This is not an exciting story. I was asked about some 'hows' and 'whys' so I will write some of the things that has happened to me. If the story gets too boring, you are allowed to skip ...... The first things I remember is the concrete two story house where I was born. My dad’s name was Lara pronounced Larry Simon Daugherty, my mother’s name was Florence Alzata [Crew]. According to my baby book, my life started at 1:05 Oct. 8, 1928. Birth weight was 9 lbs and 8 oz. I measured in at 22 3/4 in. I had a sister, Eulala Grace, born in 1922, brothers, Wayne Leroy 1924, and Homer Eugene 1926. We all looked forward to Christmas, Thanksgiving, and birthdays! Our baths was taken in a washtub by the wood heating stove in the winter, in a back room in the summer. There was always horses, Dad could break horses "kid broke" better than anyone I ever knew. When I filially got old enough to wear my first bib overalls, we all went to school on a rodeo roper horse we called 'CAP'. Those was good times. He stood at least 15 hands high, pretty as a picture. Two rode in the saddle, two rode behind. When my second year started, we rode two horses, two on each. We always went regardless of the weather! By the time I started the third grade, Dad had hired a blacksmith by the name of Harmon Ady to build a buggy for us to go to school in. We still used CAP to pull it. My earliest memories is in the corn field Mom would take one row, Dad would take two, I would ride in the front and act like I was driving!
Times was tough and so Dad had to sell the saddle horse we called "Prince". We said goodbye to our friend and pal and let him be led away, Dad said he just couldn't turn down that much money! When I ask him, how much? he said $100.00!! "I said let me see it!" He said he left it at the bank!!!!! What a disappointment!!!!! In the spring of 1937, we moved to a ranch north of Trenton and south of Beverly. We then had a 'broom tail' Wyoming horse to break for Rodger Plfum. He gentled down to be the best horse we ever had. When we got moved we then went to a little country school Dist. 26. I was just finishing the third grade. Our teacher was Ellen Brown. The Tauls: Margret, Doris, and Don, also the Thomases: Tom, Norma, Pauleen , and Donald Lee.
One of the events that sticks in my mind is the day my sister almost got bit with a rattler. We was walking to school across a prairie dog town. I looked back to see why she wasn’t coming she stood as if she was frozen to the spot!! We all run back to see a big rattler coiled to strike!!! My brother gave her a big shove away from the snake then we threw clods to kill the snake!!
By the time I got to the eighth grade, the school was down to only four kids. From then on, I got to go to Beverly to finish nineth and tenth grades. Those was happy years. I rode a paint we called "Dolly" to school. I did ride a bicycle some, but a horse was a lot faster!! Jim Abbuhl also rode to school, we also rode together to fix fence and tend cattle for a number of neighbors, when not in school. When we rode for "Beverly Ranch" we would ride 'till 'bout noon, then stop and make a grass fire in a safe place and heat up a can of pork and beans for our dinner. Jim and I remained friends through the many years! I always liked horses and anything that could be done with them. Homer was the main tractor operator. Wayne was the repair man, and I was the one to fix fence and take care of cattle we had taken in for pasture. This I fully enjoyed. My brother Wayne was master of the bullwhip, which we called a 'black snake'. I would roll up a paper into a cigar shape and hold it at arm’s length and Wayne would crack the bull whip and cut 'bout an inch at a time 'till it was close to my fingers! Never once did he hit my hand or finger while doing his whip trick.
After I finished my tenth grade, I was allowed to go to Trenton to finish high school. One time we took Clarence Bunnell's 'ole 1928 Chevrolet into Kansas and got caught in a blizzard, we had to pile in the back seat to keep warm. We had to stay there all night and I somehow froze my heals, why my toes didn't freeze I'll never know!! After school I was always looking for some work to earn some money. I raked lawns, cleaned furnaces, hauled hay even unloaded coal from a boxcar for 25 cents a ton. I did graduate in 1946 and got to spend the summer on the ranch. That summer I got my first horse, my Dad bought him at the sale barn for $35 (I think) for my summer’s work! In January of 1947 Dad bought a farm in Iowa. We had to have a sale and I had to sell "Champ". After we got moved, I spent the winter cutting hedge posts from hedge rows. When I wasn't doing that, I would help rebuild the barn. There was no job I could find that would pay anything! In the spring I got to come back to be a hired hand for Dorman Cobb. I didn't have a car so all I could do is work. I was to get $ 100 per month but when harvest was over, he gave me a bonus for working through harvest. When I got back to Iowa Wayne and I bought a 1939 Ford car together! I tried to find a job, but didn't find one, so when spring came, I again headed back to Nebraska. This time I worked for my board and room for Dorman Cobb. Then "Hap" Lilinthall hired me at his feed lot. He paid $75 per month. It was hard cold work and when he cheated me out of half of my first months wages, I headed for town to look for another job. This time I found a job with the railroad, working on the section. This was a job of joy! It was the first job I had ever had where I had a regular paycheck. That summer I met the most wonderful girl, and it didn't hurt also that she was most attractive. The summer went zipping by and before fall I was sure I had found the one in a million for me! On the 16th of October we was married at the Hitchcock courthouse by Judge Mote with Ray and Bess Bunnell as witnesses. The winter of 49 -50 was record breakers for snow and wind. Two days after we got married, I started work at the Ford Garage, Don Thompson owned it. I earned the great grand total of $33 per week. That wasn't bad 'cause I only had to put in about 60 to 70 hours a week. Wayne was wanting his car, so he bought my half of it and we had to find another one.
We must be a leap year couple, we was married on leap year, Russell was born the next leap year, Ron on the next, and by the way my mother was born February 29 1888!!!!
Oh yes back to my story .......... I worked for the Ford dealer through the winter, then went to work for Fred Wacker on the Beverly Ranch for about a year then came back to Trenton and back to the Ford again. Worked as a mechanic till the fall of 58. Then went to work for the Chevrolet dealer. I worked for him 'till I started my own shop in1963. We rented the rear of Quicks welding shop and started from scratch. We next got a chance to buy the old Ford Garage building so with the help of Frosty Quick's tools we went into business. In 1980 we sold the building but didn’t get the rural carrier job as promised so I went to radiator school at Omaha then started a radiator shop. I also bought another building on main street, but when I got the chance to carry mail at Wauneta, I sold it too. We are now retired; we live close to our church that we have been going to since 1955. We have family and dear friends that love us, and we love them so we are very well blessed.
Donald Karl Daugherty passed away on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at the El Dorado Manor in Trenton, Nebraska. He was 92 years of age.
He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Russell Wayne in 1996; sister, Eulala Joiner and husband, Howard; brothers, Homer Daugherty and wife, Laura, and Wayne Daugherty; and granddaughter, Angie Stamm.
Don is survived by his wife of 72 years, Doris of Trenton, NebraskaE; son, Ron Daugherty of Trenton, Nebraska; grandson, Larry (Larissa) Daugherty of Scottsbluff, Nebraska and two granddaughters, Jody Stamm of Atlanta, Georgia and Audra Wilson of Roanoke, Virginia; great-grandchildren: Robyn, Katlyn, Ian, Aaron, and Caleb Daugherty.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 23, 2021, from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM at Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel in McCook, Nebraska. The family will greet friends from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday afternoon, April 24, 2021, at Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel in McCook, Nebraska with Pastor Johnny Walker officiating. Interment will follow services in Memorial Park Cemetery, McCook. Memorials are suggested to the El Dorado Manor of Trenton, Nebraska in Donald’s name. Online condolences may be left at herrmannfh.com. Herrmann-Jones Funeral Chapel is entrusted with arrangements.