Don't you just enjoy watching spring attempt to push its way into our lives even though winter is still not finished? Be it the budding on the bushes, the flowering of the daffodils, or the beckoning calls of frogs, the ever-increasing daylight, even within the midst of snow flurries, is evidence that the seasons are alive and well. So, too, the seasons of life have been evident in our own community with the death of a longtime resident and the birth of a new community member.

A hearty welcome to Cedric Orion Petrovich who was born Jan. 31 at 1:20 a.m. at the Corvallis Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center to his proud parents, Christian Petrovich and Dawn Anzinger.

Cedric measured in at 19 inches and weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces. Cedric's mom noted that he is a "really good baby," and along with mealtimes, he enjoys looking at patterns. He is also quite vocal, as I can attest while talking with Dawn over the phone. Momma Dawn noted that she is "excited to have Cedric grow up in Kings Valley" and is looking forward to seeing him play in the Luckiamute and climb the trees.

It is evident that high hopes are in place for young Cedric, with his cute little tufts of hair on his ears, although Dawn did admit she will have to wait to see if he will have the same passion as his father concerning landscaping with rocks (See the Gazette-Times' Oct. 26, 2006 article headlined "Rock Musician."

Along with Cedric's proud parents, welcoming his arrival are his great-grandparents, Andrew and Monica "Nikki" Ferretti of York, Maine; grandparents Larry and Sandy Petrovich and Michelle Bionetti and Ernest Stableford, both of York, Maine; Margo Pardee of Portland (Oregon, not Maine), and George Anzinger and Kay Tollson of Williams. In addition, welcoming Cedric for the last few weeks has been Auntie Lauren Petrovich from Charleston, S.C., who reported that "Cedric is both a precious and an amazing combination of mom and dad." Young Mr. Petrovich is the first grandchild for all sets of grandparents and as such is destined for great things. Kings Valley is lucky to have Cedric as our newest citizen.

A sad farewell

While we bid a hearty welcome to Cedric, it is with a saddened heart we note that Ellen Daugherty passed away Feb. 16 at her home at the age of 79.

With the Hoskins-Kings Valley Fire Department holding its annual recognition dessert on Feb. 20, the death of Ellen, the "mother" of H-KV's EMT program, was all the more poignant as she was also reportedly the first female EMT in the state of Oregon (See her obituary in the Feb. 20 Gazette-Times).

For me, Ellen was a steadfast fixture of the fire department even though she was transitioning out by the time I began with our department more than 25 years ago.

While her birth name was Naomi, the community knew her as Ellen, and if she was not attending to your emergency needs 30 years ago, a visit to the KV Store would have you greeted by her friendly hello, a casual nod, and her award-winning smile that would quickly bring to ease any anxious soul.

Thanking volunteers

As I mentioned, the H-KV Fire Department recently held its annual recognition dessert, and along with reviewing compiled articles on Ellen and the early days of the H-KV Fire Department, including classic photos of her and her brood of early H-KV EMTers (Marcia Gilson and Betsy Boren), several firefighters were recognized for their years of service: Christian Petrovich, John Madsen, Tom and Mary Jo TenPas (one year), Rick Chambers and Tom Pankalla (five years), and Assistant Chief Alan Shifley (15 years).

One thing is clear: A community's emergency response program can never have enough volunteers. If there ever was a good time to volunteer, you might consider now. For more information, contact Chief Dave Evans 929-2907 for more details on how you can be part of this rich local history.

And with all this news about births and deaths and volunteering and community servicing, here's a quote from George Washington Carver: "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."

Shelah!

Dan Hayes reports on news in the Hoskins-Kings Valley community and can be reached at 929-2356 or travelor54@peak.org.