Ida Maurine STARNS

1910 - 2005  (95 years)

• Name	Ida Maurine STARNS
  Birth	4 Feb 1910	Hobart, Kiowa County, OK   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Death	8 Oct 2005	Lubbock Heart Hospital, Lubbock, Lubbock County, TX
  	Cause: Myocardial infarction
  Burial	13 Oct 2005	Denver City Memorial Park, Denver City, Yoakum County, TX
  Notes	(1) Morene STARNES is listed in a household headed by her father, Colonel STARNES, in the 1910 census of Hobart, Kiowa County, OK at 230 Lowe Street. [The compiler believes that Colonel STARNES was Colonel Andrew STARNS.] According to the 1910 census, Morene was then 2 months of age; therefore, according to the 1910 census, she was born in about 1910. According to the 1910 census, she was born in OK. [The compiler believes that Morene was Ida Maurine STARNS.] (2) Maurine STARNES is listed in a household headed by her father, Colonel O. STARNES, in the 1920 census of Hobart, Kiowa County, OK at 401 South Jefferson Street. [The compiler believes that Colonel O. STARNES was Colonel Andrew STARNS.] According to the 1920 census, Maurine was then 9 years of age; therefore, according to the 1920 census, she was born in about 1911. According to the 1920 census, she was born in OK. [The compiler believes that Maurine was Ida Maurine STARNS.] (3) Denver City (TX) Press, February 1, 1997, p. 8a: Maurine Wehrend Leaves Mark as Superior Educator By Danielle Swisher There is a bit of sparkle that has been roving around Denver City for years, now. She can be seen most anywhere, a cheery, sharp-witted presence?she is Maurine Wehrend, and she recently shared her experiences and insights with us at her home. Mrs. Wehrend made it clear at the outset that she intended to talk mostly about her husband, the late William R. Wehrend. Her devotion to him stands out quite clearly. "He was a brilliant man, a self-made man," she says. Mr. Wehrend had two children--Bill Jr., who lives in Palo Alto, CA, and Carole de la Torre, who married a Peruvian man and lived there for many years, and is now in Miami, FL. Mr. Wehrend was the son of a dairy farmer in Princeton, Minnesota. His father didn't want his son to go to college, but to stay home and work the dairy. William had other plans, however. He went to a Minnesota Ag campus for 2 years, and then was off to World War I. He had played in the band at home, and now as part of the field artillery he entertained the troops and picked up the dead. He came to the University of Oklahoma at Norman to teach in 1929. He was the first full-time band director there, and the first in the nation to specifically train band directors. J.W. Jones was the superintendent of schools in Denver City. Mr. Wehrend would send out his pupils to Denver City to direct the band here, but they would leave after a while. "They were young guys, and there wasn't much to do in Denver City, so they left," Mrs. Wehrend explains. Meanwhile, Mr. Wehrend's schedule at the University was extremely hectic. "He would have been dead long before if he'd stayed there," she says. The couple married in 1945, and they moved to Denver City that same year. "There wasn't much of a town then," Mrs. Wehrend muses. "There weren't many houses, since most of the people worked in the oil business, and they lived in the camps. We lived in a school house for 14 years before we got this house. "Bill did everything--he directed the band, of course, and he sometimes did the choir, too. He even drove the band bus. All that without extra pay." Mr. Wehrend's career was a long and distinguished one. He was the grand national president of Kappa Kappa Psi, the band fraternity. He took 16 bands to the Cotton Bowl, one to the Orange Bowl. "He put women in the band, too. They were very good. He gave the band a foundation?they were and still are the best, thanks to him," Mrs. Wehrend says enthusiastically. He taught in Denver City for 22 years, and was 72 years old when he retired in 1967 or ?68. The two of them did everything together, and even painted many of the houses around town. Mrs. Wehrend did eventually open up about her own, very interesting, life. She has three degrees, and has worked hard her whole life, always trying to better herself. She started working in a Western Union office when she was in high school in Oklahoma City. She tried to learn every position in the office, and when someone was sick, she would fill in. Also in high school, she found the subject that she would study her whole life--languages. Her sister took Spanish, and she thought that it was wonderful, and took it up, herself. In college, she majored in the Romance languages. She speaks Spanish and French fluently, and has also studied German. At the time, a woman going to college was unusual. "They said that a girl could learn everything she would need to know from her mother," she laughs. "Women weren't supposed to go to college." She was an office worker most of her life?as the recorder at O.U. from 1927 to 1945, at the Atlantic refining company, and then at Indian Royalty, which later became Cornell Oil Co. However, demographics gave her an opportunity to go back to the languages she loves. The migrant farm workers would start out in the valley and gradually work their way to the beet fields of Colorado. These people needed to learn English, and Mrs. Wehrend was eager to teach them. For 11 years she worked with them, along with the Spanish teacher, Mrs. Chet Holcombe, who would become her best friend. "No money was allotted to my program," she says. "It was up to me to purchase school supplies and clothes (if necessary). Mrs. Chet Holcombe helped a great deal. There was a Mexican dinner each year?the proceeds from this were used by Los Amigos Spanish Club and Mrs. Holcombe to help with my students. This occasion was one of the highlights of the school year, with music furnished by the band students and Mr. Wehrend." The program was disbanded, however, and Mrs. Wehrend went on to a new assignment--teaching kindergarten. With only 5 years left until she would have to retire from the school system, she went back to college to learn her new vocation. Was all that effort worth it? "Of course," she affirms. "I have people tell me that if it weren't for me, they wouldn't be where they are today. At the time they may have thought I was mean, but it turned out very good for them." She was a pioneer in bilingual education. "The kids in other schools who didn't speak English would just be sent to the back of the room to color pictures. I told them when they got here, 'your father works in the fields, your mother keeps your clothes clean, and it's your job to learn, and you will whether you want to, or not.' A lot of them are still here in Denver City, and have families of their own now. "When they came here, I would give them the easiest book we had, and they would still cry, 'I can't do it!' but I told them, 'you will learn to do it.' They were always welcome. Some kids carne because it was warmer in school than in their houses. "I don't believe in social promotion in school. I kept some kids 2 years, and that gave them a wonderful foundation. My kids did well. I taught them Phonics, and they could read and write. I've gotten many letters from the children I taught. One in particular was a Spanish-American girl who was one of the brightest kids I ever taught. I believed in her, and that made a difference." Mrs. Wehrend feels that, although everyone should be encouraged to preserve their heritage, it is important to learn English. "If we went to Mexico, we wouldn't find all the signs and everything in English. But the young people are learning English, and that's good." Mrs. Wehrend's fascination with language has helped in the extensive travelling they did--they went to Mexico many times, and to Europe, England, Hawaii, and cruises to North Africa. "I like 'regatear'?bargaining with people for my purchases," she says. Mrs. Wehrend is at times concerned about the changes she sees in the world. "I substituted for a while, and I was disturbed at how some of the kids don't have respect for anyone--they wouldn't look up the words in the dictionary, and they couldn't read a paragraph and tell what had happened in it. They've got to want to learn. "Back in the Depression, everyone had to hang together. And, musicians played because they loved it. There were no scholarships, people did things because they wanted to. Musicians didn't practice as much as they do now, either." Mrs. Wehrend has many happy memories of her life, and the love of her life--Mr. Wehrend. "We enjoyed each other's company so much. We told each other we loved each other every day. "It's a great life. I love people, and I wouldn't trade Denver City?even though it wasn't much in the beginning." Mrs. Wehrend's loving joy is contagious, too?a person can't help but feel that the world, and Denver City, is a better place because she is in it. (4) Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, TX, August 29, 1997 <http://lubbockonline.com/news/083097/insurance_agent_gets_10_years_in .htm>: Insurance agent gets 10 years in prison By MARY ALICE ROBBINS Morris News Service AUSTIN - A Yoakum County jury Friday sentenced Richard Sommers Moreland Jr., a Dallas insurance agent, to 10 years in prison for bilking three elderly West Texas women out of almost $500,000. Moreland, 37, was convicted Thursday on two felony charges, theft by deception and securing a document by deception. The jury sentenced him to 10 years on each charge, but the sentences will run concurrently. As part of his punishment, Moreland also must pay $92,000 in restitution. Jim Davis, spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance, said the state agency's fraud unit began investigating Moreland in March 1996 after learning that he had convinced an elderly woman to withdraw money in savings and invest it in companies he owned. The investigation revealed that other women had been defrauded, Davis said. ''It's unfortunate there are people like Richard Moreland out there who prey on old people,'' said Yoakum County District Attorney Richard Clark. Clark said Moreland convinced Maurine Wehrend of Denver City, an 87-year-old retired school teacher, to cash in an annuity and invest in a business he was trying to start. Moreland defrauded Wehrend of about $187,000, the district attorney said. Moreland also defrauded two 89-year-old women, Pearl Prewitt of Abilene and Ina Barker of Erath County, Clark said. Prewitt's loss was about $220,000, and Barker lost $82,500, he said. Clark said Moreland used some of the money on the business, Moreland Educational Services Inc., but used much of it to buy drugs. Davis said the fraud occurred over a three-year period, beginning in 1993. Clark said Moreland claimed to have borrowed the money from the three women, but one of the victims lives in a nursing home and is mentally incapable of making monetary decisions. ''How could anybody with integrity say that he was borrowing money from her when she didn't know what she was doing?'' Clark said. Dale Barron, an attorney in the TDI fraud unit, was appointed by Clark as a special prosecutor and assisted with the case. Insurance Commissioner Elton Bomer initiated a program last year to offer specialized help to local district attorneys wanting to intensify prosecution of insurance fraud in their counties. (5) Death notice, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, TX, October 10, 2005: Maurine Wehrend, 95, of Denver City died Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005, at Lubbock Heart Hospital. Services are pending with Boyer Funeral Chapel in Denver City. (6) Obituary, Odessa (TX) American, October 12, 2005: Maurine Wehrend Denver City Maurine Wehrend, 95, of Denver City, a retired elementary teacher, died Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005, at Heart Hospital in Lubbock. Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Denver City Memorial Park with the Rev. Gene Boyer officiating. Burial will be at Denver City Memorial Park Cemetery in Denver City. Arrangements are by Boyer Funeral Home. She was born in Denver City [sic; she was born in Hobart, OK]. Survivors Son, Bill Wehred [sic] Jr. of Palo Alto, Calif.; and daughter, Carole De La Torre of Sugar Land [sic; Bill and Carole were her step-son and step-daughter, respectively]. (7) Obituary, Denver City (TX) Press, October 16, 2005: MAURINE WEHREND Graveside services for Maurine Wehrend, 95, of Denver City, were held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, 2005 at Denver City Memorial Park with Gene Boyer officiating. Burial followed in Denver City Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Boyer Funeral Chapel. Mrs. Wehrend passed away on October 8, 2005 at the Heart Hospital in Lubbock after a lengthy illness [sic; her final illness was short]. She was born to Colonel Andrew and Ida Starns on February 4, 1910 in Hobart, OK. She was an elementary teacher of Denver City ISD for many years, a very active member of the Denver City Senior Citizens and a board member. She was preceded in death by her husband, William, in 1995, six months before their 50th anniversary. She is survived by a step-son, Bill Wehrend, Jr., and wife Miriam, of Palo Alto, CA; a step-daughter, Carole de la Torre and her husband, Julio, of Sugarland, TX; and several nieces and nephews. (8) Funeral card: In Loving Memory Maurine Wehrend 1910 -2005 Those we love don't go away; They walk beside us every day . . . Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear. In Loving Memory of Maurine Wehrend Entered This World February 4, 1910 Passed From This Life October 8, 2005 Graveside Service & Interment Thursday October 13, 2005 2:00 PM Denver City Memorial Park Gene Boyer, officiating On behalf of the family, we wish to express their gratitude for your many kindnesses, and for your attendance at this service. Boyer Funeral Chapel of Denver City Gene Boyer, Funeral Director & Manager 120 W 4th, Denver City, Texas 79323 (806) 592-5400 Boyer Funeral Home Dean & Candy Boyer, owners 410 NW 21st, Seminole, Texas 79360 (432) 758-5440
  Person ID	I2723	Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Colonel Andrew STARNS,   b. 11 Sep 1873, TN d. 18 Jan 1941, St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, OK (Age 67 years)
  Mother	Ida Lynda GROSS,   b. 7 Jan 1880, Birchwood, James [now Hamilton] County, TN d. 19 Oct 1956, Gainesville, Alachua County, FL (Age 76 years)
  Marriage	10 Oct 1897	Birchwood, James [now Hamilton] County, TN
  Divorce	9 Jul 1934	Norman, Cleveland County, OK
  Notes	(1) On June 11, 1934, Mrs. C. A. STARNS ("Ida"), as plaintiff, filed a petition for divorce from her husband, C. A. STARNS ("C. A."), as defendant, in the District Court of Cleveland County, OK, under case no. 12370. The law firm of Muldrow and Keller represented Ida, and C. A. represented himself, in the divorce proceeding. On June 11, 1934, the court entered a temporary restraining order against C. A., "restraining and enjoining the defendant from or in any manner interferring [sic] with the care and custory of the children or with the plaintiff, or from going to the house of the plaintiff and causing any annoyance or disturbance." On July 7, 1934, Ida filed an amended petition for divorce from C. A., in which she alleged: "That she is a resident in good faith of Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, and has been for more than one year next preceeding [sic] the filing of this petition. "That the plaintiff and the defendant wars duly and legally married at Birchwood, Tennesaee, on the 10th day of October, 1897, and have since continued to be husband and wife. "That of this marriage seven children have been born to the plaintiff and defendant, viz; Rena [sic], age thirty-one, Melvin, age twenty-eight, Wilma, age twenty-six, Maurine, age twenty-four, Byron, age twenty-two, Lucile, age twenty, and Jeanett [sic], age sixteen. That Jeanett is in the care and custody of the plaintiff. [Note by compiler: Two other children, Earl and Glennie, were born of the marriage but died young.] "That the defendant has been guilty of extreme cruelty toward the plaintiff in that he has continually nagged at and abused her; that he has continually found fault with her and with practically everything that she has done; that on one occasion the defendant slapped and choked the plaintiff. That by reason of the facts hereinbefore set forth, defendant has made the life of the plaintiff unbearable; that he has kept her in constant mental strain and worry; that her health has been endangered; that she cannot continue to live with him as his wife, "Plaintiff further states that she and the defendant have a limited amount of personal property accumulated during their married life; that said. property briefly described is as follows: "Household and kitchen furniture. "Plaintiff prays that the court make an order awarding her the said personal property as part of the relief prayed for in this petition. "That the plaintiff is a fit and proper person to have the care and custody of the said minor child of the parties hereto, and that the care and custody of the child should be awarded to the plaintiff; that the plaintiff is entitled to an order of this court restraining and enjoining said defendant from in any way interferring with her or molesting her, and from interferring with her custody of the said child. "Plaintiff further states that she has always conducted herself toward the defendant as a true and faithful wife, and has given him no just cause or provocation for his extreme cruelty toward her as above set forth." On July 9, 1934, the court entered a decree of divorce which provides in part as follows: "The court, having heard the oral testimony of witnesses, sworn and examined in open court, and being fully advised of the premises, and on consideration thereof, finds that all the material allegations alleged in the plaintiff's petition are true, and that the plaintiff is entitled to an absolute decree of divorce from the defendant, by reason of the extreme cruelty of the defendant toward the plaintiff. "And the court finds that the plaintiff is without fault and that by reason of the acts of the defendant, and the fault of the degendant, plaintiff is entitled to a decree of divorce as prayed for. It is therefore, Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed by the court that the plaintiff be and she is hereby granted an absolute decree of divorce from the defendant. "The court further finds that the plaintiff is a fit and proper person to have the custody end control of the minor child of the parties hereto, namely, Jeanett [sic] age 16 years. It is therefore Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed by the court that the plaintiff be and she is hereby granted the absolute care and custody of the said child during her minority, and that the defendant have the right to visit said child at the home of the plaintiff at reasonable times, such visitations to in no way interfere with the custody and control of said child by the plaintiff. "It is further Ordered, Adjudged and decreed that the said plaintiff have and possess as and for alimony the household furniture, and the kitchen furniture; and the defendant is hereby ordered to convey the said property to the plaintiff, and it is further ordered that upon the failure of said defendant to execute said conveyance within five days from the date hereof, that this decree shall operate as such conveyance. "It is further Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed by the court that this decree does not become erfective until the expiration of six months from this date."
  Family ID	F734	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Joel Bates CUNNINGHAM,   b. 4 May 1909   d. 7 Feb 1988, Camden, Camden County, NJ (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	Abt 26 Nov 1930	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, OK
  License	26 Nov 1930	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, OK
  Family ID	F1883	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family 2	William Roeschmann WEHREND,   b. 18 Oct 1895, Moline, Rock Island County, IL d. 26 Jun 1995, Denver City, Yoakum County, TX (Age 99 years)
  Marriage	22 Dec 1945	Seymour, Baylor County, TX
  Family ID	F1882	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

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  Ida Maurine STARNS

  
  

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  Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Details: Citation Text: (1) Starns family Bible.