The Daily News-April 1980

RISK, William J. 'Mickey'

  Age 76, died and surely St. Patrick himself will be waiting to greet
this man who was born in County Antrim, Ireland, as he reaches the
other side.
  For almost 70 years he lived and worked and became a colorful part of 
Wahkiakum County.  The woods knew him as a young man, and the towboats, 
until in 1940 he bought from his brother, Jim, the tavern, restaurant 
and hotel in Cathlamet that became modestly famous as Jim's Café and 
Sports Center.
  Mickey was proud of his Irish heritage, and on the wall of the 
Shamrock Room in the restaurant hung a shillelagh.  Until some spalpeen 
made off with it, leaving Mickey desolate.  The shillelagh had been 
sent from County Antrim, no less, but some of Mickey's friends sent 
word winging to old Ireland, and not one, but two, shillelaghs were 
soon on their way to replace the original article.
  Risk sold the business in 1972, and planned to remain in Cathlamet.
But five years ago he suffered a stroke, and he and his wife moved
to Kelso.
  And Saturday in the Dowling Funeral Home, Cathlamet, Mickey's many 
friends will gather to say goodbye and Godspeed to an even greener and 
lovelier land.
  Mickey died at a Vancouver, Wash., nursing home.
  Risk ran Jim's Sports Center in Cathlamet for 35 years.  He was born 
in Caddy Randlestown, Antrim County, Northern Ireland and came to 
Skamokawa in 1906.
  He worked for Crown Zellerbach for many years, and operated a tugboat 
for 17 years.  
  He was a life member of the Longview Elks, a long-time member of the 
Cathlamet volunteer fire department and ambulance service and a member 
of the Cathlamet Commercial Club.
  He is survived by his wife, Loreen, at home; a daughter, Dona 
Ramsdell of Kelso; a brother, Ferguson Risk of Portland; a sister, 
Jeanne French of Portland; a niece, a grandniece, four grandchildren 
and four great-grandchildren.
  Funeral services were Saturday at Dowling Funeral Home in Cathlamet, 
conducted by the Longview Elks Lodge.
  Dowling Funeral Home was in charge.


Greenwood Cemetery-Cathlamet, Wa.
25 Jul 1902-22 Apr 1980
(As transcribed by the Wahkiakum County Historical Society Museum)