J. W. Lemay Jr.

Mr. J.W. Lemay Jr. Mr. J.W. Lemay Jr., 93, Peacefully left his earthly home at Snelson Farms on December 3, 2013. Mr. Lemay was attended by his daughter and caretaker of many years, Pamela Lemay Snelson, husband Steve, sons, Steven and Kevin, and his excellent Rivercross team. The family will receive friends from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., Sunday in the Stumpff Funeral Home Chapel Funeral services for Mr. Lemay will be held at 2 P.M. on Monday, December 9, 2013 in the Stumpff Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Earl Olson officiating. Interment will be in the Memorial park Cemetery where full military rites will be accorded by the James H. Teel American Legion Post # 105. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Stumpff Funeral Home & Crematory. A memorial fund has been established and those who wish may send their contributions to the First Wesleyan Church, 1776 S.E. Silver Lake Road, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74006. Mr. Lemay was born on March 11, 1920 at Mountainair, New Mexico the son of James Wesley Lemay and Pansy (Belcher) Lemay. He moved with his family to Ozark County, Missouri in 1922 where the family farmed. The family moved back to Mountainair in 1933. Later they moved to Portales, New Mexico where J.W. attended college. Mr. Lemay held Civil Service jobs at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, at Army Weapons Storage in Fort Worth, and Chemical Warfare Procurement in Dallas. He then joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and went to boot camp in San Diego. In January 1943 he became store keeper first class and was sent to San Francisco to board AP-37 troop transport ship to join the World War II efforts. The ship joined the convoy the southwest pacific as part of the U.S. Navy Amphibious Forces. They spend two weeks at Pearl Harbor and then proceeded on to the Fiji Islands. They were sent to back up the Marines at Guadalcanal who were there to secure beachheads. The landing force included the United States, New Zealand and the Australian infantries. Mr. Lemay was ordered back stateside by the ship commander to attended officer training school in order to move up in rank. He caught the ship back to the U.S. in September 1944. From his school he received orders to report to the USS Rushmore, an amphibious landing craft which was in the Philippines. He spent the rest of World War II as an officer of the USS Rushmore until December 1945 was released to Active Reserve status. For many years he spent two weeks per year in maneuvers on board destroyers used for training out of New Orleans that sailed to Guantanamo Bay and other islands. He was later sent to Washington, D.C. one week a year as a Navy liaison. Mr. Lemay received his BS in Business in1947 at New Mexico University where he was president of the Silver Key Society and in charge of the Veterans Affairs for the college. He received his Masters degree at the University of Arkansas in 1948. Also in 1948 he was inducted into the International Accountants Society. On June 15, 1948 he reported to Phillips, Texas to work for Phillips Petroleum Company. While in Phillips and then Borger, he founded the Naval Reserve Petroleum Unit # 8 and was made Administrative Officer. In his first year with the company he received the Lybrand Award;, many more followed. He retired from Phillips Petroleum Company on March 1, 1982 as International Tax Specialist. Mr. Lemay was very active in the First Church of the Nazarene for many years, later joining the First Wesleyan Church family. He taught business night courses at the Wesleyan College before taking the Phillips Petroleum Co assignment that kept him overseas much of the time. He was active in the Navy Reserve Unit, Philresters, Arkansas University Alumni and his church. A decorated veteran, Captain Lemay has a spot on the local Wall of Honor, his World War II service is chronicled in books and papers. He was a founding member of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. with picture plank and service recorded, Life Member of the Military Officers Association, Life Member of the Association of the U.S. Navy and a member of American Legion Post # 105. J.W. will be remembered first as a family man: husband, father, grandfather; and then as a friend and mentor to many. He was truly a life of service to God, Country and his fellow man. Mr. Lemay was married to Katherine Evelyn Parrie on June 8, 1945 at Texarkana(in Arkansas and Texas) and she preceded him in death on October 17, 2006. He was also preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Violet Patterson. Mr. Lemay is survived by two daughters, Pamela Lemay Snelson and husband Steve of Wann, Okla., and Karen Sue Meyer and husband Bruce of Bartlesville, one son, Dr. William Lemay and wife Martha of Bartlesville, one brother, Herbert Lemay of Irving, Texas, three sisters, Marjorie Hale of Irving, Texas, Geekie Curtis of Salem Virginia, and Mora Jane Baldwin of Temple, Texas, and seven grandchildren, Steven Snelson, Kevin Snelson, Nick Lemay, Nate Lemay, Andre’ Lemay, Elyssa lemay and Alan Meyer. PDF Printable Version

J. W. Lemay Jr.

March 11, 1920 - December 3, 2013