Datha Mayhue Cook
Aunt Datha was a wonderful woman. When I began my family tree research on this family, she told me that she knew all the dirt on everyone, so no one would dare tell any "dirt" on her! She had a great sense of humor and it was always fun to be around Aunt Datha. Datha moved to Detroit, Michigan about 1938, after her sister, Emma, and brother-in-law, Lew Ray had relocated there. I'm not sure what year she returned to Granite City, Illinois.
She meet and married Paul Ely, who was actually from Cincinnati, Ohio. They had 2 children: Paul (Pumpkin) and Melva (Sissy). Paul Ely Jr. died in an auto accident about 1961. My dad and Paul were best friends and another family member told me that Paul was responsible for my parents meeting. Paul and my mother's brother were friends, and since Dad was always around Paul, it was how he meet my mother.
Datha's daughter Melva was always known as Sissy to me. Only recently did I ever learn her real name! I remember many summer days at Aunt Datha's club house on the Illinois River with my Grandma Emma, Emma's husband Harry Mann, Aunt Dorothy, Carl - Aunt Datha's longtime friend, and Sissy and her 2 daughters - Joyce and Sherry. Aunt Datha spent many summer weekends at her clubhouse about 30 minutes from her home in Granite City, Illinois. This would have been in the 1960's.
Aunt Datha's granddaughter Joyce passed away. While I'm not sure exactly what she had, it was a form of cancer. She was experiencing headaches and when she went to the doctor she was admitted to hospital and died shortly after that. Joyce Houghton was just a teenager. It seemed like we were all together for the 4th of July in 1975 and by the end of the summer she was gone.
Datha lived for many years in an apartment in Granite City, IL. She loved to fish and I can remember her telling me that her doctor would not allow her to travel to the mountains to go fishing, but she was going anyway. She was going to be in a travel trailer with air conditioning and nothing was going to stop her. Like many women of her age, she worked in the mills during World War II and smoked. It took a tole on her lungs and in the end that is what took her.
I can remember that Aunt Datha owned a boat, but I never remember seeing that boat move from the dock. It was a nice boat but it seems like her son-in-law may have run it up on a sand bar and it was never really the same after that. I can also remember picking up shells along the river and my grandmother telling me that I had snail shells. As soon as she said snail, I screamed and threw those shells everywhere. I thought she meant the snails were still in the shells and I wasn't going to hold any slimmy creatures!
Over time, I have lost track of Sis. Recently I caught up with her daughter Sherry and friend, Doug. It was a wonderful vist. When Aunt Datha passed, there was a number of old movies that had been taken at her summer hide away and they include movies of my grandma and me, along with many other relatives. How I would love to see those today.
Datha and Paul Ely Sr. marriage and divorce dates are unknown. Datha Mayhue Cook was born 13 Oct 1920 and died 14 May 1991.I'd love to know where the name Mayhue came from. It was also her mother's middle name.