Obituaries

R. E. (Rex) Chambless

Capt. R. E. (Rex) Chambless quietly passed from this life at 10:55 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. He has set sail for his next port of call into the hands of God.
Capt. Rex was born Aug. 8, 1915, in Samson, Ala. He and his brothers moved to Destin and entered into the fishing business in 1926. He was a licensed boat captain for 60 years before he retired in the early 1990s.
A veteran of World War II, he served with the 256th combat engineers in Europe. He landed at Normandy and also took part in the Battle of Colmar Pocket and the Rhine river crossings. He was a combat-wounded veteran.
He was a charter member of the American Legion Post 296. During his 62-year membership, he served in many capacities including service officer, sergeant at arms and post commander. He independently started the American Legion veterans hospital program, which for a long time he funded out of his own pocket. For his efforts in assisting veterans, he was honored by the president of the United States.
Capt. Rex and three of his sons served a combined total of 42 years with the early Destin Volunteer Fire Department. He and two of his sons served a combined 51 years in military service.
Capt. Rex lived at 530 Calhoun Ave. in a home he built in 1941.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Martha Agnes Chambless; three daughters, Mrs. Carol Martin, Mrs. Rita Byrd and Mrs. Wanda Leiferman; three sons, Rex R. Chambless, Frankie Lynn Chambless and Richard E. Chambless; a sister, Mary Brunson, of Destin; 29 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Bennie H. Chambless.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home, 113 Racetrack Road, N.E. in Fort Walton Beach.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Oct. 7, in the chapel of Emerald Coast Funeral Home. Interment will be at the Destin Memorial Cemetery on Stallman Avenue. A reception will follow at the Destin Presbyterian Church on Calhoun Avenue.
Condolences can be made at www.emeraldcoastfuneral home.com.

Bonnie Sharp Lehmann

Bonnie Sharp Lehmann died peacefully as she slept in her home at Crystal Bay Assisted Living in Sandestin, Fla. She had lived 87 wonderful years loving family and friends, bringing a spark to all who came in contact with her.
Born in Neshoba County, Miss., the sixth child of eight to Elsie Smith Sharp and Luther Davis Sharp, Bonnie was a tiny infant and was not expected to live. It was perhaps in her earliest days of life that she formed her determination and love of life.
Bonnie graduated from Union High School in Union, Miss. She left Union to take a job with Walgreen Drug Company planning and executing the opening of new company drugstores.  She loved to travel, and for years lived out of a suitcase in locales as diverse as St. Petersburg and Chicago. Her affinity for travel and zest for experiencing other places remained with her until a few years ago when her Alzheimer’s disease made travel impractical.
It was just after she had assisted in opening a new Walgreens on Canal Street in New Orleans in 1952 that she met the love of her life, Hans Lehmann.  Although the couple came from very diverse backgrounds and cultures, their love flourished through 49 years of marriage.  Bonnie and Hans owned I.H. Lehmann & Co., an importing business in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and worked together for almost 40 years. 
Bonnie was a faithful member of Lakeview Baptist Church in New Orleans for more than 40 years, involved as a Sunday School teacher, working with the church’s Mission to the Deaf and other activities. She was a former member of the Krewe of Venus, and loved Mardi Gras. Nothing gave her more pleasure than to ride in the Krewe’s parade in full costume, throwing beads to the yelling crowd.  Bonnie was also an Eastern Star.
Hans shared her love of travel, and the couple spent many happy days on various cruises, as well as visiting friends and relatives. One of the high points of their lives was when they were invited as honored guests by the government of Stuttgart, Germany, to visit the city.
In 1998, the lure of grandchildren won out over Bonnie and Hans’ love of the Crescent City, and they moved to Destin, Fla. Bonnie was active in Village Baptist Church, where she relished being a Greeter for Sunday morning services. The couple was also active in the Destin Lions Club and Bonnie was a faithful supporter of both  Harvest House, a local food bank, and Shelter House, a haven home for abused women. She tied countless purple ribbons and hung them around town as part of the effort to bring Sacred Heart Hospital to the Destin area.
Bonnie was preceded in death by Hans in 2000. She was the last living among her seven siblings.
 She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Elizabeth Simpson and her husband, Brock, of Lexington, Ky.; daughter Jennifer Howard and her husband, Blevins, of Destin; and beloved grandchildren, Dylan Bailey Howard and Marleigh Elizabeth Howard; and many nieces and nephews.
People who knew Bonnie loved her for her energy and lively disposition. The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to her caregivers at Crystal Bay, who always made sure she was wearing one of her trademark hats.  Their loving care sustained her through the end.
As she requested, Bonnie’s life will be celebrated with a wake Oct. 7 at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 Canal Blvd. in New Orleans, with funeral services Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.  She will be interred alongside Hans in the Garden of Memories, in New Orleans.
Bonnie requested that any memorial donations be made to the American Heart Association or the charity of your choice.