From The Liles Side Of The Family We Have...
Dad was the youngest of the Liles Clan born in 1906. He married Mom in 1927 at the ripe old age of 21 and they stayed in Oklahoma until they came to California in 1932 to escape the Great Depression.
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Jimmy, Paul (Dad), Georgia, Opal, Claude, Edith, and Kathryn circa 1945
They are all gone now but their memory will stay with me forever,
Left-to-right: Unknown, Edith Parchman, Helen Strayhorn, Alma Mall, Opal Robinson, Unknown, Grandpa Charlie Essig, Clarence Earl Essig
Opal Liles Robinson
Aunt Opal was the oldest of the Liles Clan and she married Jim Robinson in Arkansas and they were the first to come to California in the 1930's to seek a life away form the Great Depression. They moved to Paramount California and stayed there until they both passed. We saw Aunt Opal all the time and had wonderful memories of that little house on the lot.
Jimmy was a glazer and later on a security guard before he passed on throat cancer (he was a heavy smoker). He pass in the mid 1950's. Opal was a seamstress and a pretty good cook.
Opal and Jimmy had one single child, Kathryn Robinson. Kat has her own little website as we knew her extremely well and were her caretakers for the last ten years of her life.
Aunt Alma (Liles) Mall
Aunt Alma married Norman Mall and they lived in West Virginia for many many years until coming to California in the late 1950's. We were close in the latter years after her family was out on their own. After Norman passed, she lived with her kids for a while and then with Aunt Edith until her passing in the 1980's.
She was my happy aunt...always a smile and the oven seemed to be going anything she was around. Her pies were legendary!
Alma and Norman had three children, Gene, Jo Anne, James, my cousins. They we all 15 years older than and lived in West Virginia growing up. We were never "close" and when they came to California, they had families of their own.
Aunt Edith (Liles) Parchman
Aunt Edit married Claude Parchman in Arkansas and they moved to California in the mid 1930's They had one child, Claudia. We spent a lot of time with Aunt Edit from the time Sue and I were married in 1988. Prior to that it was hit and miss as my previous wife detested family...most any family.
Aunt Edith was a homemaker and Uncle Claude was an aircraft mechanic for Western Airlines. I loved to visit Claude as I always admired his shop
Oh...Opal and Edith lived next door to each other in Paramount California since they came to California in the 1930's!
We have a separate site just for Aunt Edith.
Aunt Helen (Essig) Strayhorn
After Grandfather Liles passed (thirty years before I was born), Grandma Mary Cook Liles remarried to Charles Essig of McRae Arkansas. Purportedly it was an arranged marriage between then arranged by the County Sheriff. If Charlie would stop drinking, he wold not go to jail. Don't know if this is true but it is the legend. BTW, I never saw Grandpa Essig every touch a drink!
Helen was the first child from Mary and Charlie and she married Dewitt Strayhorn of McRae. He was an inc cream man...loved visiting their home!
Dewitt pass in the 1970's and Helen just passed a few years back living into her 90's.
They adopted a child, Ricky, who I remember well. Ricky passed of a major heart attack in his 30's as the heart problem was unknown to anyone. We still talk to his wife.
Uncle Clarence Earl Essig
Dad's half brother because the town drunk. I remember every year, he would come to Calfornia on the train and Dad would try to set him straight. He would do good for a couple of weeks and then with some money in his pocket, he ended up on Skid Row. I have vivid memories of driving up and down the street by the LA Midnight Mission looking for him.
Recently I found out that he had two kids, my half-cousins who still live in Arkansas. I assume he got his issues straightened like his father did.
From The Lewis Side Of The Family We Have...
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Earnest, Georgia (Mom), Carl, Kaye, and Chuck
Georgia Agalina Liles
Georgia, Mom, was born September 23, 1908 on Haskell Oklahoma. She and Dad were married July 24th, 1927 and was married by Reverend Nation (who also married Mom's parents and Mom's grandparents!)
Earnest Lewis.....
After Mom, Earnest was the oldest born March 22, 1910 and passing in 1996. Earnest and Hazel were married but divorced after a few years so I have a cousin who was named Mary Ruth Lewis.
Ernest then married Clara Hinkle and they had one daughter named Joyce Lewis and Clara passed away after many years of marriage.
Earnest then married Sue and they had one son, Earnest Junior who is married to Sue and they have two children, Jeff and Kim.
Carl Reed Lewis and Anna Violet..Geraldine
Carl was next in line born September 12, 1915 and passing May 12, 1992. He first married Anna Violet Lewis in 1932. They had Delores Ann soon after. Delores is my cousin and she is in the bay area.
He then married Geraldine and they had Carl Eugene Lewis (Carl Jr.) and adopted Sue Lewis, my cousins.
Mary Kaye Lewis Hale
Kay was born August 18th 1922 and is still with us celebrating her 100th birthday this year, 2022. She had two children, Thomas Raymond Hale (deceased) and Gayla Hale Hartman. Tom passed in 2018.
Charles Lewis and Helen
The youngest was Chuck born March 3, 1924 and is still kicking as of 2019. We were close to Chuck for many years until my divorce and he got a little crazy sending letters to people and acting strange. At the time of the lawsuit regarding Mom's house, it was the last time we saw him and that was in 1990. Thankfully he decided to enter the legal matter on the side of the opposition and his behavior was a plus asset to our side. Helen and Chuck had two kids, Ron and Paula. They have both passed as of 2021.
From The Goss Side Of The Family We Have...
Frank had a sister and they had a single child. They stayed on the east coast so contact was fairly limited.
From The Criqui Side Of The Family We Have...
Rita had a single brother who had six daughters (and one make dog). Five of the cousins are still alive but alas they are so far left (socialists) that visiting or talking to them is painful and we had to let go. Before they got so goofy, Sue, he Mom, and I traveled to Florida for a 40th birthday party for Jackie and visited all the cousins and their Mom and Dad. That was about 1992.