- Date Of Birth: June 9, 1911
- Date Of Death: April 21, 2014
- State: California
Mr. Winston peacefully passed away at a local nursing home facility. He is the widower of the late Lillian Winston, who passed in 1999.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT WINSTON, affectionately known as “Ted” or Uncle Thee”, was born on June 9, 1911 to Alberta Brownlee and Watt Winston of Tamo, AR. At the age of six, Ted lived with his Aunt Hattie in Grady, AR. In 1929, he lived with his older sister, Ruby in Dundee, MI.
Ted obtained his schooling and worked part time at a drug store. At the age eighteen, he left Dundee and went to work for the U. S. States Corps of Engineers. In 1932, the Corps transferred him to West Helena, AR.
In 1937, he rekindled an old childhood friendship with Miss Lillian Polk. One day Ted and a friend were taking a walk and ran into Lillian, she informed Ted’s friend that she was having a graduation party that night. Lillian then looked at Ted, looked back at his friend and said, “You can bring him too”. They fell in love and married in July of the same year. In 1942, the couple moved to San Diego, CA.
After arriving in San Diego, Ted enrolled in San Diego Trade School of Welding, Air Conditioning and Electronics and got a job at Convair Aircraft, where he stayed until the end of World War II in 1945. Later that same year, he was hired by City Chevrolet as a maintenance man and eventually became the first Black Car Salesman in San Diego. He worked his way up to a Certified Chevrolet Master Technician. He was a Master Technician until he retired from City Chevrolet in 1976.
After a year of retirement, Ted began his “Girl Watching Job” as he used to call it, working as a security guard at Fedco Department Store on 54th and Euclid. He remained there until the store moved to Highland Avenue. He worked fourteen more years before retiring again in 1992.
In February 2011, at the age of ninety-nine, Ted had a fall. He wasn’t hurt, but as a result of being put in a hospital bed for two weeks without being able to move, shop and cook, he lost the ability to walk, which resulted in him moving to Lemon Grove Care and Rehab, a nursing facility, where he celebrated his 100th, 101st and 102nd in style and was preparing for his 103rd when he passed away.
On Monday, April 21, 2014, Theodore Roosevelt Winston was called home to rest. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian Winston; daughter, Dianne Opichka; grandson, Tyrone Anderson, Jr; and generations of family and friends. Those left to cherish his precious memories include his ex-son-in-law, Tyrone Anderson, Sr. and his wife Donna; six grandchildren, Sanova Anderson, Marleena Rogers, Ronald Naulls, Anisha Naulls, Tara Jackson and Richard Makela; twelve great grandchildren, Christopher Patterson, Princess Patterson, Mariah Patterson, David Rogers, Myla Rogers, Daniel Rogers, Darren Rogers, Aaliyah Naulls, Amaiyah Naulls, Aryanna Naulls, Abigail Naulls and Alivia Naulls; six great-great grandchildren, Prinze Johnson, Tristan Patterson, Taylor Patterson, Christopher Patterson Jr., Nyomi Michaels and Ke’ea Namahoe Makela; hundreds of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and dear friends from all around the country.
