Jacob Gregory Pauli
July 19, 1949 to October 9, 2024

Born in Los Angeles to parents Jacob and Marguerite (Peters) Pauli. The family relocated to Sunny Brae in Arcata. in 1958. Jake attended Jacoby Creek School and graduated from Arcata High School in 1967.

Jake was a walking automotive encyclopedia. He knew more than most when it came to body style changes or drivetrain options for almost any vehicle manufactured from the 1920s to current. Over his lifetime he had MANY cars and trucks. He favored hot rods and preferred them to sit low and sound good. Most of his working years were spent in the automotive industry. He had long stints at Redwood Marine, Eureka Brake and Automotive, Lithia and North Bay Automotive. Many customers will remember his calm and caring demeanor. He may be remembered most for when he and best friend Bob Hook started and operated The Video Connection in the 1980s. The domes on Myrtle Ave is where many customers became friends.

Jake had the ability to connect with people. Somehow, he found a way to common ground with everyone he encountered. He formed meaningful, lasting relationships with a wide range of individuals. Even in the last few months while in and out of the hospital, he connected with his providers. He always asked about their families and where they were from. He genuinely cared about others and their wellbeing. He had a large circle of friends and kept in touch with dozens on a regular basis. If success is measured by the amount of people who consider you a friend, then he was VERY successful.

Jake enjoyed attending car shows, swap meets, antique stores and drag races. Too many trips to count spent walking fairgrounds and pits taking in the sights and sounds. These getaways usually included some sort of local BBQ joint, or burger stand. These trips will provide memories for those lucky enough to have attended with him. You certainly got an education as he would point out something not so obvious to everyone else. Jake especially liked attending events with Dean Duff. Those two had an inseparable bond since Dean’s employment at the Video Connection.

Above all, Jake most enjoyed spending time with Family. The annual Christmas Eve gathering being the highlight. This tradition started with his parents decades ago. A burnout on the way to get raviolis was a time-honored tradition. He had a special unique bond with each of his grandchildren. When the grandkids were little, they could count on Grandpa having a pocket full of candy to share or a story to tell. They miss him terribly.

Jake was preceded in death by his parents Jacob and Marguerite Pauli. In-laws Dayton and Gayle Titus and nephew Nathan Titus. Also preceding him was friend David Sharp. David passed in the 1970s and Dad annually visited and cleaned up his grave site.

Jake is survived by spouse Yvonne Titus, brother Donald Pauli, son Jeff Pauli (Tonya) grandson Carson Pauli (Jessi) and granddaughter Kate Pauli. Son Josh Pauli (Deanna) granddaughter Lauren Pauli (Ian), granddaughter Jenna Roe-Bauer (Jacob) and granddaughter Jordan Schweizer. Stepdaughter Maren Wagner, step-granddaughters Ella (Gabe), Ava and step-grandson Adam. Stepson Raleigh Bettiga (Lindsey), step-granddaughter Maddie and step-grandsons Charlie and Teddy.

Also survived by brother-in-law David Titus (Cindy), children Bradley (Katherine), Alex and Eric. Brother-in-law Stuart Titus (Caroline), children Ellie (Devin), Abbie and Grady. Brother-in-law Cliff Titus (Marcie), children Lucas (Jennie), Matt (Angelica) and Nick (Stephanie).

There will be a celebration of life October 26, 10 a.m. at Baywood Golf and Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Northern California Community Blood Bank, Hospice of Humboldt or a charity of your choice.

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

Carl Allen Fairfield
March 19, 1938 – September 24, 2024

Carl Allen Fairfield, 86, passed away peacefully at home on a sunny afternoon encircled by family and friends. He will be remembered as a loving husband, dad, stepdad, granddaddy, papa and spiritual seeker with a kind heart, a concern for community care, and a sweet sense of humor until the very end. Carl joked that he was an avid indoorsman — he loved redwood trees and foggy mornings, as long as he could gaze at them through the window from his comfy chair with a cup of coffee.

Carl was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Leona Craig Fairfield and John Buchanan Fairfield, the only child of two only children. He was raised in part by his grandparents Carl William Fairfield (Pop Pop) and Grace Mae George Fairfield (Mom Mom) in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He also spent several childhood years in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating top of his class at Tulsa Central High, he hurried away from the Great Plains to attend Princeton University on scholarship. At Princeton, he majored in psychology and minored in art, two of his lifelong interests. A summer job with an oil company in the gulf turned him off from that line of work forever; he remembers in those days they were required to stir crude oil with their bare hands. During a year off, he moved to New York City and worked as a page at NBC, welcoming guests to live tapings of programs like Johnny Carson and the Howdy Doody Show.

After college, upon hearing he was about to be drafted, Carl joined the Navy and was sent to officer training school after boot camp. Lieutenant (junior grade) Carl served as a radar officer on the USS Cogswell DD651 and did a tour of duty in the Pacific. He served in between US involvement in the Korean and the Vietnam Wars, and often said he was glad they never made him kill anyone. One of his most vivid memories from his service was a visit to the Great Buddha of Kamakura in Japan. Entering the three-stories-tall bronze sculpture of Amitābha, he had a transformative experience that drew him towards Buddhism and into relationship with the Amitābha deity. A more difficult navy memory was the Cuban Missile Crisis, when his squadron escorted a group of Marines from Camp Pendleton to the Panama Canal. This was one of the moments when the Cold War seemed to be heating up, and Carl recalled hearing about Russian subs prowling around armed with nuke-tipped torpedoes. After determining that the sailor’s life wasn’t for him, he traded two additional years in the service for shore duty, which brought him to the US Torpedo Base in Keyport, Washington just in time for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. There, he served as BOQ officer and Special Services officer and was trained in planning enrichment and entertainment for special populations.

After finishing in the service, Carl relocated to Northern California in search of alternative community and meaningful work. He worked at the Mendocino State Mental Hospital with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and then as a preschool teacher in Berkeley. He moved briefly to Pasadena, where he studied early childhood education at Pacific Oaks College. There he met and married his first wife, Susan Krause née Williams and welcomed becoming the stepfather to her children Alan, Susie and Michael. Being a stepparent was very important to Carl. With that family, he moved to Humboldt County in 1970, landing in Westhaven, where they connected with the Quaker community and secretly housed draft dodgers. Carl used the GI bill to enroll in a master’s program in Family, Child, and Marriage Counseling, an outreach program from the University of San Francisco taught by local professionals in Eureka.

When his first marriage concluded, he courted and married the love of his life, Ruth Puckett Ziemer, a nurse from Southern California. Carl and Ruth met working as volunteer therapists at the Open Door Clinic in 1973, and then studied together in the same graduate school program. They were married in the backyard of their Fickle Hill home in 1978 by his dear friend Reverend Robert Talmadge. Carl was a proud stepparent to Ruth’s two daughters, Tanya and Aimee Ziemer, with whom he was closely connected for the rest of his life. After finishing his degree, Carl used his people skills and organizing talents at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center, where he worked as activities director for 20 years. In this role, he coordinated events, speakers, and travel opportunities for elders in the community. Despite being a somewhat shy person, Carl was known for his ability to communicate clearly and warmly with elders from across political and social spectrums.

Despite being a member of the Silent Generation, Carl was ahead of the times in several ways. With the birth of his daughter Joy Brooke Fairfield in 1981, he became interested in video recording technology. In addition to using his new VHS camera to tape his family and friends, he recorded events (first at the Senior Center, and then in other venues around town) and then submitted them to Arcata Community Access Television. Carl figured it was an easy way to help house-bound seniors get free access to education and entertainment via their TVs. He was a major contributor to local Public Access during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, with a focus on history and local theatre productions. He was not above submitting some home videos for broadcast as well; locals might remember seeing “Aimee goes to college” and “Joy breaks her wrist playing soccer” late at night on channel 11. Some of Carl’s last years were spent using YouTube to explore his lifelong interests in spirituality, astronomy, and politics, and his family likes to say that he was into video sharing platforms before they were cool. Carl was also an assiduous researcher prior to online search engines. Calling himself “a desk guy,” his home office reflected his commitment to ongoing study. He took his special interests quite seriously, including the family’s genealogy, coin collecting, Course in Miracles, astrology, local Native history, film history, and Tibetan Buddhism. Being on a path of spiritual practice and study together with his beloved wife of 46 years was a core part of Carl’s identity, something that brought meaning to his life and grace to his death.

Carl was also ahead of the times when it came to his belief in women’s leadership. He looked up to his wife, his daughters, his spiritual women friends, and he looked forward to finally having a woman president. Until the last days of his life, he was asking if his ballot had arrived in the mail. In his honor, please vote in this pivotal election, and please love and support the women, children, and elderly people in your life.

In an obituary he wrote for himself a few decades before his death, Carl said: “The eternal entity which incarnated as Carl Allen Fairfield willingly dropped his body and entered into his next growth stage after blessing all his acquaintances, friends, and relatives. If he neglected to make amends to any fellow life sojourners, he hopes to do so now in absentia.”

Carl is survived by his wife Ruth Puckett Fairfield, his children Joy Brooke Fairfield (Valentina Perez), Aimee Ziemer Markham (Jay Markham), and Tanya Ziemer Trump, whose dear husband Gordon Trump passed away last October. He is also survived by his grandchildren Miles Markham, Elias Markham, Ian Trump, and Connor Trump (Michelle Dickey), as well as his stepchildren Alan E. Krause (Alice Krause and children), Susan Jenkins (Chad Jenkins and children) and Michael Krause (and family), and his sister-in-law Katherine Kern Puckett Layton.

A memorial ceremony will be held on November 10, 2024 at 3 p.m. at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bayside. Please contact the family for more information. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Food for People, Humboldt County: www.foodforpeople.org.

Michael Keith Murphy
October 6, 1946-September 27, 2024

Michael Keith Murphy died on Friday, September 27, 2024 in Eureka a few days shy of his 78th birthday as a result of a tragic traffic accident. A lifelong Humboldt County resident, Mike was born on October 6, 1946 at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka to Keith and Laurene June Murphy and he was the second of five children in the family.

Growing up Mike loved the outdoors. He enjoyed many summers camping and fishing with family at Burlington Camp Ground near Weott and Redwood Creek. Mike loved to fish on the Eel River and the Van Duzen River and was often the only one to catch a fish. He spent many summers watching his father work as a logger and one of the highlights for him was getting to ride on the big yellow Caterpillar.

Mike inherited his woodworking and “I can fix it” enthusiasm from his father. He was always up for the challenge of fixing a neighbor’s vacuum or repairing any a piece of electronic equipment. Mike also love to make wooden toy cars, bird houses, and picture frames as gifts for the special people in his life. At Christmas time, he would often build wooden toy cars and trucks to be donated to children in the community through the Calvary Chapel Church in Eureka. He was very proud of his accomplishments and always wanted others to be proud of him too. He was truly a patient and kind soul.

Mike loved animals, car races and the SF Giants. Growing up, he was lucky to have a fox terrier dog named, Boy and he also had a great love for his birds. He spent lots of his time at Redwood Acres Raceway where he cheered on his favorite race car drivers. Mike also loved baseball and would cheer on his favorite team, the SF Giants.

On April 23, 2016, Michael was Baptized at the Calvary Chapel Church in Eureka. He gave his heart to Jesus and attended services on a regular basis at the church. We all find comfort in knowing he is resting peacefully in heaven.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents Keith A. Murphy, Laurene June Murphy and sister Carolyn “Penny” Martin. He is survived by his siblings Katherine Lang (Steve) of Great Mills, Maryland, Patrick Murphy (Kristy) of Redding and Laura Suchanek (Brad) of Castro Valley. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

A heartfelt thank you to Derek at Redwood Coast Regional Center and Josh at HCAR Summit Support for their friendship, love, support and patience; the members of Calvary Chapel in Eureka for the spiritual guidance, love and friendship; the kind people at Poletski’s Appliance Center, Eureka Ace Hardware and Eureka Housing Authority whom Mike frequently hung out with. And finally, to all those in the community who touched Mike’s life and made a difference, the family is eternally grateful. Our lives are all richer for having known Mike and we have many wonderful memories of him to hold close to our hearts forever. And, yes Mike, we are proud of you.

A memorial service for Mike was held on Oct 12, 2024 at Calvary Chapel in Eureka and he was laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Eureka.

Those wishing to make a memorial contribution in Michael Murphy’s honor may do so to the charity of their choice or Calvary Chapel Church in Eureka or Humboldt Community Access & Resource Center (HCAR) in Eureka.

Linda was born on August 2, 1952 to Holger and Dora Simonson. She sadly passed away October 9, 2024 losing her battle with cancer.

Linda was raised in Rio Dell, where she went to grammar school and graduated from Fortuna High School. She married her high school sweetheart, Dennis Marks, after he was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1971. They then started their family.

Linda was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother and grandmother. She had a can-do spirit from restoring furniture to remodeling. She was talented at many hobbies including crocheting, knitting, quilting, ceramics and many others. Family was precious to Linda. Her favorite time of the year was Christmas. The Christmas tree hunting escapades were legendary.

Over the years Linda worked for Bertain’s, Bistrin’s Department Store, Redwood Bootery, Coast Central Credit Union and Scotia Elementary School.

Linda is survived by her husband, Dennis, of 53 years, her sons Corey and Matthew, grandaughters Emma Lynn and Covey Aspen, sister Sara Simonson, Brother and sister in law Tim and Melissa Marks, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to give thanks to Dr. Koram and Dr. Richia for the care they provided. To the crew at the hematology/chemotherapy unit at Providence St. Joseph Health. A big thanks to Hospice of Humboldt.

Friends and family are invited to a graveside service at Sunrise Cemetery on Newburg Road in Fortuna on Tuesday, October 22 at 11 a.m. followed by a reception at Loleta Fireman’s Pavilion.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Humboldt or charity of your choice.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Linda Marks’ 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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At a special meeting on Tuesday, the Eureka City Schools (ECS) Board of Trustees will interview five applicants looking to fill a vacant seat for Trustee Area 2. One of the people vying for the position is Eureka City Council Ward 4 candidate Thavisak “Lucky” Syphanthong.

Eureka City Schools’ Trustee Area 2 is the big green section on this map. Click to enlarge.| Image: ECS

Being an avid local volunteer with two teenagers attending schools in the district, it’s no surprise Syphanthong applied for the vacant seat. However, he can’t hold both offices at once. Doing so would conflict with California Government Code § 1099 which “restricts the ability of public officials to hold two different public offices simultaneously if the offices have overlapping and conflicting public duties.”

In an email exchange included in next week’s agenda packet – linked here – Micalyn Harris, executive assistant in the Eureka City Schools’ Superintendent’s Office, said she had discussed the matter with ECS Superintendent Gary Storts and the district’s legal counsel and advised Syphanthong to rescind his application.

“Unfortunately, our Legal Counsel was advised that we should not move you through the possible Trustee 2 appointment process, due to the conflict between the two positions,” the Sept. 25 email states. “He [legal counsel] has advised that since you are mostly through the electoral process for the City Council seat, and cannot take your name off the November ballot if appointed, it would be better to let that process play out without the complication of a conflicting school district appointment.”

“We value your contributions within our community and specifically within Eureka City Schools,” Harris added. “It’s always nice to speak to someone whose reputation precedes them, as is true in your case, as you are well-known and admired within our community.”

In the email exchange, the district’s legal counsel cited the same section of Government Code mentioned above, including a passage stating that “an office is incompatible with another office if one of them has supervisory, auditory, removal, or veto power over the other.” 

“The Attorney General has concluded on numerous occasions that the offices of a school district trustee and a city councilman are incompatible if the two political entities have territory in common,” the email states. “This is quite obvious here, given that your District’s name is the ‘Eureka City Schools,’ and likely the territory of the City and the District are either congruent, or that the territory of one of them is entirely within the other’s territory.”

In a follow-up email to the district, Syphanthong said he would be more than willing to recuse himself from “any decisions having to do with the Eureka City Schools and vice versa” if elected to the city council. Syphanthong emphasized that “there is no guarantee” he will win the election, noting that this is his first time running for office and his opponent Scott Bauer “is still very popular among voters.”

“Couldn’t I still continue with your application process and if I am elected to City Council in November, I would vacate the Trustee Area 2 seat so there would be no conflict of interest?” Syphanthong’s Sept. 25 email states. “But if I were not elected to City Council, then I would be able to accept the Trustee Area 2 seat? I would hate to not get either seats in November when I know I would be one of the best candidates for the Trustee Area 2 seat.”

Harris did not address Syphanthong’s questions in her response but said the school board president and clerk would review the email exchange and let him know how he should proceed. 

Reached for additional comment, Syphanthong told the Outpost he has an extensive history of volunteering for local school districts, including the Cutten-Ridgewood PTA and ECS Citizens’ Oversight Committee. “The opportunity came up so I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring,” he said. “I want to make the school district a better place for not just my kids but all of the kids in Eureka.”

Syphanthong said he would be willing to step down from the school board if he were to win the upcoming city council election but reiterated that his opponent “is still very popular” among Fourth Ward voters.

“Who’s to say that I’m going to win or not,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss the boat on this opportunity.”

There are four additional applicants for Trustee Area 2, including elementary school teacher Tamika Bighead, Yurok Tribe Planner Cynthia Bones, local business owner Wendy Davis and retired school administrator Jan Schmidt.

Former ECS Board Trustee Mike Duncan vacated his position on the board last month before the end of his term. ECS trustees serve four-year terms and may be re-elected to successive terms.

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The ECS Board of Trustees will meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Board of Education for Eureka City Schools – 2100 J Street in Eureka. Click here for the agenda.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• LoCO INTERVIEW: Eureka City Council Candidate Thavisak ‘Lucky’ Syphanthong Talks About His Journey From Laos to America, Tells Us Why He Decided to Run, and Takes a Stand on Measure F
• Eureka City Schools Announces Vacancy on Its Board of Trustees

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From the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – On October 16, a fall-run Chinook salmon was identified by ODFW’s fish biologists in a tributary to the Klamath River above the former J.C. Boyle Dam, becoming the first anadromous fish to return to the Klamath Basin in Oregon since 1912 when the first of four hydroelectric dams was constructed, blocking migration.

The salmon and others likely traveled about 230 miles from the Pacific ocean to reach the tributary only months after four Klamath River dams were removed to ensure fish passage from California to Oregon.

“This is an exciting and historic development in the Klamath Basin that demonstrates the resiliency of salmon and steelhead,” said ODFW Director Debbie Colbert. “It also inspires us to continue restoration work in the upper basin. I want to thank everyone that has contributed to this effort over the last two decades.”

“The return of our relatives the c’iyaal’s is overwhelming for our tribe. This is what our members worked for and believed in for so many decades,” said Roberta Frost, Klamath Tribes Secretary. “I want to honor that work and thank them for their persistence in the face of what felt like an unmovable obstacle. The salmon are just like our tribal people, and they know where home is and returned as soon as they were able,” added Frost.

“c’iyaal’s are culture carriers,” said Natalie Ball, Klamath Tribes Council Woman. “I’m excited for their return home and for us to be in relation with them again.”

Fish biologists have been surveying the Klamath River and tributaries since dam removal as part of the agency’s responsibility to monitor the repopulation of anadromous fish species to the basin in collaboration with The Klamath Tribes.

Mark Hereford, ODFW’s Klamath Fisheries Reintroduction Project Leader, was part of the survey team that identified the fall-run Chinook. His team was ecstatic when they saw the first salmon.

“We saw a large fish the day before rise to surface in the Klamath River, but we only saw a dorsal fin,” said Hereford. “I thought, was that a salmon or maybe it was a very large rainbow trout?” Once the team returned on Oct. 16 and 17, they were able to confirm that salmon were in the tributary.

ODFW, The Klamath Tribes and other partners have been working together on this historic restoration project to monitor Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey once they are able to repopulate habitat above the dams.

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Press release from the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA):

Eureka, Calif., October 18, 2024 - Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), is pleased to share the selection of Beth Burks as the next Executive Director. This significant leadership addition comes just after RCEA celebrated its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of providing sustainable energy initiatives, customer-centered programs, and the advancement of renewable resources for Humboldt County.

With more than 18 years of local planning experience in both the public and private sectors on housing, energy, and transportation-related projects, Burks brings a wealth of expertise to this role. During four years as the Executive Director of the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG), Burks oversaw the update of the Regional Transportation Plan including the adoption of the Safe and Sustainable Transportation Targets and completed two cycles of the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan that brought nearly $20 million in transportation improvements to our region. She also secured grants supporting infill affordable housing, micro-transit, and other initiatives that supported mode shift to active transportation, transit, and transitioning to zero-emission vehicles.

Sarah Schaefer, chair of the RCEA Board of Directors, said Burks brings strong organizational leadership and a clear vision to Redwood Coast Energy Authority.

“With deep local knowledge and a broad strategic perspective, her experience in energy issues, policy, and both public and private sectors make her an ideal fit to lead the organization,” Schaefer said. “Beth is proactive, values communication and transparency, and is committed to amplifying community voices across Humboldt County drawing on her existing relationships and community connections.”

Burks will start her new role in early 2025.

“I am honored to be stepping in to lead the phenomenal team at Redwood Coast Energy Authority. With a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation, I look forward to working with the RCEA Board, staff, and our community to further RCEA’s mission,” Burks said. Burks replaces Interim Executive Director, Eileen Verbeck, who is excited to return to her original role of Deputy Executive Director.

For more information, community members are encouraged to email info@redwoodenergy.org or call (707) 269- 1700.

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PREVIOUSLY: Matthew Marshall to Leave Redwood Coast Energy Authority After 13 Years as Executive Director