ARVEL ESCHLEMAN

Arvel (teen photo at left) was one of two foreign born in the high school graduating class of 1957. He was born September 18, 1939 in Shanovan Saskatchewan, Canada where his parents had been farmers. Shortly after Arvel’s birth his parents moved to Edmonton, where his father was a welder and his mother a teacher. Arvel’s father traveled to Hanford Washington in 1942 or 1943 for employment on the American Hanford Nuclear Project and later in 1945 arranged to have his family join him. His father, Loren, abandoned the family after moving to America leaving it to Arvel’s mother, Bernice, to care for the seven children.

Bernice moved in 1953 to Cowiche for the sole purpose of Arvel being able to attend Highland High School. Some who were educated at Highland High School might be in disbelief that others would move to the community specifically for the quality of schools, but that was, in fact the single factor for Bernice Eshelman’s decision on the move. Arvel had gone to school up through the eighth grade in the Toppenish school system and had older siblings that had attended Toppenish High School. Apparently there had been some sort of negative experience that other members of the family had with Toppenish High School and Arvel’s mother wished to avoid the same for him. Bernice Eshelman drove back and forth six days a week to Harrah from Cowiche to work, so that Arvel could have a Highland education. Immediately upon Arvel’s graduation in May 1957 the family moved back to Toppenish. He never forgot those four years. In his obituary was the sentence, “He graduated from Highland High School with the wonderful class of 1957.”

Arvel was once asked if there was anything about his high school years that seemed to him to have been negative or wrong. He answered, “Well it was my own conduct in my own thought process. But, for whatever reason and I know the reason, at that time I felt like I ‘wasn’t as good or didn’t fit in’, and what a shame that I felt that way at that time! I could have had so much more joy in high school had I not felt that way.” He was partially referring to the ‘cliquishness’ of the students whom he attended school with but also, he worked nearly full time after school and on weekends and besides for much of the time, he had a steady girl friend.

Nearly all the years Arvel attended high school in the district, he was employed by Lionel and Earl Wiles’, at the L & E Market not far from the high school. When he was not at work in the Market or at school, Arvel could generally be found in the employment of either Harold or Paul Amos.

Bernice Eshelman had a good paying job in the Lower Valley but still Arvel found much of his earnings going to support her household efforts. He was to say, “…about everything that didn’t go for gas…” went to his mother. He would pause and say, “I can remember pulling into Old Herman’s there …about a thousand times saying, Well, I need fifty cents worth of gas.” He went on to say, “I bought the first television we had, a little thirteen-inch television. I think it cost like $69.00, but that’s how it was back then!” It is at least the way it was for Arvel back then and for the others who had to work to support their families.

Arvel who lived up on Sunset Road made friends easily if you would let him and Daryl Sauve, John Brown, Mike Sage, Harold Stone, Ken Van Epps, Swede Larsen and Ray Klusmeier let him. They were all named as best friends by Arvel. In later life, he would list Charlene (Marvin) Bateman, Jo Ann (Ray) Tollefson and Carolyn (McCracken) Green as best friends. All three could be found standing near Arvel’s grave when he was laid to his final rest.

On March 31st 1959, he was drafted into the military service. After two years active duty he was to spend an additional two years in the Washington National Guard. During that period immediately following active duty, he attended Business College in Yakima where he studied accounting. In April of 1962 Arvel married Norma Souers and they took up house keeping in Toppenish.

He first started work in sales for Yakima Hardware but shortly he moved to the trucking transportation industry for Pacific Intermountain Express (P. I. E.) in eastern Washington. Arvel moved around, working for other carriers as mergers occurred or as better opportunities availed themselves. Ultimately, he became Regional Manager of Silver Eagle’s operations in Eastern Washington and Oregon, but when they offered him a promotion to Vice President in 1988 it called for relocation to Portland, Oregon a place he and Norma didn’t wish to move.

In 1988 Arvel and Norma bought the local A & W Family Restaurant in Toppenish. As Arvel was to say, “At first it felt like the restaurant owned us rather than us owning it!” Statistic show, ninety-five percent of new restaurant owners fail in the first year – Arvel and Norma were five per centers!

Although it was tough the entire family joined in and ultimately made a financial success of the restaurant and ultimately the name changed in 2001 to “Dad’s.” The restaurant was an endeavor that the entire family took pride in and a business much respected in the city of Toppenish.

As is the case of most happy people, Arvel (shown to the left when near death) was a ‘giver’ and not only did he give amply to his family he gave back to his community of friends. He served on the famed Toppenish Pow-Wow and Rodeo Association from 1990 to 1995 and on the Toppenish Planning Commission from 1992 until 1999. He was an executive on the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments from 1994 to 1997, one year as Chairman. He served from 1990 to 2000 on the Toppenish Tourism Commission and as a board member on the regionally known Toppenish Mural Society from 1995 to 2001. He was voted “Man of the Year” by the local Chamber of Commerce in Toppenish in 1997 and in 2001 he received that organizations “Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Arvel’s failures were few in life, but he failed in his fight against cancer; he died February 17th 2002. Remembering the absence of his own father in his youth, Arvel gave himself to his wife and family of four sons and a daughter and to the community in which he lived. It is said, that which makes man the happiest is the act of unselfish giving to others. You may not remember when last you saw Arvel, but you can be assured whenever it was there was a smile of happiness on his face.

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