Katherine
was born in Lamar, Barton County, Missouri in 1903. Her parents Charles Yancy Trice and Luna
Estelle “Lena” Drake Trice had three daughters: Ruth who died at age 10; Helen
and Katherine.
Katherine
became a school teacher at age 17 and taught in Geuda Springs, Kansas. She became a high school principal before she
was 21. She had to stop working when she
married Jess Harlan Severs in 1925 in Pittsburg, Crawford County Kansas.
Katherine,
also known as K.T., and Jess had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.
About 1935
the family of four loaded up a car with everything they owned and drove to
California. They lived in Southern
California for the rest of their lives, moving around for some time. They then settled in El Monte, in a small
house filled with books. Katherine also
loved to garden and for many years had over 40 rose bushes in her front
yard. One of her greatest frustrations
was that she was unable to watch one sporting event on television (with the
sound off), listen to another on the radio, knit and read all at the same
time. She had to choose between knitting
and reading.
Katherine
died in 1988 in Los Angeles County, after an illness that was probably
accelerated by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
If you would
like to collaborate on the Severs or Trice family, please let me know.
