Former Blountstown

resident returns to

document family’s

time living here

by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com

http://www.cljnews.com

BLOUNTSTOWN, FL – A former Blountstown resident has returned to town this week in hopes of talking with people who knew his dad, Jan Nydell, and would be willing to share their memories of him as he begins work on a documentary about his father’s life.

In 1992, Jan brought the family to Calhoun County to meet his father’s side of the family. Given up for adoption at birth, he had never had contact with his father, the late Dewey Lee Young, or any one from that side of the family, according to his son, Tim Nydell.

Although his birth father was no longer living, Jan and his family were welcomed by other relatives they had never met, including Jan’s birth mother and his two brothers and two sisters, along with their children.

Their time together was good. So good, in fact, that Jan and his wife Diane decided to stay, happy to bring their two young boys into this small community. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Jan had long worked as an executive chef at a private country club in Reno, NV. A move to Blountstown would be big change from their life in fast-paced Reno, where the Nydells were concerned about the growing crime rate.

The family lived at the Airport Motel while they began looking for a house and a location to open up their own business, which later became the Main Street Deli.

• • • • •

The deli was a full time job for the Nydell family. Jan catered many events at the W.T. Neal Civic Center in addition to keeping customers fed at the deli, where his wife handled the books and their sons, Mark and Tim, helped with daily cleanup and other chores.

The best thing about having a family deli for Tim was enjoying his favorite meal, his dad’s prime rib. “He was known for his prime rib and I’ve never had prime rib like his. Nothing even comes close,” he said.

Today, Tim is the father of three young girls and enjoys cooking for them and his wife, Rebecca, but has no desire to work in the food industry. He said it was different for his dad. “Cooking was all that he wanted to do, even when he was a kid,” Tim said.

The years they ran the deli were cut short in October 1998 due to a health crisis with his father. Tim calls it “The heart attack that changed him for the rest of his life.”

• • • • •

Diagnosed with heart disease, Jan suffered a heart attack in the Fall of 1998 that kept him in the ICU at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for two months.

The family tried to keep the deli open but it was too much for his father. “He never really worked again after his heart attack,” Tim said.

After both brothers had graduated from Blountstown High School, they soon moved, getting jobs at Yellowstone National Park. In 2001, their parents moved to Montana to be with his wife’s family.

Concerned about his father’s failing health, Tim later relocated his family to Montana to be near them. “I wanted to create new memories and for my three girls to be around him,” Tim said. “We had some great times with dad there. Sure, his health wasn’t the greatest, but I wouldn’t trade those new memories for anything. Plus, it’s beautiful here in Montana.”

Jan died Jan. 14, 2012 at the age of 57 in Hamilton, MO.

• • • • •

Tim has a YouTube channel called “Pressing Rewind with Tim Nydell: Your source for all things retro.” He’s also interviewed numerous voice actors – many well known – for another series. Even he’s surprised at some of the name stars who have been willing to share their experiences as voice actors for animated films. He’s also had a few background roles in movies and tv shows, including a couple of appearances as an extra on Yellowstone.

Tim makes YouTube videos and takes part in other online projects, but this will be his first attempt at an actual documentary.

“I have other documentaries planned, but this is the only one that I’m focused on at this time,” he said. “I started thinking about this documentary a couple years ago. I have some close friends that work in the film industry and they’ve helped me along the way, mainly by motivating me to create video content. I wanted to honor my dad in some way.”

He was inspired by something his father left behind. “I found a letter that he hand wrote me before he passed away and at the bottom of the letter it said, ‘Don’t forget about me.’ I was like, “That’s it. I’ll create a documentary. Not only will I never forget dad, but I’ll make sure everyone else knows who he was too.”

He took on a second job to help pay for film equipment and travel expenses. The project involves trips to California, Nevada, Florida, and Colorado to complete all the interviews for the documentary. After his time to Blountstown, he will head to Reno for a week in April.

His last interview will be with his brother, Mark, who lives in Colorado with his wife and four children. Tim is counting on him to fill in any gaps in his memory.

Tim arrived in Blountstown Jan. 8 and will leave Monday, Jan. 13. He hopes to hear from any of his dad’s friends and former customers who would like to share some thoughts or memories about him. He hopes to learn more about his father’s place in the community and visit with some of his dad’s friends. He’ll also be filming around the area to get some background footage of the town.

Anyone who would like to share some thoughts for his documentary is welcome to call him at (406) 369-5312 or email him at timnydell@hotmail.com.