Remembering Cam Groner: 1949-2017
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of former DRA board member and Vice President Cam Groner on July 17, 2017. Cam died quietly and peacefully at the end of a many months-long battle with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease.Cam is deeply missed by those close to him. He was incredibly bright, sometimes irascible, strong-willed (some might even say stubborn), and nearly always right. A subversive sense of humor kept Cam from allowing any situation to become too serious. Cam could readily quote from memory Shakespeare, the law, Firesign Theater, song lyrics, and nearly anything else that he had been exposed to at some point in his life. This made him an entertaining delight to spend time with.Cam was the consummate fly-angler. The real deal. The kind of fisherman whose life was centered around and focused on his passion for fishing. The man could fish. He took huge pleasure in every aspect of it. He was a pleasure to fish with because his joy in fishing was so intense and so contagious.
Cam especially loved fishing for steelhead. Later in life, he traveled to the Dean River in British Columbia as often as he could. He loved the wildness of the place, and the run of huge steelhead there.
But most of all Cam loved the lower Deschutes River. So much so that he and his partner, Ingrid Brydolf, built a second home in Maupin. It was from there that Cam could fish and entertain friends.Cam didn’t fish much with guides, but when he did he loved to fish the waters of the Deschutes River along the Warm Springs Reservation with his friends Al Bagley and Matt Mendes. Here’s a video where Cam produces an opera, the Hardy Reel Opera, with Matt in the background. Cam loved to hear that reel sing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrdO4ZXicX8Cam did his undergraduate studies at Yale, acquired a master’s degree from Harvard, and went on to graduate from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College. Cam retired as the Chief Legal Officer for Legacy Health. His retirement career was as the first director of the DRA legal team and Vice President of the DRA Board of Directors. Cam was also a member of the DRA Founding Circle.The rivers and fish that Cam loved benefited greatly from his advocacy and extensive legal background. In his time with the DRA, Cam worked diligently driving processes to find resolutions to the problems facing the lower Deschutes River.Cam will be missed most of all by his children Christine, Lauren and Geoff, his life partner Ingrid Brydolf, and his best friend and fishing partner Dave Baca. Our heartfelt condolences go to them, and to everyone else who knew and loved Cam.Memorial contributions can be made to the Cam Groner Memorial Fund at the Deschutes River Alliance. Please note on your contribution that it is for the Cam Groner Memorial Fund. All proceeds donated in Cam’s memory will go towards the DRA’s legal expenses.http://www.deschutesriveralliance.org/supporting-the-dra/Contributions can also be made to the Legacy Health Foundation's Cam Groner Charity Care Fund.You may also honor Cam by going fishing, and at the end of the day toasting a glass of good Oregon pinot noir to his life and his memory.
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