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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2022)
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 7 Obituaries Jerald (Jerry) Laverne Klatt Stewart Weitzman January 24, 1944 – December 28, 2021 April 25, 1935 – December 29, 2021 Farewell to a true cowboy. Jerry was born in Turtle Lake, North Dakota, to par- ents Herman H. Klatt and Edna Ella (Leib) Klatt, and was the oldest of nine chil- dren, six boys and three girls. The family lived and farmed in Washburn, North Dakota until 1956 when they moved to California, settling in Corona. He began his schooling at age 5 in a one-room school- house with two other chil- dren and finished his educa- tion in Corona, California. He regretted not being able to enlist in the Marine Corps due to a physical deferment. He met Nancy Henderer in Corona in 1964, and they were married in 1967. They lived in Riverside, California, before moving to Sisters, Oregon in July, 1968. Jerry and Nancy have three daughters, Julie Klatt (Tony Chichelli), Kelley Pellerin (Draman Sanyang), and Kerry DeGuzman (Raffy). Sisters was home to the family for many years, where they raised sled dogs, horses, and started rais- ing cattle in 1976. Some of Jerry9s proudest moments were racing his dogs pro- fessionally in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and British Columbia from 1966 to 1988. All of the family participated with him in this endeavor. In 2008 he ful- filled a dream of going to Alaska and being a handler for an Iditarod team. Many types of work kept Jerry busy over the years. He obtained his CDL in 1967 in California, working for Sunkist Corp. After moving to Oregon his first job was driving a water truck and then a log truck. He learned to operate all kinds of heavy equipment, specializing in backhoes and excavators. He did much of the early work at Black Butte Ranch, worked six seasonal appoint- ments with the Deschutes National Forest, and helped with the early land clearing at Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters. The work that brought him the most enjoyment was training horses and dogs and working with his cattle. He always enjoyed being involved with his family9s activities. He lived by the Cowboy Code all his life. After the girls were grown, Jerry and Nancy moved in 1998 to a small, irrigated ranch in Culver. They began building their herd of Piedmontese cattle and were known as one of the largest breeders in Oregon. They sold bulls, Stewart was born April 25, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, and after a life well lived, passed away December 29, 2021 in Bend, at the age of 86. Stewart was raised in Southern California by his parents, Louis and Fanny Weitzman. This is where his lifelong love of education, hard work, and cars started. In 1953 he was accepted to Stanford University and graduated with a degree in political science in 1957. At Stanford, he was a mem- ber of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. After college, he served in the Marine Corps for two years, being honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant (later pro- moted to Captain in the reserves). He met Verle Pilling through mutual friends in San Francisco in 1959 and their 62-year romance began at that time. They were mar- ried on January 23, 1960 in Palo Alto, California. They later moved to Portland, where they raised their two sons, Marcus and Todd. Stewart worked in several sales-related jobs in the early 1960s, primarily in the phar- maceutical industry, before starting to pursue his MBA at Portland State in 1967. While in the MBA program, his entrepreneurial spirit was born as he started his first company, Pacemaker Corporation, a manufacturer of preventive dental prod- ucts including fluoride gels. Pacemaker grew rapidly, and after developing several products that earned U.S. patents, the company was sold in 1978. After consulting and working for several start- ups, he founded Weitech in Sisters, in 1989. Weitech was a manufacturer of calves, breeding stock, and had a successful locker beef business. Horses originally brought Jerry and Nancy together and they contin- ued to have several head of Arabian horses, standing two stallions at stud, and participated in horse shows and track racing. Jerry had been receiv- ing hospice care since September, after declining further treatment for can- cer. The family is grateful to all the wonderful doctors, nurses, and hospice staff who took such good care of him. Jerry is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughters Julie, Kelley, and Kerry; and three grandchildren, John Michael Pellerin, Jordan Pellerin, and Alexis Hiner (Riley); and great-grand- daughter, Willow Jeane Hiner. Also surviving are five siblings: Marvin Klatt (Kathy), Brian Klatt, Sherri Williams (John), Joyce Winstead (Larry), and Judy Klatt, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Also a cousin but always consid- ered an older brother, Gary Klatt (Edna) of Florida. He was pre-deceased by both of his parents, and brothers Larry, Dennis and James. No services are planned but we will plan a Celebration of Life in the New Year. electronic pest control prod- ucts. At this time, he and Verle moved full-time to Black Butte Ranch. Stewart served as the chairman of the BBR homeowners9 board and as the president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Weitech expe- rienced rapid growth, and his son Todd soon joined the company. Weitech was sold in 2002 and Stewart retired. Stewart and Verle enjoyed soaking up the sunshine in Indian Wells, California, during the winters. Stewart also enjoyed reading, clas- sical music, travel, politics, car magazines, golfing, ten- nis, playing Shanghai, and was always scanning the classifieds for a new busi- ness opportunity. He was a decisive leader, a very gen- erous man, and those who knew him appreciated his witty sense of humor. After 24 years living at Black Butte Ranch, he and Verle moved to Touchmark in Bend, where they have hap- pily lived for the past nine years. Stewart had struggled with Parkinson9s Disease for the past several years, but ultimately succumbed to colon cancer. Preceded in death by his parents L o u i s We i t z m a n a n d Fanny Weitzman, and his brother Morrel Weitzman. Survived by his wife of 61 years, Verle; brother Ronald (Morley) of Carmel, California; son Marcus (Chelley) of Mesa, Arizona; son Todd (Diane) of Sisters; and five grandchildren, Joshua, Christopher, Sarah (Matt), Abigail (Jared), and Becky (James). A celebration of life will be held in late spring. Memorial contributions can be made to Partners in Care/ Hospice House at 2075 NE Wyatt Ct., Bend, OR 97701 or Parkinson9s Resources of Oregon at 8880 SW Nimbus Ave., Suite B, Beaverton, OR 97008. We’re Here To Serve You! 11 LOCATIONS IN OREGON, IDAHO & ARIZONA! AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS • FARM • RENTAL 541-549-3172 1-800-752-8540 704 W. Hood Ave., Sisters — In Business Since 1980 —