This history of one American branch of the Lofstrom family begins in Sweden with Lars Pehrsson Larson Lundberg [1823 - 1894] and his wife, Ingri Benedixta Thorngren Lundberg [1822 - 1884]. Ancestral names of the Lundberg’s include Pehrsson, Nilsson, Sefversson, Andersson, Hansson, Bengtsson, Sonntag, Akesson, Clausson, and Benedix. Lars and Ingri had six children: Emma [1854 - 1941], Johanna [1856 - 1935], Anna [1857 - 1869], Matilda [1859 - 1941], Andrew Larsen [1861 - 1953] and the youngest, the matriarch of our branch of the Lofstrom family, Helen Christina [1865 - 1957].
Some details about Helen’s only brother Andrew are known. He was born in Orsjo, Malmohus, Sweden on November 30, 1861 and immigrated to the United States as a LDS convert in 1882. He is listed in the 1900 census as living in Wausankee, Marinette, Wisconsin. Andrew married Mary Eliza Potter [1881-1941] on December 18, 1901 in Salt Lake City. He and his wife were the parents of two sons and five daughters. Andrew’s occupation is shown to be a stone driller. Prior to 1910 the family moved to near Ogden, Utah. Andrew farmed in nearby Taylor for more than 40 years, served as water-master and aided in the promotion of many rural improvements. At some point, the family lived at 321 27th Street in Ogden. The celebration of his 88th birthday was reported in the November 28, 1949 edition of the Ogden, Utah Standard Examiner. The article mentioned his 84-year-old sister, Helen Lofstrom, living in North Hollywood, California. Andrew lived for three more years and died just prior to his 92nd birthday on November 5, 1953. There are disagreements in the dates of Andrew’s arrival, marriage, and death of a cerebral hemorrhage in Ogden. Andrew and Mary are buried at the Ogden City Cemetery.
Helen Christina [Lundberg] Lofstrom was also born in Orsjo, Malmohus, Sweden on March 5, 1865. Helen and her sibling’s ancestries have been traced back to the late 1600’s and appear in several other family trees. There are some unanswered questions about Helen beginning with the earliest record of her family in the 1900 Ogden, Utah census. The census entry shows Helen’s name as Eleanor, but with the remainder of the family names correct as we know them. Eleanor [Helen] is shown married to John Lofstrom, living at 2464 Grant Avenue in Ogden with their children Ida, Leona, Dajny [Dagna or Dogney], John, and Esther. Ida’s birth is March 1890, Leona’s March 1893, Dajny’s Oct 1894, John’s April 1897, and their youngest, Esther’s July 1899. The year of their arrival in the United States and of their marriage are both indicated as 1889. Evidence of their arrival to the United States has not been found, but a record of their marriage in Logan, Utah on July 16, 1890 exists. John senior’s occupation is shown as a tailor and Helen a tailoress. John is a naturalized citizen. There is mention of "John Lofstrom, the tailor had just received a complete stock of goods, and was featuring suit stock at 2464 Grant" in the "It Happened in Ogden 50 Years Ago" column of the Ogden Standard Examiner on April 27, 1950.
A report in the Salt Lake Telegram of March 14, 1902 shows that John Lofstrom, the tailor was arrested on complaint of his wife, charging him with disturbing the peace. A second report on April 26 of the same year indicates the divorce case of Helen Lofstrom against John Lofstrom was heard and the plaintiff was granted a decree of divorce, with the custody of the minor heirs and $15 per month alimony.
The 1900 census indicates Helen’s husband John was born in April of 1862, but no definitive record of his death has been found. There are however, 1910, 1920, and 1930 census records showing a John Lofstrom listed as an inmate at the Western State Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. In each of these records, John is listed as unmarried and born in 1865. The hospital still exists and verifies that a John Lofstrom was admitted in 1908 and remained in the hospital until he was transferred to the Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, Washington in 1947. That hospital also still exists and verifies that John Lofstrom was admitted and subsequently died while an inmate on July 18, 1950. He is buried in a numbered grave in the hospital’s cemetery.
During 2009, I corresponded with the Western State Hospital indicating it was possible that John Lofstrom could have been my great-grandfather. I outlined what I had found regarding the dates of John's birth, divorce and subsequent disappearance. The hospital determined that I could possibly be a next of kin and provided copies of the admittance and medical records of John Lofstrom. There is no mention of a marriage or divorce in the records, but they do show this John Lofstrom to be quite delusional upon his admittance and for the remainder of his life.
The Lofstrom family is found in the 1910 Salt Lake City, Utah census. That entry shows Helen, now widowed, living at 556 Hamilton Place in Salt Lake City with daughters Leona, Donnie [Dagna or Dogney], a son John, and a niece, Esther Sloane. The decade between 1900 and 1910 must have been sad and complex for the family. Helen identifies herself as a widow - which may not have been the case. The youngest daughter, Esther has died, and a short marriage of Ida to a Texan, Joseph W. Sloan on November 14, 1907 resulted in the birth of my mother, Esther Helen Sloan on October 2, 1908. I can remember my mother often correctly lamenting, "she was named after a dead aunt and deserted by her father". Ida and Joseph were separated at the time of my mother’s birth as her birth certificate indicates "don’t know" as Joseph’s residence. Ida’s residence is shown as 62 E2 So [62 E 200 S] in Salt Lake City. Joseph’s occupation, a waiter and Ida’s, a housewife are listed on the certificate. Ida, proving that Joseph had deserted her, was granted a divorce decree on September 10, 1910. There is some evidence that Joseph W. Sloan was remarried to a Mabel L. Dietz in Vancouver, Washington in November of that same year. Joseph would be my grandfather.
There is another story that has never been passed down to family members of more recent generations, but because of the number of years that have passed since the events took place, it is reasonable to chronicle it here. The events involve Helen and her daughter, who at the time is referred to as Dogney. The story begins in 1906 when Helen operated a rooming house at 250 25th Street in Ogden, the property was later under the management of one Dora B. Topham. Topham was better known as Belle London, a well documented madam who later managed the restricted district known as the "Stockade" in Salt Lake City. This was the beginning of the 20th Century when it was felt that "the oldest profession" could never be eliminated, but potentially controlled. When in Ogden, Topham was reported to have broken up Helen’s marriage to John Lofstrom and to have made the acquaintance of their daughter Dogney.
Five years later on July 22, 1911, Helen swore a complaint that Topham did "by promises and threats, and by divers devices and schemes cause, induce, persuade and encourage one Dogney [Lofstrom] Gray, being then and there an inmate of a certain house of prostitution, to remain therein as such inmate."
Detailed accounts of these events were published in a book by Jeffrey Nichols in 2002 by the University of Illinois Press. I’m not going to repeat the details in this Family History, but a few things should be mentioned. The case was taken to trial and on September 23, 1911 the jurors found Topham guilty. She was sentenced to eighteen years at hard labor, but what is more significant, on September 27, Topham issued a statement declaring that the Stockade would close permanently at noon the next day. Although on May 4, 1912 the Utah Supreme Court reversed the conviction, the action taken by my Great-grandmother Helen and my Great-aunt Dogney, served as the beginning of moral reform in Salt Lake City.
Leona Hannah [Lofstrom] Matthews, Dogney’s older sister married Norman Spencer Matthews. Norman, who will appear later in this history, was the piano-player at the Stockade during this time. Dogney’s first marriage to a T. J. Gray was in May of 1911. This union was short as Dogney is found to be married to a Thomas Ignatious Resch and living at 2549 Bryant Street in San Francisco in 1920 with Thomas’ older sister and brother-in-law Catherine and Frank Dugan. Thomas, Catherine, and Frank were working at the Chicklets Chewing Gum factory. There is no occupation listed for Dogney, but family stories tell of her singing in nightclubs during those years in San Francisco.
Thomas was born in San Francisco in 1892, the youngest son of Joseph and Lizzie Resch. The family lived at 594 Precita Avenue in 1900 and at 905 Florida Street in 1914 when Thomas worked as a carpenter. It is possible that Dogney and Thomas met about 1918 when he was working as a bartender and living at 2705 Bryant Street. It is clear they remained in San Francisco for their entire married lives, living at 1170 Turk Street in 1930 and at 3348 16th Street in 1936 and 1938. Both their names appear on 1936 and 1938 San Francisco voter registrations, Dogney has become Dagna and at this point a housewife, her husband has stopped tending bar and is now a clerk. Dogney was unable to have children and Thomas died before reaching the age of fifty on February 26, 1941. Dagna Resch [the name she used for the remainder of her life] left San Francisco after Thomas' death, moving to 11249 Emelita Street in North Hollywood. I will leave her there for a moment while I try and trace the other members of her family.
Following the events in Salt Lake City, Helen Lofstrom and her only son John Wilford may have made their way to San Francisco, perhaps at the same time as her daughter Dogney. The only record of this is an entry on John’s draft registration dated June 5, 1918. He is shown living at 210 Fillmore Street in San Francisco and indicates that his mother is solely dependent on him for support. John is single, of medium height, medium weight, has blue eyes, and dark red hair. His occupation is listed as a Mechanical Driver at the Reliable Junk Company at 7th and Bryant Streets. At this point in the family history it is difficult to accurately piece together the events in John Wilford Lofstrom’s life. Family stories have John married more than once, at one instance to a girl named Edna. There is a record of the marriage of a John Lofstrom to an Edna Johnson on January 11, 1920 occurring in Warren or Marshall, Minnesota. This may just a coincidence of names, as the record shows that John Lofstrom was born in 1886, not in 1897 as we know he was. Other family stories tell of a marriage to a Russian girl resulting in a son. The record of this marriage has not been found, although a 1930 census indicates the date of John’s first marriage to be 1918 when he was 21 years old. Another question concerns the San Francisco census taken in January 1920; John W. Lofstrom appears as a lodger living at 110 Oak Street. He is shown as born in Utah, single, and 45 years old, 20 years older than we know him to be. John’s occupation, shown as an "Automobile Repairer" agrees with family stories of his working on race cars and as a mechanic on a race between Los Angeles and Canada.
There is one other person who may have been part of the family for some time following the divorce of Helen and John in 1902. In a photograph album belonging to my mother are family pictures taken prior to 1920. Below a photograph of Ida Lofstrom, my mother Esther and a gentleman in suit and tie, my mother has written "Holmburg Mama step-father". The photograph was taken about 1918 as Esther appears to be about ten years old. There is also a letter written to Ida in Los Angeles from a William Holmburg in Death Valley Junction dated September 28, 1921. He mentions a prospecting trip in the mountains to examine a mining property, asks Ida how she is getting on and says he will be in Los Angeles in the near future. There is also an "United States Citizens' Identity Card for Use on the Mexican Border" issued in Douglas, Arizona on February 26, 1920 to William E. Holmburg living at 142 Crocker Street in Los Angeles. The card allowed daily border crossings in connection with the mining business. No other documented connections between William Holmburg and Helen Lofstrom have been found, but family stories have told of general stores for miners that Helen operated at some point during those years.
The 1930 Los Angeles census shows John living with Helen at 11134 Chandler Boulevard in North Hollywood. John is shown as the head of the household at the time. He is indicated as married and working as an electrician for a movie studio. Another family story tells of John working for Warner Brothers. The 1932 Los Angeles voter registration shows John W. Lofstrom living at 4240 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. At some point, John and his mother operated a small cafe and service station near their North Hollywood home. John appears in the 1934 Los Angeles voter registration living at 11305 Hatteras Street. Helen [registered Republican] and John [registered Democrat] are both listed on the 1938 voter registrations, Helen may have become a naturalized citizen about this time. John’s occupation is shown on the registration to be an "operator". Helen was very close to her son during those years in North Hollywood. At some point in his life John had contracted syphilis and may have not been treated for the disease at the time. John Wilford Lofstrom died on June 15, 1943, he is buried near his mother at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. Perhaps some future research may identify John’s marriages and determine if a long lost son and his possible descendants might be added to the family history.
Helen was a member of the Mormon Church and an active member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union during it’s early years and marched in many parades. She also served as a captain in the American Red Cross during World War I. Family stories tell of money made running boarding houses and money lost in the stock market crash of 1929. My family still uses the embroidered coat hangers she made for the church to sell. I remember visiting my Great-grandmother Helen and my Great-aunt Dagna during the 1950’s. They lived one street apart in North Hollywood for many years. Aunt "Donnie" as the family called her, cared for her mother during her declining years. Donnie walked from her home to Helen’s by crossing through a friendly neighbor’s yard. Each Christmas my mother would fill a box with Swedish delicacies and we would surprise Helen at her home. I would marvel at the wood burning stove, the huge dark wooden table where she kept all her most valued possessions, and the large leather chair that was Uncle John’s. I remember venturing into her front yard, hiding from her pet duck Ginna in the mulberry arbor and eating the delicious berries.
For a short time, San Francisco was also the home of Helen’s middle daughter, Leona Hannah and her husband Norman Spencer Matthews. Norman was born on March 3, 1891 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Warren and Lizzie [Dogney’s mother-in-law’s name Lizzie is a coincidence] Matthews. Norman and Leona were married in Salt Lake City on May 23, 1910. In addition to his duties as piano-player at the Stockade, Norman was involved in the events initiated by his mother-in-law in 1911 and described in the book by Jeffrey Nichols. It is possible that Leona and Norman lived in Los Angeles in 1912 as their only child Spencer Norman was born there on October 15, 1912. The family did arrive in San Francisco as both the 1916 and 1918 voter registrations show them living at 615 Cole Street with Norman’s occupation shown as a musician. Norman’s draft registration dated June 5, 1917 indicates the Cole Street address with his wife and 4 year old child solely dependent on him for support. The registration shows Norman is of tall height, medium build, has blue eyes, and brown hair. He was employed at the Shiff Brothers Claremont Cafe at 6000 Fulton Street. There is no record of Norman serving in the military.
The Matthews’ family moved to the downtown Los Angeles area sometime in the early 1920’s living at 169 West 14th Street. Around this time Norman was writing theme songs to accompany silent movies, he had dropped his last name and used only Norman Spencer for his musical work. Norman teamed with Joe McKiernan working in New York City for some period of time. Norman wrote the music and Joe the lyrics. The songs Cuban Moon, Don’t Take Away Those Blues, and Slow and Easy were written in 1920, Fashion Row with Ormsby Watson in 1923. A family story mentions an unsuccessful early radio program "Can You Write a Song" perhaps in New York in the late 1920’s. The Matthew’s family is shown on the 1930 census living at 3256 Charleston Way in Los Angeles.
Norman’s success grew during the 1920’s and by late 1930 the family was living comfortably at 3256 Velma Drive just off Dark Canyon Road [now Barham Boulevard] in North Hollywood. Norman was musical director and in charge of cartoon voices at Leon Schlesinger Productions founded in 1933 as the animation division of Warner Brothers. He composed music for many of the black and white Merrie Melodies cartoons in the 1930’s. In 1936, Mel Blanc, "The Man of a Thousand Voices", a well known voice actor and comedian of the time, liked to tell the story about how he got turned down at the Schlesinger studio by music director Norman Spencer saying that they had "all the voices they needed."
Leona’s husband died on February 12, 1940. There are stories about Norman’s drinking during his final years at Schlesinger which may have lead to health problems. The final year on Velma Drive may have been 1936 or 1937 as Norman, Leona, and their son Spencer Norman are shown living there on the 1936 voter registration. In 1938, Leona is living at 347 North Sweetzer Avenue in West Los Angeles, neither her husband or their son appear on the voter registration for that year. At some point between 1936 and 1944, Spencer Norman married Emily C. Bean. Leona, Spencer, and Emily are shown living together at 4442 Bakman Avenue in North Hollywood on the 1944 voter registration. Leona’s occupation is shown as a clerk, Spencer’s a motion picture studio set dresser, and Emily [spelled Emilie on the registration] is a housewife. Leona appears to be living alone first at 10900 and then 10916½ Blix Street in North Hollywood from 1946 to 1954. During some of these years, Spencer owned a real estate business at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Laurelgrove Avenue in Studio City. I can remember visiting Leona while she was working at his office, but our immediate family lost touch with her around that time. Leona Hannah Matthews died on February 13, 1980, she survived her husband Norman by forty years and one day. The location of her burial is not known.
Spencer and Emily remained at 4442 Bakman Ave in 1946, moving to 5927 Lemp Avenue in North Hollywood in 1948. By 1954 they were living in Studio City at 4066 Alta Mesa Drive. They had two children, Norman Spencer born June 21, 1950 and lived only six days, and Penny Ann born February 2, 1953. Spencer Norman Matthews died on January 30, 1973 in Studio City. Emily became an interior decorator after Spencer’s death.
Following the birth of my mother Esther Helen in 1908 and the divorce of my grandmother Ida Sophia from Joseph W. Sloan in 1910, Ida married Allan H. Lanier in Stockton, California on December 1, 1911. The only record of this marriage is a copy of a marriage license that Ida requested from the county clerk in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1946. Like other family stories, the details of this marriage, Ida's time in California in 1911, or a subsequent divorce have not been passed down to more recent family members. The reason for my mother being cared for by my great-grandmother in 1910 and Ida’s whereabouts from 1910 to about 1916 remain a mystery, but family stories do tell of Ida’s first ride in a motorcar in Cripple Creek, Colorado and time spent in Virginia City, Nevada around this time.
At some point, Ida married Otto Klein Eaglin from Madison, Indiana. The record of their marriage has not been found, but Otto is shown on the 1900 Madison, Indiana census. He was born on June 14, 1882, the second oldest son of James and Mathilda Eaglin. Two of Otto’s brothers, Earl and Theodore, and his sister, Beatrice appear later in this history. Otto enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 8, 1905 in Terre Haute, Indiana, his occupation was shown as a paper maker on the register of enlistments. He served for almost three years and was discharged on January 27, 1908 at Angel Island [near San Francisco], California. Otto held the rank of private and was of excellent health and fitness at the time of his discharge. He re-enlisted in the Marine Corps on May 15, 1911, but a question remains as Otto is shown in the 1910 Salt Lake City census as a private in the U.S. Army stationed at the Fort Douglas Military Reservation assigned to the Hospital Corps. He is listed as absent on several Marine Corps Muster Rolls during May 1911. At the time this family history was written, no photograph of Otto Klein Eaglin has been found.
A family story tells of Ida and Otto meeting in Salt Lake City while he was living at a boarding house run by Ida’s mother. Their marriage and move to San Francisco at about the same time as Ida’s mother and sisters is shown on the 1916 voter registration. They are living at 1025 Franklin Street, Ida a housewife and Otto an ironworker. Late during World War I, on September 12, 1918, Otto registered for the draft. His draft registration shows he and his wife living at 407 Cole Street two blocks away from Leona and Norman. The registration shows Otto is of medium height, medium build, has brown eyes, and brown hair. He was employed as a plate hanger at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in San Francisco. Although he was registered, there is no record of Otto serving in the military after 1911.
I don’t recall my mother ever speaking to me of living in San Francisco, but stories tell of Helen's son John taking her there by train at some point. She did tell me that she liked to sit at the window and watch the lamp-lighter light the street lights at night. She probably rejoined her mother Ida after she had married Otto and moved with them to Los Angeles at about the same time as Leona and Norman. Esther took her last name as Eaglin and spoke many times of growing up in Palms, a community near Santa Monica. The earliest record is the address on the 1921 letter from William Holmburg written to Ida at 1127 9th Street in Los Angeles. A 1922 voter registration showing the family living at 7154 Bagley Avenue in Santa Monica, Ida a housewife and Otto a carpenter. They were living at 7114 Culver Avenue in Palms in 1924. Esther met my father Reginald Archibald Coulsell in Santa Monica sometime in the mid 1920’s, they were married April 9, 1927.
Ida and Otto Eaglin were joined in Santa Monica by 1926 by Earl and Rhoda Eaglin. Earl was Otto’s younger brother, he and his wife were both nurses living in Livermore, California prior to their move south. The 1926 voter registrations show Ida and Otto living at 7114 and Earl and Rhoda at 7117 Westwood Boulevard. The two couples were still living close together in 1928 and 1930, Ida and Otto at 3735 and Earl and Rhoda at 3732 Westwood Boulevard. Otto’s occupation was a carpenter and Earl’s a superintendent and construction worker during these years. Ida Leona, Ida Sophia’s second daughter was born on January 28, 1929. The family was living at 6140 Carlos Avenue in Hollywood in 1934.
Sometime prior to 1936 Otto and Ida had moved to 11365 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City and prior to 1938 Earl and Rhoda had moved north to Stockton, California. Rhoda died on July 12, 1958 and Earl on May 2, 1960. Ida and Otto divorced about 1936 and Ida returned to Madison, Indiana soon after. A family story has her running an antique store in Madison, she would have been in her late forties. Her short stay at the Madison Hotel early in 1937 is documented, as is her return to North Hollywood in 1937 living at 11168 Moorpark Street. Otto was sharing a home at 4706 Tujunga Avenue in 1938, a short distance from Ida’s Moorpark Street address. Their daughter, Ida Leona lived with Otto for some time after their divorce moving back with her mother prior to 1940. Otto was not single long as he is shown married to Betty [Koutz] Eaglin and living at 1223 North Bronson Avenue in Hollywood in voter registrations for 1940 and 1942, his occupation was a nurseryman during those years. Other than Betty being a housekeeper and living at the Tujunga Avenue address, no information about Otto’s marriage to Betty has been found, but voter registrations of 1948 and 1949 show Otto’s final years were spent living with his sister Beatrice and her husband John Hartner in Imperial, California. Otto Klein Eaglin died on November 21, 1953 in Imperial, California.
There may have been other reasons besides the antique store for Ida's return to Madison, but family stories do not provide details of Ida’s marriage there to Otto Eaglin’s younger brother Theodore Nicholas Eaglin. Theodore was born on September 8, 1900, too late to be included in the 1900 census. The brothers parents were James, born in 1854 and Matilda [Klein] Eaglin, born in 1861. Theodore is shown on the April, 1910 census, living as a pupil at Saint Vincent’s Home for Boys in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was married by 1920 to Pheobe Jane [Rayzor] Eaglin born on August 3, 1903, the couple had four children, Mathilda B., Theodore H., Delia J., and Ruth P. They were living at 403 North 14th Street in Richmond City, Indiana in 1930. Theodore H. died in Anderson, Indiana in 1962, Delia J. died in 2003, his two other sisters were still living in 2001. As this history is being written, there are several members of the Eaglin family researching their ancestries.
Family stories tell of Ida designing and building her home in 1937 at 10622 Chiquita Street in North Hollywood. The home was on the bank of the Los Angeles River near its crossing under the bridge at Lankershim Boulevard with a view of Universal City on the opposite side of the river. In March of 1938, after four days of heavy rain, one of the worst floods in Los Angeles occurred killing 115 people and destroying 5,600 homes. Ida’s home survived, but a large portion of her backyard became part of the Los Angeles River concrete flood control channel built by the US Army Corps of Engineers following the flood. The paperwork condemning that portion of the property still exists.
Voter registrations show Ida and Theodore living at the Chiquita Street home in 1938, 1940, the year of my birth, and in 1942. Their marriage was not long, as Theodore died in his mid-forties on December 6, 1945. Details of the cause of his early death are not known, he is buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.
Ida was very active as a volunteer at the USO Hollywood Canteen during World War II and for the American Legion Auxiliary in the late 1940’s, she was given many awards for her work serving military veterans and their families. Her volunteer work continued at Birmingham Veterans Hospital in Van Nuys. Ida was part of the Draft Board in 1948, registering young men for the armed services and was always a poll worker at each election. I can remember many trips with my parents to visit "Mama" during my early years. Like her mother before her, Ida’s most valued possessions resided on a large wooden table in her dining room. She raised Pomeranian puppies to sell and enjoyed her hobbies of playing Canasta and "going junking" in her late 1939 Chevrolet [the one with the automatic turn signals] at the local antique and thrift shops.
Ida Sophia’s second daughter Ida Leona and her half-sister Esther Helen remained close over the years. Ida Leona was a frequent visitor to our home when I was growing up. I did have a little trouble pronouncing her name and Ida became YiYi, and even our grown children have always called her by my made-up name. Ida Leona. married Earl Wilson Hoover after he was discharged from the Air Force in 1949, they have two sons, William Earl, born in 1950 and Robert Earl in 1953. Ida Leona died on December 29, 2009 with Earl, William and Robert by her side. Earl followed her on January 21, 2011. They are both buried at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth.
It was the mid 1950’s and Ida Sophia was still not finished, I can remember Billy Younger and a fifth short May-September marriage. Ida’s diagnosis of cancer in 1950 lead to one of the first colostomy surgeries performed in the area during December of that year. She held the longevity record for that type of cancer and tragically died of serious burns she suffered during a accidental fire in her kitchen on January 6, 1964. She is buried next to Theodore at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.