God bless Jamie Packer

A couple of years ago, Sandpoint Magazine gave me an assignment to profile and photograph the area golf pros. The piece was to appear in the publication's summer edition. I recall having a difficult time chasing them all down, since the story was due in late March. Not too many golf pros are hanging out at the local courses at that time of the year. Maybe it's the weather.

Eventually, I chased 'em all down---the Priest Lake pro, the Stoneridge pro, Tom Tharp at the Elks Course and the three Hidden Lakes pros, Ken Parker, Mike DePrez and Jamie Packer. In each case, I gleaned information about their golf backgrounds, their professional status and a special tip for playing their respective courses.

The challenge of doing this story because of its geographical and timing difficulty was far exceeded by the good feeling I had after meeting with each of these individuals. Their outgoing, fun personalities, diverse backgrounds and willingness to give plenty of their time to a golfing dummie made each interview a pure joy. I can understand why they're good at their craft.

Of all the pros, however, Jamie Packer left the strongest impression on me. I don't know if it was because he was a leftie like me or if it was his down-to-earth, easy-going nature and obvious love for his wife and family. He told me how much he enjoyed time spent with his two small children, Mackenzie and Sydney, during the off-season. "I'm Mr. Mom," he told me. "I take them out of pre-school and we spend a lot of time at the swimming club. They're both going to get into golf."

Jamie also devoted a lot of our interview time to bragging about his wife Sheila, an occupational therapist who was working at Bonner General Hospital's rehab facility and doing home health in the Priest River area. "She has forged many a good relationship with her patients," he said. "She will assess the home situation for equipment needs, works off a holistic model and brings in various professionals. She works with kids, retirees and even infants . . . and finds it extremely rewarding. She has purpose to her day."

I came away from that one meeting with this devoted father and likeable golf pro, feeling like I'd made a new friend. I saw him only one more time----on a rainy early April day when I went out to Hidden Lakes to take his picture for the story.

This morning, the local paper reported to the community that 34-year-old Jamie Packer has died tragically in a car accident near Kalispell, Montana. My first thoughts when I heard about Jamie's death on Sunday were, "What a nice young man and what a loss." I've interviewed hundreds of interesting individuals over my journalistic career and must say that Jamie left a unique impression among all those people. When you meet someone once and can remember virtually everything discussed during the meeting, that person has powerful impact.

As I read in this morning's paper, Jamie left that special feeling with everyone he met. It did not surprise me to learn that he also had a deep spiritual commitment. He never shared that with me, but his demeanor reflected a young man who viewed his own purpose on this earth far beyond that of teaching someone how to play a good round of golf. He had many dimensions to his life, and his dedication to each of them surely positively impacted a wide array of people during his young lifetime.

My heart goes out to Jamie's family, his friends and the Hidden Lakes Golf staff who have lost a good husband, father, friend and phenomenal senior pro.

Jamie's advice for lefties at Hidden Lakes: Hidden Lakes is does not set up well for a left hander. Most golfers tend to fade the ball---from right to left. The course is set up better for those going left to right. Off the tee, have a definite idea of distance to the landing area. This allows for more conservative play. Use irons to keep the ball in play.