Vincent Dressel

Vincent G Dressel, the most colorful man I know was born on a cold winter, February 25, 1948 to Jack and Polly Dressel in Goldendale, WA.  Vince passed away on January 26, 2020.  He grew up in a family of four siblings and spent most of his younger years with the neighborhood gang, playing Army and riding his bike all over town.  He was involved with summer sports, playing baseball and also loved to run. 

My big sister use to babysit Vince and called him the renegade of the town because he was always going… He grew up playing all sports in Goldendale and in the sixties during High School, he played Football in the fall, Basketball in the winter and ran Track in the spring and summer.  He was one of the best all-around athletes that ever came out of Goldendale High School.

During his first year at St. Martin’s College in Olympia, WA, he played basketball, then transferred to Abilene Christian College in Texas on a running scholarship only to be there for a brief time before returning home to Washington for a hernia operation in 1967. 

Vince entered the Army in March of 1967 after a night of drinking with this high school buddies and was stationed at Fort Lewis until his deployment to Vietnam.  While stationed in Ben Hoa, he worked at Army Headquarters typing briefs, correspondence and reports for the Generals.  When he wasn’t at headquarters, he was either running around the compound or assisting helicopter pilots during secret mission assignments.  He was lucky enough to return home to the states and was released with an Honorable Discharge on December 12, 1968.

In March of 1969, Vince married his high school sweetheart, Janet.  First, they lived in Yakima, WA where he went to Yakima Valley Junior College, while Janet worked at the National Bank of Commerce, to keep groceries in the cupboard. Vince was then accepted to Mt. Hood Community College where he later finished his degree in business and accounting at Portland State University.  During their time in Portland, Vince and Janet managed real property for Vince’s parents.  It was then Vince caught the bug for buying and fixing up houses.

Vince and Janet each worked day jobs and worked on improvements at 729 SE 33rd  Ave in the Laurelhurst area, their first investment property, during the night.   Next came the house on 15th and Stanton Street in the Lloyd Center District, which was an absolute barn with no kitchen.  They spent two more years in Portland before the big move to Spokane, WA for Law School at Gonzaga University, where Vince had been accepted for the fall term of 1972.

During that time, Vince and Janet began to buy old houses in the Gonzaga neighborhood, continuing their love of buying and fixing up homes.  During the first year of law school, they moved five times.  Vince received his Doctorate of Law in 1976, only to continue to build a successful residential and commercial real estate and investment portfolio.  Janet continued, alongside to help with office management.

Vince has always been a workaholic and loved every hour of it.  When he wasn’t physically working, he was always in the office planning and looking forward to the next build, purchase or project.  He had always hoped to build the largest tower in Spokane and was planning it up until his physical condition deteriorated.  He tried to maintain his daily routine of going into the office until the demanding schedule took too much of a toll on his body. 

Vince and Janet raised three children; Alexander Louis (Yessela), Lisa Noel (Vincent) Ferraro and Vincent Patrick (Shawn).  They have six grandchildren; Johnathan Dressel, Hayden Dressel, Aidan Dressel, Jack Dressel, Sophia Ferraro, Olivia Ferraro and two twin granddaughters on the way. 

Vince was an ordinary guy who loved work and his family.  He was a man with so many ideas, interests and hobbies.  When recently asked what he wanted the world to remember him by, he thought and said, “That I did it my way.”  Rest in Peace Vincent, you are forever loved.

A Funeral Service will be held at Hennessey Funeral Home & Crematory, 2203 N Division St in Spokane ,WA on Friday, February 7, 2020, beginning at 10:00am.  Vince will be laid to rest at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Goldendale, WA on February 8, 2020.

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