LEWIS, CECILE (WILLIAMSON)

by Cecile Williamson Lewis

Entry F252 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Harold and Cecile Lewis

I, Cecile Berniece Williamson, the daugh-
ter of Charles and Carrie Williamson, was
born August 1, 1918 in Hooker County. I
spent most of my growing up years in Hooker
County attending Mullen Schools, graduat-
ing from Mullen High School with the class
of 1935. After graduation, I taught several
years in the Hooker County School District.
Later I attended Chadron State Teachers
College, Chadron, Nebraska. I also taught
three years at Hecla, Nebraska 1937 through
1940. At that time, Hecla still consisted of a
white one room school house, a post office
with Mrs. Anna Drake as postmistress, a
railroad depot and living quarters, all
surrounded by trees. However, none of these
exist anymore, not a building only a tree or
so, is left for any evidence. A highway runs
through the once existing town of Hecla. The
last years of teaching were at McGrew,
Nebraska in the seventh and eighth grades.

I married Buford Van Arsdale and spent
the early years of our marriage in Nebraska,
then later we moved to Dillon, Colorado and
from there to Salida, Colorado with our five
children.

Our oldest daughter, Lorinda and her
husband spent many years in Golden, Colo-
rado and have two girls, Annie, who is now
living in Denver and Mary is living in
Fairbanks, Alaska with her mother, Lorinda.

Lavona and her husband, Wayne live in
Black Forest, north of Colorado Springs and
have one daughter, Tammy. Tammy and her
husband live in Colorado Springs and have
a daughter, Krystle Dawn and expecting
another child.

Patracia and her husband, Jim live in
Fairbanks, Alaska and were among the first
to venture there to live. They have two boys,
Ted and Jake.

Ed, still unmarried, says his love is music.
He has his own band and travels. However,
the last three years he has remained in the
Fairbanks area.

Eugene (Genie) , as he was called, went to
be with the Lord when he was seven years old,
while we were living in Salida, Colorado.

Most of our Children's school years were
spent in Salida. I worked at the Safeway store
and Crew-Beggs Clothing store for about
twenty years.

In 1977, I and Harold Lewis were married.
He, being a Nazerene Minister meant we had
many friends and spent much of our time
visiting and traveling. We enjoyed trips to the
southern tip of the United States to Jackson-
ville, Florida where we enjoyed the beach. We
then journeyed north to Ramsey, New Jersey
where Lavona and Wayne lived at that time.
We got the grand tour of New York City. We
lunched on the 107th floor of the World
Trade Center. We saw the United Nations
Building and toured the Empire Building.
We loved the St. Patricks Cathedral, and saw
the church of Norman Vincent Peal. We went
out to the Statue of Liberty and we, of course,
had to ride a subway.

The next summer we went to the west
coast, stopping at various places to visit
friends and family before arriving in Wash-
ington state where Harold's family was
holding a reunion at Camp Cove, Oregon.
There were seventy members present at the
reunion. Harold and I planned to go to
Fairbanks, Alaska the following summer
which failed to materialize. Harold went into
the hospital in the month of October for what
was supposed to be a gallbladder surgery but
resulted in being a fast moving terminal
cancer, four days later he passed away.

Four years ago I moved to a Senior living
complex in Cannon City, Colorado. This town
is filled with friendly people and it has a
beautiful climate. A Nazarene church here is
filled with loving people. There is easy access
to the grocery store, post office and I'm only
one block from the main street.