Wallace Glen Detering

Obituary of Wallace Glen Detering
Wallace Glen Detering passed away November 27, 2023 to the hands of the Lord with the family at his side at the age of 99 years and 11 months old. He was preceded in death by his wife Roberta Casinger Detering of 71 years on July 4, 2021. Wallace was born December 29, 1923 to Alfonse and Elsie (Paeschke) Detering of Harrisburg, Oregon. Three months after Wallace was born, his mother died from an infection and the measles. That is when the grandparents William and Julia Detering moved in the main house to help raise Wallace and his sister Elinor. Al (Alfonso) their father moved to the bachelor pad (Woods Place) with all his single brothers to make room for their grandparents.
In 1928, their grandfather William died. Wallace at the tender age of 5 became the man of the "house". He chopped and piled wood in the woodshed, split kindling, pumped water for the washing, fed the pigs, took care of the chickens, milked the cow and helped tend the garden. Because he had so many responsibilities he didn't have time to study and struggled in school, but he still enjoyed going and making new friends. Al, their dad and all the bachelor uncles took a hand in helping raise Wallace and Elinor and sharing a big meal once a day at the main house.
They resided there until the 30's when they tore down the old house and they built the new structure which still stands today for all of them to live.
Wallace says he was born into the depression, but didn't really know life any different. "I knew we weren't rich, but I never really thought about being poor either. We always had potatoes in the cellar, produce from the garden, the stuff we canned and dried, chickens and milk from the cow. And don't forget there was always the 'kings deer' available."
When he was 6 ½, he and his sister were playing ball, using a file as a bat. Wallace pitched a tennis ball and Elinor swung, the file came loose from the handle and hit him in the eye. The damage was permanent and Wallace learned to navigate life with one eye. Maybe that was why he was a crack shot and could drive the planter tractor as straight as todays auto steer tractors with G.P.S.
He was about age eleven when he first heard about tractors and electricity. Between 1935-1937 most of the local rural area had their first electric lights and that changed everything.
From late grade school on, his jobs varied from raking hay, pulling weeds, picking fruit, hops and beans to cutting rhubarb and asparagus, cultivating crops and cutting up seed potatoes. Wallace first job plowing fields was with the draft horses. He always talked about his favorite horse old Mage. Wallace also ran a trap line to earn extra spending money. He started with a 4-H garden project and still planted and cultivated a garden until he was 98 yrs. old and it was just last year that he finally hired his yard maintenance man to help him. Wallace was always known for sharing his bounty with his neighbors and friends.
He was drafted during WW II, when he was 18 yrs. old but because of blind eye he served in the National Guard.
After learning all the aspects of farming from his father Al and Uncles-Ralph, Gerald, James, Fred, he attended Oregon State University for 2 years majoring in horticulture from 1942-1944 concentrating on the academics of agriculture then returning to the farm to implement his new knowledge and spent the rest of his life as a farmer.
In 1948, Wallace, along with his dad and a couple of uncles, went on a very memorable 3-month hunting/fishing trip to Alaska. After they got back, he headed to Arkansas to visit Roberta Casinger (later to be his wife) and her family, whom he had met when they came to work for his dad on the farm. Wallace and Roberta were married on December 31, 1949, 2 days after his 26 birthday.
After Electricity was first introduced in the area, the farm scene changed with the availability of irrigation. Cannery crops were grown for Eugene Fruit Growers which later became known as Agripac. Corn, beets, carrots, beans, rhubarb, other seed crops and peppermint, were the Farm main crops. Filberts and walnuts were dozed out during 1973 due to the winter kill of the 1972 freeze, minus ( -12) degrees for almost a week, which was another factor that changed the landscape on the Farm. Row Crop farming acres increased which took a lot of labor, Wallace employed many youth, from grade school through high school in the local area to work on the farm all summer, weeding and moving pipe.
He was community minded man, being an active member of the Harrisburg Christian Church, school board member of Wyatt School, board member of Agripac and Oregon Filbert Commission. Wallace also led the local 4-H equine group for a few years taking many members to the Lane County Fair, and pack trips.
Wallace and Roberta had three children, Steve Detering (Rochelle) of Mattawa WA, daughters Julie Detering of Harrisburg OR and Pam McCullough (Russell) McCullough of Ione OR. Four grandchildren Katie Detering Dobson, Sandy Detering Palmer, Travis Detering and Tyrone McCullough and 10 great grandchildren, and one on the way great grandchild. His grandchildren were his favorite people and he enjoyed the visits with every one of them.
Wallace and Roberta did a lot of traveling in their retirement years. They toured the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama and the outback of Oregon extensively.
At the ripe old age of almost 100 we should give him credit, "IT'S THE MILES NOT THE YEARS" He had a lot of stories, a store of wisdom and unbelievable work ethic to pass along. If you have memories or stories of Wallace, to share them with family and friends, hold them dear to your heart and soul to treasure them always for the incredible man that he truly was.
Services will be Saturday Dec 9, at 10.30 am at the Harrisburg Christian church. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Harrisburg Christian Church.