Married for 67 years full steam ahead
By Kelly Brye
Every week, I look forward to sharing special stories about the people and the history of Fernley and its residents. This week, I’m a bit emotional sharing with you the story of Juan and Emma Estay, who were born and raised in Chile but have made their retirement home in Fernley. I sat with them in their home last week and took pages of notes documenting the stories of their lives together.
Their story begins in Chuquicamata, Chile. Just outside of Calama, Chile, Chuquicamata, often nicknamed “Chuqui,” is recognized as the site of the world’s largest open-pit copper mine. Born in the 1930s, Juan and Emma met in high school. Emma shares with pride that Juan was educated from 1st-8th grade in an American-style school, giving him a distinct advantage in his ability to learn English as a young man. He attended high school in a British-led school, where he learned etiquette and manners, according to Emma. While they met in high school, they would not marry for a few more years.
In 1956, Juan was granted a student visa and traveled to St. Louis, Mo., to attend a technical school. Specializing in diesel/automotive engine mechanics, Juan completed his one-year education program, earning his certifications. As a sidenote, I asked Juan if the arches were there in St. Louis at the time of his schooling. He chuckled and said, “Heaven’s no. They weren’t built for another 20 years or so after I left.”
After his technical schooling, Juan went back to Chile to marry his sweetheart, Emma. They were married on Sept. 21, 1957. It would be the biggest wedding that the mining town had ever hosted. Emma says Juan’s father was a well-known man in town and that her in-laws invited all of their friends to the wedding. Juan and Emma recount that as they entered the reception after the wedding, they looked around at the crowd of attendees and realized they hardly knew anyone. They were all friends and acquaintances of the parents.
They chuckle as they recount the enormous tables, piled high and long with wedding gifts. They describe that in true Chilean fashion, Juan’s mother chose half of the wedding gifts for herself, while the other half were gifted to Emma’s mom. In fact, for the first few years after their wedding, Emma recalls visiting the folks and recognizing “their” wedding gifts in the parents’ homes.
After the wedding, Juan and Emma relocated to El Salvador, Chile, to work for the Anaconda Mining Company, the same Anaconda Mining Co. we recognize today from Yerington. After a few years, they had an itch to transfer to the Yerington Anaconda operation. In 1961, they were required to bring chest x-rays to show evidence that they were not infected with tuberculosis (TB) in order to receive work visas and relocate to the U.S. Contrary to his technical training, upon arrival at Yerington, the Anaconda mine had no positions available as a diesel mechanic. They lived in a small home in Weed Heights, and he was hired on the bottom of the ladder, working as a driver at the mine, traveling up and down the deep mine every day.
After a year in Yerington, well-known company Wells Cargo came on a recruiting mission to the mine and asked if Juan and his wife would be willing to relocate to Southern Peru to work for them in San Juan de Marcona, a large iron ore-producing mine operation close to the sea. They bought their first home in Peru. The last of their three children was born in San Juan de Marcona in a private hospital room in 1964.
In 1964, Wells Cargo invited Juan and Emma to relocate back to the U.S., where they would plant their next roots in Reno. For the next six years, Juan worked for the Wells Cargo site off of 4th Street in Reno, allowing them to buy their first home in the U.S. in Sparks. Emma recites the address of their first home, 1160 Plymouth Way in Sparks. They had nothing to do the prior few years in Peru, so they simply saved their money. They were able to place a $1,000 down payment on the home and secure monthly mortgage payments of $134/month for their first American home.
In 1967, Juan sent Emma into the U.S. workforce. From 1967-1972, Emma worked for Harold’s Club as a change concierge. Speaking virtually no English at the time, she would lug around a heavy apron filled with change for the casino patrons. She recalls struggling with American coins. She chuckles as she recalls wondering why the dime is a smaller coin than the nickel but is worth twice as much.
She later was promoted to a blackjack dealer and then to the roulette tables. She enjoyed working for Harold’s Club. It was family-owned, and the tips were always good, she recalls, sometimes producing $200-$300 per night. Later, the Howard Hughes Corp. would purchase the casino and implement a new policy that all the dealers would split their tips. She despised rude co-workers earning the same amount of tips as her own, so she quit.
She enrolled in a school to study medical billing and passed her certification test in San Francisco. However, she recalls that no one would hire her because she had no prior work experience in the field. Eventually, St. Mary’s in Reno hired her to sterilize instruments. She performed these duties for three years but was then promoted to the position of buyer and became an expert in purchasing for the next nine years.
This experience as a purchaser would lead to a position as purchaser with the former MGM operation, now the Grand Sierra Resort. She was responsible for purchasing the feathers and costumes for the showgirls, among other memories she has. Frank Sinatra would often perform at the MGM, and he had his favorite Italian restaurant that he would dine at, many times by himself, she recalls. After six years at MGM, she would spend three years at the Peppermill Casino and another four years at Western Village, all in the purchasing department.
Her best job would be ahead of her as she was hired by Baker & Taylor Book Company as a purchaser. They specialized in selling books to Borders, Barnes & Noble, as well as leasing books to libraries and the University of Nevada, Reno. She made the most money working for Baker & Taylor and even earned a pension.
She spent some time in the purchasing department for John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino. She recalls that Mr. Ascuaga would arrive each day at the casino and tour the different departments with a micro-recorder attached to his left lapel. He would listen to the suggestions of his staff and record the conversations when a good idea was proposed. Of Basque descent, Mr. Ascuaga enjoyed speaking in fluent Spanish with Emma.
When retirement season arrived, Juan and Emma moved to Fallon in 2002, where they lived for 18 years, managing 1 ½ acres. She volunteered at the Banner medical facility for several years. They moved to Fernley in 2019 to be closer to Reno hospitals.
In 2012, Emma was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer, which embeds itself in the bone marrow. Initially believing she had an issue with her rotator cuff/shoulder, she underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2014. She was treated by the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah.
Her cancer was in remission for nine years, but it came back last year. She takes a chemo pill daily, for a 21-day stretch and then no pills for seven days, then repeats the cycle. The chemo pill she takes today, oddly, was a medication that caused severe birth defects in the 1970s but is a lifesaver at her current age in keeping the cancer at bay.
Married for 67 years this past September, Juan and Emma Estay live life with passion and enthusiasm. You’ll see them at various community events, including the Canal Wine Lounge, Fire Forno, the Moose Lodge, and other places around town. They are wonderful storytellers, and I encourage you to introduce yourself when you cross paths.