Lewis Edward Clevenger |
| Posted 2020-05-18 by mhenderson |
| Published in Mohave Daily News Online from May 17 to May 24, 2020 - Bullhead City, Arizona - Lewis Clevenger, age 76, passed away peacefully at home with his wife by his side, on Saturday, April 11, 2020, in Bullhead City, Arizona. He was born in 1944, at home on his family farm in Raymond, Washington. He was the fifth of seven children of Elias and Beatrice Clevenger. At the age of twelve, his family moved to Arcada, Calif., where Lewis played Babe Ruth League baseball and high school football. After graduation from Stockton High, he was employed by Georgia-Pacific at the Samoa Stud Mill. Lewis was drafted and joined the U.S. Army in 1966, and was accepted to Infantry Candidate School in Ft. Benning, Ga., where he was trained in leadership, use of infantry weapons, map and aerial photograph reading, guerrilla warfare, and counterinsurgency operations. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant and received his orders to report to the army base in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg, Germany. Within a short time after arriving in Germany, he received his next orders to deploy to Vietnam and, on the same day, he was promoted to Captain! He spent a year in Vietnam as chief of an advisory team to a South Vietnamese Army unit in the Mekong Delta. Lewis was awarded the Bronze Star by the U.S. Army and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry by the South Vietnamese government. Upon his return from Southeast Asia, he was assigned to the Presidio of San Francisco to await his release from active duty, which occurred in 1971. Upon his discharge, Lewis returned to Humboldt County to work at the Louisiana-Pacific mill, and then enrolled full-time at Humboldt State University. Although he was 10-15 years older than most of his peers, it didn't take Lewis long to adjust. While at the university, he became a writer and associate editor for the student newspaper, The Lumberjack, and graduated in 1981 from HSU with a BA in Journalism, explaining his choice of major, "writing is my first love." He quickly found work as a reporter at two small weeklies near Sacramento, the Willows Daily Journal and the Dixon Tribune. His next career moves found him at the Sacramento Observer, the Eureka Times- Standard, and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in West Covina, Calif., where he worked for eight years covering the education beat. In 1994, he had the opportunity to move to Bullhead City, Arizona, to join the Mohave Valley Daily News as a reporter covering local news and education. In 1997, he was promoted to editor of the Laughlin Nevada Times and the Weekender. Through his stories and editorials, Lewis was especially proud of the success his reporting news efforts played in several important local issues: the saving of bus transportation for the Laughlin school children; working with Veterans groups to bring the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to the area; securing two new vans for the Laughlin Senior Association to help with Meals on Wheels and medical transportation; and advocating to construct the runaway truck ramp on Highway 163 just before entering Laughlin. These are only four examples of success stories that show the major role Lewis' love of his profession played to impact the community in a positive manner! Lewis loved his profession, and wanted to put a "caring, interested face" behind the paper and felt a special responsibility to search out not only hard news stories, but those stories that show the people behind the news – those unsung heroes. His stories and advocacy were recognized, and Lewis was named the News West Publishing Employee of the Month twice during his years at the paper. "It makes me feel good to receive this award," said Lewis, "because it's recognition from my peers." After 19 years, Lewis retired from the Daily News in 2013, and with his wife, Kathy, began several years of traveling to visit family and friends, as well as tours to Alaska, Panama, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Hungry, Austria, Germany, Holland, and China. As a history buff, Lewis always made the tours extra special because he shared his knowledge and love of history with those he travelled with on the tours – it was a real treat to have him along! Lewis liked working crossword puzzles, enjoyed reading and watching the History Channel, and loved gambling at the Aquarius Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Lewis will always be remembered for his quick wit and dry sense of humor! Lewis leaves behind his wife of 24 years, Kathy; three children; three step-children; five grandchildren; two brothers; a sister; and two nieces. Lewis was laid to rest on April 30, 2020, at the Veterans Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Parkinson's Disease Research, Donation Processing, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014, or call 1-800-708-7644. See Also: Find A Grave |
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