Rudy Yost July 14, 1945 - March 14, 2014

Rudy Yost passed peacefully on March 14 from pancreatic cancer. He was in the arms of his wife, Vicki, in their home west of Redmond.

Rudy was born in Portland on July 14, 1945 to Irma Snittle and George Yost. He graduated from Marshfield High School in Coos Bay.

Rudy's childhood was filled with camping, hunting and fishing trips with his father. The family's four-generation tradition of hunting on the Middle Fork of the John Day River, with family and friends, was a ritual he was able to continue into late fall of 2013.

He served in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division from 1965 to 1967. He was a Vietnam War veteran whose concern for veterans was part of his life.

Rudy met Vicki Allen in 1980 while working in the Red Zone of Mt. St. Helens, almost immediately after the volcano erupted. The couple married on June 27, 1981. They lived in a home Rudy built himself on acreage he had purchased in 1977. Their son, Paul, was born in 1982.

Rudy's welcoming nature was the heart of their home. It was a gathering place for friends and lots of children, with men and boys tinkering in Rudy's shop.

Beginning as a teen, a passion for drag racing occupied many of Rudy's summer weekends. Last month, he drove his 1963 Plymouth Fury on a drag strip one more time.

Rudy worked in Portland for ESCO, developing mechanized forest products. At Concep Membranes, Separation Sciences, Aqua Air and Bend Research he was a hydraulic engineer. For a few summers, he was a horse outrider for Sisters Ranger District in local wilderness areas. He worked for G.J. Miller Construction for over 20 years, until his retirement in late 2013.

Rudy and his family experienced Oregon on Sunday drives, weekend journeys, and hunting and fishing excursions. He had stories to tell about every landmark in Oregon.

Rudy liked to work. This made his membership in Sisters Rodeo Association a natural fit, where he gained a whole new group of friends.

He is survived by his wife, Vicki; son, Paul, Paul's partner, Ciera; and granddaughters Maceigh and Sailor; sister Katherine; and many nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service at Sisters Rodeo Grounds on Saturday, March 29 at 4 p.m. A potluck meal will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, the Yost family requests donations to Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 4108, 1836 S.W. Veterans Way, Redmond, OR 97756.