MARRIAGE
On August 1, 2913, Gertrude Elizabeth Potter (PEG) married Oscar W. Hendricks.
Gertrude worked in the Youngstown school system and Doc Hulin helped Oscar get a job at the high school. Oscar was very social, served as a football coach.
FAMILY
Gertrude and Oscar welcomed their first son, William Hulin, on 10/17/1932. Two years later, Robert Clyde was born on 5/14/1934.
Life was good. Then one day, Oscar was teaching at the high school. Late for his class, he went bounding up the stairs to class and had a massive heart attack on the school steps.
Some say it was a heart attack, Gertrude attributed it to stress. In a moment, the happy family was forever changed. Gertrude was now a widow and had two boys under the age of 3 to care for.
Gertrude turned her tragedy into triumph as she leverage her masters degree in Home Economics into a career that would support her family and help the many in her community afflicted with challenges during the depression. This was her turning point.
“We managed, I guess, because we had a system. Each of us carried a share of the household chores, the boys’ responsibilities increasing as they grew older. And we have a lot of fun together.”