It's Father's Day...
time to honor
JOHN ETTLINE
"Every Dell Rat's Dad."
John didn't have kids of his own but, as every Dell rat knows,
he was a genuine father figure and would have made a great dad.
Hi, friends! Dell Rat Tom back with
you today to bring you a very special
Father's Day tribute to John Ettline.
Instead of posting Paul Petersen's
"My Dad" song as I have done on
this occasion the last several years,
I proudly present a Shady's Place
exclusive. My good friend and
contributing editor Jim Sieling
has returned to share pictures,
memories and little known
facts about John Ettline's
life and death.
As Jim begins his story below, you might be confused at first, as was I.
Turns out, Shady Dell owner John Ettline's father was also named
John, and John's mother was named Helen, the same name as
the woman John married, our dear Helen of the Dell.
Above is a picture of our friend Jim and his wife Nancy, one of
John Ettline's nieces. Over the years, Jim and Nancy have made
numerous significant contributions to my Shady Dell related blogs,
and I'll be forever grateful to them. In this Father's Day tribute
to John, you will see never before before published pictures
of Jim and Nancy and get to know them and other
members of our Shady Dell family.
I'm sure you've heard of the E! True Hollywood Story.
For Dell rats, old and new, here now is the
E! (as in Ettline) True Shady Dell Story
as told by our good friend Jim Sieling.
JIM SIELING: Strange fact - Shady Dell owner John Ettline’s father
was also named John (John Loid Ettline), and John's grandfather
and great grandfather were named John as well!
Helen Louise Pape & John Loid Ettline
(Note father's resemblance to "our" John!)
The John Loid Ettline family lived on Park St. in York. He and his
wife Helen Louise Pape had eight children - four boys and four girls.
John Frederick Ettline, who would one day become both famous
and infamous as the owner of The Shady Dell, was the oldest
of the eight. As the parents lived on Park St. until they died,
I assume John F received all his grade school education
in York and graduated from William Penn High School.
He served in the Army in the 2nd World War in
Europe and I found a purple heart in Nancy’s
memorabilia which I assume is his.
I first met John in about 1950 (plus or minus). My mother,
who grew up in Glen Rock, somehow got to know the
Ettlines of York and went out with one of the Ettline
boys a couple of times in the 1930’s.
I remember my father and mother taking me over to see this (I think new or
maybe remodeled) place that had opened up (or about to be opened up)
called The Shady Dell and being shown around by the owner. I was
around 8 years old at the time and don’t remember much but I do
recall the big house and outside all these brightly colored lights
strung out between the house and trees. I remember there were
tables outside under the lights and a place to dance. Really neat.
"PARTY LIGHTS" - CLAUDINE CLARK
Who would have thought that 20 odd years later
I would marry the Dell owner’s niece?
In 1959, I got to know a new girl, age 16,
who had just moved into my neighborhood.
Nancy Eppley - age 16, 1959
John Ettline's niece
She was the daughter of Louise Ettline Eppley,
one of John’s sisters.
I was hooked. Nancy stole my heart that summer
and, after 13 years of being friends, we were married.
"TO THE AISLE" - THE FIVE SATINS
In the Ettline family, I believe the closest contact to the
Shady Dell, via her Uncle John, was Nancy.
For whatever reason there was a strong bond between them.
Before our marriage, Nancy would often visit with John and help out.
VIEW OF DELL FROM STARCROSS ROAD WITH
SHADY DELL ROAD SIGN VISIBLE (2018)
Did you know that John was always worried that the “Dell Rats”
(not his words) would leave the street messy, and every morning
he would go out picking up any litter left on the street from
the night before? Nancy fondly remembered going out
with John in his red Jeep picking up trash.
In the basement of the house there were a room or two where John
and Helen would let girls that were being abused stay over in safety.
(ABOVE AND BELOW) SHADY DELL BASEMENT (2010)
After John’s death, Nancy told me about the rooms in the basement
for the women’s protection while showing them to me.
They were very well kept and clean.
I'd like to insert an important
tidbit at this point, Jim.
Folks, if what Jim just reported is true,
then it is possible that John and Helen
housed runaway women and girls in
their basement as well as in the third
floor attic, perhaps both places at once!
In 2008, Nancy's cousin, Shirley Dreyer,
another of John's nieces whom, as Jim
informs us, is "the unofficial historian
of the Ettline family," contacted me
with the following revelations:
SHIRLEY DREYER: Did you every wonder why he (John)
always carried around the "billyclub"? My father told me years
after I was married and I was shocked to learn the reason.
It seems Uncle John also housed battered women in his home.
SHIRLEY DREYER: There was a 3rd floor in his home and that is where they
stayed until they could find other shelter. So you might say it was, most likely,
the first home in York prior to Access York and other agencies available to
women who needed to get away from their abuser. Daddy said he did not
tell me when I was younger because it was a possibility that word would
get out to the wrong people and he wanted to protect his brother.
So I guess that is at least one of the reasons for the "billyclub".
JIM SIELING: It is pure speculation on my part, but this is what I suspect
may have occurred: John & Helen saw the need to help young girls/women
in need from abuse. At first, the natural solution would have been up in the
attic and it may have been used for a time. It was a nice spacious solution.
However, it may not have been finished off and there likely
was no heat in the attic. The attic was probably very cold
in the winter, particularly if it was not insulated.
(ABOVE AND BELOW) DIFFERENT ANGLES OF DELL ATTIC (2012)
In the summer, the attic was probably unbearably hot with the heat just
radiating down from the roof. Certainly no air conditioning was available
(and a window unit, if available, would have been a big clue that someone
was living there). Anyway, it makes sense to me that at some point
they moved their women support area to the basement.
Please remember, John’s seven younger siblings saw him as an
enigma - he kept his affairs private and they knew little about him.
When I married into the Ettline family, I soon learned that John
was a little aloof from the rest of his siblings and did not
attend many of the family events. (He was probably
too busy running the Dell – I don’t think
he had any backup).
The big question among family members was
whether John and Helen were actually married.
(I’ll bet John liked that they didn’t even know
if he was married or not. They must have had
a private wedding). Note: we did discover
their marriage certificate after his death.
Also, I do not know if you as a Dell Rat knew that the Ettlines were pack rats.
When cleanup started after John’s death, it was impossible to get to the 2nd
floor without digging our way up the stairs, let alone getting up to the attic.
Perhaps the clutter only happened after Helen’s death but, at the very
least, I suspect they would have used the attic for storage way before.
When John died all upstairs rooms, stairs, and hallways were packed solid.
The stored ‘stuff’ probably started in the attic and worked it’s way down
to the second floor. At some point John was sleeping on the first floor –
no easy access to the 2nd floor. (I do remember the family cleaning
crew remarking that no Ettline family member had ever been on
the 2nd or 3rd floor before}. After Helen died, Louise Eppley,
John’s sister, would help out in the snack bar. When John
died, she was the executor of his estate.
JOHN ETTLINE
I believe John came to stay with Nancy and our family in the spring of 1992.
He had been living by himself at the Dell, was out checking for mail or the
paper, and was sideswiped by a car, knocking him over and hurting a leg.
There was never any legal action taken, but I do not know if it was a
hit and run or not. After getting out of the hospital or rehab, he stayed
at our house until he could walk better. Nancy gave him a quota of a
certain number of daily laps he had to take around the dining room
table to exercise the leg and keep him moving.
Jim, pardon me for interrupting you again,
but I need to say that this part of your story
is disturbing and comes as a shock, not only
to me but, I'm sure, to other Dell rats as well.
It makes me sad to realize that elderly John
Ettline, a man we admired so much, was
struck by a car outside the Dell and sent
to the hospital. This is the first time I am
hearing about the incident. Now that you
have given us a clearer picture of the last
years of John's life... it is upsetting to
know how difficult they were for him.
John spent most of his final years alone, without Helen,
and having to deal with rowdy, disrespectful troublemakers
that hung out at the Dell during that period. Then, to top it off,
he was hit by a car and taken out of his home for treatment
and rehab. From what I gather, he never returned to the Dell,
the place he loved, the place he fashioned for generations
of young people to enjoy. John was a great man who
spent his life helping and bringing happiness
to others. He deserved better.
JIM SIELING: At the time John was here at our house recuperating,
our oldest son was a senior in high school. He and his younger brother
spent a lot of time talking (mostly listening) to John. They were
enthralled by the stories he had to tell. Our oldest son had a
high school graduation party here in our barn, and John was
certainly in his element greeting everyone as they arrived.
(at right --
Louise Ettline Eppley,
John's sister and
Nancy's mother)
As spring ended and John was
in pretty good shape, he moved
out to live with his sister Louise.
(I’m afraid he always felt like
he was imposing here and
didn’t feel comfortable).
Louise didn’t nag him to stay
active and he died peacefully
in his sleep in 1993 at her house.
(Louise died in February, 2012.)
John’s memorial service was held at his gravesite and someone in his family
was given a letter from one of “The Dellions” who did not want to speak
at the service. Nancy asked me to read it which I did. The original letter
was written in long hand on the front and back of an 8 1/2” sheet of paper.
Concerned that I might have trouble reading the handwriting out loud,
I typed it out for easier reading. I am amazed to discover that Nancy
had saved a copy of both the original and my typewritten version.
(faithful friend of The Dell)
Nancy died on September 30, 2020, a month after she
had open heart surgery followed by a major stroke.
Jim, I know I speak for all the readers when
I express to you how sorry I am for your loss.
Nancy was a genuine friend who was very
generous to me over the years. She donated
Dell related pictures and memorabilia for
me to share on my old Shady Dell blog,
material that I continue to use here at
Shady's Place. I will always remember
her kindness. Nancy's death serves as a
reminder of how important is for us to
get our cherished Dell memories sorted
out and published while there's still time.
The tribute to John written by anonymous
"Dellions" and read at John's service, is priceless.
There, in that letter, is what I have been saying all along, what I have been
expressing to readers over the last 14 years. It is proof in black and white
that John Ettline was absolutely revered by the young people who knew
him, thousands of teenagers in York and neighboring counties who made
John's Shady Dell their home away from home in the mid twentieth century.
Thank you very much, Jim Sieling, for sharing boyhood memories
of your first visit to the Dell and meeting John Ettline more than
70 years ago, along with the touching story of how you met,
fell in love with and married Nancy, the Dell owner's niece.
The facts, anecdotes and pictures you contributed for this special
Father's Day salute are valuable pieces of the puzzle. They help
connect the dots, fill in the blanks and shine light on mysteries
surrounding John & Helen and their Shady Dell. Some of
your disclosures are troubling and heartbreaking but,
because they are part of the Dell's long, rich and
colorful history, they needed to be told.
You are a friend of the Dell and a friend of Shady's Place,
Jim, and your contributions are greatly appreciated.
Jim & Nancy - wedding day, 1972
In closing, I would like to dedicate this song
to you and Nancy and to Helen and John.
LOOK HOMEWARD ANGEL - THE MONARCHS
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, JOHN.
WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!
