Merle was married three times. His first wife was Lois Charmaine Price. His second wife, Christine Mae (Nelson) Worley. His third wife remains unnamed.

Merle Wakenight

Born: 18 SEP 1940 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois

Father: Merel H Wakenight (1909 to 1978)
Mother: Clara V Glasgow (1921 to 1979)

First Spouse: Lois Charmaine Price

Married: 14 NOV 1959 in Winnebago County, Illinois

Children:

Gregory Wakenight (1960)
David E Wakenight (1962)
Denise E Wakenight (1964)

Second Spouse: Christine Mae Nelson (1947 to 2020)

Married: Unknown Date

Third Spouse: Unknown

Married: Unknown Date

Died: 23 JUL 1996 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois

Burial: Daysville Cemetery, Daysville, Ogle County, Illinois

Obituary:

Timeline:

1959 Marriage to Lois
1960 Birth of son, Gregory
1962 Birth of son, David
1964 Birth of daughter, Denise
1978 Death of father, Merel
1979 Death of mother, Clara
1987 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1991 Death of half-brother, Kenneth
1993 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1994 Death of sister, Ruth
1996 Death and burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

Winnebago County, Illinois, Marriages, 1836-1962
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2
The U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Social Security Death Index
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: None

Notes on Marriages:

From the Winnebago marriage record, I discovered that Merle’s first wife was Lois Charmaine Price. I could find no other information on Lois. The surname of Price may have been her married name.

As I read Merle’s obituary, I noticed that more children were listed that the three noted above. They were:

George Worley, Jr
Thomas O’Dowd
Ronald (JoAnna) O’Dowd
Joy (Dan) Miller

They were referred to as Merle’s sons and daughters. Yet, their surnames were not Wakenight. I assumed that these must be step-children from previous marriages.

As I continued my search of the Worley’s and O’Dowd’s, I discovered an obituary on the Find A Grave website. It was for George Worley, Jr’s father:

George “Catfish” Worley, Sr Obituary:

“George died in Rockford Memorial Hospital. Born in Rockford to Louis H. and Margarite (Richards) Worley. He was employed as a forklift operator by Chrysler Corp. for 27 years. He enjoyed boating, catfishing, and wrestling.

Survivors include children, George “Wally” (Dawn) Jr., Joy Worley, Michelle (Michael) Lemery, Jake Worley, and Mariah Huntley, Tina Huntley; two grandchildren; brothers, Mervin (Jeri) Worley, John (Dorothy) Gordon and Clifford Poter; sisters, Charlotte Worley and Mary Betts; former wives, Christine Wakenight and Sharon Worley. Predeceased by parents; brothers, Ted, Hank, and Dale Worley.”

This notice listed two former wives, one of whom was Christine Wakenight. Following this lead, I was surprised to find another obituary on Find A Grave. After reading this notice, I knew I had found another of Merle’s wives.

Christine Mae (Nelson) Wakenight Obituary:

“ROCKFORD – Christine Mae Wakenight, age 72, of Rockford passed away peacefully Wednesday, February 12, 2020. Born in Rockford on November 18, 1947, to Morris Stanley and Dorothy Jane Nelson (Middleton). She worked for Dynacorp of Rockford for 25 years, assisted as a bus aid for Harlem School District and Genesis Development of Iowa where she served & provided support for people with disabilities, a job she thoroughly enjoyed. Chris loved connecting with her sisters & friends through online interactive games, her true pride & joy were her grandchildren. Beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and dear friend, she will remain forever in our hearts.

She is survived by her son, George Walter (Terina) Worley, daughter, Joy Mae Moore; several step-children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces & nephews; siblings, Don (Donna) Nelson, Nancy (Joe) Clements, Judith (late Edward) Letterman, Linda (Lloyd) Butterfield, Marjorie Nelson, Sue (Joe) Glasgow, Sandra (Keith) Johnson, Jill (Andy) Ditman, Michael (Patricia) Nelson; brother-in-law, Dave Allison; and many beloved friends. She is predeceased by her parents; and sister, Jane Allison.

Funeral Services held Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at 1:00 PM at the Christenson Funeral Home, 925 3rd Ave., with visitation from 11:00 AM until the time of service at 1:00 PM. Interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Machesney Park.”

It was with these obituaries that I was able to connect these people:

Christine Mae Nelson was born on 18 NOV 1947 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. She died on 12 FEB 2020 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

George Walter Worley, Sr. was born on 7 JAN 1945 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. He died on 1 MAY 1998 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Two children were born to this marriage:

George Walter Worley, Jr
Joy Mae (Worley) Moore or Miller

In Merle’s obituary, the O’Dowd’s were listed after George Worley, Jr. Because of this, I had to assume that he married this woman after Christine.

Merle’s third wife remains unnamed. I could find no marriage, death, or obituary that tied them together. As Thomas and Ronald O’Dowd are most likely still living, there is little information on family tree websites.

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!