Green Mountain Airport operator donates late husband’s 1947 Seabee to Hood River, Ore., museumSubscriber Exclusive

Sally Runyan: 'I wanted to give something to the community and leave a little bit of Ben'

By Erin Middlewood, Columbian Managing Editor for Content

Published: October 21, 2022, 6:00am

5 Photos

Jay Bell, left, aircraft-restoration specialist for the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum, works on a 1947 Republic RC-3 Seabee as Sally Runyan hops out of the aircraft with her dog, Luke, at Green Mountain Airport on Oct. 11. Runyan donated the aircraft to the museum in Hood River, Ore. She has gradually been letting go of planes restored by her late husband, Ben Runyan, who died in a 2008 plane crash. (Photos by Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Sally Runyan’s husband, Ben, died 14 years ago doing what he loved best — flying a small plane that he had restored. She never remarried. A pilot herself, the 62-year-old still lives in the same house northwest of Camas. The property includes Green Mountain Airport, which she now runs on her own.