Column: Chris, thanks for framing our view

Coeur d'Alene lost a great newspaperman this week. Chris Sivula didn't work for The Press, but the retired Tri-City Herald editor's presence in the region was felt in the newsroom, as is the hole left by his death Sunday at his home in Cave Bay.

Chris, 62, moved to Kootenai County last year, after a long career at the Tri-City Herald, a daily paper based in Kennewick that serves southeastern Washington.

The Herald's story about Chris' death shows how much he loved his work and why. It includes a sentence from the column Chris penned when he retired in August 2014.

“There’s no better view of a community than from behind a reporter’s desk at a community newspaper,” he wrote.

Chris generously shared his experience as a journalist and love of his new community with The Press' editorial staff, volunteering to review papers and provide feedback. His great, and understated, skill as a communicator was evident. When Chris sat down with reporters and editors to share his findings, he offered praise where due and plenty of constructive criticism. And before he walked that gauntlet, he wisely opened with a truly funny pirate joke.

It was easy to trust Chris' judgment of our work because it was tempered with his gentle smile and the kind of confidence that comes with years of doing something right, something he was passionate about. Chris called the newsroom last summer to let us know about some great work being done during a summer camp for kids with cancer. He was volunteering at the program taking place in Post Falls. His ability to care for a community from behind a reporter's desk extended into the trenches when he moved to North Idaho.

We're saddened that we will be unable to spend more time learning from Chris, but it's a greater loss for the region.

As we extend our sympathy to Chris' wife, Betsy, and the couple's daughter, we send a shout-out to Chris: Thanks for sharing your view of our community with us while reminding us that our jobs are about much, much more than reporting the news.

Read the Tri-City Herald's story about Chris: http://bit.ly/1MuY3mN