Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
HARRINGTON - Longtime residents Crayton and Beth Oestreich have enjoyed a married life of getting involved with organizations around their small city and offering their skills and services to volunteer work. Now, they're being recognized for it.
The couple was named Citizens of the Year by the local Lions Club and will be recognized in the Fall Festival Parade Saturday, Sept. 23.
Crayton, 71, grew up on the family wheat farm between Harrington and Sprague. He graduated from Harrington High School in 1970.
Beth, 60, graduated from Reardan High School in 1981. The two were wed in 1992.
They moved into a house on the 300 block of Second Street before buying John and Marjorie Oestreich's home in 2001.
Crayton has been an active member of the Lions Club since 1974. His grandfather, Irv Oestreich, was a charter club member. Crayton also spent a stint on the school board and is the chairman of the group that hangs Christmas lights downtown after Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Beth joined the Harrington Homemakers in 1992 and hasn't stopped since.
As a member of the Homemakers, Beth has helped spearhead the purchasing of flags that are displayed at the cemetery for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Fall Festival and Veteran's Day. Not to be outdone, Crayton and the Lions Club built the flagpoles and poured the concrete for the project.
Beth also spent considerable hours volunteering at the school when their three daughters, now grown, were in school.
Those three daughters, Kelly Boyd, Sarah Dryden and Emily Miller, have all held educational jobs presently or in the past and have nine children between them.
Beth Oestreich currently works at Leffel, Otis & Warwick in Davenport, but spent 10 years previously working at The Bird's Nest in Harrington.
The pair said it's nice to be recognized as Citizens of the Year, but never did their acts of service for local fame.
"Some things, instead of complaining about them, we just go do them," Beth Oestreich said.
The Oestreichs hope that future, younger generations will get involved in community organizations like they did. Many organizations, like the volunteer fire department, Lions Club, Opera House Society, Homemakers and more are struggling in numbers as longtime members get older.
"Both of the organizations we're really involved with could really use new blood," Crayton Oestreich said. "Don't be afraid to get involved. It could be a fun thing, and gives you a sense of pride and ownership in your small town."
The Oestreichs can be seen in the Fall Festival Parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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