In April 1950, the family resided at 401 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California. Parents Virgil Sr. and Myrtle with children Virgil Jr., Susan, and Martha. [5]
Susie was a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz County. She grew up in Santa Cruz, attending school at Holy Cross, grades first through twelfth, graduating high school in 1961. She went to work at the family business, Kester & Son Paving and Grading, working in the office. Susie later entered the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. After leaving the order, Susie kept a very close relationship with the Sisters. Susie went on to work for another family business, Kester's Flowers, on Soquel Drive near 41st Avenue. Sue returned to school, becoming a certified Nurse's Aide. Besides all her work, she volunteered her time driving the Sister's and others to doctor appointments and other errands for them. Like other family members, driving was fun for Susie, so this was something she enjoyed to do. When I was working, Susie and I would bump into each other often. As always her car was running on gas fumes, and I always gave her whatever extra money I had on me, which pretty much went for gas. [6]
Susan passed away 25 Jun 2005 in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California. [3] Susan is buried in the Valley Public Cemetery. [4][7]
Sources
↑ "California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VLYK-YMD : 27 November 2014), Susan Jo Kester, 22 May 1942; citing Santa Cruz, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.
↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C2B9-3KW2 : 9 December 2020), Susan Jo Kester, 22 May 1942; citing Birth, Santa Cruz, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
↑ 4.04.1 First-Hand Information, Personal and known to me Virgil 'Don' Kester III. Second-Hand Information, Most of my first genealogy information was given to me in 1982 by my Mother, Marlene G. Packer Kester. She was the family historian of the families, long before we had computers, the Internet, and genealogy computer programs.
↑1950 US Census; United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California; Roll: 1781; Sheet Number: 10; Enumeration District: 44-13; Enumeration District: 44-13; Description: Santa Cruz city - That part Bounded by Mission; Center; Lincoln, Walnut Ave.; Mission; Sheet 10, Dated: 12 Apr 1950, ED: 44-13, Santa Cruz, California, Line 9, House Number 401 (401 Mission St), Census Visit Number 132, Household of Virgil M. Kester Sr., with family members wife Myrtle, son Virgil Jr., daughter Susan, and daughter Martha; Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022. Original data: Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1/1/1972. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 - 1950. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 - 1950. NAID: 43290879. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, Record Group 29. National Archives at Washington, DC., Washington, DC.
↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #12721892, database and images (accessed 16 October 2018), memorial page for Susan Jo “Susie” Kester (22 May 1942–25 Jun 2005), citing Valley Public Cemetery, Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California, USA; Maintained by contributor 48822667.
Over many years of driving around the county, and always bumping into Suzie, someplace, always made for a good day. Enjoyed the talks, sometimes lunch, and of course back before debit cards, when I had money in my pocket, chipping in for gas. The real funny times is when the Sisters were in the car with her, they always had the best jokes to tell.
I remember Suzie and I walking from the Mission Street Kester house, down through the streets of downtown Santa Cruz, to the Boardwalk. We would check out the beach and the water, then end up inside the arcade playing everything. Back then everything was free, five to ten cents and we had a ton of fun. Now all the games there are a dollar or more. But she would buy us some food we would sit and people watch as we ate, and then head back to Mission Street. That is one of the early things I can remember us doing.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Susan by comparing test results with other carriers of her ancestors' mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Susan: