Mary Rose Deycous and Joyce Notaras were two young mothers who shared a common ritual during the hot summer of 1937. When evening breezes cooled the hot pavement, the women wheeled their newborn sons in strollers through downtown Soap Lake. Don Deycous and Tony Notaras were born barely ten days apart and would eventually become life-long friends and join the Navy together. Don Deycous’ ancestry holds deep roots in Soap Lake, Ephrata, and early Grant County. His grandfather, Malcolm (Mack) Deycous, was born in Michigan in 1874 and homesteaded five miles north of Trinidad in 1905. Mack joined several hundred riders in the “Last Grand Roundup” in 1906 and served as Grant County Sheriff in 1919. Mack’s wife, Rilla Pearl Hodgin, died in 1910, after giving birth to their only son, Ray. Because the family moved a lot, Ray didn’t graduate from high school until he was 21. As a young adult, he was paid $80 a month delivering ice for Frank Delancey’s grocery store in Soap Lake. One day, Sheriff Gordon Nicks stopped by and offered Ray a job at the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The wage: $100 a month! It was a “no brainer” for Ray to join the family tradition in law enforcement. Don Deycous’ maternal side of the family also claims Soap Lake roots. His mother, Mary Rose Wiley, and parents Fred and Clara originally lived in Spokane. Her father became ill with Buerger’s Disease and the family moved to Soap Lake for treatment. The disease eventually claimed his life in August of 1928. The following summer, Clara and 18-year-old Mary Rose drove their Model A across the United States to visit family in Louisville, KY. The trip was arduous – they faced two weeks of country roads and a confusing patchwork of barely paved byways. Clara was a skilled tailor and created a tapestry to hang in the back window of her Model A. The banner read, “We’re From Soap Lake Wash” and Clara promoted her home town across America. Don Deycous holding his grandmother’s banner Thanks to Don and Arla’s generosity, the framed banner was displayed in three local libraries during Soap Lake’s 2019 Centennial celebration. It’s permanent home will be the James Building.
0 Comments
|