FORKS — Sam Gaydeski was dedicated to his community, always vested in local events and volunteer work, friends remembered Wednesday.
Gaydeski, 50, of Beaver was killed Monday while on the job clearing weeds for the state Department of Natural Resources near Clearwater in West Jefferson County.
Guy Ruble, president of the Forks Lions Club, on Wednesday said Gaydeski was a very active participant in the service organization.
“We sure enjoyed his time in the Lions Club and with that gang — we will miss him,” Ruble said.
“He sure loved this community and was vested in it.”
The body was found in the late evening Monday on White Rock Road, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Nole.
Although the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the events leading up to his death, it appeared to be accidental, Nole has said.
Kiddies Play Day
In addition to activities such as the Lions Club Kiddies Play Day during the Forks Old Fashioned Fourth of July festival, Gaydeski also participated in volunteer work.
“We reroofed the dome at [Tillicum] park,” Ruble said.
“We cut firewood in Quincy in exchange for food for food banks.
“He also participated in raising tons of funds for scholarships for kids in high school going to college.
“I couldn’t find a single bad thing to say about him — nobody could.”
Gaydeski had been a member of the Lions Club since 1991 and was a past president.
Memorial donations
Because of his participation in the club, his family requested that memorial contributions be given to the Forks Lions Club in his memory.
In addition to longtime friends, Ruble was also a co-worker with Gaydeski at the Department of Natural Resources.
Gaydeski was hired by DNR in April 2006 and was promoted to his current position in May 2007.
Before working for DNR, Gaydeski and his wife, Deborah, had run the Sappho Junction store, which was destroyed in a fire in October 2004.
His ancestors settled a homestead north of Forks where a road is named for them.
Other investigations
Because Gaydeski was killed in an on-the-job incident, the Department of Labor and Industries will investigate, said spokesman Hector Castro.
Such investigations typically take about six months to complete, Castro said.
“We will be looking at exactly what happened, what led to the fatality, and we always try to see if there were any violations of worker safety laws and if a citation is warranted,” Castro said.
Gaydeski’s death was the sixth on-the-job fatality this year, including of three state employees, Castro said.
“We don’t have a lot of information at this point, but we do understand that the employee was doing some brush cutting and somehow was pulled into the mower,” Castro said.
“We will be looking into how it happened and if it could have been prevented.”
Memorial Saturday
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Round House, 110 Business Park, at the intersection of state Highway 110 and U.S. Highway 101.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah Hurn Gaydeski, and three children, Mason Gaydeski, Marin Gaydeski and Morgan Gaydeski.
Gaydeski is a nephew of former Clallam County Commissioner Lawrence Gaydeski. Other relatives are business owners, mainly in construction and logging, on the West End.
His brother-in-law William “Tod” Horton, who was married to his wife’s sister, De Ann Horton, was killed in a logging accident in October.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
