Vernon Virgil Worthington

Vernon V. Worthington, age 102, died in Astoria, Oregon on October 19, 2010. The son of Ernest and Lily (Tohl) Worthington, he was born in Tillamook, Oregon on December 30, 1907. Vern lived in Tillamook until moving to the Peninsula in 1925 with his parents who bought a 300 acre farm on Tarlett Slough north of Long Beach. There Vern helped his father clear cedar trees on the property with horses among his many other chores. He was a 1928 graduate of Ilwaco High School where he played football and was a member of the first championship team in Pacific county. In 1930 Vern met Ella Rine at a dance at the Long Beach Grange and following a three year courtship they were married on November 15, 1933. Soon after Vern built a small home on the family farm and he worked for several years for the Washington State Highway Department before going to work for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Ilwaco. In March of 1943 he was inducted into the US Army and Vern served his county during World War II in the European Theatre, stationed in North Africa, Italy and Austria. His military duty complete, he returned to Long Beach where he began working for Pacific County Road Department as a "jack of all trades". Among his many projects were construction of Pioneer Road, several bridge projects in the Naselle area, and on-going road maintenance, retiring in 1972 at age 65. Vern and Ella lived on the Worthington farm where Vern built a new, larger residence in 1946. There he raised beef and dairy cattle for a number of years, enjoyed his annual vegetable gardenespecially Ella's favorites, spinach, corn and zucchini, and was an avid hunter and fisherman. In years past he and Ella were active square dancers and they also enjoyed traveling. Vern faithfully followed the Portland Trailblazers on TV, cooked, cut firewood, and attributed his longevity to a life of hard work. Besides his wife of over 75 years who resides in Long Beach, Vern is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his four siblings. Funeral service will be held at Penttila's Chapel by The Sea in Long Beach at 11:00 AM on Friday, October 29, 2010. A reception will follow at the chapel and concluding graveside services will be at Ilwaco Cemetery. His guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.