Annie McKeever Depue

DEPUE MCKEEVER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/19/2010 at 22:53:00

Woodbury County History 1984

Annie (McKeever) Depue
By Florence Wood

Annie McKeever Depue, her three daughters and two sons, moved to Moville, Iowa, in 1908 from Onawa, Iowa. Her husband, John Clark Depue, was buried in Onawa in 1902. Her son, Herbert, was employed as the depot agent in Moville and it was for this reason that the family come to Moville to make their home.

Herb and Art Depue also operated Depue Brothers Garage. Among other things, they invented the first 4-wheel drive tractor while in business in Moville. In 1919, they moved their business to Clinton, Iowa.

In July of that year, Herb passed away, a victim of menignitis. Art continued his business and was the successful owner of Central Steel Tube Company for many years.

Two of Mrs Depue’s daughters married and homesteaded in Colorado. Nell moved to Colorado shortly after the family moved to Moville. Anna went to Colorado in 1911, after having taught in Banner Township two miles west of Moville.

Her daughter, Nettie, was to spend the rest of her life in the Moville vicinity. Having taught with her sister, Anna, in Monona and Harrison counties before coming to Moville, she continued her teaching career at the Spencer School in Arlington Township. Among the anecdotes that she told her children in later years about life at the Spencer School was the one of the tragic and untimely death of Leon McElrath, who was struck by lightning while riding his pony behind a harrow. The McElrath children were her students. She also spoke of the Risers as well as the Spencers. She walked on the railroad tracks to school and often told the story of running across the trestle to get off before the train got on. Needless to say, she won that race.

Feeling that is would be a promotion to teach in ‘town’, she taught in Lawton. She spoke of the Tracewell, Plumer and Bremer families.

Later she abandoned the teaching profession and helped her brother, Herb, at the depot and worked in the Post Office when Charley Anderson was Postmaster.

In the spring of 1912 she married Lewis E Foster and moved to the farm three miles south of Moville which was to her home the rest of her life.

Nettie and Lew became the parents of four children: Lewis E, Douglas D, Homer W, and Florence A. Lew passed away in the spring of 1920, a victim of flu and pneumonia. His children were at the ages of 7, 5, 3 and 1.

Nettie continued her life on the family farm raising her four children and maintaining her farm business. She survived by renting the land and hiring help. Her three sons manned the farm at an early age and activities ceased only when positions needed to be filled on the local baseball teams.

Getting to town presented a big problem to Nettie, who had never driven, and this burden was lessened somewhat when a nephew, Bert Blair, offered to teach her to drive. The bane of her life was the ‘Smith Hill’. Having been raised on the Missouri bottom it looked like something a little less than Pike’s Peak. She gladly turned the driving duties over to Lewis when he reached the mature age of 14.

Nettie weathered the drouth and depression of the 30’s and often said, ‘We won’t worry as long as we are all well’. The 40’s presented World War II and for nearby four she wrote daily to Homer, who served in the Pacific Theatre.

The greatest tragedy fo her life was the loss of her son, Douglas, in the polio epidemic of ’52. He died in an iron lung. She told her surviving children. ‘This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me’.

Nettie suffered a stroke on 1962 and passed away in 1963 after being bed-ridden for fourteen months. Her children carried for her during that time. Never having fully adjusted her schedule of male-oriented activities to include a gir, she finally jokingly admitted one day on a her sick bed that everyone should have one daughter.

That daughter, Florence, graduated from Morningside College and taught at the Hobbs School, the Smith School and the Rogers School in Moville Township. She then taught in Correctionville, Sac City, and Hopkins, Whittier and Longfellow Schools in Sioux City, a total of 39 years. She married Virgil Wood in 1960 and lived in Sioux City, Iowa.

Nettie’s surviving sons are Lewis and Homer Foster, who are farmers in Moville Township. Lewis lives on the ‘Smith Place’ in spite of ‘the hill’ and Homer lives on the family farm in the house where all four children were born.

Lewis married Gladys M Swanson in 1940. Their foster son is Raymond Clause who is married to Irene Flewelling. They had three children: Susan, a dental technician; Daivd, a dental student at the University of Iowa; and Karen, a junior at Morningside College.

They also have two sons, Jack and Donald ‘Bud’, and a daughter, Betty. Jack married Sharon Halterman and they have two children: Janet and Mark. Jack later married Marcia Howell. They have a daughter, Beckey, Janet and Mark Foster live in Newell, Iowa. Sherry and Rodger Howell live with Jack and Marcia Foster.

Donald married Lyn Binneboese. They have two daughters, Brenda Sue and Rita Marie.

Jack and Bud are sucessfully young farmers in Moville Township.

Betty married Larry Epling. They have two sons, Brian and Robert. Betty Ann and Larry operated Betty Ann’s Gift Shop in Moville. Larry is also a successful farmer in Moville Township.

All of Lewis and Glady’s family live in Woodbury County.

Homer married Elsie Rolfs in 1945. They have tow daughters, Kathleen and Karen, and a son, Herbert. Kathleen is a math teacher in Milwaukee. She is married to Phil Jones and they have two sons: Michael and Matthew. Karen is an optometrist in Milwaukee. She is married to Ed Merkle and they have two daughters: Laura and Katie. Herbert is a successful farmer in Moville Township.

Douglas married Lois Harrison in 1944. They had one daughter, Virginia. Virginia was a physical education teacher in Sioux City and is now married to Don McGregor. They have two children: Donita and Douglas.