Nearly 10 years ago, we opened our tasting room to the public. Soon after that day, a spry 70-year old man soon became our first regular. In those early days, we only had one person full-time during the week. Each time he came by, he would remind us that if we ever needed someone, to keep him in mind. Well, soon after that we took him up on his offer. That special person was Jerry Dynge. He started off by working every Saturday and Sunday. Not long after, we talked him into going from two days a week to five: Monday through Friday. During those early years here at Del Rio, Jerry did everything from grape samples to inventory and sales of wine to art festivals. He was our man. As we grew, we hired more and more ladies to help out. He loved them all very much. Jerry was always willing to do anything that needed to be done and helped us move forward. Working alongside Jerry was easy, he tended to the customer with great diligence and we were his back-up. The tasting room ladies enjoyed reminding Jerry frequently of their favorite pet peeve…daily customers would come in the tasting room, look around, and then ask for Jerry. When it was shared with the customer that Jerry had a day off, the look of disappointment in the customer’s eyes could not be overlooked. This was a true testament of his strong character as the most thoughtful and caring person. Jerry always went out of his way to make each person he met feel special. His love of art and nature was expressed through his work and his compassion for others was felt in the warm touch. He was a very special person to us all and will be greatly missed.
--- Jolee & Rob Wallace
A Prayer for the World
Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender or skin color.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.
