Independent advertising director dies

Deepa Bharath

It almost seemed as if Judy Oetting pushed magic buttons when it came

to people.

Oetting, who served the Huntington Beach Independent and its

sister paper the Daily Pilot for 21 years, died last Thursday morning

of pancreatic cancer. She was 51.

As the Independent’s advertising director, Oetting handled people

with the ease of a seasoned psychiatrist -- be it her superiors,

those who worked under her or the advertisers who bought space in the

paper, said the paper’s publisher Tom Johnson.

“She had the knack for treating all people equally, but

differently,” he said. “She identified qualities that made different

people successful.”

The newspaper was a significant part of Oetting’s life, said

Markey Daniels, an advertising manager at the Independent who held

her boss’ hand during her last moments.

Oetting was playing with her dog on the bed and listening to the

sound of the rain, which she loved, Daniels said.

“She was lying in bed talking about work and the people she

loved,” she said, wiping away tears. “She was asking about the

revenue from the new business section, which was one of the last

projects she worked on.”

Oetting joined the paper as a legal advertising clerk in 1982. She

was promoted to legal advertising supervisor and later headed that

department. But it was 1998, when she became advertising director,

that her leadership qualities sparkled, Johnson said.

“That’s when she went from being a good manager to a great

manager,” he said.

She knew how to motivate the salespeople she supervised -- when to

coax, when to nudge and when to push.

“Sometimes she would just verbalize,” Daniels said. “Other times,

she’d close the door and get down to the absolute nitty-gritty. But

she’d love you all the way through it knowing that if you’re a better

person, the [Independent] would be a better paper.”

Oetting treated advertisers fairly and worked on building a

relationship with them, said Phil Malamatenios, director of marketing

with Coldwell Banker in Newport Beach, who worked with her for 10

years.

“She always wanted everyone to have a fair opportunity,” he said.

“She was tough, but she was always looking out for everyone. Judy was

honest, helpful and upfront.”

Malamatenios said he would miss their “banter,” their monthly

conversations and her colorful personality.

“She would always go that extra mile with whatever we requested or

needed,” he said.

Oetting was dedicated to the paper’s success, Independent Editor

Tony Dodero said.

“She had a vision for this newspaper and worked hard at making it

a financial success,” Dodero said.

“As an editor, I always appreciated her feedback from the business

community and know that she respected the editorial department and

was quick to send out praise to us when it was deserved,” he said.

“As a colleague, she was a fun-loving and spirited co-worker and

I’m going to miss her hearty laugh and words of encouragement very,

very much.”

Oetting made the paper the profitable operation it is today,

Johnson said. On the surface, it just seemed like she had that Midas

touch. But she worked long and hard with persistence and immense

patience to achieve that success, Johnson said.

“Judy knew how to combine fun and hard work,” he said. “She helped

create a strong environment .”

Oetting’s idea of fun could be summed up in two words -- sports

and gambling. She always seemed to have luck on her side and returned

on Mondays after scooping up big winnings in whichever casino she

visited over the weekend, Daniels said.

“Her absolute favorite was video poker,” she said.

Oetting took her sports seriously also.

“I could tell how her favorite teams were doing by the smile on

her face or that look of absolute disgust she had for the players who

didn’t do too well,” Johnson said.

She loved them all -- the Los Angeles Lakers and the teams from

her native Missouri, the St. Louis Rams and the Cardinals.

She was in the fantasy baseball league that included her, Daily

Pilot assistant sports editor Barry Faulkner and sports editor

Richard Dunn. The name of her fantasy team was the Punch & Judy’s, a

play on the baseball term associated with singles hitters.

Oetting was never married, but she was close to her siblings,

nieces and nephews back in St. Charles, Mo., said her niece Lisa

Haislip.

“She was this cool aunt we could talk to,” she said. “I’d call her

on the phone and just talk about anything and everything with her.

She was like a sister, like a second mom to me.”

Oetting went home every Christmas, Haislip said, but she did not

make it this Christmas because of her illness. And when she would

return to St. Charles, Oetting had a slice at Pio’s Pizza and a

hamburger at Steak n Shake without fail.

“I brought pizza from Pio’s and she actually had a piece of it

[Wednesday] night,” Oetting’s niece Joyce Habighorst said.

Oetting is survived by her brothers, Wayne and Harold Oetting; her

sister, Loretta Kolkmeyer; 12 nieces; and many grandnieces.

Services for Oetting were held Tuesday in St. Charles. A local

tribute to her will take place 2 p.m. Friday at the Spaghetti Bender

at 6204 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach.