GEORGE DEWEY LYBECKER

1898-1982

 

George Dewey Lybecker was the seventh child of nine children born to Ella and Oscar Lybecker in 1898. His parents had already moved to Washington with his older brothers and sisters and had a stable farm.

 

Dewey loved the outdoors and loved the farm. In the winter, Dewey enjoyed sledding on a nearby hill, which proved to be great fun, with the only restraint being not to sled on the one day a week the train came by the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately a non-scheduled train appeared as he was part way down the hill. No problem, Dewey aimed for the wide spot between the front and rear wheels of a flat car and sailed under the train unmarked.

 

As Dewey grew older, he worked in the wheat fields. In those days, the wheat was thrashed by a stationary steam powered machine fired by the straw stubble from the freshly cut wheat. It was extremely hard work to collect straw fast enough. When the pressure was on and his dad wasn’t looking, Dewey (probably others also) would take a sack of wheat and throw it into the fire. This would bank the fire for a while providing a much needed break.

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Sometime later, Dewey tells of the days when the first combines were pulled over the fields by teams of 32 horses. These teams consisted of 5 rows of 6 horses, led by a pair of well trained horses. These two lead horses would frequently disappear over the top of the hill out of sight of the driver. The driver sat on a cantilevered seat that placed him approximately over the heads of the first row of horses. Driving a team one day, Dewey had an exciting experience. A batten on the reel came loose and with each rotation of the reel, the batten swatted a horse on the rump. This soon excited the horse beyond control; he jumped traces with the next horse, then the first two row of horses stumbled and the combine rolled over them. All survived, but it took Dewey all day to cut horses free and then repair the harness so they could be used again.

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Both of Dewey’s parents were very strong on education, so it went without thinking, that Dewey earned his B.A. degree and began teaching in the high schools. Throughout the years, he taught shop, industrial arts, and mechanical drawing.

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In 1924, Dewey married Nell Hamilton Fake. He was twenty-six years old and she was twenty-four years old. Nell also completed four years of college. By 1925, they had their first child, Sylvia. Then two years later, Charles was born and two years after that, Sally was born.

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Dewey and Nell were married fifty-seven years, when he passed away in Gig Harbor, Washington. In 1990, eight years later, Nell died at ninety years old.