William’s death date remained a mystery until a Find A Grave volunteer created a memorial for him in 2011. Through cemetery records, this volunteer discovered that William was cremated in March of 1962.

William Edward Wakenight

Born: 27 FEB 1922 in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska

Father: Jacob William Wakenight (1890 to 1972)
Mother: Mary Anschutz (1897 to 1949)

Spouse: Avis Eileen Hooley (1923 to 1989)

Married: Date Unknown

Children: None

Died: 1962 in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska

Burial: Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Timeline:

1930 Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
1940 Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii
1942 Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California
1945 Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
1948 Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
1949 Death of mother, Mary
1962 Death and burial

Occupation: US Army (1942 to 1945), bottler at a brewery (1948)

Records:

1930 US Census Record
Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger, and Crew Lists, 1900-1959
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: None

Notes on William:

From the Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1900-1959:

On 22 AUG 1940, William traveled from San Francisco to Honolulu. He was 18 years of age.

From the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947:

In 1942, William was living with his half-sister, Pauline Long Vanderpool, in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. He stated that he was unemployed.

William Edward Wakenight 1942 WWII Draft Record

From the U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta):

In 1945, William was listed as a soldier in the US Army. He was living with his parents in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.

In 1948, William was working for the Storz Brewing Company. He is married to Avis on this listing.

Yet, William and Avis must have divorced right after 1948. A 1960 Kansas census record shows that Avis was married to a man named Walter A Young. Their child, William R Young, was born in 1949.

Spouse:

Avis Eileen Hooley:

Avis was born on 15 FEB 1923 in Homer, Dakota County, Nebraska. She died on 2 AUG 1989 in Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska.

Avis’ father was Elmer Leslie Hooley. He was born on 30 JUL 1887 in Nebraska. He died on 20 NOV 1965 in Blackbird, Thurston County, Nebraska.

Avis’ mother was Gladys A Phillips. She was born on 17 AUG 1896 in Nebraska. She died in 1981 in Toronto, Woodson County, Kansas.

Notes:

For more information on this part of the Wakenight family, please visit Sharon Strow’s website, “Descendants of Daniel Wakenight.”

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also an excellent source for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!