Harold Lester DINSMOOR ³

  General Notes:

1930 CA CENSUS, Los Angeles Co, Los Angeles city: Harold L. Dinsmoor, 19, 1st marriage age 19, b. OR, father b. MN, mother b. OR, salesman, beverages; wife Louise P., 20, 1st marriage age 19, b. OR, father b. AR, mother b. MO; bro-in-law Bud Cooper, 23, single, b. OR, father b. AR, mother b. MO, packer, orange packing plant.

OBIT: Hood River News (OR), Sep 25, 2004:
Harold Dinsmoor - A celebration of Harold Lester Dinsmoor's life will be on Monday, Sept. 13, at Anderson's Tribute Center at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow. Private interment will be at Idlewild Cemetery.
Harold Dinsmoor passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Oak Grove on Sept. 8, 2004, at the age of 94. He was born on June 17, 1910, in the community of Oak Grove to Mary Isabelle (Wickham) and Faye Dinsmoor. He was their only child. His grandparents Jasper & Mary (Windsor) Wickham had come to the area by way of the covered wagon from Iowa and had settled in Hood River in the late 1880s.
Harold attended Oak Grove School, which was originally known as Crapper School, and was the same school that his mother had attended years before. To get to high school Harold had to ride his horse into town.
Harold moved to Southern California in the 1930s, where he met and married Marian Walther. They were wed in San Fernando, Calif., on Feb. 18, 1938. Soon their sons Larry and David were born. Then in 1943, Harold returned back to the Hood River area with his new family.
In 1945, they bought an orchard in Oak Grove and farmed it for many years. This is the same residence that he and Marian have lived at now for almost 60 years. This is also where their daughter Leslie was born. Later on they sold off part of the land and Harold went to work for Central Sales selling farm equipment. After retirement, he remained active by delivering ladders for Tallman Ladders and managing the Oak Grove Water Works.
Harold had been very active in both the Oak Grove and Hood River communities. He had been a member of the Elks Lodge for over 70 years. In 1969 he was honored as Elk of the year, and until recently, he had attended lodge regularly. In the 1950s and 1960s, he helped with student dances held at the Elks. He was also a member of the West Side Fire Department, the Good Sam Club, the Hood River Lions, and the Historical Society and was a long time member of the Valley Christian Church.
Many might remember seeing him in the 1980s when he would be passing out programs for the Lions at the HRVHS football games and he played Santa one year downtown. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he did a lot of volunteering for the Camp Fire Girls at Camp Yallani at Green Point. In the 1990s he was the Grand Marshal for the 4th of July Parade. He was also a member of the Wy'east Booster Club while his children were in school.
In his younger days Harold loved to hunt and fish. He and Marian spent a lot of time traveling around the United States either by plane or in their motor home with the Good Sam Club. They also traveled together to Japan and Taiwan with the Lions Club. In his retirement days he loved hanging out with his grandchildren and playing with his great-grandchildren. The last five summers he has been able to watch his "Angels", Erin, Amy and Andrea run around the farm and play just like his children had done so many years before. One of his favorite family times together was the Sunday morning breakfasts. Pancakes were always his favorite.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marian, his two sons, Larry of Tustin, Calif., David and his wife, Babs, of Atlanta, Ga., and daughter Leslie and husband, Reed Melby, of Hood River.
He is also survived by eight grandchildren and their families; Danelle (Anderson) Frank of Sioux City, Iowa, Michael Anderson of Hood River, Brian Rockett of Hood River, Scott Dinsmoor of Kihei, Hawaii, Ron Dinsmoor and Stephanie (Dinsmoor) Rodeen of Pullman, Wash., Jeff Rockett of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lauri (Rocket) Richards of Staunton, Va.
He also has his first cousin Gladys Burnelle, 17 great-grandchildren, and an extended family that includes numerous stepsisters and brothers and step-grandchildren. His parents and his son-law Jan Anderson preceded him in death.
Donations in his name can be given to Hospice of the Gorge, c/o Anderson's Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont, Hood River, OR 97031.

Harold married Louise P. COOPER about 1930 in Probably CA.¹ (Louise P. COOPER was born about 1910 in OR ¹.)

Harold next married Marian WALTHER on 18 Feb 1938 in San Fernando, Los Angeles Co, CA.² (Marian WALTHER was born on 10 Oct 1916 in Chicago, Cook Co, IL ² and died on 5 Apr 2007 in Hood River Co., OR ².)