I must sadly announce that my mother passed away at the age of 82 on January 29th.  I’m posting this on our website since I know many of you have had dealings, correspondence, and conversations with my mother over the years.

I’m not sure I’m ready to sit down and write a more detailed tribute or obituary, but I will write a little now.  This will include a little bit about how my parents became involved with the comics.

My mother never intended to work with the newspaper comics, but it sort of happened by default after my father started his collection.  She does, however, bear some responsibility for the collection since she suggested that my father start writing to libraries and newspaper offices to inquire about obtaining old newspapers.  I don’t think she had any idea on what she was getting herself into as my father was very efficient with his writing campaign.  He purchased an old salami truck and started making trips to pick up newspapers and comics from across the country.  My parents were living in Kansas at the time, which made for a nice central location.  My father was also a bit lucky since he started collecting as the newspapers were converted to microfilm.

As I understand the story, my father started collecting due to his own personal interest in the newspaper comics.  He did not start collecting with the intent to sell; however, he had to fund his collecting habit so he started selling comics he was less interested in.  My parents partially managed this for years by advertising in collectors magazines and zines.  They would then prepare and send out catalogs typed up on a typewriter.  Almost all communication was done via snail mail and the occasional phone call.

My father died in 1995 and my mother fully took over the management of the collection.  Again, she had been working on the collection since the start, but it was at this point she took on the responsibility for all aspects of the business.  I started helping her around 2001 when I translated all of her information onto a website.  I also started helping her sell items on eBay around this time (our earliest eBay work/sales came in 1996, shortly after eBay was established).

In addition to working on the comic business, my mother also raised four children, managed a dress store for a number of years, and managed student housing at Kansas University (where she met my father).

She is survived by three of her children and four grandchildren.  She was interred in the Jacksonville Cemetery in Oregon on February 8, 2024.  A celebration of life is also planned for March 30th in Tucson, AZ.

I know that she enjoyed her interactions with everyone over the years!

Posted by Lonnie Hetschel on February 27th, 2024