At left: Charles Van Lott, at his mother's 80th birthday celebration, 1940.Photo courtesy of Ronnie Hoagland.
Charles Van Lott, son of George Washington Lott and Ella Bird (Van Horn) Lott, was born May 2, 1893 in Barber County, Kansas. He was the third of four children (Lillian Blanche - Mrs. Robert Kennedy - born 1880, Tiry Clifton born 1885, and Laura Bernice - Mrs. Clifford Hoagland - born 1896).
His mother, a native of Lost Creek, WV, moved with her parents to Shelby County, Ohio where she met and married G.W. Lott. In 1889, the Lotts, with two small children, moved to Kansas settling in Pawnee County and then proceeded further south in 1890 to Barber County, Kansas. Van grew to manhood on the family ranch on Turkey Creek north of Sun City. He attended the Rock School north of the ranch with his siblings.
Van married Iva Clarice Holmes on December 29, 1915. Iva was the daughter of William E. Holmes and Dora (Owens) Holmes of Wilmore. Iva�s siblings were R.T. Holmes, Clarence, Zelma, and Lucille. She also had a half brother, Orville and two half sisters, Ada & Stella.
Gerald Lott, USNR, and his wife, Kathy (Douthat) Lott, during WWII.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
A son, Gerald Lott, was born on February 27, 1920. Gerald married Kathy Douthat and they had 3 children, Charles Lee Lott, Nancy Lott and Robert Lott. Gerald served his country in World War II as a naval aviator piloting a Grumman Corsair fighter.
The Lotts presumably attended the Baptist Church in Wilmore as Van was a member of the Men's Bible Class in 1931.
The picture above is of the Men's Bible Class in 1931. Sam Lawrence was the teacher of the class. Left to right: Lew Kluttz, Perry Wall, Perry Barber, Bruce Snare, Jeff Forree, Van Lott, Lawrence York, L.B. "Daddy" Sommers, John Manahan, Sam Lawrence, Oscar Pinkston, Grandfather Ray, Tom Pepperd, Shurd Smith, Lester Larimer. Photo courtesy of David Lawrence.
Elloise Leffler, great-niece of Dora Holmes, recalls that Van and Iva drove to Sun City every Sunday after church for Sunday Dinner with Van�s mother, Ella Lott. Dinner always waited until Van and Iva arrived. Van operated a grocery store in Wilmore, just south (sic) of the bank.
The years of operation are unknown to this writer, however, a young Massey cousin recalls being at the Lotts' home on December 7, 1941. On that evening, after dinner, Van was called to open the store for a customer. Young David Massey tagged along with his father, Ralph Massey, and Van as they went to open the grocery store. David relates, "Once at the store the radio was turned on and the news was of the dastardly attack by the Japanese forces on the United States fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. I really got a geography lesson that day as they also mentioned imminent invasion of the Philippine Islands. That was pretty rich stuff for a little boy who had been as far west as Dodge City."
After closing the grocery store, Van later worked at the bank in Wilmore; perhaps having learned his banking skills from his father, who owned the Sun State Bank in Sun City, Kansas.
Van died on November 11, 1964 and Iva on September 1, 1977. Both are buried in the Wilmore cemetery.
-- by Kimberly (Hoagland) Fowles.
LOTT, Iva C.: August 13, 1897 - September 3, 1977
Note : Wife of C. Van Lott, mother of Gerald Lott.
Lot #189, Powell Township Cemetery, Wilmore, Comanche County, Kansas.LOTT, C. Van : May 2, 1893 - November 11, 1964
Note: Husband of Iva, father of Gerald Lott. C. Van and Iva ran a grocery store in Wilmore.
Lot #189, Powell Township Cemetery, Wilmore, Comanche County, Kansas.
Gravestone of C. Van and Iva C. Lott.
Photo by John Edward Schrock.
The Western Star, November 19, 1964. Death Comes to Charles Van Lott
Charles Van Lott, younger son of George S. and Ella B. Van Lott, was born in Sun City, Kans., on May 2, 1893 and departed this life November 11, 1964 in the Southwest Medical Center in Liberal. He received his education in the Sun City schools.
Van was converted and baptized into the Baptist church in Sun City in his youth and at the time of his death was a member of the First Baptist church in Liberal, Shriners at Wichita, and member of the Consistory of the Masonic Lodge.
He was united in marriage with Miss Iva Holmes in Medicine Lodge, Kans., on December 29, 1915. To this union was born one son, Gerald, of Oklahoma City. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend and believed fervently in the Golden Rule and applied it in all phases of his daily life and his contacts in his church, community and business life. He loved working with his beautiful flowers and shared with others the results of his labors. He had a custom of bringing in the first rose of the season to present to his wife with much pride.
For 30 years he and his family lived in Wilmore, Kans., where he was in the grocery business. He managed a finance company in Liberal.
In Wilmore Mr. Lott was an active member of the Baptist church serving as trustee. He also served as mayor, city clerk and councilman and was a clerk on the high school board. He loved sports, backing wholeheartedly then school activities and played baseball in his younger days.
Mr. and Mrs. Lott moved to Liberal in 1950 and worked for 12 years with the late Howard Penney in the finance business.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and two sisters, Mrs. Blanche Kennedy of Liberal and Mrs. Bernice Hoagland of Sun City.
Mr. Lott is survived by his faithful wife, Iva, his son, Gerald, daughter-in-law, Kathryn, and three grandchildren, Charles, Nancy and Robert of Oklahoma City, one brother, T. C. Lott of Wheeler, Texas and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held in Liberal at 1:30 Saturday afternoon, November 14. Burial was in the Wilmore Cemetery at 4:30 Saturday afternoon.
The Western Star, September 8, 1977. MRS. IVA LOTT PASSES.
Relatives and friends attending graveside funeral services for Mrs. Iva Lott were Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Lott, Ponca City, Okla.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lott, Bobb and Jessica, Tulsa, Okla.; Miss Nancy Lott, Dallas, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lott and Shanna were unable to come and so were her sisters of California; Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dorsey, Liberal; Mrs. Ella B. Penny, Liberal; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kennedy, Plains; Miss Eloise Leffler, Sun City; Mrs. Dick Hoagland, Lake City; Mrs. Velma Leiss and Mr. and Mrs. Lester Tucker, Greensburg; Jack Herndon, Medicine Lodge; Mr. and Mrs. John Booth, Coldwater; Don York of Wilmore.
Obituary. Mrs. Iva C. Lott, 80, Liberal, Kans., died September 1, 1977 in the St. Joseph Medical Center, Ponca City, Okla.
Mrs. Lott was born August 13, 1897 at Cedar Vale, Kans. to William and Dora Holmes, who preceded her in death. On December 29, 1915 she was married to Charles Van Lott at Medicine Lodge, Kans. They lived several years in Wilmore where they operated a general store. In 1949 they moved to Liberal. Van died November 11, 1964 there and Mrs. Lott continued to live in Liberal. She had gone to Ponca City a short time ago to visit her son, Gerald, and family.
Iva was a member of the First Baptist church at Liberal and the Order of the Eastern Star. In addition to her son, Gerald, she is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Zelma Ungles and Miss Lucille Holmes, both of Glendale, Calif.; also three grandchildren, Charles Lott, Tulsa, Okla., Robert Lott, Oceanside, Calif., and Miss Nancy Lott, Dallas, and three great grandchildren.
Graveside services were held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Wilmore cemetery with Rev. William McFall, pastor of the Federated church, officiating. Pallbearers were John Booth, Coldwater; Fred Booth, Weldon Trummel, Earl Hubbard, Ed Baker and Lawrence York, Jr., all of Wilmore.
"Sun Boys" from Sun City, Barber County, Kansas
Top row, Left to right: Ralph Massey, Bruce Adams. Middle row: Ray Massey, Harold Urton.
Bottom row: Lyle Bullock, Van Lott. Center front: Wesley Urton.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Left to right: Lyle Bullock, Bruce Adams, Van Lott.
All three boys were from Sun City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Cecil - child of Charles Van Lott and Juanita Campbell.
Juanita Campbell was the daughter of Harry L. Campbell.
Cecil was born prior to 1912.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Also see:
U.S.A. President Franklin D. Roosevelt: War Message to Congress, December 8, 1941
John Guyer: Memories of the Wilmore, Kansas, Community
The Western Star , May 29, 1942.
FOURTH SELECTIVE REGISTRATION LIST
Registration on April 27 Includes Men 45 to 65 Years of Age
Who Had Not Previously Registered in Comanche County.Wilmore Bank Robbed, The Western Star, March 30, 1928.
Wilmore Bank Robbed Last Week, The Western Star, September 1, 1966.
Aftermath of the Wilmore Tornado, May 20, 1949: photos by J.R. & Gloria Cline. (While it is unknown exactly when and why Van & Iva Lott left Wilmore in 1949, it may well have been that their grocery store was the "D-Lux Grocery" damaged by this tornado, as described in The Wilmore News, May 27, 1949: "Twister Wrecks Wilmore Business District".
The 1924 Pocket Directory of Wilmore, Kansas "Lott Merc. Co. Groceries and Meat. Service, our desire, Satisfaction, our motto, Quality, our guarantee."
"Gene and Evelyn Dorsey were friends of my parents when I was a child.
Gene Dorsey was one of the men who helped build the high school in Wilmore in the early 1950's, and who helped clean up the town after the 1949 tornado.
My dad, Wendel Ferrin, died 11 Oct 1991 in Tucson, Arizona. About a week later, Gene and Evelyn Dorsey died in a one-car accident on Highway 666 in southern Arizona. I was surprised and saddened to read of it in one of the Tucson newspapers, either the Tucson Citizen or the Arizona Daily Star.
Gene & Evelyn's relation to the Van Lott family is unknown to me."
-- Jerry Ferrin.
Thanks to Kimberly (Hoagland) Fowles, great-great niece of Charles Van Lott, for contributing the above biography to this web site!
Thanks to Shirley Brier for contributing the above obituaries to this site!
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