7688. Richard Leslie Jessee
Source: Jim Jessee, Memorial Comments, August 13, 2006.
Richard Leslie Jessee
April 3, 1930 - August 7, 2006Son of Norval Riley "N.R." Jessee, 1907-1978 and Sarah Elizabeth"Beth"Franks, 1908-1978
Brother of Donald Norval Jessee, 1928-2002
Husband of Betty Jean Thomas Jessee, married 1948
Father of Stephen Norval, Darrell Leslie, and Larry Eugene JesseeRemarks by Jim Jessee at Richard's Memorial
August 12, 2006I wish I could say Richard was a typical Jessee man - an archetype -hewasn't. As Betty said, "He was sweet," and, as too many of usJesseecousins witness, sweetness comes few and far between…Uncle Jack,UncleMutt, maybe a couple more…
Richard was kind and loving and sensitive, and that characteristiciswidely shared in the family…but we all got to cover that up!
Richard was so well liked, respected, and loved by many friends,familyand all he met - as is well evidenced here, today. He wasaffable,easy-going, sociable, a great storyteller, and funny - with asense ofhumor and infectious laugh that tickled ya.
He was honest and completely trustworthy. He did all his businessasmanager of N.R. Jessee Well Drilling and his own affairs on ahandshake -no contracts, no deposits - even did loans with the bankson the samebasis. He was a man of integrity.
Richard's grandfather, N.C. Jessee, a plumber and entrepreneur,startedthe well drilling business not long after his arrival in Chicoabout1908, but N.R. Jessee Well Drilling was the business best knowninNorthern California, and the largest of only two or threeNorthernCalifornia well drilling businesses, drilled at leastone-third toone-half the wells in these parts over several decades.Richard workedthere as a boy and then again running drilling rigs outin the fieldafter his return and "sufficient" recovery from Korea.Later he tookover the management of the company, ran the office andhandled sales.They sold, installed, and serviced Byron Jackson pumps,and Larry hascontinued in the family business to this day, working forByron Jacksonpumps many years, and now selling them and other welldrilling andirrigation equipment to companies like N.R. Jessee WellDrilling as awholesale distributor.
Uncle Bob worked with Richard for N.R. Jessee Well Drilling, as didmostof the uncles and several cousins, as well as assorted in-laws,friends,neighbors, and others from the old neighborhood, at one timeor another.My dad worked there, too. All these Jessee fathers andsons, brothers andsisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins, helped eachother with theirbusinesses, farms, and building their homes, too. Andthat traditioncarries on to this day.
N.R. was one of five founders of the Associated Drilling Contractorsin1949 and Richard continued this tradition as its president in 1971and1972. The ADC is now the California Groundwater Association,anon-profit organization dedicated to preserving California groundwater.We know how important this is today. Richard was honored withlifetimemembership for his years of service.
Richard was loved by and charmed all the Jessee women andeverylady-friend, neighbor, nurse or other female person he came incontactwith - he was a charmer.
A large measure of that appeal was that he never complained,remainedchipper, optimistic, cooperative and always helpful,particularly withhis own prolonged health problems and care. He nevercomplained, andRichard endured nearly life-long pain, discomfort anddisability - he hadmuch to complain about.Richard was a "strapping" and athletic young man, not tomention"handsome", which Betty, and a few other classmates I havespoke to willtestify. According to Chico High classmate Jack Meline,when Richard wasonce teased about wearing his overalls with big, highcuffs, Richardbacked up against the wall and asked who wanted to rollthem down! Notakers…
This was made all the more tragic when they brought Richard out ofKoreaso crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis that he could not walk.Thenmonths of time in a hospital in Japan and later therapy at HotSprings,Arkansas, where he was discharged. More years later andmonths of timespent in VA hospitals, where he was for a time with mydad at Ft. MileyWoods Hospital in San Francisco. He was subject toexperimental "X-Ray"therapy, which may have done more harm than good.He ended up withspondylitis, and a permanent curvature of the spinewhich gave him thestooped over appearance and walk all these years.
Richard has survived many health crises through the years and we mayhavebeen lucky to have him this long time. Among his health problemsandharrowing experiences is heart disease, for which Richard had apacemakerinstalled - more on that later - but the gist of it is thatRichard'spacemaker was recalled many years ago, but his health hadbeen toofragile to go in and replace it. So he has had that swordhanging overhis head for years, too.
For all this, Richard was no sissy - he was a man's man. That heworkedphysically hard for N.R. Jessee Well Drilling his whole workinglife, aswell as building and taking care of his own home, orchards,roses, yardand garden, right to the end, is testimony. He lovedathletics and sportshis whole life, and would not miss a game of hissons or grandsons ifable. You usually found Richard watching a game onTV. He hunted andfished with the best of 'em, bearing his own pain anddisability throughall. Never a complaint.
Steve, Darrell, and Larry tell stories of their dad's mosteffective"disciplinary methods," about how he taught them so much,trusted them tobe their own men, and his unfaltering and unconditionallove. That he wassmart enough to pay Larry to hoe weeds by the treeand not the hour istestimony to his character and intelligence, too.They can thank theirfather for their own significant work ethic,values and capabilities, andthe true grit that makes them masters oftheir own trades, recognized forthe same honesty and integrity astheir dad.
Can you imagine what these three boys were like to raise for RichardandBetty. Then add in the "dog pack" of Jessee brothers, uncles,cousins,and in-laws, all in the neighborhood. Jay, Gary, Julie, and Iall grewup on the Jessee Home Ranch on old Nord Avenue, just acrossSandy Gulchfrom Richard and Betty's home and orchard on Fern Avenue.The Jesseehome place was the magnet for all the Jessee family: theeight Jesseebrothers, our Uncles Norval, John, Gene, Jerry, Mutt, Bob,Toby and Jack,and the cousins: Donald, Richard, Billy, Johnny, Dodie,Nancy, Tony,Donna, Bobby, Jay, Gary, Jim and Julie - were all in theneighborhood ornearby. The families in that Sandy Gulch area, the oldBidwell Schoolneighborhood, helped each other, worked for each other,relied on eachother, and trusted each other with their lives andlivelihoods unlikeanything we know today. Richard was part of thatworld.
Now, we all know that these family businesses with relationsbetweenfathers and sons, brothers and sisters, even cousins andin-laws, areoften no picnic and conflicts arise. Like any family,there were enoughhard feelings, fights, and grudges to go around atone time or another.But we all survived and love each other in spiteof ourselves. Richardwas there with and for his brother Don in hislast years, and both weregrateful for it.
Like I said, Richard was a "man's man," and nowhere was thismoreevident than his love for spending "time with the boys." Duringthesummers, Richard would take a well-drilling rig to the family cabininAlmanor to drill wells in the area. He would be sure to quit by 3p.m.every day so he and his boys could go fishing, water skiing, andjustplay. He loved that cabin at Lake Almanor, the family times,memorablereunions, the neighbors, friends and good times.
Richard was an Elk, but I think he joined the Elks for the CrabFeedsand fun with "the those good ol' Elk boys." Being an Elk was afamilytradition. N.R. and Richard were there when all three boys,Steve,Darrell, and Larry received their Elk rings.
Then there was the Busy Bee Cafe and his daily rendezvous withthe"coffee and doughnut boys," including Uncle Jack, Frank Vanous,RoyMeade, Joe Mendonca, Stu Wade, and others - [show of hands].
But most of all Richard loved hunting with the boys - with thatJesseedog pack, his father and mother, brother, uncles, cousins, sons,in-laws,neighbors and friends. Much of that hunting was on the JesseeRanch inCohasset.
The Jessee Ranch in Cohasset was established by N.R. Jessee and wastheother "center of the universe" for this family. N.R. raisedDevoncattle, originally from Devonshire, England, where interestinglyenoughthe Jessees may also hail. Norval specialized in Devon bulls,breeding,sales, and bull shipping. I said "shipping." Darrellcontinues thattradition today on the ranch. The Ranch was also wheretheir huntingcabin was, and their cattle range that stretched fivemiles across RockCreek to Tehama County is all prime deer-huntingcountry.
Richard loved to deer hunt his whole life, and it just wasn't thattimewith his buddies. Darrell said he loved the hunt, and he was atirelesstracker and terrific shot. He out walked all of them in hisyouth, and inhis later days, he would perch himself on "Dad's Rock" ata strategicspot on the deer trails while the boys worked the deertoward him. Those"hunting buddies" included Norval and Beth, brotherDon, his uncles andcousins, friends and neighbors, including Dick andRJ Chambers, JohnHoptowit, and many others [show of hands]. And mostimportantly of all,he loved to hunt with his sons and grandsons.
When Richard had that pacemaker put in, they put it in his upperrightchest, where he rested his rifle or shotgun to shoot. When thedoctorlearned of this, he told Richard he would have to learn toshootleft-handed and use a lighter gun. Darrell said he was still agoodshot.
When the old family hunting cabin was sold as part of the settlementofthe estate, Richard, with his brother-in-law Bill Thomas, BobCarr,Steve, Darrell, and Larry hauled all the building materials forthe "newhunting cabin" five miles across Rock Creek Canyon, up a steepand narrowtrail with a jeep and trailer, and Richard with the pedal tothe metal,and the boys hanging on for dear life. They built a drytwo-bedroom, bigliving room/kitchen with wood stove hunting cabin andretreat.
They brought from the old cabin to the new one an old framed print,thatfor the boys said it all. It featured an old hunter sitting on astump,with a deer behind him, and a rabbit beating his tracks off inthe snow.The caption was this poemWith my rump on the stump, and my feet to the fire, dreaming of abuckwith horns like a liar. Snoozing while hunting is a very badhabit, youusually end up with a snowshoe rabbit.
From the photos Darrell shared of the cabin and the hunting andgoodtimes there, Richard clearly loved it. He loved the rustic lifefar awayfrom civilization, the distinct terrain, vegetation andwildlife, thesmell of the earth, and ever-changing weather. They hadmany a successfulhunt, and Richard would fry up the fresh liver andheart in bacon greaseas their due reward at the end of the day. Iunderstand why Uncle Jackchose to be there, in an old jeep, huntingdeer with Richard, on his dayto die. [26 years ago]
Richard loved to travel with his motor home, and he and Betty spentmanyweeks with her brother Bill and his wife "Betty Betty" ThomasinBrownsville, Texas and along the Gulf Coast. He liked to camp atCampPendleton and watch the Marines storm the beaches. They lovedtravelingwith the kids and grandkids to Ft. Bragg and Patrick's Point,whereRichard was the expert beachcomber for agates, hundreds of whichare nowaround their swimming pool. Betty has several tales ofdragging Richardout of the surf.
While Richard worried that being wheel-chair-bound might be a dragtothe kids when they went to Disneyland, it turned out that thatwheelchairwas a passport - they got 1st-Class treatment throughout theMagicKingdom. We found the same courtesy when Richard, Larry, Peter,Nelda andI went to the National Jessee Family Reunion in RussellCounty, Virginiathree years ago. We had many plane changes andconnections to make, butwe were in Richard's entourage and werewhisked through security, rushedto departure gates and even taken careof first when they cancelled ourflights and had to keep us overnightin a hotel.
It was a great privilege to travel with Richard to that FamilyReunionin Russell County. We visited all the Jessee and Bickleyfamily historicsites. Peter visited the gravesites of two of his6-timesgreat-grandfathers, both Revolutionary War soldiers and metdozens ofcousins. Richard was immediately liked and charmed them all.Thephotograph of Richard at Jessee's Mill has been in the JesseeFamilyNewsletter for several issues. All you Jessee cousins who havebeengetting a complimentary copy of the Jessee Family Newsletter canthankRichard for his encouragement to me and generous support oftheNewsletter.
Richard had a multitude of doctors and nurses over the years whomtheythank, but the family asked that special thanks and their loveandgratitude be expressed to "Dr. Joe" - Joe Chiapella - for hiscare,caring, and friendship.
Lastly, Richard and Betty were married for 58 years. Through thickandthin, better and worse, in sickness and in health, they were thebest offriends, and the loves of each other's lives. They are aninspirationfor us all. May the love you have for each other sustainyou now, Betty,for much time to come.
Richard Jessee was a wonderful person, friend, neighbor,colleague,brother, cousin, son, husband, father, and grandfather… andthe sweetestman you could ever know.
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7689. Donald Norval Jessee
Source: Terry Jesse Kaveney, 12/15/2002, provided family anddescendantsinformation for Terry and Skip Jessee, who were adopted byDonald Jesseein 1964.
Source: Obituary, Chico Enterprise Record, 12/18/2002.
Donald graduated from Chico High School, 1946. Right after highschoolDon enlisted in the U.S. Army, in 1946, and served two terms ofduty inAlaska and Japan, receiving an honorable discharge he beganworking forhis father, N. R. Jessee in the well drilling business.Liking themountains, and being an avid hunter and fisherman, Don livedand workedin the Plumas Co. area, both in Quincy and Lake Almanor. Donlived mostof his later years in Manton, CA and leaves many friendsthere.
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10690. Living
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7690. Living Jessee
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7691. Living Jessee
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7692. John Tivis "Johnny" Jessee
Source: Obituary Appeal-Democrat, Yuba City, CA. 9/3/2008.
John T. Jessee, Jr. was born November 25, 1939, in Chico, California,anddied August 30, 2008, at Rideout Hospital in Marysville. He wastheyoungest of his four siblings: Calvin White, Robert White, MaxineSchwab,and William Jessee, who all have predeceased him.
John's mother, Caroline Carlotta Bruce, was a descendant of pioneerButteCounty families, the Thomassons and Richardsons, who came to the
Chico area during the gold rush. His father, John T. Jessee, was oneof alarge family of boys whose parents had been in Chico since theearly
1900's. John worked at his father's business "Jessee Machine Works"whilein high school and college and became an expert is using toolsand
machines to build and fix things, a skill he has passed on to hissons.
After majoring in Spanish, John graduated from Chico State andreceivedhis teaching credential in 1961, He taught Spanish at YubaCity Highschool his entire career, retiring in 1998. Shortly aftergraduation, hemarried his wife, Diane Homes, with whom he recentlycelebrated his 48thwedding anniversary.
During his early years in Yuba City, he had a passion for flyingradiocontrolled airplanes, which he built himself. He then graduatedto thereal thing: he took flying lessons and eventually bought his ownplane,which he restored in his garage. Neighbors still remember theday theplane left the garage on a flat bed for its destination atSutter CountyAirport. John used his knowledge of flying to teach aground school classfor Yuba College, and developed a similar class forthe high school,which he taught for many years.
John was an avid fly fisherman, who always sought out the mostremotefishing spots. Fellow fisherman who went with him remember histrips downthe sides of mountains in his old Land Cruiser. More thanonce, he had towinch himself out of a tough spot.
John's health began to decline in his early forties because ofheartproblems. He then pursued sedentary activities: he built his owncomputerand taught himself to use it and to write programs invarious"languages." He developed a mouse driver program and receivedroyaltiesfor a number of years from a small software company. He wroteprograms touse in teaching and made them available to the otherteachers. After hisretirement, he mostly stayed home, but enjoyed tentcamping trips withhis children, their spouses, and his grandchildren,Jesse Bowdish andJulia Jessee.
John is survived by his wife Diane, daughter Elaine and son-in-lawShadBowdish, sons John, and Joe and daughter-in-law Shannon.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10:00 a.m. attheSt. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 1390 Franklin Road, Yuba City,theReverend Chris Kersting officiating. A light lunch will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Hands of Hope,P.O.Box 88, Yuba City, 95992 or to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church fortheirfood closet, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.
Published in the Appeal Democrat on 9/3/2008
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10694. Living
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10696. Living
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7693. Living
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10699. Living
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7695. Living Shirley
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10701. Living Shirley
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7696. Living Shirley
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10702. Living Shirley
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10703. Living Shirley
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10704. Living Shirley
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7698. Living Ford
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10706. Living Keechi
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10707. Living Keechi
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10708. Living Keechi
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10709. Living Keechi
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7699. Living Ford
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10710. Living Hall
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10711. Living Hall
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10712. Living Hall
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10713. Living Hall
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10714. Living Hall
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7700. Living Ford
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10715. Living Ford
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10716. Living Ford
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7701. Living
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