Jan. 29, 1951 – Nov. 1, 2012
Jon T. Sportsman, 61, of Sweet Home, died Nov. 1, 2012 after a long battle with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Syndrome.
He was born Jan. 29, 1951 in Westfir to Warren C. and Juanita M. (Parker) Sportsman.
He was raised in Winston. He moved to Ketchikan, Alaska in 1971, where he spent the majority of his working career in the timber industry. On Dec. 27, 1979 he married his wife Tawny. After retiring in 2002 from the timber industry, they moved to Sweet Home.
Following his retirement, Mr. Sportsman worked for Specialty Crushing in San Francisco, Calif., owned by his friend Tom Chasm, until 2006 when he had to retire once again due to his health.
In 1995, when his health was at a critical crossroad, he received a second chance at life when he received a lung transplant at OHSU in Portland. His family will be eternally grateful for the gift of life given by his donor, Jeff Lockhart, and parents Dick and Elaine.
Mr. Sportsman loved the great Alaskan outdoors and spent much of his time fishing, hunting, camping, and exploring the Alaskan wilderness. There was nothing he loved better than to pull out a map and say “Let’s go HERE.”
After his lung transplant he purchased a 32-foot Bayliner, which he named the “Second Wind.” He never wasted a moment of the gift of life he had received.
He loved to travel, whether on foot or by boat, plane, helicopter, car, or motorcycle. He loved to experience new places, cultures, people and, of course, he loved the food everywhere he went. His work often took him to the Orient, which was his overall favorite, but every trip held some magic for him.
After they moved to Oregon, Mr. Sportsman purchased a 2002 Harley-Davidson Softail Heritage Classic. He loved to ride all the back roads of Oregon and California and logged over 10,000 miles visiting Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Yellowstone National Park and more.
He often traveled with his friends, Don Kimball, Stan Timperley, Mike Diggles, Tom Chasm, Chuck Balkwell, Jack Haroun, Eric Walker, Grant Timperley and Bob McCallister (aka “The Backroad Riders”). His favorite backseat companion was his wife Tawny.
When he was no longer able to ride his Harley, he sold his bike and purchased a BMW Z3M. He and Tawny logged many hours driving in the Beamer; their favorite pastime was visiting Sisters and surrounding areas.
Mr. Sportmsan’s children, grandchildren, and godchildren were his greatest joy. Time spent with family and friends was what he enjoyed most.
He was an active participant in the Sweet Home Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he was available to assist with the audio, visual and computer systems and most anything he could help out with. His church family greatly appreciated and highly respected him.
Mr. Sportsman is survived by his wife of 33 years, Tawny (Ellenburg) Sportsman of Sweet Home; three children, Wendy and son-in-law Tony Novak of Bothell, Wash .; Brian and daughter-in-law Sandy Sportsman of Stanwood, Wash .; and Katherine and son-in-law Matthew Hanson of Tumwater, Wash .; 10 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two godchildren, Analilia and Jonathan Garcia; his mother, Juanita Sportsman of Veneta; brothers Rex and sister-in-law Jessie Sportsman, and Rick and sister-in-law Patty Sportsman; and sister Toby and brother-in-law Pete Washburn.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Sweet Home Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Alpha-1 Foundation (http://alpha-1foundation.org) or 877-228-7321.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.