Jess Degeytere Rest in Peace

Jess Degeytere Jr.

As you know I’m part of the large group, whose father was responsible for getting them their job at the Los Angeles Times. I should have been prepared for this moment for sometime, however with all the various medical emergencies and illnesses and life’s challenges he has gone through since his youth, my dad, by the grace of our Lord Jesus, has kept on going, persevered and thrived to become the man you all came to know. He continued to power through all that came, but as we all know God’s timing is sovereign. I knew him as dad, the self made man, who came from a tough upbringing in southern Louisiana, only speaking french until 5 year’s old. Working in the fields, driving trucks, working on dredge boats and joining the Army. While in the Army he met his beautiful bride Roselyn, through my Uncle Bobby, a Louisiana native stationed with him here at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California. My Mom and Dad married 65 years ago. His new family member Uncle Joe D’Ambrosio was a mailer at the Times since 1935 and “got my Dad on at the Times.” He started as a general helper and worked his way up to press operator (his favorite position, in my humble opinion). Onto crew foreman, shift supervisor and then assistant superintendent of the downtown pressroom. He technically left the pressroom (not really) to become a production manager and worked at one point or another in all 4 production facilities or as we refer to as “plants”. He was primarily an “L.A. guy”and had a great deal to do with the design and development of the Oly Plant. He was called upon to permanently transfer to the struggling Orange Plant to “turn things around”. He was given the reins as the assistant plant manager to takeover all production coordination to run it as efficiently as possible to get the best quality newspaper out and make all “ on time” delivery goals, which did greatly surpassing all goals and high expectations! He would eventually coordinate all 4 plants A.K.A. “The Empire” as it was called to get one of the largest metropolitan newspapers in America out and on time…daily! He did all this by his commitment to getting the job done right, the first time and to the best of all our abilities, all the while respecting and actually caring for all of us around him! You all know, my dad was a no nonsense guy, who stood his ground on what he believed to be the right way to get the job done. He also kept his sense of humor throughout it all, which made him endearing to all of us! I could go on, but y’all know him through your own experiences and your own “ Jess stories” . We were all blessed to know him and he in one way or another made our jobs and our lives better (especially me)! He loved God, his family, his country and his Job and all of his coworkers/ work family! I was standing over him holding his hand and rubbing his head as my mom held his other hand and our all around him singing, How Great Though Art as he entered the Joy of his Lord Jesus Christ Hallelujah!

6:17 AM

Corrections; The struggling Orange ‘County’ plant all our ‘family’ all around him