The Life and Times of the Clifford T Rye Farmily

Today's blog is about Cliff Rye, the son of Julia and Henry T. Rye. We are hopeful all of you have an uncle who impressed you. If you do not, I am certain he had enough to go around. Go ahead, adopt this magnificent person and his wife, Mel.

I like to use the newspapers to give us a time line.

1938
Clifford and Murvin Rye and LaVerne Bloom attend air show in Thief River Falls. Murvin is Cliff's brother and LaVerne is the son of Nina Mellem Anderson Bloom. Brother, Murvin, would be Cliff's best man at his wedding.

1939
Visitors at Mr. And Mrs. Lloyd Anderson home where Mrs. Carl Bloom and LaVerne and Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye and Clifford.

Clifford Rye is in Kennedy looking for work.

1940
Clifford Rye visits Mr. And Mrs. Louis Cloutier in Perham. By now, his sister, Nora was married. We will feature Nora and Louis Cloutier at a later time.

Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye receive news that Clifford is in Chicago visiting LaVerne Bloom.

1941
Clifford Rye and Axel Bloom left Monday for Warren where they will seek employment

Clifford Rye and Murvin Rye are at Calvin, ND where they have about 20 days of threshing.

1942
Clifford Rye returned home Monday after having spent sometime at Perham at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Cloutier

Clifford Rye of Sandpoint, Idaho arrived at the home of his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye Friday afternoon where he will spend about 10 days visiting.

Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye entertained the following guests at a goose dinner Sunday; Clifford Rye of Sandpoint, Idaho, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Anderson, Dorothy, Richard, and Robert.

1942
Lloyd Anderson took Clifford Rye to Warren Sunday and from there Clifford went to Fort Snelling for his army examination. This was in April.

1943
Clifford Rye is with the Signal Corp of the Air Force and is stationed in Atlantic City, NJ

1943
Pfc. Clifford Rye is now stationed at Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado where he will attend the Aircraft Armament School and later the Aerial Gunner’s School


Sgt. Clifford Rye of Las Vegas, Nevada arrived Sunday evening at the home of his parents. Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye where he will spend his furlough. He will resume his duties as aerial gunner at Salt Lake City, Utah immediately after furlough.


Dinner guests at the home of Mr. And Mrs. Henry Rye on Christmas day were Sgt. Clifford Rye of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sgt. Clifford Rye left Wednesday from Grand Forks to Salt Lake City, Utah where he will continue his work.


1944
Word has been received from Sgt. Clifford Rye that he is now stationed at Airdrome, Okla.


1945

Word was received from Sgt. Clifford Rye of Ardmore, Okla. that he had been in an accident while landing an airplane. Something went wrong with the landing gear, so they couldn’t get it down and in that way the plane had to be landed without a landing gear. Nine crew members gathered in the radio room, which is only about five feet square. The pilot being the only one not in the radio room. The plane was damaged quite a bit but the crew was lucky not to have anyone seriously hurt. Sgt. Rye was the only one who was hurt in the accident and he received a cut above the right eye but reports that is healing nicely.

Sgt. Clifford Rye, stationed somewhere in England, has received another promotion, he is now a staff sergeant

S/Sgt. Clifford Rye who is stationed somewhere in England, has been awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster medal. He was given this medal July 17, 1944.

S/SSgt Clifford Rye, who is an aerial gunner on a B 17 somewhere in England has completed his missions and will return to the States, according to news received by relatives here last week

S/SSgt Clifford Rye spent the weekend at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Steinhauer

S/Sgt. Clifford Rye called at Thief River Falls on Monday afternoon

Sunday evening callers at the Lloyd Anderson home were S/SSgt. Clifford Rye, Oliver and Ralph Rye and Miss Ilene Rye and Melvina “Luckseer”.

Clifford Rye, who has spent about six and a half months overseas returned to the states November 4. He arrived at his parental home Friday, November 10. He will spend a 21 day furlough with relatives and then will report to Santa Ana, California.

Miss Melvina G LaCoursiere; the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank LaCoursiere of Red Lake Falls, and S/Sgt. Clifford T. Rye, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rye of Rosewood, exchanged their nuptial vows Wednesday evening, November 29, 1944 at 8 o'clock.

The single ring ceremony was read by candlelight by HA Larson in Black River Lutheran Church; which was beautifully decorated with ferns and bittersweet. Mrs. Carl Mosbeck played the wedding marches and also supplied other nuptial music.

The bride entered on the arm of her father to the strains of the "Bridal Chorus" from "Lohengrin". She was lovely in a gown of white chiffon with a shirred satin bodice. She wore a pearl crowned fingertip veil and her dress extended into a long train. Her only jewelry was a pearl necklace, gift of the groom and tiny earrings, gift of the bridesmaid. She carried a large bouquet of pink roses.

The flower girl, Diane Larson, wore a blue chiffon gown with a locket, gift of the bride and groom, and a basket of assorted flowers. Little Bobby Anderson, nephew of the groom, bore the ring on a white lace-trimmed pillow. ((There is a story about him being promised a gallon of ice cream. It has also been stated that he stood over a furnace grate and all wondered if the ring was going to fall off))

The bride was attended by Miss Lilly M. Hovden of this city, who was attired in a pink gown of net over satin. She wore a string of pearls and earrings, gifts of the bride, and carried a bouquet of white chrysanthemums with matching flowers in her hair.

Mrs. George Swanson sang "I Love You Truly" and after the vows were exchanged, she sang, "O Promise Me" accompanied by Mrs. Carl Mosbeck.

The two mothers, wearing dark dresses with corsages of pastel shades, entered on the arms of the ushers, Ramon and Veral Mosbeck. The groom was attended by his brother, Murvin Rye of Rosewood. All the gentlemen wore pink rose boutonnieres.

A reception was held at the church parlors for several relatives and friends. The bridal table was decorated with pink and white streamers and was centered by a three tiered wedding cake topped by a miniature bride and groom. Several of the bride’s friends assisted in serving including Mrs., Roy Larson, Richard Mosbeck, Samuel Mosbeck, and Harry Helgenset.

The bride is a graduate of the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston with the class of 1943 and since that time has been employed in this city.

S/Sgt. Rye attended rural school at Rosewood, and in March of 1943 he enlisted in the army air corps and has been serving as a left wing gunner in the Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress named "Lucky Lassie." He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement during bombing attacks on enemy targets in Germany and occupied Europe and has flown on missions to Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and many other Germany war production centers.

S/Sgt. Rye also received his wings, the air medal, a presidential citation, and his campaign bars. He left Sunday night to report for duty at the Santa Ana, California and his wife will leave next week to join him.


09 17 1945
S/Sgt. Clifford Rye received his discharge orders from the US Army Air Corps Thursday, September 20 at San Bernardino, California.


November 1945
Cliff Rye and daughter, Linda Mae, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank LaCoursiere of St. Hilaire. Linda was born in August of '45.

Cliff, Mel, and Linda would stay in the area until the spring of 1947 when the papers state they were visitors from International Falls, MN. The trio would visit in the Thief River Falls area numerous times.

1950
In August of this year, the paper reports the Cliff Rye family visited from Sunflower, Kansas. The Korean War was in full swing and Sunflower was an ammunition making depot. Cliff owned a gas station near Sunflower called "Gas Island". Mel worked at the defense plant.

In the early sixties, they were living in Lawrence, Kansas and owned a roller rink. They would build houses or townhouses for a few years and move to Leavenworth, Kansas and start another rink.

Linda married Ralph Ageson from New Jersey. He was stationed at the Air Force Base in Topeka when they met. Ralph and Linda would take over the rink in Leavenworth and Cliff and Mel would move to Osage Beach, Missouri.

Linda and Ralph had two children; Jon (1968) and Chris (1970). Ralph died in 1998.

Cliff died in 1988.

Mel moved to Leavenworth and will celebrate her 81st birthday on October 29.

It would be hard to find a finer, harder working family.

e