Greg Hess Family

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Greg was born in Munich, Germany while his father was stationed there. Greg’s mother Jo (Esther Josephine O’Riordan), Jack’s first wife, died in an accident when their family was stationed in London; Greg had just turned four. He has only a few memories of his mother. They include going to her for a potato for his potato gun.

After his wife’s death, Jack returned to the states with Greg and Steve and went to live in Chicago. He worked for the post office. The boys went to live with relatives and Greg went to Jack’s brother Dick and his wife Betty. After Elaine and Jack married in 1967, Greg and Steve came to live in Hillsdale; Greg had never lived more than one year in any single place.

I sat down to talk with Greg at our family picnic in July of 2009. Here are some of the things he told me:

1968 was the best year of Greg’s life because it was his first year in Hillsdale with Grandma and his father and his brother Steve. He remembers going to a local fair and wanting a stuffed animal; his dad said no at first but Grandma talked him into it. He fell in love with her and that love lasted his whole life. With her and his father he had a stable home at the family seat – Hillcrest Road in Hillsdale. His father worked second shift at Jackson prison and so he did not see him a lot; Grandma raised him. They spent happy, content evenings watching television together including shows like the original Star Trek.

Greg valued the qualities of the tiny town of Hillsdale and chose to raise his children there despite the long commute to his job. He had many of the same experiences as his older step siblings. For instance, he had Tom’s same paper route in the neighborhood.

Greg was an army mechanic from 1975-1978 where he got his aircraft mechanics license, then he was in the air force and reserves from 1978-1989. Greg attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and majored in professional aeronautics on the GI Bill.

Since 1985 he has been a captain for American Airlines. For many years he has flown internationally. He is truly a globe trotter, and is as comfortable in Japan as New York or Ecuador.

(left to right) John, Greg, Steve, 24 Aug 2002

John Paul Hess

Married: 23 Aug 2008

Nora Hess (nèe Crippen)

Greg and Collette’s oldest son John recounts the following memories:

“I very much enjoyed my time at my grandparents’ house as a real young kid. The smell of the garage, the cleanliness of the house and the squirrel playground in the back yard are all very distinct memories. Grandma and Grandpa kept the house well-stocked with cashews that Steve and I would pillage when we were around.  If Grandma was ever sad or mad about anything she never let it show.  I only remember her being very jovial when we were around.  She introduced me to chop-suey, and that is a meal I will never forget.

Grandpa always made sure our fingernails were clean and rewarded us with a quarter or half dollar if our presented nails were in tip-top shape.  If not, Grandpa let out his signature “ew, eeeww”, and we’d rush off to clean them.  Grandpa would take Steve and me to the park, to McDonalds, to the American Legion to shoot pool, all the while chatting it up with everybody in Hillsdale he knew, and making friends with those he didn’t.  Grandpa taught us how to play chess, and we played lots growing up.  I recently played with him at his home and it was very sentimental for me.  Grandpa also taught us to salute the flag and use Sir and Ma’am, and it never seemed like a burden.  It’s a courtesy I still use today.

Nuclear Family

“First off, I thank the stars every day that I was fortunate enough to have the family and upbringing that I did.  I had an exciting childhood.  Growing up on Baw Beese Lake, riding bikes with the kids in the neighborhood, and traveling and missing more school than any of our other friends.  We went on so many camping trips as kids.  I feel privileged having been to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, the U.P., Archives National Park… and so on.  Steve and I saw so much highway from the back seat, (when not face down in our Game Boy’s), facing backwards in the family station wagon.

It wouldn’t be fair to not mention the animal companions we had growing up.  The first pet I really remember having was “Kitty,” aptly named by Steve.  I thought Frankenstein was the most fitting name because of her flattish head.  Steve was dead-set that she already had a name though, so Kitty it was.  We had a Schnauzer named Thor that I spent many days chasing around the Ashe-Te-Wette neighborhood.  She would get loose and she was not easy to catch, but that was pretty fun for a 3^rd grader.  When we moved to Steamburg Road we adopted a kitten that a fire fighter friend of the family had rescued from a burning house.  My mother gave her the name Tinkerbell.  She was a very loving outdoor cat, and highly skilled hunter.  I once saw her inhale a chipmunk, no joke.  I had a mouse named King Arthur, and my Dad and I kept a pretty decent freshwater aquarium for many years. Then there were the two great Danes we had, Maggie and Murphy.  Their stay with us was short-lived, as was another kitten we got, Yasha.  We came home one day to find that Yasha accidentally got locked in a room with them, and well, it wasn’t pretty.  The last pet we adopted as a family was a Cocker Spaniel.  He was christened Bob, named after a morning cartoon that Steve and I watched, ‘Bobby’s World’.  He would pull me around the living room by my hair as the rest of the family would laugh hysterically.

This next story happened so long ago that I almost forget about it sometimes.  It’s something that when I think of is very vivid though.  My Mom had taken my brother and me to what I believe was Ames at the time, now it’s the Kroger in Hillsdale.  I must’ve only been three or four, which would make Steve about two or three.  We left the store and walked to our car, a big boat of a Chrysler.  Steve was in a car seat in the back on the driver’s side, and I was sitting next to him.  Mom got in the drivers seat, and turned the car on.  Suddenly the passenger door opened and a man jumped in.  He pointed a filet knife at Steve, and then at myself and screamed “Drive the car, drive right now or I’m going to kill your kids!”  Without hesitation Mom began screaming her head off, rolled down her window, pulled the key out of the ignition, and threw them out her window.  The man panicked, sliced Moms thumb with the knife, and jumped out and ran.  Mom’s instincts and quick thinking saved all of us.”

Today

“Any family story of mine would not be complete if I didn’t share where I’m at today.  In high school I used to pass a girl in the halls.  She had long dark hair, wore plaid skirts, and more or less looked like she should have been hanging out with myself and the rest of my punk rock friends.  One day while talking about her at the lunch table with friends, we decided to approach her.  We called her to our table and asked her some questions, where she was from, what music she liked, that sort of stuff.  The next day I offered to give her a ride home from school in ‘Jax Cad’.  The white 85’ Cadillac Seville that was Grandpa’s, that went to my Dad, then became my first car.  Anyways, this was the first real meeting between me and my future wife.

Nora and I started dating when I was a senior and she was a junior.  We were kind of on and off in high school, and after.  Nora and I talked lots the next few years and remained close, even though we were far apart.  I lived in Orlando for a year after high school, then moved to Denver.  I lived in Denver for about 8 months before Nora decided to move there as well.  We had decided to remain friends and nothing more in Denver, but that was short lived.  We couldn’t help but be together.  After a year in Denver I was sick of my work situation, and was feeling overwhelmed with the situation between Nora and me.  I moved back to Hillsdale to look for work somewhere else.  After about three weeks I was complaining to my Dad about how much I missed her and wasn’t sure if I made the right decision.  He encouraged me to fix it (thanks Dad).  So I called Nora up and asked her if she wanted to move to Chicago with me.  It was something we had kind of discussed in the past as kind of a pipe dream, but we decided to take a gamble and roll with it.  We lived together in Chicago for three years before I asked her to marry me.  We got married August 23^rd, 2008 at the Double Door in Chicago.  We now live with our Shar-Pei, Maddy, and life is quite chummy, I must say.”

Nora and John’s wedding, 23 Aug 2008

As I write this (summer, 2009,) I’m on my way to begin traveling for two months with the Van’s Warped Tour.  I freelance in the world of live event production, as an audio engineer, lighting tech, production/stage manager, or stagehand depending on what day it is.  I’ve traveled a whole lot doing this and I believe it’s in my blood.  Starting with Grandpa (and possibly before) as a soldier in the U.S. Army, then my Dad as an airline pilot, and now I’m traveling doing what I like to do.”

Steven Wayne Hess

b. 5 July 1985

“A good story about growing up on Baw Beese Lake involves fishing. Dad, John and I were out one night and I went to cast my rod. I flung it forward and heard a scream. I had hooked my brother, right through the ear.  He was screaming bloody murder because he thought he was going to die. (He always was a little dramatic!)  Little did we know I gave him one piercing that would lead to the many more that he has now.
I grew up with an interest in aviation and flying. On my 16th birthday I got my drivers license, drove out to the airport and soloed for the first time, after 100 hours of instruction.  I was able to get my instrument rating as well before I left high school.  I had always had an interest in business as well so I decided I would get a degree in business but I had originally planned on a pilot career using my business degree to fall back on.

I had always thought about joining the military, and after my first semester of college I decided I wanted to go ahead and join the Air Force.  I decided to join the National Guard so I could continue school after I had completed my training.  I went to Texas for basic (where I was a “disciplinary issue” but the top of my P.T. class (physical training).

Then I spent about seven months in Texas training to be a crew chief on C-130’s.  I graduated top of my class, spent a little time in Arkansas, and then back to Michigan to my guard base.  I was part of the 191’st AMXS – “The Six Pack” at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan.  I stayed in Michigan a while and then decided to continue pursuing my degree at an aeronautical university where I could study business but keep it related to aviation. I moved to Daytona to go to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in 2006.

I continued to serve as a C-130 crew chief and travel to Michigan to go on missions and training.  I got very involved in business while at school in Daytona.  I competed in nationwide case competitions with Society for Advancement of Management, while also keeping up with my other love, wakeboarding! While I was at Embry Riddle I also built and was president of the water sports club, along with joining Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and served 2 years as their High Epsilon (Social Chair).

Also, over the past 3 years in Daytona, I have become quite avid in Rugby playing for the Daytona Beach Coconuts.  I am about to finish college and pursue different routes in marketing while also looking for a job where I can get into marketing management in the aviation business.”

For years Greg and Collette hosted a family picnic at their home on Baw Beese Lake in Hillsdale where we would take a family photo:

Schryer – Hess family photo August 2001

The Thompsons

Greg was married for almost 20 years to Collette Hess (nèe Thomspon). They wed at Laughlin Air force Base. She is the mother of their two children, John Paul and Steven Wayne.

Collette’s parents were Marvin Thompson, (b. 8 July 1928) and Juanita (Loosier) Thompson (b. 12 June 1927; d. 23 Jan 2010). Her father worked in a factory for over 50 years and her mother was a licensed practical nurse. When asked what she’d like to be remembered for she said for making a positive impact on the people she’s touched over the years. Her advice to her great-grandchildren is to listen to the little voice we all have within us. I asked her what here thoughts were when her children were born. She said the same thoughts she has now about her children, a tremendous sense of wonder and unconditional love.