John Childress Sr. was one
of eight children of Jesse T. and Lillie Daily Moore Childress. John was born on
April 25, 1922 in Echols, KY and died on September 11, 2007. John and his eight
siblings were raised in Echols. The large family consisted of John, Roosevelt, Rigdon,
Archibald, Mary Edith, J. T., Taft, Juel, and Blanch. Archibald just celebrated his
94th birthday on September 11, 2007. There is some confusion, to me, as how the family
name is spelled. It may be that it was changed, over time, either accidentally or
on purpose. Some other means of spelling of the last name consist of Childers and
Childres. The name of John Childress Sr. was typed on the supplied photo and I will
go with that spelling for the time being.
The Jesse Childress' family moved to Michigan City, Indiana when John was a young
man. This time frame was about 1939. John met a young woman that was born and raised
in Stillwell, IN, a near-by community. They were married in 1942 and celebrated
their 65th Wedding Anniversary on June 6, 2007.
John was married in Palmyra, MO on June 6, 1942. There were no children when John's
name was selected by the local draft board and he entered the U. S. Army in 1942.
He was sent to Camp Gordon, Georgia for basic training and then was assigned to
the 10th Armored Division. John served his country honorably for the next three
years and he was discharged near the end of 1945.
John returned home to Michigan City, IN after serving his country. He went to work
for Joy Manufacturing Company as a crane operator and spent his working career with
Joy Manufacturing. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and a Coolspring Volunteer Department
member for fifty years. Although Michigan City was not Echols, this is where John
and his wife decided to raise their family. The family consisted of four children,
three boys and one girl. Mr. and Mrs. John Childress ended up with six grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren. At the time of John's death in September of 2007, all
of the children were living in the Michigan City area.
Thanks John, for your service to our country.
Thanks to Hilma for providing the picture and the write-up. Both were supplied by
John's daughter, Wendy. Thanks Wendy, you made my work easy.
:)
Click on image on the right to respond.
