Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy dies in Willamette River tubing accident

Naomi Pomeroy, a James Beard award-winning Portland chef, drowned while floating on the Willamette River near Corvallis over the weekend. The 49-year-old was in the midst of opening a new bistro in the former Woodsman Tavern, next door to her frozen custard shop, Cornet Custard, on Southeast Division in Portland.
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[@dontcare9689]

Unbelievable how some people don't even try to protect themselves when in the wild or water. I just don't get it.

[@hailutahistan3680]

This is only the latest of many drownings in which people going down a river in an inner tube, raft, kayak, boat or other flotation device somehow faile to realize you are on a river and should be wearing a life jacket. I kayaked and river rafted for many many years and never failed to wear a life jacket. People must think they're invulnerable, but they're not. If you go floating on a river in any way, wear a life jacket

[@DefundTheFringes]

Where is your evidence of no life jacket? It's not mentioned in articles. She may have been held under by debris.

[@rizzomatt]

@@DefundTheFringesIt’s mentioned in several articles online.

[@rizzomatt]

RIP Naomi. 😢

[@nancymcmonarch]

Thank you! This is a tragedy, but damn, I guess some people think every outdoor adventure is Disneyland. I used to love rafting down the American River, and thank goodness our guides were always professionals who explained WHY we had to wear life jackets. Go deep and get your foot stuck between underwater rocks, and you're a goner; by the time rescue workers get there, if it's even save enough for them to go diving, you've drowned. So one year I was sitting next to a giggly girl who was ignoring our guide's instructions. When we hit the Meatgrinder rapid, she was about to flip out of the raft, and she grabbed skinny ME to try and stay onboard. Oh hell no! Next thing, I was riding that rapid staring up at blue plastic. 😨 Thankfully, I came out of it with only a torn ligament, but I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn't been wearing that life vest. Another raft had a stupid as hell guide who thought it would be fun to do a wheelie down one of the rapids, so he instructed everyone to huddle on the back of the raft. (－‸ლ) Predictably, their raft flipped and everyone went flying. Our guide had us backpaddle to help pick up the swimmers. (And their guide was panicking--turned out he couldn't even swim!) The lady we rescued was so battered and bloody, she was about in shock. Totally preventable and infuriating. But fortunately, they WERE all wearing life jackets. On that river, it's not just a good idea; it's the LAW.

[@DefundTheFringes]

@@rizzomatt OK, I see it on OregonLive now. There are also times where leashes hold people underwater, regardless of flotation, which this story hints at.

[@Zythecryptobillionaire]

R.I.P Naomi. She accomplished so much in life and didn't deserve to die the way she did.

[@puttentanesame6687]

RIP, Chef Naomi.

[@janvierfrancisco4165]

What MAJOR, MAJOR LOSS to her immediate family, love ones, her restaurant patrons, pastry shop patrons, friends who knew her and her ZEST for LIFE & CULINARY EXECELLENCE to her true love of being the very best Chef. Naomi was Portland culinary ROYALITY without question, when people visited the Rose City she was a MAIN spot to go to for a dinning transformative experience that made the trip to Portland Metro a memory they carried with them the rest of their lives... I did. She deserves a Street named after her as ahistorical landmark. Ya rest now Naomi... we'll never forget you and what you did for Portland Metro and the State of Oregon!

[@brianbrian4016]

Was she boosted ?

[@kristamonae]

😢