Dewey Dick “Dude” Retherford (b. March 19, 1897, Oklahoma) married Mary Gladys Stites on December 25, 1917, in Cushing, Oklahoma. They had met at a dance. After their marriage, they lived in a tent while their house was being built. Dude rented land to farm, perhaps 5 different farms in Oklahoma. He worked grading roads awhile. They moved into Yale about 1935, where there were about 3 homes. He was a heavy drinker. At some point, Dude was involved in a filling station and salvage yard. In the 1920 census of Payne County, Charlotte (b. Oct. 19, 1918) appears with her parents. Charlotte’s sibs, born later: Wanda Juanita “Weedie”, Jack Jesse, Zola Mae, and Donnie Gene.
 |
| Dude, Gladys. Charlotte, Juanita, Jack, Zola and Donnie Retherford |
 |
| Jack and Gladys |
 |
| Gladys |
There were Retherford kin living in Montezuma County, Colorado, from at least 1920. In that year, the family of Sampson “Uncle Doc” Retherford (brother of ancestor Jesse Retherford Jr.) reportedly lived in Township 39, Range 19, PM 12, although a line drawn through this on the census might indicate an error. Sampson’s son Roy Jeptha Retherford was 19 then. Adjacent on the 1920 census there are 2 “Rutherford” families, part of our Retherford bunch (e.g. Emery).
In the 1930 census, Dude’s widowed father Jess Retherford Jr. was living in Henry Township, Payne County, Oklahoma, with Jess’ brother William Michael “Mike”. Meanwhile, in 1930 Sampson Retherford was still in Montezuma, Colorado. Sampson was 61 & living in Lewis. His son Roy & wife Irene were also in Lewis in a separate household. Sampson was an uncle of Dude, who later worked for Cousin Roy Jeptha Retherford. About 1932, Jess Retherford Jr. moved to Montezuma County, Colorado.
In 1936, Gladys developed cancer in a breast and under an arm. She was treated daily in Oklahoma City for a month, and then had surgery in Hutchinson Kansas on July 21, 1936. After the surgery, she apparently was in a state of delirium and was expected by her physician to die. She was in a bed southeast of Yale at the Underwood home. Dewey and Gladys’ brother Charlie went to Pearson Switch to a “Medicine Man”, who gave them a smelly grey liquid reportedly made from horses’ hooves. She gradually recovered, much to the amazement of that physician, who encountered her years later. In Shawnee there is a museum with information about the Shawnee Indian Sanatorium, once served by Tom Sanders, who is our chief suspect as the guy who provided the medication.
 |
| OW, Charlotte and Anne Donald |
Charlotte Louise Retherford married Oscar William Donald in 1938 at Seminole, Oklahoma. In the 1940 census, Oscar W. and Charlotte were living at 530 North Draper, in Shawnee, Pottawattamie County, Oklahoma. Oscar was a gas meter reader. Charlotte’s parents & sibs were living near Yale, & Dude was a grader operator.
By 1940 there was quite a collection of Retherford kin in Montezuma County, Colorado, including the families of Dude’s brothers Emery and Hank, plus cousin Roy (with wife Irene in Lewis). There was also the Horace Retherford family; Horace managed a hardware store in Lewis. Did our Retherfords recognize Horace as kin? His line apparently peeled off from our line of interest in Anderson County, Tennessee. Emery’s place was near Ruin Canyon, Hank near Ackmen, and Roy near Lewis.
 |
| Gladys and Kids at Hanks ranch |
Emery (grandfather of Lyn) was born in 1891 at Stillwater. Emery served in World War I. He married Ada Axtell in 1926, and their family homesteaded in Colorado. After retirement, Emery and Ada lived in Grand Junction. Emery died at a VA Hospital in Grand Junction and was buried at Cortez.
Wanda Juanita “Weedie” Retherford married Claud McDaniel on April 6, 1941, at Yale, Oklahoma. They moved to Maryland. Charlotte & husband Oscar were in Maryland in late 1942. He was definitely there by October, and the whole family was there at Christmas. Oscar and Claud worked in the Bethlehem Fairfield shipyard at Baltimore, building Liberty Ships for the war effort. The Oscar and Charlotte Retherford Donald family may have had a close encounter in Maryland with the family of Kenneth Muffley. Uncle Ken was in the military police. See the Muffley Blog. Later in the war, Claud joined the navy and Oscar joined (April 1945) the army.
 |
| Retherford Family |
 |
| Claud, Gladys and Jack |
Also around late 1942, Dude & Gladys moved with their 3 younger kids to Roy’s ranch in Montezuma County. Roy said that he had too many cattle in winter and not enough in summer. His nephew Jack worked as a cowboy on Roy’s ranch for some time, going up into the mountains during the summer. Zola helped him sometimes. Zola and Donnie rode to school on a horse. In 1945, the Dewey and Gladys Retherford family worked at a tuna cannery at Astoria, Oregon. Possibly the Bumble Bee factory.
http://astoriaoregondailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/05/pier-39-do-you-remember-bumble-bee-tuna.html Donnie sent a card from Astoria to Jimmie in Maryland.
By about 1947, Dude’s family was back in Colorado. Their farm in Pleasant View, Montezuma County, Colorado, was remembered by Charlotte Anne Donald Muffley (b. 1942), grand-daughter of Dude and Gladys. Anne recalled some words in the Navajo language. We have a photo of Retherford family members with Billy Yahzee Sr., presumably a Navajo ranch hand. Recall character Pvt. Ben Yahzee, Navajo Code Talker from the WWII movie “Windtalkers”. Some Retherford photos from 1948 were developed at Grand Junction, a larger town north of Montezuma County. Somewhere we have Donnie’s diagram of Dude’s and Glady’s home at Pleasant View. Mineral rights for the land (Mcelmo Dome carbon dioxide) were passed down to descendants.
Dude and Gladys may have moved to Arkansas about 1961. He died in 1966, and Gladys eventually lived in a retirement home at 87 Nelson Hall Homes. She passed away in 1988.
