Losses that changed Carson Valley's 'human landscape'

From a longtime Nevada legislator to a beloved Washoe tribal elder, 2006 marked the passing of several Carson Valley torchbearers who contributed to what Nevada state archivist Guy Rocha called "the human landscape" of Douglas County.

Minden businessman Don Hellwinkel, teacher and writer Mary Settelmeyer-Fair, State Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, rancher Rhoda Chichester and Washoe elder JoAnn Martinez were a few of the longtime residents who died last year.

"We're some seven years into the 21st century," Rocha said in an interview. "With the passing of these prominent people associated with Carson Valley - some born, some raised here and some who arrived as adults - it clearly changed the human landscape."

While Douglas County has sent dozens of men and women to serve in the war in Iraq, the Valley recorded its first casualties in October. Retired Lt. Col. Rod Richardson died Oct. 4 as he provided civilian protection for a security company in Iraq. Army PFC Phillip Brandon Williams, 21, a Douglas High School graduate, was killed Oct. 9 by a sniper's bullet while he was on patrol outside Baghdad.

"In smaller communities, the ripples hit more people. It's sad to lose anybody whether you are in Las Vegas or Reno, but when it's a smaller area, a lot more people feel the wound," Rocha said.

Because Carson Valley still has such a small-town feel, community members poured out their hearts to the families of legendary legislator Jacobsen, and young PFC Williams.

Jacobsen's funeral in August attracted former Nevada governors as well as hometown constituents who packed Minden Park to say farewell to the legislator who served longer than anyone in state history.

A few months later, thousands of people lined the streets and packed Douglas High School for the 21-year-old soldier's funeral.

Rocha said that same sense of community helped explain the outpouring of support that followed the tragic death of Jon-Jon, the Douglas County Sheriff's drug-detecting dog, who died in a patrol car fire in February.

The black Labrador retriever was accorded the honor of any officer killed in the line of duty.

Hundreds of officers from Nevada and California and 50 patrol dogs attended the service and the public lined the funeral route to the Douglas County Fairgrounds to pay tribute.

"In Douglas County, you don't have the kind of anonymity you have in major cities," he said. "If you didn't know the person, you know somebody who did. Loss looms larger."

Residents or citizens?

Those who died in 2006 included former Douglas County commissioners Josie Graham, Dave Pumphrey and Gene Osborne, and longtime school board member Alicia Smalley.

Rocha said it will be up to community members to decide whether they want to be residents or citizens and step up to fill the void.

"There are people who live there and move there because they don't want to see new taxes or just to enjoy the benefits and don't want to get involved,'" Rocha said.

"These other people - the citizens - got very much involved. They shaped the area and gave it a certain feel. New faces have to fill some of this vacuum. It won't be the old familiar. It will need to be new, energetic citizens shaping in continuity with those who are already contributing and those to whom we pay our respects."

Rocha said Douglas County is on the verge of changing from rural to urban. Residents need to decide whether they want to retain the legacy created by their forebears or accept the urbanization of Douglas County.

"Arguably, Douglas County had a lot more of an indigenous population with Native American and multiple generations.

"Much of Nevada is newcomers. In Douglas County you have a lot more older families, tied to the land, who have been in one place longer. The place shapes you and you shape the place. It's what Robert Laxalt called 'the other Nevada,'" he said.

"There are a lot of new faces, but Douglas County certainly had a lot of flavor of the old-timers and their legacy. What's clear is that people need to get used to the fact that those personalities are not going to be there to interact and shape public policy," Rocha said.

Rocha said Carson City is well into the urbanization process and Reno and Sparks have very much of a "metropolitan flavor."

"If you like what you've got (in Douglas County), what are you willing to do to keep it?" he asked.

"As the county grows, things change. Farms and ranches are sold off and you have to decide what to be in the future. This is what these people gave us and we enjoyed. We have a responsibility to future generations to become citizens and not just residents. I say, 'Get involved!' Rocha said.

Honor the living

Rocha offered a suggestion for 2007.

"Look at those wonderful people still alive today, Honor them while they are living. The highest praise you can give to people who make contributions is when they can feel it, hear it and see it for themselves," he said. "Knowing a number will pass in coming years, remember them while they live. That's the highest tribute."

LIFETIMES OF SERVICE

Here is a partial list of Douglas County "citizens" who died in 2006.

For anyone who lost a family member or friend last year, this roll call is incomplete. Readers who would like to nominate other Douglas County residents who passed away last year are invited to submit names, ages, and brief biographies of their loved ones. Send to editor@recordcourier.com, or drop by The Record-Courier office, 1503 Highway 395, Suite G. You must include your name and telephone number for verification.

Nancy Miluck, 73, died Jan. 3, Genoa Town Board member and community activist;

Josie Graham, 70, died Jan. 4, longtime Douglas High School teacher and coach, former Douglas County commissioner;

Don Hellwinkel, 83, died Jan. 15, Minden businessman and former owner of C.O.D. garage, volunteer firefighter;

Jon-Jon, died Feb. 4, Douglas County Sheriff's Office canine officer;

Mary Settelmeyer-Fair, 99, died March 30, teacher and journalist;

James A. Lawrence, 95, died April 7, renowned artist and photographer;

Cora Lee Shawe, 84, died April 16, longtime Carson Valley teacher;

Gene Osborne, 84, died April 26, former Douglas County commissioner;

Wynne Maule, 80, died June 5, Minden historian and author;

JoAnn Martinez, 85, died June 21, basketmaker and Washoe tribal elder;

Juan Jose Leonis, 58, died July 2, gardener;

David Pumphrey, 64, died July 20, former Douglas County commissioner;

Lawrence Jacobsen, 85, died July 26, longtime Nevada legislator;

Nyle Noble Nation, 86, died July 30, former Harrah's chief of maintenance and author of "The Pinenut Chronicle;"

Willi Huf, 81, Aug. 16, unofficial "Mayor of Johnson Lane" and Douglas County Ski Club co-founder;

Retired Lt. Col. Rod Richardson, 54, died Oct. 4, killed in Iraq while working for private security company;

PFC Phillip Brandon Williams, 21, died Oct. 9, killed by a sniper while on duty outside Baghdad;

Frances N. Merola, 104, died Nov. 15, former Vaudevillian and tailor;

Howard Godecke, 83, died Dec. 11, landscape designer, community activist and developer of the Songbird Survival Project;

Alicia Smalley, 54, died Dec. 16, former Douglas County School Board member;

Rhoda Chichester, 81, died Dec. 29, Carson Valley native and rancher;

Ernie Fanning, 71, died Dec. 31, rancher, cowboy poet, wagon train boss, and horse trainer.