GEORGE WILLIAM WARE
LIFE OF GEORGE WILLIAM WARE BY BRENT WARE, {grandson}
THIS IS HARD THING FOR ME TODAY BUT I’VE BEEN ASKED BY THE FAMILY TO GIVE THE LIFE SKETCH OF MY GRANDPA, AND I’M VERY THANKFUL AND PROUD OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND PROUD TO BE A WARE AND I HOPE MY GRANDPA IS AS PROUD OF ME AS I AM TO BE HIS GRANDSON AND BE CALLED A WARE. GRANDPA HAS BEEN THE PATRIARCH OF THIS FAMILY AND WE’RE GOING TO MISS HIM FOR WE KNOW THINGS WON’T BE THE SAME WITH OUT HIM. GEORGE WILLIAM WARE WAS BORN SEPTEMBER 27, 1881 IN WOODLAND, WEST OF DOWNEY, IDAHO TO JOHN EDWARD AND LUCY BARNES WARE. HE ATTENDED SCHOOL IN WOODLAND AND UTAH STATE AGRICULTURE TRADE SCHOOL IN LOGAN, UTAH STUDYING TO BE A BLACKSMITH. AS A BOY, HE HELPED HIS FATHER BUILD WHAT THE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS CALLED “THE BIG WHITE HOUSE”, GRANDPA AND HIS DAD MADE THE BRICK BY THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN WHERE THE HOME IS. AFTER THE HOME WAS BUILT GRANDPA LOOKED AFTER THE RANCH WHILE HIS DAD WAS AWAY TAKING CARE OF CATTLE AND SHEEP. HE ALSO BUILT A SMALL HOUSE ON THE NORTH WEST SIDE OF THE ORCHARD. AFTER HIS FATHER DIED GRANDPA AND GRANDMA MOVED INTO THE BIGGER HOUSE, AND THE SMALLER HOUSE WAS MOVED OVER TO THE DIVIDE. GRANDPA MARRIED GRANDMA, PAULINE OWEN WARE, ON NOVEMBER 21, 1905 AND THEY HAD 7 CHILDREN: ALTON, HOWARD, BESSIE WARE NEWBOLD, GRETA WARE LARSEN, GEORGE HOMER, GORDON AND GERTRUDE WARE, WHO WERE TWINS. GERTRUDE PASSED AWAY DECEMBER 6, 1928 AND BESSIE PASSED AWAY AUGUST 24, 1951. FROM THEIR MARRIAGE THEY HAVE 22 GRANDCHILDREN AND 38 GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. GRANDMA AND GRANDPA MADE THEIR HOME IN WOODLAND, WEST OF MARSH CREEK AS RANCHERS. GRANDPA HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR HORSES AND RAISED WORK HORSES AND HAD HORSE PULLING CONTESTS TO SHOW THEIR STRENGTH. HE TOOK A LOT OF PRIDE IN THIS. DURING THIS TIME HE WAS ACTIVE IN CIVIC AFFAIRS, SERVED MANY YEARS AS SCHOOL TRUSTEE, AS DIRECTOR OF THE DOWNEY GRANGE SUPPLY, AND MARSH VALLEY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION. SOME ACCIDENTS THAT GRANDPA HAD: THE DERRICK POLE BROKE AND FELL AND HIT GRANDPA ON THE HEAD AND KNOCKED HIM OUT AND LAID HIM ALONG THE HAYSTACK, THEY THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD. HE HAD HIS TONSILS OUT AND STARTED TO HEMORRHAGING AND WAS VERY SICK. HE WAS LEVELING WITH A 2 TEAMS OF HORSES AND HE WAS BREAKING THIS COLT TO WORK WITH THE TEAM, HE TOOK THE REINS AND SLAPPED THE COLT TO MAKE IT MIND. THE COLT JUMPED AND JERKED THE REINS OUT OF HIS HANDS AND HE COULDN’T CONTROL THE TEAMS WITH ONE REIN AND ONE OF HIS LEGS SLIPPED DOWN INTO THE LEVELER AND BROKE HIS LEG. WHEN GRANDPA AND GRANDMA WAS IN THEIR 70’S THEY WENT TO DOWNATA TO A HALLOWEEN DANCE AND DRESSED UP AND NOBODY KNEW THEM. THEY HAD GONE IN SEPARATE GRANDMA MADE UP A LITTLE FUNNY HAT AND DRESSED UP AND SHE WOULD DO COMIC READING FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. SHE DID MOSTLY AT WOODLAND WARD. GRANDPA WOULD HOOK UP A ONE HORSE BUGGY AND GRANDMA WOULD GO TO CHURCH ALONE AND THE BISHOP WOULD TIE THE HORSE UP.” WHEN THE SECOND WORLD WAR STARTED GEORGE HOMER AND GORDON WENT TO WAR. GRANDMA WORRIED A LOT ABOUT THEM; IT TOOK A LOT OUT OF HER. GRANDPA RETIRED IN 1950 AFTER 69 YEARS AS A RANCHER AND MOVED INTO DOWNEY AND LIVED THERE UNTIL 1968. HIS WIFE, SWEETHEART AND COMPANION FOR 63 YEARS, PAULINE PASSED AWAY MARCH 15, 1968. GRANDPA HAS ALWAYS BEEN JOVIAL AND A LOVER OF FUN. HE PLAYED THE HARMONICA FOR EVERYONE’S AMUSEMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT BECAUSE HE DANCED A JIG TO ACCOMPANY THE MUSIC, THIS TALENT WAS LIMITED TO THE FAMILY’S ENJOYMENT MORE THAN THE PUBLIC. EVEN IN HIS 80’S HE WOULD SUCCUMB TO THE INVITATION AND PUT ON AND OLD STRAW HAT AND PLAY FOR US. AS FAR AS I KNOW HE ALWAYS HAD GOOD HEALTH AND WAS NEVER IN THE HOSPITAL UNTIL HIS SHORT ILLNESS AND PASSING. EVEN IN THESE PAST FEW YEARS HE HAS REMAINED ALERT, THOUGH HE LOST HIS VISION SOME 10 YRS AGO EARLIER HE KEPT HIS GOOD NATUREDNESS AND SENSE OF HUMOR. I RECALL ONE TIME HE WAS VISITING HIS GRANDAUGHTER, MARGENE ISOM AND HER TWO SON JEFF AND BRAD WERE INDIAN WRESTLING, THROWING THEIR LEGS IN THE AIR TO THROW THE OTHER OFF BALANCE. GRANDPA WAS AT THE TIME 88 YRS OLD AND UPON HEARING THE COMMOTION OFFERED TO SHOW HIS GREAT GRANDSON HOW HE COULD DO IT. “YOU CAN’T INDIAN WRESTLE GRANDPA!” GRANDPA LAID DOWN ON THE FLOOR AND COUNTED OFF “1 2 3”, HE WON THE MATCH AFTER WHICH HIS ASTONISHED GREAT GRANDSON SAID “GOSH GRANDPA I DIDN’T THINK AN 88 YEAR OLD MAN COULD DO THAT!” ON HIS 90th BIRTHDAY JOANN RISO GRANDAUGHTER HELD A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND REUNION AND SISTER, AUNT BELLE AND A NIECE LUCY, A DAUGHTER OF BECKY, ANOTHER OF GRANDPA’S SISTER. HIS SON HOWARD AND PHILLIS SURPRISED HIM BY COMING FROM OGDEN, UTAH TO HIS BIRTHDAY. HE WAS STAYING AT THE HOME OF HIS SON GEORGE HOMER IN STANDISH, CALIFORNIA UNTIL HIS PASSING AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS ON APRIL 15 1972.
Source: Family Search Memories
