###

The county government recently started requiring volunteers at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter to sign a new liability waiver. Spokespeople for the county and the Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the shelter, say it’s a fairly standard legal document, similar to ones used by other government agencies, including Cal Poly Humboldt. It was implemented at the suggestion of the Risk Management Division. 

But nearly a dozen volunteers reached by the Outpost say the legal language of the waiver is far too broad: They’re being asked to assume risks that rightly belong to the county, they say, and forcing them to sign it has left them feeling insulted and unappreciated.

And yet, while they’re reluctant to sign away their legal rights, given the risks of working with animals at an aging facility in dire need of repairs, they’re also aware that if they refuse, they won’t be allowed to volunteer anymore, which will negatively impact shelter staff and animals. They feel trapped.

“The waiver relieves the county of any responsibility and puts it all on us,” a volunteer named Lucy Rapp told the Outpost. “Right now, I feel disrespected and unsupported by the county.”

Sandra Spalding, who has volunteered at the shelter for nearly 20 years, said she doesn’t blame shelter manager Andre Hale. 

“I mean, this is not coming from her; it’s coming from people that just have absolutely no connection, no concern at all about the dogs and cats,” she said. “This feels like a slap in the face to all of us.” 

Mara Segal is a director at the nonprofit Redwood Pals Rescue, which works hand-in-hand with the shelter, where she serves as the main volunteer coordinator. In a recent phone interview, Segal said the work of Redwood Pals and shelter volunteers is responsible for keeping the animal euthanasia rate at the shelter far below the statewide average among government-run shelters.

“We make those dogs adoptable so they don’t have to euthanize them,” Segal said. 

When she read over the two-page liability waiver, she was struck by provisions requiring volunteers to assume the risks not only of their own actions, but also risks stemming from “the condition of the facilities, equipment, or areas where the events or activities are being conducted.”

That strikes her as unfair given the state of the place. Segal said ceiling tiles have been dropping for years, two rust-eaten lampposts in the parking lot have fallen down, and there’s always an element of risk when handling animals, especially when many of the current staff members are new to the job. 

Segal said she’s the baby sister of a couple of attorneys, one of whom reviewed the waiver and advised her not to sign it. But that puts Segal in a tough spot.

“I’m the volunteer coordinator,” she said. “I’m the person who is supposed to tell new volunteers to sign this [and] explain to them why this is a good thing. I can’t do that. … My upbringing says you don’t compromise on something that’s really wrong.”

Janine Melanson agreed. She and other volunteers have decided that they can’t sign the waiver in good conscience.

“Others will put themselves at financial and physical risk and sign because they cannot walk away from the care of the animals,” she said in an email. “This volunteer work is something I’ve wanted to do for years — finally in retirement I have the time and energy. As I’ve spent time there, it has become very important to me. I am disappointed and sad that now I feel like I am being threatened (sign or ELSE) and pushed away by this waiver.”

Melanson typically volunteers one day per week, and today is her usual day. But this morning she reached out to let the other volunteers know she won’t be there.

“This waiver situation has me tied in knots,” she told the Outpost. “I need to step away for a bit. I hope I will be back.”

###

Volunteers contribute so much time and effort to the Humboldt County Animal Shelter that when last year’s Civil Grand Jury investigated operations at the facility, its ensuing report recommended that the county establish an annual Volunteer Appreciation Day. 

The Grand Jury report says volunteers collectively donate an average of 400 hours per month to the shelter, socializing, walking and training the animals so that they’re happier, healthier and more suitable for adoption.

Segal told the Outpost that in recent months the shelter has been short-staffed, and most of the employees who are there are new. So volunteers have carried an even heavier load, donating more like 800 hours per month — equivalent to five full-time employees.

The Grand Jury report mentions a long list of deferred maintenance and safety concerns at the 20-year-old facility. “The delay in fixing the roof and outdoor lighting fixtures have created unsafe and unhealthy conditions for the staff, the volunteers, and the animals,” the summary reads. Its recommendations include finishing a reroofing project by the end of this past October and replacing and repairing the outside lighting before the end of the year.

Shelter volunteer Josh Solomon looks back on that report with bitterness.

“It seems like the county’s response to the grand jury report, which rightly recognized the importance of the volunteer group and also the need to maintain the premises properly, was to have us all sign a waiver which says that they do not need to maintain the premises properly,” he said in an email.

The waiver describes itself as “a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law.” It requires volunteers to acknowledge, “I understand that I am giving up substantial rights, including my right to sue,” while paradoxically making them promise to reimburse the county for any legal actions they might bring against the county.

Honsal

Late last month, Segal sent an email to Sheriff William Honsal, expressing her objections to the waiver and telling him that it will drive away some of the facility’s best volunteers. At least a dozen other volunteers have sent similar messages to Honsal, county supervisors or both, she said. The Outpost has reviewed a number of these emails.

One, sent to Honsal by volunteer Christina Paleno Ericksen, says, “Our shelter provides a vital link to what makes us a civil society — care for creatures who have been neglected or abandoned and cannot care for themselves.”

Honsal wrote back, saying, “I understand that the new volunteer liability form has caused frustration among some of our long-term volunteers. Please know that I understand that frustration, and that your feedback has been heard.”

His email goes on to say that the county will not automatically deny claims brought by volunteers who’ve signed the waiver.

“Each situation will continue to be reviewed and processed through the County’s normal claims procedures, including those involving potential negligence,” he says. “The purpose of the waiver is to protect the County and by extension, the shelter and its programs, from unfounded or unjustifiable claims, while ensuring that everyone clearly understands the nature of their volunteer service.”

The county’s Human Resources Department produced a Frequently Asked Questions document for volunteers to review. It says, “Waivers are standard practice for cities and counties throughout California,” adding, “It’s not about blame or fine print — it’s about being transparent.”

If a volunteer is injured on or by county property, the FAQ document says the situation will be “reviewed and addressed appropriately per County rules and procedures.”

It goes on to say that formal language is necessary because the waiver is a legal document designed “to meet insurance and risk management requirements.” Furthermore, it is similar to waivers used “across California for volunteer programs involving animals, outdoor work, or community service.”

The FAQ responses strike a placating tone.

“We appreciate that you are taking the time to read it thoroughly and ask these important questions before signing,” it says. “[T]his underlines your serious commitment to volunteering.”

We compared the Sheriff’s Office’s liability waiver with a few others. It is indeed quite similar to the one required of volunteers at Cal Poly Humboldt (link), which says “this document is written to be as broad and inclusive as legally permitted by the State of California.” CPH’s waiver likewise makes volunteers promise not to sue over the conditions of the premises where they work.

But other agencies are less restrictive. Mendocino County, for example, requires volunteers to fill out an application, but it doesn’t require them to sign a liability waiver. 

Humboldt County Public Information Specialist Cati Gallardo said the county has several different volunteer waivers that are tailored to specific volunteer programs. 

“Whether a volunteer is participating in a lower risk activity, like helping at library events, or a higher risk activity, such as working at the animal shelter, they are asked to sign the appropriate waiver, so they understand the typical risks associated with their role,” Gallardo explained.

Last week, Lt. Jesse Taylor with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office told the Outpost via email that more than 70 animal shelter volunteers have signed the waiver. [CORRECTION: Taylor was referring to volunteers from across multiple Sheriff’s Office programs, not just the animal shelter.]

A few of the volunteers we interviewed mentioned a serious incident from last year in which a volunteer was viciously attacked by a dog. His injuries required multiple surgeries, which were covered by the county’s workers’ compensation insurance, they said.

Mara said she asked county staff directly whether this new waiver was introduced in response to that incident and was told it was entirely unrelated.

We asked Gallardo whether the waiver was prompted by any legal action against the county, but her emailed reply to several questions didn’t address that one specifically.

The volunteers we spoke with said that their work at the shelter used to feel like a valuable gift to the community and to needy animals, but the waiver requirement has made them feel like they’re being exploited.

“It seems like if we were to sign something like that, then at least there should be adequate staffing and proper maintenance to actually make sure that the volunteers and everyone else there is safe,” volunteer Ana Zurawski said in a phone interview. 

“1 also feel it is inherently UNFAIR to expect the volunteers to provide free labor, often doing the same job as staff would, but not be covered for any accidents [and] not being willing to accept any liability,” said nine-year volunteer Ellen Monterie in a letter scanned and emailed to the Outpost.

Another volunteer, Danielle (who asked us not to use her last name), said the county’s liability waiver is probably not legally enforceable. “Case law pretty well establishes that public agencies can’t ask other people to be liable for their negligence,” she said.

Regardless, the county has shown no signs of backing away from the requirement. The note below is now posted in the volunteer room at the shelter.

###

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

###

California State University’s trustees will vote tomorrow on whether to increase how much the system’s 22 campus presidents and other senior executives earn, potentially paving the way for up to 15% in annual incentive-based raises paid for by philanthropic funds and base salaries that reflect how much presidents at similar universities earn.Exact numbers aren’t available; those will be revealed during tomorrow morning’s board meeting. Committee members will discuss the matter and decide on whether to advance the idea during a scheduled vote before noon. The full board will vote on the measure in the afternoon. The plan will kick in the next year or two. No executives will receive raises under the proposed plan this year.Several hundred unionized staff and faculty rallied outside the board of trustees meeting today, raging against the proposed executive raises at a time of budget austerity, layoffs and program cuts.

“I am mad,” said Erin Foote, a union board member for California State Employees Union, during the rally. The union represents 35,000 office and student workers. The union is in a dispute with the system over additional raises of roughly 3%. “We are going to knock the doors of our legislators so hard there will be holes in them until they stand with us in their budget negotiations,” she said, and vowed to organize for a governor who’d replace Cal State’s chancellor and appoint more union-friendly trustees.Average base pay for campus presidents currently is $453,000, ranging from $370,000 to more than $500,000, system data show.Under the compensation plan, raises to executive base pay would be part of overall wage increases for Cal State workers. That’s in addition to the 15% incentive-based bump to base pay executives would be eligible for.The criteria for receiving the 15% increases hasn’t been finalized, said the system’s interim chief financial officer, Patrick Lenz, in an interview last week. The chancellor’s office will need a year or two to work on that, he said.

The plan would depart from Cal State’s previous standard of capping base pay of presidents at a salary that’s no more than 10% above what their predecessors made. That plan, last updated 18 months ago, “inappropriately prevents the CSU from offering competitive compensation” to presidents who can lead large universities, the chancellor’s office staff wrote for the board meeting agenda item.

High-ed landscape in turmoil

The overhaul comes at a time when the system is hurting for cash and is also contending with epochal challenges to higher education as the Trump administration seeks to claw back billions in funding to universities and challenge long-held academic freedoms at campuses.

Last month Cal State pushed through initial hesitation to seek a $144 million zero-interest loan from California lawmakers, a financing deal the Legislature permitted to compensate for an equally sized cut to the system’s state support this year. System leaders say they want to use the money to offer pay raises to unionized workers and other staff, including senior executives.

And Cal State is expecting smaller increases in state support than lawmakers initially signalled. The Legislature intends to increase state spending for Cal State in 2026-27 by just $101 million — far lower than previous promises from Gov. Gavin Newsom of about $250 million.

That’s upset some system trustee members, who say they OK’d raises for workers — many who went on strike for higher pay — and other spending increases based on those promises.

Cal State explains need for plan

In explaining the increased executive compensation proposal, a senior Cal State official said few individuals have the experience and skill set to run campuses with budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We want people in these positions who will ensure that a campus’s fiscal condition is spot on, that they’re trying to meet enrollment challenges, that they’re dealing with the overwhelming fact that the state’s going to be hard pressed to invest in higher education over the next couple of years, and the federal government is decimating us,” said Lenz.“These are the people that we need to come in and help us get through these really tough times,” he added.

Cal State in the last four years increased staff and faculty pay by 17%, Chief Human Resources Officer Frank Hurtarte told CalMatters last week. He said campus presidents saw a 7% raise in that time span.The faculty union calculates that presidential pay has grown 81% in the past two decades even as inflation grew 63%.While typical executive pay is several times what it is for faculty and staff, the vast majority of the system’s spending goes toward pay for workers who aren’t executives — $5.6 billion, or 73% of the system’s budget, wrote Jason Maymon, a Cal State spokesperson, in an email.Executives — the systemwide chancellor, campus presidents and vice chancellors in the central office — collectively earn $18 million, or .25% of the Cal State operating budget, Maymon wrote when asked. That’s about as much as the chancellor’s office cut from its budget this year, part of a systemwide effort to slash costs, including letting go of some lecturers.

Hurtarte pointed out that nationally about 30% to 40% of campus presidents left their jobs in the past 24 months. Cal State has six campuses with president vacancies, he noted. There’s both a lot of churn in the campus presidential job market and competition to fill vacancies.Margarita Berta-Ávila, president of the California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 members, said in an interview that the executives have mismanaged state and tuition money and don’t deserve raises anyway. Some faculty don’t earn enough to afford rent in expensive cities, she said.

“It’s unconscionable that they’re even talking about (the raises) when you got people living in cars,” she said. She’s also upset that leadership at Cal State Los Angeles shared faculty names and other personal information with the federal government as part of an investigation into alleged antisemitism. The union has sued the Cal State board of trustees.

Pay plan details

Executive compensation under the proposed plan would have four components: base pay, standard executive health and retirement benefits plus housing and car perks for presidents, a new deferred compensation plan and the possibility of the annual pay rising by as much as 15% after a performance review.

While the base pay, like much of Cal State’s budget, would be paid with tuition and state revenue, the extra 15% would be funded with campus philanthropic efforts. Each university has a fundraising arm and they’d be expected to raise the money to supplement presidents’ pay, Lenz said.That fundraising money will also go toward the new deferred compensation program, basically an additional retirement account for executives at nonprofit or governmental organizations, such as universities.Cal State wouldn’t be alone in paying campus leaders with private funds. At the University of California, several campus heads, called chancellors, have a portion of their salaries paid with outside funds.

“Compensation decisions must also be fiscally prudent, align with the CSU’s public mission, and be made within the constraints of available funding and budget priorities,” the agenda item says.Under this plan the systemwide chancellor will propose raises each November for board approval.

The new compensation plan seeks to better attract and retain campus presidents by offering new presidents and other executives a base salary that reflects what peer universities pay and the skills the candidate brings. Those peer institutions include the public college and university systems in New York, Texas State University and the UC, Maymon wrote.

Under the current policy, raises for incumbents are also no higher than 10%. They kick in only after a satisfactory employee review and an analysis of whether the executive was underpaid relative to other presidents across the country. This approach “constrains competitiveness and adds administrative burden,” the agenda item says. The 10% cap for incumbents would also sunset in favor of the eligibility for annual 15% incentive pay.

Today was an historic day, friends. Two and a half years after Humboldt officials posed with those goofy golden shovels at the groundbreaking ceremony for the long-planned Indianola Undercrossing, LoCO finally got to live the dream: cruising a beater ‘99 Mazda Miata — top down, naturally — across the freshly opened southbound lanes of the project while listening to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” (mostly drowned out by the wind).

All of this on the same day the House voted to release the Epstein files? Wowza. We livin’.

Anyway, that’s done. Take in a few seconds of Humboldt Bay from a slightly higher vantage point than you’re used to seeing it in the clip above and dream about your own trip. 

PREVIOUSLY:

• Construction of Indianola Undercrossing and Other Safety Corridor Improvements Set to Begin This Spring
• 75 Trees Cut Down Along the Arcata-Eureka Safety Corridor in Preparation for Indianola Undercrossing Construction
• Caltrans Breaks Ground on Indianola Undercrossing and Half Signal at Airport Road
• Caltrans Completes Phase 1 of Indianola Undercrossing Project; New Traffic Restrictions to Take Effect Next Week
• Underpass Update! Caltrans Issues Video Update/Explainer on Those Big Pillars They’ve Built Near Indianola

###

For a place that prides itself on living close to the land, it’s strange that it has taken Humboldt County this long to develop a burial option that returns our loved ones to the Earth in an environmentally sustainable way, free from the chemicals and pollutants used in modern burials.

For many, modern burial practices — which have ironically come to be known as “traditional” — feel sterile and unnatural. Arcata resident Michael Furniss wants to change that through his nonprofit Sacred Groves, an eco-friendly “green conservation” cemetery nestled in the oak-studded hills of Kneeland.

“One of the things we want to make a contribution to is shifting American burial culture toward a more natural approach … that is as helpful to grieving families as it can be,” Furniss told the Outpost. “Cultural change is something we’re looking toward, not just this one facility. This is something that can be done, that people want and need, and it should become more available so that people have that choice, right?”

As you might guess, “green” burial is a natural approach to interment that forgoes chemical embalming, plastic liners, impermeable caskets and concrete vaults to encourage natural decomposition. In a green or natural burial, the body of the deceased is often wrapped in a cotton shroud or encased in a simple wicker casket. Everything that goes into the ground is biodegradable.

Up until the mid-19th century, natural burials were standard practice in the United States, with most families opting to bury their loved ones in modest family plots or churchyards. Modern embalming practices came about during the Civil War era as a means to preserve the bodies of fallen soldiers long enough for their remains to be transported and returned to their families for proper burial. Embalmers learned they could make a decent profit preserving bodies, and eventually it became the de facto method in the U.S. 

Green burials have grown in popularity in recent years as people look for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint, even in death.

Traditional burials use an estimated 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid each year, along with 20 million board feet in hardwood for caskets and 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete, according to an August 2025 report from U.S. Funerals Online. While cremations have a lesser environmental impact, the report notes that cremations are still responsible for nearly 700 million pounds of the nation’s annual CO₂ emissions.

“The standard practice of embalming people [uses] very toxic materials, and a lot of people aren’t interested in that,” Furniss said. “A lot of people like [the idea] of going back into nature and having your remains nourish an ecosystem. It sounds good to us. It’s very ‘Humboldt’ and we’re trying to provide that option here.”

‘I had this aspiration to create a tree-based cemetery’

Earlier this month, the Humboldt County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for Sacred Groves’ 40-acre cemetery, located on a sprawling ridgeline parcel owned by the Eric and Mary Almquist Trust. The cemetery will accommodate both single and family plots, allowing a maximum of 120 graves per acre, each with an accompanying tree. The cemetery will also accommodate people wishing to spread the ashes or compost of a loved one. 

The vision for Sacred Groves stems from an experience Furniss had while studying soil science and plant nutrition as a graduate student at the University of California, Berkley in the 1970s. Sitting outside of the university’s agricultural building on a drizzly afternoon, watching raindrops fall from the sky and disappear into the ground, Furniss found himself thinking about death.

“I thought, ‘When my time comes, I want to be in the root zone of a redwood!’ That sounds nice, you know?” he said. “I was always sort of on the side, looking for a cemetery where you could be planted under a tree, and I never really found anything. There are some minor exceptions, but basically, it wasn’t available. So, I had this aspiration to create a tree-based cemetery.”

Decades later, Furniss would coin the term “entreement,” which he describes as the “placement of individuals in the root zones of the trees, where their remains quickly ascend into the trees and other plants to nurture and nourish the environment above and around them.” Through “entreement,” Furniss aims to restore the oak woodland native to the region.

After working on a green burial site down in Sonoma County —  which is still in the works — Furniss proposed a similar idea to Eric Almquist, founder and owner of the Almquist Lumber Company, and the pair got to work on a plan for a cemetery in Kneeland.

“I knew Eric was a real conservationist, and I knew he had some land, so I took him to coffee one day and asked [if he was interested],” Furniss said, noting that Almquist had used the land to grow hay in recent years. “As most ranch owners are, he’s always looking for sources of revenue that are not extractive [and] leave the land intact. He kind of brightened up and said, ‘Yeah, this sounds really interesting,’ and we just started working on it.”

Not wanting the cemetery to be a “money-making venture,” Furniss and Almquist agreed to form a nonprofit and assembled an 11-person board of directors to oversee operations, many of whom have backgrounds in conservation or end-of-life care. 

[CLARIFICATION: Furniss contacted the Outpost following publication to note that the Sacred Groves nonprofit was formed “years ago” with a two-person board. Almquist is an independent landowner partnering with the nonprofit, but he is not a board member.]

Through the environmental review process required for the county-issued permit, Furniss was pleased to find that the Kneeland property has “particularly good soil” for decomposition.

“When we looked at the Kneeland site, it has everything,” he said. “There are places where you don’t want a cemetery, you know, with sandy soil that’s close to water. … When we went out there with an excavator and dug up some soil, I was super excited … [because] it’s a really suitable site. It’s on a ridge top, and there are no streams anywhere nearby. There’s no groundwater because there’s no recharge area until you get down the slope a ways.”

The Planning Commission agreed with Furniss’s environmental assessment of the site. The only issue raised by commissioners was about the proposed depth of the graves, which was set at 18 inches, the minimum depth required by state law. 

Speaking at the Nov. 6 meeting, Commissioner Jerome Qiriazi asked if it was up to the county to “ensure that desecration doesn’t happen, or is that solely a liability for the property owner?” Staff said the matter was considered during environmental review, and the applicant had agreed to a utility easement as a condition of approval, which would prevent utilities from digging up potential gravesites in the future.

Staff also assured commissioners that animals digging up human remains buried at the recommended depth is virtually unheard of. Furniss agreed.

“When I first heard about the 18-inch depth minimum, I was like, ‘That’s not enough, animals will dig you up.’ … But it turns out animals don’t dig you up at that depth for a variety of reasons,” Furniss said. “One is that animals didn’t evolve with food being down there at that depth, and digging is really hard. Also, a decent topsoil is very good at capturing smells.”

“If there’s any animal interest or any digging at all at the site, we’ll respond to that right away,” he added.

The cemetery will begin facilitating burials in a few months, after a few legal and contractual matters are settled, Furniss said. As of this writing, more than 500 people have already contacted Sacred Groves to inquire about green burials and start planning their own plots subscribed to Sacred Groves’ emailing list.

Several people spoke in favor of green burials during the public comment section of the recent Planning Commission meeting, including Dr. Rebecca Stauffer, a former public health officer and board chair for Sacred Groves. 

“The minute I learned about this possibility … I have been so enthusiastic about the thought of the cleanest, greenest, and really most beautiful way to bury our loved ones,” Stauffer said. “I have been the chief thorn in Michael’s side for years to keep this project going.”

Rick Littlefield, owner of Eureka Natural Foods, acknowledged the irony in green burials as a “new” approach to death rituals, given that natural burial has been around since humans started burying one another.

“It’s the oldest thing on the planet, and it’s ironic that it seems like it’s sort of a new age thing because the way we’re doing things now is the new thing,” Littlefield said. “This would be going back to the old thing.”

‘Think about your death every day’

Before closing out our interview, I asked Furniss if creating Sacred Groves and talking to new people about natural burials had altered their — or his own — perspective on death. He acknowledged that the death of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences a person can endure, but felt a more holistic approach to end-of-life services — “one that is connected with nature, love, community and beauty” — can help ease the grief.

“We’ve seen that in other tree-planting ceremonies I used to do without burial, where we planted a tree in memorial to a person, and it’s usually quite helpful to the family,” he said. “That last memory that you have with that person, that should be something that is positive and affirming.  … And as the Buddhists say, ‘Think about your death every day.’ … Recognize that that’s going to happen, and it helps you to live more fully.”

Dr. Lois Anne Cook (née Simmons), age 76, passed away on November 3, 2025, in Eureka, California. Born on October 22, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lois lived a life defined by service, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to healing.

Lois pursued her medical education at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed her residency in pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Her commitment to public health led her to serve as a Fellow in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control from 1985 to 1987, where she focused on the epidemiology of birth defects and developmental disabilities.

Her career was marked by a deep devotion to children and families. From June 1988 to June 1999, she served as a developmental pediatrician and multidisciplinary team leader for the United States Department of Defense’s Exceptional Family Member Program. In this role, she worked tirelessly to ensure that military families with special needs children received the support and care they deserved.

In June 2001, Lois founded Comprehensive Pediatric Care, P.C., where she served as owner and pediatrician until May 2013. Her practice was not just a place of medicine but a sanctuary of hope for countless families. She later continued her work as a developmental pediatrician at Open Door Clinic from June 2013 to July 2014 and then as a pediatric hospitalist at Mad River Community Hospital beginning in October 2015.

Lois also gave generously of her time as a mentor with the Meritius Foundation, helping guide and inspire future generations of caregivers and leaders. Her professional life was a testament to her belief that every child deserved not only medical care but also affirmation, encouragement, and love.

Outside of her professional accomplishments, Lois lived with profound spiritual depth. Her spirituality transcended any single tradition — it was an ever-present force in how she moved through life, treated others, and found meaning in both the ordinary and extraordinary. Whether hiking with her beloved dogs Lulu and Muzzy or listening to meditation books through her earbuds, she found peace and purpose in nature and reflection.

Every day, rain or shine, she walked Lulu and Muzzy at the dog park near her home in McKinleyville. During blackberry season, she would return from those walks with bags full of berries she had picked along the way — simple joys that reflected her deep connection to the world around her.

Lois was an avid reader with an extensive library that reflected both her intellectual curiosity and spiritual journey. She inspired countless people to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. Through her example, she showed that anything is possible when guided by love, faith, and determination.

She leaves behind her daughter Jennifer Paris; her sister Jeanne; and brothers Leon, John, Mark, and Joe. She was preceded in death by her daughter Marian Jessica Cook and brother Danny.

Lois’s legacy lives on in the lives of those she touched — patients who felt truly seen and heard under her care; colleagues who were uplifted by her wisdom; family members who were nourished by her love; and friends who were transformed by her presence.

She was truly an instrument of God — relentless in her pursuit of healing, committed wholly to service, and gifted with one of the most compassionate hearts imaginable. She gave selflessly — never hesitating to offer help or comfort — and never stopped searching for answers when it came to those under her care.

May her memory bring comfort to all who knew her and continue to inspire those who follow in her footsteps.

###

Richard Wilmer McDowell, aged 88 years, passed away peacefully on November 15, 2025.

A Fortuna resident for over 22 years, Richard originally hailed from Marion, Iowa. He and his wife Lee lived and worked in Southern California before moving to Fortuna in retirement.

Richard was a US Navy veteran, a teacher of Spanish and Social Science, an artist, a musician, a doer of good deeds nd a connoisseur of free time.

He was an avid ukelele player and taught ukelele classes at the Fortuna Senior Center. He also emceed the Fortuna Senior Center “Open Mic” events for five years. He was a birder and he and his wife participated in the Blue Bird recovery program in Orange County. As a skilled model boat builder he was recognized and awarded at the Humboldt County Fair.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ligia “Lee” McDowell; his son, Richard E. McDowell and his wife Jessica; daughter Maria “Maggie” Gray; grandson Amir Gholizadeh and his finance, Stephanie Valle and granddaughter, Sarah Reyes; and his sister, Pat Wiedenman of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

He loved his family, and Fortuna, very much.

###

William C. Landergen, Sr. — “Cowboy” — age 86, of Mad River, passed away September 17, 2025 in Eureka following a brief illness. His final days were spent with family and friends.

Bill was born May 31, 1939, the only child of Gene and Nevada Landergen. Honeydew was home, where he spent his time with his many cousins hunting, fishing and discovering his love of cars.

Bill attended local schools, graduating from Fortuna High School in 1956. In 1957 he joined the Navy and returned to Fortuna in 1959 to marry his “Miss Ornery” Marilyn Mastel. Bill and Marilyn were married for 60 years at the time of her passing in August of 2019. They raised their five children in the Humboldt/Trinity County area with Bill working as a truck driver for many years.

Driving for so many years Cowboy made friends from across the country. He would regularly keep in touch and check up on his family and friends, his calls will be missed.

Bill and Marilyn loved dancing, watching their kids compete in various sports and participating in car shows. His 1951 Chevy sedan was a source of pride and working on it a favorite hobby. They loved their car show family.

Bill is survived by his children Robert E. Landergen of Mad River, CA, Robin L. Landergen (Allyson) of Ogden, UT, LaDonna K. Haga (Gary) of Honeydew, CA, Gary F. Landergen of Jackson, CA and his daughter-in-law Mandy Landergen of McKinleyville, CA also his brother-in-law Arthur Mastel (Liz) of Medford, OR, as well as 7 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandson. He will be missed by numerous other family.

Two days of thunder and lightning following his passing was a sign to his family that he had been reunited with those who had passed before him and the party had begun. Welcoming Bill home, his wife Marilyn Landergen, parents Gene and Nevada Landergen, in-laws Robert and Eva Mastel, son William “Cully” Landergen Jr, grandson Gary “Bub” Haga Jr and brother-in-law Robert Mastel.

Please join the family on Sunday, December 7th at 1 p.m. for a Cowboy Celebration at the Fortuna Veterans Building. If you have it, western wear would be appropriate and appreciated. Come prepared to share your best stories about Cowboy. If you’re not comfortable sharing in person, an audio recording on your phone could be shared. A potluck will follow, sandwich fixings will be provided, bring a side dish to share if you are so inclined.

###