Thursday, August 14, 2008

Obituary of James H. Lewallen


Services for James Howard Lewallen, 82, of Ontario, who died Monday in a Vale nursing home were held at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Bertelson-Lienkaemper Memorial Chapel in Ontario by the Rev. Ed McIndoo, of the First Christian Church. Interment was at Hillcrest Cemetery in Weiser.
Born Feb. 12, 1887, in Glenmary, Tenn., he came from Tennessee in 1901 and lived in the Weiser community until 1926 when he moved to Ontario. He had been employed by the Union Pacific Railroad, had been a hotel desk clerk and had worked for the city of Ontario. He was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows of Ontario, Lodge No. 90.
He was married to Kittie Shay and she died in 1918. He later married Ellen Davis on May 10, 1927, in Ontario.
He is survived by his wife; two sons, James H. Lewallen, with the Military Sea Transportation Service, and William L. Lewallen, Durango, Colo.; five daughters, Mrs. Ellen Jones and Mrs. Esther Richter, Boise, Mrs. Betty Yusko, Long Beach, Calif., and Mrs. Florence Fochtman and Mrs. Patty La Reau, Weiser; four brothers: John Lewallen, Weiser, Tom Lewallen, Portland, Haywood Lewallen, Castle Rock, Wash., and Joe Wenrich, Weiser, 27 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. One daughter preceded him in death.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

My husband was adopted in Feb. 1970 and is trying to find his birth parents and more importantly his siblings. His search has brought him to your family blog. He thinks that James H Lewallen was his grandfather. He was born in Weiser, Idaho as Baby boy LaReau and according to the courts his mother's husband died 3 years before he was born (1967). He was able to find an obituary for Jessie LaReau in the Weiser Signal (newspaper) who died 7/5/1967. It listed his wife who survived him as Patricia Lewallen LaReau. The Idaho state courts only told my husband that his mother was in her early 30's when he was born and she had been widowed for 3 years prior to his birth and that her father had also died before my husband was born and that he was in his early 80's. He found the obituary for James H Lewallen on your site who died in 1969 and which listed a surviving daughter named Patty LaReau. My husband believes that Patty is his birth mother. Would you have any information that could help him to locate someone from the Lewallen family who might know Patricia or Patty? His adopted name is Jon Bowlby and you can reach him at bowlbyjr@aol.com. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene, ID and now lives in North Carolina. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.