Libby Family History

Ralph Libby married Myrtle Rowland. She died after giving birth to her seventh child Kenny in November 1921. All the kids were farmed out to other homes for a year so Ralph could work to support them.  

Ralph remarried to Ada and she helped helped to retrieve all but 2 of Ralph's children. Those two were adopted by other families. After they married, they moved on to Hoquiam, Washington to pastor and build a new church. They also had two more children. They continued up to Canada to pastor for a few short years and then back to Granger, Washington where he set up a self-supporting medical office in the basement of his home. He was a graduate of American University and postgraduate of National College of Chiropractic specializing in electrotherapy, physiotherapy & chiropractic. On August 5, 1946 Ralph was attending a church meeting in Walla Walla when he suddenly collapsed to the floor. Several pastors helped get him to the Walla Walla General Hospital where he was admitted. He died two weeks later from failed kidneys. It was suspected that he over-exposed himself to a fluoroscope he was using in his medical practice. He was 63. Ada never remarried and lived to be 98 years.

Vern Libby was only 3-1/2 when his mother Myrtle died after giving birth to her seventh child Kenny in November 1921. He and his siblings  stayed with other families so their father Ralph Libby could work. Within a  year's time, Vern's father re-married and all but two of the children returned home. Vern graduated from Yakima Valley Academy in 1938. He attended WWC in 1940 where he met his future wife Lorene. But WWII came along and he was drafted into the Army and had to put college on hold. He served in the Army in Australia as medical personnel. Vern married Lorene Qualley in 1941, had 3 children and eventually graduated from WWC in 1951 and went on to be a school teacher.

Lorene attended Yakima Valley Academy in 1933-34, attended and graduated from Tolt High School 1934-36 and attended Auburn Academy 1936-37 for some kind of extra education and then attended WWC 1939-40 which is where she and Vern Libby met.

QUALLEY HISTORY
Andrew Qualley (Lorene’s dad) married Emma ______. When Emma died, Andrew married her sister Hilda and they had 5 more children besides Lorene and her brother Loris. Emma had been a school teacher and Hilda was also a school teacher for many years. Andrew did farming and was a WPA Laborer.

LIBBY ANCESTRY FOR MICHELLE (MEYER) GIENGER’S MOM’S FAMILY TREE
Ralph and Myrtle (Rowland) Libby
Vern and Lorene (Qualley) Libby
Mickey and Verdene (Libby) Meyer
Lon and Michelle (Meyer) Gienger