community
february14
2012
Derl Roberts--He Was One of a Kind
By Gayle Rich-Boxman
On a typical winter-wet day in
December, 2005, I walked into the office
at Vernonia Realty. After a couple of
brief introductions by Ken and Helen
Bateman, I was escorted back to the office
of the Principal Broker. I sat down across
the desk from a gravelly-voiced man,
with oxygen tubing placed lightly in his
nostrils, who sat tall and solid in his seat.
I had just been introduced to my future
mentor in real estate, Mr. Derl Roberts.
On the exterior, he presented himself as
a sharp, no-nonsense fellow with a nice
tailored shirt, backswept silvery hair and
somewhat of a gruff manner. It belied
the kind-hearted and unselfish man that
I grew to know both as the consummate
real estate professional and father-like
figure that I had the pleasure of knowing
for six years.
We interviewed each other.
I asked him questions and he would
answer, honestly and succinctly. I would
stop. He would look at me and ask, “You
got any more questions on that paper
of yours?” He would then ask me some
serious questions, which I answered
as honestly as possible. Derl could be
intimidating; I recall that as one of my
first impressions. But, soon after, I
realized that this was in part due to his
voice, and partly just the old logger in
him, not the genuine softy that I came
to know. Pretty soon though, it went
from a rather formal, stilted interview
to a more casual get-to-know you
conversation. He was the only Principal
Broker I interviewed and the only office
I intended to place my license in and I
have never looked back or questioned
my decision.
Derl never waivered in his
ethics and total honesty in real estate.
He had a powerful demeanor and forty+
years of knowledge about the industry
and because of these qualities, I learned
a tremendous amount in a short period of
time in a very complicated new career.
One of the benefits I didn’t
realize at the time was that I would
acquire a new friend. Derl and I
would sit after hours and talk about
the history of Vernonia (as he had
been born here), his logging days,
his military memories, real estate
successes and debacles; you name
it. He was a good storyteller, had
an incredibly good memory and not
only did I learn much about his life,
but they were told with humility
and laughter at times. He was also
unfailingly generous both with his
time and his friendship.
Having worked for a respiratory
care company for four years, prior
to getting into real estate, I was not
thwarted by the oxygen that was his
constant companion. Instead, I would
periodically ask him some medical
questions, worry about him when
he would get sick and talk frankly
with him at times when we all would
think “is this it?” But, he was a tough
old poop! He would rally and after
we’d see him battle yet another bout
of pneumonia or bronchitis, he’d be
back in his office dutifully handling
all of our real estate matters with
professionalism and finesse. We
would all breathe a sigh of relief
upon his return.
Then, one day, he couldn’t
physically walk the distance anymore
and being a prideful man about how it
would look, he couldn’t bring himself
to use a walker to get in and out of the
office. But, just about every day, he’d
come see us, drive up in his truck and
park in front of the office for a couple
of hours. Ken, Helen and I would
take turns swapping stories about the
daily happenings with him. He would
hold court with his cronies who would
come and go in the passenger side of his
truck and you would see Derl wave at all
of the folks he knew who would drive by
while he sat there.
Helen took the necessary steps
to become our Principal Broker and yet
we ALL still asked Derl for his opinions
because he had such a plethora of
knowledge that we just couldn’t help it.
AND it made him feel like he was still
a vital part of our lives, both personally
and professionally.
When we found out that he was
on Hospice, we called him at home.
He wouldn’t be making it out of the
house anymore. After a short, heartfelt
conversation with him, I said, “Derl,
you do what you have to do and if it’s
time, then it’s okay”. I was guiding him
to give himself permission to leave this
earth. In his brusque, but humorous
retort, he said, “Well, I’m not ready to
go yet—I’ve got a game to watch!”
9
That was less than a month ago.
He thanked me for being a good friend.
I told him I loved him. I didn’t know
how long it would be before I wouldn’t
be able to tell him that, so I didn’t hold
back.
On Sunday, January 22, 2012,
Derl left us. It was almost six years to
the day that I first became part of the
Vernonia Realty family. I know he was
ready. We who have loved him may
never be ready to lose such a dear friend,
who was one-of-a-kind.
You gave your all to us in this
community, Derl and I will miss you for
a very long time. Many of us will.
Derl Roberts June 26, 1932-January 22,
2012
Made in Vernonia Opens Storefront
continued from front page
“Gordon Smith, who owns the
building, was really instrumental
in making this happen because
he was willing to work with me,”
says Larsen. “He had heard about
the store when I called to rent the
space and was very excited about
having this here.”
Larsen has been working
hard during the month of Janu-
ary to create a warm and inviting
space, and collecting more items
to display for sale.
Vernonia Computer Services
Computer problems? We can help.
Hardware testing, repair, replacement
Mac – Windows – Linux
Software install/upgrade
Virus/spyware removal
Custom systems built
Housecalls
Now Open!
inside Made in Vernonia
805 Bridge Street
Mon - Fri 4-6
and by appointment
Bill Langmaid
(971) 998-3705
bill@rangelights.com
In addition to locally
made soaps, jewelry, pot-
tery lotions, barnwood signs,
children’s toys, and cloth-
ing, Larsen now has the wall
space to display paintings
and photography from local
artists.
“Everything
just
kind of came together,” says
Larsen. “It’s been kind of
magical.”
Mariolino’s
Pizza & Grill
Open for
breakfast,
lunch & dinner
We have ice cream!
Serving Vernonia since 1970
721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia
(503) 429-5018
