GERTRUDE ELIZABETH RUSSELL was born July 22, 1928, Albany, Oregon, was the fifth child of Theron and Gertrude Edith McLain Russell. She was born while her family resided on Cottage Avenue (now Creswell Lane, North Albany, Benton County).

 

Gertrude lived in the Albany area all but three years of her life. She attended Albany Public Schools. She married James C. Cade October 8, 1944 at Oakville, Oregon in the United Presbyterian Church. For some time, she lived on Marilyn Street in the Draperville area just west of the Knox Butte School.

 

A son, James Owen Cade was born October 6, 1945 in Albany; a son Stephen Duane Cade was born July 10, 1950 in Albany, Oregon. The elder James Cade left Gertrude and little Jimmy before Stephen was born. Gertrude became very close to her mother and to her sister Ellen Russell Schmidt who lived but a short distance away ..and did the very best she could at being a single mother. While she worked in town, the boys often times were found after school hours playing and working on the farm with their Schmidt cousins.

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She married James H. Lobdell on December 16, 1955 in Renor NV and this new family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where she remained until her death 2 ½ years later on September 7, 1959 at the age of 31 years of high blood pressure and a cerebral hemorrhage. With perusal of a collection of her personal letters to her mother and sister Ellen written during the nine months before her death, one finds a happy, witty, active, loving and hardworking young wife and mother …one attempting very hard to make a happy home for her young and growing family. It is also noted that each letter was laced with inferences to her health and concern, and physicians’ inability to diagnose or treat her illness.