Wallace Edward GREGORY

Wallace Edward Gregory, 91, passed away on December 13, 2013 at Windsor Chico Creek Care and Rehabilitation Facility. He was born in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma on December 22, 1921, the youngest child of William Franklin Gregory and Rose Lindberg Prater. William Gregory was a farmer In Oklahoma before the dust bowl hit but was wiped out. The family then moved to California and settled in the Gridley area around 1934 where Wallace lived for the remainder of his life. Wallace graduated from Gridley High School and also attending Yuba and Butte Colleges. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he attempted to enlist in the United States Marine Corps but was rejected due to his color blindness. After several attempts at different enlistment locations, he was finally successful in getting in, with this physical condition describing his color perception as "sluggish." He was a member of the Third Marine Division during World War II, fighting battles at Guadalcanal, Bouganville, Guam and Iwo Jima. After World War II ended, he was a member of the Marine Corp Reserve and called back to active duty when North Korea invaded South Korea at the rank of Staff Sergeant until 1951. He then returned to Gridley, working at the Libby McNeil and Libby food processing plant, where he met his future bride, Cynthia Rosemary Wicker while she was a seasonal employee in 1952. After Wallace's retirement from Libby's, he and Rosemary traveled extensively, spending their winters in Mexico and doing a lot of fishing. They also traveled far and wide, having the honor to visit Iwo Jima for the 60th anniversary of that battle. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and had a great appreciation of nature. He always raised a big garden, sharing its bounty with neighbors and friends. He raised many fine animals throughout his life from his early years of raising Weimaraners to having horses, cows, pigs, chickens and geese. He often said that he would like to be remembered as being kind to his animals. He was a member of the Moose, American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, Marine Corps Association Griswold Detachment #112, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and a loyal 49er fan. Wallace was preceded in death by his parents and his 13 brothers and sisters.