Verle "Lee" Paxton

Verle “Lee” Paxton, age 74, of Cave Junction, died Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at Three Rivers Medical Center.

A memorial service will be at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 12, 2014, at Valley Evangelical Free Church, with Pastor Marvin Porter officiating. Illinois Valley Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Remembrances may be made to the Verle Lee Paxton Fund at any branch of Washington Federal.

Lee was born on November 18, 1939, in Hedrick, Iowa, to Verle and Freda Paxton. At age 16, he joined the Iowa National Guard and after one year enlisted in the United States Air Force serving four years. In August 1961 he entered the United States Army and served with the infantry in the 101st Airborne Division. On January 22, 1960, in Ottumwa, Iowa, he married Linda K. McCarty. In January 1965 he moved to San Bernardino, California, and began working for GTE Telephone Company, retiring in 1987. In 1988, Lee went to work for CP National in Colusa, California. The company later became Alltel (now Frontier.) He was promoted to manager within the company in 1993, and moved to Cave Junction that same year. He continued to work for the telephone company until his retirement in 2003. From November 2005 to May 2012 he worked for Josephine County UCAN.

Lee was a member of Valley Evangelical Free Church in Cave Junction since 1995. He served on the leadership board as well as volunteering in many other capacities.

His hobbies included woodworking, breeding and showing dogs, reading, and spending time with his family.

Lee is survived by his wife, Linda K. Paxton, of Cave Junction, Oregon; two sons, Brad Paxton and wife Carrie of Cleveland, Missouri, and MAJ (Ret) Jason Paxton and wife Gina of Cibolo, Texas; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

His parents; three sisters; and a daughter preceded him in death.