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.