Keith Hillsbery

KEITH EDWARD HILLSBERY Grays River, Washington resident Keith E. Hillsbery, 70, died in Portland, Oregon on April 11, 2010. Born in Astoria, Oregon on December 2, 1939 he was the son of Edward and Delores (Lawson) Hillsbery. His dad was a commercial fisherman and his mother a member of the Chinook tribal nation. Keith grew up on the banks of the Columbia River at Altoona, Washington where early on his father taught him essential fishing skills and even as a youngster he pursued his family heritage on the water. He attended Naselle High School where he enjoyed all sports, especially basketball, graduating in 1959. During the ensuing years Keith fished commercially on the Columbia River, Willapa Bay and in Alaska. His first fishing vessel was "The Lady" and his second appropriately the "Altoona Kid". During the off season he was employed in the logging industry. Keith enjoyed hunting of all kinds, sport salmon and sturgeon fishing, and was famous for his smoked fish, "the best of its kind on the lower Columbia". He tied and mended nets for fellow fishermen and he was very proud of his gardening and landscaping skills at his residence. Keith was a devoted family man, generous, caring and kind, and a friend to many. He was a proud member of the Chinook Tribal Nation and a former member of Long Beach Elks No. 1937. He is survived by his wife Kathy Hillsbery of Grays River; sons Keith "Skip" Hillsbery Jr. of Kansas City, MO, Kevin Hillsbery of Chicago, IL and Richard "Richie" VanStane of Portland, OR; daughter Heather Bilyeu of Moses Lake, WA; brother Ed Hillsbery of Rockford, WA; 8 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren "with one on the way"; and numerous other members of his extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Donna, Karen and Gail. Graveside service will be Friday, April 16, 2010, 11:00 AM at Grays River Grange Cemetery. Pastor Rick Ballif of Valley Bible Church will officiate. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association in care of Penttila's Chapel by The Sea, PO Box 417, Long Beach, WA 98631. His guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.