My father worked for the Northwestern Steel and Wire Company for 30 years before succumbing to lung cancer caused by asbestos.

Donald Eugene Wakenight

Donald Eugene Wakenight 1958 Graduation Photo

Born: 21 JAN 1940 in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois

Father: Raymond Luther Wakenight (1916 to 2000)
Mother: Ethel Elnora Marion Johnson (1921 to 1996)

Spouse: Rita G Aldous (1940 to Still Living)

Married: 19 Jan 1963 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois

Children:

Sheila R Wakenight (1963)
Donna L Wakenight (1964)
Donald J Wakenight (1965)
Raymond E Wakenight (1968)
Patricia K Wakenight (1969)
Jennifer S Wakenight (1971)
JoAnne Wakenight (1972)

Died: 16 DEC 1993 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois

Burial: Riverside Cemetery, Prophetstown, Whiteside County, Illinois

Obituary:

Donald Eugene Wakenight, circa 1942

Timeline:

1940 Dixon, Lee County, Illinois
1955 Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois
1961 Nelson, Whiteside County, Illinois
1963 Marriage to Rita
1963 Birth of daughter, Sheila
1964 Birth of daughter, Donna
1965 Birth of son, Donald
1968 Galt, Whiteside County, Illinois
1968 Birth of son, Raymond
1969 Birth of daughter, Patricia
1970 Prophetstown, Whiteside County, Illinois
1971 Birth of daughter, Jennifer
1972 Birth of daughter, Jo Anne
1993 Death and burial

Occupation: furnace man at a steel mill

Records:

1940 US Census Record
U.S. School Yearbooks
Illinois, Passenger and Crew List 1918-1963
Social Security Death Index
The U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
The U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: None

Notes on My Father:

Donald Eugene Wakenight and Rita G Aldous, 1963 Wedding Photo

Donald Eugene Wakenight was my father. He will always be in our hearts. There are too many memories to share about my Dad in this post, but I would like to give you a few details about his life.

My father enlisted in the US Army on 31 OCT 1959 when he was 19 years old. He was stationed in Germany until he was released from service on 22 OCT 1962.

On 19 JAN 1963, Dad married my mother, Rita. Shortly after that, he adopted my half-sister, Sonya.

For 24 years, Dad worked as a furnace man for the Northwestern Steel and Wire Company. Working in the blast furnace was hot and strenuous labor. Yet, my father remained with the company until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. The primary cause for this was asbestos:

“Working in a steel mill comes with inherent risks, including one that is not so obvious. Because asbestos was used in steel mills as a common insulation material from the 1940s through the end of the 1970s, workers were exposed to this toxic material while performing their daily tasks. If they are using equipment or working in buildings built before the 1980s, asbestos exposure remains a danger.”

While my father worked rotating shifts at the steel mill, he also built our five-bedroom house. My parents purchased six acres of land outside of Prophetstown, Whiteside County, Illinois. For the next five years, Dad built our house from the basement to the roof. He did most of the work himself, learning how to install all of the electrical wiring and plumbing.

My father loved to work in our large garden. My parents canned and froze many vegetables and fruits to feed their eight children.

Between working long hours at the steel mill and on the house, Dad still had time to spend with his children. My parents took us to baseball, football, band, and choir practices.

These were very happy times. I will always have memories of growing up in that house. Dad, we love and miss you so much.

Spouse:

Rita Aldous Wakenight Photo 1972

Rita G Aldous:

Rita was born in 1940 in Suffolk County, England.

Rita’s father was James Lemon Aldous. He was born on 23 MAY 1914 in Chediston, Suffolk County, England. He died in1991 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Rita’s mother was Gladys May Oxborough. She was born on 22 APR 1913 in Walpole, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1977 in Lowestoft, Suffolk County, England.

Rita has two siblings, both born in Suffolk County, England:

Sheila A Aldous (1941 to 2016)
Richard Aldous (1956)

Rita also had two half-siblings, also born in Suffolk County, England:

Margaret D Goldsmith (1931 to 2010)
Robin N Goldsmith (1936 to 2007)

Rita has one daughter, born before her marriage:

Sonya A Wakenight (1960)

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 excellent sources 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!