Tamara Lou "Tammy" Achurra

Tamara Lou "Tammy" Achurra 1955 ~ 2011 Tamara Lou Achurra, 56, of Ashland, OR, died at Three Rivers Hospital in Grants Pass, OR on Sunday evening, December 18, 2011. The first of three daughters, Tammy was born on June 19, 1955, in Boise to Gerri Candaux and Henry Achurra. She was raised in Meridian with younger sisters, Linda and Lisa. All the girls learned Basque dancing at an early age, and they became members of the Oinkari Basque Dancers when they were teenagers. Tammy grew up spending holidays and birthdays with her large but close-knit extended family; grandparents, Raimunda and Santiago Achurra and Ruby and Don Candaux, aunts & uncles and cousins. Most of the events were all-day celebrations with music and Basque meals. Tammy attended Meridian High School where she was a member of the Warrior drill team; she graduated from MHS in 1974. In September of 1974, Tammy joined Boise State University's Study-Abroad Program. In the inaugural year in Onati in the Basque Country, Tammy studied Basque culture and language with 75 other students in the new program headed by Dr. Pat Bieter. These fellow students were to become life-long friends. Always a quick learner with an affinity for language, Tammy learned to speak Basque fluently. In Onati she met Jesús Alcelay, a local man who was an aspiring chef. Tammy and Jesús were married in Meridian in 1975, and their first son Xanti was born the following year. In 1980 they moved to Lekeitio in the Basque Country where Jesús was chef at a restaurant and where their second son, Aitor, was born. In 1981, Jesús had the opportunity to open a restaurant as chef at the new Red Lion Inn & Casino in Elko, and the family moved to Nevada. Tammy joined the work force and managed food services at the Red Lion. Tammy & Jesús later divorced. They remained friends, and Jesús has been an important part of the Achurra family. In 1982, Tammy and Xanti & Aitor moved to Medford, Oregon where Tammy was the catering manager at the Red Lion. Later, Tammy returned to school and took classes to become a licensed paralegal. She also studied acupuncture and was very knowledgeable in natural therapies. She married John Cerini in Medford, and their son, Andrew, was born in 1986. John & Tammy were later divorced but also remained friends. Throughout her life Tammy had a profound love of animals of any size or temperament. She had multiples of cats, dogs, horses and ducks; all of which could sense her endearing nature. She had a particularly keen insight with cats and could describe their background, personality, history, likes & dislikes, even upon just having "met" them. A second love developed later in her life. Tammy started rowing in 2004 and was obsessed from her first moment on the water. She became part of a large group of women who raced competitively in 4-person boats and the most challenging 8-person boats. She competed in races throughout the Northwest and in Canada. Tammy was proud of her many medals and successes and of the camaraderie that developed from these challenges. Tammy's first cancer treatments were started in 2007 and she faced her biggest challenges to date. She endured endless medical treatments and surgeries but always maintained her sharp wit and patience. On a couple of hospital stays, Tammy's room was decorated in blue & orange, as she was a fan of the BSU Broncos. On many occasions, as soon as she was able, Tammy returned to rowing. She was greatly admired for her bravery and tenacity. Tammy is survived by her three sons, Xanti Alcelay and daughter-in-law Jill Aldape; Aitor Alcelay and girlfriend, Kristin Karns; and Andrew Cerini; her parents, Gerri and Henry Achurra; her sisters, Linda (Randy Lane) and Lisa (Mark Guerry); her nieces, Dusty, Sophie and Grace; and her nephew, Mateo; and her many Navarro, Candaux, West and Echevarria aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 11:00 a.m., at Holy Apostles Catholic Church, 6300 N Meridian Road, in Meridian, with Fr. Len MacMillan presiding. Tammy's ashes will be laid to rest at future dates at her grave at Morris Hill Cemetery, in Emigrant Lake in Oregon, and at Lekeitio and Arantzazu in the Basque Country. Memorial donations would be graciously accepted by the Oinkari Basque Dancers, PO Box 1011, Boise 83701; by the Idaho Humane Society, 4775 Dorman Street, Boise 83705; or by the Cancer Care Center Art Therapy Program at Saint Alphonsus, 1055 North Curtis Rd, Boise, Idaho 83706. To share memories with the family please visit Tammy's memorial webpage online at www.CloverdaleFuneralHome.com.