Francis Jepson
Francis Gleddie Jepson was the eldest of John and Anna (Gleddie) Jepson's four sons. He was born in Beach, North Dakota, on July 8, 1911. He was just turning four when the family moved to Eugene, Oregon.
Alnathan, Francis, and Pierce Jepson
According to his father Francis was 6’ 8 1/2’’ tall. He was 29 when he married Hazel Brooks on March 15, 1941 in Seattle Washington. They lived in Tacoma. They did not have any children. Francis became an engineer and worked for a construction company which built bridges and wharves along the Washington coast.
In June 1962 Mildred Wilson, a cousin from Nebraska, visited them. She had come to Seattle to visit the World’s fair and then went to Eugene, Oregon, to visit her Aunt Anna. Her next visit was with Francis and Hazel. She took the bus from Eugene to Olympia because they lived closer to that bus depot than the Tacoma depot. She described her visit as follows:
“Not having seen Francis before, I left the matter of
identification to chance. My bus came in
a few minutes early, so I waited a while.
A car stopped outside the depot, a man of about 50, somewhat
distinguished looking and tall got out, came in and looked around the
depot at
the different people. I wondered if that
would be him, so I walked up to him and asked, ‘Are you Mr. Jepson?’ He didn’t say if he was or not, and didn’t
ask me who I was. His face merely lit up
in a smile and he shook hands, and right away asked about my baggage,
and
offered to take care of all that….It was about 12 miles back to Francis
home in
Tacoma. They have a most beautiful home on a lake. It is really
something out
of ‘House and Gardens’. They have a most
beautifully landscaped lawn, which is actually their back yard –
shrubs,
flowers and plants galore. They have
their own motor boat, so we went for a boat ride on the lake – Hazel,
Francis,
and myself.
“I just can’t begin to describe my visit with Hazel and
Francis. It was the most delightful
experience of my whole trip. Francis,
of course, has a very good job. He is
superintendent of the Hart Construction Co., a bridge building firm. He went to the Oregon State College at
Corvallis. His wife, Hazel, went to the
Uni. of Washington. She is from Seattle,
and is a very charming and friendly person.
They have been married 20 years, have no children.
“The home they live in was one they had built themselves. When you come in the front entrance you step
down into the living room. On the side
of the short stairway is a big built-in planter filled with plants. The living room has high windows reaching
from floor to ceiling and faces the lake.
We ate on the patio, had very good steaks broiled on the outside
grille,
baked potatoes, green beans tossed salad and strawberries and angel
food cake
for dessert, coffee. They took me to the
Tacoma bus depot to catch the last bus as it left an hour later than
the one
from Olympia….
I called the hotel [in Seattle]
earlier in the evening from Francis’ home asking that they hold my
reservation. Francis placed the call on
his company telephone credit card. With
the Fair visitors one doesn’t know just how long they might hold a
reservation.”
Francis was involved in a work related accident in the early 1970’s which left him a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair. A nephew and his sisters visited him when they were children, after the accident. The nephew remembers him as being gentle and attentive to the children. Francis died suddenly August 20, 1980 of complications stemming from his quadriplegia.
Sources
Anderson, Mardi, Genealogy Notes, 1957-present, Genealogy notebooks
Hanson, Nancy, Notes about John Jepson family, April, 1995, Illinois.
Jepson, Dennis, telephone conversation July 22, 2007
Jepson, Francis & Hazel Brooks, Marriage Announcement, March 15, 1941, Seattle, Washington. (copy in MRA's Geneology Notebooks, Kearney, NE.)
Jepson, Francis Gleddie Birth Announcement, July 8, 1911 (photocopy in MRA's Geneology Notebooks.)
Jepson, Francis & Hazel Brooks, Marriage Announcement, March 15, 1941, Seattle, Washington. (copy in MRA's Geneology Notebooks, Kearney, NE.)
Jepson, Francis Gleddie Birth Announcement, July 8, 1911 (photocopy in MRA's Geneology Notebooks.)