Alejandro S Madariaga

Aleck Madariaga 88, of Jordan Valley, Oregon died on November 14, 2018 from complications due to ALS, at a local care center.

Aleck was born on February 23, 1930 in the Boarding House owned & ran by his parents Eulogio & Trinidad Madariaga. He attended 12 years of school in Jordan Valley and graduated in 1948. Aleck helped his dad and brothers on the ranch raising cattle and hogs to help support the boarding house. He also worked for the State of Oregon for a few years.

On March 6, 1951, he enlisted in the Army, 6th Division as a PVT-1. He was sent to Linslow, Oregon for training and was upgraded to CPL and made an MP. He tried to get out of this but didn’t have any luck. In November 1951, while waiting for orders to be shipped out his friend was informed that he was headed for Korea and was upset because he had little kids at home. When dad’s turn came he was told that he would be stationed in Hawaii. Dad said, no he couldn’t do that. When they asked why he said he wanted to trade with this friend because he wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. They sent him to Korea where he lived for 1 year and kept his position as MP. While in Korea, he requested instruction to be finished with his MP duties and was directed to join the front lines. He followed the advice and he was assigned a 10-ton wrecker and became a “Heavy Haul Driver” for disabled vehicles. He and his buddy drove over a stretch of “hot zone” road that was guarded during the day but not at night, to pick up disabled trucks and vehicles.

Aleck served for 1 yr., 11 months, and 13 days. He was honorably discharged from Camp Stoneman in February 1953.

He returned to Jordan Valley and on July 12, 1954 he met and married Fannie McAllister who had 3 little boys. His buddies Gusty, Shadow, and Ray said he was so lazy he had to marry to have kids! He later had 2 little girls.

In 1954, he enrolled in a technical school at Oregon Tech where he received a degree in welding and diesel mechanics. He used this knowledge for the rest of his life & various jobs. Aleck worked for Kenworth for a couple of years; a project with Morrison Knudsen with Eddy Lynde; worked as a school bus driver and tow truck operator while living in Rome, Oregon. Aleck later worked as the irrigation manager for the Arock District. He and Fran bought some property in Arock and built a home, raised a few cows and hay while he worked as a diesel mechanic and foreman for the Nerco Delamar Mine. He worked at the mine for 11 years before he retired and they sold their ranch to Norman & Judy Easterday and bought a house in Jordan Valley. The couple spent time traveling and playing with their grandchildren. He did odd jobs to keep busy and not drive Fran crazy. One of his favorites in the summer was to operate an old caterpillar for Fred Eiguren. In the evening they would have a glass of whiskey and laugh about old times.

Aleck was married to his sweetheart for 50 years before COPD took her away. He cherished her memories and continued to be a large part of his grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s lives.
Aleck met and married Eileen LaFay on August 17, 2012 in Eagle, Idaho. Eileen and her husband had been good friends with dad and mom for years before she had lost her husband a few years earlier. They had 4 good years together until her death in November, 2016.

Aleck is survived by his daughters Teri (Dan), Alexis (Boyd); son Charles (Edith); sister (Mary); grandchildren; Cheri (Todd), Frances (Rob); Kelli (Lucas), Jack (Jeff) Anita (Dan), Aleck ( Amy) Charlie (Angela) John ( Amy) and Leslie and numerous great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Aleck was preceded in death by his wives; Fran and Eileen; His two sons Kelly and John; parents Eulogio and Trinidad; brothers, Sabino, Joe, Aiden, Richard; and his sisters, Aurora, Beatrice, Leonore, Rosie, and Felisa.

Dad spent his final year in the Lenity Nursing Home in Caldwell, Idaho where he received excellent help from the staff. The girls made him laugh and were excellent in his care. He loved to joke and tease them.

Thank you Ryan and Cece for running a great facility. A very special thank you to Anne who took us under her wing and kept everything running smoothly. Thank you to all the girls and guys who took such great care of our dad. He told us every day what good girls you were.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at the Jordan Valley Cemetery.

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