6 Wednesday, August 11, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Obituaries Walter (Wally) Henry Rietz, Jr. August 17, 1923—July 26, 2021 Wally Rietz passed on July 26. Wally was born at the home of his parents, Walter Sr. and Margaret Rietz in Highland Park, Illinois. Wally graduated from Highland Park High School and attended the University of Illinois in Champaign in 1941. Wally joined ROTC on campus in December. Finishing Officer Candidate School as a second lieuten- ant, Wally was assigned to the 11th Armored Division, 41st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron under the com- mand of General George Patton. On December 16, 1944, Wally landed on the French coast in Cherbourg. That same day, German forces initiated the counter-offen- sive known as the Battle of the Bulge. In May, Wally arrived at the Mauthausen Concentra- tion Camp in Austria after it was liberated the day before. Wa l l y 9s s e r v i c e i n Europe ended June 1946. He completed his degree at University of Illinois with a BS in business. He met his future wife, Jean Easton, and started his career in Indiana and Illinois. In the early 1950s, Wally transferred to Southern California, living in Whittier for almost 20 years. He was transferred to Portland in 1970. Spending vacations in Central Oregon, Wally and Jean purchased a five-acre property in the Desert Sands subdivision and spent 23 years there in retirement. Wally was active in Sisters Rotary, hired as a starter at Aspen Lakes Golf Club, Sisters Jazz Festival, and Deschutes County Board for Children and Families. Life became difficult to continue to stay at Desert Sands due to Jean9s fail- ing health. In 2008, they moved to SpringRidge in Charbonneau. Wally is survived by a daughter, Roberta Strom (Dale) of Beaverton, grand- sons Brock Strom of Norfolk, VA and Kerby Strom of Portland, brother Robert Rietz of Delaware, OH, and daughter-in-law Peggy White of Timber, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Jean; sons James in 1950, and Scott in 1992; brother Charles in 2019. Before Wally9s passing, he wrote memoirs of his war experience and another on News nuggets Snippets and tidbits from Sisters Country a.m. on September 23, 2021. Reception to be determined. DAVIS TIRE Our family can take care of your family of autos & trailers Brakes • Axles • Ball Joints • Suspension • Shocks • Struts By Bill Bartlett TIRE INSTALLATION, ALIGNMENT, REPAIR, BALANCING, ROTATION Correspondent " Gas prices continue to climb. If you drive a perfor- mance auto that requires pre- mium unleaded fuel, you can expect to pay $4.75/gallon in Sisters for ethanol-free gas. For everybody else it9s $3.85/ gallon on average for the four petrol stations in town. That9s an increase of 23 cents in just one month and $1.09/ gallon since January. " Pump your own. Speaking of gas, the 76 sta- tion at Sisters Pumphouse & Country Store is allowing self-service due to its con- tinuing staffing shortage. The labor crisis in Sisters remains dire with many businesses curtailing hours. " Hospitalizations for COVID-19. St. Charles remains on high alert for the possibility of the Delta vari- ant taxing the system, but as of Monday, five COVID- related patients were in ICU, three of whom were on ven- tilators. Systemwide, St. Charles has 30 ICU beds. In all of Oregon there are 651 intensive care beds, 140 spe- cialty ICU beds that can be diverted for COVID-19, and 5,195 acute care beds. " Sheriff hosts National Night Out event in Sisters. The Village Green was the scene of a few hundred citizens last week, many of whom were families with young children who came to meet some 40 members of the Deschutes County Sheriff9s Office (DCSO). Sheriff Shane Nelson posed with kiddos and along with Sisters Substation Commander Lt. Chad Davis and scores of deputies, gave attendees an up-close look inside the myriad vehicles his 97 years of life. The sec- ond memoir was completed days before his passing. Wally recorded a podcast on November 6, 2019, regard- ing his World War II expe- rience on