Obituary of Luther Chew

Luther Chew 1920 - 2009 Luther Chew - born Nov. 11, 1920, passed away Sept. 25, 2009 in Chetwynd B.C. Luther was born in Canton, China and spent his early school years in boarding school in Shanghai. In 1929, Luther and his mother left China and moved to Portland, Oregon. As a young man, Luther served in the 11th Airborne Division 468. He surveyed a portion of the Alaska Highway. Then went on to take part in the New Guinea, Southern Philippines and Luzon campaigns and was awarded the following decorations: Philippine Liberation Medal with one Bronze Service Star, American Theatre Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Japan), Good Conduct Medal and Victory Medal and finally the Bronze Service Arrowhead Presidential unit Citation. He was honorably discharged from the Army in May 1946 as a Staff Sergeant. Later on, he put himself through university where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship. Then went on to work at the Washington State University in Wenatchee before coming to Canada, where he was a librarian at UBC in Vancouver, and then at Selkirk College library in Castlegar. After his retirement from Selkirk he moved to the coast, and spent time at Desolation Sound near Lund, before settling in Courtney on Vancouver Island. In 2005 he moved north to Chetwynd. Luther had a passion for the outdoors and always talked about "living off the grid"; a keen sense of humor, and hobbies that included writing short poems, listening to the CBC Radio and staying up to date with the latest government scandals. A Memorial Service was held in memory of Luther on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 2:00 pm at the Chetwynd Fellowship Baptist Church in Chetwynd, British Columbia. Pastor Bill Evans officiated. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Luther may be made to the Chetwynd Hospital Foundation, Box 121, Chetwynd, British Columbia, V0C 1J0.