Mr. Deane Elton Kidd was born quite prematurely in an abandoned shack on the prairie outside of the ill-fated town of Sanish, North Dakota, on December 3rd, 1926.  His young mother,  Martha Schneider-Kidd,  had been joy-riding in her best friend's dad's Model T when she suddenly went into labor.  Her girlfriend set out for the doctor, who severely reprimanded Martha, "Women have no business riding in motor vehicles!  If Deane lives through the night, then God has blessed you.  If your poor baby dies, God is punishing you for your sinful behavior."   Dad lived.  He was so tiny that his parents had to feed him with an eye dropper while he rested in a shoe box in his parents' dresser drawer.  Deane became a very cute little boy with big brown eyes.  He was much coddled by most people who met him.  He grew up to truly enjoy children and children were drawn to him. 

   As soon as he could walk, Dad began climbing train trestles, scaring everyone but himself.  He never was afraid of heights.  (He tried to pass this bravery on to me, but was reprimanded twice by police officers who frowned on his taking a preschooler cliff climbing.  Of course we had no safety equipment.  I still remember wondering what a good "foot hold" meant as I followed him up crumbling cliffs.)

   When Deane began school he was considered to be "slow, not very smart" ...until someone realized that he needed  glasses.  WOW!  Wearing eye glasses Deane was amazed and enthralled with the world around him.   He loved learning and excelled in math and science.   He had a malformed heart and was very skinny.  He appeared to be the classic nerd:  skinny, smart kid with thick Coke-bottle glasses and a toothy smile.

   Dad's grandfather was respected in North Dakota as a self-made lawyer of sorts.  Though Dad's grandmother was also a college graduate(!) she treated Martha as a slave as she worked for her parents in their railroad station hotel.   Dad's father, Clyde Kidd,  was a railroad fireman.  His parents gifted  Clyde and Martha with  4 city lots in the faraway land of Portland, Oregon.  Dad's parents were glad to escape the lonely prairie for city life and a fresh start.  Grandma Martha had learned math and lumber from her dad.  When they reached Portland, she designed and supervised the building of their home, which still stands on Ankeny Street as a testimony to her skills.  They were too poor to complete the house all at once and initially used cardboard for interior walls.  When they decided a basement was in order, they hand-dug the soil and carried it out in buckets.  Deane came from tough stock!   In spite of her parents' abuse, Martha insisted on including an apartment in their Portland house for her mother to live out her senior years. 

   Dad was a Boy Scout and loved nature.  He was an excellent marksman but when his mentor was accidentally killed in a hunting accident (Dad had not accompanied him on that trip), Dad took on a negative respect for firearms.   As newlyweds, Dad and Mom hiked extensively in Oregon's mountains.   Dad kept his gear clean and in good condition.   I proudly used his Boy Scout backpack  (minus the heavy wooden frame) as my book bag throughout my college years.

   As a teenager Dad became enthralled with Ham Radio and grew in the hobby to become Oregon's Air Force MARS Director and Librarian for many years.   He ran multiple nightly nets,  relayed messages from American soldiers in Viet Nam,  and participated in and scored highly in scads of Ham Radio contests.  His kids still hear echoes of past teletype machines tapping away while monotone vocalized stanzas of the International Radio Alphabet were broadcast from our basement as we drifted off to sleep at night.  We kids were intrigued watching for mirror flashes on far distant hillsides as signals for Dad and Roger McCoy to alter antenna angles for improved Ham signals.  Dad experimented with various Ham Radio frequency bands from HF on up into the microwave region before retiring, his preference being 6 meters.  W7TYR  and AF7TYR were his well known calls in their fields for much of his life.  

   Dad and his 3 younger siblings:  Dennis, Claire, and Gretchen Kidd-Krueger,  graduated from Portland's former Washington High School. Upon his high school graduation, Deane tried to join the Army.  They had to decline him as he had a bad heart, but they had tested him and found his genius IQ.  Unbeknown to Dad, the Army monitored his life progress.

   Both of Dad's parents worked hard to earn the money for him to attend college in Corvallis, Oregon, (OSU) then known as Oregon State College.  He was well liked and several friends also donated to his college fund.   Dad appreciated and  remembered the generosity of others and was charitable to many people in his lifetime. 

   In college, Dad's heart mended and he became more physically active.  He excelled in acrobatics, gymnastics, and even became a trapeze catcher.   He was a happy person.  Later  he walked so fast that his kids could not keep up with him, so we listened for his distinctive melodic whistle and the jinglings of the coins and keys ever present in his pockets.

   After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering, Deane took on several jobs at various electronics and radio shops until he heard of a small start-up company, Tektronix.  He was impressed and was immediately hired, Tek's 40th (?) employee.  He had embarked upon the raison d'etre for his life:  he became "Mr. Tektronix."  For over 42 years he worked there, often 6 days a week, and brought home projects many nights.   He ran Ham Radio nets, and lived, worked, and breathed Tektronix projects.  Most of his friends were Tek employees.  Our chairs, carpet, & cookie sheets were purchased by him from Tek surplus.   Dad hosted regular work parties every week with fellow engineers and like-minded friends.  Dad, Roger, Bob, Cal, Smokey, Don, Larry, Loren, Logan, Dan, Tom, and others worked on projects, exchanging insights, and sharing tools.   Quite the think tank!

    My mother, Myrtle Haskell-Kidd, was hired as one of Tek's early secretaries.  She carried her heavy "portable" typewriter up and down stairs to wherever she was needed, while wearing the required high-heeled shoes of the day.   Mom was smart, cute, athletic, hardworking, and a great cook.  Dad was smitten.  She accepted his offer of a roller skating date at Oaks Park, and they became a couple for life.   They both admired Tek's business policies and quality products. 

     Shortly after my parents married, the Army reappeared.   Dad was happy to serve this great nation, but he deeply resented being drafted and having to leave  Tektronix and Oregon.   Dad and Mom unhappily moved to New Jersey.   After boot camp, Dad was flown all over the USA and other countries.   He was a brilliant engineer and kept very busy on top secret projects.  He carried the details of this work to his grave.  The Army pushed hard for him to remain with them, but he was adamant.  He was an embarrassment to the military in that he had such great technical knowledge and yet held very low rank.   I have seen parts of reports which he wrote, signed by generals and high ranking people, but there, in tiny print at a bottom corner,  was typed "Pvt. Deane Kidd." 

   For many years the Military continued to contact Dad, hauling him off to bases for technical assistance.   Sometimes they even collected him from our annual beach vacations!  Other times Dad drove to bases.  Wives and children were not allowed to accompany him inside.  We sat in the car for hours, outside of chain link gates, with armed guards watching us.  (I was a little jealous that my sister had a potty chair.)  Though Dad never discussed his work, sometimes a uniformed officer would lean in our car and tell us we could be very proud of our dad as he was instrumental in maintaining national safety.

   When Deane was honorably discharged, Tek welcomed him back.  Deane became one of the world's leading experts on Tek equipment.  He helped design Tek's new product protocol and Tek's elaborate parts identification system.  Eventually he was put in charge of making sure that every new product which Tek engineers wanted to produce followed protocol to assure its safety and longevity.   Deane was fearless in his pursuit of excellence for Tek, and received much flak, even death threats.  He was called Little Caesar, Hard Nose, and many other things.   Many people were afraid of him for his keen criticism of their ineptness or unpreparedness, but he was also known to be very helpful to people if they just asked for his help rather than trying to bluff him.   He is revered for his role in maintaining the Quality of Tektronix  products.    He had an encyclopedic knowledge of every Tek product and a photographic memory for placement of items in the many buildings of Tek.  Long after he retired he still received phone calls from Tek employees trying to locate items and he almost always knew what was where.

   Dad had strong ethics and refused raises based on "nonsense."  Who else would refuse a raise in pay?!  He always did what he thought was best for Tek.  He worked tirelessly but was ultimately unsuccessful in coordinating the various branches of Tek to share parts and equipment.   Many people have told me how Dad salvaged the very parts they needed from the garbage of another department.   Dad was not averse to dumpster diving to save Tek from wastefulness.  The world would be a better place if more people were as thrifty as was Dad.

   Our dad was more of a Fred Flintstone dad than Fred Rogers dad.  He was very harsh with us kids and with Mom.  Anyone who lived near us knew that Dad yelled loudly.   My brother, sister, and I never seemed to do anything right.  If we earned an A in school, he would shout, "Today's schools just hand out As."  If we earned a B or less, he loudly demeaned us "lazy, spoiled, and stupid."   We did not have joyous childhoods.   Yet, Dad had much patience and energy for other people's kids and was very popular with them.   As we became adults, Dad's appreciation of us grew.  Our wonderful mother demonstrated loving kindness to all.   Though he never offered a satisfactory explanation to us, he absolutely forbid his 3 kids from participating in electronics and radios.   The grandchildren were another story.  Dad was elated when his grandson,  John Kidd , took an interest in Ham Radio.  Together, they strung antenna wires here and helped John and Andy in building John his own tower in Washington. 

    In his "spare" time, Deane voluntarily repaired teenagers' stereos, assisted elderly people with plumbing, electrical, and mechanical repairs to their homes and vehicles, and assisted widows of Ham Radio and/or packrat electronics engineers with the equitable liquidation of their husband's electronics collections, often sending a check for another item sold many years after his initial involvement.  Deane was always noted for his integrity.  He taught at OMSI.  He provided many high schools, universities, and aspiring engineering students with equipment and instruction at no charge.  He taught many people the ethical handling of their business and financial affairs.  My parents took in numerous neglected kids, cleaned them up, taught them reading, writing, arithmetic, the Bible, and helped them on to safer life paths.

   Even in his eighties, Deane helped people as he could.  One day, during a prolonged power outage,  Dad set out alone, walking with his cane, to a new neighbor's house through ice and snow.   My husband happened to see him and tagged along in case Dad lost his balance.  Dad safely got there, hiked up many stairs, and showed the grateful residents how to use their gas burning fireplace.  The Palacios Family and we became good friends.   They brought much joy to Dad -and our family- with their sweet, thoughtful ways, respect, and great humor.   Hugs!

   Dad also loved to work with metal and with wood.  He built our dressers, play equipment, cupboards, and decks.  When he was annoyed with the high price of parts for his Datsun 240Z,  he made new working wiper motors from scratch!  He and Mom helped my brother and I remodel/build our homes in countless ways.   Thank You!!

   Dad absolutely loved his grandkids, Tiffani Elkins and John Kidd.  He taught them to enjoy their lives, play hard, drive anything, use his shop tools, and to be loving, loyal, independent thinkers, and to stand up for what they see as right.   Dad loved his great grandkids, too.  Paityn was born on his 83rd birthday and, with Tiffani, were his favorite sidekicks.   Tiffani, Dad, and Paityn enjoyed their times Together and they brought joy to others who were privileged to witness them, or better,  to be included in their merrymakings.   Jonathan,  Jacob, and Jeremiah lived too far away to know their Great Grandpa that well, but they knew he loved to play catch with them!   Dad was truly delighted to see any and all of his grand and great grandkids.  He just lit up when in their presence.   He quietly cried whenever they left.

   Deane's son, my brother,  Andy Kidd, inherited Dad's strong, accurate throwing arms, quick and strong mathematical mind, and his eye for seeing things in 3D.   He is a diesel mechanic who can drive anything, repair -and even repurpose!- most any machine, reorganize a failing shop into a thriving business, dig a perfectly sloped ditch with a backhoe.   I've heard tell that he can even "rebuild a Detroit diesel engine with a screw driver and a penknife," well, maybe not, but he surely can tell a clever story on the fly.  Together Andy and Dad laughed and argued loudly.

   Deane's youngest daughter, my sister, Teresa Kidd-Elkins, worked at Tektronix in accounting.  She inherited his ability to concentrate on several tasks simultaneously.  Teresa could run 2 machines (for example:  typewriter and calculator) while talking on the phone.   Though she lacked Dad's bravado, she inadvertently but successfully took on 3 job positions at Tek concurrently and was much admired by coworkers and customers.  At age 23 she was killed in a car accident on her way to work when she was very ill with the flu.  She had a new boss who was threatening her and she went in to work to confront him in person.   We hope he turned his life to God.    Dad and our family never stopped grieving her loss. 

  Over his many years of life -even in his forced retirement-  Dad continued in his devotion to Tektronix and to other engineering minds, providing technical advice, repair services, parts, and manuals to people around the world.  He amassed quite a collection of parts and manuals.  A few years ago, I asked Dad if I could at long last help him sell his remaining collection to people who still appreciate and use the now older Tek instruments.  After I sorted and catalogued many boxes of potentiometers, he agreed.  I am not an electronics engineer, nor, unfortunately, do I have Dad's vast working knowledge of this great equipment,  but many of the original manuals are available for purchase, and as Dad was fond of telling me, "If I tell you all of the answers, then you will never learn to think for yourself."  I will be respectfully sorting and listing items as time permits.  I have wonderful assistance from smart, mostly ex-Tek, nerdy engineer types who laugh with me as we venture through stacks of incredible pieces of the past.   Our friend, Pete Lancashire, has helped to design an on-line store for us,  DEKTYRPK  Electronics.  Dad lived to view, navigate, and critique the store.  He was excited and happy with it.  Bravo!   Look for us to be up and running this year.  Dad was truly pleased to know that this part of his life's work would continue.   We acknowledge the hard work, imagination, and dedication exercised by many people to create these still relevant, viable pieces of technological art/great tools!  We salute those of you who continue to aspire to better understand the intricacies of our universe and to utilize the forces you can control to make a better life for us all!

    Dad was not one to join clubs, but he surely enjoyed the camaraderie of TERAC over the past 10 years or so.  TERAC was started as a group of Tek employees who were also involved in Ham Radio.  Now they are no longer affiliated with Tek, of course Tek does not really exist any more.   You are a great group of intelligent, compassionate, fun, humorous, respectful, interesting people!  We love ya!   We are proud to call you Friends!  

   When Tek hired "efficiency experts" to restructure the company, Dad was horrified.  "They have no working knowledge of what we do!"  They split up the company rather than strengthen it.  Wrong people were hired, while great minds were unfathomably fired.  Projects were started and not finished.  Waste increased.   Dad felt disheartened and helpless to see the company he so loved destroyed.  

   Interestingly,  Dad's  health declined as Tektronix faded.   Though he never smoked, drank alcohol (except for a few sips of sparkling wine at new year's), or took drugs,  his heart began to fail.  Then he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, but could not receive potentially life-saving surgery because of cardiac complications.  He had a wonderful urologist, Dr. Skeeters, who used every nonsurgical procedure (many and varied chemotherapies and radiation) to save him, but the stubborn cancer survived and eventually metastasized to fill his lungs with cancerous tumors.   His doctors were surprised at Dad's perseverance.   Dad was surprised that no one could seem to "just fix it!"  Dad felt very little physical pain in his life, and he was not in pain at the time of his death.   He peacefully drifted Home to God as his beloved granddaughter, Tiffani,  and I kept vigilance beside his hospital bed.  We miss him.

  

   I want to note that Newberg Hospital staff was exceptional in Dad's final week here on earth.   (Only 1 ER doc  -and earlier, 2 cardiology docs-  said something stupid and tactless and neglected to do right.)   If you doubt your doctor, or are uncomfortable with your doctor, do not hesitate to seek another doctor!

   In general, the staff of Newberg Hospital was caring, respectful, tactful, and thoughtful as Dad and our family shared his final days.   They were attentive and yet gave us privacy.   They demonstrated that they actually live the hospital's stated core values.   May God bless you with like treatment.

   We had horrible experiences with St. Vincent's Hospital, The Oregon Clinic Gastroenterology-West,  Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, and  Providence Portland Medical Center on Glisan St.    Nightmarish!    Do not let a loved one go to any of these places alone!    Best to Stay Away!

   Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg, Oregon is a delightful group of intelligent, Christian people.  The residents and staff made Dad's life safe and comfortable, with caring, fellowship, and friendship when he was no longer able to live alone.   May God bless you in many happy ways.