Extracted from The Ukiah Daily Journal (Ukiah, CA)
Friday, July 27, 2001

Jewell Lee DePriest

Jewell Lee DePriest, a World War II veteran and Fort Bragg resident, died at home on Monday, July 23, 2001. He was 78.

At his request, no services were held and interment was private.

Born on Jan. 29, 1923, in Standard, La. to Oscar L. DePriest and Lucille E. McBroom (both of Louisiana), his family moved when he was a teenager. It was 1942 and the move took them to California to find a better life. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1943. After serving his term, he returned to Fort Bragg, where he worked at most of the coastal sawmills and later became a commercial fisherman.

Upon retiring, he moved back to Louisiana for a few years. When his parents became ill, he returned to California. His daughter, Jaelene, said: ``He led a simple life and he truly enjoyed his family and friends. He spent his last years surrounded by his many dear friends at the Vagabond Village in Cleone.''

His survivors include daughter Jaelene Tidwell and son-in-law, Terry, of Fort Bragg; son, Ed DePriest, of Redding; stepdaughter Sofia Owings, of Fort Bragg; sisters, Maxine Hennigan, of Willits and Shirley Roberts of Arizona; brother, James ``Bo'' DePriest, of Arizona; sister-in-law, Marsha DePriest, of Ukiah; four grandchildren; four nieces and 13 nephews.

He was preceded in death by his sister, Evelyn Carmichael and brother-in-law, Archie, of Fort Bragg; brother, DeWitt DePriest, of Ukiah; and brother-in-law, George Hennigan, of Willits.

Memorial contributions are suggested to: Redwood Coast Seniors, Inc, 490 N. Harold St.; Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Dept., P.O. Box 189; or Mendocino Coast Dialysis Project, P.O. Box 2016 -- all in Fort Bragg, CA 95437.

Funeral arrangements were made through Chapel by the Sea, Fort Bragg.