Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/remembrance/story/136733.html

In Remembrance: Boise man active in Kiwanis, city dies from cancer

By Kristi Coffman - kcoffman@idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 08/19/07

Leon ``Lonnie'' Grisham was known by friends and family as a dedicated public servant with innovative ideas for community improvement, but you might miss him if you weren't careful.

``He was the kind of guy you wouldn't look twice at. He was real quiet and humble,'' friend Ralph McAdams said. "But he had a lot of insight about what needed to be done, and he aggressively pursued the things that needed to be done."

Grisham, a Boise resident, died July 28 of complications from cancer.

Grisham was born in Natchez, Miss., and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in engineering.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot during World War II, where he began a series of adventures that are still recounted by friends and family.

One such adventure involved Grisham being shot down over Germany where he crash-landed in a tree and was badly injured. Some townspeople took him in and helped protect him until he was dressed in a disguise and sent out, only to be recaptured and put in a POW camp. But his adventures didn't end there.

``Lonnie had had a relative as a kid who was a veterinarian. There was a soldier who needed his appendix removed, so Lonnie performed an appendectomy on this guy. He said `If there's something that needs to be done, I'll do the best I can,' '' friend Elsa Bennett said.

After service in the Korean War, Grisham retired and settled in Boise, where he quickly became active in the community, becoming a member of the Capital City Kiwanis and serving as Mayor Dick Eardley's administrative assistant.

While in Kiwanis, Grisham was persistent in making sure women could become members.

Grisham sponsored Bennett, and she became a longtime friend of his.

While serving on the Boise School Board of Trustees, Grisham pushed for computers in schools.

``He'd get something started, and he'd get a good foundation and leave it with the people he'd gathered,'' Bennett said. ``He didn't hang on to situations just because he was involved. He wanted other people to be involved.''

Grisham spearheaded a project to put blue reflective tabs on roads to alert fire departments that hydrants were nearby. He also was instrumental in getting Kiwanis-sponsored blue recycling bins out around the city.

``He knew how to get big things done without frightening everybody that was involved. I can't say how he did that, but he did it,'' McAdams said.

Kristi Coffman: 672-6742

In Remembrance is a weekly profile on a Treasure Valley resident who has recently passed away. To recommend a friend or loved one for an In Remembrance, e-mail ourtowns@idahostatesman.com.