Elmer Sommers was the 14th child born to Ernest and Rosetta Blaser Sommers. He was born in Montpelier, Idaho on 18 Jun 1906. I don’t know much about his youth, but he was baptized on 6 Sep 1914. The next bit of information about him comes from the 1930 Federal Census of Freedom, Lincoln County, Wyoming where he is shown as a boarder in the home of Thomas W. and Annie E. Warren. In the census record, Elmer is shown to be 24 years of age and his profession was a teacher in a public school. The census record goes on to show that Annie E. Warren’s parents had been born is Switzerland, just the same as Elmer’s parents. I do not know if this was a factor or not in Elmer’s coming to board at the Warren home.
The census record shows that the Warrens had three children living in their home. Harold, age 18 and Fredric, age 17 and a daughter, Wanda L. who was age 16. A romance developed between Elmer and Wanda and eventually they were married on 19 Aug 1931.
After their marriage they moved to Caribou County, Idaho, but by the 1940 census, the situation had changed. Wanda’s father, Thomas W. Warren had died and Elmer and Wanda had moved back to Freedom, Lincoln, Wyoming to live with Wanda’s widowed mother. Elmer and Wanda now have three children, Raelene, age 6 and Larry, age 5 and Maxine, age 3. In addition to Elmer’s family living with Wanda’s widowed mother, there is also Wanda’s brother, Fred and his wife Alice, living in the home. Fred is employed as a farmer, working on a farm that he is renting.
The 1940 census record also shows that in 1935, Elmer and Wanda were living on a farm, probably while he was still living in Caribou, Idaho. Now that Elmer and Wanda are back in Freedom, Wyoming, Elmer is again employed as a teacher in a public school.
After the 1940 census, Elmer and Wanda had a new daughter, whose name was Carolyn, born on 28 Jan 1941. She was probably born in Freedom, Lincoln, Wyoming since, in the obituary of Wanda Sommers Finch it states that Elmer and Wanda moved to Ogden, Utah with their four children in 1942.
There are no census records available after the 1940 census, but fortunately there are city directories which give a little bit of information about the names, addresses and occupations of people living in a given city in a given year. By consulting these directories we are able to gain some insight into the lives of Elmer and Wanda and sometimes their children, after 1940.
In the 1948 City Directory of Ogden, Utah, Elmer and his wife, Wanda are listed as living at 2855 Quincy Ave., his profession is listed as PS tchr (which I believe means Public School teacher). There are no children mentioned in this entry.
The 1954 City Directory of Ogden, Utah shows that Elmer is now a teacher in the Ogden City High School. Wanda is listed as a saleswoman at Clifton’s dress shop. 20 year old Larry and 18 year old Maxine are listed as students. 21 year old Raelene is not listed, probably out of the home by now. 13 year old Carolyn is not listed, probably to young to be listed. The family is still listed as living at 2855 Quincy Ave.
In the 1957 Ogden City Directory, Elmer is still listed as a teacher at the Ogden City High School, and still living at 2855 Quincy Ave. Wanda is now listed as a dental assistant to William G. Seliger. Larry is now listed as a missionary and his 21 year old sister Maxine is listed as a student, but 16 year old Carolyn is still not listed.
The 1960 Ogden City Directory shows that Elmer is still teaching at the high school and that he and Wanda are still living at 2855 Quincy Ave. No one else is listed in this directory.
The next entry, that I found, is in the 1977 Ogden City directory and shows that Wanda is now the widow of Elmer Sommers. She is still living at their same house at 2855 Quincy Ave. Elmer died 8 Aug 1975 in Pendleton, Umatilla, Oregon. I do not know why Elmer was in Pendleton, or if Wanda was with him when he died, but his body was returned for burial in Ogden, Utah on 12 Aug 1975.
After Elmer's death, Wanda was left a 62 year old widow with a large posterity. The following is al list of their four children and their spouses:
Raelene Sommers William J. Critchlow
Larry Sommers Carolyn Leavitt
Maxine Sommers Bill Candland
Carolyn Sommers Dennis Craynor
According to the obituary for Wanda Warren Sommers Finch, Elmer and Wanda had 19 grand children and 68 great-grand-children and two great-great-grand-children.