Chester Ericson Defty

Chester Ericson Defty, 1927 – 2016, “Gone Sailing” Chester left port for tranquil waters on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. His life well-lived and complete, he departed without cares or regrets of any kind. He was much loved, and will be deeply missed by his wife of nearly sixty-four years, Joyce Carol Defty, and his three children, Janette, Christopher and Jeffrey. Chester was born on January 13, 1927 in Long Beach, California. His father, Dwight Sparks Defty taught music, and his mother, Edith Ericson Defty, a gifted pianist, made the family home. He was very fond of his nanny, Elizabeth, and it was typical of Chester that when she was old and alone, he invited her to come live in the back apartment of their home in Medford. In his adolescence, his parents bought and operated the Lake Mary Store, near Bishop in the High Sierras of central California. Much of his love of the outdoors grew in the mountains and lakes of the area. From his parents, Chester also gained a lifelong appreciation of classical music. Chester served in the Army in WWII, and was stationed in Japan with the occupation. He was always grateful that he never had to fire his weapon in combat. He was not a fighter, but a gentle man, a lover of life and especially of animals. He met his beloved “Joycie” while working as a technical writer at Summers Gyroscope in Santa Monica, California. They bought their first home and started to raise their children. Chet later worked at Busy Bee Hardware and learned much not only about hardware, but about life, from his boss and mentor Marshall Higgins. They purchased a small travel trailer and explored many places in the West, venturing with the family to the Southwest and as far north as Banff in Alberta, Candada. In 1966, Chet and Joyce decided to get out of “the rat race” and moved from Los Angeles to Medford, Oregon. Among other things, they loved Southern Oregon's stunningly beautiful mountain lakes. Shortly after arriving in Medford, they bought their first sailboat, a small dingy, then moved up to a larger boat, then finally bought West Viking, a Yankee Dolphin sloop. After 13 years working at Sears in Medford, Dad retired at age 50 and they took their boat north to the San Juan Islands for almost twenty years. Gone for up to two months a summer, their favorite destination was Desolation Sound in Canada. Chet and Joyce purchased rental properties in Medford and had many long-term tenants turn into life-long friends. Chester had a great fondness for animals, especially cats. He adopted strays and gave them a loving home. The family also had several dogs over the years, lastly Susie, who accompanied them on sailing adventures in the San Juans. Chester would do no harm even to the smallest insects in the house, which he would trap in a glass and carry outside to liberate. He had a reverence for living things, and was throughout his life a friend and protector of animals. Chester was a friendly and soft-spoken man. He was sparse with words, but when he spoke, he said what he meant and meant what he said. His honesty and good-natured disposition were obvious to all around him and inspired his children to follow his example. He will be remembered fondly and missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to know him.