Lester J. Ames was born in 1919 into a family that would struggle to make ends meet during the depths of the Great Depression-but remained rich in happiness and faith nonetheless.
As an adult, he served in the US Army in World War II and witnessed the surrender of Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita in the Philippines. After going to college for a year, he continued his studies independently for ten years and eventually became an inspector in the poultry industry.
Through it all, Ames has persevered. He met the love of his life, always remembered to be happy, and gave it his best no matter what obstacles life threw at him.
Ames shares a life rich with treasure and joy designed to inspire others in Happiness Is Life, cowritten by Eufemia Tobias Munn. Ames's hope in writing this book is to show others that-no matter what their talents, goals, or professions-everyone has a purpose on Earth. And by working hard, they can fulfill that purpose and find the happiness they deserve.
About the Author: Lester J. Ames grew up during the Great Depression, studied in a one-room schoolhouse, and saw locusts destroy laundry in the Dust Bowl. He witnessed Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita and his staff surrender to the US Army during World War II. He then went on to work for the Department of Agriculture for thirty-six years. He has enjoyed more than sixty years of bliss with his wife, Marie. At ninety-six years old, he continues to live a rich life.
Coauthor Eufemia Tobias Munn lives in Medical Lake, Washington. A child survivor of World War II, she wrote about her experiences in her memoir Bridging the Gap. Munn, widow of the late Dr. Merton Munn, a Presbyterian missionary at Silliman University in the Philippines, helped build the Shalom Science Institute in her hometown of Balabagan in the Philippines.