Gladys Evelyn Lee and Roy Thomas Lee Jr.

Welcome!  If this is your first visit to our blog, please read our Intro post here.  To date we have written posts about all known members of the first, second, and third generations of descendants of William Loney of Co Longford, Ireland, their spouses, and their spouses’ families.

If you are looking for information on someone in particular, you can use the “Search” feature in the upper right-hand corner of this page. 

We hope that the information you find here will be helpful to you in your genealogical research, lead you to an “aha” moment, or help you find a missing ancestor or branch of your family tree.  And, we have loved hearing from everyone who has contacted us. 

While we make every effort to ensure that what we post is accurate (based on source documents or “reliable” family information), we would be silly to think that we haven’t made any mistakes.  If you run across one, please, please, please let us know so we can correct it.

If you are planning a trip to Ireland, visit our section on What to do in Ireland.  It provides a brief overview of where you might go and what you might do if you are interested in genealogical research on the Loney Family.

What to do in Ireland

Finally, we remain forever optimistic that someone out there will contact us because they have old Loney family photos to share.  We would be especially thrilled to have one of William, Charles, John or Robert Loney or their sister, Ann Loney Cunningham. We are waiting to hear from you!

In our last post, we wrote about Roy Thomas Lee and his wife, Myrtle Kelly. You can read that post here.

Today we’ll be writing about Roy and Myrtle’s children, Gladys Evelyn Lee and Roy Thomas Lee Jr. The information and images are courtesy of (Margaret) Diane (Lee) Brennera, the granddaughter of Roy’s brother, Robert Edward Lee, and his wife, Hattie Kelly. Thank you Diane!

Gladys Evelyn Lee was born 1 May 1918 in Walla Walla, WA.

By 1942 Gladys was living with her parents on Grand Avenue in Spokane, WA and was working as a saleswoman. Gladys maintained her residency in Spokane throughout the rest of her life. Gladys was a popular buyer at the Crescent department store, often quoted in the paper with advice on new styles coming to the store.

Gladys Evelyn Lee

On 27 Oct 1972, Gladys married Elton R Blazier (born 1 May 1919, Spokane.)

Gladys died of lung cancer on 19 May 1993 and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace, Spokane. Her obituary is below. Her husband ‘Blaze’ died in 2007. She had no children.

Roy Thomas Lee Jr. was born in Walla Walla on 19 Oct 1924. He attended Lewis and Clark high school in Spokane, graduating in 1942. Spokane newspapers reported that in 1944 he was attending Washington State University and had been selected as an officer candidate in the Navy, eventually graduating from naval reserve midshipmen’s school in New York. Roy finished his education in mechanical engineering, eventually becoming a salesman of mine safety equipment.

Roy Thomas Lee Jr.

Roy married Jeanne Eloise “Ellie” Halen (born about 1927 in Spokane) on 14 April 1951.

Roy Jr. died of leukemia on 26 Jan 1962 and is buried at the Greenwood Memorial Terrace. His obituary is below.

Ellie continued to live in Spokane and was still alive in 2007

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Roy Thomas Lee and Myrtle Kelly

Welcome!  If this is your first visit to our blog, please read our Intro post here.  To date we have written posts about all known members of the first, second, and third generations of descendants of William Loney of Co Longford, Ireland, their spouses, and their spouses’ families.

If you are looking for information on someone in particular, you can use the “Search” feature in the upper right-hand corner of this page. 

We hope that the information you find here will be helpful to you in your genealogical research, lead you to an “aha” moment, or help you find a missing ancestor or branch of your family tree.  And, we have loved hearing from everyone who has contacted us. 

While we make every effort to ensure that what we post is accurate (based on source documents or “reliable” family information), we would be silly to think that we haven’t made any mistakes.  If you run across one, please, please, please let us know so we can correct it.

If you are planning a trip to Ireland, visit our section on What to do in Ireland.  It provides a brief overview of where you might go and what you might do if you are interested in genealogical research on the Loney Family.

What to do in Ireland

Finally, we remain forever optimistic that someone out there will contact us because they have old Loney family photos to share.  We would be especially thrilled to have one of William, Charles, John or Robert Loney or their sister, Ann Loney Cunningham. We are waiting to hear from you!

Today’s post is about Roy Thomas Lee and his wife, Myrtle Kelly.  It is a continuation of our series of posts on the children of Mary Fee Loney and John Henry Lee. You can read about them here.

Much of the information and the photo in this post are courtesy of (Margaret) Diane (Lee) Brennera, the granddaughter of Roy’s brother, Robert Edward Lee, and his wife, Hattie Kelly. Thank you Diane!

Roy Thomas Lee was born 13 Jan, 1888 in Walla Walla Co, WA. The 1910 census shows him living with his parents and siblings in Walla Walla Ward 3 northwest of Walla Walla, WA. He was working as a farm laborer, no doubt on the family farm.

On 31 Jan, 1912, he married Myrtle Kelly in Walla Walla.  The wedding took place at her step-father and mother’s home in Walla Walla County.  

A newspaper article (Colfax Gazette, 9 Feb 1912) reported that Roy and Myrtle visited his uncle, William Lee, in Colfax, Whitman Co, WA shortly after. It describes Roy as a “bustling young farmer of the Waitsburg country, and last season sold 17,000 bushels of wheat.”

Myrtle was born 7 Oct, 1889 in Lincoln Co, WA.  She attended school in Walla Walla. In 1908, Roy’s brother, Robert Edward Lee, had married Myrtle’s older sister Mary Hattie Kelly.  This created one of those biennial relationships we’ve written about before.

Myrtle and Mary were the daughters of James Henderson “Hence” Kelly and Martha Jane Batton Roberts of Lee Co, Virginia.

Myrtle took the 8th grade graduation test and passed it, allowing her to attend Walla Walla High School. She made the honor roll several times and took the teachers’ certification test in 1909 to allow her to teach.

Roy’s 5 June, 2017 WWI Draft Registration describes him as of medium height and a stout build with blue eyes and dark brown hair. It indicates he was working as a farmer.

Roy and Myrtle had two children, Gladys Evelyn and Roy T Lee, Jr. called “Junior” by his aunts, uncles and cousins. Gladys was born 1 May 1918 in Walla Walla. Roy was born 19 Oct, 1924 in Walla Walla. We will share more about them in our next post.

By 1925, Roy and Myrtle were living in Walla Walla and he was working for the Union

Pacific Railroad (as reported in the Walla Walla City Directory.)

S4202 Grand Blvd

In the 1930 census, the family was living at 338 Newell St. in Walla Walla, and Roy was working as a brakeman for the railroad.

338 Newell St.

They were at the same residence in the 1940 census and Roy’s occupation is listed as “traveling trainsman for steam railroad”.

A notice in the Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA) 8 Dec. 1941, p. 40 reports the sale of a five room dwelling at S 4202 Grand Avenue to Roy T Lee.

Roy Thomas and Myrtle Lee

Roy Thomas Lee died at the age of 79 on 2 Oct, 1967.  At the time of his death, he was living in the house at S 4202 Grand Blvd. He and Myrtle had been residents of Spokane for 27 years.

Below is his obituary from the 3 Oct, 1967 Walla Walla Union Bulletin.

Roy Thomas Lee, 79, of 4202 Grand, Spokane, Wash., died Monday in Spokane. Lee was born Jan. 13, 1888, in Walla Walla, the son of Henry Lee, who came to this area in 1870. Lee moved to Spokane 25 years ago. A retired railroad man, he belonged to the Trainsmens Lodge and the Elks#39; Lodge no. 287 of Walla Walla. He is survived by his wife, Myrtle Louise at home: a daughter, Mrs. Gladys McCarthy of Spokane; three sisters, Mrs. Charlotte Wilkinson of Okanogan, Wash., Mrs. Carl (Edith) Penner and Mrs Guy (Margaret) Kent, both of Walla Walla; two brothers, Ted Lee of Walla Walla and Henry Lee of Pendleton and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services are tentatively arranged for 2 pm Thursday at the Grosclose chapel.

Another obituary mentions that he was a member of the Church of Christ Scientist, the Elks Lodge of Walla Walla, Wash., and The Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen. 

Roy is buried in in the Lee plot in Mt View Cemetery in Walla Walla.

Diane remembers Roy as “a great old guy who chewed snoose and reminded me of my grandfather.” 

On 15 June, 1995, Myrtle Kelly Lee died in Spokane at the age 105, outliving both her children. At the time of her death, she was living at Alderwood Manor, a senior facility in Spokane. Note: her Find a Grave entry indicates she died in Walla Walla, but this is incorrect. 

Her death certificate is below.

Friends described her as a homemaker and a devoted wife and mother. She was a member of the First Church of Christ Scientist. 

Diane remembers that “Aunt Myrt” was always glad to have us if we stayed more than one night — said it was hardly worth doing the laundry for just one – something Diane often quotes to her visitors.

Myrtle is buried with Roy in Mt View Cemetery. Her name and the dates have now been added to the gravestone.

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