Willard Rea Zechiel

Willard was the son of Henry Zechiel and Lozetta White who married in 1882. They had a daughter who died in infancy on 8 Mar. 1883. Willard also had a younger brother named Ernest R., born in April of 1890. I found the family on the 1900 Census, living in Union Twp. (today the Culver area), Marshall Co., Indiana, where Henry was farming for a living. Lozetta reported having had three children, two of whom had survived to that census. (She confirmed this on the 1910 Census.) In 1910, Willard and Ernest were still living with their parents, Willard was helping on the farm, and Ernest gave "music / instrumentalist" as his occupation.

The year after that census, Willard married Frankie Caroline "Callie" Barber on 18 Oct. 1911 in Sandusky Co., Ohio. Two years later, they welcomed son Robert Barber (b.12 Nov. 1913). According to his 1917 WWI registration card, Willard was a County Agent based in Kosciusko Co., Indiana. He and Caroline show up on the 1920 Census living in Warsaw, Kosciusko Co., and Willard confirmed that he was a "county agriculturalist". They had welcomed daughter Catherine Marie on 16 Feb. 1919.

By the 1930 Census, the family had moved to Wabash, Wabash Co., Indiana, and Willard gave his occupation as "land inspector/insurance". Both Robert and Catherine were still at home living with their parents. City directories between 1921 and 1935 show them living in Logansport, Cass Co., Indiana, where Willard was listed as County Agricultural Agent. A 1936 directory shows them in Indianapolis.

By the 1940 Census, Willard, Caroline and daughter Catherine had moved to Culver, Marshall Co., Indiana. No occupation was noted for Willard. Son Robert had married Francis A. Snyder on 3 Jul. 1937 in Schuylkill Co., Pennsylvania. He would later marry second wife Eleanor Gettinger on 1 Oct. 1949 in Chicago, IL. and they would have two daughters together--Janet and Karen. Willard's 1942 WWII draft card indicated that he was living in Culver and working at Culver School, which could have been Culver Community Schools or Culver Military Academy.

Willard and Caroline's daughter Catherine married Everett Earl Easterday on 16 Aug. 1941. They had four children together, three daughters and a son.

Sadly, on 25 Nov., 1964, Willard and Caroline's son Robert died in an accident enroute from Chicago to Culver. He was only 51 years old. Willard died three years later on the same day and month at age 81. Willard's wife Caroline had died in January of that same year at age 80.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 25 2016, 16:34:53 UTC

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• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: May 25 2016, 8:10:49 UTC
• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 25 2016, 16:53:51 UTC