Dear Editor:
What do you say about an amazing person like Terry Yusep?
Terry, it would take endless pages to describe you, however, I will try to be brief.
Hey Terry, it’s JK here. I miss you more than I can put into words. However, you better get busy and start practicing your game on that big golf course in the sky, because when I get there, I am challenging you to the match of our lives.
It is going to be called “the golf match made in heaven” and I don’t want any strokes. No electric carts. We are walking. The winner gets the “milky way” and the loser gets the planet Mars. This is serious stuff.
What can one say about “Mr. Osoyoos”, “Mr. Okanagan Valley”, “Mr. Everybody’s Best Friend”, “Mr. Best Joke Teller Ever”, “Mr. Good Guy.”
The truth is everybody wanted to be around you. For awhile it was hard to get around you. I thought you were training to be a Sumo wrestler. That’s a joke by the way.
We did and saw many things happen during our life as friends. We saw the early satellites orbiting Earth, while lying on my father’s lawn in Osoyoos on a warm Saturday night. It was exciting and inspiring. You wanted to become an astronaut.
We met Bing Crosby at the famous Crosby Pro-Am tournament at the Pebble Beach Golf Course. We also met some of the golf pros and some of the Hollywood players. We had a great time. One of many.
We meet Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio at the Round Hill Country club here in the bay area of southern California.
Tom Flores, the former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and owner of four Super Bowl rings, loved Osoyoos and thought you were a one-of-a-kind special person.
He often asks about you and Carol. Meeting Carol was one of the best things that ever happened to you. You owe her a lot of stars in the sky. You were both lucky to find each other. My heart goes out to Carol.
I have not said anything about all of the people who loved you. I could not begin to name them. Everybody liked and cherished your friendship. You and I played on the Osoyoos baseball and basketball team. I am not going to tell the world what happened after one of the events in Bridesville-Rock Creek area, but it has something to do with you and George (Babse) Nielsen in your car, being stranded on large pine tree branches about 20 feet above ground level. It was hilarious.
I would have to have a photo of that. I know what happened. In baseball, you were a shortstop. In basketball, you were great with great moves. In golf, you were legendary. In life, you were incomparable. We will miss you more than you can imagine. You will not be forgotten.
John Karnish,
Oakland, California
