Honoring My Mother

My mother, Virginia Isabelle Samson (Scruggs) with her seven children.

Virginia Isabelle Samson (Scruggs)

My mother, Virginia Samson, was born in Spokane, Washington on June 16, 1921. She grew up in Spokane attending North Central High School. She has one sister, Phyllis Allebe, who presently lives in California.  Later she worked at Geiger Field when WWII started - it was there that she met my dad, Marion D. Samson (Bill).  She and Dad had seven children of which I am the youngest.

The slideshow below is hosted on Fotki - clicking on it will take you there if you would like to see them individually.

Lisa Marie Samson

My Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Mother, and Me

Born on July 24, 1959 in Spokane, Washington, the youngest of 7

Parents: Marion Dorsett "Bill" Samson & Virginia Isabelle Scruggs
Siblings:
  Kamisha West Langsdale
  Paige Mary Knight
  Dean Wallace Samson
  Hugh Bryan Samson
  Thomas Burke Samson
  Patricia Suzanne Pratt

Children:
  Jacob Aaron Landry, August 18, 1994

Mom and son, November 2011, age 17

Life Events:
  Born in Spokane, 1959
  Moved to Montana, 1962
  Moved back to Spokane, 1965, remaining until age 21.
  Attended Sacred Heart School until it was consolidated into Cataldo Middle School in 1972.
  Attended Mary Cliff High School freshman and sophomore years.
  Participated in the 'folk group' at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for many years, playing guitar.
  Attended and graduated from Lewis & Clark High in 1977.
  Attended Eastern Washington University from 1977-1981, graduating cum laude with a B.A.Ed.
  Moved to the Seattle area in 1982 seeking work in the private sector.
  Taught at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School teaching 6th grade - 1982-83.
  Married in 1983 after leaving the Catholic Church for a non-denominational Christian church.
  Spent the next 6 years substituting in various districts in Kitsap County.
  Hired at Sand Hill Elementary in North Mason School District.
    Spent the next 16 years teaching mostly 4-6th grades.
  Son, Jacob Aaron, born in 1994.
  Resigned my position to homeschool Jacob through his high school years.
  Began to attend synagogue in Tacoma, where I remained for 12 years.
  Graduated Jacob Fall of 2012 and moved to Spanaway, Washington.
  Divorced December 27, 2013.
  Moved to Ocean Shores, Washington Summer of 2015.

Wallace Scruggs

My maternal grandfather:

Born on April 8, 1888

Died on November 11, 1980

Grampa circa 1979

 He was born and raised in the Rabun Gap area in the northeast part of Georgia.  I've always been told that he left home when he was 14 to work for the railroad and stayed with it until he retired many years later.  He settled in Spokane, Washington, marrying Mae Keller.  They had two daughters, Virginia Isabel Scruggs Samson and Phyllis Scruggs Allebe.

I knew him as a kind, but ornery man who liked to get a rise out of my mother. He loved to tell stories of little escapades with his neighbors and their cats. He avidly gardened into his early 90s and joined us for holiday and family dinners a few times each year.  Dad would pick him up and drive him back home again.   When the time came, he moved  in with us where Mom could keep an eye on him.

At Fairmount Memorial Park, Spokane, WA
overlooking the river.

His father, John Russell Scruggs

Wallace's mother - more info below

Grampa with oldest daughter and son-in-law 

With three of his granddaughters in the early 1970s, Spokane, WA

With his oldest granddaughter, Kamisha, in the  mid 1940s

Spokane, WA - Early 1900s

Spokane Falls, 1922

Another view of the Falls - 1917

Spokane's Monroe Street Bridge - the man in the hat is my grandpa, Wallace Scruggs

 This is the back of the 1917 postcard - a short letter to my grandmother, May Keller Scruggs, from her sister, Henrietta who lived in Colton, WA at the time.

The back of the 1922 postcard is a note to my Grandmother Scruggs from her other sister, Bertha.

Marion Dorsett Samson

1 - Bill & Virginia with brother, Dick and wife, Skip.  2. Civil War Medal of Bill's grandfather, Andrew N. Samson.  3.  Young Bill in Witchita, Kansas

born December 1, 1918, Witchita, KS
died September 7, 2005, Banning, CA
Father: Edward Dean Samson, Missouri
Mother: Mary West, b. 1879, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
Siblings:  Wynema (Samson) Van Hoesen, Hugh Samson, Richard Samson, Dean Samson, Charles Marvin Samson
Wife: Virginia Isabell Scruggs, Spokane, WA
Children: Kamisha West (Samson) Langsdale, Paige Mary (Samson) Knight, Dean Wallace Samson, Hugh Bryan Samson, Thomas Burke Samson, Patricia Suzanne (Samson) Pratt, Lisa Marie (Samson) Landry

Young "Bill Mac", as he was known, front left

Army Air Corp, WWII

Proud dad with daughter Paige

Circa 1970, carving the turkey

Around 1970 with sons, Dean and Hugh

More photos collected over the years - you can click on the slideshow to see the album on Fotki:

Yartzeit