Ewing, Valois "Val" (1923-2007)

EWING, HAGGE, HENRICHS, ABDEL-HADI, SWANEY

Posted By: Colleen Ossman (email)
Date: 5/7/2009 at 15:52:38

Webster City Freeman Journal, Oct 3, 2007

Val Ewing, 83, of Webster City, died Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at Trinity Regional Medical Center at Fort Dodge. A Celebration of Life and a Military Recognition will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Foster Chapel, with Pastor Ray Artrip officiating. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will be at Foster Funeral and Cremation Center from 5-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday prior to the service. Military rites will be conducted by the Iowa National Guard Honor Guard and American Legion Post 191.

Valois Harold Ewing, son of Guy and Bertha Hagge Ewing, was born December 21, 1923 on a farm northwest of Grand Junction. He attended rural schools in Greene county and graduated from Grand Junction high school in 1942. In September of 1942, he entered the United States Air Corps, attending electronics school, flight and controllers school, Ranger schooling and was assigned to a unit deployed to the Aleutians and South Pacific during W.W. II. He was awarded Flight Wings, senior parachutists Badge, Ranger Emblem Badge, Bronze Star Medal with 4 Oak Clusters, Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon with 12 Campaign stars, China, Burma, India Ribbon, Air Metal with 3 Clusters, Phillipine Presidental Citation, Phillipine Liberation Ribbon, Army Commendation Metal, Army Reserve Achievement Medal with 10 and 20 year devices, he received a Battlefield Commission in 1944 and subsequently resigned to accept the rank of Sergeant-Major. On February 1, 1946, he married Marie Jean Henrichs at Jefferson. The couple resided at Grand Junction. He attended Capital City Commercial College at Des Moines for 2 years, Then graduated from Drake University with a business degree in 1958. In 1946, he worked for the REA in construction of new power lines throughtout North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri. In 1951 to 1956, he worked as parts manager at Sidle Company at Boone. He then started working for the Iowa Employment Security Commission at Boone later transferred as manager of the Webster City office. In August of 1964, he enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard of Iowa as an administration assistant at Webster City. He retired in 1981 and accepted jobs with Eddy Hardware, Seneca Foundry and Webster City Schools. They resided at Webster City for 48 years.

Val is survived by his wife, Marie; daughter, Deborah Abdel-Hadi of Charleston, West Virginia; son, Michael Ewing of Golden, Colorado; grandchildren, Ra`ed and Leila Abdel-Hadi; brother and sister-in-law, Keith and Mona Ewing of Kent, OH; nephews, Jerry Swaney of El Paso, TX; Terry Swaney of Spokane, WA; Brad Ewing of TX; niece, Kris Ewing of AZ.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Eldon Ewing; sister, Beulah Swaney and nephews, Ricky Swaney in Vietnam War and Gary Swaney.

He was a member of the First Congregational Church, the V.F.W., and was a former member of the Moose Family Center. He enjoyed yard work, gardening, his flower garden and visiting with friends. He served his country during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He also expressed, many times, their delight and joy of adopting Deborah and Michael.