Person Page 538

William Stewart Gaus was born on 6 June 1919 in Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan.¹ He and Charlotte Margaret Doan were married on 9 January 1941 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California.² He died on 16 June 1994, at age 75, in Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan. He was buried on 20 June 1994 in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan.³

William Stewart Gaus was an Insurance Salesman.⁴⁵
William graduated from Arthur Hill High School in 1937. He worked at a few jobs before entering the service. The 1938 City Directory lists him as a station attendant at Geo. Heinlein Gas Station. William later worked also for Kern Beauty Supply. He met Charlotte while she was a student at Saginaw General School of Nursing. The onset of WWII delayed their marriage. He was stationed on the Golden Gate Bridge with thousands of other soldiers the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They had only their bolt action Enfield rifles, no machine guns, as aircraft defense weapons to defend the bridge. He was stationed at Fort Winfield Scott, San Francisco, CA., when they got married. After the army disbanded the coastal artillary, he was trained as one of the first radar technicians in the U.S. His rank upon discharge from service was T-Sargeant. His height was listed in service as 5'11", hair red, eyes blue. After the war, the family settled in Bay City, Mich. William wanted to become a police officer, but Mom wouldn't hear of it. So, he became an insurance salesman for Western & Southern Life, where he remained the rest of his working days. Many years, he was rewarded for being in the top 2% of the sales force. He had many loving customers who frequently called upon him as a friend when they had non-insurance related problems to solve. The family moved to Saginaw in 1949, taking up residence at 2323 N. Oakley. The first newly built home was at 2307 Warwick, Saginaw, in 1957. The last family home was built at 2340 Peale Dr., Saginaw in 1960. William was a member of the board of trustees of the Christian Assembly church in Bay City, Mich. William was an active member of the Saginaw Police Reserves, serving as Chief at the end of his career. He often served as a backup or decoy for vice operations of the Saginaw Police Dept. Unknown in advance, he even made the Channel 5 news cast, when they filmed him as a decoy entering a massage parlor located next to the Second National Bank at E. Genesee & N. Washington. The bust was a success - no pun intended. The last 20 years of his life were spent suffering from a painful, nervous degenerative disease. He never gave up hope that science would find a cure for him. This hopeful outlook served him well as he lived among the residents of Luther Manor, making friends that missed him dearly upon his death.
He has passed from our world. The void he leaves behind is considerable To say that he is missed is a tremendous understatement, for he has, in his life, touched the lives of many others. The total effect of his love, his thoughtful caring for and consideration of others may not be realized for some time to come, for often he was less than obvious in his effort. I have learned from him. I only hope the impact of my life on this earth begins to compare to his.

Charlotte Margaret Doan was born on 2 April 1917 in Bay City, Bay, Michigan.¹ She and William Stewart Gaus were married on 9 January 1941 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California.² She died on 13 June 2011, at age 94, in Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan.¹ She was buried in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan.¹

Charlotte Margaret Doan was a Registered Nurse.³
Margaret Charlotte Doan was named Margaret after her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Margaret, and Charlotte after the mother of Grace Carrington for whom Margaret Grace Stark-Doan worked. She changed her name legally to Charlotte Margaret in the 1960's to avoid confusion with Margaret Venema-Gaus. Life as a young child was much better than later on. She had several aunts who were in a position to shower her with nice clothes and things. As these aunts married or died, and the depression hit, life became more difficult. Aunt Mae took a special interest in the well being of young Charlotte, and took extra care of her. This was true even after a young Charlotte white washed Aunt Mae's fancy black car World War I ended when Charlotte was about 19 months old. As the news of the end of the war spread, people ran into the streets yelling and crying, the churches rang their bells, fire stations blew the sirens, etc. There was an impromptu parade downtown with the flags waving and all of the hysteria that went with it. This event so traumatized young Charlotte that for years after, she would hide when the flags were hung out, or when the boy from down the street would practice his sousaphone. Music was a part of her life even as a young child from both sides of her family. However, early stimulation was provided by a neighbor that played the piano very well. In fact, he played so well that she still imagines that he had a player piano. At any rate, she was exposed to well performed music, and she developed ambitions early on to play as well as he. Charlotte was able to sing alto harmony as early as kindergarten. This talent wasn't appreciated by the teacher as she thought Charlotte to be showing off rather than just performing as she did around home. Aunt Martha's husband gave the Doans her piano when Charlotte was quite young. Charlotte began taking lessons which were quite expensive. After a lesson one day, 2 dogs attacked her on the eay home. This attack scared her so much that she quit the lessons until she reached the 6th grade. At this time, she started again until her mother died. During her 4th grade year, she and her 3 siblings caught scarlet fever. She became critically ill and her kidneys shut down. There were, for the first time, doctors and nurses coming to the house to give care. Charlotte returned to school after several months, but was so weak that mother had to carry her up and down the stairs, and transport her in a wagon. Her mother became quite ill when Charlotte was about 10 years old. Since mother would never walk well again, much of the work of the house and the care of the younger children fell on Charlotte. At the age of 14, Charlotte stood in the door of her mother's bedroom and watcher mother die an agonizing, painful death. This event was a great shock to Charlotte, and she still doesn't remember the showing of the body, the casket, or the funeral which was held in the home. By the age of 17 (1934), her father also died leaving her the eldest of 5 orphan children. There were attempts to split up the family, but the 5 of them wanted to be together, and so it finally came to pass. They lived with the grandma & grandpa Stark crowded into 600 N. DeWitt St. Within 2 years, both grandparents were dead, and the 5 children eventually became the wards of Aunt Mae. Aunt Mae was herself becoming quite ill. The girls slept on the unheated porch, the boys on cots in the living room. Around 16 years of age, Charlotte was performing in the 'Big Tent' across from the sugar plant. This was where the drivers were fed and entertained while waiting their turn to unload their beets. On weekends, there were dances there during which Charlotte played piano in a band with 3 guys. She later played at Duso's Bar and at the YMCA, and in an all girls band in high school. Aunt Mae tried to persuade Charlotte to become a business secretary like herself. However, Charlotte flunked business shorthand, found bookkeeping difficult, and her typing was not the best. After the death of her father, Charlotte dropped out of school for a year. She went to work for a teacher keeping house. She worked checkout at a dimestore, babysat, etc for extra money. The teacher insisted that she finish school in a college prep course. She did so, then qualified for nurses training. Several people contributed in order to raise the money for nurses training. The 3 years of training were very good, but difficult years. Life long friendships were established, and they became women instead of 'girls'. One of her more humorous experiences involved a woman to whom she was assigned. This woman had terrible hemmorrhoids. While caring for this woman, Charlotte rolled her on her side to do back care. All of a sudden, a large red 'thing' rolled down the bed. Fearing the worst, that perhaps a large piece of tissue had broken off, Charlotte called the supervisor. After carrying the object in a towel to a utility room and examining it, the supervisor proclaimed the object to be a large red grape, which the patient had undoubtedly dropped in her bed. It was not of human origin. The students frequently worked 3rd shift at the hospital to earn their keep. They would then eat at 7:00 am, sleep until class at 10:00am, 12:00, and 2:00pm, then study, and work again. Life was strenuous, but "charater building". Nursing served as a catalyst for many things, a career, meeting people, intellectual stimulation, etc. Had her parents lived longer, Charlotte might never become a nurse. Likely, she would have had to stay at home to care for her increasingly invalid mother, sickly grandparents, and her siblings. Of those who encouraged her to finish, her cousin Florence Flood, also a nurse, and Aunt Mae were most significant. Of the 32 who started training with Charlotte, only 16 finished. During her student days, Charlotte develope sub acute bacterial endocarditis. Her doctor said that the damage to her heart and kidneys would not allow her to successfully bear children. There are 4 of us that have proven that doctor's advice invalid. However, she had to follow a strict salt free diet during her pregnancies. This diet was no small accomplishment during the days when salt free foods were scarce. She met William Gaus while on a date with another man. After running into him on several occassions, he promised he was going to take her out. As fate would have it, William was admitted to the hospital with appendicitis. She stayed with him during pre-op reassuring him that all was to be well. Little did he know that she would be assigned to administer to him a powerful 1-2-3 enema post-op. He resisted, but she stated that she had to go to class and didn't have time to waste, grabbed his binder, rolled him over, and administered the required enema before he realized it. They saw one another after that until he was drafted and she went to New York to find fame and fortune as an singer/writer/actress, whatever. Not finding any of that there, she wrote to William, now in San Francisco, and went out to California where they were married. There were friendships and good times there also. She found a job at Letterman General Hospital as a civilian nurse. After William Jr was born, mother and son took a train to Chicago where they were met by some of the Doans. After the war, she worked as a nurse in Bay City, frequently taking son Wm. with her. He would follow along in his walker up and down the halls of the hospital, or would spend time in the cafeteria, and even slept over night on ocassion. Charlotte's musical interest continued to develope. She wrote many songs, some of which were published. A list of those published would include," 100th Psalm, Make a Joyful Noise", "God Spoke", and "Rachels Christmas Song" all of Lillenas Press. Published by Kristi Press were, " Vacation Bible School March", "Song for the New Year", "Mothers", "Watch with Me", "Communion Song", "Be Ye Comforted", "Christmas in Song", " Precious Little Stranger", "Oh, Isn't He Wonderful", and " A Childs Christmas Card". She also wrote several contemporary songs of her day, none of which was published. Charlotte served the American Red Cross for several years, was the Music Director at the Christian Assembly for a while, served on the PTA of the schools her children were attending, and on the Board of Directors of the Saginaw Rescue Mission. Her caring for people has extended well beyond her family as her record of service to others shows.

Margaret Grace Stark was born on 7 December 1888 in Lake Otsego, Otsego Co., Michigan.¹ She and Herman Leslie Doan were married on 20 June 1916 in Bay City, Bay, Michigan. She died on 4 July 1931, at age 42, in Bay City, Bay, Michigan.¹ She was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Bay City, Bay, Michigan.¹

Margaret Grace Stark was a Homemaker.²
Margaret Grace was a short, heavy woman. She loved to sing and could play the piano slightly, as long as the tune was on the black keyes. She likely finished only the 8th grade. There was a fire at her school, during which she fell and was trampled on the stairs. She lived only because someone pulled her up and got her down the stairs. She worked for the Carrington family on S. Union St. This family was a wealthy lumber family. They made her use the name Margaret because of a conflict within that household. She worked there until, at age 28, she married Herman. Her marriage certificate lists her birth place as Lake Otsego, Michigan. Walter Sims presided at the ceremony with Ross Doan and Estella Stark as witnesses. She and Herman started life with very little. The Carrington's gave her a Tiffany lamp, an old threadbare rug, and an old, broken leather couch. Someone else gave them 2 rocking chairs and a table. That was the extent of what they owned. She would bake cakes and other goodies on Saturday, which she sold up and down the street on Sunday, for extra money. She was a skilled seamstress. The Sim's family, then of Chicago, would send boxes of clothes for the children. Margaret would rip the clothes apart, turn the cloth around, and remake the clothes to fit her family. She first became ill around 1928. By the time she was 40 years old, she was unable to walk. Then she had one last child, Carl. She was unable to care for him very well by herself. Complications of tubercular meningitis was the cause of her death. Her death, a gruesome, painful ending, was witnessed by her family from the doorway of her bedroom. Margaret's funeral was held in the family home at 107 E. Clara (across the street from 600 N. Dewitt).

Herman Leslie Doan was born on 20 September 1889 in Bay County, Michigan.¹ He and Margaret Grace Stark were married on 20 June 1916 in Bay City, Bay, Michigan. He died on 28 November 1934, at age 45, in Bay City, Bay, Michigan.¹ He was buried on 1 December 1934 in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Bay City, Bay, Michigan.¹

Herman Leslie Doan was a Machinist.²
Herman was described as a small man, with a high pitched laugh similar to that of his son Clarence, and with a bow legged gait. He was a well known practical joker, but was otherwise unassuming. Herman lived with his father at 503 Warner in 1910, while working as a machinist. His marriage certificate, June 20, 1916, lists him as an Iron Worker, residing in Monitor Township, Bay County. By 1920, he and his own family lived at 711 N. Dewitt, Bay City. This house was small, with no indoor toilet, and heat was provided by a stove in the living room that sometimes got so hot that it glowed red. After his daughter, Priscilla, was born, he bought the empty lot on the northwest corner of Clara and Dewitt streets. A house belonging to the Sims family, on Wenona near Clara was split into 3 parts, one of which was bought by Herman and moved onto his lot. He dug the basement under the house using a horse and a scoop. The house had a bathroom built into the upstairs which contained only a toilet and sink. Bathing was done in a small galvininized tin tub in the kitchen. The address of the home is 107 E. Clara, and is across the street from 600 N. Dewitt. 600 N. Dewitt was originally the Stark/Telfer residence, but became a center of the Doan family for many years thereafter. Herman and his family were members of The Christian Assembly church where his father, Charles, was the minister of the gospel. Herman loved his Campbell's Pork & Beans, and his cigar. On Sunday afternoon, he would walk to the store on N. Henry St. and N. Union St. with one or more of the children and buy a cigar and a can of pork & beans for dinner. He thought it cute to blow the cigar smoke in the faces of the children. Life was difficult for the family. Margaret Grace died. The home was sometimes heated with wood that he and his son, Nathan, would go and cut. They had to walk out to the farm of Charles W. Doan to get the horse and wagon, go cut the wood, take it to the house, then take the horse and wagon back out to State Park Dr. and walk home. Coal was sometimes too expensive for the family. Herman also planted potatoes on the fertile hillsides of the waste area of the sugar plant out on Euclid St. He worked there as a day laborer when he could. It is said that he often had sores from the irritating properties of the lime soil there. He fed the family and made extra money with the potatoes. After Grace died, Herman started going to the beer gartens often. He would take young Carl with him, because many of the men there thought he was cute and would buy drinks for Herman. Herman got a job at the Defoe Ship Yards as a laborer. He scratched his hand or lower arm which became infected. Untreated, the infection spread throughout his body. His arm was amputated at the elbow in an attempt to stop the infection's spread. He died a painful death in the hospital. He left behind 5 orphaned children, the oldest just 17 years old.

Edward Alan Elzinga was born on 6 July 1920 in Michigan.^1,2,3 He died on 8 May 2006, at age 85, in Michigan.^1,3 He was buried in Atwood Cemetery, Ellsworth, Antrim, Michigan.³