CECILE ABIGAIL BILLINGTON was born December 11, 1899 in Spearfish, South Dakota. She was the seventh child born to D.S. and Estella Loring Boyden Billington. Her older brothers were Leo Sheldon (1887-1942), Leslie Loring (1888-1949), and Sidney Albert (1892-1945). Her older sister was Hazel Atkinson (1895-1978). Her two younger sisters were Jean Lilith (1901-1909) and Estella Margaret(1909-2001). Cecil’s nickname was Tete. At an early age, she loved to ride horses, and she was especially good at trick riding. When the fair was coming to town, Cecile wanted to perform as a trick rider. So instead of telling her she was too young, or it was too dangerous, her dad simply said,"If you can ride around the entire fairground area, then you can enter." She couldn't so she didn't...at least not that time.
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| Cecile about 9 years old |
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| Cecile and friend in trick riding outfit |
She was a regular tomboy and very popular around town. Her sisters were her great companions. Hazel and Cecile were very nurturing to their baby sister Estella most likely due to the tragic death of their mother and their sister Jean in 1909.
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| Cecile as a teen |
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| Hazel, Cecile, Estelle |
Spearfish was a college town and a tourist town so there were a
lot of new people to meet and get to know.
When she was 22 years old, she met Roger Bishop when he came to town for
supplies. Roger and a friend had a homestead in Wyoming, near Sundance, and
they came to Spearfish as it was the nearest town.
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| Roger Southworth Bishop about 22 years old |
When Roger Southworth Bishop, SR.(1895-1955) was born on March 8, 1895, in Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas, United States, his father, George J. Bishop, (1863-1934)was 31 and his mother, Mary Belle Cruise, (1871-1935) was 23. He was their second son but the third child. His sister Dorothy (1891-1926) and brother Kenneth Grant (1893-1962) preceded him-- all born in Kansas City. George was a bank cashier in Kansas City for many years. Mary Belle’s dad, John Cruise worked for the railroad. Roger enlisted in the Army, August of 1917 and served as a private in the Ambulance Squad 18 MD.
Roger and Cecile were married in Chicago on June 1, 1922. Cecile’s sister, Hazel Colaw, lived in Chicago at the time and she was helping with the wedding arrangements. Roger let the homestead go to his partner.
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| Roger and Cecile Wedding Day with Hazel and Joe Colaw |
Virginia was their next stop because Joe and Hazel had moved to Virginia and needed help with Joe's cattle and other businesses. Cecile loved being there. The Colaw family owned land in Monterey and in Staunton, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.
Roger and Cecile then moved to Kansas City and settled on Cleveland Street, about 3 miles from Washington St. where his parents, George and Mary lived. Roger became a building contractor in the Kansas City area.
Their first child, Roger Southworth Bishop, Jr. was born on April 9, 1923. Mary Francis was their next little one, born on January 21, 1927, also in Kansas City. Jane was born in 1929 on November 14 at Osawatomie, Kansas where Roger was a general building contractor. Roger Jr. stayed with grandparents George and Mary during that time.
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| Cecile and Roger, Jr. |
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| Roger Jr., Mary Frances, Jane in Kansas City |
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| Mary Francis and Jane |
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| George Bishop about 5 years |
Roger, Sr. bought a ranch in Dixon, Montana. Without running water and electricity, the family enjoyed the freedom of great outdoor life in the mountain west, Big Sky Country. Little George was born there in 1938, April 21. Somewhere along that time Roger acquired the nickname Pat. He also was known to give nicknames to his family and friends.
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| George with Roger, Jr. on Jitterbug |
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| Pat and Cecile on the Dixon Ranch in Montana |
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| Roger, sr. (Pat) and Roger, Jr, Dixon Ranch |
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| Jane and Mary Francis on the Ranch |
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| Cecile and Roger, Jr. in Montana |
Cecile's brother, Sid, working for Pat, brought his family to live on the Dixon Ranch for a time in the 30's. So Cecile and Sid's children soon became best cousin-friends. After about ten years in Montana, Pat sold the ranch to pursue a career as a soil conservationist in Idaho. Then they transferred to California, Watsonville, about 1952.
Roger (Pat) passed away on 28 May 1955, in Watsonville, Santa Cruz, California, United States, at the age of 60.
Recent update from cousin Jim Fontana:
Cecile spent her last years on her daughter, Mary Francis's, place near Watsonville. Cecile had her own little house next to Mary's which she loved, and she continued to enjoy gardening and family activities. She took great care of her miniature rose bushes, bottlebrush, yarrow plants, gorgeous orchids, and her "Bishop" bush. The grandchild felt it was wonderful to go from house to house freely and being lovingly welcomed no matter how many times a day they would skip from one place to the other.
The grandchildren also remember she had a special drawer where she kept antique mementos which she would pull out and share with them when they came to visit. She was an excellent cook, known for her turkey soup made from Thanksgiving leftovers, and her specialty at Christmas was divinity candy. She will always be remembered by her most outstanding trait of being kind and considerate to everyone.
Cecile's children and grandchildren remember her as genuinely happy but quiet and reserved. Although, every once in a while she would pop out with a clever and witty declaration. She often whistled while she worked. She loved family outings and always showed interest in all family members, children or adults.
Cecile spend her last couple of years in a care facility. While there she fell one day and broke her hip. Her sister Estelle, was concerned about her state of mind after her surgery. She wanted to check Cecile's memory, so she brought photos of Cecile's children when they were young children. She asked Cecile, if she knew who the children were to which Cecile answered, "Yes I do, and if you don't, you belong in here."
She quietly passed on August 4, 1991 at Watsonville Convalescent Hospital and will be lovingly be remembered by her family and friends. Cecile and Estelle are the main source of family history stories about their Dad, Dee Billington. They shared these stories with their nephew ElDee Billington when he visited them in Watsonville on his long haul truck route from Montana. Because of this connection, we can share his stories on this BlogSpot for all Billington families.
Cecile and Pat's children:
George got his degree from Oxnard University in Oxnard, CA and he worked as a high school librarian from
1993 – 2000 until he came down with Parkinson’s. He remained single but very involved in the
family, often sending birthday wishes to family back home. George was very active in his local church and sang in the church choir. He was well known for his outstanding baritone voice.
Recent update from cousins Jim Fontana:
George "Butch" Bishop George"s nick name was Butch. George graduated from Watsonville High School. He attended Monterey Peninsula Community College and transferred to San Jose State College. He received his BA degree in Library Science and a teaching credential from San Jose State. His first job and entire career was Librarian at Oxnard Nigh School, Oxnard High School School District. In addition to operating the library, George was responsible for the school's annual testing program, textbook circulation, and occasionally taught English. At his funeral the Superintendent of Oxnard High School District spoke to the congregation. He stated that he started as a first year teacher at Oxnard High School and George was his "mentor". George attended the local Episcopal Church and was active in the choir and youth development. He was also a volunteer for Suicide Prevention.
Jane got her bachelor’s degree from a four year nursing college, remained single, and spent much of her youth in England. She did many things in her life besides nursing. She was a teacher for a time and her last days were at the Apple Farm Community from 1989-2003 at Three Rivers, St. Josephs, Michigan serving as a counselor. http://www.applefarmcommunity.org/about-apple-farm.html
Resent Update from cousin Jim Fontana:
When Jane moved to Watsonville, her first job was surgical nurse at Watsonville Community Hospital. Later she became a School Nurse for the Soquel Elementary School District and a 6th grade teacher in the same district. From there, she went to England. Jane was Episcopalian and studied to be a Sister in the Church of England. She meet her partner there and move to Michigan to start the Apple Farm Community. This was a retreat program for families and small groups utilizing the writings, theories, and practices of Carl Young.
Mary Francis loved the Montana ranch life even without electricity or running water. The view of the beautiful Mission Range made the difference. She graduated from Dixon High School and attended University of Montana for a year and then taught 5th and 6th grades. She majored in Social Science and Mathematics at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA while earning her Secondary Teaching Credential.
She taught Junior High in Virginia for three years until moving to Watsonville, CA with her family in 1952, where she taught fourth grade. She met Gerald Harrah at a folk dance and they were married in 1956. Mary was involved in local children's literature groups, clubs and libraries. She had two daughters, Jean and Kathleen, and one son, David and she lived a long life of 85 years.
Recent update from cousin Jim Fontana:
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| Gerald and Mary Francis Harrah |
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| Gerry, Mary Francis, Jean |
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| Jean and David |
Roger, Jr. as a kid liked to dress up in costume, especially cowboy outfits. He like the movies with the cowboy actor named Hoot Gibson. One day when Cecile called him many times to come in from his outdoor playing, he didn't arrive. She searched for him and was quite upset that he didn't respond to her calling his name. He just told her he was no longer Roger, his name was "Hoot." So that's why he didn't come when she called. From that point on the nickname stuck the rest of his life!
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| "Hoot Gibson" Roger, Jr. about 3 |
Roger, Jr. attended Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis, Oregon in the fall of 1941. He signed up for pilot training just a few days after the news of the Pearl Harbor attack. He was sent to Santa Ana for the Army's pre-flight program, and then onto Oxnard, CA., Lancaster, CA., and La Junta, Colorado for advanced flight training. Upon graduation from this Army Air Corp flight training in March of 1943, he earned his Silver Wings and Second Lieutenant Bars. Part of his training qualified him to fly an amphibian airplane, or PBY. The wingtips of these sea boats were floats that could be lowered for water takeoffs and landings. He soon became part of the Catalina Air-Sea Rescue Squadron in WWII. He flew missions to rescue the crews of downed aircraft.
During one mission, his plane was shot down, leaving the crew in a dangerous situation floating in a raft for 8 hours surrounded by enemy gun fire. Back home in the states, D.S. Billington, Hoot's grandfather sitting with aunt Estelle, were listening to a radio broadcast about a downed plane in the Mediterranean Sea. It reported that the rescued crew members said they wouldn't have lasted if it hadn't been for the pilot who kept them laughing by telling jokes. At the hospital they found a 20 millimeter shell lodged in the pilot's shoulder that never went off. They had to operate behind a steel shield in case it went off while they were operating. It was sometime afterwards that Dee and Estelle learned that the pilot was Hoot!
This squadron often shadowed other flights. One such flight was a secret and they were only told the coordinates for the flight, but not the purpose of the mission. So they were surprised to see a parade and a celebration at the landing point. Later they found out they had been following the plane of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill returning home from the Teheran and Cairo conferences. Fortunately it was a safe flight for both planes.
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| Lieutenant Bishop |
Roger received the Purple Heart/2 stars/ Flying Cross, Air Medal and Navy Commendation Medals. He had earned both the Army Air Corps and the Naval Air Service certification during his military career.
He met Elizabeth Schreindl in 1944 at McClelland Air Force Base in Sacramento, while he was on a 10 day lay over waiting on repairs for his plane.
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| Elizabeth "Charlie" Schreindl Bishop |
L Hoot then used his GI Bill to attend 4 years at the University of Montana, in Missoula. He taught school and became the football coach in Plains, Montana. He married Elizabeth in 1946 and raised their six children in Colton, Oregon where he was a teacher, a coach and a Principal in the Colton School District. In 1969 Roger joined the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory and later the Clackamas County Educational Service District as a Small School Specialist. He participated in many civic services and was a local historian, archeologist, geologist, vegetable gardener, and co-author of a book on parenting.
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| Steven, Susan Charlie, Karen, Hoot |
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| Cecile and Pat with granddaughter Susan |
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| Hoot in 1996 |
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| Hoot's 90th birthday |
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Roger and Elizabeth spent their golden years at Pheasant Point, enjoying this retirement community in Molalla, Oregon. Ever positive and humorous when asked, Roger always said, the best day of his life was --"today!"
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| Susan, Steven, Barbara, Karen, Sean, Hoot Julie, Charlie |
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| Hoot's 80th birthday with family |
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