Owen Lee SCHLAPIA was born January 20, 1885, to Charles W. and Attie (GLEASON) SCHLAPIA. Ruth Madge BEEN was born January 5, 1889, to James M. and Ella (MULKEY) BEEN. Owen and Madge were married January 30, 1907, and made their first home east of Benton, Iowa. They moved into Benton in 1910, where they oeprated the O.L. SCHLAPIA General Store for a short time. They moved to a different farm east of Benton in 1911 and later moved to a farm north of Benton. All of their seven children were born near Benton. They were: Ruth Madge, Owen LeRoy, Hugh Albert, Wanda Elinor, Marjorie Elaine, Francis Been, and Harry M. They moved to Diagonal, Iowa in 1940 and lived a few years at Corning, Iowa, then moved back to Diagonal for the remainder of their lives. Owen Lee died in [August 2] 1950 and Ruth Madge died in [October 26] 1977 [both interred at Diagonal Cemetery].

Ruth married Harold PAGE of Benton. They farmed near Benton for ten years and Ruth taught school in Benton for three years. They moved to Diagonal in 1945. Harold died in 1981 and Ruth is now living at Clearview Home in Mount Ayr, Iowa. [Ruth, born in 1908, died in 1991. Both Harold and Ruth were interred at Diagonal Cemetery. Harold was a World War II Veteran, serving in the U.S. Army.]

Owen LeRoy married Hazel CROSS of Benton and they have one son, Larry. Larry and his wife, Mary Lee, with their sons, Carlon and Aaron, live in Creston, Iowa. LeRoy and Hazel make their home in Diagonal. [Owen LeRoy was born on November 10, 1910 (1919 from obituary), and died in January of 2005. Hazel Jane (CROSS) SCHLAPIA, daughter of Walter A. and Etta Mae (HALL) CROSS, was born November 29, 1910, and died November 27, 1986. They were interred at Diagonal Cemetery.]

Hugh Albert married Vivian PRATT of Delphos, Iowa, on June 11, 1933, and they always made their home in Ringgold County, Iowa. They have four sons: Gerald Lee, Alvin D., Ronnie Clark, and Robert Hugh. [Hugh A. SCHALPIA was born in 1912, and died in April of 1976. Vivian D. (PRATT) SCHALPIA was born in 1911, and died in 2001. They were interred at Diagonal Cemetery.]

Jerry married Vonnie CAMPBELL and they had four children: Mark, Jeanie, Janis, and Joan. Mark and his wife Ruthie, and their children: Chad, Jason, and Bobbi, live in Diagonal. Jeanie and her husband, Bruce REZMER, live in California. Janis and her husband, Jim SCHUBERTH, live in Kentucky. Joan lives in Creston. Jerry later married Rosemary CRAWFORD and they had a daughter, Judi. Rosemary and Judi live in Mount Ayr. Jerry died in 1978. Alvin and his wife, Mary Ann, and their children: Debbie, Doug, and Darin, live in Creston. Ron and his wife, Toni, and their daughter, Jennifer, live in Diagonal. Robert and his wife, Cindy, and their children: Amanda, Amy, and Adam, live in Diagonal. Hugh SCHLAPIA died in 1976 and Vivian now is married to Dwain BLAKE. They live in Webster City, Iowa.

Wanda married Ivan PRICE of Diagonal and they lived in this area until 1960, when they moved to Des Moines, Iowa. They had two children, Marion and Elinor Kay. Marion and his wife, Sharon, live in Dallas Center with their son, Mitch. Their daughter, Carey, and her husband, Rocky, live in Wichita, Kansas, with their daughter, Rachel. Elinor Kay and her husband, Dick ROSE, live in Dallas Center with their daughter, Michelle.

Marjorie married William JESSEN of Creston, where they have always lived. They have one son, David, who with his wife, Judy, and their children: Toby, Brenda, Tressa, and Christopher, also live in Creston.

Francis married June BUNKER of Diagonal. They moved from Diagonal to Stillman Valley, Illinois, where they now make their home with their youngest daughter, Traci. They have three other daughters, Joyce Ann and her sons, Ricky and Rex, live in Illinois. Terri and her husband, Wayne FISCHER, and their daughters, Christa and Kelli, live in Wisconsin. Connie Sue and husband, Brian BRADDY, live in North Carolina with their two sons, Matthew and Foster. They also had a son, Gary, that died in infancy. [Gary Dee SCHLAPIA, infant son of Francis and June SCHLAPIA, died on March 24, 1946, and was interred at Diagonal Cemetery.]

Harry married Patty HARVEY of Creston, where they have made their home. They have seven children: Christine, Michael, Mary Lynn, Patrick, Dorothy, John Paul, and Susan. Christine is married to Bob BURLINGAME and lives in Des Moines. Mike is also in Des Moines. Mary Lynn and husband, Jim BAKER, live on a farm south of Creston with their children, Rene and Jeffrey. Patrick is a teacher at Albany, Missouri. Dorothy and husband, Dan DAVENPORT, live in Ames, Iowa. John Paul and Susan are living at home.

SOURCE: 1887 - Benton, Iowa Centennial - 1987. Pp. 153-54. Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, Mount Ayr IA

Transcriptions and notes by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012

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