Leon & Cecile Eveleth

EVELETH BLAKE GRAHAM

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/27/2010 at 22:03:15

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Leon and Cecile Eveleth
By Phyllis Kelly

Leon Edwin Eveleth was born September 7, 1903, at Salix, Iowa, the son of Herbert F Eveleth and Polly Blake Eveleth. He graduated form Chaffey High School in Ontario, California, and attended two years of college there. The family had moved to the west caost because of the mother’s health. Leon returned to Iowa to work on the family farm. On September 21, 1929, he married Cecile G Graham.

Cecile, the daughter of Pat and Lillian G. Cox Graham, was born May 17, 1907 at Hawarden, Iowa. While attending Salix School she worked at the telephone office of Salix. She graduated in 1926. Cecile then attended Morningside College for two years, receiving her teacher’s certificate.

Leon and Cecile were very active in community affairs. Leon was a member of the Salix Community Church, also a school board member for eight years. Cecile is a member of the Altruist Club and an American Cancer Society volunteer. For several years she taught Sunday school and was director of the Junior M.Y.F.

Two children were born to this union: Edwin Leon December 17, 1930 (see Edwin Eveleth story.); and Phyllis Jean March 10, 1937 (see Ronald Kelly story.)

On March 8, 1948, Leon was stricken with a fatal heart attack. He’s buried at the Sloan, Iowa, cemetery. Cecile continues to live on the farm they shared together.

Cecile worked in the telephone office the summer of 1925. There was a switch board with just two long distance lines and party lines with six and eight people on each line each had a different ring, a short, long and two shorts or two longs. If an emergency came up they could open all the circuits and ring six long rings and ti came over all phones on all lines. Mrs Zimmerman was head operator. There was a small kitchen and bedroom in back of office, where she lived.