Bud Stevens - Online Memorial Website

I started staying at Ecola Inn in 1982.  It became my home away from Portland and then Montana for many years.  I just wanted to share how the stability and hospitality and gentility of Mr. Stevens always were a strong mark of my stays and memories.  I loved the fact that the Inn was a family-run location and that the strength of will of the owners kept it from being just any other place.  I also remember seeing Mr. Stevens and the dogs walking along the beach.  It takes strength of character to keep a more gracious spirit in the times of commercialism and glitsiness.  I felt that strength of character whenever I visited.  I'm sure he is missed ... and I'm sure he has left much of the same spirit behind in his family.  I am thankful for my small chance to know him. 

In the 1960's, my Dad and Mom, Arnold and Shelagh Sturgeon first stopped at the Ecola Lodge and Restaurant. Jeanette was taking a break from serving in the restaurant and was sitting on the old wall knitting.  My Mom started chatting with her as she also loved to knit. They then went inside to have breakfast and they met Bud who was the cook and his Mom was the cashier. That was the beginning of a beautiful, long lasting friendship. Our family has been going to Cannon Beach for over 30 years. My parents first started staying at the old Surfsand, but one time they messed up my dad's reservation and he was MAD. Bud and Jeanette had finished renovating the restaurant and old lodge into the new Ecola Inn. My Dad went to see if they had any free rooms. Bud was very sympathetic and accomodating and we never went back to the Surfsand! My parents have stayed at the Ecola for 2 weeks every May and Sept. Sadly my Mom passed away 10 years ago, but my Dad still continues on with the tradition. He's 81 now and he walks over 10 miles every day!  My brothers and I have grown up there and we have passed on our love for Cannon Beach to our own families.  My husband and I spent our honeymoon at the Ecola Inn 28 years ago and we continue to go there every May as well. Jeanette and Bud have been such wonderful, special people. The "Office" will never be the same without Bud's warm greetings. My Mom treasured her friendship with Jeanette, as I do now and she loved Bud too!  It's very sad that now my Dad and Jeanette share something in common; the devastating loss of a spouse. And I send my sincere condolences to Sally and Mike. Loosing a parent is a loss that you never get over. My Dad and I treasure the wonderful memories of all the very special family vacations and magical moments we have had at Cannon Beach, and we owe it all to Bud and Jeanette.  We have been truly blessed. The Steven's Family and the Ecola Inn are a legacy that will live on forever and will never be forgotten. Thanks so much, Diane and Arnold

February 19, 2009

We will sorely miss Bud. His bluster- which my sisters and were a little afraid of until we got to know him, his historian like view af the area, and his kindness when we needed his help. We have had such good times there - The Ecola Inn plays a huge part in our memories. We started coming down the year my husband and I stopped in Jan. and found that Bud (who was walking across the parking area with difficulty as he was recovering from a knee operation) had an opening for my sisters and I in the spring. I don't remember the year but it has been great. We have been coming every year since. We will always remember Bud.

February 21, 2009

I remember "Bud" more through my father, Les Ordway, than from my memories. They were quite a team and enjoyed life, be it on a committee, raising cane, or just swapping stories. Bud was an important part of Cannon Beach back when and will always be remembered for his love of this village. I always felt that I could go to Bud and ask him for advice after my father was gone. He would tell me what went on in the "old days" and how that could apply to today. He was wise and helpful. When Gary and I owned "Country Giving Gift Shop" we sent people to your motel and many customers said that you sent them to us. It has been an old Cannon Beach tradition in helping each other this way. The other thing that was truly Cannon Beach is that we both charged fair prices........and you still are! My God surround you three with His loving arms and carry you forward as you carry on the family owned business. You are a blessing to many, many people! Love, Marlene

March 1, 2009

Bud Stevens: crusty as a barnacle, salty as the sea, and as immovable as Haystack Rock itself! Roy & I had been visiting the Stevens' for over 20 years before I really saw his softer side. It was May 2006-while checking out, I was telling him about my recent breast cancer diagnosis. A knowing look spread across his face and he said "You should talk to Jeanette about that." He went back & got her, and they both proceeded to give me information (and inspiration) that would help carry me through 8 months of grueling treatments. I will always be grateful to him for that connection, not to mention a quarter-century of gracious hospitality!