Roy D. Niswander

11/8/1929 — 6/21/2020

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Roy D. Niswander, 90, of Lewiston, passed away Sunday, June 21, 2020, at Transitional Care of Cascadia in Lewiston, because of age-related illness.

He was born Nov. 8, 1929, to Virgil and Esther (Lehman) Niswander in Winchester. Roy had an older brother, Calvin, and an older sister, Nellie “Rose.” His mother moved the family to Emmett, Idaho, after his father passed in 1943.

Roy married Wilma Search in 1948. The couple had one daughter, Barbara. He moved his family back to Winchester, where he farmed and worked at a local sawmill. The marriage ended in divorce.

In 1950, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served until 1953 at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

In 1955, he moved to Lewiston and worked as an insurance agent for State Farm Insurance for 40 years, retiring in 1995. This is where Roy met the love of his life and married Janet Ruth Jensen. The couple married in April 1958 at the home of her parents, Hyrum “Lynn” and Maibelle “Ruth” (Blessing) Jensen, in Jerome, Idaho. Two sons were born into this union — Clinton and Vernon.

Family and friends alike knew if they wanted a free lunch, to show up at his office right at noontime. Many people that Roy had insured over years didn’t just think of him as their insurance agent but as a friend as well. Roy enjoyed spending time with his family and volunteering for the Senior Nutrition Program in Lewiston.

Roy is survived by his wife of 62 years, Janet Niswander, of Lewiston; daughter Barbara Pettyjohn, of Ione, Ore.; son Clinton (Laura) Niswander, of Boise; son Vernon (Sonya) Niswander, of Lewiston; five grandsons; two granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and eight great-granddaughters.

Roy was preceded in death by his father, Virgil; mother Esther; brother Calvin; and sister Nellie “Rose.”

A memorial service will be announced at a later time. Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home of Lewiston is in charge of arrangements.

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