione O’Connor, meanwhile, is thinking more about the immediate future. Standing in the hotel lobby, she pointed to various pieces of furniture that will be up for grabs at an estate sale scheduled for two successive weekends: March 20 and 21 and March 27 and 28. Pizza, salads, beer and wine will be available for purchase while browsing the goods.

“That will be the first time that people can actually come and see what’s going on here,” she said. “[They can] learn a little bit more about our story and also take a piece of history, like these pieces,” she said, gesturing at some marble-topped stands that may have held phones in the inn’s rooms. “Some of these pieces have been here since the very first incarnation of the building.”

Cirincione O’Connor said she and her business partners were prepared for skepticism about this endeavor. They’ve experienced it before.

“We are used to starting a project and people saying, ‘You’re doing what? Where?’” she said. “We were expecting that with this, especially from folks who tend to socialize and focus in Arcata.”

Instead they’ve been showered with enthusiasm and expressions of gratitude for stepping in to renovate such a beloved building. “It’s so cool to see the memories people are posting — their weddings, proms, class reunions and their anniversaries,” she said. “So to feel we have the opportunity to do that again here — we’re super excited.”

PREVIOUSLY:

###

The Samoa Beach Academy — a career and technical education (CTE) focused charter high school its founders hoped to open this fall — withdrew their petition from the Northern Humboldt Union High School District this week, following a recommendation to deny the charter from district staff.

A Thursday afternoon special meeting where board members planned to officially approve or deny the charter was obviously canceled, but the NoHum community can expect to hear more from Samoa Beach Academy members. In an official withdrawal letter sent to the district on Tuesday, lead petitioner Catherine Scott wrote that her team plans to submit a revised petition to the district “in the coming weeks, which will account for some of NHUHSD’s findings of fact regarding our first charter.”

NoHum’s official 11-page evaluation included concerns about the charter’s potential reliance on online curriculum for math, advanced placement, and possibly some CTE classes. They were also alarmed by the school’s proposed special education program and about the charter’s ability to support students with disabilities. The document listed several fiscal concerns as well, including reservations about the proposed compensation SBA planned to pay their CTE teachers, which NoHum calculated is $44,183 less annually than what their CTE teachers receive, thus leading the district to doubt SBA will be able to hire and retain credentialed teachers.

In an email to the Outpost, Scott said that “SBA believes several points in the Statement of Findings from NHUHSD indicate misunderstanding of the petition. Our goal is to clarify those misunderstandings.”

In their original petition, the Samoa Beach Academy outlined a curriculum offering three CTE pathways: building and construction trades, health and science medical technology, and business and finance. The school planned to start their enrollment at 150 students but hoped to eventually serve 400.

“After a great deal of reflection, we believe that we can further strengthen our charter in order to best serve the students in our community who can best benefit from this tremendous program,” Scott wrote in the withdrawal letter, adding that “the core of our proposed educational program will not change substantially.”

What areas of the petition will change aren’t specified in the letter of withdrawal. Scott said in an email that it’s “premature to discuss any specific changes to the petition but we remain committed to our core mission.”

However, she did specify they won’t change their math program. “In the first petition, SBA stated our intent to use Pearson’s enVision and myMathLab math curriculum. These programs are not online as stated in the Statement of Findings. We are unclear where this misunderstanding originated. We have no plans to change our math curriculum.” On their website, myMathLab by Pearson advertises a “powerful online program [that] offers students personalized instruction and practice and teachers all the tools they need to deliver all or a portion of their course online.” Scott clarified that “a teacher will be in the classroom teaching the curriculum with the option of using print or online resources to support student learning.”

In the original petition, Samoa Beach Academy pitched a charter school that would operate independently from NoHum, but it seems possible that a more collaborative program might be in the works. Scott said her team looks “forward to collaborating with Northern Humboldt Union High School District to create a much needed educational option for the students of Humboldt County.”

In a phone interview Friday, NoHum Superintendent Roger Macdonald said that the district would be interested in a joint effort. “I did share with [Scott] that we would be interested in collaborating with them if they wanted to pursue something with us. And I also understand that they may choose to go on their own again,” he said.

For instance, the petitioners could pitch a “dependent” charter and offer their program on-site at one of NoHum’s campuses. Six Rivers Charter High School on Arcata High’s campus is dependent, which means that their students can enroll in some courses offered at Arcata High.

Whether or not SBA proposes something independent or a more collaborative program, there is lots of interest at NoHum “to continue to expand our programs,” Macdonald said. There’s “nothing concrete, just lots of really spirited conversation” among NoHum staff.

“Everybody agrees that CTE is important,” Macdonald said. “Everybody agrees that it would be nice for, you know, all of our employers in the area to have more folks ready to walk into a job.”

Today’s forecast. | Graphics provided by the NWS

The National Weather Service is advising drivers to slow down due to a chance of hail showers across Humboldt County today.

Hail will be possible this afternoon and will remain a possibility through Wednesday.

“Your best course of action is to slow down before you encounter small hail,” the NWS said this morning. “Small hail can quickly collect on the road resulting in very slick conditions. If you find yourself driving on a hail covered road, remember to slow down by easing off the gas pedal. Do not slam on the brakes and try to avoid overcorrecting as you could lose control of your vehicle.”

Rain and wind speeds up to 35 mph are also forecast for the greater Humboldt Bay area this morning.