Person Page 3,014

Lawrence Howard Avila was born on 21 October 1905 in Oakland, Alameda, California.¹ He and Maybelle Edwina Herrington were married on 21 October 1932 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. He died on 18 August 1966, at age 60, in Sacramento County, California, Mather Air Force Base.¹ He was buried on 24 August 1966 in Golden Gate National Cemetery (H, 3309-A), San Bruno, San Mateo, California.¹

Lawrence Howard Avila was a Colonel.¹

Edria Clara Cooper was born on 2 May 1933 in Alameda County, California.^1,2,3 She died on 9 June 1998, at age 65.³ She was buried in Day Valley Cemetery, Aptos, Santa Cruz, California.³

Edwin Oliff Cooper was born on 19 June 1903 in Farnborough, Hampshire, England.¹ He and Edria Alta Herrington were married on 6 May 1925 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California. He died on 4 October 1985, at age 82, in Van Nuys, San Fernando Valley, California, USA.¹ He was buried in Glen Haven Memorial Park, Sylmar, Los Angeles, California.¹

Edwin Oliff Cooper was an Aviation Service Manager.² He immigrated in 1920.³

Doris A. Cooper was born in 1927 in Colorado.^1,2 She died in 1936, at age ~9.² She was buried in Perris Valley Cemetery, Perris, Riverside, California.²

Wilbur Civil Damuth was born on 23 February 1878 in Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Wisconsin. He and Alpha Ora Halleck were married before September 1905.¹ He died on 7 November 1952, at age 74, in Jamesburg, Monterey, California. He was buried on 12 November 1952 in Presidio of Monterey, Monterey Co., California, USA.

Wilbur Civil Damuth was a Chief Engineer. W.C.Damuth was truly a hero. At age 65 - 68, he volunteered his experience. He ended up bringing a Liberty ship (Teh Ezra Meeker), back with one other officer.

Wilbur Clinton Damuth was born on 22 September 1905 in San Francisco County, California. He and Anna Juchneiwicz were married on 17 December 1932 in Elkton, Cecil, Maryland. He and Elizabeth Ann Johnson were married on 3 January 1979 in Reno, Washoe, Nevada. He died on 3 July 2001, at age 95, in Pineville, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina, USA.

William Foster was born on 5 October 1881 in San Francisco County, California.¹ He died on 12 January 1958, at age 76, in Salinas, Monterey, California. He was buried on 16 January 1958 in Holy Cross Cemetery (U), Colma, San Mateo Co., California, USA.²

William Foster was a Store Keeper.¹ Monterey Penisula Herald
January 14, 1958
Page 1
William Foster Dead
Jamesburg "Mayor" is Dead

William (Bill) Foster, unofficial mayor of Jamesburg, died Sunday night in the County Hospital. He had been in failing health since last October.

Foster, 77, ruled his domain from a little soft drink and beer stand in front of his house. One of the most colorful people to ever live in the area, he laid claim to the title of postmaster from 1923 to 1934 although it was his wife "Frankie" who held the position.

Bill was known as a story-teller, welter weight boxer, boilermaker, dog trainer, hunter, and lover of children.

Native Californian
He was born in San Francisco on Oct 5, 1881. During his youth he was a boxer and boilermaker. In 1921 he came to Jamesburg in the mountains above Carmel Valley and opened the little stand that he operated ever since.

He lived in the house just behind the stand which he owned with his sister-in-law Alpha Damuth. This is Jamesburg.

A great hunter in his day, Foster once had as many as 20 dogs at his place. Once he took a trained dog act to Mexico and ran out of money. he had to leave the train on which he was riding near the border. Foster tramped several days, followed by about 25 of his dogs, until he reached the border.

During Prohibition he used to brew a non-alcoholic beer which friends said "they sure could get drunk on".

Foster and his stories became a legend in the community.

Foster boasted he was "mayor of an area larger than San Francisco."

His stand at the beginning of the Jamesburg-Tasajara road, was filled with knick-knacks and signs. There was the one which read: "This is my life. I like it and to hell with your criticism. Wm. Foster."

The schedule for the stage line from Salinas to Jamesburg was posted in a prominent place even the the service had been discontinued years ago.

Foster was always willing to take time to talk to visitors who stopped on the hot, dusty route for a cold beer. He had a reputation of never letting a customer go unserved. A honk of the horn of a car would bring him out at any hour of the night, dressed in mackinaw and the quilted black boilermaker's hat which became his trademark.

Liked Honors
He liked the title of "Your Honor" and would swell up with pride anytime any addressed him with the affectionate nickname.

His story telling was known to all the old-timers of the Peninsula and Salinas area.

It was well worth the afternoon's drive out to his remote stand to hear "His Honor" spin a few tails. They always took at least an hour to tell. Old friends said they were about 75 per cent fiction.

One of his most famous tales was about his trip into Tassajara, flying down the grade into the resort in an old Model-T Ford with no brakes. "I kept pumping the horn and the dog at my side kept barking all the way." When he got to the resort he spun around the circle of cabins seven or eight times and finally rolled up the bank to a stop.

Dudes Scattered
The final was always: "And there were dudes runnin' in all directions."

Another story was the tale of the half polar and half brown bear Bill shot in the Arctic when he was in the Navy " ... I was only 17." "I was told to go out and get some meat so I tramped about 20 miles from the camp and shot this bear. When I came back empty-handed the bosun started to bawl me out but I told him to take a sled and a crew to pick up that bear

The rest of the story concerned the travels of the bear skin over a 35-year period. It usually ended with: "The damn dogs finally tore that skin up. But it was sure a fine bear."

Foster is survived by his sister, Mrs. Mary Bauer of San Francisco.

He was a member of the Twin Peaks Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West, and the Golden Gate Aerie of the Eagles.

Funeral arrangements are under direction of Muller Mortuary in Salinas.

Rosary will be recited at the Chapel at the Mortuary at 8:15 p.m. tomorrow.

Services will be held at the Chapel at 9:00 a.m. Thursday with Requiem Mass celebrated at St. Mary's Nativity Catholic Church in Salinas at 9:30 a.m.

Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Alpha Ora Halleck was born on 12 April 1888 in Watsonville (Moss Landing), Monterey, California. She and Wilbur Civil Damuth were married before September 1905.¹ She died on 5 July 1965, at age 77, in Salinas, Monterey, California.

Alta Aldean Halleck was born on 12 January 1886 in California. She and Edward Lee Herrington were married about 1907.¹ She died on 20 December 1921, at age 35, in San Francisco County, California.

Frances (Frankie) Mae Hallock was born on 28 November 1889 in California.^1,2 She and Vernon W. McLain were divorced before 16 January 1920.³ She died on 11 March 1935, at age 45, in California.^4,2 She was buried in Day Valley Cemetery, Aptos, Santa Cruz, California.²

Frances (Frankie) Mae Hallock was a Postmaster in Jamesburg, Monterey, California.³

Audra Herrington was born on 2 September 1914 in San Francisco, California, USA, at Mather Air Force Base. She and Raymond R. Winfield were married in 1953. She died on 11 June 2005, at age 90, in Potomac, Montgomery Co., Maryland, USA.

Edria Alta Herrington was born on 16 April 1908 in Sacramento, Sacramento, California.^1,2 She and Edwin Oliff Cooper were married on 6 May 1925 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, California. She died on 1 March 1952, at age 43, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.³

Edward Lee Herrington was born on 24 January 1881 in Fort Bidwell, Modoc, California.^1,2,3 He and Alta Aldean Halleck were married about 1907.⁴ He died on 4 April 1973, at age 92, in San Francisco City, San Francisco, California.³ He was buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park (Garden/ Section D, Tier 3), Colma, San Mateo, California.³

Edward Lee Herrington was in Physician G.P.¹ * Son of Jeremiah Herrington and Martha E. ? .

Maybelle Edwina Herrington was born on 17 July 1910 in Sacramento, Sacramento, California.¹ She and Lawrence Howard Avila were married on 21 October 1932 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. She died on 8 August 2005, at age 95, in Evanston, Uinta, Wyoming.¹ She was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery (Section H, Site 3309-A), San Bruno, San Mateo, California, Cremated.¹

Maybelle "Mabs" Avila passed away at the Beehive House in Evanston, Wyo., on Aug. 8, 2005, at the age of 95. She was born on July 17, 1910, in Sacramento, Calif., the daughter of Edward Lee and Alta Aldene (Halleck) Herrington.

She married Lawrence Howard Avila on Oct. 21, 1932, in San Francisco, Calif. She lived in the Evanston area briefly and spent most of her life in the Billings area. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star in Billings. She spent several hours serving as a volunteer in the Senior Citizen Center in Billings. She loved to sew, cook, and do needlework, and spend time with her family.

She is survived by her daughter, Patricia Lynn (Roger) Scarborough, of Evanston; her grandchildren, Jennifer Lynn Scarborough, of Evanston, Beth Nicole Graham, of Sheridan, Mont., and Ryan Nicholas Scarborough, of Greeley, Colo.; and her great-grandchildren, Eli Graham, Grace Graham, Simon Graham, Matthew Graham and Emma Rose Scarborough.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and two sisters, Edria Cooper and Audra Winfield.

The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society. No services will be held and cremation has taken place under the direction of Crandall Funeral Home of Evanston. Interment will take place at a later date in California.

Elizabeth Ann Johnson was born on 15 December 1910 in Oregon. She and Wilbur Clinton Damuth were married on 3 January 1979 in Reno, Washoe, Nevada. She died on 22 October 1996, at age 85, in San Mateo, San Mateo Co., California, USA.

* Daughter of Justin Edmund Johnson and Mary Elizabeth Best.
* Elizabeth had been previously married to John Driscoll Kelly (1903-1966).

Anna Juchneiwicz was born on 29 October 1907 in New Jersey. She and Wilbur Clinton Damuth were married on 17 December 1932 in Elkton, Cecil, Maryland. She died in January 1978, at age 70, in Hidalgo, Hidalgo Co., Texas, USA. She was buried in Day Valley Family Grave Yard, Aptos, Day Valley, Santa Cruz, California.

* Daughter of Casimir Juchniewicz and Amelia Kinder.

Vernon W. McLain was born in March 1880 in Minnesota.¹ He and Frances (Frankie) Mae Hallock were divorced before 16 January 1920.³ He died in April 1951, at age 71.² He was buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, San Mateo, California.²³