Emery “Red” Bedea
March 1, 1915 – January 9, 2016
Emery “Red” Bedea passed away in Poulsbo on Jan. 9. He was 100.
Emery was born March 1, 1915 on his parents’ farm near Almena, Kansas. His parents, Henry and Ella Bedea, had three sons: Finley, who died shortly after birth, Albert, and Emery, the youngest. Emery grew up on the Almena farm, learning from a young age the merits of hard work and responsibility.
During the Great Depression, Emery husked corn for neighboring farmers in order to save his own family’s farm. In 1934, he and a boyhood friend headed west to Oregon with empty pockets in search of a new life.
Emery first arrived in Cottage Grove, and later the Coos Bay area, where he began a lengthy career in the lumber industry.
In 1939, Emery met Ruth Sherman. They wed on Oct. 7, 1939, in Reedsport. Emery and Ruth moved to Eugene where they had two daughters, Janet and Judith. Through hard work and perseverance, Emery rose rapidly through the ranks in the sawmill profession. Sawmill owners sought his oversight and judgment to operate their sawmills efficiently. In 1956, the family moved to Corvallis, where Emery was superintendent of Larsen Lumber Company for several years.
Emery was active throughout his adult life in the Masonic and Elks fraternal organizations. Emery was the last surviving charter member of Mary’s River Masonic Lodge No. 221, which he helped form in Corvallis in 1958. He served as Master of the Lodge in 1960 and again in 1994. He was honored with one of Masonry’s highest levels of achievement in 1996, the Hiram Award, awarded for outstanding leadership and service.
Emery loved the Oregon outdoors. Throughout his life, he hunted, fished, and took his family camping. In 1963, he gained notoriety when he bagged a record-book mule deer buck on one of his hunting trips to Harney County.
During their retirement years, Emery and Ruth enjoyed travelling throughout the United States and spending winters in Arizona. They also began playing duplicate bridge. In 2011, Emery received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Linn, Benton and Lincoln County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for coordinating the Corvallis Senior Bridge group for more than a decade.
In 2014, Emery and Ruth moved to Poulsbo to be nearer their daughter. Ruth preceded Emery in death that year, a few months short of their 75th wedding anniversary. Emery was also preceded in death by his parents and brothers. Survivors include his daughters, Janet Wold and Judith Hassoun, grandsons Ali Hassoun and Tarek Hassoun, and great-grandchildren Brett, Will, Hayley, and Hudson.
