By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
YACHATS — Hiking boots and flannel shirts often define Yachats chic, but one sophisticated lady declined to take that trend sitting down.
Joni Bicksler held court on the wooden bench outside the local Post Office every day for years, glammed up with thigh-high boots, oversized sweaters and fabulous scarves. Rain or shine, and always fashionably color coordinated, she showed up to sip coffee and chat with a stream of friends and strangers.
When she was finished, Bicksler would leave “her” bench to lunch with pal Wendy Snidow, get ice cream at Topper’s and then walk back to her Yachats River Road home near downtown.
Now, after a dedication of the refurbished bench Saturday, the bench is more hers than ever.
“Feisty, Fashionable, Fun … In loving memory of Joni Bicksler, 1935-2023” declares a plaque on the vivid blue bench. Over a dozen well-wishers turned out in wet, windy weather to honor their late friend and neighbor.
Bicksler died last summer at age 88, inspiring her fans and friends to do more than merely remember her. Elaine Watkins launched a fundraising campaign to mount a plaque on the bench. Watkins and her partner, Kevin Maas, painted the bench blue, added a couple of coats of polyurethane, artist Lori Stevens added a visual flair – and the final product had its runway moment Saturday.
“To Joni!” declared Watkins to the group gathered for the ceremony, raising aloft the same type of to-go coffee cup always seen in Bicksler’s manicured hands.
“She was loving … so friendly,” remembered Snidow, who knew Bicksler for 30 years.
Stevens, who was among the dedication group, painted the colorful tiles on the bench’s back. They echo the roof of the home Bicksler shared with her husband, Burd, who died in 2014.
“Firebrand to a pussycat”
In the couple’s early years in Yachats, Watkins recalls that “they loved a good fight,” often appearing at City Council meetings to speak up about the issues of the day.
“After Burd died, though, Joni went from being a firebrand to a pussycat,” she said. Snidow recalled that the Christmas decorations inside the house at the time of the husband’s death stayed in place: “She never touched them.”
It was after her husband’s death that the Yachats resident of 33 years started a regular routine. She walked into town every day, buying a coffee, banana and muffin at C&K Market, then taking up her post on the Post Office bench.
“Everyone loved to talk with her while she sat on the bench,” said Watkins.
Bicksler “had a good support network,” Watkins said. She attended Yachats Baptist Church and Pastor James Sanders and his wife, Elaine, and some church members were part of that network. Maas helped with home repairs, and Snidow, in addition to lunching with Bicksler, also took her friend shopping every week for years.
Bicksler developed Alzheimer’s disease toward the end of her life, and moved to Newport Beach, Calif. in 2021 to be near her son. That move also returned her to the town where she ran a women’s fashion boutique, and honed the style that she brought to the Oregon coast.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
One of a kind person, even by Yachats standards. Love this.
I didn’t know her, and I’ve only been to Yachats once, but I love that they memorialized their friend this way. She sounds like a great person. Very touching. I love reading stories like these.
This bench is a great way to honor Joni. In addition to “holding court” on the bench, Joni also volunteered at the Yachats Lions’ Thrift Store. She could really spruce up the clothes section and she loved visiting with people all over the store. She is missed.