Judy Oetting was truly ‘one of a kind’

TONY DODERO

I knew the news wasn’t going to be good.

Our publisher, Tom Johnson, called a special meeting Thursday

morning for the newspaper staff.

“Judy Oetting passed away,” he told the assembled employees, many

breaking into tears. As Tom tried his best to tell the story of her

final hour, he too began to choke up. It was a somber moment for us

all.

My thoughts went back to minutes earlier when I passed by her

darkened office to attend the meeting and how hard it was to fathom

that she won’t be there, laughing and holding sway over her

advertising minions, any longer.

Yes, there will be a real emptiness at the Daily Pilot for months

and maybe years to come.

Normally, I devote this space to matters of the newsroom. But Judy

meant so much to the employees of the Daily Pilot and the newspaper

itself that it would be impossible for me to not mention her this

week.

Newspaper editorial and advertising departments have long had a

big wall between them. And the Daily Pilot has been no different.

Judy respected the reason for that wall, yet still found a way to

talk over it in a neighborly sort of way.

During that meeting, Tom told all of us Judy’s story at the Daily

Pilot. He told how she climbed the ranks from a legal clerk to run

the retail and classified advertising department of the daily

newspaper.

It really is a great story.

It was through the combined efforts of Judy, the news department

and the advertising department that we created some awesome special

sections: the 103 Most Influential list; the Toshiba golf section;

most recently the Summer Along the Coast; the Coastal Football

Preview; and the Daily Pilot’s first Community Events Calendar.

And that doesn’t include all of her advertising-driven special

features about business, exclusive homes with views and weddings.

Most notably, though, Judy and her staff ratcheted up the size and

scope of our Saturday Real Estate section, making it the largest such

section of any newspaper in the county.

Personally, I’ve known Judy for 14 years. In that time, I

witnessed her command of the advertising department. Together, we

shared many tense and exciting moments as part of the senior

management team at the newspaper.

We also shared a love for the same sports teams, the Rams, who

moved to St. Louis, near her Missouri hometown, and the Lakers. Of

course, she also loved the St. Louis Cardinals and I’m a Dodger fan,

so two out of three isn’t too bad.

And, boy, did she love to tease people. With me, it had to do with

my growing family. After my third child, Nathan, who shares the same

birthday as Judy on Oct. 14, she insisted I wouldn’t be stopping

until I had five kids. I hope you are wrong about that one, Judy.

Sure, we had our differences over the years, but through it all, I

think she and I were only looking out for what was best for the

newspaper. And I never stopped learning from her.

But enough about me. I asked some of her co-workers to give me

some memories to jot down.

One who answered back was Danette Goulet, the Pilot’s city editor

who spent a newspaper-related conference weekend with Judy south in

the town of Fallbrook.

“When I think of Judy, two scenes flash through my mind,” Goulet

said. “First is her sitting in front of the video poker game in the

Pala Mesa casino where she, on this occasion, seemed to be holding

court. [We] found her, and sat next to her despite her protests that

we would ruin her luck. A casino security guard, whom she was on a

first name basis, stood near by teasing her occasionally. She laughed

and gave us all advice about how to play our hands as we pestered

her. I now always play video poker when I’m in a casino.

“The other is something I can’t quite believe I won’t see again.

Her sitting at one end of the conference table every Monday morning

(at the paper’s weekly manager meeting), smiling teasing, laughing

and complaining.”

Another admirer was Pat Tool, who works in our advertising

operations department, which literally put him in the middle of any

fights that could break out between advertising and editorial.

“I worked with Judy in various capacities during her time here at

the Pilot,” Tool said. “She was always a good person to work with

both professionally and personally. Always up front, used expletives

properly and always with the best interests of the Pilot and the

people involved in mind. I will miss her.”

And from Managing Editor S.J. Cahn:

“Judy was one of a kind,” he said. “She also was kind. In some

ways I think of that as one of her secrets -- until you got to know

her, you wouldn’t realize just how caring and giving she was. I only

got to know her well within the past year. I feel wonderfully lucky I

got to know her as well as I did and very sad our friendship only

lasted as long as it did.”

Although funeral services will take place for Judy in her native

St. Charles, Mo., home, the Daily Pilot is planning a celebration of

her life this coming Friday at one of her favorite spots, the

Spaghetti Bender in Newport Beach. We’ll also have a team in her

honor at this year’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life on May 14

and 15 in Newport Beach.

As I said, Judy’s story is a nice one to tell. Here’s to seeing

her in the next chapter.