Annette “Toni” Caruso

November 23, 1953 – October 24, 2025

Annette (Toni) Caruso, 71, of Oak Grove, Oregon, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on October 24, 2025, after a courageous five-year battle with ALS.

Toni was born on November 23, 1953, to Victor and Angela Caruso in Ironwood, Michigan. She was one of eight children. The family later moved to California and settled in La Mirada, where she grew up.

In 1967, Toni met Anthony Banuelos, and they married in 1969. Together they had two daughters — Patricia (1969) and Dina (1970). Toni and Anthony later separated in 1972 and divorced in 1978.

Her first job was with Granny Goose, where she worked on the potato chip inspection line. She often joked that she could never eat cold potato chips again after that job — she’d warm them up with a hair dryer before eating!

In 1978, Toni decided she needed a change and moved with her daughters to Oregon. She began working in the maintenance department at Wacker Siltronics, where she met Paul Herbst. Toni and Paul married on March 12, 1991, and made their home in Carver, Oregon, with their beloved dog, CJ. When she married Paul, she also gained his kids, Greg and Kim. She loved outdoor life — family gatherings, cutting wood, fishing, crabbing, clamming, and camping.

During this time, Toni left Wacker Siltronics and started her own business, Toni’s Painting and Cleaning, which thrived on referrals and word of mouth. She took great pride in her work and built lasting relationships with her clients.

After 18 years of marriage, Toni and Paul divorced, and she settled into her final home in Oak Grove, a place she lovingly called her “Little Oak Grove town.” She began working at a local tavern, the Vinyl Tap, where she made lifelong friends and could often be found on the dance floor — never letting anyone else lead! Later, she worked at the American Legion in Milwaukie, a place she dearly loved. To her, it never felt like a job because of the people she met and the community she found there.

Toni is survived by her daughters, Tricia Jenkins and Dina Powers (Jason Powers), her grandchildren Kyle Banuelos (Katie) and their children Archie and Ollie; John Chassaing (Natalie) and their children Landon, Spencer, and Tristan; Alexandra Jenkins (Chris) and their children Korra and Otis; and Charlie Jenkins (Emma) and their soon-to-be-born baby, Stepdaugther Kim Heiple,  Stepson Greg Herbst and his Children Lacey, Delaney and Natalie. 

Toni was an amazing mom, grandma (“G Sizzle”), and great-grandma (“GG”). She was an avid kayaker, loved gardening, and made friends everywhere she went — because to Toni, friends always became family. She touched everyone’s life in her own special way and was deeply loved by all who knew her.

She will be profoundly missed and forever remembered for her strength, laughter, and the love she shared so freely.