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Boundary County loses an icon |
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December 12, 2011 |
 Lester Lee Howard, 92, a kid whose family fled
the midwest dust bowl and came to call Boundary
County and Bonners Ferry home, in the 1930s,
died Friday at the Restorium, a place he and his
wife believed in and helped build.
"He never said much about what he did in the
war," said Legion Chaplain Mike Ashby, "and we
never thought to ask. He served, came home and
all we knew is that he was tireless in making
this place a better community. He was the
quintessential volunteer, always working, always
helping."
He graduated Bonners Ferry High School in 1937,
and he married the beautiful girl who fiddled
her way into millions of hearts, even while
matching her husband in contributions to her
community, the former Doris MacDonald.
The two worked hard, raised their family, and,
like other members of "the Greatest Generation,"
raised a community.
For more than 50 years, Les served Bonners Ferry
American Legion Post 55. He never insisted
anyone join, but he certainly made sure every
eligible veteran who landed here knew the
benefits. He didn't run for public office,
though he worked at the county courthouse for
awhile as a clerk, but he was a staunch
Republican, active in the party and known to and
advised by many who gained elective office.
He never spoke much of his military service,
which was, according to his obituary, very
brief, less than two years in duration. For
veterans familiar with the ways of the U.S.
Army, it's easy to see that he was a grunt
thrown into battle, chewed up and spit out.
As a member of the Disabled American Veterans
for nearly as long as he was a leader in the
Legion, it is obvious that the wounds he
suffered weren't inconsequential.
While he stayed out of the limelight; logging,
working in mills, bagging groceries and selling
cars, Les Howard instilled by inspiration and
example his faith and his trust in our
community, and his contributions and faith, and
those of the girl he loved for a lifetime, are
very much the reason those of us who live here
have reason to hold this place and its people in
such high esteem.
Services for Lester Lee Howard will be held at 1
p.m. Saturday, December 17, at United Methodist
Church, a church he helped build. He will be
laid to rest in Grandview Cemetery, a place
where he officiated many ceremonies, laid many
friends to rest and passed on a legacy to all of
us who follow. |
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