1 _UID E55DA363F7ECF147BC9036AE03F540BC87F6
2 _SDATE 79 SEP 55
1 _UID B374D42DF8DD4A4C886011EBC63A796A5A8B
"Lena Stewart came into this world March 28, 1915 in Hamlin, Texas. She was th e second of seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Lena spent seve ral years as an only child after her older sister and first brother died. As ti me passed and more children were born, Lena helped her mother care for and rais e her younger siblings. She often spoke of her sisters and brother almost as if they were her own children, with the fond memories of the good things as well as the exasperating moments that parents remember of childhood."Along wit h thousands of others, the Stewart family moved to California from Texas during the Great Depression. Lena pitched in, always doing her share to help ease the financial burden for the large family. She worked in the packing houses of th e large fruit companies, packing oranges and olives. She spent her money not on ly on necessities for her brother and sisters, but for what many at the time co nsidered a luxury--new furniture for the family home.
"During her time off, Lena spent time doing what most young people did--enjoying the company of her f riends. She ran around with her girl friend Roxy Reese regularly, and Roxy int roduced her to her brother, Carthel. They found they had much in common--so mu ch so that they were married September 16, 1935, when Lena was twenty. Their s on, Larry, was born November 17, 1936. Their marriage was a short one, however. Carthel died November 10, 1941, leaving Lena to raise their son alone.
"Le na was a product of her day as well as being ahead of her times in many respect s. She was a patriot in every sense of the word. During World War II, she help ed build war planes to win the war. She was justifiably proud that she had don e her part to keep the world safe from Hitler and his ilk. As a widow, she wor ked full time, sometimes more so, not just to put food on the table, but to bet ter herself as well. She attended talioring and design classes and did alterati ons at home to bring in extra money. This fostered a life-long love for sewing and other handicrafts which she continued until just a few months before her de ath. It also blossomed into a business decades down the road, when she owned h er own fabric shops.
"As a widow, Lena was extremely busy, but not too busy to notice a handsome man, Ed Launder, where she worked at Standard Oil. She de cided he would make Larry a good father and the couple was married November 23, 1945, just after Larry's ninth birthday. Ed later adopted Larry, changing Lar ry's last name from Reese to Launder. Lena and Ed never had any children, but E d loved Larry as if he were his own biological child.
"Lena and Ed owned an orange and avacado grove in Yorba Linda , California . In later years, she often would remark that the fruit she saw in the stores were nothing like the ones they shipped out; she considered them equal to the cull oranges and avaca does they would throw away.
"During the mid 1950's, Larry met and ulitmatel y married the love of his life, Marilyn Bleininger. Lena often remarked on wha t a wonderful daughter-in-law she had been blessed with and she was thrilled wh en, in 1960, Larry and Marilyn had a son named Michael. A daughter, Julie, joi ned the picture two years later and Lena's family was complete for nearly twent y years until Mike and Julie were old enough for families of their own.
"Th e Launders moved from Yorba Linda to Borrego Springs in thge late 1960's. Lena loved the desert and everything about it. This was to be Ed's final home howeve r. He succumbed to cancer in 1975, leaving Lena a widow once again. She never remarried, preferring to travel worldwide, visitng such diverse areas as the Ho ly land and China. She also traveled closer to home, touring the deep South's antebellum homes and sailing down the Mississippi River on a paddle wheeler. Sh e never tired of telling of the places she'd been, and one of her greatest thri lls was being able to walk on the Great Wall of Ch
1 _UID E302BCC51B3A9641AFF784AA8015C3AD6B93
2 _SDATE 5 MAR 68
1 _UID B374D42DF8DD4A4C886011EBC63A796A5A8B
"Lena Stewart came into this world March 28, 1915 in Hamlin, Texas. She was th e second of seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Lena spent seve ral years as an only child after her older sister and first brother died. As ti me passed and more children were born, Lena helped her mother care for and rais e her younger siblings. She often spoke of her sisters and brother almost as if they were her own children, with the fond memories of the good things as well as the exasperating moments that parents remember of childhood."Along wit h thousands of others, the Stewart family moved to California from Texas during the Great Depression. Lena pitched in, always doing her share to help ease the financial burden for the large family. She worked in the packing houses of th e large fruit companies, packing oranges and olives. She spent her money not on ly on necessities for her brother and sisters, but for what many at the time co nsidered a luxury--new furniture for the family home.
"During her time off, Lena spent time doing what most young people did--enjoying the company of her f riends. She ran around with her girl friend Roxy Reese regularly, and Roxy int roduced her to her brother, Carthel. They found they had much in common--so mu ch so that they were married September 16, 1935, when Lena was twenty. Their s on, Larry, was born November 17, 1936. Their marriage was a short one, however. Carthel died November 10, 1941, leaving Lena to raise their son alone.
"Le na was a product of her day as well as being ahead of her times in many respect s. She was a patriot in every sense of the word. During World War II, she help ed build war planes to win the war. She was justifiably proud that she had don e her part to keep the world safe from Hitler and his ilk. As a widow, she wor ked full time, sometimes more so, not just to put food on the table, but to bet ter herself as well. She attended talioring and design classes and did alterati ons at home to bring in extra money. This fostered a life-long love for sewing and other handicrafts which she continued until just a few months before her de ath. It also blossomed into a business decades down the road, when she owned h er own fabric shops.
"As a widow, Lena was extremely busy, but not too busy to notice a handsome man, Ed Launder, where she worked at Standard Oil. She de cided he would make Larry a good father and the couple was married November 23, 1945, just after Larry's ninth birthday. Ed later adopted Larry, changing Lar ry's last name from Reese to Launder. Lena and Ed never had any children, but E d loved Larry as if he were his own biological child.
"Lena and Ed owned an orange and avacado grove in Yorba Linda , California . In later years, she often would remark that the fruit she saw in the stores were nothing like the ones they shipped out; she considered them equal to the cull oranges and avaca does they would throw away.
"During the mid 1950's, Larry met and ulitmatel y married the love of his life, Marilyn Bleininger. Lena often remarked on wha t a wonderful daughter-in-law she had been blessed with and she was thrilled wh en, in 1960, Larry and Marilyn had a son named Michael. A daughter, Julie, joi ned the picture two years later and Lena's family was complete for nearly twent y years until Mike and Julie were old enough for families of their own.
"Th e Launders moved from Yorba Linda to Borrego Springs in thge late 1960's. Lena loved the desert and everything about it. This was to be Ed's final home howeve r. He succumbed to cancer in 1975, leaving Lena a widow once again. She never remarried, preferring to travel worldwide, visitng such diverse areas as the Ho ly land and China. She also traveled closer to home, touring the deep South's antebellum homes and sailing down the Mississippi River on a paddle wheeler. Sh e never tired of telling of the places she'd been, and one of her greatest thri lls was being able to walk on the Great Wall of Ch
1 _UID C6A3A5E1347BB1439EEA0878E37841B5EB67
2 _SDATE 25 MAY 49
1 _UID 238B5BA98AE6034A8D0A6C564F36DDDB054D
2 _SDATE 13 APR 70
1 _UID FA653D2E531A8141A8940967AC40FAA32E18
2 _SDATE 49 JUN 58
Christopher Columbus "Lum" STEWART
1 _UID AA0BF41D9CFABA47A156F3AC32247ADA9D59
"[429] CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STEWART, JR. WAS ALSO KNOWN AS (LUM)."From http ://www.stewartkin.com
1 _UID 2A163100B5E0E941A85DF70394C5F55CD9A0
1 _UID 495083F125942E49BF8D4947FB2852851395
2 _SDATE 9996 BC
1 _UID 669E9071CEE6EC46958C25E24AF01B097172
1 _UID 5764DE4364D4214C903C3A0BB89DA2028B4D
1 _UID 9B142E555AE85548A2740FC8D26500699E19