Obituaries
Marcy Freer, retired External Affairs worker
Note: The following obituary appeared on the M.J. Murphy Funeral Home website last month.
Retired Headquarters External Affairs employee Marcy Freer (Brighton/Staffelli) passed away on March 1 peacefully after a short illness.
She was predeceased by her mother Mary Lou Voidakos, first husband Samuel Staffelli and husband Steve Freer.
She is survived by her daughter Samantha Staffelli and her stepfather Steven Voidakos, both of Kendall Park, New Jersey; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Margaret Shimalla and Michael of Kendall Park and Michele Brighton of Connecticut; and her niece and nephews Clarissa, Andrew and Steve.
Marcy worked for the Plainsboro Municipal Court for many years before moving to California where she worked for the Office of Emergency Management and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), where she retired from in 2019.
She then moved back to New Jersey to be closer to her family.
In her free time Marcy enjoyed reading, going to the beach and watching the New York Yankees.
James Arthur “Jim” Smith, retired transportation engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
James Arthur “Jim” Smith passed away peacefully at his home in Mattole Valley on March 15. He was 80.
Born January 16, 1945, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Eureka, Jim was the oldest child of Donald and Mildred (Lindley) Smith. Shortly after his birth he and his mother joined his father at Garfield Air Base in Illinois, where his father was a twin engine flight instructor in the Army Air Force.
Jim grew up in Ferndale, attending local schools and graduating with the Ferndale High School Class of 1962. He continued his education at Humboldt State College before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1966.
After his military service, Jim continued what would be a 35-year career with the California Department of Transportation as a Caltrans transportation engineer. Significant projects he supervised included construction of the Rio Dell-Scotia Bridge, the Lindley Bridge at Mattole, widening of State Route 199 by Patrick’s Creek Resort, and the Del Norte bypass, before retiring in 2000.
Retirement allowed Jim to fully embrace the places and pastimes he loved. Summers were spent in Christmas Valley, Oregon, on Dennis and Pam Mauney’s ranch, while winters brought him back to the Mattole Valley, where his mother had been raised. He was the proud grandson of four Humboldt County pioneers: George Lindley and Verna Hindley Lindley of Mattole and Arthur Smith and Alice Haugh Smith of Port Kenyon/Arcata.
A man of adventures and many interests, Jim was an avid skier in his younger years, even working a season as a ski instructor at Squaw Valley, alongside his good friend Dennis Mauney. Following in his father’s footsteps, Jim had a passion for aviation, piloting his own Cessna 172C. He enjoyed the open water aboard his Clipperman sailboat.
Later in life, he took to riding his EVELO electric bicycle. He also had an unexpected brush with media fame when a cascade of bricks flattened his Volvo during the 1992 earthquake - his loyal dog, Shotzie, miraculously survived inside.
Jim is survived by his aunt Guimar Lindley; sister, Susan (Dean) Petersen; his brother, Jack (Joanne) Smith; his nieces, Wendy (Norm) Sotomayor; Kalynn (Bobby) Dolcini; Julie (Brandon) Axell; his nephew, Josh (Kim) Smith; his stepmother, Donnis Smith, and his former wife, Davina George. He will also be fondly remembered by Janice Thomas, Teresa “Toad” & Charlie Hower, Nick & Patty Mendes, Paul & Alana Clark, Pam Mauney, Larry Turnbow and Charlie Jones.
Ronald William Vickery, retired civil engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Glenn County Observer.
Retired civil engineer Ronald William Vickery of Willows died on Dec. 9, 2024. One of three children, he was born in Orland to Fred and Esther Vickery on Aug. 1, 1936.
He graduated from Willows High School in 1954, after which, he joined the Air Force, where he served until 1957. One of his greatest joys was getting to fly on B47 bombers as the radar operator.
In 1960, Ron met Patricia Argo at the A&W restaurant in Willows. They were married in Reno on May 20, 1961.
This year, the couple celebrated 63 years of marriage. They had two sons, Steven and Craig.
Ron Vickery was a civil engineer with the California Division of Highways (Caltrans). He also farmed rice for 47 years with his brother-in-law and best friend, Frank Argo.
One of Ron’s greatest joys was sitting on the deck at his cabin in Butte Meadows and enjoying a glass of wine.
He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Gary and Nancy Coria of Chico; son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Sara Vickery of Chico; son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Candi Vickery of Mustang, Oklahoma; and her four grandchildren, Savannah Anderson, Bryce Vickery, Cole Vickery, and Caitlyn Vickery.