Jick Reese
Jick spent the majority of his childhood growing up in Conconully, Washington. His days were spent working in his parents’ store, Hurb’s Market, riding bicycles when young and moving up to dirt bikes and snowmobiles. There are stories of Jick selling turtles to the out-of-town visitors. He also spent many days hunting and fishing in the area.
Jick graduated from Omak High School, then took an adventure to Alaska where he worked at a fish cannery for the summer. A few years later, he was hired at the Washington State Department of Transportation where he continued to work until he no longer could.
He worked a total of 36 years for the DOT, climbing the ladder from an entry-level mechanic to finishing his career as the North Central Washington Area 3 Supervisor.
Jick was passionate about snowmobiling and hunting. He spent several years racing snowmobiles, this took him and Kristi all over Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Canada. In 1997, he won the overall title in the British Columbia Snowmobile Race Circuit. He also spent many days snowmobiling locally with friends. There are many stories to be told from those days, one being that Jick was the “babysitter” of the group, always making sure nobody was left behind.
As far as hunting, Jick knew all the best spots in the area around Conconully, he has a few prized mounts to show for it. He also enjoyed his yearly elk hunting trip with friends.
On May 20, 2000, Jick married the love of his life, Kristi Walker. The two met when Kristi was a flagger for the summer at the DOT. Together, they had two children, Kalli born in 2004 and Vance to follow in 2006.
Jick was extremely proud of his kids and supported them in every way. He enjoyed telling people of their accomplishments and their interests at the time. He never missed a sporting event in which they were in, even if it meant leaving work early or getting home very late. Jick and Kalli spent a lot of time traveling to Angus shows in Washington and Idaho where she enjoyed showing heifers. Jick and Vance spent every fall hunting deer and elk together. He loved both his kids with all his heart.
Jick is known for being a very hard worker, maybe even a workaholic. Not only did he work a full-time job at the DOT, but through the years had many side jobs, including driving fuel truck for Whitley Fuel, but his passion was farming. He enjoyed raising cattle, at one point having as many as 80 cow/calf pairs.
He also farmed his land at home and leased many acres of alfalfa to feed the cows. He was very
meticulous with his hay, spending many hours taking care of the fields and making sure each bale of hay had the perfect moisture content. He took great pride in his hay. But even as busy as he was, if a friend asked for help, he would not hesitate to stop what he was doing to help. He also volunteered with the Omak Fire Department and Omak Stampede for several years.
During Jick’s 8-month battle with cancer, he was visited in the hospital and at home by many friends and coworkers. It is evident he was loved and respected by many in the community.
Jick is survived by his parents, Hurb and Phyllis Reese; his wife of 23 years, Kristi; children, Kalli (19) and Vance (17); sister, Raelene (Jim) Weist; brother, Abe; father-in-law Sam Walker; sister-in-laws Wendy Walker, Katie Walker, and Jill (Jason) Ayers, nephews Dale and Dylan Reese, Walker Ayers and nieces, Coral Weist, Arlee Nicholson, Karlee Ayers and Maycee Ayers.
There will be a Celebration of Life at the HJ Ranch, 997 Conconully Rd. Okanogan, Washington on September 20, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The main course will be provided, please bring a side dish, salad or dessert.
