Long time naturalist and birder, Jack Thomas, passed away on 24 August at
the ripe old age of 99!
Most of the younger audience will not remember Jack but perhaps some of the
older birders will. He was good buddies with Ben Fawver (who passed away
in the early 2000s). Ben helped start the Coos Bay CBC back in the 70s and
was a professor at the local community college. I took a bird class from
him in the early 90s in my fledgling years of birding. Jack was his
birding partner. They often traveled to Malheur in the spring where they
enjoyed birds and the wildflowers on top of the Steens. Jack traveled out
of the country to Central America to visit one of his sons and birded there
also. He was a WWII vet and longtime resident of Coos County where he was
born.
Shoot, by the time I met him and was birding here around 2000 he was
already in his late 70s. When Ben Fawver passed he sort of quit birding
regularly but was already 80+ years old! I remember myself and several
other local birders running over to his place in North Bend to see a new
Coos rarity in 2006, a Eurasian Collared-dove which we had to look hard for
as it was hidden in a Douglas-fir.
He moved to Evergreen Court after that with his wife Louise and would
always find the BC Night-herons that roosted there for the local CBC
count. I started visiting him regularly there and did so until a few weeks
ago when I was finally able to eat inside with him again as the dining hall
had been closed for COVID. I did see him about once a month and we would
sit outside in the sun and reminisce even during COVID as no visitors were
allowed inside.
His family had a party for his 99th birthday in July which was fortuitous
as he only lived another month. He was sharp as a tact until the end and we
would often talk about the early days in the county- he remembers the last
wolf being shot for instance. He was a timber faller for years but in his
retirement became concerned with the plight of the little remaining old
growth and spoke out about it and attended meetings, etc. I actually worked
in the woods doing botanical surveys on timber sale units Coos Bay BLM was
going to thin that he had originally cut! He carried those early chainsaws
into the woods that weighed over 100 lbs. up and down some pretty darn
gnarly ground. He was in awesome shape even at 80 years old. He was super
generous and often cut firewood for people in need until he was in his 80s,
was very active in relay for life and was a colon cancer survivor himself,
contributed regularly to the local women's shelter, and helped many needy
students get scholarships for college through the local Masonic lodge.
Everybody knew and liked him at Evergreen Court.
His obit is at the following site:
westrumfuneralservice.com
I will miss Jack a lot!
Happy Birding all,
Tim Rodenkirk
