Obituary: Lester Owen Crook

Lester had a kind heart and was always willing to lend a thoughtful ear and words of encouragement to all who knew him.  He was known to brighten the day of friends and co-workers with a lighthearted limerick or cartoon of his own creation. His affinity with animals and respect for nature was evident from an early age.  Throughout his lifetime, he took in orphaned and injured animals with which he developed lasting relationships. As a child, his “pet” raccoon, great horned owl, and seagull were never captive, but still stayed around the family home and would seek his company much like a domesticated pet.Lester was born in Smith River, California, a descendent of the Crook, Lockwood, and Woodruff families that originally settled the Del Norte – Curry area.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served as a Motor Machinist’s Mate First Class with the Amphibious Forces in the Pacific during WWII.  He served aboard the USS Belle Grove (LSD 2), where he saw action in the Marshall and Solomon Islands, in particular the seizure of Kwajalien. He was later stationed at the base at Tacloban in Leyte province in the Philippines, before joining the crew of the USS Oceanis (ARB 14). He was proud to have served his country, and his time in the service enhanced his lifelong interest in history and love of the sea.

After the war, Lester ran a garage next to the family home before closing up shop in favor of joining George Saubert’s crew aboard the fishing boat the “Ethel S.”.  He continued to work as a commercial fisherman between terms while he studied Engineering at San Jose State University; where he met fellow Engineering student and his future wife, Jean, on his first day of class.  His first engineering job was at Cutter Laboratories in Berkeley designing injected molded hospital appliances. Later he worked for Colgate Palmolive, before joining Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Marine Division, in Sunnyvale, where he worked for over 30 years.

Lester was a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer and a Founding/Charter member of American Legion Post 712, Smith River, California.

Lester is survived by his wife of 57 years, Juanita Jean Moore Crook of Sunnyvale; son, Robert Crook of Pasadena; daughter, Erin Cizan of Sunnyvale; grandson, Jivan Asa Singh Pannu of Sunnyvale; sister, Evelyn Reichlin of Smith River; brothers-in-law, Jerry Bell, Joel Moore, and Dennis Cholez; and many nieces and nephews for whom he had great affection. He was preceded in death by his parents, May and Chester Crook of Smith River; in-laws, Josephine and Gay Moore; brothers-in-law, William Moore and Joseph Reichlin; and sister-in-law, Jane Moore Hayes.

A wake will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2009, between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  at the Chapel of Roses, Oak Hill Funeral Home, San Jose, California.

The family requests donations in memory of Lester be made either to the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society, PO Box 577, Crescent City, CA 95531, or the Del Norte County Historical Society, 577 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.