Obit - Asa Lorenzo Lewelling 1915-2007

Billie Harris - Mar 29, 2013

Tonight I was trying to find the line that Mike Lewelling descends from.   Mike did a DNA for the descendants of William Lewelling who died in Randolph County, North Carolina.   All I knew was that he descended from William through his son Meshach.   Here's the way his ancestry goes:

William Lewelling died 1799 Randolph County, N.C.
   Meshach Lewelling
         Asa Lewelling
             Lucius Guy Lewelling
                   Asa Lorenzo Lewelling (1915-2007)
                       Mike Lewelling

Here's the obit information found in the Oregon State Bar Bulletin about Asa Lorenzo Lewelling:

Distinguished Salem lawyer and former Oregon State Bar president Asa L. Lewelling passed away in his sleep on Sept. 7, 2007. He was 92 years old.

Lewelling was born on April 4, 1915, in Albany, Ore., and he grew up attending Albany schools. He then attended and graduated from Albany College, which is now known as Lewis & Clark College, and earned his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 1939.

From 1942 to 1946, Lewelling served in World War II as a member of the Fifth Air Corps. His efforts in the war earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, America’s oldest military aviation award. After returning from duty, he returned to the practice of law where he worked both as a defense attorney for insurance companies and as a sole general practitioner.

Lewelling practiced law in Salem for 60 years and was admired by his peers and by judges for his knowledge of the law, integrity and commanding presence. His peers respected him so much they elected him president of the Oregon State Bar in 1973.

Lewelling was an outdoorsman at heart. He loved fishing for Chinook, fly fishing, hunting and other opportunities to enjoy nature. He had a reputation among his friends of having a broad knowledge of different species of birds and bugs from his time spent outside. He was also a skilled gardener, earning the nickname "Tomato King" from his vast garden of homegrown tomato plants (and other fruits and vegetables).

Lewelling was also very proud of his family heritage. His father, L. Guy Lewelling, was a respected judge in Linn and Marion counties, and his family came from a long line of pioneers, including his great-great-uncles Seth and Henderson Lewelling, who brought the first fruit trees to the Northwest.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a son and two brothers. Survivors include his wife Shelley, a son, two daughters, a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters