Obituaries
Donald Lee Quintrell, retired Caltrans worker
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
Donald Lee Quintrell, 90, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 27 in Eureka.
He was born in Eureka on August 20, 1934, to Edgar Quintrell and Elizabeth Andrews. He attended Eureka City Schools and after graduating from Eureka Senior High School went to work for the Division of Highways (CalTrans).
In 1957 he was drafted into the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1959. He completed his service in the reserves in 1963. After returning to Eureka in 1959, he returned to work at Caltrans and would go on to have a total of 39 years of service at Caltrans, retiring in 1993.
In 1957, he married Nancy Anderson, which began their 67 years together. Nancy passed away on July 25, 2024. Over the years they welcomed two sons, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He enjoyed and supported his sons in their activities, including many hours volunteering for the Cutten-Ridgewood Recreation Association, by grooming the baseball fields at Cutten School, helping to survey the property, creating a new baseball field layout at the school and setting up the fireworks booth. He particularly enjoyed building his own boat, a Pelican model, which came in a kit, and he would take his sons out on Big Lagoon and Humboldt Bay.
The family would enjoy many years of RV camping at Cabana Holiday, which later became Redwood River Resort, and the Deerhorn Lodge in Phillipsville. Don would make sure the trailer was ready to go every year. Having things ready and in good repair was Don’s joy. He would spend all the hours he could puttering around the house, garage and yard keeping things in good shape and keeping up with Nancy’s to-do list. His patience was limitless, and his kindness was something that all good men should emulate.
Don is survived by his sons, Dean Quintrell (Laurie) and Gary Quintrell (Heidi); his grandchildren, Alyssa Peper (Charley), Natalie Martin (James), Sarah Renner (Justin) and Kathryn Baker (Ben); and great-grandchildren Logan, Ella and Peyton. He is also survived by many other close family members and friends. Some have said that Don was a father figure to them, and for that they will be forever grateful.
James Arthur “Jim” Smith, retired transportation engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
Retired transportation engineer James Arthur “Jim” Smith passed away peacefully at his home in Mattole Valley on March 15.
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 Highway 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 and Alana Clark, Pam Mauney, Larry Turnbow and Charlie Jones.
Gerald (Jerry) Spellenberg, retired supervising right of way agent
Note: The following obituary appeared on the Lost Coast Outpost website.
Retired Caltrans worker Gerald (Jerry) Spellenberg died March 25 in McKinleyville. He was 91.
Jerry was born in Arcata to Earl Louis and Ardis Geraldine (Hunt) Spellenberg. He was the second of two children, having an older sister named Patricia (Patsy).
Jerry attended Arcata High School, graduating in 1951. He attended Humboldt State University (now known as Cal Poly Humboldt), graduating with a degree in business. He had originally wanted to be a teacher but decided against it after completing student teaching. After graduation, he took a job with the city of Arcata in the water and sewer department, digging ditches and performing similar work.
In 1956, his sister-in-law Norma told him about an opening at Caltrans for a right of way agent position in the Eureka office (District 1). He interviewed and was hired. Jerry started as a junior right of way agent, was promoted to associate, and eventually to senior right of way agent, overseeing the appraisal and acquisitions functions. While working in District 1, he appraised and acquired rights of way throughout Lake, Mendocino, Del Norte, and Humboldt counties.
In 1978, he accepted a position in the Sacramento Headquarters office in Planning and Management. In 1986, he was promoted to supervising right of way agent and moved back to District 1 to manage the Right of Way staff until his retirement in 1992.
Jerry met his wife, Barbara, at a dance at the Loleta Firemen’s Hall in December 1952. His sister-in-law Julia introduced them after deciding he was not the one for her. Barbara had just turned 18 the week before the dance. Jerry married Barbara A. Papke on June 19, 1955. They celebrated 67 years of marriage in June 2022 before Barbara passed away on Aug. 21, 2022.
They had a wonderful life together. Every summer, Jerry would take Barbara and their four children — plus a friend or cousin — to his Uncle Russ’s ranch at Shower’s Rock, where they would stay for two weeks in late August.
Jerry was a member of the Eureka Elks Lodge and the Buckeye Society for many years. He was also a long-time member and supporter of the Humboldt County Historical Society.
Jerry is survived by his four children: Lisa (Steve), Lesley (Arron), James (Teena), and Gerald Louis (Debbie); his seven grandchildren: Mark (Sammee), Stacy (Mike), Rachelle (Larry), Jamee, Jessica (Robert), Jason, and Katie (Rob); and his seven great-grandchildren: Aria, Melina, Daxton, Blythe, Carter, Granger, and Parker.
He is also survived by Barbara’s two sisters, Julia (John) DeMartini and Norma Dye; his nieces and nephews: Michele, Paul, Jean, Angela, Jack, Cathy, Eric, Jeff, Denise, Robert, Carrie, Penny, and Sandy; his first cousins Richard (Naida) Spellenberg and Steven (Sarah) Spellenberg and their children; his numerous Hunt cousins; and friends he considered adopted family: Becky Alsup, Helen Edwards, and Mike Rhodes.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Barbara; his parents, Earl and Geraldine Spellenberg; his sister, Patricia; his in-laws, Erwin and Anna Papke; his brothers-in-law, William Papke (aka Uncle Buddy) and Bill Dye; and his niece Dana. He was the last living grandchild of A.N. and Mary Ann Hunt.
Joseph E. Stapley, retired District 9 engineer and administrator
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Cedar City (Utah) News.
Retired Caltrans engineer and administrator Joseph E. Stapley, 92, died on Aug. 3, 2025 in Washington, Utah.
Joe was born in Cedar City, Utah, to Joseph Earl and Sylva Jones Stapley on April 18, 1933. Joe married Pat on June 9, 1958, in the Salt Lake Temple. They were the parents of three children, Teresa Anne, Bradley Dean, and Bret Alan.
While Joe was born in Cedar City, he was raised in Summit, Iron County, Utah, and at the early age of three, he was helping on the family farm. He continued working on the farm through high school.
Joe attended school in Cedar City and graduated from high school in 1951. Joe was drafted into the Army in 1953 and served two years before starting college in 1955 at the College of Southern Utah in Cedar City. Joe enrolled in a general engineering course and after graduation he spent one year at University of Utah and then transferred to Utah State University for two years graduating with a degree in civil engineering.
Joe accepted a job with the California State Highway Department and spent his career with Caltrans designing, constructing and managing parts of the California Highway System. At the end of his career, he worked as a designer, a construction administrator, traffic engineer, and finally a manager in the area of Bishop.
Joe and Pat were married in 1958 and from that time forward they were constant companions. If you asked Joe what his greatest accomplishment in life was, he would point to his family.
In 1994, Joe retired with his wife and moved to St. George, Utah, which served as a base for travel in the Stapley fifth wheel, a mission in Baltimore Maryland and finally retirement to a restful place, St. George.
Joe was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many callings, including Bishop of Bishop Ward in California and temple worker in St. George, Utah.
Joe was predeceased by the love of his life, Patricia in November 2023; his brother, Dee El; his brother-in-law/sister-in-law, Ray and Ila Rae Stephenson; his sister-in-law, Carola (John) Stephenson; and his granddaughter, Sylva (Brad) Stapley.
Joe is survived by his three children: Teresa Anne (Andrew) Mitchell, Bradley Dean (Donna) Stapley, and Bret Alan Stapley; brothers: Bryce (Pat) and Mike (Susan) Stapley; sister-in-law, Norma (Dee El) Stapley; and brother-in-law, John (Carola) Stephenson. Joe claims 13 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
Raymond Truttman, retired equipment operator
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost.
Retired equipment operator Ray Truttman died on July 9 to complications from a fall. Ray was born in Arcata, Trinity Hospital, and was proud to have reached his 91st birthday.
Ray was born June 6, 1934, and raised in Orick along with a loving sister, Delores (Dee), and brother Bernie. He always felt very fortunate to have come from a small community where he could hunt and fish for salmon and trout, literally right out his backdoor, which was right on Redwood Creek.
As a young man he was a hard worker, always employed throughout the years, beginning with restaurant work, assisting dairy ranchers and a service station. He felt honored to have always been employed.
Ray graduated from Arcata High School in 1952. Ray always made sure to attend reunions and monthly luncheons, so he was able to keep in touch with all his valued classmates. He was able to accomplish this until the age of 90.
After graduating from high school Ray was hired at the Geneva Lumber Company where he worked for five years. In September 1956 at the age of 22 he was hired by Caltrans, making him a third-generation Caltrans employee. In fact, the Truttman Sink, a section of Highway 101 near Stone Lagoon was named after Ray’s grandfather, Michael Truttman.
He started out in Orick working in maintenance, but over time he advanced to equipment operator and moved to Eureka, where he retired after 30-plus years of service. Ray was able to enjoy over 40 years of retirement.
Children Jeanette and Ron were born from Ray’s first marriage. Also brought into the first marriage was a daughter, Patty, whom he loved as his own. Ray met his second wife Donna on July 4, 1965, and in very short time he knew he had met the love of his life. They were married at the First United Methodist Church in Eureka on August 13, 1965.
At this time Ray was blessed with another son, Rick, that he raised as his own. Ray and Donna were happily married 1 month shy of 60 wonderful years.
Ray will be remembered as a man of integrity, a man who deeply loved and adored his wife and children. His daughter Jeannette, whom he had a very close relationship with. He always made her feel cherished and she cherished him in return. Although his son Ron proceeded him in death, Ron is remembered by his family as being very special. His son Rick will always remember Ray as his dad and will remember the talks over dinner about their beloved San Francisco Giants.
His children will always remember their father as their role model. Ray was a kind, caring, loving family man and will be deeply missed by those who knew him.
After retiring Ray had many passions that he enjoyed. Ray and Donna used to love walking around their neighborhood of Ridgewood in Eureka in which they lived since the late 1960s. They would often stop and visit people met along the way. He looked forward to his weekly Thursday adventures to Blue Lake Casino where he made a lot of great friends playing his favorite game of Blackjack.
He enjoyed cooking and baking right up until his fall. Ray and Donna also like to attend theater and concert performances both locally and when they travel.
Ray and Donna enjoyed traveling to many states around the country and visited Canada, Austria and Switzerland. He was proud of his Swiss heritage and enjoyed many years as a member of the Swiss club.
Ray is survived by his loving wife Donna Truttman; brother Bernie Truttman; children Jeanette (Terry) Crocker, Rick Swenson, Patty (Bill) Porter, Dana (Sheila) Ramsey; granddaughter Jessica (Court) Carlson; sister-in-law Leona Smith; and great-grandchild and many other family members.
Ray is preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Nora Truttman; sister Delores (Dee) Briggs; son Ron Truttman; sister-in-law Laura Truttman; brother-in-law Lonnie Smith; and with many other loving family members.
Sergio Venegas, retired engineer
Note: The following obituary appeared on EverLoved.com.
On June 29, retired Caltrans engineer Sergio Venegas, 72, passed away peacefully at home after a year-long battle with cancer, surrounded by his loving family.
Born in San Nicolas de Ibarra, Jalisco, Mexico, Sergio moved to California as a child, eventually settling in Santa Maria. A proud U.S. citizen, he worked his way through college and earned a degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Fresno, all while supporting his growing family.
Sergio began his career in the restaurant industry, later transitioning into engineering with roles at Hughes Aircraft and Caltrans, where he managed the Traffic Management Center and played an active role in emergency operations until his retirement in March 2025.
A man of strong faith and quiet strength, Sergio was admired for his calm demeanor, generosity, mentorship and deep devotion to his wife Kathleen, their six children, and 14 grandchildren.
He coached countless youth soccer teams, loved gardening, shared stories with warmth and humor, and gave generously of his time to his church, community, and extended family.