Hood River News, Wednesday, February 18, 2015
ROOTS
A nd B ranches
Jettes celebrate 50 years
By MAIJA YASUI
Losing two great guys
The last few weeks have been difficult with the
unexpected loss of two larger than life men, Bill
Enyart and Leroy Nickerson.
Bill Enyart was bigger than life in many ways.
His fullback physique and scarred nose added to
the legendary football tales told at Medford High
School and Oregon State reunions. He was inducted
into the OSU, Oregon and College Halls of Fame for
his fetes on the football field that earned him an as-
sortment of nicknames, Earthquake Enyart, the
Giant Killer, and Buff. A spectacular professional
career with the Buffalo Bills was knee jerked to a
halt by a serious injury after only two years.
Bill was a country boy at heart spending his for-
mative years on the George Annala farm on the val-
ley’s east side, above the banks of Neal Creek. It
was here my husband and Bill became fast friends,
although Bill never made a friend that wasn’t a
best friend for life. They spent hundreds of hours
hiking the forested hillsides looking for fishing hot
spots. Bill’s family moved to Medford, the mecca of
high school football, as Bill’s natural athletic abili-
ty began to shine, leaving Flip to read about his
friend in the sports section of the newspaper. They
rekindled their friendship at Oregon State Univer-
sity where Bill’s football rise to fame continued, but
never got in the way of friendship. A few years
later, when Bill’s football career with the Buffalo
Bills was cut short, our growing families would
meet at his home on the banks of the Deschutes in
Bend so our kids could get to know one another.
While others may have defined Bill by his football
prowess Bill was much more. He was an academic
all American, brilliant on many levels, a political
animal, a father and a life-long friend. We only
learned of his battle with cancer last week, shock-
ing to think this bigger than life legend could be
struck down at the age of 67. Flip picked up the
phone and called his friend one last time.
Bill’s death came on the heels of another shock-
ing event, the sudden loss of Leroy Nickerson, an-
other bigger than life man who left us much too
soon.
■
the Gorge 41 years ago.
T heir children are
Christopher (Angela),
David, and Kathleen
(Bill), and the Jettes have
five grandchildren.
The Jettes are active in
Lions Club, Lions’ Follies
and Back Country Horse-
men of America, and
Mary has volunteered at
Providence Hood River
Memorial Hospital for
more than 20 years.
The Jettes will cele-
brate with a dinner on
Feb. 28, hosted by their
children.
T RAVEL
Continued from Page B1
ferences between the three
children’s homes except for
two things that were exactly
the same: In all three homes,
every single child, no matter
how young or old, were in-
credibly beautiful. They
were filled with such love,
acceptance, hope and joy.
They were so amazingly pre-
cious that it broke our
hearts to think that anyone
could have possibly aban-
doned or abused them! And
the second thing that was
the same was we could feel
Jesus’ life-changing love
completely immersing every
square inch of all three of
these Christian orphanages.
We were so moved and hum-
bled by each child’s beauti-
ful smile and infectious
laugh and tight hug. We saw
Jesus’ love in the humility,
tenderness and gracious-
ness of the staff. We saw His
love in their eyes and smiles
and how they held each
child as if they were their
own.
To look at these children
and realize they were in
these Christian children’s
homes because they had
been cast aside as a burden,
or abused in every way
imaginable, hurt our hearts
to the core. Every single
child had a story that re-
vealed the tragic crisis
Guatemala and most other
Central American countries
are trapped in with the
breakdown of the family,
deeply-rooted corruption
and the perverse evil that
exists in the form of the
drug cartels and their inhu-
mane acts. As we left each
home and tore ourselves
away from the tight hugs of
the kids, we gave a large fi-
nancial gift to each director
on behalf of Immanuel
Lutheran Church to be used
for the most critical immedi-
ate need. They were all very
grateful.
As our last day arrived,
Lynda and I packed up our
suitcases, shared our love
and appreciation with Uncle
Willy for all his help, and
took to the skies once more,
this time heading not home
to PDX, but off to El Paso,
Texas, and a risky trip
across the border to another
drug cartel hotbed, Juarez,
Mexico, and more visits to
more wonderful Christian
orphanages.
But that’s a story for an-
other time and place.
Serving Hood River Daily!
Monday - Friday: The Dalles • Hood River
Call 541-386-4202
Portland, too!
Guatemala City. They will be
receiving their first children
this fall. If you would like
more information on this
new children’s home, con-
tact Pastor Jeff Mueller at
541-645-0191 or pastorj-
mueller@gmail.com.
Hear More Clearly
In Noisy Places!
LOOK!
This size ad in the HRN
9 times for only $175 50 !
Call Liana at 541-386-1234
Free Demonstration
* In your home or
at our office *
Hearing Aid Counselors
541-387-3277
924 12th St, Hood River
SPECIAL
ADVERTISING 2015
Call today to reserve your space in these Hood River News special sections!
541•386•1234 Ask for Liana, Kirsten,Jody or Chelsea
HEALTH
2015
Health & Wellness
Reserve ad space by:
Wellness
Feb. 20
A special publication of the Hood River News, April 12, 2014
Panorama 2015
Reserve ad space by:
March 16
■
COLUMBIA GORGE
Visitors Guide
DRIVE • HIKE • LEARN • CAMP • DINE • DRINK
e:
ap
m
–
2
A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HOOD RIVER NEWS AND THE DALLES CHRONICLE
April 15
ur
sid
st
Cider Fest – 4
Visitors Guide 2015
Reserve ad space by:
DOWNLOAD
GUIDE TO YOUR
MOBILE DEVICE
FOR INTERACTIVE
CONTENT
at
in
Fe
Fe
ed
om
B
l
o
s
s
o
m
s
ss
To listen to much more
detail about each children’s
home and the precious kids
Jeff and Lynda met, go to
ImmanuelHR.org/#/media
and click on the play button.
Then scroll to the 2/23/14
message to listen.
Postscript: Immanuel
Church also sent teams to
Tijuana, Mexico, Juarez,
Mexico and San Salvador, El
Salvador last year to learn
from seven more Christian
orphanages. Since then, the
church has received a mirac-
ulous gift of a million dollar
car, once owned by
singer/actor Pat Boone.
They are using the proceeds
from the sale of that car to
fully fund their own orphan-
age, called “Immanuel Chil-
dren’s Home,” which is lo-
cated in the heart of
Tue&Thur Service
The Dalles
Hood River • PDX
lo
B
■
Leroy gave many of us that “just saw Santa” feel-
ing; that special feeling of excitement of things to
come, of caring and giving, of love and laughter, of
the innocent playfulness of our childhood. We will
miss his exuberance for life, his interest in explor-
ing something new, his creativity, his playfulness
and his love of Dana and music.
Leroy and Bill were two bigger than life men who
left us a legacy of how to live life in their own
unique ways. We are thankful to have had them in
our lives and been able to call them our friends.
Fred and Mary Reghit-
to-Westlund Jette of Mt.
Hood-Parkdale mark
their Golden Anniver-
sary on Feb. 20.
They were married on
Feb. 20, 1965, at St. Cecil-
ia’s Catholic Church in
Beaverton, attended by
Nick Lambing (friend)
and Carol King (sister of
the bride)
Fred served as an Ore-
gon State Police Trooper
until retiring in 1992.
Mary worked as a home-
maker. They lived in
Aloha before moving to
Ashley
Heck
and
Fer nando
Murillo of
Odell were
married Aug.
23, 2014 at
Highland
Far ms
in
Mosier, on a
beautiful
summer day.
Rev. Anna
Car michael
Submitted photo
of St. Mark’s
Episcopal of-
Ashley Heck and Fernando Murillo
ficiated as
the 150 guests
rillo (cousins of the groom),
gathered for the outdoor cer- Grandpa Joe, and Kim
emony.
Cantrell (Aunt of the bride).
The bride is the daughter
Sarah Benson arranged
of Dave and Jackie Heck of the bouquets and bouton-
Hood River and the groom is nieres and family helped
the son of Trinidad and Rosa arrange the bouquets of
Murillo of Snowden, Wash.
flowers grown by family and
The bride’s sister Andrea friends. Mark Whitehead of
Heck and Kara Graves were Ahi’s Ohana Catering pro-
Matron of honor. Jessica vided a feast for dinner.
Russum, Katie Pritchett, Pauline Koll made local fruit
Jennifer Meresse, and Kim pies and Jennifer Bloom
Hoctor were bridesmaids.
made the wedding cake. Josh
The grooms brother Angel Duffus and cousin Jason
Murillo and Dean Russum Fisher photographed the
were Best Men. Chris Hask- wedding day.
ins, Sam Murillo, Andy Mer-
Dave Tallman and Natasha
esse, and Jake Wilkes were Muenzer (cousin of the
groomsmen.
bride) sang at the reception.
Ring bearers were Devin
Fernando is employed at
Russum and Lane Meresse. GS Long of Oregon and Ash-
Flower girls were Hailee ley is employed at Ahi’s
Heck (niece of the bride), Ohana Catering and home
Madison Russum and health care. Also, she is a vol-
MacKenzie Hoctor. Grand- unteer EMT for the Wy’east
parents of the bride are Joe Fire Department.
and Agnes Heck of Baker
The newlyweds honey-
City.
mooned on the Yucatan
Scripture readers were Peninsula and reside in
Sam Murillo and Patty Car- Odell.
2014
We came to know Leroy in the last three decades
of his life, when he moved to Hood River to work
with the telephone company. He was never the
stereotypical corporate executive, distant and
stuffy. He dressed casually, played in a rock and
roll band, and sought adventures in business and
recreation. You were could always be comfortable
around Leroy although his intelligence on so many
subjects could astonish even the brightest among
us.
None of us expected his life to be cut short at the
age of 64. He was a lean athletic machine, a non-
smoker, moderate drinker, who lived life with the
honest expectation that he would match his mother
Ollie’s longevity, enjoying life into his nineties.
From a preventative standpoint, Leroy was check-
ing off all the long lived boxes, making his sudden
death all the more painful but giving us a greater
appreciation for each of the days of life we are
given.
The vast number of people who filled every nook
and cranny of the Tribute Center, overflowing onto
the lawn, were a testament to his ability to estab-
lish and maintain relationships in an age when
face book friendships are a dime a dozen. Tales of
wild road trips in a lemon yellow van he personally
“restored” its tires
rolling off on a Corvallis
road added a youthful ex-
uberance to the man I
knew.
Leroy’s love for fun
was legendary. He would
dress up in one wacky
costume or another at
the drop of a hat, for Hal-
loween or birthday par-
ties. He was a Nordic fix-
ture at the annual St.
Urho’s Day parade.
Leroy in the St. Urho’s
The dream that so
Day parade, 2003.
many young men of the
sixties and seventies
shared, of starting a garage band and making it
“big” like the Grateful Dead or the Beatles Leroy
lived across a fifty year span. Making it big in
Leroy’s music terms was not about signing con-
tracts with a music label, but enjoying music with
his family, friends and fans.
In the early eighties Flip and I were stepping out
in the Hood River dance scene with friends Aki and
Cliff Nakamura, Lil and Koe Nishimoto, Tom and
Kaz Sumoge. It was in the back room of Jack’s Chi-
nese Restaurant that we began our friendship with
Dana and Leroy through the music of Larkspur.
There is nothing like Proud Mary to get everyone
on their feet. Rollin’ on the river. No one on the
music scene was rocking the house better than
Larkspur. It was an honest to goodness feel good
time, without the booze, drugs and fights.
We retired our dancing shoes as our children’s
sports and school activities took over our lives but
we occasionally pulled them out of the closet for a
Columbia Gorge Center (Opportunity Connections)
or Sister City fund raiser where Larkspur filled the
dance floor and the nonprofit coffers. Larkspur
played for so many local non-profits that their
music became synonymous with service. “People
on the river are happy to give.”
Leroy and Dana became a fixture at our family
Christmas Eve parties. Our kids and later our
grandkids became some of their surrogate children
as did an assortment of children across the valley.
Although initially apprehensive of playing the role
of Santa, Leroy brought great joy to the grandkids
by making several surprise appearances on Christ-
mas Eve. The look on Cooper’s face was priceless.
That squeal of delight, saucer sized eyes incredu-
lous as Santa strolled up to the front door of Grand-
pa and Grandma’s house.
Submitted photo
Mary and Fred Jette
Heck, Murillo marry
AND
B2