My parents (Earl Eugene Pyatt, 1922-2010 and Zella Stephens Pyatt, 1928-2009) met in 1947 at the University of New Mexico. They were both in the college band. My Dad played the tuba while Mom played the oboe. Their first date was when the band traveled down to Las Cruces for a football game and Dad asked Mom to the dance afterwards. My Mom had to borrow a prom dress from a friend and she and my Dad danced the night away. They rode back on the bus together. My Dad went on to get his degree in Music/Education and became of high school band teacher in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During their early marriage my Dad played with many different groups/bands…in the first home that they built there was a stage. Only after four of us were born and another was on the way did my Dad realize that he would have to find another profession to support this growing family. He returned to college and obtained his degree in Chemical Engineering. All of us kids played instruments. My Dad would compose music that we all played together. We attended weekly symphony concerts. He never lost his love of music. One of his most enjoyable times in later years was when my brother and I would visit him at his assisted living apartment and my brother would play classical music on the piano in the main entertainment room just for him.
Category: Pyatt
Military Monday – Letter from the White House
Letter to my father, Earl E. Pyatt, from President Harry Truman
upon my father’s return from Japanese POW camp in 1945.
Military Monday – Return from War
My father was a prisoner of war during WWII. First in the Philippines and then later in Japan. He enlisted January 6, 1941 (he was 17 years old at the time) and was later shipped to the Philippine Islands aboard the SS President Coolidge. He was not there very long before the war broke out. He was interned at first in the Philippines then later taken to Nagoya #6B Nomachi (Takaoka), Japan where he shoveled ore into furnaces. He suffered from scurvy, pellagra, and beriberi while there. His liberation and return to the United States occurred in October of 1945. Although he was not hospitalized immediately after liberation, he eventually required treatment for his various illnesses.
These pictures are of his reunion with his mother, step father, and step brother.
My grandmother kept a diary while my Dad was gone. I will be posting some of her entries as we go along over the next few weeks. Here are a couple of entries that should get us up to date. These entries were from 69 years ago.
“April 9 Fri ’43 One year ago today Bataan fell to the Japs. Still no word of Earl. Glad Herskins sent a paper (Santa Fe) telling of Clarks [Air Force base] and being there. He told a lot about our boy. Can only hope & pray I will hear soon that Earl is safe. Felt pretty low. Warmer today. Some wind. April 11 Sun ’43 Swell day. My day off. Harley worked – so did I – at home. Washed bath room walls & ceiling. Also curtains. Never left apartment. Wrote six letters and two cards. Made candy. April 13 Tues ’43 Well at last the long wait for news is over. Received telegram that Earl is a prisoner of war in the P.I. Sure a big relief. Telegram was under door when we returned from work at midnight. Was delivered at 5 p.m. Swell day. April 14 Cloudy. Took aspirin but still couldn’t sleep last night. Was after 4 a.m. before sleep came. Arose 11 a.m. Every one told me today I looked 10 yrs younger. One said she would like to see what I looked like when Earl came home. I replied they would put me in diapers then. April 15 Mailed lots of letters to friends & relatives about Earl. Must wait for further information, address, etc before I can write to Earl.”I can’t even begin to imagine what this must have been like for her. My son is now 21 and I can’t imagine not knowing or seeing him for such a long period of time.
Funeral Card Friday – Charles A. Pyatt
My Grandfather – Charles Alfred Pyatt
Military Monday – Brothers Reunited
From the St. Helena Star, St. Helena, California dated Friday, April 19, 1946
My father, Earl E. Pyatt, finally reunited with his step-brothers, Nolan and Laverne Dourte, after World War II.
Wedding Wednesday – Stephens/Pyatt
This is the wedding announcement for my parents that appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on June 5, 1947.
The announcement indicates that this pose was created “all in fun, of course”. Little did my parents realize then…but this turned out to be the only posed picture of the two of them together! I have included below a better copy of the above picture…
Tombstone Tuesday/Thriller Thursday Maggie E. Pyatt
Maggie E. daughter of John M. and Sarah A. Pyatt
Born Mar 21, 1890 – Died June 27, 1907
Pickett Cemetery
Summersville, Missouri
Maggie was my Grand Aunt on my father’s side. She was only 17 years old when she died, the ninth child out of thirteen siblings.
But the question is – How did she die?
“As I remember when I was about 10-12 years old my mother told me about her. It seems when she was about 17 or so she left home to go to Detroit or maybe it was Chicago with some one or for a job ( I’m not sure which) and wasn’t heard from for some time. My Grandfather later received a message from the local railway station that he had a package to be picked up. It turned out to be a casket with her in it. They never seemed to get an answer on what had happened. I don’t think they were able to trace who sent her home or how she died… “ – email received from Earl E. Pyatt (my father) 6/11/2006
Military Monday – Two generations of Pyatt military service
Wedding Wednesday – Fuller/Pyatt
The Coffeyville Daily Journal, Wednesday Evening, November 24, 1920
“Miss Ruth Fuller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Fuller of Coffeyville, formerly living north of Chetopa where the bride was at times our Pleasant Valley correspondent, was united in marriage to Mr. Charles Pyatt, formerly one of the well and favorably known young men of this community. While we have no particulars, we understand the groom has been employed in Texas and that they will make their home there. The bride is a very attractive young woman, a graduate of our city schools, and popular with all. The groom is a young man of good character and habits. The Clipper, with their hosts of friends, joins in extending felicitations.”
This is a transcript of the wedding announcement for my paternal grandparents. Ruth Frankie Fuller was born in 1900 in Omaha, Nebraska. She moved to Labette County, Kansas somewhere between 1910 and 1915. Charles Alfred Pyatt was born in 1896 in Springfield, Missouri. He moved to Labette County, Kansas prior to 1910. They were married in Coffeyville and as the announcement states, they moved to Texas. Unfortunately the marriage did not last. They had one son (my father) and were divorced in 1935.
Newly-weds
This is one of the few pictures of my grandparents together. Sadly, my grandmother destroyed most of the pictures of the two of them together after the divorce.
Eternally grateful to Find-A-Grave.com
My father passed away July 13, 2010. He was a veteran from WWII. He sacrificed a lot for his country. He was 17 years old when he enlisted. He lied about his age to get into the Army. He didn’t join the army to go to war; but the war caught up with him. He joined to be able to play his tuba in the Army Band…very plain, very simple. Plus, by joining the Army he could get paid for what he loved to do – playing his tuba. My father was in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked in 1941. He was on the Bataan Death March. He was a POW for 4 years.
When he passed away we had him buried at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. He received a moving and touching military funeral. We knew it would be six months before his official headstone would be placed. Unfortunately none of my family lives in California. As the family historian I had tried several avenues to try to obtain pictures of his headstone. I did not have much success. Until I was reading another blog recently that mentioned that Find A Grave had photo request volunteers who take the time to go to local cemeteries and take pictures. I put in a request and the very next day I received photos. This was shortly after Christmas and the photographer was able to get a photo with the wreaths that are placed on each veterans headstone. My family was thrilled to receive these photos. I have now registered at find-a-grave and have become one of those volunteers myself. I know what it meant to me to have these photos; I hope to “pay it forward” soon!
Kathi O'Neill Genealogy 