Helping one of their own

Brandon Swanson

Herald staff writer

Community rallies together to work the land of dying farmer

WARDEN — The sight of farmers rolling combines across a field is a common one around in this agricultural town this time of year. But in a field north of Warden Friday, something very special was taking place.

Farmers spent the day harvesting the wheat crop of Darrell Matzen, a farmer who died of cancer July 31.

When he drove out to the field, Paul Yamane was surprised to see three combines working his brother-in-law's land.

"We knew of two of them that were coming, but we didn't know a third was out there," he said.

Without being asked and without knowing anyone else was doing it, farmer Mike Leavitt and his son Ben took time from his busy season to work the land of a family in need. He found he was one of dozens of people who have helped the Matzen family all season long.

"I'm amazed when I stop to write down how many there were (who helped)," said Jim Kimble, the man who farmed the land for 40 years before passing it on to his son-in-law Matzen two years ago. "It's so humbling to think that people care that much."

Matzen, a 1971 graduate of Moses Lake High School, was diagnosed in December with mesothelioma, a virulent form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It wasn't long before Warden residents volunteered to help work the land. Kimble listed more than two dozen Warden residents who gave time and equipment to the Matzen family.

"One planted the crops and the others have been watering it, and now this," said Cari Yamane, Matzen's sister-in-law. "There has been so much support since Darrell got sick."

"It wasn't just that a field was disked or that someone helped out for an afternoon," Paul said. "Because there were guys that came out and disked it, they planted it, they combined it. That's three trips over it at least — there's a tremendous amount of manpower and hours."

The harvest capped off a tumultuous year for the entire family.

Doctors determined that Matzen was eligible for treatment and he went in for surgery in the summer. But the procedure didn't take and the cancer spread.

"It was amazing how quickly it went through his body," Kimble said.

His daughter Samantha and her fiancee Jeremy Brown decided to move their September wedding to a July date on short notice.

"Then the cancer grew so fast, they moved it up to two days out," Cari said. Officials at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee offered to have the wedding at the hospital and provide everything from chairs to plates and napkins. When Cari asked Samantha if she was sure she wanted to ditch all her plans and move the wedding up, Matzen's daughter was adamant.

"Samantha said, 'I don't care who's there. I don't care where it is. I just want my daddy to walk me down the aisle.'"

The day before the wedding, Matzen was unable to sit up in his bed for a shave, but when the big day came, he was able to fulfill her wish.

"The day before he couldn't have done it and the day after he couldn't have done it," Kimble said. "He just willed it on that day."

Kimble said this community spirit has manifested itself in a similar way in the past. In Warden 20 years ago, a man fell off of a ladder trying to fix an irrigation circle and was partially paralyzed and again the community rallied.

"He had his hay crop out and all the farmers got together and cut it, raked it and bailed it," Kimble said. "Thankfully there is not a need for that very often."

A funeral was held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Warden Baptist Church on what would have been Darrell's 52nd birthday.

There are plans to work the nearly 300 acres of corn and alfalfa that remain on Matzen land. "This is a busy time for everybody," Paul said. "These guys took the time to take care of someone else's crop. There was no contact with Jim or (Matzen's wife) Debbie — they did this out of the kindness of their own heart."