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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 23, 2006 Larry Cosby: A true guide on winding trails of life By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Larry Cosby died with his boots on doing the work he loved in the mountains he cherished. The longtime Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest employee passed away of natural causes April 17 while working on the Snail Back trail west of Selma along the beautiful Illinois River. He was 49. It was one of many forest trails and recreation sites he had helped design and develop over the years. They cover miles in picturesque places like Bear Camp Ridge, Big Pine and Waters Creek. One of his favorites was the Limpy Creek botanical trail southwest of Grants Pass, recalled Linda Mullens, a wildlife biologist and botanist. She was also his wife, friend and mother of their two children, Zac, 15, and Josh, 9. "It has lots of loops and turns and crannies that he liked so much," she said. "Every time I go there now, I’ll be remembering Larry." Advertisement Her husband designed the trail for people wanting to learn about and appreciate the region’s botanical riches. In that one-mile loop you’ll discover many rare plants, including the Calypso orchid. As was his nature, he thoughtfully included benches along the way for us to stop and appreciate life around them. Stopping to appreciate life and those around us is something we all need to need to do from time to time. I didn’t know Cosby very well, although I had interviewed him several times over the years, including a 1998 interview for this column. The focus then was an Eagle Scout that Cosby was working with, one of many he helped along the way. But I know some of his many friends who knew him for years. That includes retired forest wildlife biologist Lee Webb of Grants Pass and J. D. Rogers of the Applegate Valley, both valued resources in their own right. Cosby believed working on public lands was a noble calling, Webb observed. "Larry was a doer — he got stuff done," he said. "With him, if you were going to help, then you got on board. He liked his work. He did a great job of layout and design. "And he was a good guy with a good sense of humor," he said. Rogers also appreciated their friend’s personality, particularly when he was wrestling with a stubborn computer while editing the Applegator newspaper. Off the trail, Cosby, who assisted Rogers with the paper’s layout and design for over a decade, was a computer whiz whose patient problem solving approach prevented more than one computer being hurled out a window. Cosby saved his cyberspace bacon on countless occasions, Rogers recalled. "He was an amazing guy and a very considerate person," he said. "I got kind of freaked out when I had prostate cancer (earlier this year). Larry called me every few days. "He was a very caring person who always wanted to help people," he said, then added softly, "He was one of my best friends. I’ll really miss him." For some 30 years, Mullens shared life’s trail with the man who would become her husband. They met in 1975 while both were taking an ecology class during their first semester of college in California. "We started talking and walking," she recalled. "We walked right past the place we were supposed to go." But they stopped long enough to finish college. He achieved a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning and management from the University of California at Davis. Their lives would take them to places like Alaska, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico. Incidentally, if you ever get to Alaska’s Chugach National Forest, check out the Lower Winner Creek Trail. He helped design and reconstruct it. "Those were special times," his wife said, later adding, "He was the greatest dad ... our life together was full of love." Two months ago, Cosby, who worked some 18 years in the forest, was promoted to the supervisor of recreation specialist in the Applegate, Ashland, Galice and Illinois Valley ranger districts. Although Mullens wishes with all her being he was still with her, she noted it seemed fitting that his last day was with people who shared his values in a forest he loved and appreciated. "If I had to go, that would be the place along the Illinois River — what a special place that river corridor is," she said. A celebration of his life was held on Saturday at the Sam Brown campground in Briggs Valley on the Galice Ranger District. The high mountain valley was yet another place he worked long hours for the public, his friends say. "He wouldn’t have wanted a big thing like this," his wife said before the event. "I think he’s going to make it rain on us." It didn’t rain. The clouds parted, revealing a beautiful robin’s egg blue sky, just the kind of day that makes trail hikers want to strap on their boots. Larry Cosby would have loved it. You can reach Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Larry Cosby: A true guide on winding trails of life ">[email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s