Julius “Jay” Vetter of Hermiston passed away in Hermiston on Sept. 22, 2020 at the age of 90.
He was born on Sept. 29, 1929 in Shields, N.D. to Conrad and Theresa Noel Vetter.
The family moved to Vanport. He attended Roosevelt High School, then returned to Shield, N.D. to teach. He joined the North Dakota National Guard, then transferred to active duty. He was a field wireman in the Korean War and was recently awarded the Ambassador of Peace medal from the Korean government. He moved to Eastern Oregon and worked for Pacific Northwest Bell Telecommunications for 34 years as a repair splice lineman, retiring in the early 1980s. He worked for the Hermiston School District as a groundskeeper custodian.
Jay enjoyed hunting and raising registered Hereford cattle. He and his brother, Larry, often had in-depth and colorful discussions as to which breed was the better, horned or polled. Communication with his siblings remained a very important priority throughout his life. He loved drawing, painting, teaching young children to write their names as soon as they could hold a pencil, and sharing special coffee and breakfast with his grandchildren. He created albums of newspaper clippings and photos of the accomplishments of his grandchildren. Jay was active in his community: the Umatilla Baptist Church, Hermiston Jaycees, the VFW and Hermiston Little League, and he was a life member of the Telephone Pioneers.
Jay married Darlene Gifford on July 24, 1954 in Pendleton, and from this union two daughters were born, Viki and Jan. The couple later divorced, and he later married Dorothy Queen on April 22, 1970 in Portland.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dorothy; children, Viki Desler, Jan (Bob) Schroth, Ron Moon, Pamela (Jeff) Mayberry, Diane Eveland and Christine (Hurshy) Howell; an abundance of grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; sisters, Agnes Stewart and Adeline (Victor) Meindl; brother, Larry (Eileen) Vetter; and many nieces, nephews and extended family members.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Jimmy, Arnold and Alvin; and sister, Helen Scherr.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020 at the Hermiston Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial donations be made to Telephone Pioneers of America, The Arc of Umatilla County and TruCare Pregnancy Resource Center.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
