Jackie Ray Heston

Jackie Ray Heston, 72, longtime Royal City resident, passed away Monday, Dec. 29, 2008, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

A memorial service was held at 10 a.m. on  Jan. 3 at Kayser’s Chapel and Crematory. Arrangements are in care of Kayser’s Chapel and Crematory.

Please sign the guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com

Jack was born on Aug. 8, 1936, on a small farm near Fairfield, Iowa. He was the oldest child of Ray and Mildred Heston with two brothers, Bill and John, and a sister, Judy. However far Jack would wander from these pastoral beginnings, Jack would always have a preference for the old-fashioned, slower-paced country lifestyle.

After graduating Libertyville High School in 1954, Jack joined the Navy hoping to see the world. Jack tested in the top 1 percent of his boot camp division and was sent to communications technician school in San Francisco.

Jack loved to travel. The Navy accommodated him tours of the Philippines and Hawaii. The Navy also sent Jack to Fort Mead, Md., where he met Iris Finch, his future wife. They were assigned to embassy duty in Cyprus. After 14 months in Cyprus and three bullet holes in their home, President Johnson ordered all Americans evacuated after the local population broke out into civil war. Despite all the strife, Jack and Iris would describe these days as some of the best years of their marriage.

When traveling, he would immerse himself into the local culture. He stressed the importance of “going native” to anyone wishing to fully embrace and understand the world; from spear fishing with a homemade harpoon, to learning the local language, to cooking local ethnic dishes on the beach with his Navy buddies.

When Jack’s enlistment ended, he went back home to the farm in Iowa to be with his family. After a visit to Port Angeles, Wash., he was inspired to pack up and make the Columbia Basin their new home, where he would live out the remaining 39 years of his life. He worked as a fieldman and agriculture service industry Columbia Basin for 15 years.

Jack loved his family very much. His sons, Kevin and Brian, meant the world to him. He looked forward to every family gathering. He was well-read and informed on many topics. He enjoyed socializing, friendly debate and the art of rhetoric. Jack truly loved the small town feel. He knew no stranger in his community.