Lonnie L. Willis

Lonnie L. Willis
June 3, 1932-May 15, 2014
Lonnie L. Willis died at the Idaho State Veterans Home on Thursday, May 15, 2014 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was 81. He leaves behind his wife, Carol Martin, daughter Marcella Willis of Washington, D.C., son Tim Willis of Osaka, Japan, stepdaughter Anne Marie Martin and her husband David of Boise, stepson Matthew Lockwood Mullaney and his wife Jenny of Boston, and grandchildren Theo and Claire Martin, and Evie, Emmett and Eliza Lockwood Mullaney.
He was born June 3, 1932 at the height of the Great Depression on a farm outside Hubbard, Texas, the only child of Willie Mae (Waller) and Luther L. Willis. He was a month early and at four pounds soaking wet, according to the doctor, was placed in a shoebox, upgrading to the apple crate that served as the family crib as he grew. His parents were sharecroppers, and Lonnie helped out early on, picking cotton in the hot Texas sun. This left him with a love of hot weather and a lifelong fear of spiders. He had rickets, his father died when he was 7, but his mom made sure he stayed in school and he graduated from Penelope High School in 1949. He was drafted by the US Army in 1950, acquiring what he called "a mature aging" in the 11th Armored Cavalry. He served for 2 years and was about to be sent to Korea when the war ended.
Thanks to the GI Bill he earned degrees from the University of Texas in Austin and his doctorate from University of Colorado Boulder. He was a professor of English and American literature (and later on to his delight cinema studies) at Boise State University for more than 25 years. Lonnie was a dynamic and engaging teacher and was always generous with his time and energy, especially helping those from difficult or less advantaged backgrounds. He published short fiction, scholarly articles on F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry David Thoreau, Robert B. Parker and others, and two books, Red, White, and Dead and The True Adventures of a Texas Sharecropper Kid. He and Carol lived for several periods of time in England and travelled to 6 of 7 continents. Lonnie declined a proposed trip to Antarctica on account of the cold. He collected first editions which he asked authors to sign to Henry David Thoreau, one of his favorite authors and philosophers. He loved single malt scotch, comic books, movies, rock and blues music, and travel. He was a devoted and doting grandfather and a wonderful husband, and father and stepfather. He will be sorely missed.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Veterans Home for the excellent care and compassion that Lonnie received in his final months. A memorial service will be held on May 31 at 4 in the afternoon at BSU in the Simplot ballroom. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Lonnie L. Willis English Scholarship fund at the Boise State University Foundation, 225 University Dr., Boise, ID 83706.