James C. HALEY, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur HALEY, and Dorotha O[live]. LANE, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred LANE, were married October 5, 1941, at Grant City, Missouri.

James [born August 23, 1917] was raised in and around Benton, and graduated from Benton High School in 1935. Dorotha was born [March 18, 1923] in Delphos, Iowa, started to school in Clearfield, Iowa, and in 1930 moved with her parents and one brother, Douglas, to Benton. In May, her baby brother, Leo, was born. She graduated from Benton High School in 1940.

James worked as a mail carrier from depot to post office, did farm work, and was assistant postmaster for Leo FERTIG. They also lived in Des Moines for a time, and worked there.

Jim entered the service in 1942, during World War II. Their first daughter, Joan, was born November 3, 1943. Jim was in the States until December of 1943, and then was shipped overseas. Dorotha stayed with her parents and worked out, doing housework, papering, babysitting, and etc. She saved her money and set up housekeeping for her and Joanie.

Jim came home December 5, 1945. He started working for the railroad in Benton as a section hand. Roy HILL was the foreman. Jim worked eighteen years as a section hand, extra gang, as assistant foreman, and as foreman out of Leavenworth, Kansas. The family moved there, but only stayed a few months. The railroad abolished his job, so back to Benton they went. Jim worked at St. Joseph for a time, but was layed off because of his eyes. He started working as a janitor for the Benton school. For seventeen years he enjoyed his work with the children and teachers. When they moved the school to Mount Ayr, he decided to retire at age 63.

Dorotha worked as a housewife, mother, and cooked at the Clearview Nursing Home in Clearfield, Iowa for twenty-two years. She retired in June of 1985 at 62 years of age. Since retirement, they enjoy gardening, quilting, helping at the Legion Hall with bingo and dinners, the Odd Fellows' and Rebekah Lodges, and of course, their twelve grandchildren.

Their children and grandchildren are Joan and Donald STRINGHAM, Malinda and Jamie of Benton, Iowa; Robert and Linda HALEY, Cindy, Becky, and Bobbi Jo, of Mount Ayr, Iowa; Julia and Donald STEPHENS, Amy, Tracy, and Margi, of Redding, Iowa; and Mary Jane and Ernie GARRETT, Stacy, Tabitha, Courtney, and Winter, of Diagonal, Iowa.

NOTE: Dorotha Olive (LANE) HALEY died on March 15, 2005. James C. HALEY died on August 7, 2006. They were interred at Benton Cemetery.

SOURCE: 1887 - Benton, Iowa Centennial - 1987. Pp. 187-88. Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, Mount Ayr IA

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

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