Jesse I. Engle

Jesse I. Engle, age 86, of Glendive, passed away on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at the Glendive Medical Center Extended Care. A Life Tribute Service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive is entrusted with arrangements. Jesse was born on August 21, 1921 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, the son of Jesse and Estella (Sims) Engle. He was raised and educated in Farson, Wyoming. Jesse played football in Farson and graduated from high school there. He joined the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Following his discharge, he moved to Glendive where his family had bought a ranch. Jesse and Marion Nemitz were united in marriage on September 15, 1947 in Glendive. Besides working on the ranch, Jesse also worked at Garrett Freighlines in Glendive until 1982 when he retired and he and his wife moved into Glendive. Jesse enjoyed working with agates, hunting and fishing. He also enjoyed many sports. Jesse was a life member of the Glendive Moose Lodge and the V.F.W. Jesse was preceded in death by his parents and his son-in-law, Dennis Pederson. Survivors include his wife, Marion, of Glendive; his daughters, Linda Schwartz and her husband Russell of Fairbanks, Alaska, Stella Pederson and Bonnie Engle and her husband Richard, all of Glendive; his sons, Gary Engle of Glendive and Cody Engle and his wife Jennifer of Fairbanks, Alaska; his brother, Jack Engle and his wife Elsie of Glendive; 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Celebrant Service: “The most important part of a story is the ending. No one reads a book to get to the middle.” (Mickey Spillane) And so it is with death. We cannot, and usually do not, fully appreciate a life until its end; until we can see it in its entirety; until it is a completed work. It is then we realize its importance in our life, how it touched and shaped who we are. Death has ended the life of Jesse Engle. But even as we mourn our loss, we remember and pay tribute to the presence of Jesse Engle in our life and are thankful for the significance of what his life brought to our own. Jesse was an avid reader. He really appreciated a good story. After he read a book, he would rate it and write his rating inside the front cover. Anything rated a seven or above was considered a good read. His family says these were usually books about sports, particularly baseball, or about the Marines and/or World War II. Family members always check the front inside cover of Jesse’s books to see the rating. As son, Cody, puts it, Jesse was a man of few words. But his words could be quite colorful and he could put a lot of meaning into the few he might say and even more meaning into his actions. Daughter, Bonnie, recalls that her dad really didn’t waste many words when making a point. And when Jesse told you something, he only had to say it once. When Bonnie began dating, her dad didn’t like boys who were cowboys or wore their hair long. Well, that was all there was to date. When Bonnie had a first date with a guy, Jesse would point out he didn’t know who it was and Bonnie had to introduce him. Jesse would meet these boys, but wouldn’t say anything to them, just look at them, intimidating them mightily. If they came back a second time, it wasn’t required they come to the house and they didn’t. They just told Bonnie to be ready and meet them outside. Bonnie recalls arriving home from a date very late one night, or you could call it very early, and Bonnie tried to slip into the house unnoticed. Jesse met her at the door and told her to get her work clothes on, there was work to do. Bonnie changed and went out to do chores with her father. She worked along side him all day, and that day he did not take a lunch break, and neither did Bonnie. Why Bonnie thought she could slip by her dad anyway, was a bit silly. Jesse didn’t sleep well or long at night and often was up at two, three in the morning showering or shaving, sometimes waking others because he couldn’t sleep and was starting his day. Jesse had grown up and spent his life around cattle and there were always early morning chores to be done. Jesse’s parents had bought the land out on Marsh Road fronting the Yellowstone River, and when Jesse returned from serving in World War II, he joined his father in raising cattle, using the brand his father started. It is the brand in the memorial folder and is still used today by the third generation of Engle’s. Jesse preferred to be called a rancher, rather than farmer or cowboy. He always supplemented his ranch income with other jobs, such as with the railroad, and as a delivery truck driver. But his love was the ranch and cattle. After Jesse married a neighbor girl, Marion Nemitz, he and Marion also raised five children on the ranch. All of the children learned to work the ranch and do chores. One of the chores daughters, Stella and Bonnie had, was to milk the cow each morning. Neither even liked the cow’s milk and it was hard work milking her. One day the cow disappeared and Jesse was sure the girls had drowned the cow in the river. That cow never did show up. Daughter Linda remembers going out to feed cattle. Jesse liked to walk, and he and Linda would walk from the pick-up along the cow trails, single file, to feed the cows. To this day, Linda’s husband, Russell, comments on how well Linda follows behind. Chuck Wilhelm, a step-grandson recalls helping Jesse feed cows one snowy winter. Chuck would arrive each morning, and Jesse, man of few words, might, sort of, grunt at Chuck, acknowleging his presence. The only sentence Chuck recalls Jesse saying to him, was the morning Chuck arrived to find Jesse wet up past his waist. Chuck figures the only reason Jesse spoke to him was because Jesse was excited from breaking the ice and going into the river and had to tell someone. But it wasn’t just Jesse that broke through the ice and went into the river. Several pick-ups were tested as amphibious by Jesse on ice fishing trips. Jesse always drove pick-ups that were not top of the line. Ranching and fishing were hard on them. But the one time he splurged and got a good one, it only took Jesse’s sons, Gary and Cody, a couple of months to put it in the river. It went to the scrap heap from there. Fishing was one of Jesse’s favorite activities. He loved all kinds of fishing and loved eating them, catfish and trout especially. Nick Burman tells of ice fishing with Jesse on a dam. They were really catching fish that day, and putting them in a cream can. They didn’t see the game warden until he was almost there. As they tried to dump fish from the cream can back down the hole, the can slipped and the fish spilled out all over the ice. The warden stopped and was talking to other fisherman a ways away, as Jesse and Nick were kicking fish down the hole. Then both Jesse and Nick climbed into the pick-up and attempted to make a quick get-a-way. They drove the front tire of the pick-up into the hole in the ice and were stuck. That was quite a memorable fishing trip for both. Another memorable fishing expedition was after Jesse had had his heart surgery. Grandson, Thad Pederson, called Jesse to go ice fishing, something Thad had never done. Jesse agreed to take Thad. Okay, Thad asked, what time? Five am. When Thad arrived the next morning there was Jesse, packed and ready to go, with Marion giving him instructions, “if you get cold, get in the pick-up; let Thad chop the holes; No drinking;…Thad looked at his watch, what is she talking about… drinking, it’s 5 am. Upon arriving at the river Thad asks where he should park the truck. Down there, Jesse says pointing to the icy river. Thad’s eyebrow’s go up again. Jesse had Thad putting holes in the ice, many holes, and Thad was a bit nervous as they are getting close to the truck and Thad knew they needed solid ice to hold the truck. Finally the poles go in the water and the fun begins. Thad finally catches a fish. After getting it off his hook, grandpa reaches in his tackle box and pulls out a bottle of whiskey. Take a pull, he orders Thad. Thad takes a sip. No, a real drink, says grandpa Jesse. And then Jesse does the same, as Thad remembers his grandmother’s words. Thad was now an experienced ice fisherman. Jesse also did a great deal of hunting. Cody remembers his Dad’s favorite place to hunt deer. Jesse would park his truck between two islands in the river, and send Cody out to walk the islands, pushing the deer towards Jesse. Jesse would sit in the pick-up and when Cody had pushed them close, Jesse would fire once, Jesse was “a crack shot” as Cody puts it. Jesse would be done hunting, legally that is. The Engle’s tended to get their limit, plus. Jesse would often call Stella and ask if there was any room in the freezer. Jesse would explain by saying that he had seen one but had gotten two. Might be deer, might be turkeys. Another activity of the Engle’s was agate hunting the river. All of Jesse’s kids remember going out along the river to find agates. Jesse would cut, polish and make many things from his agates, belt buckles, jewelry, lamps, napkin holders and more. Jesse and Marion also refinished old trunks, lining them with cedar and giving them as gifts, and Jesse made willow canes. Jesse was very good with his hands and liked working with them. Coin collecting was a hobby Jesse had throughout his life. He had brought Japanese money back from the war, and Gary had brought back money from Viet Nam for his Dad’s collection. Jesse particularly loved the old U.S. silver dollars. There was a time when some of his collection of coins was displayed under glass, on a coffee table in Jesse and Marion’s home. One of the things Jesse gave each of his great-grandchildren, besides candy, were gold dollars. Card playing was the family game, and Jesse taught everyone to deal correctly. After shuffling, the player to the right of the dealer cut the card deck. The cards were dealt left to right and the remaining deck was put on the left, towards the next dealer. That was the only way to deal, and Jesse’s kids and grandkids all learned this. Pitch was a favorite card game, played for quarters. And every Tuesday, Jesse would play cards at the Moose with his men friends. A couple family traditions the Engle’s had were on the holidays. At Christmas, Jesse would load the kids on sleds and put them behind the pick-up, pulling them to Sand Creek to cut a Christmas tree. Marion would always warn Jesse not to get too big a tree, but Jesse would always come home and have to bend the top to get it in the house. The other tradition was on Father’s Day. Engles and the neighbors would get together at a cabin on Sand Creek and have a big picnic and play softball. Jesse was a big sports fan, especially of baseball. He watched every game any of the family played in. Thad remembers going to watch Kyle play, with Kyle pitching. Jesse would call each pitch Kyle threw before it left his hand. Change-up; curveball; geez, another curveball. Grandson, Kyle, remembers Jesse oiling and breaking in every mitt Kyle used. Granddaughter, Angie, has a birthday in October, and her mom would have family over to celebrate. Jesse would come but only after making sure there was a working TV available…it’s the time of the World Series you know. Detroit was always his team, until he visited family in Seattle and Cody made him watch the Mariners. Then he became their fan also. After moving into Glendive, Jesse would often walk down to the baseball field near his home and watch the local kids play their league games. Over the years Jesse had made many trips around the country in his campers and motorhomes. Sometimes he was with family or friends fishing in Canada, most times he and Marion would be traveling to see Cody or Linda in Seattle or Alaska, or going to a Marine reunion. Getting lost or having trouble with the vehicles seemed to be common for Jesse. Stella never really liked riding with her dad, from the time she was young, and granddaughter Skeeter, talks of his slow two-fisted manner when driving out to the ranch. Skeeter claims he would drive about 20 mph, with cars passing him; he would have both hands on the wheel and using a slow two-fisted turn to make corners, easing over any bumps in the road, and always looking straight ahead. When stopping to visit their dad at his home in town, all the kids and grandkids would check the back yard first. Jesse spent much of the day in his chair, a drink in one hand and a flyswatter in the other. Although Jesse was a “man of few words”, his family observed perhaps he kept quiet because usually there were so many people around, he just let others talk. Granddaughter Angie saw a different side of her grandfather when she had a few occasions to visit with him one-on-one. Marion was hospitalized and Stella would make meals for her father and have Angie deliver some of them. Angie would spend time talking with Jesse and he would confide to her how worried he was about Marion. This past Christmas when Jesse was ill and in much pain, Angie stopped for a visit and Jesse surprised her by asking how his new great-grandson, Cruz, was doing. Angie hadn’t expected Jesse to remember or be aware that she had just had a new son. Although Jesse probably didn’t show his family a loving nature, Jesse cared very much about his family, and was always there for them. A great-granddaughter, when told to give grandpa Jesse a hug upon saying goodbye, reminded everyone that grandpa didn’t hug; he shook hands. That was how Jesse said good-bye to the kids. The weeks before Jesse died were very painful for Jesse. Among the many things wrong with Jesse, one was a bleeding ulcer. This prevented him from having pain medicines for a time. He even offered to buy an aspirin from a nurse or share a beer with her, as he thought this might help the pain. Cody admired the toughness in his father. That toughness had been a part of Jesse all his life, but was very evident at the end. And it was Cody who chose this next song, “Fishing In The Dark”. Song: “Fishing in the Dark” Speakers: Grandson, Thad Pederson, son-in-law, Russell Schwartz and others At this time, Jesse’s grandson, Thad Pederson and his son-in-law, Russ Schwartz, would each like to share thoughts and memories about Jesse, with you. When Thad and Russ are finished, the family invites anyone who wishes to share a story about Jesse to come forward. Please use the microphone so all may hear. Sharing: Thank you…Thad and Russell Let us now listen to a song selected for Jesse by his family “Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind.” Song: “Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind” Celebrant: Closing and the “Lord’s Prayer” “Death ends a life, not a relationship.”(Mitch Albon - Tuesdays With Morrie… ) Marion, you and Jesse shared just over 60 years of marriage together, over 60 years of memories. May those memories give you comfort during the lonely times ahead. Jesse will always remain your husband, and his gift to you is in these memories, and in the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren you share. Gary, Linda, Stella, Bonnie and Cody, you are still Jesse’s children, his kids. He has touched you, helped shape you, and the many gifts you have received from him, some familiar, some yet to be discovered, will be recognized and appreciated with each memory. To Jesse’s grandchildren and step-grandchildren who are old enough to have known grandpa, to have played with him, and worked with him, you lit a candle to honor and remember your grandpa Jesse at the beginning of today’s service. Let that flame burn on in your hearts and be thankful to have known a part of your heritage, and help pass his story on to the younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren who did not have the opportunity to make their own memories. As friends of Jesse’s, we can continue our friendship with him through his family. Never assume a friend wants to mourn alone. Continue to share your thoughts, stories, and memories with Marion and the family over the coming weeks and months. Let them know that Jesse was significant in your life also. Be especially aware of this during the 1st’s, the 1st holidays, the 1st birthdays, the 1st anniversaries, for at these times Jesse’s absence will be felt with a fresh sense of loss. Be very present at these times and honor the memory of Jesse. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Please join Jesse’s grandson, Kyle Pederson, as he leads us in saying “The Lord’s Prayer.” “The Lord’s Prayer” Celebrant: An important time in Jesse’s life was the time he spent serving our United States in the Armed Forces, during World War II. Jesse had began college, but realizing he was going to be drafted, Jesse enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. Jesse missed being deployed overseas twice, because he was hospitalized due to illness. He finally went and spent much of his tour on boats in the islands of the South Pacific. Jesse was one of the marines sent by landing crafts to fight on shore. One story he told his family was of being in the first boat sent to a shore to fight. The marines in his landing craft made the shore, the Marines in the second landing craft were not so fortunate. Another Marine story was about driving generals around in a jeep. He met and drove around several important Armed Forces officers. He also had met a fellow serviceman, Buddy Rich, who later became a famous drummer. Throughout his life, Jesse always would stop what he was doing to listen to Buddy Rich on the radio. Against regulations, Jesse brought home from his tour of duty, a .45 pistol and another gun. Jesse commented that he wasn’t able to bring home a jeep. Jesse didn’t talk about combat much, but he regularly went to reunions with his fellow Marines. He and Marion would drive their motorhome all over the United States to attend the reunions. Jesse had a big eagle painted on the spare wheel cover. The back of the motorhome was covered with decals from the reunions and places Jesse and Marion visited. Jesse was a proud Marine and his service to his country was an important time in Jesse’s life. At this time, our local Veterans Honor Guard will join us for the playing of the “Marine Corps Hymn”. The Honor Guard will then perform Military Honors with a flag presentation and the playing of “Taps” for United States Marine Corps Veteran, Jesse Engle. Song: “The Marine Corps Hymn” Military Honors: Flag presentation and “Taps” Celebant: The family has had Jesse cremated, with a private scattering at the ranch and burial planned. If you know of anyone who could not be here for Jesse Engle’s life tribute service today, the text of the eulogy and the video tribute can be viewed on the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home website. Thank you all for being here today.

Jesse I. Engle

August 21, 1921 - January 23, 2008

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Jesse I. Engle

August 21, 1921 - January 23, 2008

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

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