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- The Madison County Record (Huntsville, Arkansas) · 11 Sep 1986, Thu · Page 10
Delano Pioneer Will Be Missed
(This article was printed in the Delano, Calif., Record.)
By Paul Wahl
The death of Winnie B. Gage last month left a definite hole in the memory of her family and the Delano community.
Although a relatively short-time resident of Delano, she left an impression of friends and neighbors. She’s best remembered as being an “active older person,” something she wished for all older citizens.
“She couldn’t stand to see anyone just sitting around,” recalled daughter Betty Kouklis of Delano.
Life began for Winnie Gage on March 21, 1902 in Beverly, Kan. Later, her parents, P.B. and Nellie Barton Reed, three sisters and two brothers and Winnie set off for Huntsville, Ark., in a covered wagon.
At the age of 13 Winnie took her first job caring for elderly neighbors for $1.50 per week. By age 17 she was teaching school and later worked as a telephone switchboard operator.
In an heirloom book left to her family, Winne explained that she wanted to be a nurse but settled for teaching when she found out nursing took college.
On March 21, 1920, Winne married the man she called “her one true love” – Lyman J. Gage. She was 18.
The couple had seven children – Berniece, L.J., Jr., Reed, Louis, Betty and the twins, Bill and Bob.
All of the children are graduates of Delano High School and many of them attended Columbine School.
Lyman and Winnie Gage struck out for California in 1931, seeking what all immigrants in the 30s were – a better life. They hit Delano in 1933.
The family lived in Delano until 1947, when they moved to Springville. Lyman operated a service station and hobby shop.
It was during their tenure in Springville that Winnie began her career in journalism. She was Springville reporter for the Fresno Bee, Farm Tribune and the Porterville Recorder.
In 1933, she had a daily senior citizens activity program on KCHJ which she wrote and produced. Each program featured a “thought for the day” which was usually repeated at lunch at the senior center.
She also wrote a senior citizens activity column for the Delano Record.
Winnie began another hobby, which was to become a passion in 1945. After a bout with valley fever, she began making and dressing dolls and eventually had almost 700 in her collection.
She repaired and redressed dolls for the Porterville State Hospital using materials such as clay, apples, nuts, bottles, clothespins, wire and crepe paper to fashion her creations.
She also collected bottles, buttons, postcards, old Valentine cards, rocks, books, shells and cacti, many of which she started from seed.
Lyman and Winnie marked their 50th wedding anniversary in 1970. Winnie moved back to Delano after Lyman’s death to be closer to daughters Berniece Harwood and Betty Kouklis.
The rest of the family is rather spread out, but that didn’t stop Winnie from visiting. Partly because daughter Berniece is a travel agent and partly because she loved to travel, she made many visits to Arkansas, Alaska, Washington, Idaho and places in Kern County.
Son L.J. resides in Anchorage, Alaska, son Louis in Buckley, Wash., and son Reed in Caldwell, Idaho. Bill and Bob live in Taft.
Shuffleboard was also a love of Winnie’s life. She recently won a Senior Citizen Olympic Gold Medal in a Bakersfield competition at age 81.
Besides her immediate family, Winnie left a sister in Delano – Edit Grimes. She is also survived by two sisters from Huntsville – May Markley and Maggie King.
(Lyman Gage was the brother of Bob Gage of Huntsville. Many of their nieces and nephews also reside in Madison County.)
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1902 - 1986 (84 years)
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