Memorials › Laura Marie "Mary Lula" Stecher / Huffman Huston

Laura Marie "Mary Lula" Stecher / Huffman Huston

12 Aug 1877 – 3 Feb 1959

Birth	12 Aug 1877
Death	3 Feb 1959
Cemetery	Oregon State Hospital Patient Memorial Salem , Marion County , Oregon , USA
Added by	Phyllis (Porter) Zegers on 12 Feb 2025
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86772405

Bio

Laura Marie Huston's cremated remains were never taken after her death and are still available at Oregon State Hospital to be claimed by anyone who is related. Her closest living relatives are descendants of her children and grandchildren. According to Laura's death certificate, she was born in Nebraska on 8/12/1880, but other records show she was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1877. Her given name was Laura Marie, but sometimes she went by Lula or Mary. She was married and divorced at least 5 times (to Misters Little, Huston, Nelson, Powell, and Gallaher) but always seemed to return to using the name Huston (her 2nd married name) between marriages. It is not known what her maiden name was or who her parents were. On the marriage records for her first marriage she reported her parents were Joseph Stecher and Caroline Huffman. On that record Laura listed herself as Miss Mary Stecher. On the marriage record for her second, third, and fourth marriages as well as her social security application, she reported her parents were W. Henry Huffman and Rhoda Caster who were married in 1872 and separated by 1880. When she was in her 70s, she indicated she did not know the names of her parents. She said she was adopted and her adoptive parents never gave her information about her personal history. She also said she had a brother, Charles Stecher, who died in Iowa before 1918. On 3/12/1896 in Colfax County, Nebraska, Laura (aka Mary Stecher) married John "Henry" Little. She was 18; he was 29. Henry was born in Germany in 1866. It was his second marriage and her first. He had at least 2 sons (Edward & George) by his previous marriage. Laura & Henry had 6 children: Walter Henry (born in Nebraska in 1897), Dora Elizabeth (South Dakota 1899), Roy Fredrick (Nebraska 1902), Elsie Emma (Nebraska 1903), Minnie Bertha (South Dakota about 1904), & John Henry (South Dakota 1905). At the time of the 1900 census, Laura, Henry, and their children were in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, in southeastern South Dakota where Henry was a laborer. During the 1905 census Laura and her family were still in South Dakota. In the census of 1910 census Laura, Henry and their children and his sons were living in Shell Creek, Colfax County, in eastern Nebraska. Laura and Henry divorced before 1912, but they tried to live under the same roof and work together in a restaurant Henry owned in Columbus, Nebraska. It was not successful. She accused him of assault, quit her job and left their home. Laura's moved to Iowa with her daughters while her sons stayed in Nebraska with their father. On 11/26/1914 in Linn County, Iowa, Laura married Andrew Jackson Huston. He was born in 1874 in Iowa. Like Laura, this was Andrew's second marriage. He had two daughters from his previous marriage. During the World War I draft registration in 1918, Laura and Andrew were living in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. In May 1922, Laura filed for divorce alleging Andrew Huston engaged in cruel and inhumane treatment, calling her names and threatening to hit her. She also asked for a restraining order. In June 1922 she was granted the divorce and $6 per week alimony. During the years that Laura was married to Andrew Huston, her daughter's lives were in flux. About 1918 her daughter Dora married Frank W. Little, perhaps a cousin. In 1920 Dora & Frank were living with his father in Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa. At the same time, in 1920 Laura's other two daughters, Elsie and Minnie, were "inmates" at the Iowa State Industrial School for Girls, a reform school in Mitchellville, Iowa that was intended to house girls who were considered "incorrigible." On 3/15/1921 Elsie (18) married Edward Lafferty in Kane County, Illinois. She later married Leslie Hayes Reisinger. On 6/9/1923 Minnie married Ray Carter in Davenport, Iowa. On 7/19/1923 in Davenport, Iowa Laura married Elmer George Nelson. He was born in 1878 in Iowa. It was his 2nd marriage and her 3rd. By 1/1/1925 Laura and Elmer divorced. She told the court Elmer refused to live with her and refused to contribute to her support. She was listed alone in Davenport, Iowa during the 1925 census. In 1927 Laura moved to Oregon. On 10/3/1936 in Clark County, Washington Laura married Harley John Powell, a painter. Born in 1892 in Nebraska he was 15 younger than Laura. His previous wife had died just months earlier. Laura and Harley's marriage apparently did not last. On 11/24/1943 she married Frank Gurdon Gallaher in Oregon. He was widowed about a year earlier. At least by 1954 Laura and Frank had divorced and she returned to using the name Huston. In 1954 Laura was renting a room in Salem, Oregon at 111 Chemeketa Street, an 11-room apartment house. She had been on public assistance for several years and staff noticed she was becoming increasingly confused, disoriented and incompetent due to severe memory loss On 8/10/1954, two days from her 77th birthday, Laura, was admitted to the Oregon State Hospital, a residential facility in Salem, Oregon for the treatment of people with mental illness. Her diagnosis was "Chronic Brain Syndrome with cerebral arteriosclerosis with psychotic reaction." She was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 120 pounds. She told the staff that she had no living children although that was not true. At least 4 of her children were alive and 3 were living in the Northwest. She also said she had no relatives or friends. She reported she was a widow. While she divorced all 5 of her husbands, husbands #4 and #5 were still alive. She told the staff she had worked as a practical nurse for several years. She was never able to give the staff reliable information about her history, and continued to be confused and disoriented. She did not understand that she was in a hospital in Oregon, but often thought she was in Ontario, Canada. Nevertheless, she was described as alert, active, physically healthy, and seemingly happy. After being a patient at the institution for 4 1/2 years she died there of "senility" and arteriosclerosis on 2/3/1959. She was cremated on 2/12/1959. In 1960 OSH staff posted a legal notice that Laura had $208.12 of cash credit in her account. Laura's son Walter predeceased her. She was survived by at least 4 of her children: Dora, John, Roy, and Elsie. Her son Walter married Mabel Carr in Nebraska in 1918. They had one child, Dorothy Mae (Little) Olmsted who was born in 1929 and died in 2002. Walter died on 6/4/1950 in Shasta County, California. Late in her life Laura's daughter Dora started using the name Doris after marring Mr. Speelmon. Doris died in Butte County, California on 1/6/1984. She had no children. Laura's son Roy married Helen Kathryn Kaspar in 1925. They had 3 children Roy, Jr. Ronald and Marjorie. Roy, Sr. died on 12/22/1990 in Idaho and was buried at the Glen Oaks Memorial Park in Chico, Butte County, California with his wife. Laura's daughter Elsie married Edward Lafferty in 1921. They had two children, Ruth & Mable. in the late 1920s she married Leslie Riesinger and they had two children, Vivian and Kenneth. Elsie died on 7/29/1992 in Pasco, Washington. She was buried at City View Cemetery in Pasco. Laura's daughter Minnie married Ray Carter in 1923 in Iowa. She later married Edward Dando. It is not known what became of her. She died after 1943 and before 1972. Laura's son John died in Omaha, Nebraska in October 1973. He had no children. Laura's first husband Henry Little died in 1943. Her second husband, Andrew, died of heart disease in DesMoines, Iowa on 1/3/1936. Her third husband, Elmer Nelson, died on 10/31/1940 at the Winnebago County Poor Farm. Her fourth husband Harley Powell died in 1980. Her fifth husband Frank Gallaher died in Portland, Oregon in 1963. More information about unclaimed cremains at OSH is available at http://www.oregon.gov/oha/osh/Pages/cremains.aspx A book by David Maisel and a short documentary film by Ondi Timoner & Robert James, both entitled "Library of Dust" also provide more information.

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