Obituaries : * Erwin L. Wiens; Rock Carver, Oxnard Resident

Erwin L. Wiens, a longtime Oxnard resident and avid rock carver who displayed his many figurines at local gem shows but never sold them, died Monday after a yearlong bout with bone cancer. He was 74.

Born in Reedley, Calif., Wiens lived in the small town just south of Fresno until he volunteered for the Army Air Corps during World War II. After returning from service in 1945, he went to work for GTE Corp., which soon transferred him to Oxnard. He worked for the company for 39 years until retiring as a construction superintendent.

His daughter Lynn Grimes said many of her childhood memories are filled with her father’s quest for the perfect rock to carve, a 30-year hobby for Wiens.

“He carved mostly animals,” Grimes said. “Donkeys, horses, turtles, alligators and a dragon biting his tail.” She said that her father demonstrated his carvings, which range in size from one to eight inches, at local gem and mineral shows.

Often, she said, people would approach Wiens at the shows and ask how much he wanted for his carvings. “But he never would sell them,” Grimes said. “I think they were a part of him.”

Aside from rock carving, Wiens had a passion for crossword puzzles, Grimes said. “We used to fight over who would get to them first,” she said.

Wiens is survived by his wife of 51 years, Yvonne; daughters Cynthia Wiens and Alyse Gallant, both of Oxnard, and Lynn Grimes of Camarillo; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visitation is Friday at James A. Reardon Mortuary in Oxnard. Services are at 2 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Oxnard. The Rev. Kenneth Hahn will officiate. Burial is private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Assn./Hospice, 1996 Eastman. Ave., Suite, 101, Ventura, Calif. 93003.