William "Willie" Loyd Banker the Eyes of a Child

William “Willie” Loyd Banker was born January 28,1898 in Troy, Clarke, Iowa to Riley Sherman Banker (aged 31) and Martha “Mattie” Lillian (Denly) Banker (aged 23). He had one sibling, Vera, two years older than him. Their mother tragically died on May 11, 1898, just a few short months after William’s birth. From her obituary, Martha suffered from, and presumably died as a result of, paralyzed muscles and nerves, from an unnamed affliction. With the knowledge we have now about such diseases, I can surmise it was an auto-immune disease, but so far I’ve not uncovered any records to support the actual diagnosis.

In the 1900 census, William and Vera are shown living with their father in the home of his paternal uncle and aunt (Robert & Viola Banker) in Troy, Clarke, Iowa. By the 1910 census, his father was no longer living with them (though he didn't pass away until early 1917). From one of William's obituaries, he was reared by his uncle and aunt, They had no children of their own I’ve been able to locate. I’m sure Vera and William brought joy to their home, but I wonder if they ever truly felt they belonged. William attended school in Clarke, Iowa and completed his high school studies (per the 1940 census). 

The only photo (shown above) I’ve uncovered of Vera and William really struck me because both children look so serious. There's a profound sadness in their eyes as well as their expressions. I know it was common for people not to smile in photographs at the time, but there’s an intensity in their small faces indicative of the difficulties they’d survived. I imagine it can’t have been easy losing their mother, nor adapting to life in someone else’s home. They suffered another tragedy when their father left. There’s no indication their father remarried or had any other children. One of William’s obituaries stated he lost his parents when he was young (not entirely true of his father) giving us an indication their father was not involved in their lives. For all intents and purposes, they lost both their parents as young children. Hopefully, his uncle and aunt made both children feel loved, but I can only imagine there was still a gaping hole in their hearts and likely questions never answered.

William married Blanche Pauline DeLong on June 1, 1916 in Leon, Decatur, Iowa. They had four children between 1916-1921: Mary Louise, Martha, Harold and Roy. William was a farmer, working for himself. He was a hard worker as evidenced in the 1940 census, where he reported working 72 hours per week, 52 weeks of the year. The family lived in Murray, Clarke, Iowa as well as Troy, Clarke, Iowa and Osceola, Clark, Iowa. Despite moving around, he was always a self-employed farmer and owned several of the properties the family lived on. He registered in both the draft for WWI and WWII, but being a farmer, his talents were likely better served at home and he never had to enlist in the military.

In mid-1938, his uncle named him as the executor in his will. As a further testament to William being raised as his own child, he also left his property to William (and his heirs) once his wife Viola had passed. Though the loss of his parents at such a young age was tragic, it appears he was adored by his uncle and aunt, and they seemed intent on ensuring the family had a place to call home.

Another life tragedy struck when his wife Blanche died at the age of only 38, after an illness, on February 5, 1938. Unlike his father, William did not leave his children. A newspaper article from November 1938, in the Osceola Sentinel, shows he attended a wedding. One of the others in attendance was Doris M (Scott) Mortizky. We’ll never know if this was a chance meeting sparking a new interest, but on December 12, 1939 they were married. They remained married until William passed away. By all accounts, it sounds like they had a happy life. 

On 26 Dec 1940, another article in the Osceola Sentinel talks of a wonderful family gathering for Christmas dinner, including the father of his deceased wife, as well as many of his children and even one grandchild. Years later, due to a heart condition, William was forced to retire from farming. He and Doris then moved to Marionville, Lawrence, Missouri in 1959, where he spent the rest of his life.

Sadly, William had a heart attack while sitting in his car at the Erb’s Market (grocery store) on June 13, 1962. He was just 64 years old. His body was returned to Osceola, Clarke, Iowa (where his daughters lived) and he was buried next to his first wife Blanche. He had 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren per his obituaries.

While his life was more tragic than exciting, the sheer number of obituaries and newspaper articles he was mentioned in pay tribute to the many people who cared about him. I found 4 separate obituaries, each containing a few more facts than the others. Another 6 newspaper articles over the years mentioned him. And while it’s certainly not a record, I have 29 hints saved for him in my Ancestry tree. He was my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my paternal side. His little serious face in the photo made me want to bring him back to life. If you'd like to read any of the articles, feel free to check out William's profile on my public Ancestry tree.