Mrs. Sayles' creativity flowered in the garden
Saturday, September 1, 2007 11:32 PM PDT
By Janine Manny
Printable version
E-mail this articleJoAnne Sayles was a well-known craftswoman and her creations sold on Pier 70 in Seattle, but she always said the garden was where she did her best creative work.
Of all her skills, Sayles, a retired Master Gardener, was most proud of writing a gardening column for nearly 18 years, according to her daughter Phyllis Sayles of Longview, the retired director of the McClelland Arts Center.
JoAnne Sayles, 89, died Aug. 27.
"She enjoyed the accomplishments of her husband and children," her daughter said. "In turn, she was an excellent writer and her family was always proud of this creative side."
Sayles' column, "Gardening Year 'Round" covered a variety of home gardening, canning, freezing and baking advice. She also shared recipes and sold her culinary treats at the annual Crackerbarrel Fair, held at the McClelland Arts Center.
Bernie Altman was the editor of the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Senior News at Lower Columbia Community Action Program (CAP) when Sayles began writing her gardening column. When Altman later became editor of the Senior Outlook, a publication of The Daily News, Sayles continued to write for him.
"She was passionate about gardening, and a good edition to the Senior Outlook," Altman said. "She was a volunteer columnist and did an excellent job."
Altman said that Sayles often helped him understand new angles of gardening. She introduced him to mason bees, which improve pollination, and helped Altman and his wife set up a hive for their home garden.
JoAnne Sayles moved to Longview with her husband Thomas Byers "Chic" Sayles in 1946. She later returned to school ad graduated from Portland State University in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in education. She worked as a kindergarten teacher for the Longview School District for several years.
Phyllis Sayles and her brothers Dick and Thom Sayles say their mother was enthusiastic and supportive of them.
"For her, family and home were the most important and enduring parts of her life," Phyllis Sayles said.
A favorite family memory of three Sayles siblings is of their mother making a fresh homemade batch of cinnamon rolls on Sunday mornings.
"For many years when all the kids were young, our family went on rockhunting and sightseeing trips," Phyllis Sayles said. "Mom had to sit in the back seat as a buffer between the kids. She often mentioned she didn't know trees had tops because she could not see them from the back seat."
Sayles made driftwood hangings and other crafts, including "Bits of the Beach" memento boxes, which were miniature reminders of the beach she sold and gave away.
She enjoyed sharing the bounty of her garden, and visitors often went away with corn, carrots, beets, squash, beans, spinach, lettuce, blueberries, raspberries and flowers.
JoAnne Sayles was also a tutor in the English as a Second Language program at Lower Columbia College, and she often brought Japanese students home for some typical American home cooking and conversation. In exchange, she enjoyed learning about the Japanese culture and people.
After her husband died in 1995, JoAnne Sayles continued enjoying her hobbies and wrote her column until December 2001.
Phyllis Sayles said her mother loved her garden and yard so much, she even liked to weed.
"It was fun to see her mowing the lawn," she said. "She sat up on her John Deere riding mower, a straw hat on her head and a big satisfied smile on her face."
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