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Louise Thomas
1898 - 1986 (88 years)
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Name Louise Thomas Born 1 Apr 1898 Paradise, Cache, Utah, United States 
[1, 2, 3, 4] Gender Female Died 14 Apr 1986 Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States [5, 6, 7] Buried 14 Apr 1986 Forest Lawn Cem,Glendale, Los Angeles, California [8, 9] Person ID i44 Wagner-Thomas Last Modified 27 Jan 2013
Father William Henry Thomas, b. 22 Apr 1860, Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom , d. 25 Jan 1915, Paradise, Cache, Utah, United States (Age 54 years) Mother Rosara Bradshaw Obray, b. 6 Dec 1865, Paradise, Cache, Utah, United States , d. 6 Dec 1946, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 81 years) Married 3 Apr 1884 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States [10, 11, 12] Family ID F8 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Ralph Erwin Ranck, b. 29 Aug 1904, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States , d. 26 Sep 1996, Fullerton, Orange, California, United States (Age 92 years) Married 6 Jun 1928 Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States [13, 14, 15] Children 1. Maxeen Ranck, b. 25 Jul 1929, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States , d. 25 Jul 1929, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 0 years)2. Living + 3. Ray Erwin Ranck, b. 7 Apr 1936, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States , d. 23 Jan 2004, Fullerton, Orange, California, United States (Age 67 years)Last Modified 29 Apr 2014 Family ID F44 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Event Map 
Born - 1 Apr 1898 - Paradise, Cache, Utah, United States 
Married - 6 Jun 1928 - Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States 
Died - 14 Apr 1986 - Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States = Link to Google Earth
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Photos 
Postcard from Ames, Oregon
Willliam Henry Thomas, Ada Thomas, Edward Miles, Harold, Carrie & Louise Thomas, Earl Miles & Edward's brother
Thomas family
Back: Lon, Harold, William (Bill)
2nd: Carrie, Peggy, Rosara, Evelyn, Jen
Front: LaRue, Louise
Front: LaRue (Thomas) Wagner, Louise (Thomas) Ranck Back: Rosara (Obary) Thomas, missionaries 
Young girl and man, Louise Ranck, Rosara, Edwin Ranck 
Thomas sisters: Evelyn, Peggy, LaRue, Martha, Louise, Beth, Carrie 
L-R 1st row: Samie Lloyd, Venice Mibs, Byron & Ken Lloyd, Reid Mibs, Ann Lemons, LaRue and Evelyn Thomas 2nd row: Aunt Hannah, Jennie Thomas, Beth Lemon, Carrie & Louise Thomas, Rose Thomas
Taken in Thomas' Restaurant, Troutdale, Oregon
School house in Dee Oregon
Back row: #6 Peggie Thomas, #7 Mildred Emmett, #8 Alva Weest, #9 Clem West
Second row: #2 Monte West, #6 Morrie Emmett, #7 Evelyn Thomas, #11 Louise Thomas
Third row: #3 Ann Lorick, #5 LaRue Thomas
Sunday School class organized & directed by Rose Thomas (grandmother) for locals at the logging camp (Dee or Bull Run, Oregon)
1: LaRue, 2: Louise, 3: Evelyn, 4: Ada (Peggy)
Church on E. Madison & 35th, Portland, Oregon
1: Elsie Holling, 2: Ezemia Holling, 3: Louise Thomas, 4: Rose Thomas, 5: LaRue Thomas, 6: Evelyn Thomas, 7: Mada & 8: Beth Bradshaw, 9: Virginia Farms, 10: Teacher - Sister Shirtliff, 11: Dr. Crockwell, 12: Martha Holling, 13: ??, 14: Ada Lambert, 15: Ray Mosley
Thomas family
1st row: Jen Holling, Rose Thomas, Carrie Compton
2nd row: Louise Ranck, Beth Lemon, Evelyn Thomas, LaRue Wagner, Peggy Wright
3rd row: Lon Thomas, Harold Thomas, Bill Thomas
Evelyn Thomas, Frank Taucher, Louise, Harold?, LaRue Thomas
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Notes - 1898 BIRTH: UT,Cache-Paradise: Louise Thomas was born 1 Apr 1898; blessing 5 June 1898 by J. P. James [from Pat Holling]
1900 CENSUS: UT,Cache Co-Paradise Prec: Anc.com Img 3, pg 2A, 2 June, Dw 25/25: Louisa Thomas age 2 born Utah April 1898, daughter of William and Rosara Thomas
1910 CENSUS: OR,Clackamas Co-Bullrun Prec: Anc.com Img 6, pg 313, 24 April, Dw 62/64: Louise Thomas age 12 born Utah, daughter of William H and Rosarah Thomas
1920 CENSUS: OR,Multnomah Co-Portland,Prec 167: Anc.com Img 10, pg 5B, 8 Jan, Dw 96/129-595 E Oak St: Louise Thomas age 21 born Utah, steno at book store, daughter of Rose Thomas, widow
1928 MARRIAGE: OR,Multnomah-Portland: Louise Thomas md Ralph Erwin Ranck 6 June 1928
1930 CENSUS: to get
Christmas card - no year shown, from Uncle Ralph: "Louise has Alzheimers."
1946 HISTORY: CA,Los Angeles Co-Los Angeles: Obit of mother Dec 1946: "...Survivors include...Mrs Louise Ranck, and Mrs Evelyn Billingsley, both of Los Angeles..."
1950 HISTORY: OR,Multnomah Co-Portland: Obit of brother, Harold, Nov 1950: "Survivors are... seven sisters... Mrs. Louise Ranck... of Los Angeles..."
1986 DEATH,BURIAL: CA,Los Angeles-Glendale: Louise Thomas Ranck died 14 April 1986 in Glendale,Los Angeles,California; buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA
LOUISE (THOMAS) RANCK
[1898 - 1986]
Written by : Ray Ranck
Louise Thomas was born on April 1, 1898, in the northern part of Utah inthe small town of Paradise in Cache county. Her father was William HenryThomas who was from Pembroke in the southwestern part of Wales. Louise'smother's name was Rosara Obray. Although Rosara was born in Paradise,Utah, her father was also from Pembroke, Wales and her mother fromManchester, England.
Louise was the eighth child in a family of ten children, which includedseven girls and three boys. The sisters remained very close to oneanother through out their lives and were continuously writing, talking onthe telephone and visiting each other through the years.
Louise's father, William , owned and operated a lumber mill thatmanufactured wood shingles and was very successful in his business untilthe mill caught fire and burned to the ground. In those days in thatarea there was no such thing as insurance, so this was a major crisis forthe young family.
William tried other work including delivering the mail. His route wasin the rural countryside which included some very rough and remote areas.One morning in the late fall, he left to make his deliveries in one ofthe more remote areas and by mid afternoon a blizzard descended. Bynightfall he had not returned by his family was not worried because onother similar occasions they knew that he had spent the night with thefamilies to which he was delivering the mail and then would return homewhen conditions would permit. However, William had already made hisdeliveries and was on his way home when the blizzard started. It hit soquickly and was so severe that it produced a complete "white out" wherehe could see nothing and soon he was lost and finally collapsed in thesnow. Meanwhile at home, one of his sons awoke from a sound sleep with astrong foreboding that his father was in grave danger and in need ofhelp. He woke the family and convinced them that immediate action wasneeded. A search party was formed of family members and friends and theyset out to find the missing man. At first light of day they found him.With him was his faithful dog which had laid on him throughout the nightand provided the warmth which allowed him to survive. However, due tosevere frost-bite, several toes had to be amputated and from that timeforward he always walked with a slight limp.
Due to the injury to his feet, Louise's father William was no longerable to walk long distances and so he gave up his mail delivery job andcontemplated what other work he could do to support his family. Hedecided to return to the work he knew best - lumber milling. However, todo this he needed to move to where there were mills and thus he moved hisfamily to Oregon.
Louise would tell the story of when she was young, about the littlelambs which the family would have each springtime and that she and hersisters would love so much. They were so cute and playful the girlswould make pets of them. However they always wondered where the lambswould disappear to later in the year. A few years later she found outthat that's what they were eating for dinner. After that she never feltthe same about lamb chops.
Louise wrote the following about her early years:
"We lived in Paradise, Utah until I was about nine years old. I startedto school there. We moved to Oregon. My father was a lumberman and wewent to a saw-mill town by the name of Dee. The school there was not avery good one and I got a very bad start in school. One teacher for alleight grades. There were about forty children and the teacher could notdo justice to us all, although she tried. The start I got there made itvery hard for me all through school.
From Dee we moved to another little saw-mill town by the name of BullRun, Oregon. I remember when my Grandmother Obray came to see us shesaid, "It's too bad the Bull didn't run a little farther and run rightoff the face of the earth!" We all laughed and thought she was veryright. Here in Bull Run the school was worse. My father and brothersworked in the mill while mother and we girls ran the "Cook-House". Weall worked very hard.
From there we moved to a little town by the name of Troutdale, Oregon.Still another small school with only one teacher for about sixtychildren. From there we moved to Portland, Oregon and my first goodschool. I had a very hard time but managed to graduate from the ninthgrade. I then went to Lincoln High School. I went there two years. Ithen went to Business College. When I finished the business course I gota good job at the J.K. Gill Co. working for the grandest boss, Mr. EdwardDrake. He was like a father to us all. This is where I worked untilafter I was married.
It was grand to live in a big city. I enjoyed the church (Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; also known as Mormon) activities somuch. We hadn't had the opportunity to go to a big Church since we leftUtah. Although there were a few Latter-Day Saints in the lumber townsthere was not an L.D. S. Sunday School there when we moved there. Mymother and some of the good L.D.S. mothers got together and had theMissionaries come to Dee and organize our first Sunday School. We did agood missionary work there. Then at Bull Run she did the same thing. Mymother was a very spiritual woman; the most courageous , faithful, lovingmother one could ever have. She wanted her children to be raised in theChurch and when there was no Church she saw to it that there was oneorganized. She did a wonderful missionary work and lived very close toGod. She made a home for many people and fed the poor and helpedeveryone. She was so good to the Missionaries. She fed them and gavethem a word of encouragement when they needed it. I have met many whohad been Missionaries in the Northwest who remember her and all praiseher name. God bless her memory. She died on her birthday Dec. 6th, 1946at the age of eighty-one.
While we lived in Bull Run my dear brother Harold went on a ChurchMission to the Northern States. He was a good man and we all loved himvery much. Mother and all of us worked very hard to keep him on hismission. While we lived in Troutdale we ran a café. When Harold camehome he helped Mother with us all. We were all very close to each other.One would go to business college and when that one was out he or shewould get a job and help the next one through.
My father died January 25th, 1915 in Paradise, Utah. He had been verysick for a long time and Mother thought if he could get home to some ofthe good doctors who knew him they could help him. So he went back toParadise, but he died there. He was a good man and I loved him. He wasgood to the poor and good and kind to us all. He wasn't as spiritual asmy mother, but he always went to Church with us. I know he is preachingthe Gospel in the Spirit World. He came to my mother and told her not toworry about him as he was sanctified and glorified and was preaching theGospel to the spirits in the Spirit World. This makes me so happy. I amso thankful to my Father in Heaven that my parents were married for timeand all eternity, so we will all be together for always.
When we first went to Portland, Melvon J. Ballard was the MissionPresident and how we all loved him. He was always my inspiration. Heloved my mother and helped her with her large family in giving her adviceand spiritual aid. We had a big home and when the Mission Home was fullof Missionaries and running over, the Missionaries were sent to our hometo stay for a few days. We surely had good times. They called our housetheir second home."
Throughout her life Louise not only remained active in the Church butalso served in many different Church jobs including teaching the childrenin Sunday School, working in Mutual (organization for teenagers), being aStake Missionary (Elysian Park Ward, Glendale Stake, California) andGenealogical secretary for the Hollywood Ward in California.
Louise had a very strong belief in her Religion, which she stated asfollows: "I love the gospel and know it is the true gospel of JesusChrist and is the same as he taught while he was here on earth. I knowthat he is the son of the Living God, that he came to this earth and wascrucified for our sins. I know that Joseph Smith Jr. was and is aprophet of God sent to this earth in the fullness of time to restore thetrue Church of Jesus Christ. For this testimony I am so thankful to myHeavenly Father. It means more than anything else in my life. I amthankful for my good husband and my good children and my grandchildren.I love them with all my life. In fact my life is my Church, my familyand my home."
"I had lots of nice boy friends when I was a girl. Boys in the Churchand out. I thought I was in love many times but when I met my dear RalphErwin Ranck I knew I had never been in love before. I had always beenvery prayerful and I had prayed to my Heavenly Father to send me a goodMormon boy with whom I could go into the Temple and be married for timeand all eternity. When I met him I knew he was the one for me."
As mentioned above, Louise's sister Evelyn met Erwin at Church one dayand brought him home for dinner where he met Louise. They wereimmediately attracted to one another and over the next few weeks becamequite close. Louise would often tell the story of how she first gotErwin to kiss her. She felt sure that he loved her but also knew that hewas very shy, so the first move would be up to her. One day after dinnershe asked Erwin to help with washing the dishes. She told him that shewould tie an apron around him so he would not get wet. But instead oftying it from the back she stood in front and with her arms around himtied it from the front. While doing so she looked straight up into hisface and that is the story of how the first kiss came about.
Erwin and Louise were married in Portland, Oregon on June 6, 1928.
- 1898 BIRTH: UT,Cache-Paradise: Louise Thomas was born 1 Apr 1898; blessing 5 June 1898 by J. P. James [from Pat Holling]
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Sources - [S42] Family Rcds: RANCK, Louise Thomas.
"Louise Thomas was born 1 Apr 1898, Paradise Utah" - [S20] Family Rcds: HOLLING, Patricia BRUCE.
"Louise Thomas was born 1 Apr 1898, Paradise Utah"
PAF CD from Pat to Robert P Wagner, July 2003 - [S56] Utah,Cache Co: Paradise Ward Rcds, Film 0026365 Item 1 pg 58, Item 2 pg 834.
"Louise Obray Thomas born 1 Apr 1898, Paradise,Cache,Utah"
Family group sheet from LaDean Wright Bird, possession of Robert P Wagner, July 1992, taken from Paradise Ward records & Patron Section for Family group sheet of Wm Henry Thomas, as submitted by daughters, Ada Thomas Wright & Louise Thomas Ranck - [S109] Family Rcds: THOMAS, Harold Pierce, pg 1.
Louisa Obray Thomas born 1 Apr 1898, blessed 5 Jun 1898 by J P James [no places shown]
book Family Record and Record of Temple Work of William Henry Thomas - [S5] Family Rcds: WAGNER, Robert P.
"Louise Thomas Ranck died 14 April 1986 in Glendale,Los Angeles,CA; buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA" - [S20] Family Rcds: HOLLING, Patricia BRUCE.
"Louise Thomas Ranck died 14 April 1986 in Glendale,Los Angeles,California; buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA"
PAF CD from Pat to Robert P. Wagner July 2003 - [S41] Family Rcds: BIRD, LaDean Wright.
"Louise Obray Thomas Ranck died 14 Apr 1986, Los Angeles,Los Angeles,California, buried Forest Lawn, Los Angeles"
Family group record from LaDean to Robert P. Wagner, July 1992, taken from conversations with other relatives. - [S5] Family Rcds: WAGNER, Robert P.
"Louise Thomas Ranck buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA" - [S20] Family Rcds: HOLLING, Patricia BRUCE.
"Louise Thomas Ranck buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA"
PAF CD from Pat to Robert P. Wagner, July 2003 - [S44] Family Rcds: GUNNELL, Lewis & Edra.
"William Nash THOMAS married to Rosana Obray, 3 Apr 1884," no place shown.
Family group sheet from Edra, copy in possession of Robert P Wagner, July 2000 - [S54] Utah,Salt Lake Co-Salt Lake City: Endowment House Sealing of Couples, Book M pg 42, film 183402.
"William Henry Thomas md Rosara Bradshaw Obray on 3 April 1884 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City Utah"
Family group sheet from LaDean Wright Bird, possession of Robert P Wagner July 1992 - [S80] Internet: Ancestry.com.
William Henry Thomas born Paradise, Cache Co, Utah, son of William Nash Thomas and Elizabeth Lallis, wife Rosara O O'bray, md 3 April 1882, Salt Lake City Utah, died Paradise, Cache Co, Utah 25 January 1915
Family Data File - [S42] Family Rcds: RANCK, Louise Thomas.
"Louise Thomas md Ralph Erwin Ranck 6 June 1928, Portland Oregon" - [S20] Family Rcds: HOLLING, Patricia BRUCE.
"Louise Thomas md Ralph Erwin Ranck 6 June 1928," no place shown
PAF CD from Pat to Robert P. Wagner, July 2003 - [S41] Family Rcds: BIRD, LaDean Wright.
"Louise Obray Thomas md Ralph Erwin Ranck 6 Jun 1928, Portland,Multnomah,Oregon"
Family group sheet from LaDean Wright Bird, possession of Robert P Wagner, July 1992, taken from Patron Section for Family group sheet of Wm Henry Thomas, as submitted by daughters, Ada Thomas Wright & Louise Thomas Ranck
- [S42] Family Rcds: RANCK, Louise Thomas.