Wayne E. Tolonen

Timber worker, 88Wayne E. Tolonen, 88, of Astoria, died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003, in Portland.

Mr. Tolonen was born Feb. 27, 1914, in Astoria, to Kalle A. and Kreeta Taskinen Tolonen.

On Aug. 8, 1937, he married Alice Hertig in Seaside. She died in 1995.

Mr. Tolonen was raised and in Astoria and graduated from Astoria High School. He lived most of his life on his family’s farm in the Youngs River area. He operated a log dump and log booms with his brother from 1938 to 1964. For the next 10 years, he worked for Crown Zellerbach on log booms and running a log unloader. He also drove a log truck for three years, retiring in 1974. During his working years, he was associated with Carlson Brothers Logging Company, Van Vleet Logging, Lloyd Christensen Trucking, 3M Logging, Reed Halding Log Company, Elliot Transfer Trucking and Western Transportation.

He is survived by a companion, Ella Mae Wroe of Hillsboro; a son and daughter-in-law, E. Arnold and Mary Tolonen of Vernonia; two grandsons and a spouse, Mark Edward Tolonen of Aloha and Craig Owen and Tonya Tolonen of Vernonia; three great-grandchildren, Jeremy and Chase Tolonen of Aloha and Whitley Kay Tolonen of Vernonia; and a brother and sister-in-law, Toivo and Shirley Mustonen of Astoria.

Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and 9:30 to noon Thursday at Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary. Graveside service is 1 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the American Heart Association or the charity of one’s choice, in care of Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary, 1165 Franklin Ave., Astoria, OR 97103.