> Doris Stake - 20 July 1935 - 6 Nov 1999 > > After a brief illness, Doris Stake died suddenly, of a heart attack. She > was 64. Doris served as president of the Stephenson County Genealogical > Society for six years, 1992-1998. She was very involved in > every facet of the society. She will be greatly missed. I cannot adequately convey my gratitude to the late Doris Stake for abundant help in my research in Moyers of Stephenson Co. I first "met" her via her service as corresponding secretary of the genelaogical society, and she was marvelous in her long-distance help. Finally came the day in 1990 when I spent several days in Freeport, among them lots of time in the library with her expert assistance, and I have many print-outs from old newspapers she identified for me. She also referred me to other libraries of value to my research. She helped me unsnag a peculiar problem: author Henry Meyer (_Genelaogy of the Meyer Family_, 1890) refers to Samuel and Elizabeth (Behler) Moyer of Ridott--he established the Ridott Cemetery out of a corner of his farm as the burial place for his wife in 1867, the first burial there--as having, among 16 others (!!), a son Leno, married to Amanda Loveland. But Henry had it wrong: Samuel had a *daughter* Lena, married to Romando Loveland, son of a Loveland who operated a lumber business along the railroad tracks at Ridott. Romando Loveland later operated a laundry business in Freeport, and when Samuel died much alter in Kansas, his body was brought back to Freeport and his local funeral conducted at the Loveland house in Freeport, with burial on an early January 1894 day at Ridott. Descendents of this Loveland family remain in Freeport to this day. It was DORIS who helped unsnag this mystery of Lena who, in Henry Meyer's book, underwent a "sex change" to *Leno*!!! My research in Stepehnson Co. is far from finished, and I hope to spend a week or more some day soon there. Among Samuel Moyer's children who remained there: Philip Carmony Moyer (Orangeville), who had 12 children of his own; Mary, m. to Samuel Gross of Orangeville (who had 7 daughters); William Moyer of Orangeville, and others. Many of Samuel's children went to Kansas in the early 1870's, leaving one or two of their early children buried next to Grandpa Moyer at Ridott. One of his daughters married Jonn Thomas Askey, who grew up on the farm adjoining Samuel's farm to the east. (The Askey family burial ground behind a former church or school on the north side of old Highway 20 needed some tender loving care as of my last visit there some years ago. That Askey family came from Centre Co PA, as did Samuel. John Thomas Askey & MOyer bride moved to Red Oak IA.) My Stephenson Co research will some day account for hundreds of Stephenson Co citizens, many still living. Doris Stake helped me to find so many of them!! May she rest in peace. Cordially, Dr. Karl E. Moyer Lancaster PA