Ada Walvoord
Ada Adeline Walvoord, the thirteenth and youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walvoord, was born on May 6, 1889 on the old farm near Amsterdam, Wisconsin. Ada had not yet been born when Anna, her oldest sister, married.
The Henry Walvoord family moved to Sheboygan in 1897. There Ada attended three years of high school. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walvoord moved back to Cedar Grove to live. Then Ada entered the Academy at Waukesha and graduated from there. She continued her education at Carroll College for about three more years. Then she withdrew from school and stayed home with her mother, after her father’s death, for one year (1909-1910). Then Ada reentered college and graduated in 1912. She taught for two years in the high school at Weyawega and then taught two more years at Ladysmith.
Ada married Ray Rodger of Oxford, Wisconsin on October 18, 1916. They were married at the home of Ada’s mother in Sheboygan. Ruth Toutenhoofd and Harriet Walvoord carried the flowers at the wedding. Reverend Paul Hinkamp officiated. The Rodgers lived on the Alex Rodger farm about four miles from Oxford.
Ada and Ray had four children: Lee, Ruth Louise, Elizabeth Ann (“Betty”) and Ray Eugene Jr.
Lee Rodger was born and died on October 11, 1917.
Ruth Louise Rodger was born on October 16, 1918. She stayed with Louise Walvoord during her four years of high school at Sheboygan. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing in 1940. She continued her education and received a Bachelor of Science in Hygiene on June 1, 1942. She was a nurse at Wisconsin General Hospital until she moved to Portage, Wisconsin. She married Leon Heinze of Portage on November 26, 1943. Leon was a sergeant in World War II. Ruth lived with Leon in Oregon for about three months before he went overseas. Leon was born on September 24, 1915. Ruth and Leon had six children: Nancy Louise, Jean Emily, Thomas Leon, Susan Rae, David John and Anne Marie. Nancy Louise, born July 3, 1947, graduated from Steven`s Point University of Wisconsin on June 1, 1969 and planned to teach kindergarten. She married Harvey Samson (born in Milwaukee on July 14, 1947) on June 9, 1970 at the home of Nancy’s parents. Jean Emily, born August 15, 1948, attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and graduated in June of 1970. She taught near Seattle, Washington for one year. Thomas Leon, born August 29, 1949, attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison Agriculture and graduated on June 14, 1971. Susan Rae was born on May 1, 1952. David John was born on July 19, 1957. Anne Marie was born on January 12, 1959.
Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Rodger was born on January 5, 1921 on a farm in outside of Oxford, Wisconsin. She moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 1945. She married Darwin E. Carpenter (formerly of Wautoma, Wisconsin) on May 15, 1948. Darwin was born in Milwaukee on July 8, 1923. Betty and Darwin have two children: Paul Darwin, born November 1, 1960, and James Andrew, born on March 17, 1963. Betty died in Fitchburg, Wisconsin on December 10, 2014.
Ray Eugene Rodger, Jr. was born on April 28, 1925. He was called “Junior” until he became an adult, then he was called “Ray E.” He married Roberta Gaffney in 1951. Roberta had a daughter, Ricki, by a previous marriage. Ray and Roberta together had two children: Randall Lee, born on November 14, 1951, and Rodney Drew, born on June 10, 1955. Rodney Drew died on November 5, 1957 of cancer.
Ada at home with her folks. Ada was the last to leave home.
Ada Adeline Walvoord Rodger died on July 19, 1959 in Portage, Wisconsin at the age of seventy. Her husband Ray was born August 30, 1884. He died on March 8, 1955 in Portage. Ray and Ada are buried in Oxford, Wisconsin with their son, Lee, and Ray’s parents.