Sylvan Star Hewitt, 88, of Union and formerly of Richland, died Nov. 25, 2005, at a La Grande care center.
There will be a celebration of his life at 10 a.m. Friday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., in La Grande. Interment will be at the Eagle Valley Cemetery in Richland. Visitations will be Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley.
Sylvan Hewitt was born on May 13, 1917, at Richland to Elvira and Icey Hewitt. He attended Richland and Baker schools.
In 1939, Sylvan married La Nore Wilson. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941 and saw active duty in France, Italy and Germany.
After the war, he built and operated a sawmill at Summerville. In 1957 he sold the mill to Val Setz Lumber Co. and moved to La Grande.
Sylvan pursued some other interests at that time, including the purchase of several commercial and residential properties. He spent a short time in the cattle business, purchased an airplane to do some aerial crop spraying and to fly sportsmen into Red’s Horse Ranch. He also spent a few years hauling logs.
Sylvan was divorced after 27 years of marriage and in 1973 he moved back to Richland. He had an undying love for gold mining. He built and collected a lot of mining equipment and followed his hobby, which took him to the Snake River, Cornucopia, Sumpter, Granite and finally to Alaska.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and fixing mechanical things and he loved helping people. He enjoyed traveling and took trips to visit his son while he was in Iran and England. His son was training Iranians to fly helicopters.
Sylvan had his share of tragedies. His first-born son was run over and killed at age 7 by a car driven by a close family friend. His second son was killed in a helicopter crash while logging in Montana after his tour of duty in Iran was completed.
Sylvan has survived many illnesses and spent the last three years on dialysis. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and of the American Legion. He had many close friends and will be truly missed.
Survivors include two grandsons, Zachary Stockton Hewitt of Palm Springs, Calif., and Gabriel Stockton Hewitt of Austin, Texas; two brothers, Richard and Bob Hewitt, both of La Grande; and longtime close friend, Etta Ruberg of Union.
He was preceded in death by his two sons, Duane and Tom; and two sisters, Rita and Arvilla.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars through Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, OR 97850. To view the obituary, leave a condolence or sign the guest book online, visit www.danielschapel.com.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, December 2, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor
