My mom said; When you work for someone, it is your obligation to work the best that you can no matter what the pay is. My mom was the heart of our family of honesty and integrity, and I would like to say that I followed and learned in her footsteps that she was an amazing woman full of life and love for her children and grandchildren. My parents had two of their sons pass away, Fred, my brother 1976, who was hit in his car by a drunk and stoned driver on River Road in Milwaukie, and Ed, my brother, who had Lupus passed away from complications in 2005. My mom passed away from cancer in 1997, and my dad at 98 years in 2020. After being in prison for two years in the second world war, my dad escaped from the Germans. There is a golf tournament yearly called the Fred Jossi Memorial, POW/MIA OPEN, usually at Glendoveer Golf Course to raise money for the POW. A tribute to my Dad, Fred Jossi, and the hard work for the POW over the years. If you want to enter this yearly golf tournament, just let me know. I give my parents credit for molding me into who I am today.
Second: Wrestling played a role in me being physically and mentally tough. Taking my mom’s advice, I worked as hard as I could for my high school coach Les Pierce, who worked me harder than any coach, including during my college years at the University of Oregon and Portland State University. I won the State Wrestling Championship and upset the No. 1 seed and undefeated wrestler when entering the tournament unseeded. The University of Oregon offered me a scholarship. I made it to the NCAA Division I tournament as a freshman but then transferred to Portland State, where I graduated. Wrestling helped me to be able to work long, hard days on roofs and also learned the importance of staying healthy both nutritionally and physically so that I can continue to work hard into my late 60s.
Third: I was left to raise my two boys on my own, who were 3 & 5 years old, and had four of their friends with me most of their childhood years. Sharing that role of mother and father showed me the value of love and caring that most men don’t experience that mothers have for their children, and I am grateful for my time raising them, cherishing those memories that I hold dear in my heart.