Daisie Stearns Pettit

PETTIT STEARNS DORRANCE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/13/2010 at 19:42:34

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Daisie (Stearns) Pettit
By Lani Pettit

‘You’re kidding!’ People would say when told Daisie Pettit was an octogenarian. ‘She can’t be in her nineties!’ they’d remark later on. But indeed she was, and she lived to be one of the youngest 100-year-olds Sioux City has ever known. While longevity runs in the family, and we thought of her as ‘just Gram’, sometimes we couldn’t help but ‘brag’ a little about this special little lady. Of course, this was only a sidelight in Daisie Pettit’s history.

Born on January 5, 1883, at Essex, Page County, Iowa, Daisie Mildred Stearns was the fifth child of Dr Abdellah Merritt and Abigail Jane (Dorrance) Stearns. Her grandparents were Horace S and Malinda (See) Dorrance of New York and Illinois. They probably were of Irish ancestry. The paternal grandparents, Harrison and Amanda (Russell) Stearns were also from New York, Illinois, and Kansas. The Stearns family has been traced back to the immigrant Isaac Stearns who came to Massachusetts in 1630, on the ‘Arabella’, flagship of the Winthrop Fleet. They were from England.

During the Civil War, Daisies’ father served in Co H, 119th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, and later, in Co D, 137th. Being too young to enlist the first time, Abdellah lied about his age so he could get in! May 12, 1866, ‘Dell’ married Abby Dorrance, in McDonough County, Illinois. Their children, Mae, Lulu, Ed, Kate, Daisie, and Floyd, were taught proper behavior and temperance, and given a strong Christian background.

After high school graduation, in 1901, Daisie taught school near Essex for a short time before going to Cuba to do missionary work. There she learned Spanish and taught school. She kept up her Spanish in later years, frequently using her ‘Santa Biblia’ in church.

Daisie came to Sioux City, and through her church met Frank Pettit (see his biography). They were married in 1901, and later raised four children.

Widowed in 1950, Daisie continued an active life. She participated in various clubs, especially related to Morningside Presbyterian Church. She played the piano beautifully, often playing for her various clubs. For several years, she dressed dolls for needy children. Even in her late nineties, Daisie continued to entertain in her home, and often went to entertain people, usually younger than herself, who were in nursing homes. Mame Schuyler, another well-known Sioux Citian, lived with Daisie when both were in their nineties.

And there was always time for the children and grandchildren. Everyone always went to Gram’s on Christmas day for a big turkey dinner with cracker dressing and all the other goodies. The table would be set prim and proper, but devilish grandchildren once plotted to all crunch loudly into their celery on cue! It was gloriously fun, but the family matriarch pretended not to notice. She was used to the fun-loving Pettits, and had cast many a disapproving eye upon her own sons and husband who sometimes chose to toss, rather than pass their pancakes across the table, catching them on a fork with most athletic skill!

Grandma Pettit was witty, very intelligent, had a good sense of humor, rarely missed church, moved along at an almost running pace, made sure we used correct grammar, read the Bible everyday, watched soap operas, kept a picture of Eisenhower in her home and wore a Republican pin, kept the Sabbath holy, and was really a neat person.