By Michael Kane

Herald editor

HERMISTON In his long and adventurous life, Bill Whetsler had stories that could fill a book tales of surviving Pearl Harbor, fighting in the jungles during World War II, building dams, winning log-rolling contests, hunting elk, catching fish or picking huckleberries.

Friends and family members have spent the last several days sharing their own stories, along with a few tears and a lot of laughter, about Whetsler, who died Monday at the age of 83.

Whetsler’s health began to decline this year, keeping him from doing the things he loved to do. But while the last year of his life may have a difficult one health-wise, the previous 82 were filled with vitality and enthusiasm for a life lived to the fullest.

“He really loved life,” said his daughter-in-law, Gale Whetsler of Hermiston. “He’d wake up in the morning raring to go.”

It was that same gung-ho spirit that led a 17-year-old, fresh-faced kid from Priest River, Idaho to enlist in the Army in March of 1941, a fateful choice that put him right square in the middle of, perhaps, the biggest event in American history the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Six years ago, for a special section observing the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Whetsler talked to the Hermiston Herald about that day.

“I was too young and dumb to be scared,” he said. “Here I was, a real young man, 17 years old from Priest River, Idaho and I was on the front lines of this attack!”

Bill Whetsler in 1941 after enlisting in the Army.

Like everything else Whetsler did in life, he jumped into the fray with everything he had. He broke open the lock to the barracks’ weapons supply room with a fire extinguisher, set up machine guns with other enlisted men, and began firing on the incoming war planes, helping to shoot down two of them.

Pearl Harbor, however, wasn’t the end of Whetsler’s World War II adventures. He and soldiers in his battalion fought the Japanese in the jungles of New Guinea for 62 straight days. During the two-month battle, supplies grew scarce and food was non-existent, forcing Whetsler and his fellow soldiers to survive on parrots and lizards.

When it was all over, Whetsler had dropped from 160 pounds to 130, and eventually came down with malaria, pneumonia and a mild case of polio.

Whetsler began his post-war life by marrying Margaret, his wife of 61 years, and getting into the logging business. It was hard work, but Whetsler was well suited for hard work. He found time to enter and win log-rolling competitions, thanks to his nimble footwork. He later went into construction and helped built 16 dams and 12 bridges.

It was while working on a dam in the 1950s that Whetsler met and befriended William Cramer, who moved to Hermiston four years ago. The two have been friends for more than 50 years.

“We had a connection with our work, but it was his character and his open honesty that appealed to me,” he said.

Cramer said Whetsler was the most compassionate man he ever met. That compassion was evident in Whestler’s tireless volunteer work in the community. He loved to collect produce from local growers to donate to area senior centers.

Even in his last days, Whetsler’s concern was for the senior citizens. He worried who would take care of them after he was gone.

“I can’t let them down,” he told his son, Steve. “They’re counting on me.”

Steve’s wife, Gale, said Whetsler made his son promise to him that he would pick up where he left off.

“He told my husband, ?I want you to do something for me. Take care of the senior citizens,’ ” she said.

Cramer said he had a soft spot for anyone in need.

“Bill could always be depended on to come forward with his trusty green pick-up truck to deliver care packages to the needy at Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Cramer said.

Cramer said Whetsler would also serve as pall bearer at the funerals of every local serviceman in the community and his patriotism was on display ever Memorial Day as he helped put out the flags along the Hermiston Cemetery.

Anyone who knew Whetsler was familiar with his zest for life. He loved to hunt and fish and spend time in the outdoors. Even in his early 80s, Whetsler had an unyielding enthusiasm for picking huckleberries and never gave it a moment’s thought to hiking miles down to a patch laden with fresh, ripe huckleberries, and then miles back up with buckets filled to the top that he would later pass around to friends and family.

He believed that the more you worked for something, the more you got back and would search far and wide for the most remote, yet bountiful trout lakes.

Steve Whetsler said his dad would often catch more fish than was allowed and would give most of them away to his neighbors who were unable to fish.

When his son would chide him about this catching more than the legal limit, Whetsler said he knew it was illegal but the people in the neighborhood needed those fish. If the neighbor could not cook the fish, Steve’s mom would cook it for them.

His daughter tells the story of him coming across a bear who had happened upon some fish he had caught. The bear was enjoying his feast when Whetsler, filled with ire, started beating him with his fishing pole.

When asked later why he would do such a crazy thing, Whetsler said, very indignantly, “They were my fish!”

And while his days of fishing are over, he will forever remain near his favorite fishing spot as his ashes will be spread at Trout Meadows near Ukiah on the first day of trout fishing. Cheeseburgers, which he loved, will be served and the kids will be encouraged to fish where Whestler hauled in so many trout before them.

A memorial service with military honors will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Burns Mortuary Chapel in Hermiston.

A luncheon will follow at the Hermiston VFW Post#4750, 45 W. Cherry Ave. in Hermiston.