Oregon wine pioneer Dick Erath died March 29, following two weeks in the hospital. He was 87. A former engineer, Erath was first inspired to pursue winemaking in 1965 .
The Oregon wine world says ‘goodbye’ to farmer Jim Maresh
Updated Mar 13, 2021;
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The Willamette Valley is missing a giant today.
James “Jim” Maresh, Sr., the man who shaped the region’s wine history with his pioneering vineyard, died in his Dundee home on March 6. He was one month shy of his 95th birthday.
Maresh left Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the fall of 1944 to attend Marquette University in nearby Milwaukee. He was blissfully unaware of the kismet awaiting him on a dance floor.
Lois “Loie” Hansen, a student at Wisconsin State Teachers College in Milwaukee, didn’t want to attend Marquette’s big dance. Her friends insisted. Maresh was equally disinterested, but he ended up going anyway.