Frances D. Lew, 88, a former Baker County resident, died Feb. 23, 2007, at Modesto, Calif.
Her memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Funeral Home in Hughson, Calif.
Frances was born on Oct. 20, 1918, at Baker City to Waldo Russell and Ella Afton Weitz Vaughn. She moved from Baker City to Keating Valley at the age of 9.
Her parents ran the Keating Store and Post Office. She became an accomplished horseback rider and spent her early Keating years riding up and down the valley making friends.
She married Lawrence L. Lew Sr. on Oct. 9, 1940, at Fort Lewis, Wash. While he was overseas in Burma fighting with Merrill’s Marauders, his pay was sent to Frances, who used it to purchase land for their ranch. They ranched until the mid 1950s when they moved to Baker City where Frances cared for her ailing mother.
In 1961, Frances and Lawrence moved to Lodi, Calif. They lived there until 1971 when they moved to Ceres, Calif., to develop land for a subdivision they called Luran Estates. Frances lived at Luran until shortly before her death. Her husband and best friend, Lawrence, died in 1990.
Survivors include her two sons, Lawrence L. Lew Jr. and his wife, Cheryl, and W. Vaughn Lew and his wife, Glenda, all of Ceres, Calif.; four grandchildren, Randy Lew of Arcadia, Calif., Lawrence “Lucky Lew” Lew III of Modesto, Calif., and Matthew and Justin Lew of Ceres, Calif.; six stepgrandchildren, Matthew, Arthur and Forrest Saarloos and Daniel Fuller of Modesto, Calif., Kimberly Hill of Elk Grove, Calif., and Melissa Colby of Ceres, Calif.; one great-grandchild, Phenix Lew of Hilmar, Calif.; and five stepgrandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice Inc., 4368 Spyres Way, Modesto, CA 95356-9259.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, March 1, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor