Lee Ross Belau

Lee Ross Belau, of Porterville, CA, passed away on February 2, 2023. Lee was born in South Dakota in 1933 and moved to Dinuba, CA at the age of three. His family moved to Dunsmuir, CA where he graduated high school in 1951. He served the Army before attending and graduating from Montana State University in 1959.

Lee began his career with the US Forest Service, working as a forester on the Shasta Trinity National Forest. His career with the USFS took him to the Yolla Bolly and Los Padres National Forests before becoming Ranger on the Shasta Trinity and then the Mendocino National Forests. He then became Fire Management Officer on the Sequoia National Forest.

There were two things that mattered to Lee above all, and those were forestry and family. It was his work in the USFS that introduced him to his wife, Ann Smithburg, whom he married in 1964. Together, they raised two daughters while he served as District Ranger in Mt. Shasta and Upper Lake, CA. Lee’s daughters grew up waving to EVERY Forest Service green vehicle. Ann was convinced that she must have waved to Lee when she was a teenager driving to Oregon every summer and he was working in Northern California. Lee’s career brought the family to Porterville, CA in 1976, where he was the Fire Management Officer until his retirement from the USFS in 1997. He was an active member of both the Society of American Foresters and the National Association of Forest Service Retirees.

Lee was active in the Porterville community as a member of Porterville Breakfast Lions, Tulare County Grand Jury, and Monache Band Parents Association. Even after his daughters graduated, Lee and Ann hauled equipment and chaperoned band trips to the East Coast and the Rose Parade. Ann and Lee’s garden was a labor of love, and they opened it to the community as fundraisers for the MHS band. People throughout the area often saw Lee riding his bicycle as he regularly logged over 3000 miles each year. His family and friends will remember him for his wry sense of humor, his dedication to important matters, being the very model of integrity, and making the world’s best pancakes.

Lee was preceded in death by Ann, his wife of 55 years. He is survived by his daughter Jennifer Leal and son-in-law Armando Leal of Porterville, and daughter Rebecca Camarena and son-in-law Chris Camarena of Lemoore. He was so very proud of his five grandchildren; Chris Leal of Tulare, CA, Sarah Leal Acosta of Nampa, ID, Elizabeth Leal of Porterville, Noah Camarena of Culver City, CA, and Rachel Camarena of Clovis, CA.

At Lee’s request, no public memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The National Museum of Forest Service History at forestservicemuseum.org in remembrance of Lee Ross Belau. This is a cause dear to both Ann and Lee’s hearts.