Press release from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office:
On
May 2, 2023, defendant Jason Miller, age 42, pled guilty to voluntary
manslaughter for the April 15, 2021, killing of Kiera Foley, age 32,
in Eureka. The defendant also pled guilty to assault with a firearm
on a second victim, and assault with force likely to produce great
bodily injury on a third victim.
Miller.
After
entering his plea, the defendant met with the Humboldt County
District Attorney’s Criminal Investigations Division to provide
information about the location of Ms. Foley’s remains. In
collaboration with the Eureka Police Department, operations were
conducted to recover Ms. Foley’s remains at a location on the
outskirts of Eureka. The recovery was completed on May 10.
Ms.
Foley’s family has been notified and will soon be provided with the
opportunity to lay her to rest.
The
Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office would like to give
thanks and recognition to our local Humboldt County K-9 search and
rescue dog teams; the Cal Poly Humboldt Anthropology Department; the
CA Department of Justice; and the Eureka Police Department, for their
assistance with this recovery.
On
August 24, Miller is expected to be sentenced, pursuant to agreement,
to serve 25 years in prison.
Tribal leaders with the Trinidad Rancheria appeared during Tuesday’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting to call for an apology from Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Steve Madrone for the “disparaging” and “discriminatory” comments he made during a meeting attended by both Madrone and rancheria representatives last year.
In that meeting, Madrone had drawn false distinctions between the legal status of “rancherias” and “tribes,” for which he later apologized.
A subsequent investigation into the matter determined Madrone’s comments did indeed violate the board’s Code of Conduct, in that the supervisor did not explicitly say that he wasn’t speaking for the whole board, but “there [was] no credible evidence” that his comments constituted as a “verbal attack” against the Tribe.
The board spent over an hour discussing the allegations and exploring ways to improve the county’s relationship with the Trinidad Rancheria, but it all came down to one question: Should the board censure Madrone? Ultimately, the board decided not to.
(“Censure” often gets mixed up with “censor,” but the two words have very different meanings. According to Merriam-Webster, to “censor” means to remove, block, or interfere with the communication of another. To “censure” means to find fault with and criticize as blameworthy.”)
Speaking on behalf of the Tribe during Tuesday’s meeting, Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Chairman Garth Sundberg asked the board to “confirm the rights and status of federally recognized tribes,” adding that “all federally recognized tribes have equal status and standings.”
Sundberg
“As you are aware – and documented by the investigator – Supervisor Madrone’s ongoing words were ill-advised to Trinidad Rancheria and all rancherias in Humboldt County, and we believe they were discriminatory,” Sundberg said. “Also, [Madrone] failed to identify that he was not representing the board in the meeting. We are tired of Madrone discriminating against Trinidad Rancheria, our projects and sending the wrong message based on hearsay and lies.”
Sundberg also requested that the board remove Madrone from the Project Development Team (which is comprised of tribal members, Caltrans staff and other stakeholders) for the Trinidad Rancheria Access Improvement Project.
Reading from a prepared statement, Madrone apologized to the Trinidad Rancheria for any hurt his remarks may have caused. “I recognize and support that all federally recognized Indian tribes – including the Trinidad Rancheria – possess equal rights and status under the federal and state law,” he said.
Madrone
Madrone admitted that he “did not explicitly state that the individual opinions and positions I offered at the March 29, 2022 meeting did not express the opinion of the entire board,” which a third-party investigation found to be in violation of Section B.9 of the board’s Code of Conduct.
“I recognize that as a board member, I should represent the official policies and positions of the entire Board of Supervisors to the best of my ability,” he continued. “When presenting our own individual opinions and positions, we shall explicitly state they do not represent the opinion of the entire board, and I failed to do that in that meeting. So I apologize for that.”
Speaking during public comment, Trinidad Rancheria Vice-Chair Robert Hemsted asked why it took so long for the board to address the Tribe’s concerns.
“We reached out with a letter [in June of 2022], we didn’t receive a response for an additional six months after we sent an additional email in a second letter [in December],” he said. “I was questioning why that took so long for the Board of Supervisors and the county to decide to respond to a sovereign nation and another government-to-government consultation, or to any questions really.”
Hemsted noted that rancherias “have much broader repercussions throughout the state,” adding that there are still “an estimated 40 rancherias” in California. “A lot of them changed their names through the BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] and went to ‘tribe’ because of these misunderstandings and accusations that were made against them, that belittles them and makes them something less than even though the Indian Reorganization Act states that they are equal.”
Trinidad Ranchera Tribal Councilmember Aprilsky Hemsted took issue with the fact that the March 29, 2022 meeting was recorded without the Tribe’s knowledge. She asserted that there is “a common understanding” that participants in a public meeting should be informed when a meeting is recorded.
The recording of the meeting was used as evidence during the third-party investigation into the issue and contributed to the investigator’s finding that Madrone’s comments “were found to be lawful, civil, politely articulated, not directed at a specific person, not a ‘verbal attack,’ and did not constitute ‘unsubstantiated allegations’ as that term is defined,” as stated in the Executive Summary of the investigation.
Jacque Hostler-Carmesin also took issue with the recording and said it “should have been brought forward immediately,” adding that “Caltrans has a policy of not recording” its meetings.
“So why is it that Supervisor Madrone and two people from Westhaven recorded the meeting [and] did not share that with the rest of us?” she asked. “What was the driving factor behind that and why bring it out in the end? You know that that’s not appropriate. It’s disrespectful to the Tribe.”
Hostler-Carmesin asked the board to replace Madrone on the Project Development Team for the Trinidad Rancheria Access Improvement Project due to his previous interactions with the Tribe. She asserted that Madrone “does have a conflict of interest” in the matter because he owns land in Westhaven and has allegedly tried to stymie “all of the developments that the Trinidad Rancheria is doing.”
The investigation did not identify any credible evidence that Madrone’s comments during the aforementioned meeting “sought to advance any ‘private or personal interest’ or otherwise constituted a conflict of interest with his duties as a Supervisor,” as stated in the Executive Summary.
Westhaven resident Elaine Weinreb came to Madrone’s defense and disputed any allegations of racism against the supervisor. She acknowledged the disagreement between Madrone and members of the Rancheria during last year’s meeting but said, “At no point were bad words said.”
Turning back to the board for discussion, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson questioned the investigator’s interpretation of the board’s Code of Conduct. Specifically, Wilson criticized the “real-life application” of the second sentence of Section B.9 which states: “When presenting their individual opinions and positions, Board members shall explicitly state they do not represent the opinion of the entire Board.”
“That means that in every conversation we have with family members – whether we’re on the radio, whether we’re in the public at any time – we would have to differentiate explicitly whether our opinion about something is our own or the board’s,” he said. “That is just, it’s not practical in the way that we communicate in the community and it’s not necessarily an expectation.”
Wilson suggested the board consider an amendment to the Code of Conduct to address the discrepancy during a future meeting.
Shifting away from the nitty-gritty of county policy, Wilson agreed that Madrone’s comments made during the Project Development Team meeting “were both inaccurate and offensive.”
“And I don’t make that determination,” he said. “Trinidad Rancheria really makes that determination. We don’t decide for others what is offensive. … We basically do our best to not be offensive in our words and then adjust – not just our attitudes and understanding – but our overall arc towards understanding … both through education and really soul searching. You just have to do it and it’s a constant internal battle that all of us have.”
Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell echoed some of Wilson’s comments about the Code of Conduct and agreed that it should be revisited in the near future. Bushnell also apologized to the Trinidad Rancheria for the hurtful comments its members had endured.
“I was in a similar position – not that I offended the tribe, but I offended someone – and it’s difficult to sit up here and to admit that and to say I’m sorry,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to you all for coming and for bringing this out.”
Bushnell noted that the letter sent to the Board of Supervisors in June 2022 had somehow “slipped through the cracks” and she apologized again “for not seeing it sooner and reacting to it because this could have gotten solved much sooner.”
Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, appearing remotely via Zoom, offered her explicit affirmation of the Trinidad Rancheria’s tribal sovereignty, noting that all federally recognized tribes, including rancherias, hold the same rights. “I also am truly sorry that this harmed the relationship between our governments and I look forward to upholding sovereignty and working effectively together in the future,” she said.
First District Supervisor Rex Bohn, sitting in as board chair for the conversation, acknowledged the sincerity of Madrone’s apology and said, “I can’t vote for censure.”
“The only reason is, it doesn’t mean diddly,” he continued. “And I just hate that we do stuff up here that doesn’t mean diddly. Censure doesn’t do anything but censures ‘em. [Madrone] has taken his whoopin’ up here today. … With that apology, I heard Supervisor Madrone say he was going to try harder, I don’t know if that means to be more welcoming to ideas coming from the Rancheria or just sorry for what has happened in the past, but that’s what he has to decide.”
None of the board members spoke in favor of publicly censuring Madrone. There was talk about removing him from the Project Development Team, as the Tribe had requested. The board also explored the creation of a separate ad hoc committee to improve government-to-government relations with the Trinidad Rancheria.
County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes reiterated that the only action the board could take on the matter, as stated in the Code of Conduct, would be to censure Madrone. Noting that none of the board members seemed interested in taking that route, Hayes recommended the board simply decline censure.
After a bit of additional discussion, Wilson made a motion to decline to censure Madrone. Bohn seconded the motion. The motion passed in a 4-0 vote, with Madrone abstaining.
###
Other notable bits from the meeting:
The board received an extensive presentation surrounding the county’s proposed Comprehensive Tobacco Retailer Licensing Ordinance. The ordinance seeks to further state Senate Bill 793, the Flavored Tobacco Ban. The board passed the item in a 5-0 vote. The ordinance will be adopted on July 1.
The board also received an update from local childcare providers on the Childcare Stabilization Fund program, funded largely by the American Rescue Plan Act in response to a critical loss of childcare providers following the COVID-19 pandemic. The board accepted the report.
The board unanimously agreed to bestow the name Salamander Creek to a previously unnamed stream that flows into Mill Creek near McKinleyville. Kent Sawatzky, a member of the public and frequent commenter at supervisor’s meetings, found the increasing prevalence of naming and renaming historical monuments and landmarks to be “disturbing.”
In a similar move, the board approved a request from John Porter, owner of the Benbow Inn, to change the name of Lake Benbow Drive to Benbow Inn Drive. Wilson spoke fondly of summer days spent at Lake Benbow as a kid, including the time he learned he was allergic to paper wasps on his sixteenth birthday, which apparently landed him in the hospital. “There’s a bit of irony on this because I have memories associated with [the lake] that I attached to the name [of the street], and I might proclaim that there’s erasure of that history by changing the name and yet here we are doing it and with without much fanfare,” he said.
It was something of a bombshell announcement, by the modest standards of local health care news, when a press release dropped at 5 p.m. Monday stating that after 50-plus years as a standalone institution, Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata is set to be acquired by a hospital management company called Southwest Healthcare Services, LLC.
We still don’t know much about Southwest beyond what’s in the press release and official government filings: Incorporated in Arizona, the LLC operates a health care network managing Pacifica of the Valley Hospital and the Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center, both located in the San Fernando Valley. Southwest also has plans to open some recently closed hospitals, according to the release.
Precious Velvet Mayes | Image via LinkedIn
Oh, and the CEO of Southwest has a truly exceptional name: Precious Velvet Mayes.
Time will tell whether this deal goes through and, if it does, what impacts the new management will have on Mad River Hospital’s care and services. For now, the Outpost wanted to learn more about the fabulously named Mayes beyond the accolades mentioned in the press release — 25-plus years in the health care industry, awards for business and community leadership, a cover story in Insights Success magazine’s “Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2020” issue.
As it turns out, Mayes has embarked on some fascinating professional endeavors beyond hospital administration.
For example, if you’re a fan of Popstar! TV’s streaming soap opera “The Bay” (and who isn’t?) then you may recognize Mayes from her Season 7 guest star turn as the saucy Dr. Belinda Kenway. If you missed that somehow, you can watch some brief clips of her performance in the following YouTube video:
Or maybe you caught Mayes alongside B-movie stalwart Eric Roberts in the 2021 holiday film “The Magic,” in which she plays lawyer-slash-“hard boss lady” Donna Carrington.
Mayes is active behind the camera, too, producing or executive producing the above-mentioned projects as well as an upcoming adaptation (?) of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” As a co-executive producer on “The Bay,” Mayes earned a 2021 Daytime Emmy nomination. In an interview with Digital Journal, Mayes said she was also nominated as part of the show’s writing team, adding, “I love and have a passion for writing, so I look forward to putting out a ton of more content in this digital era.”
What else, you ask? Well, Mayes operates SheMogul Media, LLC, a multimedia company that, according to its website, operates as a “full service marketing agency” while also delivering “high quality media” in the realms of radio, television, digital programing and films. The company also put on at least one big live concert event at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater outside Las Vegas.
Here’s Mayes being interviewed by KUTV Las Vegas alongside Grammy-winning R&B legend Chaka Khan ahead of that Labor Day 2021 concert.
“SheMogul Media, really, we bring music and artists as great and phenomenal as Chaka to the inner city and the cities out there that really need healing through this pandemic that we’ve gone through, but also that we can actually create an experience, an intimate experience with love and healing out there … ,” Mayes said.
Speaking of the music industry, SheMogul’s entertainment empire expanded in 2021 when Mayes agreed to pay $315,000, outbidding another company to acquire KKCA-FM 95.7, an FM radio station outside Bakersfield.
The station, which offers a steady mix of old school and new school “adult rhythmic” hits, has since been rebranded “Radio Precious.”
During a recent interview with a maniacally exuberant co-host on a lifestyle talk show called “Good Day Live With Michelle and Kyle,” Mayes described herself as a “serial entrepreneur” who was excited to build a woman-owned radio station. (She added that her daughter runs it.)
At one point in the interview, co-host Kyle Trueblood asks Mayes whether she’s finding more passion in showbiz than in her hospital work, and Mayes says no.
“So my 100 percent passion in life is running and operating safety net DSH hospitals,” she said, referring to Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospitals, which receive government subsidies for serving a significantly disproportionate number of low-income patients. Mad River Community Hospital is one such facility.
“The type of hospital I actually operate is an inner-city hospital,” Mayes says. “I go into the poorest communities, and we literally go in and we serve the poorest of the poor in the community, the underserved, the vulnerable, the homeless, the mental health component and all of that. So my passion for that is making sure that these hospitals,No. 1, thrive, strive and we open more, because it is so needed in L.A., in the state of California and nationally.”
As far as we can ascertain, none of the facilities currently operated by Southwest Healthcare Services, LLC, are located in the inner city. Pacifica of the Valley hospital is not far from a golf course in the Sun Valley neighborhood, a community “known for its overall youthful population and moderate racial diversity.” Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center is in the suburban neighborhood of Sylmar.
When Co-host Kyle commends Mayes for running a really tight business, she corrects him.
“Actually, DSH hospitals are not moneymakers,” she says. “We are funded by the state and federal government, so we barely hang on.”
She talks about the strain of the pandemic, during which Pacifica served as a regional surge center, and says showbiz provides a much-needed creative outlet.
“I love what I do, but there’s an element of stress in what I do every day,” she says. Regarding her entertainment-related endeavors, Mayes says, “To be able to have that … and then deliver that passion through a character — whether it’s production or content or the acting — I love it.”
According to Monday’s press release, Mad River Community Hospital has signed a non-binding letter of intent, with both parties set to perform due diligence in an effort to reach a “definitive agreement.”
If the deal falls through, maybe Mad River Community Hospital can at least land a guest spot on “The Bay.”
I have chronic
illnesses and am disabled. I am one of the fortunate ones that has
insurance, support from my family, and a long-term nurse practitioner
to act as my primary care. Recently, they referred me to four local
doctors for tests, pain and injuries. One of these referrals was able
to schedule me for a test. Their first available appointment was in
September. Two other offices have told me that they received the
referrals but couldn’t estimate when I might be seen. Their
schedules are full; they will call me when they can make me an
appointment. One of the offices denies receiving the referral, even
though my primary says they have faxed it to them twice. I do not
know when I will receive the care I need.
Recently, a
friend of mine had a concerning lab result and was told they would
need further testing to rule out cancer. However, the first
appointment they could get for the additional testing was three
months out. Imagine three months of waiting to see whether you had
cancer or not.
Being disabled
comes with its own issues. I would challenge every business owner and
store manager to navigate the aisles of their stores, restaurants and
offices as if they were physically disabled. Can you reach the top
and bottom shelves while using a mobility aid – walker, cane,
crutches, wheelchair? Are there sufficient riding carts for people to
use? Will those riding carts fit down the aisles and take corners
without knocking over product? Are your bathrooms ADA compliant? Can
a customer in a wheelchair navigate between tables in a restaurant?
In a theatre? An office building?
Some of these
issues are not covered by law. For instance, stores are not required
to provide riding carts. However, if an aging population cannot
comfortably and reliably use your business, they will go elsewhere.
That means more online shopping and more home delivery, which leads
to less money in the local economy.
It also means
that older people are becoming more isolated. And being isolated can
lead to more injuries and illnesses. And so the circle turns again,
to the fact that there is insufficient health care in our county.
Humboldt County
is a wonderful place. I feel fortunate to have been raised here and
continue to be glad that I can live in such a beautiful place. But I
often feel forgotten and neglected. As society works towards
inclusion for all its members, please don’t forget that you
will also be old one day. Is this the future you want? Will your
needs be provided for?
A state Senate bill that would expand workers’ compensation coverage for California first responders experiencing post traumatic stress — aimed at addressing what Cal Fire officials call a mental health crisis — has cleared its first legislative hurdle and been sent to the Assembly.
Authored by Sen. John Laird, a Salinas Democrat, the bill is one of a growing number of state initiatives attempting to address the cause of mental health struggles and the difficulty first responders encounter when seeking medical care through state-run insurance.
The bill would extend by seven years a provision in existing state lawthat says PTSD qualifies as an occupational illness that is covered by workers’ comp for firefighters, police and other first responders. The extension would last through Jan 1, 2032, rather than expiring in 2025. The bill also would add more categories of dispatchers, peace officers, investigators and public security officers in claims for psychological injury.
“Trial by Fire,” a series of CalMatters stories published last summer, revealed how overwork and distress from intensifying wildfires have left Cal Fire crews with increasing PTSD, suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems. Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler told CalMatters that the department faced a mental health crisis and called it his top priority.
Cal Fire does not track suicides or PTSD among its ranks, but many firefighters and their supervisors told CalMatters that the problems are rampant, and described their trauma in detail. Stress from long hours and dangerous work triggers health problems, excessive drinking, drug use and marital discord among firefighters, experts say.
Laird said the CalMatters series “set the context” for his bill and other efforts to address the mental health crisis among first responders. The state has already agreed to a union contract that would reduce Cal Fire firefighters’ 72-hour workweeks to 66 hours beginning in late 2024.
The state firefighters’ union has long called for legislators to plug gaps in workers’ comp coverage that make it difficult for them to receive robust mental health care coverage.
This bill, SB-623, would be a first step toward doing that. But some issues facing first responders are more nuanced and difficult to legislate: encouraging them to report their struggles, while ensuring that their jobs are not threatened. And expanding Cal Fire’s accountability and improving its data reporting, while maintaining individuals’ medical privacy.
The bill “moves things in the right direction,” said Tim Edwards, president of Cal Fire Local 2882. “We support any bill that would bring awareness and funding to help fight the growing number of calls for help.”
Edwards added that other core issues, such as work hours and the lack of treatment centers for mental health issues, still need to be addressed.
The bill passed the Senate on a floor vote of 35-0 on Monday and now moves to the Assembly.
Laird said state officials are reluctant to write checks to fix a problem they cannot quantify, making it critical that first responders share their PTSD experiences with legislators as evidence of the extent of the issue.
“The difficulty has been that the governor wants to know that this is, in fact, necessary,” he said. “We are working with professional firefighters to compile data and first-hand stories. Our goal is to demonstrate that this is vital. That was the thing that was missing, the data.”
Laird said lobbying efforts from the first responders groups were effective because they included personal stories from workers suffering from PTSD and other mental health illnesses. “It makes a difference,” he said. “People can relate.”
The proposed legislation recognizes the stress experienced by dispatchers and 911 operators who may not witness accidents or fires but nonetheless experience trauma and may want to seek counseling.
To qualify for workers’ comp coverage under existing law, a mental health disorder must be diagnosed and cause a disability or need for medical treatment, and the employee must “demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence” that on-the-job events were the main cause.
Opposition to the bill comes from a coalition of workers’ comp organizations and the state Association of Counties. They say psychological problems are difficult to diagnose and their origins tricky to pinpoint, setting a high bar to ascribe trauma and PTSD as a workplace injury.
“There is no objective basis to evaluate the operation of current law, the need for this expansion, or the impact of stripping away protections for taxpayer funded public entities,” the group told the Senate.
According to an analysis by the Senate Appropriations Committee, “extending coverage of presumptive injuries…would likely result in increased workers compensation costs. The magnitude is unknown.”
The bill’s sponsors are the California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association, the California Professional Firefighters, the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.
In remarks submitted to the Senate, California Professional Firefighters, which represents state and local fire agencies, said occupational stress among their ranks is well-documented, and that “repeated and chronic exposure to traumatic events and critical incidents increases the risk for post-traumatic stress and other stress-induced symptoms.”
###
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Brian
Harper died unexpectedly, with loved ones at his side, on Friday,
April 28, 2023. Brian was born on August 25, 1957 to James and Eileen
Harper. His childhood was spent in Allenhurst, New Jersey with his
five siblings. After graduating from Ocean Township High School,
Brian bought a one way ticket to California. He never looked back! He
spent time with his brother Kevin in Santa Cruz, and also with his
brother Jim in Florida. After his stint in Florida he made a decision
to get back to California and ended up in the Kettenpom area, where
he married Lynne Stephens and his beloved son Zuma was born.
Brian
and Zuma were devoted to one another, working together at Brian’s
business and living on adjacent properties. When Brian was diagnosed
with cancer a few months ago, Zuma made his Dad’s comfort and care
his highest priority.
Brian
owned and managed Specialized Woodworks, which he established on the
premises of Dazey’s Supply in 1986. His growing business brought him
to larger quarters in Redway. A highly skilled artisan, Brian created
specialty cabinetry and custom woodwork pieces, and installed
kitchens as well as commercial and domestic infrastructure. Many
homes and businesses in our area display the results of his design
and skill. Brian used his business as a nexus for community
development, generously donating to many community and nonprofit
events and productions. He got along very well with our community’s
younger generations, and made himself and his workshop available for
youth work experience programs, involving South Fork High School
students who were interested in woodworking, guiding them toward good
work habits, and sharing his skills as a fine craftsman.
Brian
was dedicated to the idea of personal participation in building our
community. He was a longtime volunteer at People Productions and the
Mateel Community Center’s Reggae on the River, working with Roger
Safier, who became one of his close friends. Brian was great friends
with David Thomas and Karyn Lee Thomas and the late Harold Mendes,
and Harold brought Brian into Rotary. Brian became President and
service co-chair of the local Rotary in 2013-14. He was proud of his
Paul Harris Plus-One status in the organization, which is awarded for
philanthropic and service contributions. Brian’s longtime dear friend
Peter Connolly brought him into the Redway Volunteer Fire Department,
where he was trained by Ernie Branscomb. Brian’s natural leadership
abilities brought him to the position of Assistant Chief,
a
position he held until his retirement in
2022.
Brian gave many years of service as a volunteer and board member at
Heart of the Redwoods Community Hospice. He was one of the famous
Flaming Chefs of our hospice’s Taste of the Cove, Barbeque and Brew
and other events. He was always one of the earliest to arrive,
setting up tent pavilions and tables, starting the barbeques and
cooking the food, and was always one of the last to leave after
taking down and stowing all the equipment. He hosted and participated
in Thursday Night Poker with a multi-generational group of friends, a
regular gathering that took place for decades.
Brian’s
dear friend and companion Randalyn Perkins introduced him to the
adventures of international travel, and they enjoyed many trips in
the company of close friends, including Karyn Lee Thomas and David
Thomas, Brian and Robin Elie, Peter and Debby Connolly, and others,
visiting Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, Italy and South Africa
with them. In their company, he learned to appreciate fine wines and
the best quality liquors, which he enjoyed for the rest of his life.
He loved his visits to Mexico and returned to that culture many times
over the years.
Brian
was the center of a circle of companions, many of whom developed
their own connections through their relationship with him. A person
of great charm and charisma, Brian loved to laugh and was famous
among his friends for his dry wit. His smile could light up a room.
He had a gift for making people feel valued and recognized. No matter
where Brian was on any day, whether it was Specialized Woodworks,
Signature Coffee, or his favorite restaurant, the Lost Frenchman,
people would stop by for a chat.
Brian
is survived by his beloved son Zuma, and his siblings Kevin, Doug,
Joann and John and their families. He was a favorite with his many
nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his oldest brother
Big Jim and his parents. Brian’s extended family includes Kathleen,
Josh, Laura and Selena Sweet; Stephen Dazey; his dear friends Keith
Gifford and his wife Kazumi and their daughter Namiko; Peter, Debby
and the Connolly family; David Thomas and Karyn Lee Thomas; Roger
Safier; Randalyn, Jake and Aaron Perkins; Brian and Robin Elie; his
long time neighbors in the Kettenpom area and Redway, and throughout
Southern Humboldt and beyond, more friends than can be named. We will
miss him for the rest of our lives.
A
public memorial and celebration of the life of our cherished friend
and community member will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday,
June 10 at a location near Garberville. Light fare,
non-alcoholic beverages and mixers will be provided; you are invited
to bring your own alcoholic beverage to share. Brian never said “no”
to dessert, and guests are invited to bring a potluck dessert to
honor that sweet tooth. Volunteers to help with different parts of
the memorial will be gratefully welcomed. Please text (707) 923-2890
to RSVP, let us know the number of attendees in your party, whether
you can join a crew, and to receive directions.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Brian Harper’sloved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Edmond “Tooter” Ray Thompson June 15, 1951 - April 17, 2023
On April 17, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. we had to bid farewell to our loving
husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend Edmond Ray Thompson
(better Known as “Tooter”). Tooter passed away peacefully
surrounded by family at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka.
Tooter was born on June 15, 1951 in Ouachita, Louisiana and he moved
to McKinleyville at the age of 3 with his mother and four siblings.
He spent most of his childhood hunting, fishing, skating and riding
bikes with friends. In 1970 at around age 19 he began working for
Simpson Timber Company pulling green chain until eventually operating
a forklift; which remained his position until he retired at the age
of 62 in June of 2013.
Through a majority of his adult life Tooter spent his time away from
work hanging at the local bars acting somewhat rowdy with his
brothers and pals brawling with any and all who came knocking for
trouble. He also enjoyed fishing the ocean very much for halibut,
lingcod, rockfish, salmon, etc… pretty much if you can name it he
liked to catch it. He would even make a few trips to Alaska to chase
the halibut and salmon of the last frontier. Tooter was also very
passionate about hunting each season: stomping through the woods or
driving through the hills with his son, nephews, and pal Danny
searching for that next buck to fill the freezer. In his later years
these drives would come to be his favorite pastime and he loved every
minute he spent off the grid just searching for wildlife.
In 1979 Tooters daughter Toni was born. Then in 1980 he married the
love of his life, his wife Tina, and his son Jared was born in 1989.
Soon after the birth of his son his rowdy ways mellowed and he
focused on spending time with family and teaching his son those life
lessons that his son still uses to this day.
Tooter was preceded in death by his mother Adele, sister Olafey, and
four brothers Hilton, Connie, Morris, and Donald. He is survived in
death his brother Wayne, his three sisters Wander, Gloria, and
Imagene, his wife Tina, son Jared, Daughter Toni, Granddaughters
Meghan, Nicole, and Krista, and multiple nephews nieces in laws and
many, many friend around the county and afar. If you knew Tooter his
friends were his family as well.
There will be a small celebration of life potluck at the Moose Lodge
in McKinleyville on June 10, 2023 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. in the picnic area in
the back. All are welcome so come pay your respects, bid your
farewell, and have a good time remembering Tooter for the wonderful
person he truly was.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Tooter Thompson’sloved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
