Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Ancestors of Joan Eleanor Hersey

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Ancestors of Joan Eleanor Hersey

Generation No. 2

      2. Willard Everett Hersey³, born Jun 12, 1912 in Oakland, Alameda County, California ^4,⁵; died Aug 29, 1967 in Oakland, California ^6,⁷. He was the son of 4. Ezra Harrison Hersey and 5. Elizabeth Hunt. He married 3. Margaret Doris Mulligan Oct 09, 1937 in Fresno County, California ^8,^8,⁹.

      3. Margaret Doris Mulligan⁹, born Oct 19, 1914 in Fresno County, California ¹⁰; died Oct 22, 2002 in Gresham, Oregon. She was the daughter of 6. Thomas John Mulligan and 7. Edith Hays.

Notes for Willard Everett Hersey:
Willard was a godly and quiet man who won the affection and respect of everyone who knew him, most of all his four daughters. He was skilled with his hands, and worked in many jobs where those skills were in demand. For many years he was an employee of Peerless Pumps, a division of Food Machinery Corporation. He did electrical repairs on pumps all over the arid, irrigated San Joaquin Valley and was a favorite of many of the local farmers, often bringing home a gift of fruit, wine, nuts, or vegetables from a grateful rancher.
When he was forty-two years old he was diagnosed with Parkinsonism. Over several years his health deteriorated and, in spite of a variety of treatments and surgeries, some of them experimental, he became unable to work or drive. In early 1967, while in the hospital awaiting a third brain surgery, he was diagnosed with metastatised melanoma. Within four months he died, with little suffering. We all, including him, considered the melanoma his "ticket Home". Without it he faced a bleak future of invalidism. As one of his friends, John Staley (who had survived a year in an iron lung with polio, during which time Willard visited him regularly), said to him on his last visit: "Well, Will, looks like you're going to get to Glory before any of us!" And he did.
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Willard was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California. In 2002 he will be disinterred and reburied with Margaret (at the time of her death) in Troutdale, Oregon, in the following cemetery:
DOUGLASS CEMETERY: 1866, 9.1 acres, Hensley Road and Southeast 262nd Ave, Troutdale.
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HERSEY WILLARD E 06/12/1912 HUNT M CALIFORNIA ALAMEDA(60) Hayward 08/29/1967 559-01-4652 55 yrs

Notes for Margaret Doris Mulligan:
California Birth Index, 1905-1995

Name: Margaret Doris Mulligan
Birth Date: 19 Oct 1914
Gender: Female
Mother's Maiden Name: Hays
Birth County: Fresno

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From Marge's autobiography:
      Born on October 19, 1914 in Fresno, California to Thomas and Edith (Hays) Mulligan, the eighth of twelve children. My father was from Banbridge, Ireland and came to the States at age sixteen. Mother was born in Iowa--was about four when she traveled to a small farm in Easton, a suburb of Fresno; they made the trip by train in 1883 or 1884. My parents met in Easton when Mother was fifteen and Dad was twenty-four. When they married they bought the farm land on the west side of Fresno where I grew up. They lived for a while in a small house, but later began building a larger house for their growing family (adding on to it when needed). Fresno was the center of the growing raisin industry, so we grew Thompson seedless grapes; also some fruit and olive trees and a hay crop.
      Dad had his own "work crew"--his family! Children were out in the field even before they could work, and after that whenever possible. After our days were done, we climbed trees, swam, explored, and got into mischief, of course! Mother enjoyed field work. The older girls did most of the cooking and housework, and they, too, helped with the farming. Dad supplemented our in come with his team of horses, digging out canals when they were dry and doing jobs for builders in town, leveling lots, etc.. It was fascinating to watch him handle his team on steep slopes, or when they were stuck in mud; he was a real pro!
      Mother kept us entertained with Bible quizzes and memorizing scripture verses while we worked in the vineyard. She also told us Bible stories each night--lined up on the stairs, in our beds, or sometimes out under the stars.
      My schooling, which I thoroughly enjoyed, began at Teilman Elementary School. In the first grade I had so much fun I didn't learn very much. Two spinster teachers took me home in their "tin lizzy" after school one day, explaining to my mother that I needed help with reading. Mother did such a good job of it that I'm a "book-aholic" to this day!
      In the ninth grade I went nine miles by bus to Central Union High; that was a great year. From
the tenth through the twelfth, Dad felt it would be better that I go with other siblings to Fresno Technical. We were three miles from town and worked after school and Saturday so our social lives were limited.
      When the United States went through the Depression, there were long breadlines and much
suffering. It was a poor time to graduate from high school and hope for an office position. Our family was doing well enough financially that Dad encouraged me to go to college, but I had my mind set on being a secretary--and in those days one didn't go to college for that. I didn't have much self-confidence, and had even less after walking into a few places and asking for a job! So I went to the new Junior College, held in the same building as the high school I'd attended, continuing to take refresher courses and improving my shorthand, particularly. I was not paid for the jobs that I did "for experience"; I remember working for a newspaper office for two weeks, and for an attorney for a month. The latter gave me a wonderful letter of recommendation--but no job offer. And I worked at the ranch (home) half of each day.
      My friendship with Willard, my future husband, began during those years. I met him through my sister Elsie's husband, Art Gattey. Art and Willard had grown up in the same church in Oakland and were good friends. Willard's father, Ezra Hersey, had just died after a long illness, probably Parkinsons disease. There was little income in his family, and what there was Willard supplied--for himself as well as his mother and sister. We had a long courtship, seemingly going nowhere. We didn't discuss marriage and I understood why.
      I had taken a civil service exam, not getting very high scores, and not thinking much would come of it. It was probably 1935 when I got the telegram from Washington, D.C.: "Would you consider coming to Washington for a three-month job, with possibility of a longer appointment - and could we hear from you immediately?". Would I ever! The folks loaned me enough to pay bus fare and enough to live on a short while. I had never lived away from home, and this was a scary adventure. The trip took five days with no overnight stops; I ate sparingly, with the thought of all that money to pay back! I lost ten pounds on the trip and should have been sent to the dry cleaners when I arrived! And--you guessed it--my suitcase didn't arrive for two days! I went to the nearest YWCA, slept overnight (that felt wonderful) and found a boardinghouse they suggested. I could tell it was going to be very temporary!
      The first Sunday at the church I planned to attend, two Christian girls invited me to live with them. The Christians put out the welcome mat for me, though it was but a small group holding meetings in a "storefront". A Scotch brother with a lovely voice led the singing. I felt right at home.
      Willard wasn't too happy about my move, and said so by letter. We got more serious and
down-to-earth about the future, and I planned to return as soon as I dared. My job was with the Agriculture Department, and they were helping farmers survive the Depression through the Agricultural Adjustment Administration......
Toward the end of my year there, I was quite ill with bronchial pneumonia and used up all of my sick leave. My brother Phil drove out for a visit and brought me back to California......
My first summer home again I did many things-working some on the farm when needed, working month at the new Social Security base in Fresno, and staying at my sister Elsie's in San Francisco for two weeks while making application at various government offices there. I also successfully passed the stenography Civil Service test. And still I watched and waited for work! Willard and I decided to step out in faith, getting married prior to finding a job so that I could be right in the Bay Area and ready to begin when an opportunity came. So we were married October 9, 1937, with very few frills. Willard's friend, Sam Gattey, and my sister, Martha were our witnesses before a judge at the Fresno courthouse. The day was hot and Willard had a nosebleed that interrupted the proceedings! Martha and my friend Dot Merritt prepared a luncheon at Roeding Park in the Chinese [Japanese?] garden area. The folks were called in time to get cleaned up and come. Dad was expecting it after seeing the bans in the paper, so had a cash gift handy! Willard's Mom and Sis were there also. We had a couple of hours of kidding, eating and loving wishes before we took off for a very brief honeymoon.
We had planned to go to Lake Tahoe, but had made no reservations; I knew little about the place at the time. When we got there, the cabins had closed for the winter, and the weather was drippy! To make matters worse, I was starting into a bronchial cough! We kept driving toward Nevada and found a tiny motel that had a warm wood fire, and Willard took care of me-getting some of his special medication, Vicks, to do the job. We were soon on our way again, driving through the length of Nevada; we almost had the roads to ourselves and spent long hours just talking. Willard wanted to see Boulder Dam and was intrigued with all the "wheels in the middle of the wheels!" It was still under construction. I found it all hot and not quite my idea of a honeymoon! We headed back to Fresno, which I was happy about; I wanted to have my family see us as newlyweds a bit longer. We took a day trip to Bass Lake and Willard got to fish! Then it was time to go to Oakland. We spent two nights with Willard's Mom and Sis. The apartment was small, and Willard's brother Eric was there a while. My folks had given us a cash gift so we went apartment-hunting. We found a tiny one-room studio apartment! We bought the minimum furniture needed and were on our own at last! That very first week we got a message, via my sister Elsie, that the Department of Agriculture wanted to offer me a job! I went to work the following week. We really encouraged ourselves in the Lord's faithfulness to us, and for His guidance.....
Joan was born March 2, 1940, and was blonde and blue-eyed. We enjoyed her so much, and like all new parents thought she was smarter than all the other babies around! Actually, the first few months were difficult. It was a time of regimented, timed, feedings and our baby had her own time schedule! I was both nursing and bottle-feeding her, trying to get enough milk into her; it was very frustrating to both of us. We had lots of nice gifts and enjoyed showing her off, but I was by this time a very nervous mother. At about three months I gave up the struggle and just bottle-fed her; we both relaxed......
Dori was born April 26, 1941. Her eyes and hair were brown; she was a very good baby and she and Joanie were great playmates. Joanie was what I called her "mother number two!" The neighbors loved our kids. Joanie chattered with them endlessly. It was a middle-aged couple and his mother [Kermans?] We counted on them for help a few times, especially when our next baby came earlier than we expected......
On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, greatly shocking our country. We thought we were invincible, but should have known better. Radios ran non-stop that day; this was before TV. It just didn't seem believable, and Americans were angry! War hysteria was great. The Japanese on the West Coast were regarded with much suspicion and soon interned into camps. All along, I often felt that this was wrong. We had known too many loyal Americans among them. Security was increased, and Air Raid procedures instigated. Willard had been transferred to the Long Beach plant by this time, and was a supervisor over a crew of women shop workers. He found the position very stressful. One night he was at work when we had what sounded like a real Air Raid. We had a Warden living next door and he squealed brakes in his hurry to answer the call! I padded the floor in an inside hallway and put our babies into it, after getting all lights off and blackout curtains pulled. Then there were sounds of lots of airplanes flying rather low above us. It was scary. The girls wouldn't quiet down and go to sleep. I think Dori thought it was a great lark; she was nine months old and climbed all over us, chattering like a little monkey. It all exhausted me, as I was praying continuously and found her distracting, to say the least! At last I had the good sense to just put them to bed-and myself, too. I reasoned that the Lord could keep us safe in either place, and we were under His care; we slept, too! There were no shift changes allowed, and Willard didn't get home until nearly noon the next day. Some shrapnel hit a nearby bank, and rumors were rampant. All was hush-hush, and we didn't get any proper explanation, (either to confuse us or our enemies?)
Loie was born September 24, 1942. She, too, had brown hair and eyes. She arrived home to a house rather upset. Dori had been with Uncle Elmer and Auntie Dot for two months and had just come back. Daddy wasn't too well, and had been diagnosed as having an ulcer. And Mommy was overwhelmed with it all! Before long Willard took time to go to Oakland and find work there; we moved again. It was fun being with old friends but the job (night watchman for the telephone company) paid little. Before long he took another job in Sunnyvale.
"Meanwhile, back at the Ranch," my folks were having their troubles. All six sons were away-some married, some at war, and the youngest was at Stanford as part of training for one branch of the service. Dad and Mother weren't really able to run the farm because of their age and frailties; Dad was coping with severe asthmatic attacks. Martha was trying to finish up college and hoped to be married when Martin came home from the war. She worked unbelievably hard trying to keep up with many of the farm and home duties, and Mom helped her as much as possible with some of her homework for school. It was a time when town folks rallied around to help because of the shortage of men on farms. Some of the folks at meeting, as well as Martha's college friends, helped in harvesting.
During one summer, Mom visited us in Sunnyvale because it was so hot in Fresno and she "wilted" in the heat. I became aware of the full burden they were under, something I hadn't thought much about because I was so busy with small children. Willard was having minor ulcer pains again, and felt it would help to get away from pressures at work-as well as to help the folks, if we would move there. Dad was very sick at this time. So we made our plans to move. Two days before our departure my father died. This meant a big rush as we'd given notice of moving and, due to gas rationing, we couldn't make endless trips. I went on ahead with one of my brothers, Tom, with his wife. I took our three girls with me, and we were at the funeral. We had sold our good car and bought an old truck. David, my brother, was able to have time to help us with two truckloads of our things, in two trips. We sold the old truck in Fresno. Willard wasn't much of a farmer! Before long, Mom made other changes. She sold the farm, with the animals. Martha had a teaching job for the fall in Richmond. We had all helped to get the grapes picked prior to this, while Mom watched our babies (Elsie's and mine.) Mother went to live with Elsie and family at their house on Olive Street in Fresno. Soon Willard found a job with Peerless Pumps; he loved it!
Donna was born on August 4, 1945, and named for her Uncle Don-who had been killed in Luzon. We were so thankful for his salvation about a year before. We found a small house to buy, in a friendly neighborhood; it was time for school. Donna had lots of bronchial asthma and scared us a few times. Dori didn't like school. One day she came home too early; I took her back. She tried this a few more times and I'd need to load up the car with Donna and take her back. One day I thought she had decided to stay but she came home early. I asked her why and she said it was time to! When I called the principal I found she hadn't been at school at all; she had sat on a curb until she thought it was time to go home.
Willard's mother wasn't at all well. We moved her from Oakland to Fresno, buying a larger house with a garage apartment for her. There were many problems, as she'd had small strokes and heart difficulties; she was disoriented and got lost easily. In about a year we put her into a rest home; she lived five more years, the last in the county hospital, not knowing us at all. While she was with us we had discovered that Willard had Parkinson's disease. I read all about it in a library medical book and wept-and then prayed to live just one day at a time, trusting God.....
[Several years later, after a move to Santa Cruz and, later, the Bay Area:)
Willard began to have trouble with rigidity in the lower limbs, as well as lethargy. Mount Zion doctors wanted to operate again, and Willard was for it. I wasn't; I had lost confidence in their success rate. Surgery was scheduled for sometime in May. About two weeks prior to the scheduled date [actually it was several months earlier; he had gone for a TB x-ray sometime that winter. Nothing showed up-because the area filmed was below the cancer. J. O.] Willard began a light and irritating cough that he was concerned about. I thought he was only anxious! Upon entering the hospital in preparation for the surgery the doctor, who also was concerned about the cough, ordered a thorough chest x-ray. It revealed a metastasized melanoma. They did exploratory surgery to discover the extent of it and their prediction was that he might have three months left! He was released from the Mt. Zion program, and we took him to the family doctor [Dr. Patmont of Berkeley, a Christian] for help through the last difficult months. [His advice was to let the disease run its course without any intervention except pain control "You're ready to go so don't waste your money and energy trying to win a losing battle." ] He was in Alta Bates Hospital for most of that time, as his rigidity increased and I found it too difficult to manage. On August 29, 1967, he was released from his troubles into the eternal presence of the God he loved. [Handwritten note inserted by Marge late in life: "Thank You, Lord!! Your child, Marge Hersey"]
The Lord gave me the strength those last months to go to work daily, as well as visiting the hospital evenings and on the weekend. My co-workers at Oakland Public Schools were amazed at my stamina; while my boss felt I should take him [Willard] to all the so-called experts to get a delay or a cure. I knew it was best for Willard to go Home rather than to go on with increased troubles. He was near to being completely rigid, and we all would have hated that, including him. The Lord was gracious to take him to that place where there is no more pain, His Home! The two daughters farthest away were both able to visit him in the hospital - Dori with 13-month-old Danny, whom they'd just adopted in Colombia, South America; and Bob and Donna from Texas......
      My prayer is that each of my grandchildren will truly come to the Lord and meet me in Heaven some day, all sins washed away by Jesus' death on the Cross. May each live for the Lord, being good mothers and fathers down here, should the Lord not come first. I love all my family so much, and in that Home up above we'll really have a glorious Reunion, with the Lord, with those who've gone before like Grandpa, and, hopefully, all of us too!
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      On October 22, 2002, three days after her 88th birthday, Mom went Home to be with the Lord she loved and served. Our family will gather on Thanksgiving weekend to give thanks for the wonderful godly heritage we have from our parents. We will have a memorial service in Oregon as part of a reunion and will visit Douglas Historical Cemetery in Troutdale where the remains of Willard and Marge are buried together. But Mom is already absent from the body, present with the Lord -- and with Daddy.
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Written for a family reunion in 1982:
Marge's Mulligan Family Memories
...Dad, bouncing us on his foot to "ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross to see an old lady..."
...Dad, bringing in new baby David--all five pounds plus of him. A few of us were surprised! [Marge, at 14, was also a little miffed that her older sisters hadn't even told her that her mother was expecting. Her mother's loose clothing never disclosed the pregnancy.]
...David, running to greet us with the day's news, having already read the paper. Jim called him "Scoop".
...Don, sitting in the chicken coop with mother hen and chicks, imitating the sounds.
...Don, the day he fell out of the barn window, because we didn't watch him. How guilty I felt each time he cried with that sand bag tied to his leg for traction. Then there was the day he copied us throwing clods into the ditch--only his was too big for him and he just rolled down with it, right into the water; he was rescued by Bill.
...Early memories of aunts and uncles, possibly grandparents: the house on Divisadero, sitting on the steep steps just as you came in the front door. Aunt Lizzie's funeral - and my first thoughts of death. Aunt Hannah, who loved little kids and sneaked us goodies. Uncle David who used to fill a big bread sack with day-old bread for the Mulligan gang; I loved to go get it--usually got a hug, too.
...Jim, half asleep, crying as he came down the stairs, cheeks all swollen with the mumps--upset because he couldn't go fishing with Dad and his brothers.
...Uncle Hugh, and all his peculiarities. I think with nostalgia of the well where he kept butter in a cut-out to keep it cool.
...the apricot cutting and drying; the day Dad caught the run-away team out on the road, the old windmills at nearby homes.
...Martha, and the huge doll Miss Gordon gave her - how I envied her! Martha and I becoming pals. Going to Roeding Park one Sunday afternoon, running through the sprinklers, getting our fancy new hair ribbons all wet!
...Mother, head buried in a book, trying to concentrate while the gang joked and laughed around her; the noise level could get staggering. She had some trouble controlling us, and Dad quite often came home late after scraping jobs downtown. One day she was trying to get some of us to stack wood and the clowning got out of hand. Don sent a piece of wood spiraling up, only it came down and hit her glasses. Boy, was she mad!
...the Reo, "air-conditioned" with canvas side curtains; hot bricks at your feet, laprobes, etc. Some memory of playing in the old "go-to-meeting wagon" in the eucalyptus grove. Also, I recall learning a smattering of Spanish from Mexican grape-pickers out there.
...Sunday School Treats - candy in mesh bags, large red apples, oranges; learning our "pieces".
...Kearney Park Sunday School Picnics; exploring the buildings, sampling all the cakes, etc., and of course, the ball games!
...Derrill, allowed to come out to the ranch; getting too boisterous for his mom and needing to spread his energy around a bit; he must have been about sixteen, was just beginning to drive. He loved to tickle us girls - can still hear his laugh!
...Phil, the perfectionist. White, starchy shirts, monopolizing the bathroom; his long-legged fast walk; the year he took Elsie and me to Yellowstone with him; the roadster running-board that we put the camp stove on and cooked mush for him.


Children of Willard Hersey and Margaret Mulligan are:

	1	i.		Joan Eleanor Hersey, born in Oakland, Alameda County, California; married Robert Lawrence Olsson in San Leandro, Ca.
		ii.		Doris Ruth Hersey, married William King in Bogota', Colombia, South America; born ¹¹.

Notes for Doris Ruth Hersey:
Dori grew up in Fresno, California. She attended one year of nursing school at San Jose City Hospital School of Nursing and then worked on the mission field in Peru and Colombia, South America. She and Bill met while on a short term mission in Lima, Peru. They were married in Bogota, Colombia, South America.

Notes for William King:
Bill grew up in the Seattle, Washington, area, and was a friend of Steve Mathews long before they became brothers-in-law. He did missionary work after graduating from high school; he met Dori on a missions trip in Peru. After they returned to the States he worked at various businesses, finally establishing his own business as an import expeditor in the Portland area.

iii.

Lois Marilyn Hersey¹¹ ¹¹, married Stephen Roy Mathews; born ¹¹.

Notes for Lois Marilyn Hersey:
Lois grew up in Fresno, California. She graduated from Clovis Union High School in 1960 and San Jose Hospital School of Nursing in 1963. She worked as a registered nurse at Children's Hospital in Oakland, Ca. for a few years. She then attended Emmaus Bible School in Oak Park, Illinois. She later worked as a nurse in Gresham, Oregon, for several years. After retiring she volunteered as a counselor at the local crisis pregnancy center.
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Here is a little poem Loie wrote when she was 10 1/2 yrs. old:

THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA

There's a pretty little cottage, standing by the sea.
I look at the flowers and they look at me.
There's a pretty little sidewalk leading up to the house
and inside the cottage it's as quiet as a mouse.

There's a pretty little tree hanging overhead.
You can hear it blowing in your ears when you go to bed.
And when there's a storm, a little storm it is -
and you can hear the ocean go up in a fizz!

Notes for Stephen Roy Mathews:
Steve graduated from Highline High School in Seattle, WA in 1963. He attended Clark College in Vancouver, WA. until 1970, then attended Emmaus Bible School in Oak Park, Illinois from 1963 to 1965. He works as a mechanic on refrigeration, cars, and trucks.

iv.

Donna Lee Hersey, married Robert Burke; born ¹¹.

Notes for Donna Lee Hersey:
Donna, the youngest of "the Hersey girls", spent her childhood in Fresno. She moved, with her parents, to Ben Lomond, California, where she attended San Lorenzo Valley High School. Later, after the three of them moved up to the Bay Area, she graduated from high school in Pleasant Hill. She worked as a secretary for various businesses before marrying Bob. They met while working as summer staffers at Koinonia Christian Conference Center. After their marriage they lived in Waco, Texas, where Bob graduated from Baylor University. They live in Brookings, SD, where Bob has worked at South Dakota State University in various teaching and administrative capacities. For several years they were foster parents, eventually adopting two of their babies (it runs in the family!)
Donna is busy being a mother of preschoolers, participating actively in various church activities, and entertaining college students in their home.

Notes for Robert Burke:
Bob has a doctorate in clinical psychology from Baylor University. He has taught psychology classes and held various administrative positions at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota.

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