It was an honor to be named for my dad’s aunt. According to my dad, the most influential person in his life was his aunt, Jacquelyn “Jacque” Watkins. This is a story of gratitude and love that came from adversity and sadness.
Fanny Vandyke and Donald Watkins were married in 1926 when Fanny was 15, almost 16. A year later, their first son was born and then in 1930 my dad was born. Oklahoma was a challenging place to live in 1930. The stock market crashed in 1929 and Oklahoma was in the throes of the Great Depression made worse by falling oil prices (Donald was a laborer in the oil fields in 1930). In addition, Oklahoma was in a long-term drought leading later to the Dust Bowl. Unemployment was high and survival was difficult. Many people headed to California where they thought jobs were plentiful and life would be better (often found not to be true).
Fanny’s mother, Elvira, had remarried after the death of her husband, Marshall Vandyke. In 1930, Elvira and her husband Robert Turner, along with her son Arthur Raymond (Ray), moved west to Turlock, California. In addition, another brother of Fanny’s, Claud, also moved to Turlock in 1930 after he left Panama where he was a soldier stationed at Fort Davis.
Fanny made the decision to join her family in Turlock, California, leaving Donald as well as her baby and toddler. Donald’s family helped him take care of the boys. In fact, my dad credited his Aunt Jacque with raising him even though she was only 11 years older than he. As an adult, my dad was a quiet, kind man who was always family oriented so Aunt Jacque did a wonderful job in this challenging role. I feel privileged to be another Jacquelyn “Jacque” Watkins.