Obituary of Warren Leo Bizal

Warren Leo Bizal was born 16 April 1941 in Long Beach, California where he spent his childhood. He attended St. Matthew’s Elementary and St. Anthony’s High School. In 1957 along with several buddies, he founded the Lamplighters Car Club in order to meet girls! Besides attending sorority mixers, it was their custom to cruise the Boulevards at night, windows down and radios blasting, Warren, with his thick dark hair perfectly combed, in his lowered 52 Chevy with knitted fuzzy dice hanging from the rear mirror and car club plaque in the back window. In 1960 Warren joined the Air Force. Having trained in electronics at Biloxi Mississippi, he spent most of his military career at Naselle Air Force Station on the mouth of the Columbia River. This being the era of the Cold War, there were many such radar installations up and down the Pacific Coast. During this time he met and married Gerri from Portland, Oregon. They had four children in five years, Kyra, Kevin, Wendee and Jeff. After his discharge from the Air Force in 1965, the family settled in Oregon. In the Portland area Warren first worked for Electronic Specialty, then became a Real Estate agent and later was a Travel agent. He greatly enjoyed travel. In recent years Warren was an antique dealer, having a good eye for a bargain and a talent for restoration. But his forte was building dining room tables. Warren could take a few used boards and four old table legs, envision the final product and meticulously transform random materials into a beautiful one-of-a kind treasure. A high end Portland antique store sold many of his tables. Warren also liked household remodeling as well as tinkering with his “cool 55” red and white Chevy. Throughout his life Warren enjoyed playing card games such as poker, blackjack and cribbage at family gatherings. He liked watching movies (particularly westerns and baseball flicks), listening to jazz music and a capella singing, playing baseball and collecting baseball memorabilia and he had a penchant for anything to do with the 1950s, particularly the music. He made good use of coupons for eating out at his favorite restaurants and often was on a first name basis with the proprietors. Everyone who knew Warren agreed that he was “quite a character.” Among other things, he’ll be remembered for his unstoppable energy, weird dance moves and even his stinky old flip flops which he wore everyday, everywhere! He was a master at making animal noises and had a goofy sense of humor. One endearing trait he acquired from his mother was in finding just the right birthday card for family and friends. Over the years he made many lasting friendships. Warren was a Catholic to the core and stubbornly faced life’s challenges with iron-clad willpower and amazing strength. When he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer the doctors said he may only live a couple of years. That was nearly five years ago. His strong will and ability to stay positive and productive, despite the pain and unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy are what helped him beat the odds. Warren was preceded in death by his mother Lotus Meyer Bizal and father Peter F Bizal. He is survived by his wife Charlean, his sister LeNoir, his four children, and seven grandchildren: Kory, Brendon, Griffin, Mikayla, Jake, Gracie-Anne and SaraJane. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 10 am at The Madeleine Parish at 3123 NE 24th Ave. in Portland,