Lester James Warner

LESTER JAMES WARNER On February 24, 2013 Lester James Warner passed away at Mayers Memorial Hospital in Fall River Mills, CA. He was a loving husband to Sarah Maxine Warner and living in the town of Cassel for the past 30 years. He was married to Maxine for 63 years. He is survived by Maxine and three adult children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. His oldest daughter Carolyn Sue Page-Stalnacker resides in Martinez, CA and her two daughters Julie and Stephanie reside in Central California and Oregon respectively. His son James Robert Warner lives in Central California along with his wife and their two sons. Patricia Gravenmeier resides in Texas with her family.

Lester James Warner was an active and vital member of his community. He was a graduate of Long Beach State with a degree in engineering and served in the Navy. He was at Pearl Harbor in WWII and served in a civil position for over 30 years. His colorful career included a stint as a test pilot, and he travelled the world working on electrical systems in any port of call required by our military. After retiring to Cassel at age 50, he continued to serve his community and worked for a local group of contractors who employed a group of superiorly skilled retirees who called themselves “The Chain Gang”. He also helped in the rebuilding and refurbishing of the First Baptist Church in Burney. During the fire which devastated the area surrounding Burney, he served with the volunteer fire department operating a ham radio to assist in the positioning of firefighters and equipment. Even after his career ended he considered himself “on call” to assist the community in any way possible and could be counted on to lend his skills to jobs large and small, wherever there was a need.

As his son it is my pleasure to share his accomplishments and to say a few words about the man who often didn’t say a word about what he did to help others. He set a wonderful example to his family and community.