Susan Lee Wilson, age 79, died peacefully in Eureka, surrounded by loved ones on Thursday, August 28, 2025. She was born on May 31, 1946, as Susan Lee Hicks in Boston, Mass.

Susan is survived by her sister and brother, her three children and her seven grandchildren. She loved being a mother and a grandmother. 

Susan was in the first graduating class of Goldenwest College in Huntington Beach. So very curious about the world, she later attended Chapman College Afloat, sailing to many countries. She fell in love with Northern California and the redwoods while attending Humboldt State University and graduated with a master’s degree in psychology. She knew Humboldt County was the place where she wanted to settle down and have a family.  

She lived in Humboldt County for over 45 years. 

During her youth, she was sent on some high-profile assignments by various companies she worked for. She once worked in Washington DC and wrote a speech about environmental protections for the president. She also worked for JPL and lived in Iran during the fall of the shah. 

She was an avid cinephile, with movies sparking her interest in many different cultures throughout her life. She would become completely infatuated, learning all the wonderful intricacies of these cultures and sharing the newly found knowledge with so much joy. For a time, it was Egypt with the pharaohs and hieroglyphics (she even learned what the hieroglyphics meant). Then it was Italy, followed by her most prolific obsession, India. 

She had such a fierce adoration of Bollywood movies that it led to her not only traveling across India but also writing a Bollywood screenplay of her own! Written in Stone was her passion project, a story about scientists in India who make a huge discovery. It includes everything she loved about the movies she watched: romance, dance, music, science, and a dash of the supernatural. 

One could say that all the things she loved about the movies she watched was an extension of her parents’ interests. Susan had a love of the night sky and science in general, learned from her father, Gordon Hicks. She also had an encyclopedic knowledge of song lyrics, inspired by her mother and song writer Gloria Chadbourne Hicks, who also loved musicals herself. 

She worked as a registered hypnotherapist, administrator of the senior center and an ordained minister, performing many wedding ceremonies in Humboldt County. Even her jobs spoke to her interests! 

In her retirement and most recently, she went on many RV adventures with her beloved companion of several years, Eric Van Duzer, the biggest one being a yearlong, cross country road trip where she experienced Mardi Gras, visited her childhood haunts, and read Grisham novels aloud with her sweetie along the way. 

Susan believed that there is a spirit world that recycles the life energy of those who pass. So, it is fitting that her final wish was for her ashes to be spread by her family on the Mad River, a summer vacation spot she enjoyed going to with her children throughout her life and a peaceful place where she can rest as one with nature and the world.

We lost a very special lady on October 12, 2025. Helny Younger of Ferndale left this world peacefully in her sleep at age 99, just a few months shy of her birthday in early January.

She was born in Kardis, Sweden, 50 miles North of the Arctic circle on the Swedish side of the border with Finland. Her family consisted of 10 children and their parents, Karl and Hilja Waara. Her father supported the family as a customs and border patrol officer for Sweden, and was especially on the lookout for Finnish liquor smuggling. They also had a small farm with a couple of cows, chickens and grew vegetables to store for the long winters in their cellar.

Mom had her first taste of a foreign language when she went to elementary school and was required to learn Swedish. Her mother was Finnish and the family spoke Finnish at home. She also learned English and German at school.

She had to travel to a larger town at middle-school age, Haparanda, where she lived with a family and attended school. Unfortunately the family had contracted T.B. and she got it as well. One of the young girls in the family was Mom’s best friend and died from the disease, as did the rest of the family eventually. Her father Karl got her out of the home when he found out what was happening, but Helny was hospitalized for several years at a sanitarium for Tuberculosis patients. She said she learned some hard lessons about life there when she’d make friends and the disease would take them. She joked at home that all the X-rays that she had should make her glow in the dark!

Eventually she got the OK to leave and got a job in Stockholm and lived in a small apartment with some of her brothers and sisters in the Swedish capital,where she worked processing immigrants into the country as WWII had ended and many people were looking for a new home, as theirs had been destroyed by war.

Her older sister Margit had moved to the US, met an American and married. They sponsored her to come to America. She was determined to have transportation so had her bicycle shipped for a hefty fee and a lot of “who would do that” comments when it was spotted in the ship’s hold. She kept quiet.

Her first job in America was at Macy’s basement in New York City. When asked where something was located and she didn’t know she simply sent them to the top floor of the building. This usually worked, but when it didn’t she said she hid in the back room away from the angry customer.

After a couple of jobs in New York City she decided she wanted to travel across the country to meet a cousin in Eureka, so she took the train against the objections of her sister’s husband and made it safely to Eureka.

She got a job working in an office as a secretary for an engineer at Simpson Timber Company.

People were continually setting her up on blind dates and she met her first husband on one, Jim Albert of Ferndale. Jim was a partner in the small Ford dealership in Ferndale and the joke was that he was an oil man — automobile oil, that is. Her first reaction was that he wasn’t her type. After many dates later that changed and she decided to marry Jim. They had two children together, Wesley and Anita. When Jim became ill with heart disease he pushed her to attend College of the Redwoods and took some classes himself. She graduated with an AA in German.

She continued her education at Humboldt State University, when that was its name, taught English as a second language in the evenings, and earned her Masters degree.

She worked for many years teaching ESL — English As A Second Language — at Humboldt State to students from around the world.

After retirement from Humboldt State’s ESL program she spent several years traveling with her daughter, Anita and tending her large flower garden in Ferndale. She got interested in a new adventure at sixty-five years old and joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Bulgaria to teach English. In Bulgaria she met a retired shoe company executive, Don Younger, and came home with a second husband. They spent their time doing volunteer work with the Retired Executive Corps in Panama and Russia after the Soviet Union was dissolved, and Traveling around the country with their fifth wheel trailer.

Their happiness was cut short when Don contracted cancer and died relatively rapidly.

Mom could always be counted on when something was needed. She was famous for her Sunday breakfast of platter “Swedish Pancakes.” She also loved her flower garden and domestic and world travel.

She’ll be greatly missed by all who know her. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Wesley and Audrey Albert of Grants Pass, Oregon and grandson Mark Albert of Ferndale. She also has a brother Erling Waara in Kardis, Sweden. She had many nieces and nephews in Sweden and the U.S.

In lieu of flowers a memorial to Hospice of Humboldt, Doctors Without Borders, or a charity of your choice is suggested.

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Anyone?

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Former Sun Valley Property Fails to Sell at Auction This Morning

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Earlier today, a real estate broker named JoAnn Wall reached out to the Outpost. She said she had been reading old articles about the collapse of Sun Valley Floral Farms on our site, and she had an idea: Maybe we knew of some community non-profit organization or something that might want to buy that land from her client?

We asked if she would like us to share her query with the Outpost readership, and she conferred with her colleagues and decided that would be good. She composed a statement for us to print.

That statement is below:

My name is JoAnn Wall and I am an agricultural real estate broker with Legacy and Land Group. Alongside my partners at Cushman & Wakefield, we represent Store Capital, the current owner of the former Sun Valley Greenhouse facility in Arcata. As many in our community know, this property has seen better days. Even prior to foreclosure, the site has not received the care or attention that it deserves for many years, and it currently stands at a crossroads.

Yet, in that challenge lies an extraordinary opportunity.

The property’s scale, location, and history make it uniquely suited for a new chapter that could serve the public interest for generations to come. Whether restored as open space, repurposed for habitat restoration, transformed into a community agricultural hub, or used for another conservation-minded purpose, this site holds meaningful potential to contribute to the health and vitality of the North Coast region.

With this in mind, we are actively seeking productive conversations with local, state, and national conservation organizations, land trusts, environmental partners, and community stakeholders who may share that vision and have funding available to purchase this property. Our goal is to identify an ownership or stewardship path that prioritizes long-term benefit to both the community and the surrounding natural environment.

If you, your organization, or someone you know may be interested in exploring what is possible here, we would be grateful to connect. Collaboration, creativity, and local insight will be key to shaping an outcome that reflects the values of Arcata and Humboldt County.

This property is at a moment of reset. With the right partners, it can become something positive again. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your care for this property.

JoAnn C. Wall, Broker
805-591-0577 cell
joann@legacyandlandgroup.com

PREVIOUSLY

• Arcata May be Restricting its Rules on Public Comment at Wednesday Meeting

Arcata’s city council meeting stretched ‘til almost 11 p.m. last night as dozens of residents showed up to complain about proposed changes to the city’s rules on addressing the council. 

City staff recommended that the council alter the City Officials’ Protocol Manual to eliminate a public comment period early on in the meeting and require commenters to show up at the meeting in-person, nixing the option to call in and talk on the Zoom livestream. 

After an hour and a half of deliberations and feedback from the public, the council decided they wouldn’t make either of those changes, though they did decide to add a city manager’s report to every council meeting and rules for kicking out disruptive audience members, as well as a few other minor procedural alterations. 

City staff and the council members had had some gripes with the Zoom commenting. Commenters would sometimes speak multiple times under different aliases; some city employees privately blamed it for fostering a culture permissive of anonymous personal attacks on other commenters and policy-makers alike; and some city staff and at least one councilmember, Mayor Alex Stillman, said she didn’t like how many of the Zoom commenters focused on global politics instead of city-related issues. Because Arcata is home to fewer than 30,000 people, city hall doesn’t have to offer a televideo conferencing option after SB 707 passed last month.

Zoom commenting is, however, an easy way for people with disabilities and time constraints to share their thoughts, an opinion shared by the many who spoke against the suggested alterations. 

“Going forth with banning Zoom is a load of shit, any way you slice it,” said one in-person commenter. “By definition, there will be people who cannot get here under any circumstances that will be censored entirely.”

“Getting rid of Zoom? Bad idea,” said another. “Come on. I think almost all of you realize what a really, really bad anti-democratic look that would be…We want you to look good! We love the stuff you do for the city! Keep doing it!”

City manager Merritt Perry said in an interview with the Outpost this morning that, as one of the staff who suggested the changes, he had mainly hoped to stop people from talking multiple times and to encourage commenters to be a little more respectful of other speakers and city officials, as well as to make relations between the council and the public more personal. However, he said that his mind had been changed by the public who showed up to argue in favor of Zoom, and thought the council ended up making the right decision.  

“I think it was a mistake to include that, and I think the community made a lot of incredibly good points about how Zoom is important for accessibility, how there’s a lot of people who can’t make it to the meetings,” Perry said. “I think I was really focused more on what some of the benefits would be but not focusing on how important it was to other members of the community who really need that platform to get to our meetings. I think it was a mistake to include that.”

Update, 11/7: A quote from a commenter has been updated to include the word “almost.”

PREVIOUSLY

• Following Misconduct Complaint, Supervisor Bushnell Hires Private Attorney to Challenge the County’s Investigation Process
• Humboldt County Supervisors May Remove Bushnell as Chair and Censure Her for Mistreatment of Employees
• TODAY in SUPES: Board Censures Bushnell, Removes Her From Chair Role and Asks Grand Jury to Review the Board’s Own Code of Conduct
• Supervisor Bushnell Posts Public Statement Following Yesterday’s Censure of Her Behavior

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In early May, just a few days after a pair of employee complaints were filed against Humboldt County Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, a committee of senior administrators urged her to step down from her role as board chair while a third-party investigation was conducted.

She declined, opting to remain in the position for nearly six months. On Tuesday afternoon, her fellow supervisors censured her for her behavior and voted to remove her as chair.

The suggestion to step down, which was made by Human Resources Director Zach O’Hanen, County Administrative Office Elishia Hayes and Interim County Counsel Scott Miles, was sent to Bushnell via email on May 9. A copy of that email was included in a batch of documents released to the Outpost this morning in response to a California Public Records Act request. 

The email explains that Bushnell had been accused of violating the board’s Code of Conduct and Ethics and the county’s Abusive Conduct Policy. Per the rules in the former policy, a committee comprising O’Hanen, Hayes and Miles reviewed the allegations and determined that a formal, third-party investigation was warranted. (That investigation concluded that Bushnell had indeed violated the board’s Code of Conduct on May 5 when she yelled and cursed at county employees.)

The committee urged Bushnell to do two things while the investigation was under way:

• step down as chair, and
• limit communication with her accusers to email for the duration of the investigation.

The email explained that this request was being made due to “the nature of the alleged conduct, need to ensure employee wellbeing, and potential liability to the County of Humboldt caused by this incident.”

I called Bushnell this morning to ask why she didn’t step down as requested. She said that after receiving the email, she reached out to O’Hanen to ask about protocol in such situations.

“I asked Zach if I had to [step down]; he said ‘no,’” Bushnell said. “I said, OK, I’m going to choose not to, because this is not the norm for me. I don’t react this way.”

Bushnell then predicted that I would bring up the 2022 incident that likewise resulted in a sustained finding of misconduct, but she reiterated that she felt confident this time around that she could remain in her position as chair without any problems.

Regarding her behavior on May 5, Bushnell said, “There were reasons. And I’m human. And I recognized right away I was emotional and got upset. And I knew I would not have that [kind of] interaction with [those employees] again.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson brought up the committee’s recommendations, saying, “one of them was partially done and the other was completely ignored.” He suggested that Bushnell should have followed the group’s advice. “We are responsible for maintaining a safe working environment, free of threats, free of violent behavior,” he said. “The employees are scared.”

I asked Bushnell about the “partially done” comment. Did she refrain from direct communication with the employees who’d complained? She said she didn’t know what Wilson was talking about. She also took issue with comments Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone made during Tuesday’s meeting about having witnessed from Bushnell “similar behaviors towards staff, the public and community partners.”

“I have no idea what he was talking about,” Bushnell said. “Not one time did my board members come talk to me.”

Bushnell, as previously reported, has retained a private attorney to challenge both the investigation process and the resulting findings. She said two of her colleagues on the board agreed with her that the investigation process spelled out in the Code of Conduct is flawed, which is why they referred the matter to the Civil Grand Jury.

“How do you have three people on a panel where I’m one of their bosses? How difficult for them is that?” Bushnell said. “Then, when the investigation [results] came, there was one part I didn’t agree with. I said, ‘How do I appeal?’ and they said there’s no way. I said, ‘That’s not due process. That’s not fair.’ So I elected to continue being the board chair, knowing this is not how I treat people. I knew that I could be fine and they, ultimately, the employees and I were fine. We’ve been fine for five months.”

Attorney emails

The documents released to the Outpost this morning also include emails between Allison Jackson (the private attorney Bushnell hired) and Savana Jefferson of the firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, who is representing the county in this dispute.

On Oct. 2, Jackson had a letter hand-delivered to the county. It argued, as Bushnell has, that the investigation process “does not contain adequate due process protections.” Her letter argued that Bushnell should be provided with a full copy of the investigation report, rather than a mere summary. In a subsequent letter, Jackson argued that Bushnell has a constitutional right to call and cross-examine witnesses, present evidence and make arguments.

Jefferson replied to Jackson on October 16, saying in an email:

The County is under no obligation to release the investigation report as it is confidential and protected under the attorney-client privilege. Moreover, Supervisor Bushnell was afforded full due process during the investigation. She was notified of the allegations, provided the opportunity to respond, and met with the investigator to present her account and any supporting information. The investigation was conducted by an independent, neutral investigator retained by the County to ensure a fair and impartial process. The County did not direct, control, or influence the investigator’s findings or conclusions in any way.

While your client may disagree with the outcome of the investigation, the County stands by the integrity of the investigation and its results. The Code of Conduct and Ethics does not provide a mechanism for the respondent or subject of a workplace investigation to appeal or otherwise challenge the findings of a neutral investigation. The Code of Conduct and Ethics requires only that the Board member be notified of the allegations and provided an opportunity to respond.

Press release from the U.S. Postal Service:

The Eureka Post Office, located at 337 W Clark St, Eureka, CA 95501 inducted Letter Carriers Dustin Roberto and Steven Abrams today into the prestigious National Safety Council Million Mile Award.

The Million Mile Award is a lifetime enrollment, awarded to letter carriers, rural carriers and truck drivers, who have a safe attitude that entails driving for one million miles or 30 years without a preventable incident. They receive a plaque which bears the Million Mile Club emblem, the NSC logo and an engraved personalized nameplate.

Dustin Roberto, a Veteran and Letter Carrier for 35 years received recognition and entry into the program just ahead of his retirement on November 14.

Steven Abrams began his postal career 32 years ago in Los Gatos before joining the Eureka station where he has served for nearly the entirety of his career for 31 years.

The secret to staying accident-free starts with having the right mindset, “Eliminate the distractions in the driver cabin while driving. To me, safety means working in a safe manner that protects not only myself but my coworkers so we can return to our families every day,” said Abrams.

Roberto emphasized it is key to “always take the time to be safe.”

Driving a million miles safely is commendable.

To add perspective, the moon is 238,900 miles from planet earth. Driving one million miles is the equivalent of doing that journey more than four times, all without a moving violation or accident, while maneuvering hazardous road conditions, gridlock, rural terrain, and avoiding careless drivers along the way.

“Our postal drivers take safety very seriously,” said Eureka Postmaster Heather McTigue, “this truly remarkable achievement demonstrates how postal employees continue to deliver on the promise of delivering their best every day with care, courtesy and concern for the safety of others.”

Safe Driving Habits Start with Good Training

Driving for Postal Service is a privilege. All drivers must demonstrate safe-driving practices throughout their careers. Behind-the-wheel job candidates undergo rigorous screening, training, and certification process to earn credentials to operate a right-hand drive postal vehicle.

From Centro del Pueblo:

The Fortuna to Eureka Procession is a long-distance community walk that raises awareness about the human rights of migrants in Humboldt County. By symbolically connecting Fortuna, home to the largest Latine community in the region, with Eureka, where the courthouse and essential services are located, we highlight the disparities and the urgent need for protection and dignity for migrant families.

This walk is a public statement in action that migrants deserve spaces free of violence. Every year we demand the closure of detention centers, the reunification of separated families, and the full implementation of sanctuary protections. Centro del Pueblo leads to affirm our collective presence in public space and to say: We are here to stay!

How You Can Help

1. Food & Welcome Space

• Provide food along the walking route
• Help prepare the welcome space at our office on Broadway Avenue

2. Materials Needed

• Banners and signs
• Whistles
• Volunteer to transport butterfly wings to Pearson’s
• Rain ponchos
• Volunteer to transport food and water during the walk

3. Transportation & Safety

• Rides from Arcata, McKinleyville, or Eureka to Fortuna
• Volunteers to drive walkers’ cars from Fortuna to Eureka (to reduce fatigue after 8+ hours of walking)
• Car escorts for safety
• Police liaison for de-escalation
• Community members willing to join the walk or help monitor safety via our chat

If you want to support, please text 707-683-5293 or email info@cdpueblo.com.