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Roy Aldon & Virdie Marie "Vird" (Lancaster) Garrison
Tombstone Photo
Rosehill Cemetery
Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
Obit for Roy
Jan 15, 1876 - Aug 29, 1935
Roy
Aldon Garrison
was born January
15, 1876 in Osceola, Iowa, to parents, George Washington Garrison and Mary
Amanda “Mollie” Garrison.
Roy was the oldest of nine children. The Family
migrated from Iowa to Kingfisher County, Oklahoma by the early 1890’s. Roy was a
wheat Farmer and a Mail Carrier, delivering mail between small towns, and
driving the Star Route from Sayre, Oklahoma to Grimes, Oklahoma where Vird
Lancaster was a Postmistress. Roy Aldon Garrison and Virdie Marie Lancaster were
married August 30, 1903 in Grimes. Roy and ‘Vird’ had seven daughters and at
last, a son Roy, Jr. was born. Their second child Mollie died at the age of 5
months after being exposed to measles. Roy and Vird were called “Mama and Papa“
by their seven children. Roy gave each child a specific nickname after the
oldest child was born. They all kept these nicknames throughout their entire
lives.
Roy continued
as a wheat farmer and everyone helped everyone in those days, families helping
each other with the harvest. Roy also played on the local baseball team in
Grimes. When the oldest child, Cleo finished 8th grade, she was sent to Elk
City, Oklahoma where she would finish her High School years. Roy and ‘Vird’
“sold out” to move the family to Elk City to join Cleo so the other children
could continue their education as well. Roy became a carpenter and a mechanic to
support their growing family. They purchased a two-story house in Elk City and
Vird planted a garden to help feed the family. They had a happy home, always
filled with fun and laughter. The family played games together and Roy taught
each of the girls to dance. They were a fun-loving family and they all enjoyed
their happy childhood.
Roy died August
29, 1935 in Elk City, Oklahoma, at the age of 59 Years, 7 Months, 14 Days. At
the time of his death, he was survived by his wife and children and four
sisters.
Funeral Services
were held at the First Methodist Church in Elk City, Friday, August 30, 1935 at
1:00 P.M. Rev. Samuel French Lancaster conducting.
Burial in Rose Hill
Cemetery, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, near Grimes, Oklahoma.
Killough-Hullum
funeral Directors in charge.
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Obit for Virdie
Sep 1, 1885 - Feb 6, 1972
Virdie “Vird” Marie Lancaster
was
the fifth child of John Gernade and Mary Caroline “Callie" Lancaster , born on
September 1, 1885 in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois.
She moved to Oklahoma
with her parents in 1900 and they were part of the Oklahoma settlement of the
new state. The family settled in Grimes, Oklahoma where her parents operated the
first General Store and Post Office. John Lancaster was named the first
Postmaster in 1901 and Virdie later was the youngest Postmistress in Grimes.
Virdie Marie Lancaster and Roy Aldon Garrison
married August 30, 1903 in Grimes, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma. To this union
there were seven daughters, the second daughter died in infancy, and lastly a
son was born, Roy Aldon, Garrison, Jr The Family eventually moved to Elk City,
Oklahoma so the children could get a higher education beyond the eighth grade in
Grimes. When the cotton fields were full and the cotton ready to be picked, the
school closed and all the children went to work in the cotton fields. The extra
money helped to pay school tuition. Although times were tough, the children
truly enjoyed their childhood. They had wonderful times together.
Vird was a wonderful seamstress. With Vird’s
sewing talents and so many girls to clothe, she would “remake” nice clothing
handed down to her, making stylish clothing for the children. She had a knack
for seeing a ready-made garment in a store, making her own pattern to create the
garment herself using her Singer treadle sewing machine. She used every scrap of
fabric, so it was not 'wasted'.
When her husband, Roy died August 29, 1935, Vird
had her younger children to raise on her own, so she began working in “dry
goods stores” in Elk City and sewing clothing for other people – whatever it
took to make extra money, as money was tight. She became a very independent
woman. Many years later, she still had clients for which she made and
designed their clothing. Vird was an avid baseball fan, she enjoyed listening
to baseball games on her radio. She could recall any Major League player’s
statistics, reciting their batting averages on any given day. She was a huge
Mickey Mantle fan, an “Oklahoma Boy” who ‘made it’ in the big leagues playing
for the New York Yankees. She was left-handed, loved to play cards and board
games, gardening, growing vegetables and flowers in her yard, reading books,
going to movies, and was active and in good health most of her life. She
walked everywhere.
Vird died February 6, 1972 in Sayre, Oklahoma.
Vird was buried next to her husband, Roy in Rose Hill Cemetery, east of Grimes,
Oklahoma.
Their infant child Mollie and Roy’s mother, "Mollie" Garrison is also
buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. It was said that Roy Garrison donated land for
the Rose Hill Cemetery in his early years.
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