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Joe has no
children but he and Hazel share and are surrounded by her five
children, twelve grandchildren, and seven great granddaughters
who all live within ten or twenty minutes from them.
In 1936,
when she was thirteen years old, Hazel and her family came from
Iowa. They settled in Banks and joined Mt. Olive Church.
Pastor Wendling confirmed her. Confirmation classes were held
on Saturdays so parents who worked could transport the children
to classes. Unfortunately, the class when the students
practiced answering their confirmation question was set for
Friday after school. Since they would have no transportation
that day, Hazel and her sister decide they would have to walk
from Banks to Forest Grove, seven miles. They arrived at Pastor
Wendlings at the dinner hour, long after class. Pastor insisted
they eat dinner with him and then he drove them home and had
them review their confirmation questions on the drive.
When Hazel
married Jack Mead, they moved to California for his work. They
lived there ten years until Jack died, then she and her children
came back to Forest Grove and lived at 21st and Elm
St. Five years later, she and Joe Davis married and have been
together thirty-five years. There is a full-grown fir tree on
this property on Elm Street, a living Christmas tree planted the
last Christmas the family spent at this home. Later they moved
to Cornelius and finally settled at the Homestead.
Hazel worked
outside the home for many years, once at Compass Electronics, at
GAF, and for seven and one-half years as a cook at Neil
Armstrong School. She “retired” in 1978.
Joe was born
in Montana. He and his family moved by covered wagon to Idaho;
a wagon his Father built because he preferred horses to cars.
Joe is an auto and heavy equipment mechanic and after he came to
Oregon, he worked around the country on the big dams and power
plants as a mechanic. When he worked away, Hazel visited him on
weekends at his trailer, bringing goodies for the next week.
Joe goes to
the Catholic Church and he retired in 1980. He won the purple
heart and other medals from World War II and has written and
published a book on his history entitled, G. I. Joe,
edited by his grandson Troy Montes.
Mt. Olive
Church has been Hazel’s home church most of her life and has
helped and nourished her all of these years. She worked in LWML,
and many years visiting the sick and shut-ins and now enjoys the
Christ Care group. She also put in her time as a Den Mother |
