Adson Earl Starner

Adson Earl Starner passed away on October 27, 2020, at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Georgia Starner, son Steven and wife Chelsea, step-grandchildren Ava and Finley, daughter Kay and son-in-law Jace, grandchildren Severin and Cameron (wife Lauren), Joshua (wife Jenny) and Stephanie (husband Rob), great-grandchildren Melody, Jackson, Holland, Aubrey, two sisters-in-law, numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews, and friends.

Born December 20, 1927, in Edgemont, South Dakota. Father William Earl Starner, mother Johanna Lillian Schwartz Starner. Adson was the oldest of four children.

Adson moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in the sixth grade and finished second in his 1945 high school graduating class. He went to the University of Idaho where he worked at numerous jobs and received his Civil Engineering degree in 1950. He married his college sweetheart Georgia Lea Stonemets from Buhl, Idaho in 1952.

Adson pursued a career of civil engineering construction on a variety of projects. Approximately one-third spent on hydro, one-third on fossil (coal, gas, oil), and one-third on nuclear (high temp helium gas unit and a pressurized water unit). Thirty-four years were on new ‘central’ station powerplants and the final five on backfitting maintenance or modifications to existing units/facilities. From 1950-71, his career involved 16 sites in 12 states, and from 1981-90, 7 sites in 5 states, as follows:

1950-51: civil engineer for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at Coulee Dam and later at Ephrata, Washington.

1952-53: cost/reports engineer for Ebasco Services Inc. (field payroll) at Yale dam and hydro-electric project on Lewis River near Yacolt, Washington.

1953-56: contracts/cost engineer and later construction engineer for Ebasco at the Littleton, New Hampshire hydro-electric development on the Connecticut River.

1957-58: resident engineer for Ebasco on North Fork hydro-electric and Faraday addition near Estacada, Oregon on the Clackamas River.

1958-59: office engineer for Ebasco on H.B. Robinson steam electric station near Hartsville, South Carolina, a fossil fuel (coal) fired plant.

1959-60: construction engineer on Goldsboro steam electric station additional unit near Goldsboro, North Carolina, a fossil fuel (coal) fired plant.

1961-62: resident engineer for additional unit on R.M. Heskett steam electric station at Mandan, North Dakota, a fossil fuel (lignite) plant.

1963-64: resident engineer on mountain division for dams, flumes, tunnels, and canals to service new hydro powerplants in lower division, Yuba-Bear project headquartered out of Grass Valley, California.

1965: resident engineer for replacement of Cazadero dam on the Clackamas River above Estacada, Oregon.

1966-68: construction superintendent for additional units at Bridgeport Harbor steam electric station, a fossil fuel (coal, oil, gas) fired plant at Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Long Island mouth of the Connecticut River.

1969-71: project superintendent on high temperature gas (helium) nuclear powerplant named Fort St. Vrain at Platteville, Colorado. Also during last six months acting Ebasco construction manager for three fossil plants in Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming.

1972-77: construction manager for Portland General Electric on Trojan pressurized water nuclear powerplant located on Columbia River near Rainier, Oregon.

1978-80: construction manager for Portland General Electric for Boardman steam electric station, a fossil fuel (coal) plant located south of Boardman, Oregon.

1981-87: construction manager for Northwest Energy Services on planning for a Creston, Washington fossil plant and maintenance/backfitting/modifications on existing plants in Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah.

1988: construction manager for Northwest Energy Services for retrofit of Harriet Dam on Oak Fork branch of the Clackamas River in Oregon.

1989: construction manager for Northwest Energy Services for replacement of timber crib dam (Marmot) with rolled concrete structure on Sandy River, Oregon.

He retired in 1990 and enjoyed traveling, cruising, time at the Oregon Coast, working on projects around the house and yard, as well as spending time with his family and church.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to Damascus Community Church, Building Fund, 14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus OR 97089.