Joseph William Salstrom Jr.

Joseph William Salstrom Jr.

May 3, 1931-December 23, 2011

Joseph Salstrom was born May 3, 1931 in Portland Oregon. This is where he spent the majority of his childhood. Being an only child he had a lot of time to himself. He attended Multnomah grade school, and West Portland grade school. It was during this time of his life he encountered his very first model T, A 1920’s Roadster. The asking price for this beauty was a mere $5.00. Joe worked hard to save the money from his allowance, which was 6 cents a day. After many months he had enough money to buy it.

When Joe was a teenager he attended Lincoln High school, where he would meet his first wife Marlene. For a young Joe Salstrom this is where his true character would shine and he would make Marlene fall crazy in love with him. Marlene recalls Joe being dropped off at the front door of the high school and then disappearing out the back where he would walk down to the creamery almost every day.

Sometime in Joe’s early years of high school, he and a friend decided to run away to California where he was then to be hired to work in a warehouse in the Donner Pass area. The two were later caught by Joe’s parents and they were forced to return home. You can just imagine how the boys felt about that.

Joe was a give all or nothing man. If he had a goal in mind it was going to happen. He took great pleasure, and pride by reaching his achievements that he had worked so hard for. In the 1940s Joe signed up for the Air National Guard. Then on March 22, 1947 Joseph Salstrom married Marlene. The couple would be married for two years before they would give birth to their first child. On July 30th, 1949 Joe and Marlene Salstrom brought Linda Dianne Salstrom into the world. Following his marriage to Marlene he was drafted into the Korean War, where he was then sent to Guam. There he would spend the next three years salvaging materials from World War II to support the troops in Korea. After returning to the States, Joe was offered a job being a Post Master. The Post office later made him an engineer for the railroad. He took the job for the railroad where he would spend the next fifty years, often working 7 days a week 16 hour days as an engineer. On May 2, 1954 Joe and Marlene's second child Rodney Salstrom was born. Married with two children and having served his country honorably Joe built and owned his first home on Maple Leaf Street in Tigard, Oregon. On January 5, 1956 Randy Salstrom was born. The next 30+ years Joe and Marlene would share some wonderful, and some ailing memories. For the most part the memoires they built were hopeful and happy. Such as Marlene finding model T parts under the kitchen sink, and engine parts under their bed! During the 1970s Joe bought a commercial fishing boat named “The Tin Lizzy”. Fishing in the Newport Bay Area was one of many things that Joe enjoyed doing. Joe loved hunting and camping. His favorite place to hunt was the Blue Mountains just outside of John Day Oregon.

During the 1980s Joe met Deon Hammond and in April of 1986 they had twin girls Elise and Elaine Salstrom, it wasn't until 1990 before Joe and Deon would wed. In 1996 Joe retired from the Railroad. Joe again had his sights set on a new adventure "ranching" so he and Deon bought a ranch in Lakeview Oregon he named it the Phoenix Ranch. On this ranch they raised cattle and horses. They also grew and sold their own alfalfa.

After moving back to the Maple Leaf home in the early 2000'S he remained faithful to restoring his Model T's. He spent many nights in his shop working on the many things he enjoyed doing from listening to talk radio, to turning wrenches on vehicles with friends and family. Joe loved watching CNN and attending car shows and model-t rallies. For the last several years Joe was living with his son Rod, and care giver Trina. He attended church frequently and had a developing relationship with God. In 2010 Joe would have his first stroke and his life would be forever changed.