Erwin Joseph DeMars

September 10, 1941 – January 23, 2024

Erwin was born September 10, 1941, to Gladys Leona Jensen and Alfred Joseph DeMars in Westhope, ND. He passed away at home in Portland, OR on January 23, 2024.

Erwin was preceded in death by his mother and stepfather, Gladys and Charles Wendling; his father, Alfred; his sisters, Orea DeMars, Rosalyn LaLonde and Linda Willis; brother, Donald; and grandson, Jacob Young.

Erwin is survived by his wife, Ginger; son, Tim (wife, Debbie; grandsons, Nathan and Shane); daughter, Keri Young (husband, Rick; granddaughter Brittany; grandsons, Caleb and Isaac: and Caleb and Syndee’s great-grandson Niel); brother, Gary; sisters, Vera Shoberg and Marilyn Beverly.

Erwin spent his early years in Westhope, ND, and moved around with the family before settling in Albany, OR, when he was seven. At this point, his father was taken away, and Gladys was left to parent the seven siblings on her own; finding a tiny house next to the railroad tracks, the family banded together, living a hardscrabble life. Erwin was a shy and soft-spoken boy, calm and laid back with a good sense of humor.

Early in his schooling, a teacher saw him pick up a pencil with his left hand and told him he was left-handed. He became very good at using both hands in sports, making him ambidextrous! One of his jokes was, “I’m ambidextrous. I can eat with both hands!” His siblings have described Erwin as a kind, hardworking, and humorous brother.

To make ends meet in Albany, the family worked together. Erwin was a hard worker. At seven years old, he joined his older brother, Gary, taking a paper route to earn money for the family and school supplies. In the summers, the family would earn money supporting Albany’s robust agrarian economy, picking berries and green beans. That means the whole family would head out at dawn, working until 3:00 in the afternoon. They had to get home to fold papers so the boys could head out to deliver papers until dark. With everyone pitching in, the family made progress; Don eventually joined the older boys delivering papers, and Erwin would jokingly recall Marilyn, seven years younger, dragging bags of green beans through the mud to the scales - one year, they made enough picking green beans to buy the family a washing machine. Erwin stood out as a hard worker. Through the paper route with the Albany Democrat-Herald, he sold subscriptions to earn a bicycle and won 2 trips to Disneyland! A rare treat, Gladys would reward them for their hard work; Erwin remembered walking down the railroad tracks behind their house every Saturday to see a $0.14 movie with his siblings.

As the family had no car until Erwin was 16, they walked or rode their bikes everywhere, even to high school in Albany’s persistent rain. The boys would ride double, or even triple, with one sister behind on the rear fender and another on the handlebars. All the physical activity led to Erwin being a good athlete. He stood out in track and cross country, basketball, and baseball. Gary remembers how Erwin was an excellent third-baseman with an accurate throw.

Erwin was a 1959 graduate of Albany Union High School. He was a good student and went on to attend Oregon State University to study business. That is until he met Ginger Hansen on a trip to Portland. He fell head-over-heels for her. Unfortunately, Ginger was unsure about “this boy” and rebuffed his advances. Erwin was so distraught he dropped out of college and joined the Army. In the Army, Erwin again distinguished himself and was chosen to attend the US Army School of Finance, where he studied accounting. The Army sent him to Verdun, France, where Erv’s thoughts again turned to courting his love, Ginger. From Verdon, Erv often wrote Ginger, even sending her records of his soft, soothing voice. It worked! They got engaged through these letters. Ginger came to France to become Mrs. Erwin DeMars!

One of the stories he liked to tell about his army days is that one day, his sergeant made him buy two raffle tickets for $0.50 each that is a lot of money on an Army paycheck. He bought them as instructed. After the raffle, his sergeant stormed into his barracks while he was resting on his bunk and yelled, “You won my car!” Erwin did not know that he won the car. But he did! A white Valiant with a red interior. It was eye-catching, and people would gather around to look at the beautiful, sleek car! He and Ginger would tour around Europe in style!

After returning to the United States, they welcomed their two children – Tim and Keri – into the world, and Erwin finished his degree in accounting. He got involved at the beginning of computerized accounting systems and joined United Telecom in Mansfield, Ohio, and later in Kansas City. Erwin’s hard work and grit again paid off, and he rose through the company, becoming a Finance Director and providing a comfortable living for his family. As the kids grew up, they made it a tradition to go to Pizza Inn every Friday for dinner as a family. Erwin continued his athleticism, taking up bowling and golf. Ambidextrous, he bowled and golfed right-handed, winning several golf and bowling tournaments. Erv’s skill, gentle wisdom, and kind manner saw him elected president of the golf club and bowling leagues.

By the late Eighties, the kids were in college and Erwin and Ginger’s parents were advancing in age - it was time to move back to Portland. Erwin left United Telecom and started his own vending business, for which he and Ginger diligently worked up until their retirement. Back in Oregon, surrounded by family and old friends, Erwin and Ginger continued the weekly tradition of going out for dinner every Friday night with their friends at the Broadway Saloon.

In his later years, Erwin and Ginger would take frequent car trips to visit friends and family, often traveling across the country. Grandchildren were now a part of his life! Tim married Debbie, and they lived in Kansas with two sons. Keri married Rick, and they moved around, so that meant visiting lots of states with one daughter and three sons. Highlights included taking the grandkids to Disney, telling “alien stories,” and taking them along on the vending “adventures."

When that was no longer possible, he continued to care for Ginger at their home in Portland. After Ginger’s stroke, many of us contacted Erwin to offer our help. We could see that it was a lot of work, and Erwin struggled to care for her. Often, when we asked what we could do, Erwin would simply say, “We’re fine.” If we persisted, he would turn to his humor and dismiss us with a gentle quip. Erwin grew up working hard, being self-reliant, and not needing much. That was just his perspective on life and he worked hard caring for Ginger right up until the end.

We will miss his kindness, gentle wisdom, hard work, and humorous spirit.