Royal Harshman

Royal Dell Harshman, 61, passed away Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at his home in Long Beach, Washington after a courageous two-year struggle against colon cancer. In his final months of life he showed incredible strength and will for life while maintaining his great sense of humor, and was surrounded by loved ones until the very end. His life began in Billings, Montana on October 1, 1948 to parents from two pioneering families: B. J. Harshman from eastern Colorado and Dorothy (Dickens) Harshman from Nebraska. The son of a Navy Chief Warrant Officer, Royal and his siblings lived all over the country throughout his childhood until his father retired from the Navy and pursued a subsequent career at Martin-Marietta. Royal attended a variety of schools in Montana, California, Guam, Colorado, and Arkansas. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Colorado and went on to earn a bachelors degree in chemistry from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. Royal had a wide-ranging professional life. He spent several summers during college working as a cowboy in Rangely, Colorado. After receiving his chemistry degree he worked for a chemical distribution company in Denver. A few years later his sense of duty and adventure took over and Royal joined the Navy toward the end of the Vietnam War, was commissioned and received a pilot's gold wings. He spent seven years in the Navy as a pilot and flight instructor. It was during these years Royal discovered his passion for flying, one he never lost throughout his life (as long as he was the one doing the flying!). Upon leaving the Navy he took advantage of the GI Bill and earned a BS in accounting from the University of Northern Colorado and an MBA from the University of Colorado. During the height of the energy boom in Colorado he worked for an oil company and when the energy boom collapsed then worked for Sterns Catalytic, an engineering company. He then became an entrepreneur and ran his own company side by side with his wife, Ginger, in the Denver area. Looking for a change of pace from running a small business, Royal and his family moved to Gresham, Oregon in 1992. He became the financial manager of Ann Sacks in Portland. Royal also made his first foray into the world of public service. He was elected to the Gresham City Council. Royal moved to Long Beach in 2002 when he took a position at Shorebank Enterprise Cascadia in Ilwaco, Washington. He continued to be active in public service by being elected to the board of directors of the Astoria Warrenton Chamber of Commerce, president of the Long Beach Lions, and a member of the Economic Development Council. Royal was an outstanding athlete. He was a wrestler and played football in high school and while in the Navy started running. Once he started running, he found he could not stop. He finished more than fifteen marathons over his adult life and was most pleased with 3:10 time in the Boston Marathon. His very athletic children kept him active in a variety of sports and he continued to run six miles a day along the Pacific coast until he became too ill. Above all his life endeavors, Royal was a great family man. On October 7, 1972 he married Virginia "Ginger" Elizabeth Steurer in Milton, FL. Together Ginger and Royal shared the dream of having a family. They adopted Christopher Harshman in 1975, and then went on to have two biological children, Meghan Elizabeth Harshman in 1981and Matthew Hoyt Harshman in 1983. Royal's wife and children were by far the center of his life. Together, Royal and Ginger created a loving environment for their children to grow up in, filled with laughter, curiosity, adventure and many, many hikes in the Colorado Rockies. He instilled confidence and a strong work ethic in his children, nurturing them with patience and unconditional love and support. From the time they were toddlers, he encouraged them to try anything about which they had curiosity or passion, with the understanding that they would give it their best and not give up, a quality that still distinguishes them. The number of baseball, soccer, and football games, wrestling matches, dance recitals and musicals he attended were beyond count. He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Ginger) Steurer Harshman of Long Beach; daughter Meghan Farnsworth and her husband Nicholas Farnsworth of Seattle; son Mathew Harshman, his wife Megan Harshman and grandson Hoyt Lee of Phoenix, AZ; son Christopher Harshman of Albuquerque, NM; parents B. J. and Dorothy of Venice, Florida;, brother Richard of Venice, FL; sister Judy Ludwig of Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and many relatives scattered around the country. Royal also left many friends who will miss his joy, energy, enthusiasm, humor, and dedication to his family and his community. Royal was a strong, intelligent, compassionate, committed and humorous man. He will be loved, missed and remembered by all who were close to him. A memorial service will be held at The Artisan, 114 Main St. in Ilwaco, at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ocean Beach Education Foundation. His guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com