Gerald Frank Ceballos

Gerald (Gil) Frank Ceballos was a man for whom actions would speak louder than words. His life motto might well have been “if it isn’t logical, it’s not important.” The qualities of being fair, just and the ability to recognize what was right were clearly driving forces in Gerald’s life. He was also the kind of person who could respect a “do not disturb” sign, whether it was real or implied. He was analytical and observant, with an ability to be simultaneously spontaneous and keenly perceptive. Gerald was modest in his actions and extremely literal in his thought and in the manner in which he communicated with others. When Gerald said something, he meant it. All those who knew him appreciated this trademark quality.

His parents were Sam Parcon and Julia Winnifred (Bradshaw) Ceballos. The first four years Gil was born and raised in Portland and then the family moved to Vernonia, Oregon. Even as a small child, Gerald wanted to understand what was right and what was wrong in any given situation. As Gerald grew older, he realized the importance of being treated fairly, and in return, he treated everyone around him the same way. This belief in fair play served Gerald well throughout his life and despite his natural shyness; he enjoyed a solid group of friends.

Gerald was raised with two siblings. He had one younger brother, Sam, and his older sister, Loritta (Rita). Gerald was constantly involved in activities with his siblings. Gerald and his siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up, but they shared many creative childhood life experiences.

During his childhood, family and friends viewed Gerald as a quiet and reserved person. In fact, he was a fairly curious child who had the ability to entertain himself and didn’t require much in the way of outside stimulation. A great deal of Gerald’s free time was spent learning how and why the things around him worked. He was an active child who loved being outdoors and absorbing all the sensory input that nature could provide. Gerald, Rita and Sam’s mother, Winnifred, died soon after Sam was born and their father Sam, was a single parent raising his children while working full-time at the lumber mill. In Vernonia, they were living in what were known as the “camp,” where the Blacks and Filipinos were supposed to live. Even though the “camp” in Vernonia was designed to segregate the community, the Ceballos Family thrived in that community. One of the neighbors down the road, Ruby, was a “mother figure” to Gerald and his siblings and she would provide cookies and milk after school for the Ceballos children and helped look after the kids until dad would get home from work. Ruby would also give each of the kids 5 cents to go to the local store and they would each get a different flavor of Kool-Aid and Ruby would make a wild concoction of Kool-Aid drink with all their choices. Rita said, “I remember it was the best!”

With their father working to support his family, the kids had a lot of unsupervised time to play and sometimes get into a little bit of mischief. Once while Gil was playing with matches, he managed to set the woodshed on fire. As a young child, Gil, believed he could fly and made a large kite and jumped off the roof thinking he’d glide smoothly to a landing, you can only guess the laughter and surprise when he managed to get up and dust himself off and untangle the mangled kit and bruised pride.

The fact that he was curious was an asset to Gerald while he was in school. He relished the task of scrutinizing problems, investigating all of the options and then solving them. Gerald enjoyed tackling the project that was right in front of him and working it straight through to its conclusion. Sometimes, he would become so involved in the process of problem solving that he would lose awareness of his surroundings. Experience was Gerald’s best teacher. Gil decided not to graduate with his class and joined the Army before he finished his senior year; however, he was able to complete his G.E.D.

Those who didn’t know Gerald well might have thought him to be objective and somewhat emotionally detached, but family and friends who were close to him knew that he was capable of unexpected flashes of humor. Even though the circle of friends was somewhat small, it was a strong and loyal group, and Gerald liked nothing better than to spend his free time with them. Gerald was well known for always being quiet and reserved, always hiding his true feelings, qualities that drew him deep loyalty from his friends because they understood and appreciated him for the person he was. During his time in the Army, Gil became friends with some of his Army buddies and liked spending time on and off base with them. They made good company for themselves being far away from each of their own family. Another quality that people admire in Gerald was his ability to link cause and effect and apply the appropriate connection in his assessment of any new situation.

Gerald was blessed with six children, three sons, Jasen, Jeff and Jarret and three daughters, Janean, Jamie and Shannon. Gerald was never impulsive in dealing with family problems. Instead, he would carefully think things through before implementing the solution in a logical and objective manner. At the same time, Gerald’s inventive nature could turn some of the boring old household chores into a fun activity for the family.

In his work life, Gerald was the kind of person who had no difficulty in taking on a project and seeing it through to its completion. He excelled at dealing with those pesky details that can derails some people, and once he understood exactly why he was working on a project; he could plow full steam ahead. Even if he worked alone on an assignment, Gerald was able to incorporate and welcome new insights from co-workers, and he would readily use them if they improved the process. His primary occupation was working as a logger right after his discharge from the Army, and then Gil landed a job as a dump truck driver for Baker Rock Crushing or Baker Rock Resources as it is known today. He was employed with Baker Rock until he became disabled in 1996. Gerald always made the effort to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Gerald was a veteran and trained and assigned to Special Forces as Green Beret in the United States Army. He understood his duty to serve his country and the importance of getting a job done. He was comfortable with the routines of the military and even liked them to some degree, especially when it came to grasping the clear instructions and guidelines he was expected to follow. He was stationed in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where he did his Basic Training and was later sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for Airborne training, then to Fort Lee, Virginia to Quartermaster School, then to Okinawa, Japan where he was a “rigger” folding parachutes into their pouches. He was required to jump out of the plane using a chute he packed. Gerald saw action for two years doing reconnaissance in Cambodia and Laos. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Specialist 4.

Gerald’s curious and inquisitive nature influenced his choice of leisure pursuits as well. He applied his strong concentration and analytical skills as to how things worked to his choice of activities. He particularly enjoyed the “alone” time. His favorite time was fishing. Gil liked all types of fishing so weather it was at a river, the lake or the ocean, he was happiest when fishing. Gil’s special achievements centered on his time in the Army Special Forces. The Special Forces gave Gil great pride in what he was doing for himself and for his country. In his early childhood Gil always thought he should be able to fly, so in adulthood he pursued skydiving to prove he was always right, it’s just the technique was better as an adult. He also learned scuba diving and enjoyed it with a passion. Gerald was content to enjoy his time alone but also willing to share his interests with others.

As his retirement approached, Gerald viewed the event as just one more project to research and solve. So, when the day finally arrived when retirement was forced on Gil by disability he moved into an apartment connected to the house at Rita and Louie’s home in Tigard, Oregon. Gerald enjoyed his retiring days, he was always up for breakfast or having a cup of coffee with Rita and Louie and then spent most of time as Rita and Louie said, “as a recluse, but he was happy.”

He is survived by his sister Rita (Louie) Violette, his brother Sam (Cindy) Ceballos, sons Jasen Shaw, Jeff Ceballos, Jarrett Ceballos, daughters Janean Zavales, Jaime Vealey and Shannon Shepler and several grandchildren. Gerald is predeceased by his parents, Sam Parcon and J. Winnifred (Bradshaw) Ceballos.

Services were held at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon. Gerald was laid to rest in Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon.

Gerald strongly believed that talk is cheap. He was the type of person who would show others his feelings through his actions. He was practical and realistic but was able to be flexible when the need arose. He had a curiosity about the things around him and tried to experience life directly rather than sit back and talk about it. The experiences he treasured most were those he shared with his loved ones. Gerald Frank Ceballos will be greatly missed.

Arrangements under the direction of Young's Funeral Home, Tigard, OR.