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The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is looking to relocate and rebuild Sempervirens, Eureka’s aging psychiatric hospital.

At last night’s meeting, the Eureka City Council unanimously approved a letter of support for a county-submitted grant application seeking funding for the proposed facility, which would be built on a parking lot at the corner of Fifth and I streets, across the street from the Humboldt County Courthouse, next to the county’s Public Health Branch. 

For nearly 60 years, the 16-bed facility has been housed in the Clark Complex, the former general hospital campus built in 1906. Over the years, the building has fallen into disrepair with structural issues that have put the facility’s license and operations at risk.

Beck appeared via Zoom.

“Without a new facility, Sempervirens is limited to the number of years that it has left to provide services at 720 Wood Street,” DHHS Executive Director Connie Beck told the city council. “I think we have $2.6 million worth of maintenance that needs to be done, and no matter how much maintenance we do … we don’t meet [licensing] requirements anymore.”

Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel asked if the county had plans to expand capacity at Sempervirens’ new location. Beck said the backlog of deferred maintenance at the current facility would prevent the county from increasing the number of beds at the new, proposed location. “But there’s always room for improvement in the number of beds that we have locally, it just wouldn’t be for Sempervirens,” she added.

One such place would be Hyperion Crisis Residential Treatment Facility, located at 528 N Street, which offers a variety of inpatient and outpatient mental health services, including case management, access to housing resources and more, all billable through Medi-Cal. Someday soon, the county and Mad River Community Hospital will provide additional mental health care and crisis stabilization services for people of all ages at the Humboldt County Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center in Arcata.

“There are a lot of additional services that are coming online,” Beck said. “There’s a really a lot happening within Behavioral Health that we’re trying to get ready for [in addition to] the services we currently provide.”

Councilmember Leslie Castellano thanked Beck and her staff for their commitment to bolstering local mental health services, reiterating Bergel’s previous point about expanding services at Sempervirens.

“I do appreciate that there will be increased capacity at Mad River, but I also think it could be useful to increase the licensing – or at least understand what might be needed to increase the licensing capacity – at Sempervirens in the future,” Castellano said. “I’m anticipating that we’ll need possibly even more services.”

After a bit of additional discussion, the council approved the letter of support in a 5-0 vote. The full text of the letter can be found here.

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What else happened at last night’s meeting? I’m glad you asked!

• The city council met for a special meeting at 5 p.m. to discuss the city’s “objective design standards” and how those rules impact neighborhood character. The presentation, led by Development Services Director Cristin Kenyon, focused on the importance of street-facing housing aesthetics and “missing middle housing,” types of housing configurations that land somewhere between single-family homes and mid-rise apartments, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, etc. The presentation was the second in a three-part series from city staff on neighborhood character.
• The city council also received a presentation from the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) on local unmet transit needs. HCAOG is currently seeking public input on local transit priorities. If you’ve got a public transit-related request you’ll want to take their survey – linked here.

Press release from Humboldt Made:

The Board of Directors of the beloved local non-profit, Humboldt Made, is embarking on an exciting revitalization effort to refocus on its mission of supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses, and community-building events like the Friday Night Market.

Since its founding in 2010 by the Humboldt County Economic Development Department and its transition to an independent non-profit in 2014, Humboldt Made has been instrumental in helping local businesses thrive both within and beyond Humboldt County. The organization is also celebrated for launching the popular Friday Night Market, a seasonal highlight in Old Town Eureka.

Humboldt Made Welcomes Interim Executive Director Rosa Dixon

Humboldt Made is thrilled to introduce Rosa Dixon as the new Interim Executive Director. A local entrepreneur and business leader, Rosa brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering community-driven enterprises.

Rosa is the CEO and co-founder of Natural Decadence and Raised Gluten Free, a nationally recognized brand in the gluten-free food industry. What began as a grassroots idea right here in Humboldt has grown under her leadership into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, exemplifying her ability to blend innovation with a strong sense of community.

On stepping into her new role, Rosa shared: “I love Humboldt Made, and I have a strong desire to keep it thriving. The mission of Humboldt Made has always been near and dear to my heart, and now is the perfect time to re-engage with local businesspeople and help grow our community.”

As Interim Executive Director, Rosa is excited to build on Humboldt Made’s mission of supporting local entrepreneurs, creating opportunities for collaboration, and promoting Humboldt County’s unique businesses and products.

Meredith Maier, Humboldt Made Board Member and co-owner of Six Rivers Brewery, added:

“Coming out of COVID, there is so much opportunity for entrepreneurs in our region. Humboldt Made has always served as a springboard for people to launch their ideas, plug in with a supportive community, and network outside of Humboldt County. We are excited to bring on the next evolution of the organization.”

Upcoming Initiatives: Choose Humboldt, Small Business Saturday, and Makers Mixer

As part of its renewed focus, Humboldt Made is launching a series of initiatives to support local businesses and bring the community together during the holiday season:

Choose Humboldt Program

Support Humboldt Year-Round: Local Choices Matter

This campaign is more than just a holiday effort—it’s a year-round movement to celebrate and support all that Humboldt has to offer. Whether shopping at your local mom & pop, going local at the grocery store, dining at local restaurants, exploring staycations, or giving back through volunteer efforts, there are countless ways to embrace the Humboldt spirit.

Our goal is simple:

1. Inspire locals to choose Humboldt whenever possible.

2. Make it easy for visitors to discover and support Humboldt businesses.

Together, let’s ensure Humboldt remains the vibrant place it is all year long. Let’s keep making the Humboldt choice!

The Choose Humboldt campaign encourages residents and visitors to shop locally, dine out, and celebrate the creativity and talent of Humboldt County businesses. Highlights include:

• Thanksgiving Contest: The Choose Humboldt Made Thanksgiving Table invites residents to showcase Humboldt-made products on their holiday tables. Prizes include local restaurant gift cards and Humboldt Made gift baskets.

• Social Media Campaigns: Amplified by hashtags #ChooseHumboldt, #ChooseHumboldtMade, and #DineOutHumboldt, the campaign spotlights local businesses with curated stories, promotions, and contests.

Small Business Saturday

On November 30, 2024, Humboldt Made invites community members to celebrate and support local businesses with a fun social media campaign. To participate, shoppers simply need to visit their favorite local shops, snap a photo, and post it to social media with the hashtag #choosehumboldt. Each post will automatically enter participants into a raffle to win a curated Humboldt Made gift basket, filled with local products and goodies.

Humboldt Made Makers Mixer

To further strengthen connections within the local business community, Humboldt Made is hosting a Makers Mixer on December 11, 2024. This event offers a chance for Humboldt Made Makers to network, share ideas, and collaborate.

If you are a Humboldt Made Maker and want to join this exciting event, please email info@humboldtmade.com for more details.

Partners and Support

Humboldt Made is proud to collaborate with key partners, including RREDC and North Edge Financing, whose generous support is helping make these initiatives possible. Their shared commitment to Humboldt County’s economic growth underscores the importance of fostering local businesses.

Looking to the Future

Humboldt Made invites community members to join in this exciting journey of growth and renewal. The organization is seeking input, new board members, and committee participants to help shape its future.

To learn more about Humboldt Made, its upcoming campaigns, or the Makers Mixer, visit humboldtmade.com, follow on social media, or join the email list.

For additional inquiries, contact info@humboldtmade.com.

California has a notoriously slow ballot counting process — one that Kim Alexander describes as “a pig in the python.”

“This giant wad of ballots that all arrive at once, that all have to move through the process, and you can’t speed it up,” said Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. “You have to do every single step, otherwise you lose the integrity of the process.”

To help voters understand and trust that process, Alexander’s group launched a tracker this election that is monitoring the vote count in California’s close contests between Election Day and certification of county results.

Dubbed the Close Count Transparency Project, the tracker — which debuted as a pilot program in 2022 — provides daily updates on the results of 11 competitive U.S. House races and seven state legislative races, as well as the statewide vote count status. The tool tracks candidates’ vote share, votes counted and the number of unprocessed ballots in each county the districts cover.

As of late Tuesday, an estimated 570,500 ballots statewide were yet to be counted, according to the Secretary of State’s office. More than 126,000 ballots needed to be “cured” — they had been rejected for missing or mismatched signatures and voters have time to submit a form to verify their signatures.

A total of eight key contests remained uncalled by the Associated Press as of late Tuesday, including two congressional races, five legislative races and one statewide ballot measure. (CalMatters and other news outlets use AP to declare winners while the vote count is ongoing.)

By making the vote count more transparent, the close contest tracker aims to inoculate against unfounded conspiracy theories about election fraud in California, Alexander said.

Some prominent conservatives, including GOP U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, are spreading unproven claims that Democrats are “stealing” the 45th Congressional District race in Southern California, where Democrat Derek Tran is leading by a razor-thin margin over Republican Rep. Michelle Steel after trailing her for days.

“We wanted to create a record of where the vote count stood each day, so that if someone came along later and said, ‘Something hinky is going on here,’ there would be a reliable source of information people could turn to to see how the vote count evolved over time,” Alexander said.

The tracker also comes as frustration about the lengthy process grows in California. State Assemblymember Joe Patterson, a Rocklin Republican, called the procedure “dumb” on social media, arguing that winners of state legislative races will be sworn in Dec. 2, before the results are certified by the Secretary of State. The lengthy process “sows distrust” in the state’s election system, he told KCRA.

The state Assembly and Senate already held a joint freshman orientation last week for incoming lawmakers, while the five legislative races remain too close to call, Assembly Republicans spokesperson Jim Stanley confirmed to CalMatters.

“It’s a real problem for incoming lawmakers if they miss out on that,” Alexander said.

Why it takes so long to count — and how to speed it up

While voters and campaigns want to see results sooner, it is particularly challenging in California, Alexander said.

The state is home to more than 22 million registered voters, according to the state Secretary of State’s office. As of Tuesday afternoon, a total of 15 million ballots had been counted — a number bigger than the populations of 46 other states, Census data shows.

California has also made it easier for voters to cast their ballots in recent years. A 2021 law made universal vote-by-mail permanent in California, meaning every registered voter receives a mail-in ballot roughly a month before Election Day and the ballots are counted as long as they arrive at county elections offices within seven days after Election Day. In the March primary, almost 90% of all voters voted by mail, according to the Secretary of State.

The widespread use of vote-by-mail slows down the vote count, Alexander said, because they take longer to process.

“We have to open the envelopes, we have to verify the signature, and all of those things before we can actually accept that ballot,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber in a press conference last week.

Additionally, election officials have to first complete counting mail-in ballots before they move onto ballots cast by voters who register the same day they voted to make sure no voter votes twice, said Jesse Salinas, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials and clerk-recorder in Yolo County. The number of same-day registered voters has grown over the years, further slowing down the vote count, he said.

But the slow vote count is also because races are closer than more than a decade ago, Alexander said. The state’s independent redistricting commission drew more competitive districts after the 2020 Census, she said, and the top-two primary process was designed to boost candidates who could appeal to a broader range of voters in the general election.

Between 2002 and 2010, before voters approved the independent redistricting commission, there was an average of one or two close congressional races per general election, Alexander said. But following the 2011 redistricting and the 2012 adoption of the top-two primary, there was an average of five close contests per election cycle, she said.

“People would be less patient with our long vote count if we had more decisive victories, but we don’t,” she said.

Still, county election officials could benefit from more staffing and funding for better equipment, Alexander said. Kern County, for example, has acquired high-speed ballot scanners to tabulate votes faster, she said. As of Tuesday, Kern had processed nearly 280,000 ballots and had only about 8,500 to go.

The state could also benefit from spending big on voter outreach, urging voters to mail in their ballots sooner, which would help county officials pre-process more ballots and reduce the workload post-election, Alexander said.

But more importantly, she said, the state should allow voters to opt out of vote-by-mail if they want, although she acknowledged that under current law, voters have the option to cast the ballot they received in the mail in person instead.

“A lot of people don’t want to vote by mail, and then you are stuck with this ballot, and that confuses voters,” she said.

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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.

Patty Berg
June 6, 1942 - November 19, 2024

Patricia “Patty” Berg, a fervent Democrat and former State Assemblywoman, passed away on November 19, 2024, in Eureka.

A Humboldt County resident since 1974, Berg established herself not only as one of the California Legislature’s most dependably progressive members, but also as one of the few members whose personal integrity earned her respect and cooperation on both sides of the political aisle. As a member of the legislature, one of Patty’s proudest efforts was carrying “Death with Dignity” legislation in 2005-2007, to replicate the Oregon law of choice to allow aid in dying. It was an effort that spurred the adoption of the landmark Compassionate Choices Act in 2015.

She was a creative force in the Humboldt community, over the years leaving her stamp of enthusiasm and effectiveness on many organizations. She was founder of the Area I Agency on Aging and cofounder of the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival. She was also enormously proud to have helped start “the Girlfriends Over 60” group – 16 fabulous, local women friends who met monthly to discuss issues around how to grow old with class, dignity and verve. She always said, “It’s all about the Girlfriends.”

A prodigious local fundraiser, when Patty made a commitment to a project, she was tireless in her effort to see the goal achieved. From the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival initiated to support senior programs, to Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, Hospice of Humboldt and Life Plan Humboldt, many knew if you took a call from Patty, keep your check-book close because she was a convincing and very effective advocate.

In the last days of her life, Patty was embraced by the loving warmth of her many friends, who gathered to watch over her during her last struggle. She was a force in this life. Determined, organized, kind and generous. Once you were taken into her family circle, her generosity knew no bounds. Famous for her clip board, daily to-do check list, she was organized. Need to make a decision about next steps in your life, see Patty – she’d help develop the pros and cons, and help you think it through. She was a good listener, genuinely curious about people and cared enough to want to know your story. She was a matchmaker and fabulous hostess, where no detail was left unattended and where over the years she brought many together at her dining room table. Patty loved to garden her acre of land, both with flowers and vegetables, and in the early 1990s she became a Master Gardener. Gardening gave her such joy.

Patty often acknowledged how very lucky she had been in this life – to have enjoyed many loving relationships and friendships; to have experienced a truly intimate and loving relationship with a husband she adored; to help raise two step-children that she often referred to as her own; to have been given so much and be able to give back in return; to have been financially independent and to always have strived to be true to herself.

Elected to the California Assembly (2002-2008), 1st Assembly District, she was a tireless advocate for her district, which included the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Lake, Mendocino, and parts of Sonoma. She was Chair of the Aging and Long-Term Committee and the Select Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Patty was also a strong and vocal advocate for women’s issues throughout her lifetime. She chaired the Legislative Women’s Caucus, which developed the first working family’s agenda, and she worked tirelessly to encourage more women to run for public office – a goal only recently achieved when for the first time in the history of the California Senate, parity was achieved – at least 50% of the members are now women. During her six-year term, she received 14 Legislator of the Year awards from various statewide organizations and developed the nation’s first Master Plan and Policy Agenda for aging adults. Following her tenure in the Legislature, Patty continued to work with the Assembly, to create the nation’s first training program for incoming women legislators in 2010 and 2012. Beginning in 2014, she served as the Principal Consultant to the Senate Select Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, developing a comprehensive report with over 30 legislative recommendations to restructure long-term care in California. Patty always dressed with style and flair, in fact, her legislative colleagues once voted her “the Best Dressed” legislator in Sacramento.

Patty was born and raised in Seattle, Wash., moving to Southern California in 1962. She graduated from California State University at Los Angeles with degrees in Sociology and Social Work. Prior to her election in the California State Legislature, Berg served as the founding Executive Director of the Area 1 Agency on Aging, serving Humboldt and Del Norte counties for nearly 20 years. There, she became a leading advocate for policy change in Sacramento and our nation’s Capital by writing legislation and testifying before Congress. Patty’s agency was nationally recognized, receiving the Administration on Aging’s highest award for developing the most comprehensive system of services for older adults in all of California. She also served on multiple local non-profit boards, and two national boards: The National Association for Area Agencies on Aging and the national Compassion and Choices organization. She was an instructor at HSU in both the Sociology and Psychology Departments and was awarded “Woman of the Year” by both the State Assembly in 1992 and the State in Senate in 2000. In 2008 she was honored as “Democrat of the Year” by the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee.

After graduating from college, Patty moved to New York City, where in 1970 she met the love of her life, Patrick Murphy, MD, who had traveled to New York to hock pickles. It was love at first sight when they met at a Block Party that Patty helped organize to raise money to plant street trees on West 69th Street. Following a whirlwind 4-day romance, Patty moved back to southern California, where Patrick was an Internist in private practice in Newport Beach and a clinical instructor in medicine at UC Irvine. In 1971, Patrick began a residency in psychiatry, which he completed at Napa State Hospital, following which Patty and Patrick moved to Humboldt County. Patrick died in 1987.

Patty is survived by her brother, Danny Berg (Colleen) of Washington; sister, Marsha Bowman (Bruce) of Florida; step-daughter Gretchen Tavenner (Chris) of Montana; step-son Brian Murphy of Idaho; cousin Judy Nick, niece (Danielle); nephew (Eric) and step-granddaughters, Damia and Leila; her ‘team’ of many intimate friends, and her friend and caregiver, Mia Mulhern.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the following organizations selected by Patty: Hospice of Humboldt, Life Plan Humboldt, the Humboldt Library Foundation, or to a charity of your choice.

A memorial service to celebrate Patty’s life will be held after the first of the year. Notice will be provided.

Dora Kaliamos, 85, passed away in the early hours of November 16, 2024. She left us peacefully, surrounded by family and friends in the final days of her full and active life.

The eldest of eight children, Dora was born in St. Mary’s, Kansas to Frank and Fredia Jager. Her Kansas roots were represented by her favorite flower, the sunflower, displayed throughout her home. In her early years the Jagers migrated westward, settling in Oregon and Northern California. Eureka was home to Dora for most of her life. She traveled to all corners of the U.S. and spread her wings globally with trips to Italy, a family visit to Greece, and numerous adventures Down Under.

Dora was a member of the first graduating class of St. Bernard’s in 1957. Several years later Dora and her husband, Jim Kaliamos, Sr., started their family in Eureka, later moving to Vancouver, Wash. Dora and Jim returned to Eureka after their sons graduated from high school. She was inducted into the St. Bernard’s Hall of Fame in March of 2013.

Dora led a life of service to others. Following high school graduation she entered the nursing profession, a career that spanned her entire life. A milestone achievement was RN certification in 1979. All the more remarkable was that she completed her studies concurrently with two teenage sons in high school while continuing to work at the hospital. Dora was a surgical RN at Vancouver Memorial Hospital, then St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. In 2004 Dora was recognized by the the St. Joseph Health System in the Values in Action Awards and was selected as the system-wide finalist for the Service Award. After retiring, Dora continued to volunteer at St. Joseph Hospital into the last year of her life. She was again recognized in the Values in Action Awards in 2014.

After returning to Eureka, Dora owned and operated the popular restaurant, Michael’s Steaks and Spirits, along with her husband, Jim, and brother-in-law, Frank. She continued to work at St. Joseph’s (Providence) as well as volunteering extensively in the community. She volunteered at the Discovery Store, St. Vincent de Paul, Betty Chinn’s Foundation and was an active member of the Emblem Club of the Elk’s Lodge.

Dora’s Native American heritage was maintained as a tribal member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi, People of the Place of Fire. Her ancestry on her mother’s side was the Bird Clan of the DeGraff-Navarre families. Dora will be interred next to her parents amid Jager family at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in St. Mary’s, Kansas.

Daughter, Sister, Mother, and Matriarch. Dora is survived by her two sons, Jim (Carol) and Tom (Leanne); her grandchildren, Ryan (Sheila), Eric ( Christine), and Charlie; her great-granddaughter, Valencia.

Dora leaves behind five of her seven siblings, Frank (Sarah), Mike (Sonia), Patty (Dave), Dorothy (Dennis), Adam (Gilian); her two brothers-in-law, Frank (Joanne), Bill (Clinton), and sister-in-law, Francie. She will be missed by her large, extended family which includes many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Dora was pre-deceased by her parents, Frank and Fredia, her brothers, Paul and David and her husband, Jim.

Her family would like to give special thanks to Hospice of Humboldt and the staff of Timber Ridge Eureka who cared for Dora in her final days.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Dora’s life on November 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Eureka Elks Lodge. In remembrance of Dora’s generosity and service to others, donations can be made to your favorite charity. We know she would appreciate that.

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

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jessie Wayne Stanfield, who went to be with the Lord on November 14, 2024, at the age of 77. He was taken way too soon and he will be missed by all who knew him.

Wayne was born in Foreman, Arkansas, on July 13, 1947 to his parents Sidney and Georgia Stanfield. He was the sixth of their eight children. As a young man, Wayne and his family moved several times before ending up in Bieber, California where his father found employment in the saw mills, and they lived there until the family built a house in New Bieber. Wayne was involved in all the activities of a young man growing up. He would hunt and fish with his brothers, and as he got older he attended Big Valley High School, where he played football and basketball. You wouldn’t know it now from his quiet demeanor, but Wayne was selected as both Prom King and the Student Body President during his time in school. He graduated in 1965 in a class of 25 students, and he went back to Bieber often for high school reunions to celebrate and stay connected to his schoolmates.

After high school, Wayne put himself through college and earned an AA degree from the College of the Siskiyous. He would work all summer to earn and save up just enough money to pay for his next fall semester of classes each year. He was a hard worker from the very start. Upon graduating from college, Wayne enlisted in the United States Navy. He served his country for four years from 1968-1972. He was first stationed at the Centerville Beach Naval Station in Ferndale as a Radioman. It was during his time at Centerville that he met a local girl, the love of his life, Betsy Nesmith. They met in March of 1970 and were married eight months later on November 28, 1970. Wayne then took his new bride to his second duty station at Midway Island in the Pacific Theater. While on Midway, the couple welcomed their first born son Jeff into the world in July of 1972. Wayne ended his Navy service and was honorably discharged in October of that same year.

Back on the mainland, Wayne and his small family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he worked at a molding mill. In 1974, Wayne’s father-in-law Bill invited them to move back to Fortuna for him to start as an apprentice in the local Carpenters Union. He worked for a few different companies until he found his forever job with Sequoia Construction Specialties, owned and operated by Jim and Brian Pritchard. Wayne was a skilled carpenter, hard worker, and dedicated union member. He remained active and continued paying dues to the Carpenters Union for over 50 years up until his passing. Wayne and Betsy Stanfield would go on to add two more boys to their family, Jeremy in 1975 and Josh in 1980. They bought the home that Betsy’s dad had built on Tompkins Hill just outside of Fortuna, where they would raise their family and live for the next 40 years.

Church and humble service to others were major parts of Wayne’s life. He was always willing to give his time and talents to the church, other congregation members and his community, and would rarely accept any money or accolades for his kindness and generosity. After his retirement in 2004, he continued to bless others with the carpentry skills that the Lord gave him by providing acts of service. He and Betsy attended the Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer for the last ten years, and his handy work is visible all throughout the building. The remodeled kitchen, the additional bathroom, and numerous other maintenance projects are all examples of how Wayne chose to quietly serve God and others. You can also see his work all over the community. He built many ramps for the elderly, and constructed various projects at Redwood Preparatory Charter School where his grandkids went.

The best way to describe him is that he was a hardworking, loyal, dedicated family man and a humble servant of the Lord. He gave without thought of reward and he gave wherever he saw a need. A scripture that reminds us all of how he lived his life and how he would show up is Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people.” Another example of his generous spirit was his mission to always donate blood when he could. He was happy to give at every opportunity, and he was proud of donating nearly twelve gallons of blood over the last ten years. In addition to his construction career, Wayne loved woodworking, and always had a project going on in his woodshop. He built furniture, made playhouses and tree forts for his grandkids, crafted beautiful cutting boards, and made many a birdhouse. He donated many pieces of his work to local charity auctions or fundraisers for the various activities his kids and grandkids were involved in. In retirement, Wayne and Betsy loved to travel in their cab-over camper. They often traveled up and down the West Coast, and also went on several cross-country trips. True to who he was, most of the trips consisted of going to see family while taking in the sights along the way.

Wayne is preceded in death by his beloved parents Sid and Georgia, His father-in-law and mother-in-law Bill and Virginia Nesmith, his brother Sid Jr., brother-in-law Dolan and some extended younger family members. He is survived by his wife and life partner of nearly 54 years of marriage, Betsy, his sons Jeff (Sue), Jeremy (Lareesa), and Josh (Lyndsey), as well as his brothers Carl, Jim (Corinne), Charlie, and Joe (Cindy), his sisters Pat, and Faye, his brothers-in-law Norman (Marilyn), and James (Mayme), his sister-in-law Bonnie (John), numerous nieces and nephews plus his seven grandkids and four great-grandkids. Family was the pride of Wayne’s life. From supporting his granddaughter Allison in her travels abroad, working on projects with his grandson Greg, attending cheerleading activities for his granddaughter Carlee, and his great granddaughter Abby that gave him the nickname ‘PapaGreat’, there was nothing that brought him more joy. He is gone too soon and he will be greatly missed. We share great comfort in the realization that Wayne led a full, Godly life and died as he lived, secure in his relationship with his Heavenly Father. Though he is no longer with us, we know that he is safe in the presence of the Lord. He will forever be remembered for his love of his family, his generosity and his willingness to quietly help all who needed it.

A memorial service will be held at the Fortuna Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer at 1431 Ross Hill Road, Saturday, November 30 at 2 p.m., followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. Family and friends of Wayne are invited to attend. Those who would like to commemorate Wayne may consider donating blood or making a love offering to their local church.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Wayne Stanfield’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’s Tofu Shop Specialty Foods, a local institution and staple of the region’s natural food scene since the heyday of the back-to-the-land hippie movement, will close permanently by the end of the year.

Tofu Shop founder and owner Matthew Schmit in 2018. | Screenshot.

Reached by phone this morning, owner and founder Matthew Schmit confirmed that he plans to retire after next month, nearly 50 years since he and his then-partner opened an artisan tofu shop in Telluride, Colo. Three years later, in 1980, Schmit opened his tofu shop in Arcata as a takeout deli and small-scale manufacturing facility.

“We are going to be operating through the end of the year, and then I will be closing down the shop,” Schmit told the Outpost. He declined to elaborate at this time, saying, “Things are just kind of new and happening.”

According to the company’s website, Schmit’s interest in local food systems inspired him to help found a food co-op in rural Colorado. That’s where he was introduced to “the art of organic tofu making,” the site says. 

The Tofu Shop operated as a deli-manufacturing combo for a dozen years, but in 1992 it became one of the founding businesses in Arcata’s Foodworks Culinary Center. Since then, the company has focused on growing its manufacturing and wholesale business. 

Tofu Shop products displayed in a cooler at the Eureka Winco.

“In 2002 we were able to qualify for local financing and built this building we’re in right now,” Schmit says in a 2018 video produced by Eureka Natural Foods. (Scroll down to watch the whole video.)

At the time, the Tofu Shop was producing up to 250,000 pounds of tofu a year, and its organic product line has expanded to include dozens of products, including a variety of smoked and flavored tofu in various degrees of firmness, plus tofu-based breakfast sausage, potato patties, soy milk, salads, spreads, tofu burgers and even sauerkraut. (No tofu goes into that last one.)

And the products aren’t just sold here in Humboldt County. They’re available in grocery stores and natural food shops across California and up into Oregon, plus they’re served in roughly 50 restaurants, from vegetarian and sushi spots to delis, breweries and barbecue joints.

Schmit remains fascinated with the history of tofu, from its origin in China more than 2,000 years ago through its adoption by western vegetarians in the 1970s as a healthy meat substitute.

“But for me as a tofu maker, it’s much more than that,” he says in the video below. “It’s been around for thousands of years, kind of like bread and cheese, and that’s really where its real power and the source of its vitality comes from.”