b. 2 January 1905, d. 4 July 2008
| Birth | 2 Jan 1905 | Willard Estell Moffett was born on a farm near Calhan, Colorado, on 2 Jan 1905.1 |
| | Willard's earliest childhood days were spent on the plains of Eastern Colorado near the small towns of Calhan and Matheson where winters are fierce and trees are scarce. Willard remembers riding with his father into Colorado City to return horses they had been pasturing for a friend; Willard though the shade trees were splendid. The high plains of Colorado sport towns with names such as Last Chance, Wild Horse and Kit Carson. |
| Migration | 1909 | In 1909 Willard, with his parents and siblings, moved to Willow Springs, Missouri.1 |
| | The family settled in a 4 room frame house with a double fireplace that was used for heating and cooking. Willard fondly remembers reading the comics from a neighbor's St. Louis newspaper. "Maggie and Jiggs", "Mutt and Jeff" and "Captain and the Kids" were favorites. He also remembers a new Daisy Air Gun which was a Christmas gift. He wasn't allowed to have BB's for it, but that didn't keep him from putting it to good use.1 |
| Migration | Spring 1912 | In the Spring of 1912 the family returned to Colorado, where Willard and his sister Herma began to attend school.1 |
| | This was the year of the Titanic shipwreck (April 14, 1912). Although there were no phones or radios in the neighborhood, the news traveled quickly and was the major topic of discussion whenever people gathered. Willard recalls how the children often had bread and milk for supper and that they would push their bread down in the milk and pretend it was the Titanic.1 |
| | Willard and his family spent part of this period living in a sod house. Willard described it this way, "Now a sod house is unique. They would find a place where the sod was thick and heavy. They would cut this into blocks of about 14 inches wide by 20 inches long and it would be as thick as the grass roots, usually some 4 to 4 1/2 inches. This they would lay up into walls, leaving a door and a window some 2 feet square. They usually went to the mountains and got a big log pole long enough to reach the length of the house. This would raise the center of the building and they would cover it with rough sawed 1 X 12s. This was covered with tar paper and covered with sod squares. The dirt inside would pack and get hard as concrete. People lived for years in them before they were floored or plastered. They were always dark inside but were extremely warm." (see photo below).1 |
| | Willard's father moved the family several times over the next few years. He bought and sold horses as well as farmed. Willard was old enough by then to help out in the fields and clean the barn. He also attended school, which was a 3 mile walk each way. He tells of seeing great stretches of prairie covered with bones, and learning to tell the difference between buffalo and cow bones. Many of the buffalo bones were collected and hauled into town where they were sold for $10 a ton. |
| Migration | Fall 1917 | When Willard was twelve, his parents once again moved to Missouri, this time settling in Salem where an uncle owned a farm.1 |
| | Willard's father left to work the wheat harvest in Kansas and Willard did the work on the farm in Missouri. School started in August and ran for 3 months. It was taught by a teacher who had graduated from 8th grade the previous year. Willard's mother had taught him to read years earlier and he enjoyed reading everything he could get his hands on. But he used his spending money for hunting and trapping. |
| Migration | 1920 | In 1920 the family lived briefly in Crawford, Kansas, while Willard's father worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Later the family returned again to Colorado and rented a ranch near Matheson.1 |
| | Willard attended high school back in Colorado and worked a variety of jobs. He also met the young woman who would become his wife. He describes her as a very popular young lady who played the piano and sang. He describes himself as a typical bashful farm boy who could do neither, and says, "I am still puzzled how I was able to coax her to marry me". But she did. |
| Marriage | 10 Jan 1927 | He married Mary Evelyn Ager on 10 Jan 1927.1 |
| Occupation | | Following their marriage the young couple farmed and worked at whatever jobs were available. These were the Great Depression years and times were not easy. One of the more unusual jobs Willard held during these years was that of "hoist man" for several mining concerns.1 |
| Migration | Apr 1941 | In April, 1941, the family moved to Washington state when a doctor advised Willard that Evelyn, who had been suffering health problems, would benefit from living at a lower altitude.1 |
| Occupation | 1942 | Though work was hard to find, as many people escaping the "Dust Bowl" states had settled in the area, Willard went to work for the Reynolds metal company at Longview. |
| Residence | 1942 | Willard and Evelyn settled in nearby Kelso where their 4 children (Willard, Ralph, Thomas and Mary) attended school.1 |
| Occupation | 1947 | When the Reynolds Metals closed their Longview plant in 1947 Willard went to work for the M and M Plywood Plant.1 |
| Membership | | While working at the Reynolds Company Willard became active in the Union and served as its treasurer. Later he served as president and then Business Agent. During this time he was a delegate to the International Council when the union petitioned the American Federation of Labor for a charter as an International Union. He was active in the Consitutional Convention and served as Vice President until his retirement in 1970. He also served as President of the Council of Western Unions.1 |
| 1977 | Following Willard's retirement, the local union gifted he and Evelyn with a trip to Hawaii. A few years later they traveled to the Holy Land with a group from their church. It was a trip full of wonderful experiences.1 |
| Widowed | Oct 1989 | Willard was widowed when Evelyn died in October of 1989. |
| | He has continued to remain active and involved with his family and friends. He has also done something that most of us just talk about doing: he has put to pen the wonderful memories shared with him by his parents. He also recorded his own life story which includes so many, many interesting experiences. Willard has been kind enough to share those memories with other Moffett researchers, including myself, and for this we owe him a debt of gratitude. May we also follow in his footsteps! |
| Death | 4 Jul 2008 | Willard died on 4 Jul 2008 at age 103. |
