Ray Over (1895 - 1971)

Born 10 Dec 1895 in Beaver, Oklahoma Territory, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Bertha Lea (Messinger) Over — married 17 Nov 1918 in Beaver, Oklahoma, United States

Died 1 Jan 1971 at age 75 in Liberal, Seward, Kansas, United States

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Biography

Except as otherwise footnoted, the following adapted from Seward County Kansas.^[1]

Ray Over was born 10 Dec 1895 on the family ranch in Beaver County, Oklahoma^[2] near the small town of Gate the youngest of the five children of John Over and Bernadine Huret.^[3] His father was born in Pennsylvania and his mother was a French immigrant. Ray's mother died in a buggy accident in 1905 and his father in 1909. For the remainder of his youth, he was raised by his sister Bernadine.

On 17 Nov 1918 at Beaver County, Oklahoma he married Bertha Lea Messinger, daughter of George and Mary (Freguson) Messinger, whose family had moved to Harper County, Oklahoma in 1905.^[4] Ray and Bertha spent their first married years running the ranch, Ray's brother John also lived there, and their two daughters were born there.^[5] By 1925, the family had moved to Hugoton, Kansas^[6][7] where Ray sold cars and worked for an implement dealership. About the start of the Great Depression, they had moved to a farm northwest of Liberal, Kansas where they stayed about five years before moving into Liberal, Kansas.^[8]

In Liberal, Ray sold cars for A.B. Hunt and L.O. Hood and then went to work for Hood farms. Ray then went into real estate though served one term as Seward County Undersheriff under Sheriff W.A. Woody and served as a special deputy for a number of years when the Liberal air base was in operation during WWII.

Ray's daughters wrote that the great passions of Ray and Bertha were visiting friends, family get-togethers, and fishing from Kansas to the Pacific Ocean. They spent a lot of time at Jackson Hole, Wyoming often accompanied by friends such as the Dr Hatfield and Kenneth Russel families.^[1]

On 12 May 1966, Ray suffered a stroke which resulted in an extended hospitalization. He suffered a second stroke 29 Nov 1970 and passed away New Years Day of 1971 and is interred at the Liberal Cemetery.^[9]

Children^[7][8]

• Margaret Evelyn - b 18 Jan 1920, m Joseph Murdock, d 28 Mar 2011
• Mary Bernadine - b 5 Sep 1921, m 1/ Langley Jones, 2/ Bill Smith, d 8 Dec 2006

Obituary

Ray Over, 75, of Liberal, Kansas died early last Friday morning at Southwest Medical Center after a long illness. He was born December 10, 1895 in Beaver County, and was married there to Bertha Lee (Lea) Messinger on November 18, 1917. He had been a Liberal resident the past 35 years, and was in the real estate business for 25 years. He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Mrs. Mary B. Jones and Mrs. Margaret E. Murdock both of Albuquerque, N.M.; one sister, Mrs. Lilly L. Pitts of Amarillo, Texas; four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Funeral services were conducted Tuesday afternoon in Liberal by the Rev. Loren Ryel, minister of the First Christian Church there. Burial was in the Liberal Cemetery. (probably from the Southwest Daily Times-Liberal, Kansas)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Seward County Historical Society, compiler, "Seward County Kansas," K C Printers, Liberal, Kansas, 1979, pp 374-75, information submitted by his daughters.
2. ↑ The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Kansas; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: Box 384
3. ↑ US Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Gate, Beaver, Oklahoma; Roll: 1335; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 1241335
4. ↑ Oklahoma, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1890-1995 [database on-line]. Beaver County, Film Number: 001516560
5. ↑ US Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Gate, Beaver, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1452; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 28
6. ↑ Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1925 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: KS1925_156; Line: 26, Hugoton, Stevens County.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} US Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Hugoton, Stevens, Kansas; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 2340459
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} US Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: Liberal, Seward, Kansas; Roll: m-t0627-01258; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 88-3
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #9741793