Excerpt from large Sunday Oregonian obit:

Nick and Mariana felt a calling to get a Catholic radio station on the air in Portland, featuring the daily rosary. It was an uphill battle that took lots of money (including their own), many trips to the archbishop, many dinners, and many, many prayers.

Nick, as Metro Catholic Broadcasting president, got much of the credit; he was a sweet-talking and charismatic money-raiser. Claretta was the secretary/office manager, the backbone, grunt labor and sounding board.

In 1989, she was joyful and humbled when she finally heard the station on the air (88.3 FM), complete with daily rosary. Nick and Claretta were called the mother and father of KBVM (the BVM for Blessed Virgin Mary).

Nick died in 1999. Claretta returned to live with her son in Montana last year and died Dec. 19, 2007, at age 92.

Read the entire obit here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/120787714022 4260.xml&coll=7