David lived in Spokane before moving to Westport, Washington. This coastal city lies on the southern peninsula of Grays Harbor. I bet David fell in love with this Pacific North West area.
David George Wakenight
Born: 2 AUG 1942 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
Father: Theodore David Wakenight (1913 to 2004)
Mother: Myrtle Beulah White (1916 to 1990)
Spouse: Caroline JoAnn Stapleton (1944 to Unknown/Still Living)
Married: 19 OCT 1963 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
Children: Unknown
Died: 21 JAN 2005 in Westport, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Timeline:
1958 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1963 Marriage to Caroline
1966 Divorce from Caroline
1987 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1993 Westport, Grays Harbor County, Washington
2005 Death and burial
Occupation: Unknown
Records:
The U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012
Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2
Washington Death Index, 1940-1996
The U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Social Security Death Index
Variations of Surname: None
Spouse:
Caroline JoAnn Stapleton was born in 1944 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington.
Caroline’s father was George W Stapleton. He was born on 21 APR 1917 in Viola, Latah County, Idaho. He died on 28 JAN 1981 in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada.
Caroline’s mother was Josphine A Mull. She was born on 27 JUN 1917 in Miles City, Custer County, Montana. She died on 28 SEP 1994 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.
Caroline had four known brothers and sisters:
Donald Raymond Stapleton was born on 12 OCT 1937 in Clarkston, Asotin County, Washington. He died on 5 SEP 2001 in Deer Park, Spokane County, Washington.
Donald married Norma C Craft on 3 Feb 1961 in Clarkston, Spokane County, Washington. They had two known children, Larry and Virginia.
Violet R Stapleton was born in 1938 in Idaho. She may still be living.
Violet married at least three times and divorced twice. She married Gale Z Bates in 1957 in Spokane, Spokane, Washington. She then married Fred Wesley Dugger in 1962. Her third marriage was to Calvin Roy Bowser in 1987. I do not know if any children were born to these marriages.
Darlene Louise Stapleton was born on 6 MAR 1940 in Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Idaho. She died on 9 DEC 2011 in Salinas, Monterey County, California.
Darlene married Herschel Jackson King in 1957 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. They have four known sons, John, David, James, and George.
Melvin L Stapleton was born in 1941 in Idaho. He may still be living.
Melvin married Marsha L Bernardy in 1960 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. I do not know if any children were born to this marriage.
Caroline’s Marriages:
Caroline married at least three times and divorced twice.
She married David George Wakenight in 1963 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. She then married Gary Lynn McGinnis in 1966 in Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho. Her third marriage was to Larry A Holmes in 1986 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.
Caroline divorced Gary Lynn McGinnis in 1982 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. The divorce index notes that one child was born to this marriage. Gary’s obituary names the child as Mel McGinnis.
I believe the child is Melinda McGinnis, born in 1967.
Photos of David:
Another member of Ancestry.com had scanned two photos onto his family tree:
The first photo is of David and his father in 1943. David would have been about a year old.
The second photo, not dated, appears to be of David dressed in a naval uniform. He may have enlisted in the US Navy when he was 18 years old.
David moved to Westport:
A 1993 public record listing shows that David moved from Spokane to Westport, Grays Harbor County, Washington. I do not know if this was for business or pleasure. Based on the second photo, David may have retired from the US Navy or worked for the US Coast Guard.
Either way, Westport looks like a beautiful place. The Westport, Washington website lists 58 fun activities and places to visit while on vacation. To be able to live there would be a bonus. I bet David loved this pacific coast region.
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!
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