Eunice Tucker - Email Conversation

HaiglerBlog Guestbook Entry – March 31, 2007

Hi. I lived in Haigler from 1938 until I moved to Calif. in 1955. Now living in Portland, Oregon. Have 8 living children yet; 17 grandchildren and soon to have the 12th great-grandchild.

Sun, 1 Apr 2007

Hi Eunice,

Thanks for stopping by the Haigler Blog Guestbook.

It is always exciting to me to hear from another "Haiglerite". Congratulations on the newest great-grandchild. It sounds like you have had a full and interesting life with so many children to care for and love.

I hope you enjoy the blog and will send notes or pictures about your time spent in Haigler. I believe it is the "reader's" contributions that make it the most interesting.

Sherri Gregory

PS: Do you remember my sisters Leah or Leone or my mom Alice Gregory?

I am suffering from what my kids call 'selective memory'. I remember people when I see pictures. the names escape me lots of times. I was in class of '56, but left in Dec. before graduation.

I knew if I called my sister, Alice, there in St. Francis, she would be able to tell me if I knew you folks well. She said your place was east of the old Straub farm, so you girls would have gone to the country school until it was destroyed. I think Louella Straub came to town to go to school in 1953 or so, so I may not have had too much association with you all.

A couple years ago I was going to call St. Francis my home for the rest of my life, but it didn't work out, and I moved back to Idaho. Then last year I came to Portland because my oldest son is very ill, and I wanted to be close to him. In February this year, one of my younger sons died of a heart attack. He was 43.

I will be moving to the Boise, Idaho area later this summer. My oldest son is thinking of re-locating there also. And I have two other boys near there. I hope to come back to Nebr. maybe in 2008 for the school reunion.

Eunice,

Yes, we lived 1 mile north and about 2.5 miles east of where Irene, Paul and Luella Straub grew up. (was there a Harry, too?) I believe Luella graduated the same year my sister, Leah, did from East 10 school. Leah then went to Campion Academy, a church school, in Colorado, but moved back to Haigler after attending a couple of years of college in Lincoln, NE.

Joyce wrote a note awhile back and my Mom and Leone remember your family. My mom taught East 10 school for a couple of years and she said Irene was one of her pupils.

Hope you can make it back for a reunion. I live in Lincoln, NE and didn't graduate from the high school there, but plan to go back this year. Not only for the reunion, but I haven't been back to decorate daddy's grave since he died in 1999.

My sister, Leah, and her husband Dwight Brewer bought a little house in St. Francis a few years ago and go "up" there from Tucson, where they live, several times during the summer. I think they will be there for most of the month of May and probably back for a couple of weeks in June and July, then again in the fall. They plan to spend the whole summer in Sainty once they get retired.

Who is Alice married to? Leah probably knows her, but I left so young that I have a hard time sorting everyone out.

Sherri

Here is a note Mamma wrote awhile back:

"I remember the Tuckers and Straub families. I taught Paul Straub and Ella Mae Workman in the 8th grade. They were cousins, somehow. I think Jake Straub was somehow related to Lottie (Mrs. Ern) Workman and Hannah (Mrs. Paul) Zuege. Rosie Straub was also a sister of Harvey Hofer.

If you figure it out, most people in the community were "related" I remember that Rosie Tucker married Wayne Ritchey. They were working for Marvin and Gladys Mills when Jane Mills was born. Then they moved to St. Francis where Wayne got a good job. Wayne's brother, Tom Ritchey, married Mildred Cook. I taught Mildred in the 8th grade at the Mills School. Her twin sister, Marjorie, was in the same grade. They had a sister Alice and brothers Thomas and Dwayne. I went to high school in St. Francis with their older sister, Elizabeth. There was another older brother, John, who married Elsie (Straub) Miller after her husband, Curtis Miller, died. Curtis and John Cook were cousins.

Irene Tucker married a Garner and I don't remember who Leota Tucker married, but I remember that 4 Tuckers married 4 Straubs. Oscar and Alice; Ida and Kenny (I think); Paul and Eunice were only married for a short time. I don't remember who the other one was.

I taught 5 of the Straubs at East 10 school. Paul down to Irene. They were nice kids."

Yes, you have a lot of the information correct. Four of us Tuckers married Straubs. Kenneth married Ida; Alvie married Lucille; Alice married Oscar and I married Paul briefly. I have one son, Gary who lives next door to me here in Portland, from Paul. Gary has two boys, DWayne and Gary thomas and a girl, Lisa. DWayne has 4 boys and Gary none yet. Lisa has one daughter and any day due with a son.

Leota married Max Redden and had 6 or 7 kids. (See my memory is bad). Betty married Herb Rose. Naomi married a James DeBoer (from colorado). They live in a suburb of Portland Hillsboro. Both are ordained ministers. My sister Allie (Alvie's twin) lives with her second husband, Harold Townsend at a retirement home in Gresham, Oregon (also a suburb of Portland). Joyce married Floyd Lovenburg of Grant, Nebraska, and they now reside in Molalla Oregon. They just recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

My youngest brother John lives in Spokane, WA. with another place next door in Athol, Idaho. I lived up on their place off and on for the last 6 years,helping them with the work. Been keeping in pretty good shape cutting down trees and splitting them and putting them in the wood shed for winter fuel. Kenneth lived there until 2003 when he died. He had moved there in 1991 shortly after Ida passed away. I finally got to know my oldest brother and spent a lot of time talking with him. When I was younger I hated him. He felt he had to help my mom with the rest of us kids after my dad died, and I felt he was too mean. We got to be pretty good friends from 2000 thru 2003. I helped with his bed care when he got bedridden before he passed away.

Good morning Eunice,

My mom, who is 92 is amazing! She is the one who remembered those details about your family. She is always "right on" with the information she remembers. She has always been a quiet person who "listens" a lot and knows a lot about the people around her.

I was wondering if you would care if I shared your letter on the blog. I felt like it was written just to us, but thought other people that read the blog might be interested in hearing from you. Let me know - If its ok, I'll put it on the blog tonight after I get home from work.

Wow, you sound like you are in great health!! I couldn't cut logs if I was freezing to death!! Haha... I have always had an inside job - mostly sitting at a desk and am very "out of shape". I work at a small college - Union College - here in Lincoln and some days I come home SO tired I have no energy left for anything. I am looking forward to retiring in a couple of years, then I can do all the stuff I've wanted to do that takes "time"... Like finish the book I'm writing with my mom, etc. I'm glad you got to spend time with your brother. Having good family ties is always what has gotten me over the rough spots along the way and is sooo very important!

Well, better get on my way - have a great day!

Sherri

Hi, your mom sounds amazing. Some days my memory goes in spurts. My brother-in-law (preacher) tells me I used to sit on his hat no matter where he put it and I sure don't remember doing that. So he tells me I have selective memory. It is ok to print the stuff. My best friends were Claudine Wiley and Kay Cline. I would like to hear from them. Seeing our old church all rotted away was very sad. The house we grew up in has been cared for nicely and I took pictures of it to show my kids.