Remembering a native son
Former city Mayor Ensslin passes away
Mayor, businessman, athlete, veteran, Porterville Exchange Club founder, native son and pillar of the community.
These are all terms that describe Theodore “Ted” Ensslin Jr., who passed away peacefully Thursday in Gilbert, Ariz., at age 90.
“He had a wonderful life,” said Porterville Unified School District trustee and long-time business colleague Felipe Martinez. “Porterville was his heart, and he did whatever he could to improve the quality of life in Porterville, not only for his family but for anyone that resided here.
“I guess the best word [to describe him] would be inclusive — Ted was inclusive with anybody that came into his life.”
With his passing, Porterville loses a man who spent decades of his time and effort making Porterville a better place to live, and those who knew him fondly recall his passion, integrity and commitment in all of his endeavors.
“You could genuinely tell that he loved Porterville and its people,” said his son Steve Ens-
slin. “He loved being involved in this community, and he did it not for the recognition, but because he genuinely loved this town. If you wanted to emulate somebody, you could really look up to someone like him.”
Mr. Ensslin was born in Porterville in 1927, just six blocks from City Hall. He attended Alta Vista Elementary, where he received honors in both academics and athletics, and spent his free time milking cows with his stepfather and digging up Indian arrowheads and beads around Rocky Hill.
He held every student body office including class president in elementary school, and served as student body president in high school and at Porterville College.
He attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was an Allamerican football star and earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education.
After graduation, Mr. Ensslin married Dorothy Campbell in 1947, and he briefly taught at Battle Mountain High School in Reno, where he coached their football team to two Class B state championships in 1949 and 1950. The couple had four children and were active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dorothy passed away two years ago.
“He loved his family and little kids, but really loved his grandkids,” Steve Ensslin said. “He was devoted to the church and the community, and he provided not just the material things in life, but inspired us and instilled in us good values. He would do anything for his family, but he would also do anything for a complete stranger. He didn’t have an enemy.”
He was later offered a contract to play football for the Los Angeles Rams, but after his friend and future basketball Hall of Famer Bill Sharman advised against it, he declined the offer and returned to Porterville.
Mr. Ensslin began his professional career working as an agricultural manager for Anderson Clayton from 1951 to 1957, and in 1958 began working as an insurance agent for New York Life Insurance, the company he would be affiliated with for almost 60 years.
He served on the Porterville City Council for 10 years and as the mayor from 1977 to 1981, and later from 1989 to 1991.
During his time on the Council, he became very involved with local committees that brought numerous businesses and jobs to the area.
“I worked with Ted on many projects,” said former Porterville Mayor Joe Faure. “He was very responsive to the needs of the community. He was greatly respected and was just a great man and served his community and his church very well. He was known to be a very forthright man. He spoke what he felt in his heart and acted on behalf of the community in the same way.”
He was chairman and co-chairman of two sister cities of Porterville, La Barca, Mexico and Mikkabi, Japan. He was also selected to serve as the California Registration Chairman and on the California Independence Day Committee and Attorney’s Committee in Sacramento.
“I was his neighbor down the street for many years, and I knew him from church for 37 years, so I had a lot of contact with him,” said Tulare County Judge Glade Roper. “He was a hometown boy, and I think he spent his whole life trying to make Porterville a better place.”
Ensslin is a proud lifetime member of the Porterville Exchange Club and its founding president. He joined a professional speakers club and donated his time to share inspiration to schools and organizations all over the country. He was also knighted in New York City for distinguished and charitable achievements and noble deeds.
Mr. Ensslin’s passion for serving the community and his notable athletic talents earned him many significant awards and achievements, including the Porterville Wall of Fame and Porterville College Hall of Fame, just to name a few, and he credited his success to always being honest, working hard and being willing to offer time to help others.
“He was always very kind and positive and engaged on community matters,” said Porterville City Manager John Lollis. “His legacy is one of admiration by many. They called him a lion of the community, and he certainly fit that description — a total gentleman.”
Mr. Ensslin’s life was one of uncommon character and achievement, and his impact on the community was not lost on the friends and colleagues who worked and lived alongside him through the years.
“He was a person that merited great respect, and I think he was always respectful of others,” Roper said. “Just a few years ago, he told me, ‘I have no ill feeling toward any other person.’
“I think that really says a lot about his character. Whatever disagreements he had or differences of opinion, he pushed that away and held no animosity or ill will towards anybody — not everybody can say that.”
Mr. Ensslin is survived by four children and numerous grandchildren. His services will be held on Monday, Dec. 11 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, 837 E. Morton, Porterville. Condolences may be sent to his family at www.myersfuneral.com.
“For those that he leaves behind, he leaves a lot of fond memories,” Martinez said. “For those that didn’t get to know Ted, they missed out on a good person upon this world.”