Women's History Month: Effects of Leukemia Took Her Life

 This is the story of my paternal grandmother, Delva Auldine Black. Her story is tragic. She had childhood leukemia at a time when little was known about it. This is a photo of Delva. 

But first, the story of Delva's father, Charles Edward Black. The old story passed down from the family is that he was married to two women simultaneously. He had two families in two separate states. Through family history research, I found evidence that it is a true story. He led a double life.

In 1903, Charles married Minnie Donham, and they had a daughter. In 1910, Charles married Luticia Hanlon, my great-grandmother, who lived in West Virginia. They had their first daughter a year later.

 During the years following, Charles is listed in the United States Census records as living in Pennsylvania and West Virginia simultaneously and married to both women. In 1920, he and Luticia moved to SE Kansas. Before 1940, the children somehow learned the truth. The truth came out, and the story was told to future generations. Minnie stayed in Pennsylvania, and the 1940 U.S. Federal Census lists her as widowed. Here is a photo of Luticia (Hanlon) Black, my paternal great-grandmother: 

Charles and Luticia came to Rocky Comfort, Missouri, in 1951, and they both died at the hospital in Wheaton, Missouri, in the 1950s. Minnie Donham Black died in Pennsylvania in 1955. All the children from both marriages are listed in Charles' obituary.

 Delva A. Black, my grandmother, was Charles and Luticia's daughter. She was the middle child in a family of five children. She died before I was two years old, but my mother told me many stories about her. She was born with leukemia and married Perry Utter in Hamilton, Kansas, and they had two sons.

 Childhood leukemia treatments were sketchy during the first part of the 20th century. During that time, X-ray therapy provided remission, but the cancer always returned. Radiation therapy was used to treat chronic cases but was not suitable for acute types. Medications were developed after World War 1.

 Delva and her family moved to McDonald County, Missouri, in 1950 to be close to their families. My mother told me this story: As Delva grew older, she became weary of "taking the treatments and didn't want to undergo anymore. One cold and snowy evening in January 1956, Delva called to tell Mom she wanted to see me. Even though it was cold, Mom bundled me up and took me to see her. Delva was very despondent and quiet, and Mom didn't stay long. The next day, Delva was found dead in her bed. Her death certificate reveals the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 39 years old. This photo is of Delva and her two boys, Ronald and Wayne. Ronald was my father. Taken about 1940.

 

Her death was mourned by all who loved her. Her obituary reads that she became depressed due to the loss of her mother in 1954 and her father in 1955. No other explanation could be given as to why she shot herself. She was baptized into the Methodist faith on Easter Sunday, 1948. She was a member of the Fraternal Order of the Eastern Star Chapter in Hamilton, Kansas. She transferred to the Wheaton Chapter No. 4, where she was a Worthy Matron and devoted member. She enjoyed fishing and cooking. I have a few of her hand-written recipe cards in my collection.

Depression and illness have always been a real problem. We don't know what people are dealing with. That's why counseling and therapies can help those who may need it. Delva's story is tragic, and although I don't remember her, I know that she held me in her arms and kissed and hugged me. I think of her often, and her story taught me never to take life for granted.