Skamokawa man drowns in river

The body of a local man was found on the Washington side of the Columbia River between Brookfield and Three Tree Point on Sunday morning.

Stan Thacker, 62, of Skamokawa, was reported overdue by his wife on Saturday night. He had left their home around 11 a.m., to go downriver on his skiff to collect logs, according to the sheriff’s report.

The call came in at 11:31 p.m. Thacker’s truck and trailer were still at the Skamokawa boat launch. By 1 a.m., the US Coast Guard had a boat on the river and a helicopter searching for Thacker. They searched all night.

The Wahkiakum Sheriff’s Office responded at first light on what was a very foggy Sunday morning, according to Undersheriff Gary Howell. Thacker’s friends had already been out in their boats looking for him, and friends found him.

The skiff has not been located.

According to Prosecuting Attorney/Coroner Dan Bigelow, Thacker was a “well known and well respected man” who would collect driftwood, cut it up, and give it to people for firewood. Thacker was a retired logger with a lifetime of experience on the river.

He is survived by his wife, Becky, their children, and his father, Hoby Thacker.