Chester “Al” Cairnes, 88, of Sweet Home, Oregon died Wednesday, August 17. Al was born December 18, 1927 in Brownsville; the son of Chester Harry and Blanche Eva (Weed) Cairnes.

He grew up in the West Brushcreek area of Crawfordsville. He went through school in Crawfordsville and graduated from Sweet Home Union High School. Al worked thirty-one years with Morse Bros. driving dump trucks and mixer trucks. He had a love of hard work.

Chester “Al” Cairnes

Al met Myrna Metzentine and soon married on April 5, 1953. The couple lived in Sweet Home, eventually building a home together in 1964. During their life together, they traveled to Missouri, Alaska, Hawaii, and England. Al had a love of old mowers and anything logging. He and Myrna worked and maintained a family tree farm in West Brushcreek. Al’s love of old cars led to him finding and restoring a couple of 1920s cars. Al was an active member of Sweet Home Evangelical Church.

Al is survived by his wife, Myrna, of Sweet Home; daughter Patricia Olsen of Sweet Home; son Mark Cairnes of Crooked River; son-in-law Gary Olsen of Sweet Home; grandchildren Robert Grigsby and his wife, Amber, of Vancouver, WA, Cassie Jeppsen and her husband, Jake, of Sweet Home, and Whitney Funk and her husband, TJ, of Lebanon; and great grandchildren Lilly, Nate, Madison, and Coen.

A memorial service will take place at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 27, at the Sweet Home Evangelical Church. Memorial donations can be sent to SHEM in Al’s name.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.