2 minute read
In memOrIam
George H. Weyerhaeuser Sr., longtime former leader of Weyerhaeuser Co., Seattle, Wa., passed away June 11 at the age of 95.
The great-grandson of founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser and a graduate of Yale, he was president and CEO from 1966 to 1991, and continued to serve as board chairman through 1999.
Jimmie Doyle “Jim” Merchant, 81, former owner of Mill Valley Lumber Co., Mill Valley, Ca., died May 15 from Alzheimer’s disease.
After attending Jackson Business College in Mississippi, Jim moved to Marin County, Ca., and joined Mill Valley Lumber Co., working his way up from bookkeeper to sales, assistant manager, manager and eventually owner. After eight years at the helm, he sold the yard to the Cerri family in 1998 and retired to Roseville, Ca.
He was a past president of the Lumber Merchants’ Association of Northern California.
John Wesley Reger Jr., 62, VP of operations for Wildwood Trading Group, Tualatin, Or., passed away June 11, two months after suffering a massive stroke while visiting a sawmill in Tacoma, Wa.
After years spent with Buckeye Pacific, Far West Fir Sales, Willamette Industries, Hampton Lumber, and ultimately Pacific States Veneer, John helped found Wildwood in 2018.
He also owned his own winegrower, BoyDog Ranch & Vineyards, Wilsonville. Or.
Barbara Williams Stratton, co- owner, office manager, and bookkeeper for Save-On Hardware & Building Supply, Garden Grove, Ca., died April 22 at the age of 85.
William Homer “Bill” Gregory, 87, founder of Gregory Forest Products, Glendale, Or., died June 1.
He graduated from the University of Washington in business administration, and then served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960 as Lieutenant JG. He joined the CPA firm Arthur Andersen & Co., where he was promoted to partner in the tax department in Portland, Or. After retiring from Arthur Andersen in 1979, he and his wife, Marie, started a family business, which eventually included Gregory Forest Products’ sawmill in Glendale and veneer mill in Klamath Falls, Or. They sold the forest products operation to the Swanson Group in 1992.
Dale Joe Richardson, 87, former plant manager at Konkolville Lumber Co., Orofino, Id., died May 14.
During his high school years, Dale worked at his father’s sawmill, Riverside Lumber, Orofino, learning mill maintenance and operation management from 1948 to 1953. He then attended the University of Idaho, before joining Forest Products Research lab in Madison, Wi., in 1965. He then returned to help his father manage Riverside Lumber until 1980, when their lease expired and they were forced to dismantle the sawmill.
Dale then joined Konkolville Lumber in 1987, managing the mill until he retired in 1996.
Jean Ridenbaugh, 97, longtime office administrator for San Lorenzo Lumber, died June 3.
She joined the company at age 45 and worked there for 50 years until two years ago, when COVID hit and Jean said “she was forced into early retirement” at 95.
JOIN THE SUCCESS IN 2022
PACIFIC HEMLOCK FINE GRAIN VG
Experience the beauty and value of VG Hemlock
FEATURES
• Alluring, dense vertical grain with consistent color • Substantial cost savings vs VG Doug Fir • Large inventory of Rough, S4S and T&G • Long tallies readily available
BENEFITS • Exterior and interior applications, including siding • Machines easily to virtually any pattern • Finishes and stains with ease An Elegant Value for Architectural Applications
