January 24, 2012.
ONIE WATERFIELD and GERTRUDE DUDLEY
From Wanda Romm:
Onie Capps Waterfield (b. 7 Apr 1891 d. 8 Oct 1970) and Gertrude Dudley had four surviving children: Zora Waterfield Doxey; Louise Waterfield Heath; Margaret Waterfield Trout; Juanita Waterfield Land Lepp.
Onie grew up on the north end of the island on his father’s farm; Miss Gertie grew up at the Dudley Island Hunt Club over on the beach at Wash Woods. For about five years, the family lived in Norfolk when Onie was on the Norfolk Police Force and then the family moved back to live on the Dudley farm at Morse’s Point and Onie continued to farm and fish. Except for Zora, all the girls married and moved to the city; however, Zora married Colin Doxey in 1935 and they lived at Mackay’s Island where Colin worked for some years. The house they built in 1945 is at the end of Doxey Lane and was the center of many family get togethers and celebrations of the holidays. Zora was a wonderful cook and there was always something in the pot for all who ate there and more for them to carry home. There were often games going: volley ball, baseball, horse shoes, football. It was not only the children that played either. On one occasion, Zora got irritated with her sisters who were out playing volleyball rather than helping her in the kitchen. The Methodist church was also a big part of Zora and Colin’s life and preparing for the church bazaar was a year long process. There was a quilting rack that would be set up in the dining room and women from the church would come over to work it. Every day, until they retired, Colin and Zora would drive from the house into Norfolk where Zora worked at Smith and Weltons and then at the bank; and Colin, who was a skilled carpenter, would work his jobs, pick up Zora and return to KI that night. This started before there were interstates and multilane roads to town. When Zora could no longer be cared for at home due to Alzheimer’s and had to be placed in a Va Beach nursing facility, Colin would ride in every day to sit with her. When he was hospitalized during that time, Zora’s sister, Margaret, went in to sit with her. She died in 1996, and Colin continued to live at the house basically keeping it just as it was when Zora was alive, including the geraniums on the deck during the summer. His nephews, Paul and Bryan Irving, kept a close eye on him and provided whatever he needed as long as he could be at home. However, Colin was still working his garden until the last year of his life in 2009. He would have been 99 years old a month later.
January 24, 2012. Comment Wanda Romm. My mom, Margaret Waterfield Trout, lived at Morse's Point after her father, Lem Dudley, built a house there on the rise near what is now the Mackey Island headquarters. Uncle Lee Dudley lived in a house to the right of the headquarters building, which was the home of Roy and Janie Dudley at one time. Neither Uncle Lee's or my grandparent's house is there now. Mom and her sisters would do little errands for him like fetching his newspapers. I recently asked her what it was like inside the house and she replied that she could not ever recall going inside...this is her uncle!
