On an In Memoriam: In 1931 he fell in love with surfing, spending many long hours catching waves on longboards
Newell Ray Phelps
1928 - 2009Newell Ray Phelps, beloved father and grandfather, passed away Sunday, Dec. 20 after receiving injuries from a fall. He was 81 years old. Ray, as he was known to his friends, was a resident of Camarillo since 1965. He was outgoing, friendly, generous of spirit, and much loved by his family, friends, and his Baha'i Faith community. ...
Born in College Station (now Lincoln) Nebraska, he came to Southern California with his family in 1931 where he fell in love with surfing, spending many long hours catching waves on longboards; at age 13 he was surfing Santa Monica Bay when he learned of Pearl Harbor.
At age 15, too young to join the Navy like his big brothers he fibbed about his age to enter the Merchant Marines. He was later drafted into the Army during the Korean War where he served at the Port of Whittier near the Aleutian Islands. While in the Army he had the good fortune to hear the all-girl swing band "The Victory Sweethearts" at a USO event in Indianapolis, Indiana. The lead trumpeter, Arthella Louise Lust, immediately stole his heart; they were married in 1954 and settled in Southern California, living in Santa Monica and the Pacific Palisades. ...
In 1955, pulling graveyard shift with a friend, Ray heard about the Baha'i Faith, and immediately connected with its message of the Unity of Humanity. He and Arthella were active members of their Ventura County Baha'i community. They traveled on Baha'i pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel in 1986 and 2007.
In memoriam. -gw
No comments:
Post a Comment