REMEMBERING EARLE DOBSON

My uncle, Earle Dobson, was the third child of my paternal grandparents, Julian and Ina Dobson. He was born near Troy, Idaho, on May 8, 1896, and carried as a babe in arms to the homestead at Gilbert where he grew up.

I don’t know what happened to the documentation of Earle’s life, so I’m piecing the story together. A short item in the Lewiston Morning Tribune of September 22, 1922, states that Irl Dobson and Bernice Dryden were married at the Methodist Church in Lewiston and that both were students at the “normal” (Lewiston Normal School). They taught at several Idaho schools before he accepted a position as shop and mathematics teacher at the junior high in Idaho Falls around 1930. I think Bernice was also a teacher, but I’m not sure she taught in Idaho Falls. She developed health problems while still fairly young.

In their early years in Idaho Falls, Earle and Bernice, who did not have children, lived simply, perhaps in a furnished apartment or even a rooming house. During summer vacations, they returned to the farm, where Earle helped his parents and Bernice visited her family in Peck, a village near the canyon below the farm.

Picnic at Melrose, Idaho -- July 4, 1933

“You should see Earl rise early, work and manage here,” wrote Grandma Ina in July 1933. “He is good about taking us around, too,” she said. He took them to a picnic at Melrose on the Fourth of July, and also to Troy where they heard their bishop preach a good sermon. And he also “kalsomined” the living and dining rooms. He always sent his parents good gifts for Christmas and contributed financially to their welfare.

Earle and Bernice, 1943

But Earle’s participation on the farm came to an end, probably about 1940, and Ina began to look to my dad, 8 years Earle’s junior, for help. Why the change? I suspect that Grandpa Jack was failing and in need of more than summer help. Or, maybe Earle and Bernice had saved enough for a house and wanted to establish a home of their own. At any rate, they bought a house in Idaho Falls, and during the summer months, Earle was self-employed as a painting contractor.

As for hobbies, Earle was a good amateur photographer and enjoyed taking scenic pictures. In his day, the automatic settings on which I rely were non-existent. He fiddled with a light meter and set the camera accordingly, taking pride in the resulting picture. (It occurs to me that if he were here today, he would probably fiddle with a GPS.) He also loved to fish. He and Bernice lived modestly, but he did not spare expense when it came to his tools and equipment. He believed in having the best he could afford.

Grandma Ina and Uncle Earle, 1949

In 1949, Earle treated his mother Ina to a plane trip from Lewiston to Idaho Falls. It seemed fitting to him that one who had come west in a covered wagon on the Oregon Trail should experience air travel. She was 78.

Bernice became an invalid. She had arthritis and died of cortisone poisoning at the age of 58 in 1959. Her illness and passing were hard on Earle, and he retired in ill health at that time. He bought a house in Nezperce, and for several years his older sister, Myrtle, lived with him there. During that time, they enjoyed visiting the farm and relatives in Orofino.

Unfortunately, Uncle Earle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and during the last five years of his life, he was unable to communicate with us. He died in October 1975 at the age of 79. KW

Photos:
1) Studio portrait of Earle, 1950s
2) Earle, Henry Shockley, Shirley Dobson Shockley, and Myrtle (Lynn) Dobson -- Henry and Shirley's wedding day, June 24, 1937, at the Gilbert farmhouse
3) Picnic at Melrose, idaho, July 4, 1933 -- Earle Dobson, Bernice Dryden Dobson, Pearl Dobson Sanders, Albert Sanders, Ina Dobson, Julian Dobson, Stanley Sanders; in front, Shirley Jean Robinson (Aunt Ethel's daughter)
4) Earle and Bernice at home in Idaho Falls, Christmas, 1943
5) Ina Dobson and her son, Earle, in Idaho Falls, September 1949