Arthur C.A. LeValley

Art was born December 20, 1917 in Brush, Colorado. His family had lived mainly around Woodruff, Kansas. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, he dropped out of school and worked in the beet fields. He did a wide variety of odd jobs on ranches and farms in Eastern Colorado, living most of his early life in his beloved Fort Morgan. He learned to break horses and to love dogs.

At the age of 17, he followed his older sister Freda to Santa Paula, California. He lost everything except his dog in the New Year’s Flood of 1934, while living in a small house near the airport. Through his best friend, Laurence Hawkins, he met his sweetheart, Hildreth Hawkins. They began dating in 1937 and married in 1941. They first lived in the Victorian house at the site of the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, across from the Santa Paula depot. They loved swing music, especially Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.

Their lives were soon interrupted by World War II. Arthur was drafted in 1942. He trained at Brownsville, Texas where he received sharpshooting medals and eventually rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He drove a tank in the Tank Destroyer Division under General George Patton. They landed in Marseilles, France and made their way to Belgium, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He never forgot the cold of that winter. He received some national newspaper attention when he volunteered to be the last man over a bridge targeted by German forces. He drove the tank alone, knowing that the bridge could be blown at any time. He made it just before the bridge blew He could identify allied and enemy aircraft both by sound and by sight, and his calm, rational and tactical approach brought those on his tank home safely. He refused a Purple Heart. He had deep compassion for those affected by war, veterans and non-veterans, allies and enemies alike. He never forgot the degree of destruction and starvation he saw as his unit drove back through Germany. Still, he enjoyed his trip through the alps and the scenery he saw in Austria and on the Brenner Pass, where he was when the war was declared over.

In 1948, Arthur and Hildreth decided to go through the lengthy process of adopting a baby from the Children’s Home Society. They waited 7 years before daughter Linda Louise joined the family. Arthur was at home to receive the call about their new baby, and was thrilled to be the one to tell Hildreth. They received a speeding ticket on the way to Santa Barbara to meet Linda.

Before and after the war, he worked at Sespe Ranch as a picker and then a truck driver. He worked as a mover and then found his job at Texaco, where he remained for decades. He worked at Plant 17, making propane and butane. When fires surrounded the plant on South Mountain, he volunteered to stay on alone at the plant for 36 hours, while firefighters valiantly held the line. He retired in 1979.

Art, Hildreth and Linda traveled the Western United States every summer, mostly camping. They had many adventures. Arthur had a great love for our National Parks. A treasured memory was a cruise to Alaska with Hildreth. The family were members of the First Christian Church of Santa Paula for years where Arthur was a deacon, and later, of the First Southern Baptist Church.

Art loved nature and studied animals and plants closely. He knew the back roads and trails of Ventura County. He loved to draw. He was a good harmonica player, and even better at whistling. He repaired clocks and could fixing almost anything. He loved cars and airplanes, and used to hang out at the Santa Paula airport. He was also an avid reader of current events and of history. Everyone who knew him remembers his sense of humor, his independence and his keen intelligence. He cared very much for his neighbors. He loved children and was well known on Dartmouth Road for being an expert tooth puller. He most especially loved his little dog, Tinker. He had a prodigious memory and was an excellent story teller. He will be greatly missed.

Art is survived by daughter Linda LeValley Kama’ila, son-in-law Vladimir Kalugin, beloved granddaughter Katey Moser and grandson-in-law Garrett Moser, beloved granddaughter Megan Cervantes and fiancé Daniel Hernandez, great granddaughters Kailey Ann Moser and Danica Holt Hernandez. All are from Ventura.

Art was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Hildreth, as well as his mother Grace Louise, brothers John and Virgil LeValley, sisters Freda Seyler Faulds, Effie Hallberg and Fanny Lapp. He was also preceded in death by brothers and sisters-in-law: Ferba and Cecil Foster, Laurence and Eleanor Hawkins, Eulala and Aubrey Keller, Thelma Daries and Harold Hawkins; and by niece Judie Cooper and nephews Larry Hawkins and Art Lapp.

Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 1 , 2016, at Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery, 380 Cemetery Road, Santa Paula, CA 93060. Arrangements are under the direction of Skillin Carroll Mortuary, 738 E. Santa Paula St., Santa Paula, Calif.; 805-525-3391.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Defenders of Wildlife/Adopt a Wolf or Livingston Hospice of Ventura.