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Township,
Benton County, MN. His parents had been married for two years,
and his father was working as a blacksmith and a farmer at the
time.
In September 1918, Rupert had just turned 19 years old and was doing automobile
repair work for his father's business in Foley, Benton, Minnesota. He was of medium height and build, with gray eyes and
brown hair.
At the time of the April 19, 1930 census, Rube was
30 years old and living with his wife Viola and seven
children in their own home valued at $1,500 ($15,000 in
2001 dollars) in Foley Village, MN. The family owned
a radio. He was working as a mechanic in a garage.
Rube was married when he was 21 and Viola was 23 years
old. He, his parents and all his children were born in
Minnesota. Viola was born in Minnesota but her father was
born in Michigan and mother was born in Virginia.
At the time of the Apr. 27, 1940 U.S. Federal census, Rupert was 40 years old and living with his 42-year-old wife Viola and their
nine children ranging in age from 18 to 5 years in a house rented for $16/month in Buffalo, Wright, Minnesota. Rupert had completed his education through his junior year of high school, and his wife had completed
three years of college. All their children were attending school with the exception of both the eldest and youngest sons, 18-year-old Rupert and five-year-old Gilbert.
Junior had never attended school. In
April 1935 the family had been living in a rented house in Benton County, Minnesota. Rupert was employed as an auto mechanic in a garage. He had worked 26 weeks and was unemployed for 7 weeks in 1939, earning $750
that year.
Rube liked to golf and did some fishing. He was very active
in the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star and Odd Fellows.
Later he became involved in The Grange in Oregon.
On Feb. 16, 1974 in
Los Angeles, California he took Lorena Mason as his second wife.
Unfortunately the marriage was short-lived and annulled after about
one month. Immediately afterwards he moved in with his son Spence in Southern California for a few weeks, then they both
drove north to Oregon to connect with one of his younger sons, Dick. Rube lived with Dick and his family at
their ranch off Highway 237 in Jacksonville for quite
some time until he decided that he really liked the area and wanted to settle down there permanently. He then relocated to Ruch, Oregon and lived
together with a local widow he had met named Rosalie Culy. They were never married.
Rube enjoyed life in Oregon. He was fond of gardening and did
some fire watches for the Forest Service. He
died in Medford, Oregon from complications of bone cancer which
had metastasized from prostate cancer. He originally had
surgery for prostate cancer in approximately 1959.
(Lynda Hill reminisces on her grandfather): "I wonder
if anyone remebers Grandpa watching the fights on television
and sitting in his black rocker while watching it. He would get
so involved that he would grab onto the arms of the chair and
'wrestle' the rocker by jerking on the arms so hard the chair
would actually move across the floor! I remember standing
behind that same rocker and grandpa would love it if we took
his comb and comb his hair. . . .
"My husband always had a special place in his heart for my
grandfather because he was one of the few people who treated
him with honor and respect for serving his country. Thank-you
grandpa." [From an e-mail dated April 5, 2003] |
