December 24th, 2016Robert C. (Bob) Lemon, age 91, passed away suddenly on Dec. 24th, after a Christmas Eve dinner with his family. His family is grateful for the opportunity to have one last celebration with him before he passed. Robert was born on October 19th, 1925 in Stockton to Frank F. Lemon Jr. and Ruth (Cline) Lemon, the eldest of five children. The son of a Railroad Engineer, Bob knew from the age of seven that that’s what he wanted to do, too. He went to work for the Western Pacific Railroad after graduation from Edison High School in 1943. He worked for them as a Fireman and then Engineer for the WP and then the Union Pacific when they took over the WP line, retiring in 1988 after 45 years of service. He had a lifelong passion for trains, and steam engines in particular. He was a member of several Railroad Historical Societies and had an extensive collection of books, videos, artwork and even recordings of steam engine whistles. In his youth, he attended the Alliance Church in Stockton, where he met his future wife, Joyce Johnson. They were married on October 10th, 1948, and honeymooned on the California Zephyr to Salt Lake City. They were married for 68 years. Two daughters were born from this happy union; Patrice (Patti) and Denise. In 1965 the family moved to Union City, as Bob started working out of the Oakland Yard of the Western Pacific. They attended Fremont Neighborhood Church and made many good friends there. After Bob retired in 1988, he and Joyce moved back to Stockton. They attended Stockton Covenant Church. Bob and Joyce enjoyed trailer camping and made many trips over the years. They went to Lassen National Park, the Seattle World’s Fair, church family camps and many family holiday weekend trips, among other outings. Bob was a lifelong classical music lover, especially the Baroque period and J.S. Bach. He particularly loved Pipe Organs. He had an extensive record collection and enjoyed attending organ concerts. He also made many trips to the Carmel Bach Festival with his daughter Patti. Bob is survived by Joyce, his loving wife of 68 years, his daughters Patti Lemon (Eric Mitchell) and Denise (Terry) Hershberger; grandsons Aaron (Jacqueline) Hawkins and Matthew (Amber) Hawkins, granddaughter Jennifer Hershberger (Ryan) Hodge; great-grandsons Asa and Max Hawkins, brother William R. Lemon and sister Mary J. Beck. He was preceded in death by his parents Frank and Ruth Lemon and two sisters, Doris and Helen.
SERVICES
All are invited to attend a Celebration of Life at Stockton Covenant Church on January 14th at 2 pm, with a reception following. There will also be a short service at 11 AM at La Salette Health & Rehabilitation Center where Joyce resides. Bob will be interred at Cherokee Cemetery in Lodi.
He was 85. He was born April 26, 1931 to Viola and Henry Willhite in Bokoshe, OK. The family moved to California and settled in Linden when he was 10 years old. He was a proud U.S. Army veteran, and was a retriever mechanic serving 2 tours of duty during the Korean Conflict. Upon his return from military service to civilian life he met and fell in love with Maryanthia Vezaldenos. They wed soon after in June 1955 and remained happily married for the past 61 years. He worked his entire life in the farming and trucking industry. He started O.W. trucking and later O.W. Hay Service. He had a strong, tireless work ethic, with his mantra being: “Work first, there’s always time to play later”. When the work was done he loved to hunt and fish and in later years enjoyed golfing with his wife. More important than anything to him was spending time with his wife, family and life-long friends.He is survived by his loving wife Maryanthia; his daughter Victoria (Billy) Harris; daughter Judee Willhite, and son Ole (Janet) Willhite Jr. He will be missed as “Papa” to his grandchildren: Hilary (Michael) Seymour, Joey (Stefania) Willhite, Samantha (Troy) Swanson, Billy (Rachel) Harris, Jr. and Jason (Nikki) Harris. His great grandchildren: Mikayla, Mikenna and Mikenzie Seymour; Olivia and T.J. Swanson, and Riley and Joshua Harris will miss their beloved “Papa-O”. He is also survived by his sister Catherine Coldani; and brothers Earl, Ray, and John Willhite.
Dad knew his journey here was drawing to a close and specifically asked that we be sure to acknowledge his dedicated and caring Dr. Abbas Chothia, Dr. John Bouteller, his favorite nurse Donna Burke (RNP) and the entire staff of Stockton Cardiology. Also a special thank you to Dr. James Morrissey who dad attributes giving him 33 additional years of time with his family and was always revered as a family friend.
Forever in our hearts; rest in peace now Dad until we are together again.