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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2017)
A6 Community wallowa.com June 21, 2017 Wallowa County Chieftain Journalist left an outstanding legacy Wilson was an author, an actor, and a Christian By Elane Dickenson Special to the Chieftain Losing a friend is diffi cult, and many people lost a good friend when Rocky Wilson left this world to meet the Lord he loved so much at 1 a.m. Sat- urday, June 10, 2017, after 67 years on earth. In his autobiography (“Rocky Wilson: Why Am I Here?”), Rocky claimed 18 instances –– give or take a few -- in which he’d “been within inches of heaven’s door,” because of a long series fl uke accidents or close calls. In a way, he lived long beyond his W AL L OW A COUN TY Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings E N TE R P R ISE JOSE P H MONDAYS MONDAYS TUESDAYS 7 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. 6 p.m. Grace and Dignity (Womans Mtg) Joseph United Methodist Church St., Corner Church 3rd 301 S. Lake St, Basement & Lake, Side Stairs on Lake St. TUESDAYS 12-1 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. 7-8 p.m. Enterprise Group (Big Bk Study) 113.5 E Main St. WEDNESDAYS 7 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. THURSDAYS 12-1 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. 7 p.m. All Saints (Mens Mtg) 113.5 E Main St. WEDNESDAYS Grace and Roses Dignity 12 p.m. Rambling (Womans Mtg) 301 S. Lake St., Church Basement W AL L OW A SUNDAYS 7 p.m. Wallowa Assembly of God Church 205 S Alder St. FRIDAYS 7 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. SATURDAYS 7 p.m. Enterprise Group 113.5 E Main St. personal life expectancy, though not near long enough for those left behind. He leaves behind his beloved wife Megan, whom he wed four years before his death. Bonded by a love of sports and a deep Christian faith, Megan recalls fi rst talking with Rocky before a discipleship meeting in Spokane because of the Oakland A’s baseball cap he was wearing. Though she was many years younger than Rocky, and he met her not long before moving back to Wallowa for the fi nal time, their union was meant to be. “It was a God thing,” Megan says, repeating a phrase the cou- ple included in their wedding vows at the Josephy Center in May 2013. He always called her “the woman of my dreams” and had proposed to her at Juni- per Jam the fall before their wedding. Rocky’s Oakland A’s cap and Megan’s Seattle Mariner’s cap were both part of their wedding ceremony. Part of Rocky’s fi nal years, despite medical issues of his own, were spent in a determined search to fi nd the best possible way to treat and beat Megan’s multiple sclerosis. As the son of late longtime Wallowa High School coach Don Wilson, Rocky grew up in Wallowa and in high school achieved local legendary sta- tus when he was quarterback for WHS state champion football team as a senior with the Class of 1968. During high school he also began a lifelong love affair with the written word, beginning his journalism career by writing about sports for the Chieftain. Former Chieftain publisher T HE B OOKLOFT AND Skylight Gallery Submitted photo Rocky and Megan Wilson were married in recent years and had lived in Wallowa prior to his death. and editor Don Swart Sr. recalls Rocky forming part of the core of the WHS state champion football team. He later returned to the Chieftain as a writer more than once. “All the time he was work- ing for me, I never had a com- plaint about the accuracy of his stories,” Swart Sr. said. Rocky also worked under Don’s son Rick Swart, who called him “a prolifi c writer who covered a lot of ground as a reporter, often writing eight to 10 byline news stories a week.” In his 20s, Rocky became the co-owner of his own newspaper, based in Condon, and tells sto- ries of working 70- or 80-hour weeks to get the paper out. Rocky’s real love, was fi c- tion, and he has three published novels: (“Sharene Death: A Pre- requisite for Life,” a Christian thriller, which won a Reader View award; “Isle of Fantasty, Where Good Trumps Evil” and “Tread Softly Kent State.”). He left one novel half com- pleted, about airplane hijacker Church Finding books is our specialty 541.426.3351 • 107 E. Main • Enterprise • www.bookloftoregon.com Directory Church of Christ 502 W. 2nd Street • Wallowa 541-398-2509 Worship at 11 a.m. Mid-week Bible Study 7 p.m. St. Katherine’s Catholic Church Fr. Francis Akano 301 E. Garfi eld Enterprise Mass Schedule Tues-Fri 8:00 am Saturdays 5:30pm Sundays 10:30am (541)426-4008 stkatherineenterprise.org St. Pius X Wallowa Sundays 8:00am All are welcome Joseph United Methodist Church CLUES ACROSS CLUES DOWN 1. A minute amount (Scott) 5. Supernatural 11. Shortening 14. More firm 15. Other side 18. Philippine island 19. More unnatural 21. Microsoft Surface Book 23. Ice T’s wife 24. Domesticates 28. Only one time 29. In absentia 30. Crustlike surface of a healing skin lesion 32. Distress signal 33. Engine additive 35. 1990s female R&B trio 36. Very fast airplane 39. A reward (archaic) 41. Anno Domini 42. Golf supplies 44. Indian term of respect 46. French river 47. Turn down the lights 49. Blood-sucking African fly 52. Provides info 56. Procrastinates 58. Tower with balconies 60. Where researchers work 62. Religious office 63. Must-have for office workers 1. In possession of 2. Aborigines 3. Early Syrian kingdom 4. Clip 5. Misleads 6. Cosmetic Ingredient Review 7. Calcium 8. United Talent Agency 9. Hair problem 10. Took down 12. Round Dutch cheese 13. Bicycle manufacturer 16. Suffix plural 17. Painting technique 20. Small Eurasian deer (pl.) 22. Mr. T’s character “__ Baracus” 25. Progressive nerve disease 26. Shock therapy 27. Able to be sold 29. Suffix 31. Binary coded decimal 34. Goes well with a carrot 36. A way to measure performance 37. Doctor __, children’s book author 38. Jewish calendar month 40. Designated hitter 43. Polish village 45. Part of the mind 48. Hand (Spanish) 50. Hit with the open hand 51. Italian island 53. Shakespeare was one 54. Lake __, one of the Great 55. Oswald and Marvin were two 57. Soak up using something absorbent 58. Kids’ dish __ and cheese 59. Expression of disappointment 61. The ancient Egyptian sun god D.J. Cooper. A friend plans to fi nish the book, Megan said. Rocky also wrote a nonfi c- tion work, “Spokane: Driving In The Dark,” about his taxi driv- ing experiences, plus his autobi- ography, which is available only online. Rocky’s books are avail- able on Amazon and through his website rockywilsonwhyhere. com. He was proud of being an author, and there’s no doubt would be thrilled to become a posthumous best-seller. One of his most reward- ing years was spent as an actor with a professional traveling Christian drama troupe called the Covenant Players, perform- ing 200 plays and appearing on stage 500 times in the South. Among Rocky’s best friends was Gary Hulse, whom he’d gone to high school with. Hulse, who had a career with the Pend- leton Fire Department, now lives in Wallowa. “We had a lot of good times together through the years,” Hulse said. “We’d go duck hunt- ing and hang out whenever he 3rd & Lake St. • Joseph Pastor Cherie Dearth Phone: 541-432-3102 Sunday Worship Service 10:00 am JosephUMC.org St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church 100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise NE 3rd & Main St 541-426-3439 Worship Service Sunday 9:30am Gospel Centered Community Service time: 10:30 am Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise Pastor Mark Garland www.summitchurchoregon.org Worship 2 nd & 4 th Sundays - 2 pm Bible Study 2 nd & 4 th Thursdays - 11 am LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) Pastor Terry Tollefson Church Offi ce: 541-263-0505 Family Prayer: 9:15am Worship Service: 10am “Loving God & One Another” David Bruce, Sr. - Minister 723 College Street Lostine Lostine Presbyterian Church Enterprise Community Congregational Church Discussion Group 9:30 AM Worship Service 11:00 AM The Big Brown Church Stephen Kliewer, Minister Wallowa Assembly of God 606 West Hwy 82 Wallowa, Oregon 541-886-8445 Sunday School • 9:30 Worship Service • 10:45 Pastor Tim Barton wallowaassemblyofgod.com (5VU7YVÄ[*VTT\UP[`/LHS[O*LU[LY 409 W. Main Enterprise, Oregon 85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449 541.398.0597 Hwy 82, Lostine Spyware Removal • 541-426-0108 103 SW 1st St., Enterprise Faith Lutheran Church Christ Covenant Church Childrens program during service Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com Time for a Computer Tuneup? Summit Church Enterprise Christian Church Worship at 9 a.m. Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship at 6 p.m. (nursery at A.M. services) came home.” In high school he said Rocky was not only an excellent ath- lete, but popular and a good student. One thing that always made him stand out, Hulse said, was his love of writing. “He had an amazing life, good and bad. He was almost always positive ... He was a good friend and I’ll miss him.” Another important person in Rocky’s life was Chris Wil- liams, his stepson by relation- ship but the true son of his heart. He returned to Wallowa County the last time to spend more time with his aging father, who died a couple of years ago, after I sent him an email to him about a job opening at his old paper. He prayed about it and received a defi nitive answer. It was time to return home. Megan Wilson plans to stay in Wallowa and is looking for- ward to a big memorial gather- ing this summer to honor Rocky, though no date has yet been set. “He had so many good friends. Everywhere we went he had friends,” she said. She was able to spend nine hours with him before his death and let him know that it was okay for him to let go. “He didn’t want to leave me,” Megan said. “He treated me like gold. I loved him so much but I know he’s in a bet- ter place. I hate that cliché, but I know it’s true.” with an open door Pastor Archie Hook Sunday Worship 11am Bible Study 9:30am Ark Angels Children’s Program Ages 4-6th grade, 11am Nursery for children 3 & under 301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044 Seventh-Day Adventist Church & School OHSU Resident Maggie Wells, MD June 7th - June 28th Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00am to 7:00pm Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm 603 Medical Parkway Enterprise, OR 97828 Rock The Rodeo Season! Largest Selection of Boots and Booties...Ever ~ Old Gringo ~ Liberty Black ~ Corral ~ Miss Macie Stop by today! Open Daily 10 am – 5 pm 305 Wagner (near the Cemetery) P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828 541-426-3751 Church 541-426-8339 School Worship Services Sabbath School 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Worship Hour 11:00 a.m. - Noon Pastor Jonathan DeWeber Uptown Clothing & Accessories in Downtown Joseph 12 S. Main St. • 541-432-9653
