Person Page 5,414

Obituary -- The Washington Post (via Tracy DeVault):

William earned his bachelor's degree from Cal Tech and entered West Point, graduating in 1936. He was a graduate of the Army War College and earned a master's degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

During World War II, he served in the Aleutian campaign and commanded an engineer combat group of the First Army in Europe. He earned the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He also received decorations from Belgium and France. He later held various posts as an engineering officer in the Pacific, the Mediterranean and this country.

An amateur radio enthusiast with the call sign W4KN, Gen Shuler was a member of the American Radio Relay League.

; Jack previously eloped with Metta Prather to be married at Yuma, Arizona on 16 MAY 1936, while his parents were absent on a trip to New York. According to the newspaper article, the married couple returned to their respective parents' homes immediately after the elopement, and Jack returned to his college studies. Source: The Sacramento Bee; Tuesday, 28 JUL 1936, page 13 (Newspapers.com), "Elopement Marriage Of Rev. Shuler's Son Is Told". Metta filed for divorce the following August, citing a lengthy list of complaints including the fact that she was forced to live with her mother. Source: The Los Angeles Tiems, Tuesday, 25 AUG 1936, Part II. page 2 (Newspapers.com), "SHULER BOY'S WIFE ASKS DIVORCE, BLAMING CRUELTY".

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

EDWARD H. SHULER

July 21, 1923- August 20, 2020

Ed was born in Los Angeles, the sixth of seven children of Robert P. and Nelle Reeves Shuler. His father was a Methodist minister who had a major influence on the politics and morality of Los Angeles in the twenties and thirties and was a candidate for both the U.S. Senate and Congress. He was known as "Fighting Bob" Shuler for his penchant to take on all comers regardless of the odds. He was one of the first radio ministers, broadcasting throughout the West on his own station, KGEF.

Ed graduated from El Monte Union High School in 1941, where he was a four-year letterman in football. He received a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California while a member of the Navy V-12 program, completed his midshipman training and received his commission at Columbia University in 1944 and served on a U.S. Navy minesweeper in the Pacific Theatre. After the war, he returned to USC on the G.I. bill and received his M.S. degree in Geology. His master's thesis was purchased by the state of California and was utilized in producing the official geologic map of California. While a graduate student at USC, Ed was selected as a member of the U.S. government-sponsored team of scientists that surveyed Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1947, one year after the atomic bomb tests.

Ed married Colleen Stewart in 1946 ("the best thing I ever did"). They were married for 70 years. Ed is survived by four children: Edward Harvey Shuler of Placentia, CA; Peggy Dement of Garland, TX; Wiley S. Shuler of San Marcos, TX and James D. Shuler, MD of Kamas, UT. Ed is survived by nine grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren.

Ed began his career in the oil industry in 1948 as a petroleum engineer with Pacific Western Oil Corp., a predecessor of Getty Oil. He served in a number of engineering and management capacities in Los Angeles, Ventura, San Francisco, Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada), Louisiana, and Texas before being elected Vice President of oil and gas production for Getty Oil Company at corporate headquarters. He was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Getty's Western Division with headquarters in Bakersfield in 1973, and in 1982 was promoted to Group Vice President for Exploration and Production with offices in Los Angeles. He retired in 1984 as a result of the Getty/Texaco merger and he and Colleen returned to Bakersfield because "our friends were there."

Ed has been involved in numerous professional, civic and community activities. While in Ventura from 1961 to 1969, he was president of the Greater Ventura Chamber of Commerce, director of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association, the Ventura Economic Development Association and the United Fund, .and was a member of the Ventura City Planning Commission. In Bakersfield, Ed was a director of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital for 26 years, past presidents of the Bakersfield Rotary Club, the Quest Club, the Bakersfield Country Club, the Western Oil and Gas Association, and the Petroleum Production Pioneers. He is a former director of Mitsubishi Oil Company (Japan), the American Petroleum Institute, Bakersfield College Foundation, the Southern Sierra Council of the BSA and the Bob Pyles Boys Camp. He is a former member of Rotary Five (Los Angeles), the Jonathon Club, the Los Angeles Club and Lakeside Country Club. He was a registered Professional Geologist and Petroleum Engineer for the state of California.

Ed was especially proud of his family. He spent many happy hours hunting and fishing with his three sons and son-in-law and more recently, his grandsons. He celebrated his 81st birthday fly-fishing in Alaska with all of the boys in the family. He was an extra-class amateur radio operator with the call sign K6DT. He enjoyed duplicate bridge and golf and regularly played at BCC.

Ed and Colleen were active members of First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield and enjoyed their many friends there. They started their married life organizing the "Mr. and Mrs. Sunday School" class at Trinity Methodist Church in Los Angeles and have been deeply involved in similar church related activities ever since. They have been Methodist, American Baptist, Canadian Baptist, Southern Baptist and Presbyterian and enjoyed them all. God has always been the center of their family.

Our heart felt appreciation goes out to Norma Reyes of Agape In Home Care for providing such love and care to both Ed and Colleen Shuler in their final years of life.

; The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California; Monday, 19 JUL 1948, Part II, page 6 (Newspapers.com.)

Obituary of her twin sister Martha (Beeuwkes) Hossman, The Seattle Times from Nov. 29 to Nov. 30, 2009 (via Tracy DeVault):

Martha Beeuwkes HOSSMAN On November 15, 2009 in her home in Seattle, Washington, Martha "Marty" Beeuwkes Hossman departed this life just a day before her 99th birthday. Born in Bloomfield N.J. to Reinier Beeuwkes and Anna New Beeuwkes, Martha was one of three children. She is predeceased by a twin sister, Marjorie Beeuwkes Shuler and an older brother, Reinier Beeuwkes, Jr. At an early age Martha and her family moved to Seattle where Martha grew up. She graduated from the University of Washington where she joined Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, maintaining a lifetime membership. In Seattle, Martha met and married her late husband, Carl L. Hossman, and together they raised two children. Martha was a lady that savored life, thrived on adventure, and sought continuously to learn. Well into her late 90s she spent several hours every day working on her computer while continuing the study of French. An admirer of Grandma Moses, she took up drawing at age 98. She loved a daily game of double solitaire with her beloved caregivers and often won. She had a wry sense of humor and was a fun, loving person who truly cared about people. She loved dogs and considered them people too. She gave generously to family, caregivers and organizations important to her. Moreover, she gave of herself, her attention, her love and her personal time. Martha believed in practicing the golden rule and touched the hearts and lives of all who knew her in a very profound and personal way. Survivors include Martha's daughter, Alix Hossman McDonough, her husband Thomas Heiple, son Carl L. Hossman Jr. and wife, Ginny, two grand-children, Andrew and Ashley Hossman, her husband Josh Klakring and their son, Wyatt. Additional survivors include nieces, Leslie Blaine and Betsy Beeuwkes Cook, nephews, Reinier III, John and Henry Beeuwkes and William R. Shuler, Jr. A private family service will be held in Seattle.

Obituary -- News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon, March 2, 2002 (via Tracy DeVault):

Former longtime Dayton resident Willis Lloyd Pitkin of Westport died Feb. 12, 2002, in his daughter's home in Westport. He was 93. A family memorial service will be held at a later date.

He was born July 18, 1908, in Ft. Pierre, S.D. He lived in South Dakota and later was raised and educated in Iowa, Montana and California.

He and Dorothy Shuler were married Jan. 18, 1932.

Mr. Pitkin lived in California from 1924 to 1972. He ran a service station from 1930 to 1965. He served in the Navy during World War II.

He moved to Neck Road, Dayton, in 1972 and lived there until 1998, then moved with his wife to Utah. Mrs. Pitkin died in 1998. Mr. Pitkin moved from Utah to Westport in 2001.

An avid gardener, he had grown cantaloupes to be sold in Putt's Market, Dayton. He was a frequent contributor to the Readers' Forum in the News-Register.

Survivors include two daughters, Willma Nelle de Vries of Westport and Jane Ellen Bauermann of Lacey, Wash.; a son, Willis L. Pitkin Jr. of Hyde Park, Utah; 10 grandchildren, 6 stepgrandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and six stepgreat-grandchildren.

He also was preceded in death by his brothers, Ward, Caryll and Jim, and by sisters Lois and Jean.