West Family Tree

Memorial Services for Ruth Henry West:
On Saturday, May 23, friends and relatives of Mrs. Dean West gathered at Prairie Point Cemetery for a picnic and memorial for her sister-in-law, Ruth Henry West.
Attending were the deceased's son, Wayne West and daughter-in-law, Lois West, of Indio, California; grandsons, Chandler West and Sam West; a great-granddaughter, Molly West from Coarsegold, California and a granddaughter, Laine West Oess from Oceanside, California. Also present were a niece Patricia Rogers from San Francisco; another niece and her husband, Jane and Bill Mitchner from Topeka, Kansas; another niece and her husband, Marily and Stewart Pierce and her son Steven Pierce and his family from Tom Ball, Texas; a nephew Bill Groce and wife Nadia Groce from Austin; a niece Brenda Renfro and her husband Art and daughters Cheryl and Christie from Ft. Worth; a niece Linda Pavelka and husband Antone from Hallsberg, Texas; a niece Kitty Ellis from Cookville, a niece Betty McCain from Angus. Grand nieces present were Vicki Koen from Mart and Cindy Ward from West. Friends from Orange, California were Charlie and Jo Whittiker and Thresa Smith from Rapid City, South Dakota.
Mrs. West was born in Deepwater, Missouri in 1905. She came to Texas in 1925. She taught school in McAllen and helped her husband, O. O. West, manage a ranch in Hunt, Texas until her retirement in 1968.
She is survived by one son, three grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

"Ruth Janette Henry West
Born Dec. 21, 1905 in Deepwater Mo. to Dr. Edward Howard Henry and Margaret Elizabeth Goodwin Henry - her twin -Esther Jane Henry - Dr Henry was from Clarion Co. PA and Bess from Edina Mo. She matriculated in Deepwater schools and graduated high school in 1923 - There were 19 in her class - 17 attended their 50th reunion.
She played basketball at Missouri Valley College 1924 - got her teaching credential at Central Missouri State Teachers College 1925.
Taught school in McAllen Tex where she met my father - They were married on July 16 1929 at the 1st Presbyterian Church of McAllen by the Rev. Dr. Brooks I. Dickey. At the time of their marriage Dad worked for his cousins Sam and Banks Miller who were in Land Development and citrus nursery business in San Juan after San Juan they lived in La Feria 5 yrs - McAllen 13 yrs - Mo Ranch 19 yrs Orange Cal 20 yrs - Oakhurst Ca. 3 yrs ......
Was an avid hunter - I always maintained that she cheated because 6 weeks prior to hunting season she sprinkled corn along the deer trail to the river and even put out a salt lick. The day hunting season opened she hid before dawn and Bambi didn't have a chance.
I remember when I was 5 or 6 grandmother, mom and me were walking in the pasture - when we got to the big tank - mom took off all her clothes and dove in - I couldn't wait to tell Grandaddy and Dad that mom had went swimming buck nekked.
Mom claimed to have lost a lot of sleep when I was in high school - but that wasn't true.
She stayed busy even when sitting (eighter?) knitting footies or sweaters or working crossword puzzles. Her last 3 1/2 to 4 yrs were pretty much lost due to dementia. And the last 2 yrs. she didn't know me - she was 91 when she died." - Wayne Henry West

From the Deepwater World:
Twin girls were born to Dr. and Mrs. E. H. Henry last Thursday, and it was thought for a time that Deepwater was going to lose Grandpa Goodwin. He came up missing and the last we saw of him he was headed north with his hat in his hand, going at a two by four gait to break the news to Grandma. The Dr. was able to get down town Friday morning and received the congratulations of his friends. The little ladies weighed 8 1/4 lbs each.

Glenn likes to tell the story that on Dec. 21, 1905 he learned that the world was round. He was at Aunt Stella's house for a Geography lesson when it was interrupted by a boy bounding in and yelling "Run home Glenn, you have two baby sisters." - Ruth Henry West

Ruth went to college at CMSTC (now called Missouri University at Warrensburg, Missouri) and taught physical education for four years. - Donald Norvell

"Father and Glenn's trip was made in a small Maxwell car: Glenn's car. First in the family. It was about 1912 to 1914. They spent their time visiting family. I remember they met a girl named Irene Henry that was in a Presbyterian College in Richmond. She and I corresponded for some time.

Mildred Henry Vaughn, Frank Henry's daughter was with me at the Court House in Clarion. I stopped a lady crossing the street and asked about people named Henry. Her brother-in-law was a Henry and she made an appointment for him to meet me at noon. He was an adopted son and didn't know anyone. Back to the Court House and asked for the oldest Henry in the county. That took us to the Poor Farm. He rushed to the Men's Room and wouldn't come out to talk to a lady. We drove around and stopped at all cemeteries. No luck there. Ella Henry was living at Mt. Washington, near Independence MO. when she died.

Edward Howard Henry had 6 children 1 Glenn, 2 Ruth and Esther, 3 Rosa Lee, Edward, and Marvin Goodwin.

Frank Henry died in Kansas City. Nadine Henry, Granddaughter of Frank Henry.

Mae Henry Lindemood died in Paola Kansas.

Glenn, dentist in Kansas, Oskaloosa Kansas. Glenn married in Kansas City, Kansas, but Grandfather Goodwin.

Rosa Lee Henry married in Mission Texas, Sept 6, 1933." - Ruth Henry West with corrections to Don Norvell's genealogy.

It was always fun to go over to grandmother's house and do things there. She would let myself and Beau watch Zorro or the old Batman shows on TV but when it became time for Wheel of Fortune, that would have to be turned off and poor Robin would be left hanging over a pit of alligators.

She would make icebox cookies for us (but we weren't allowed to eat the dough because it would "give you worms") and also knitted a lot. She made us slippers for years, only in later years they started becoming rather funny shapes as her mind was going (she had Alzheimer's). She was also encouraged to make "Grandmother's funny popcorn" by myself, since I thought it was hilarious one time when she was making popcorn in a pot and opened the lid and it spilled all over the floor.

They had a large yardstick behind the refrigerator for getting objects out that had rolled under it, and if I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember having a bit of a respect for it, since it was used on my behind once or twice.

She had lots of neat objects in her bedroom: a typeset drawer given her by her brother Glenn, filled with knicknacks that her she had collected over the years such as pressed flowers, miniature wooden dinner plates, plastic cutlasses and a broach. She had a typewriter in her bedroom which she seemed to use a lot.

She would let me sit on her lap and one day I was trying to tickle her (but she wasn't ticklish) until I finally hit a spot on her neck and she said I musn't tell anybody about this. I promised and I kept that promise regarding Grandmother's Ticklish Spot until many years after she died. In retrospect, she may have just been playing with me...

She always wore these large clip-on earrings. I tried them on once or twice and they hurt too badly. She also had dentures and I thought it was absolutely hilarious when she would do her "trick" of popping them in and out.

In later years her mind started to go and unfortunately they had to take away things like scissors and knives at the Assisted Living center where they were at. They were living in Indio and I remember visiting just after Autumn was born and she said they had been living upstairs for the last couple of weeks but came down to see us. There was no second floor in any of those buildings.

I saw her in the hospice shortly before she died. She had withered away considerably and was curled up like a child on the bed with her dentures missing. It was very hard to see but I said hello to her and told her I loved her. She mumbled something about "love you" and we said goodbye.

She left behind some pages, which my mother had requested, of family history and information and that has proved invaluable to me. She wrote on those pages "I am Ruth Janette Henry West, your great-grandmother and the only one left of this branch of the Henry family, so wanted to give you a little history for you to pass on to your grandchildren." I consider it to be her last message to me, and I only just read it 15 years after her death. I wish I was able to speak with her today and we could talk about all the things she found out and that I have found out too. She and Ovid seemed to be strong Christians and faithfully read the Bible together so I have a hope that one day I will be able to. - Logan West