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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2011)
community Senior Stars: Necia DeWitt By Karen Miller cia succeeded, along with her sisters, in locking their brother out of the room, Elgin, Oregon...a Union County after he bragged that they couldn’t, she farming town nestled on the North Ore- tells, laughing. Necia says there are only gon border; incorporated in 1891; named three girls left from her graduating class after Lady Elgin—a ship lost on Lake and they have gotten together a time or Michigan; and nicknamed the “Jewel of two to reminiscence. the Blue Mountains.” Necia is full of stories to share, What makes this little town so little tidbits that give us a glimpse of special? what rural life was like for her and her It was here in 1924 that a real family. jewel was born. The second of four sib- Necia was the smallest in her lings, little Miss Necia Evers DeWitt class, but I can see she wasn’t the lazi- was born to a hard working farming man est or weakest. After high school she and his wife—he from Vermont coming was touted as the fastest worker as she clear across the country to marry an El- climbed twelve to fourteen foot lad- gin maiden named Pearl. Seems only fit- ders to the tops of trees, picking the juiciest and heavi- est cherries—her boss claiming she must put rocks in her cherry baskets, they were so heavy! He didn’t want to “overpay” her his whopping three cents a pound! Among Ne- cia’s other work, she raked pea stub- bles with a dump Necia DeWitt working around her place. rake and horses and ting that a Pearl would produce a jewel! worked on a dairy farm milking cows by When Necia was five her parents hand, where her boss paid her one dollar packed up their belongings and along a day. When Necia threatened to leave, with Eloine, Jack, and Lorena (now de- it was upped to three dollars a day, and ceased), moved to Vernonia where they Necia decided to stay, sometimes work- took up residence in a box car, yes a rail- ing up to sixteen hours a day. road car, with three rooms and no indoor To this day Necia has a hard time plumbing, in the then town of Keasey, spending money on herself. Back then, a little logging community some of you with her hard earned money she proudly might remember. Their home was locat- bought herself a Pioneer .22 rifle, which ed not far from where Necia lives today. she still owns. She also bought herself a Her dad ran a “speeder,” a little radio so she could listen to country west- car that ran on the railroad tracks, trans- ern music and bought her hard working porting equipment, supplies, groceries mother a gas iron, as they had no elec- and more up to the logging camps. You tricity. can read about life back then in a book at Necia says her dad had a ‘28 our local library called Images of Ameri- Chevy called “Shove it or leave it,” be- ca: Vernonia. cause Necia had to get it started on a hill After seven years of railroad life, to get it going. the Evers family packed up and returned Necia also worked in the town of to Elgin in 1936 where Necia attended Joseph as a caregiver for the manager of Cunningham Grade School, a one room a variety store that was owned by Walter school house, at which, as she recalls, Brennan—most of you know him as the her family made up half the student body. star of the TV series “The Real McCoys” During her high school years, Necia, her which ran from 1957-1963. Necia fond- two sisters and brother boarded together ly recalls sitting around the dinner table, in a room closer to the school. Shy Ne- heartily laughing at Walter’s jokes. june14 2011 At the ripe old age of twenty- six, around 1950, Necia relocated back to Vernonia, getting a chance to become reacquainted with cowboy Ted DeWitt. Recalling her billy goat story from when she was around ten years old, Necia tells how one day she got off the school bus and an ornery goat took off af- ter Ted’s mother (not knowing Blanche would someday be her future mother-in-law)—Ted he- roically saved his mother and that act was all it took; in 1950 when Necia returned to Vernonia, she took up with Ted and truly be- came a Cowboy Sweetheart when they wed later that year. Ted worked at Oregon American until 1957 when the mill shut down. Necia and Ted bought property near Keasey in 1953 and have remained there since, cut- ting their own lumber to build their home. They raised three children there—son Larry born in 1952, Jerry in 1954 and daughter Kathy in 1955. Ted also worked for Pettyjohn at Detroit Lake and in 1963 became County Survey- or, earning $2.80 an hour, much to Necia’s delight. Ted retired in 1980 and passed away three days short of his 82 nd birthday. Today Necia enjoys gardening, feeding hummingbirds that eat her out of house and home, growing and pick- ing berries, and gathering eggs from her chickens. She still cans, plays pinochle every Friday at the Senior Center, re- cently retired from the Senior Center Board, was involved in Extension, which she joined in 1950 and which con- tinued to meet until recently, and Yodels every Wednesday with the Golden Old- ies Band. Her yodeling incidentally was instrumental in propelling her to win- ning the title of “My Fair Lady” at the Columbia County Fair in 2005. Truly, Necia enjoys singing “I’m a Cowboy Sweetheart” to the ador- ing crowd at the Senior Center--come listen some time, it’s a real treat. You’d never guess Necia was the shy one back in her Elgin days. Necia loves and lives life to the fullest and keeps busy at home when she isn’t being Grandma to five grandkids: son Jerry and wife Valerie’s Chad, Ken- dra, Colton and wife Nicole and Karly 21 DeWitt; Kathy’s son Eric and wife Joy; and two great grandkids: Silas Schaum- burg and Grady DeWitt. On her place today, Necia has a forty gallon barrel that she and daughter Kathy use to spray scotch broom, which garnered praise from forestry service Necia DeWitt winning the 2005 My Fair Lady Pageant employees, saying they couldn’t have done it better! Necia says the only reason she has been able to maintain her house and acreage is due in a large part because of help from her daughter Kathy, who comes out every weekend. “Kathy has always been there for me and Ted,” says Necia. Asking Necia about her travels (she and Kathy’s favorite form of relax- ation), and where she would recommend someone visit, Necia replied, “The un- derground Chinese caves in Pendleton.” Will Necia ever slow down? Not until she fulfills her bucket list: 1)flying in an airplane, 2)visiting Australia, 3)or going to Ireland, 4) or Hawaii. Thanks Necia for sharing, and send us a postcard! Editors Note: Necia DeWitt has retired as author of this Senior Stars column. Thanks Necia for all your hours of inter- view and entertaining Vernonia’s Voice readers with stories about the lives of our beloved Senior Stars. Want Fireworks on July 4th? You Can Help! Checks Payable to: V R F P D And Drop off any donations at participating locations For More Information Tom Ramsey (503) 475-1801 or DeAnna Pearl (503) 369-7370
