Barbara Jane Blue

Barbara Jane Blue, a well-known certified public accountant, passed away quietly at home on Sept. 10 after a five-year battle with colon cancer.

She worked as an accountant, tax preparer and municipal auditor for 50 years. She started her career after graduating from Oregon State University in 1973, and moved to Astoria. While working at Edwin L. Luoma CPAs, she completed her CPA in 1979.

In December 1979, Barbara was added by the Oregon Board of Accountancy to the roster of accountants authorized to conduct municipal audits. She was a lifelong member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants.

She served on the Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee of the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants from 1979 until 2023, serving a term as president and a term as secretary during her tenure. She also served on the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants board of directors.

Barbara served on the Oregon Board of Accountancy from 1988 to 2022. In 1999, she was appointed by the Oregon Board of Accountancy to the Continuing Professional Education Committee for a two-year term.

In 1981, Barbara joined with Joan Pratt to form Pratt and Blue CPAs. They specialized in tax returns, municipal audits and non-municipal audits, not-for-profit and small business financial advice. They rapidly became one of the area’s largest municipal auditing firms.

Barbara also prepared tax returns and financial statement work for nonprofit organizations, becoming a sought-after preparer. She often undercharged, or did extra work gratis to help the organizations be on better financial standing. She continued offering these services to several local groups almost to the end of her life.

When Joan Pratt retired in 2009, Barbara worked briefly for Diane Barendse CPA until September 2012, when she joined Bussert Law and Associates. She worked there until January of this year, when her poor health forced her to retire.

Shortly after starting work in Astoria, she was asked to count and audit the balloting for the Astoria Regatta Queen. Soon she was doing the same for the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival and Miss Clatsop County. Later, she volunteered to help at the Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival through its various names and locations.

Her continued public service included helping with the Astoria High School Scholarship Fund. She joined the Warrenton Sunrise Rotary when Pratt and Blue CPAs moved to Warrenton. She served two terms as president.

As her children were growing up, she worked as a John Jacob Astor Elementary School crossing guard. She also joined the Boy Scouts of America as an adult leader for Troop 211 in 1994, because the unit needed a treasurer.

Over the years in that position, she worked with the scouts, teaching them how to handle money and prepare budgets for the troop. In 1998, she helped charter Boy Scouts of America Venturing Crew 330.

For her outstanding service to the Boy Scouts, she was awarded the District Award of Merit in 2002, the Venturing Leadership Award in 2003, the Silver Beaver Award in 2006 and the Distinguished Commissioner Award in 2007. She attended the Philmont Training Center in 2001, and was an Order of the Arrow Brotherhood member.

When asked by the Venturing Crew youth to teach them how to do tax returns, she readily accepted. She did it for many years, not only helping the Venturers, but frequently their parents as well.

While a Winter Lodge director for the Boy Scouts, she did not like the opening/closing instructions in the lodge operation manual. In 1998 and 1999, she completely rewrote the manual for both winter lodges. Parts of the manual still use her basic underlying instructions.

Barbara was born in Eugene to Delmar and Maria Storment. She graduated from Sheldon High School in 1969, and from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in administration, with a concentration in accounting.

She married Robert Blue, of Astoria, in 1973. They lived in Astoria for the rest of her life. They celebrated 50 years of marriage this June.

She is survived by Robert; her son, Steven; daughter, Kathryn; grandson, Oscar; father, Delmar; sisters, Sue and Linda; and brothers, Jim and Andy.

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Peace First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St.

Memorial contributions may be made to Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Research, Lower Columbia Hospice or the Peace First Lutheran Care Team.