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Elmer with his mother and sisters.

(Photo by Gene Coy)My father was 16yr when he took this, and his first paying Photography job.

Elmer and Ferne before they married in 1922

Elmer Ellsworth Coy and Maragret Ferne Trehearne married Dec.22,1922 in Hartford City,Ind.

They had 2 children that lived, Eugene Ellsworth and Marilyn Ruth.Both were born during the years of the Depression.

(photo above)Elmer and his son Eugene Coy

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(photo above)Elmer with his daughter Marilyn Coy

(photo below)Dad and David Coy at Grandpas wall

(L to R)Gertrude,Bertha,Elmer,Clela,Martha Mae,Lavina.Not pictured are Edward and Clara

When Elmer and Ferne married they were close to my grand mother's sisters.One of Ferne's sisters had work in Florida,so in the early days of their marriage they followed the Treaherne Family.Ferne and Elmer went to St.Petersburg to be part of the great building boom. They made an adventure out of it ,in his Model-T car that they could make a tent on the side and sleep under.
Elmer was summoned back to Evansport,Ohio by one of his protective sister to return to his ill father's bedside since he was not going to last much longer.

Shortly after Elmers father passed away,he and Ferne made thier way to Comstock,Michigan.
My grandfather Elmer was a plaster by trade.He worked in his trade for over 40 years. He started working with his father ,Thomas when he was 14yr.old. He was expected to work like a man, and he could carry 2 huge stone blocks in one arm,and the other one under other arm.

My father told us tales of how skilled a mason he was.He still has some very delicate work that was done in some of the more ornate buildings,like a theatre. If you look up and see very frilly design work in one of the buildings in and around Kalamazoo,Mi. It was probably the work of Elmer Coy.
One of my father's prized possessions is his father's trowel set and dowl,and a few other work tools.

Elmer Coy tending his garden

Grandpa always had a project going around the house,building a bird bath,or turtle pond or swing in the yard.He loved to tend his garden.He was proud of what he would grow or build.

Photo left)Photo taken about 1975.
David,
Connie
Great Aunt Mar.

She lived well into her 80's,and was the last remaing child of Thomas and Della by the 1970's.

Aunt Mar was was one of our favorites.David and I were lucky enough to spend a couple summers at Aunt Marilyn's,who happened to live across the street from Aunt Mar.
David spent a couple more than I,and would play hours of dominos with Aunt Mar.This was his special time with a trully wonderful lady.She was really fiesty to the end.She even learned to skate board with her own 4th generation.By her 5th generation of grandchildren, she quit the skate boarding.

Eugene,David,Connie,Willie and Elmer Coy -1967

David at abt.2yrs and me at abt.4yrs. Grandpas had put sand in the back of the truck for a sanbox.We had been playing in the sanbox he had put together ,and we always had fun by in his turtle pond,or wading in the and old concrete mixing box that he would fill with water like a wading pool.He would also swing with us on the big glider swing he had built.
Grandpa always had some way to entertain people at his house.My father told me about Elmer getting out his horse shoes,which he would clink together and the neighborhood men would come running,while the wives would join Ferne in the kitchen for coffee and a gab session.

(photo by Gene Coy)This is a picture of my father Eugene and brother David in front of a stone wall built by Elmer Coy during the Great Depresion.
This was part of the WPA program in the 1920's
The wall surrounds the Catholic Military Academy on Old Gull Road Kalamazoo,Mi where my father,Eugene grew up in Comstock Twp.

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