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California’s famously slow vote-counting process could see slight improvements next year after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that gives counties an earlier deadline to tally voters’ ballots.

The law, Assembly Bill 5, requires county election offices to count ballots no later than 13 days after election day, but does not change the 30-day deadline for local officials to certify results. Counties unable to meet the new deadline must give a reason for an extension to the secretary of state’s office.

“California has one of the most accessible and secure voting systems in the country,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Marc Berman, a Menlo Park Democrat, in a statement. “One opportunity for improvement was to speed up how quickly we count ballots and create a system that gave greater certainty to the public for when results would be available.”

Voter fraud is rare, typically occurs in isolated instances and is generally detected. However, local election officials have received greater scrutiny across the country after President Donald Trump and his allies disputed false claims of election fraud after the 2020 election.

Local officials in California have since launched social media campaigns to explain and show voters how their ballots are processed.

Lawmakers suggest the new law, which received bipartisan support in the state Legislature, will help clamp down on misinformation as some Republicans have grown increasingly distrustful of mail ballots.

Proponents such as the nonprofit California Voter Foundation have said it will increase the public’s trust in elections and avoid officials being sworn in before their races have been certified, which was the case for a number of state lawmakers last year.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office opposed the bill.

Timothy Cromartie, a spokesperson for Weber, said at a Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee earlier this year that there was a concern that 13 days would not be enough time for counties, which currently have 30 days to complete the count. The secretary of state’s office proposed a deadline of 15 days instead, but that was not adopted.

“As always, we will do our best to uphold the laws as passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor,” Weber said in a written statement.

More mail-in ballots slow down counting

It is increasingly common for counties to take weeks to count ballots due to the growing popularity of mail-in ballots, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80% of California voters voted by mail in the 2024 November election, according to the secretary of state’s office. That trend has accelerated since a 2021 law required each registered voter to receive a mail ballot.

Mail ballots take longer for officials to process than votes at a polling place because of the required steps for officials to verify signatures and confirm that voters have not already cast a ballot somewhere else. The state also allows ballots postmarked by election day to be counted even if they arrive up to a week later. Those ballots will not be subject to the 13-day deadline, nor will provisional ballots or ballots missing voter signatures.

It is not possible to know how long it took counties to count all their ballots in the last election because of a state law that prohibited them from certifying results any earlier than 28 days after election day, Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said in an email.

“Historically, some counties count faster than others. This has to do with a number of factors – space, equipment, staffing,” Alexander said.

Some California counties, such as Los Angeles, can take close to a month to count election results, as was the case last year in the 22nd Congressional District in Southern California, which was eventually won by Democratic Rep. Derek Tran. Experts largely attribute California’s size and widespread use of mail-in ballots as the reason for this.

Los Angeles County officials say the new law will change little about how they process ballots.

“We’ve always processed ballots much earlier than the date signed into the law. We’re not particularly concerned with that 13-day requirement,” said Mike Sanchez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Clerk. “It may seem more ceremonial than anything else.”

Election workers have said that public messaging urging voters to drop or mail off their ballots sooner could speed up the process.

Newsom also signed a bill that bans voters from being paid to register to vote in response to the millions of dollars that billionaire Elon Musk gave away to registered voters in swing states during the 2024 election. Another piece of legislation he signed would schedule a ballot measure for the 2026 election to allow voters to decide if taxpayer funds can be used for political campaigns.

Darren Albert Toland was born April 13, 1970 in Eureka to Mrs. & Mr. Albert Boyd Toland.

While in his youth, Darren found a passion for race cars that followed him all the days of his life. Working on the winning #17 Car for Randy Olson helped get him through his formative years. Whether being a Crew Chief or crew member, he was just talking to it!

Darren graduated Eureka High School, class of 1988, where he then began his career with Ultrapower for several years. Darren would finish his career with the Humboldt Community Services District, HCSD, as the maintenance supervisor, a job he carried for 22 years. He took pride in meeting HCSD’s high water/sewer demands, mentoring his successors with determined leadership, extensive knowledge, and guidance as only he could.

In 1998, Darren & Michelle (Frank) Livingston lovingly welcomed son Hunter Boyd Toland (Samantha Marsh). Darren was so proud to share baseball days, fishing holes, and Toland family traditions with his son. The memories of raveling down caves, flying to see their Cowboys play in AT&T stadium, just sharing life together, was his greatest accomplishments!

In 2004, Darren was blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Ms. Kadence Renee Toland (Jordan Krupa). Darren was thrilled to share his passion for race cars with his daughter, creating the 2T & Brother racing team. They started with a bandalero, racing several bomber seasons, ending with a pro-sportsman exceptional 2025 racing season! Kadence finished 3rd in points this season. Crew Chief fulfilled his ultimate goals!

Darren was full of pride and joy for his two strong Toland children. Leaving Hunter and Kadence with his strength and resilience, teaching them to be fiercely loyal while standing on their own; a legacy to be honored.

Darren joined his local Elks Lodge in 2021, where he would meet his future wife, Angela. While their time was shorter than anticipated, it was full of laughter, tears, an unconditional love profoundly felt by all from their instant connection. September 11, 2025 saw that love cemented for eternity, when Darren made a proper lady out of Mrs. Angela Marie Toland (Shawn & Kirsten). This is fortuitous, that means lucky. Yeah, I know what it means.

Brother Toland was a Mason with the Humboldt Masonic Lodge No. 79, a full Masonic burial will be held in his honor. He took comfort in knowing his brotherhood stood behind him so diligently.

Darren became a follower of Jesus Christ later in his life, a faith that carried him through the darkest moments. He was welcomed into heaven by his father Albert and best Pup Ditto, on October 6, 2025. A wonderful husband, a passionate father, a fierce friend, and a loyal competitor. He will truly be missed. 

A Celebration of Life will be held, Saturday, November 22, 2025, 3 p.m., Eureka Elks Lodge, Herrick Ave. A Masonic burial will precede at the Humboldt Masonic Lodge No. 79., 1 pm. 

Darren was steadfast down to his ultimate end, may we all be like Tall Tree Toland. ‘Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, of faith unfeigned’. 1st Timothy 1:5

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UPDATE/CLARIFICATION, Oct. 9:

After this post was published, the Outpost spoke with Cutten resident Jim Martin, who, as a Caltrans transportation engineer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was put in charge of designing the proposed Eureka bypass. In a phone conversation he offered some firsthand information about the process.

“We looked at all kinds of alternatives,” Martin said. This included a bypass through the Cutten area and the route across the Samoa Peninsula, though the latter was quickly dismissed as too expensive. (A bridge over the mouth of Humboldt Bay would have to be tall enough to accommodate big shipping vessels.)

Martin said he and his team conducted “a heckuva travel study” that involved stopping cars and interviewing drivers about where they were coming from and where they were headed.

What they learned was that Eureka was a so-called “terminal city,” meaning most drivers heading north from San Francisco were stopping here at least for a pit stop; same deal with drivers headed south from Portland. And most of the region’s commercial trucking stopped in Eureka, too.

Bypassing downtown entirely would only have taken about 20 percent of the traffic off of 4th and 5th streets, Martin said. 

He and his team eventually came up with a design to keep Hwy. 101 running through Eureka but elevated to ease traffic flow on surface streets. 

At the southern end of the city, the causeway would have run near what’s now the Bayshore Mall, with an interchange at Koster Street (near what’s now Costco). The route would then have crossed above Broadway near Washington St. (current location of Leon’s Car Care Center), with the elevation then lowering a bit through downtown. A “split-diamond interchange” would have been built near the Eureka Inn.

“We even worked with the city on plans to have a Victorian village [assembled] near the Ingomar,” Martin said. Caltrans had purchased a right-of-way through downtown, and the plan was to salvage all of the historic homes along that route and relocate them to the northern end of Old Town by the Carson Mansion.

As for the state budget woes that ultimately doomed the project, Martin placed the blame not on the national oil crisis but rather on former California Gov. Jerry Brown and his administration, which directed financial resources toward mass transit projects in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

After years of effort and millions spent working with the city and the Army Corps of Engineers, Caltrans eventually had to relinquish the right-of-way and give up on the project. 

To this day, Martin laments the fact that his design was never built.

“It would have been perfect,” he said.

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Original post:

It doesn’t necessarily make sense for the main north-south highway through Humboldt County to cut directly through the middle of its most populous city. In fact, Hwy. 101 would probably skirt around Eureka, one way or another, if it weren’t for the oil crisis of 1973.

Five decades ago, Caltrans considered a variety of options to divert Hwy. 101 around the city. Alternatives included an elevated causeway similar to the recently constructed Willits bypass and a route funneling traffic westward along the jetties, crossing a bridge over the mouth of Humboldt Bay.

But the oil embargo led to state budget woes, so the plans were eventually scrapped, which means that, to this day, the highway plows right through downtown Eureka, with southbound traffic funneled onto 4th Street while northbound vehicles run parallel on 5th.

This route may benefit businesses along the corridor (just count the fast food joints), it has proven less than ideal when it comes to the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and even the humans behind the wheel. 

A new report called “Dangerous Downtown Streets,” published today by the local nonprofit Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP), highlights the hazards for all modes of transportation on Eureka’s 4th and 5th streets.

While this stretch is only about a mile and a half long in either direction (representing 0.2 percent of the county’s road miles), it accounts for roughly 18 percent of the county’s pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries over the last decade, the report finds.

CRTP also includes some suggested “evidence-based solutions” to improve safety, including new traffic signals and other intersection improvements, though Executive Director Colin Fiske acknowledges that Caltrans is off to a good start with its South Broadway Complete Streets Project.

Scroll down for a link to the full report and a press release with links to a series of “point-of-view videos” filmed with wearable cameras.

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DOCUMENT: “Dangerous Downtown Streets”

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Press release from CRTP:

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif.—Today, CRTP published a new report entitled “Dangerous Downtown Streets: Safety Problems and Solutions for Eureka’s 4th & 5th Street Corridor (US-101).” The report identifies safety hazards for pedestrians, bicyclists, bus riders, and motorists by reviewing official police-reported crash data, crowdsourced street safety reports from the Street Story platform, and the findings from walk audits in the corridor conducted in October 2024 and a bicycle safety audit conducted in May 2025.

The report finds that, despite representing only about 0.2% of the county’s road miles, the corridor has been the site of 18% of the county’s pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in the last decade, meaning the rate of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries per mile is 90 times the county average. The corridor also sees 4% of all bicyclist serious injuries (20 times the county average) and 3% of motorist serious injuries and fatalities (15 times the county average). The walk and bike audits and Street Story reports confirm that, along with Broadway, this is one of the most dangerous corridors in the region, especially for people walking and biking.

In conjunction with the release of the report, CRTP has also produced point-of-view videos using wearable cameras, documenting the experiences of pedestrians and bicyclists in the 4th & 5th Street corridor. These include videos from perspectives that are often underrepresented, including a child and people with disabilities.

“The local community has known how dangerous this corridor is for a long time,” said CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske. “Unfortunately, not nearly enough has been done about it. We really appreciate Caltrans’ recent actions to improve some of the corridor’s crosswalks, which will result in meaningful safety gains. But much more significant action is needed to make this corridor truly safe. We call on Caltrans to put safety first and begin the process of redesigning these streets now. We can’t wait for more people to die before we take this problem seriously.”

Important hazards identified for all modes of transportation in the 4th and 5th Street corridor include high traffic speeds, as well as hazards related to high speeds, such as failure to yield (right-of-way violations) and traffic signals and signs violations (such as running red lights). Additional serious hazards include visibility limitations for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists, the complete lack of bicycle infrastructure, and unpredictable driver behavior.

The report recommends a variety of evidence-based solutions for these safety hazards, including new traffic signals and bicycle and pedestrian intersection improvements. The biggest change recommended by the report is the removal of a general (car and truck) traffic lane from the current street design on each street and the use of the resulting street space to provide a separated, protected bikeway. This change would produce significant safety improvements for all street users resulting from reduced speeds, more predictable driver behavior, protection for bicyclists and pedestrians, and reduced crossing distances for pedestrians.

“The South Broadway Complete Streets Project currently under construction is a good start toward making the US-101 corridor in Eureka safer for everyone,” said Fiske. “We continue to advocate for Caltrans to fund and build the other two planned safety projects that will improve the rest of Broadway right away. But this other part of the corridor—4th and 5th Streets—is also very dangerous, and can’t be ignored.”

Appendices to the report can be viewed at https://transportationpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Appendices-to-Dangerous-Downtown-Streets.pdf.

Point-of-view videos can be watched at https://tinyurl.com/4th5thPOV.

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Ferndale’s most famous former child pretzel salesman, Food Network star Guy Fieri, was featured on the latest episode of CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” where he told reporter Sharyn Alfonsi about the heist of some 24,000 bottles of Santo Tequila, produced by a company he co-owns with former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar.

In the segment, Fieri describes how criminals created fake trucking companies in a “double-brokering” scheme that allowed them to divert two full semi-truckloads of the Mexican spirit as it made its way into the U.S.

Half of the looted booze was eventually recovered, but Fieri felt it was important to tell the story publicly. If his company can be victimized like this, he says in the segment, “then everybody’s vulnerable.”

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CORRECTION: This post originally referred to Fieri as a Ferndale native. While he did grow up in the Cream City, he was not born there. The Outpost regrets the error.

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Press release from RCEA:

Arcata, CA – Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 7 to celebrate the launch of Foster Clean Power, a new local solar and battery storage project located just outside Arcata. This marks an exciting milestone for Humboldt County’s local electricity provider.

Speakers at the ribbon cutting event included RCEA Executive Director Beth Burks, Ardi Arian, Renewable America President and CEO, and Jocelyn Gwynn, RCEA Senior Power Resources Manager. Attendees included community members, local leaders, project partners, and representatives from the Arcata Chamber of Commerce, who assisted with the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Foster Clean Power is the first new-build, utility-scale solar and storage project under a power purchase agreement with RCEA to be completed in RCEA’s Humboldt County service area. Combining 7 megawatts of solar generation with a 2.5 megawatt/10 megawatt-hour battery system, the facility will provide enough renewable power for approximately 3,000 homes. 

“Foster Clean Power represents a milestone for our community,” Beth Burks, RCEA Executive Director, said. “By combining solar and battery storage, we’re not only producing more clean energy locally but also ensuring that power is available when our community needs it most. This project is proof that renewable energy, environmental stewardship, and community benefit can go hand in hand.”

The project was developed and built by Renewable America. The long-term owner of the facility is Radial Power, an American distributed energy investment company. 

“Renewable America is proud to partner with the Redwood Coast Energy Authority on the Foster Clean Power project,” said Ardi Arian, Renewable America President & CEO. “The project integrates solar photovoltaics with one of the safest battery technologies available—lithium iron phosphate—providing a successful clean energy project for the community.”

In addition to its clean energy benefits, Foster Clean Power features pollinator habitat to maintain agricultural value and enhance biodiversity on land formerly owned by Sun Valley Floral Farms. The project was constructed with minimal land disturbance and contributes directly to Humboldt County’s transition to clean, locally sourced power.

The project strengthens RCEA’s Community Choice Energy program portfolio, advancing long-term goals to maximize local renewable energy resources, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and increase grid reliability.

“RCEA is really excited to have this project come online and add to our local clean power portfolio,” Richard Engel, RCEA’s Director of Power Resources, said. “People I talk to in the community are happy to know more of their power is being generated here in Humboldt County in such a low-impact way.” 

For more information about RCEA’s clean energy projects, visit www.redwoodenergy.org.

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About Redwood Coast Energy Authority:

Established in 2003, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority is a local government joint powers agency whose members include the Blue Lake Rancheria, Yurok Tribe, the County of Humboldt, the seven cities within the county, and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. RCEA’s purpose is to develop and implement sustainable energy initiatives that reduce energy demand, increase energy efficiency, and advance the use of clean, efficient, and renewable resources available in the region. For more info, visit redwoodenergy.org.

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[NOTE: Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal and Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads were both elected (or re-elected, in the former case) in 2022. That, as you’ll read below, means that neither office-holder will have to face re-election until 2028. —RB]

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A Bay Area sheriff facing imminent removal will get an extra two years in office if the move to oust her fails because of a little-noticed change in California law that moved the dates for local law enforcement elections.

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus has an unusual six-year term because state legislators in 2022 changed the law to put elections for sheriffs and district attorneys in the same years as presidential elections, which meant moving local campaigns originally slated for 2026 to 2028.

Every sheriff or district attorney who ran in 2022, including Corpus, got those two extra years, unless the official was removed from office in the meantime. That means they get two additional years for voters to forget about a scandal, or ride out other controversies.

San Mateo County moved a step closer to removing Corpus this week when retired Superior Court Judge James Emerson found cause to remove her on Monday night, more than a month after a two-week trial that included a cascade of allegations portraying a chaotic picture of her two-plus years in office.

Emerson found that Corpus had “a close personal relationship outside the boundaries of a professional working relationship” with a subordinate, unlawfully ordered the arrest of the president of the sheriff’s deputies’ union and retaliated against a captain who refused to conduct the union president’s arrest because he believed it violated state law.

“Appellant Sheriff Corpus’s purportedly non retaliatory justification for ordering an investigation against (the deputies’ union president) is, at the very least, questionable and, more likely, pretextual,” Emerson wrote in the advisory opinion.

Emerson’s recommendation will be heard in a separate hearing by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, which already voted 5-0 in June to proceed with the process to remove Corpus.

6-year-term once had an appeal

When former Corpus supporter Jim Lawrence first learned of the proposed change to election dates during Corpus’ 2022 campaign, he was delighted.

“We were so high on (Corpus), we campaigned for her, it was such a welcome change,” said Lawrence, board chair of the nonpartisan nonprofit Fixin’ San Mateo, which advocates for civilian oversight of the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office.

“We were gonna have someone pushing for visibility, transparency, accountability, and we didn’t have to deal with the (2026) election cycle. We could wait until 2028. There was just almost no downside.”

His feelings about the sheriff have changed.

“She had an amazing group behind her: house parties, street parties,” Lawrence said. “We got behind her and then she got in the office and made a complete about-face. It’s just, it’s really hard. How can the residents of San Mateo County live with this for another two-and-a-half years? It’s just unbelievable.”

Corpus could not be reached for comment.

The issue is of particular import to the group of San Mateo County residents who led a recall effort against Corpus this year.

After a county investigator found Corpus violated policies on nepotism and conflicting relationships, voters in April passed a measure empowering the county board of supervisors to remove her. If successful, it would be the first removal of a county sheriff in California history.

In the meantime, unions representing San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office deputies and sergeants have issued no-confidence votes in Corpus. Six cities in San Mateo County called for her ouster.

Why California moved sheriff elections

The law to change election years came about because California Democratic legislators sought to put elections for county offices on the years where voter turnout is highest, an effort that was opposed by Republicans in the Assembly and Senate.

“Overall, presidential elections attract significantly more voters than midterm elections,” the League of Women Voters of California wrote in 2022 in support of the bill. “Furthermore, midterm electorates include fewer people from underrepresented populations – including youth, Black, Latino, and Asian American people than do presidential electorates.”

The move faced opposition from the California State Sheriffs’ Association, which argued that presidential year elections are “no guarantee that voters will examine their choices more carefully.”

“A longer election ballot could result in voter fatigue and fewer votes cast in ‘down-ticket’ races,” the sheriffs’ association wrote in opposition to the bill.

Fresno County voters went as far as passing a ballot measure last year that would have forced the county to maintain off-year elections for sheriffs and district attorneys. Attorney General Rob Bonta sued, and a Fresno County Superior Court judge sided with Bonta and the state, keeping Fresno’s county elections on the presidential election calendar.

In Alameda County, the successful 2024 campaign to oust former District Attorney Pamela Price was lent heightened urgency by the prospect that she would serve until 2028 if not recalled. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors picked new District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson as her replacement.

As for Corpus, even if the county board of supervisors votes to remove her, the Palo Alto Daily Post reports that a San Mateo Superior Court judge overseeing Corpus’ lawsuit against the county ruled that Corpus won’t be removed right away.

The judge ruled she should receive some extra time to challenge her removal: not an extra two years, but an extra two weeks.

Ricky was born in 1939 to Rae and Marge Wright and passed peacefully in her home with family at her side on September 29, 2025. She was the younger and only sibling of Marilyn Wright Forsell, who passed away in 2024. Rae and Marge were from long-time Petrolia and Ferndale families, and they raised their daughters primarily in Ferndale before later moving to the Miranda area. Ricky graduated from South Fork High School. She had many fond childhood memories of spending time with her grandparents exploring Petrolia and likely causing mischief.

All who knew Ricky knew of her lifelong love of animals. She was never without a dog and a menagerie of animals. Over the years, she assisted in the rescue of many neglected animals and wild critters.

Prior to retiring, Ricky was a medical assistant in several local doctors’ offices. After retirement, she spent numerous years providing care to elders in their homes. She took great pride in her skills and abilities tending to patients in both settings and was fondly regarded for the care she provided. One of her specialties was caregiving for “grumpy old men” with whom she would enjoy lively banter.

Ricky was very generous and helped people in need — at times to her own detriment. She was a smart, curious person who charmed people from all walks of life with her quick wit and rambunctious nature.

She lived life on her own terms and loved deeply her pets, friends, and family. She was unpretentious, and simple things in life brought her pleasure — like the smell of a pepperwood tree, laundry on the clothesline, the start of football season, and the feel of the breeze through a window.

As anyone who has enjoyed eating one of her homecooked meals or tasted one of her homemade apple pies can attest, Ricky was a fantastic cook who never skimped on butter or heavy cream in a recipe and who delighted in discussing recipes, tips, and tricks with her family and friends.

She is survived by her daughters Lynn Langdon and Jody Toste (Tim), her grandchildren, Kyle, Morgan (Gabe), and Madison, her great-grandchildren Chaz, Cade, Callee, and Kasen, and her nephews Drew and Matthew Forsell and families.

The family would like to thank her neighbors, James Baer and family, and her good friends Laurie Newman and others who supported her these last challenging years of her life. We are also very grateful for the excellent services Ricky received from the PACE program, Agape, Hospice, and for the Fortuna Fire Department, particularly the Hydesville crew, who always treated her with kindness.

At times like this, 
We may look through books for the perfect words 
To give form to our feelings, 
Make the thing complete, 
Set the matter at rest.
Yet, in hours of searching,
Each piece lies rejected – too precise, too difficult, too sweet, 
Too harsh, implying what we do not wish to say. 

But, look into the grey wide sky, 
And the thoughts will come like this: 
Remember me when I loved you most and you loved me most. 
Remember me when I was my bravest and I did you right. 
Then, let that be our secret bond 
And, let us rise in the morning and enjoy the light 
And know that the bird in the mist is returning to the sun.

— Author Unknown

As she would have preferred, no formal services are planned. Final arrangements were provided by Ayres Family Cremation.