H0179
The study's number for this person. Cite it and it will always lead here, whatever the spelling.Ruth Eileen Lefaive
Born at Portland in 1919 and died at Grays Harbor County in 2005.
born 23 Mar 1919 at Portland, Multnomah died 23 Sep 2005 at Grays Harbor County, Washington
and 1 more
Ruth Eileen WindsnesLife story
Ruth Eileen Lefaive was born on 23 March 1919 at Portland, Oregon, a daughter of George I. Lefaive and Edith G. Brisco.1–2 On 25 September 1936, at seventeen, she married William Evans at Montesano, the county seat of Grays Harbor County, Washington. He was probably William D. Evans, a logging-truck driver born in North Dakota in 1910 (see Research Notes).3 She was still Ruth Eileen Evans in 1961.1
On 24 September 1964, at Aberdeen, Ruth E. Evans married Woodrow Elgia Wilson, a millworker and Army veteran of the Second World War; both had been married before.1, 4 Within two years they had separated. In September 1966 Woodrow moved to Puyallup, in Pierce County, and on 3 November 1966 Ruth, then living apart from him near Sumner, found him dead in his car at his home. She was still his wife: she gave the particulars for his death certificate as Mrs. R. E. Wilson, and three weeks later she applied for the government headstone that marks his grave in Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen.5–7
Ruth married a third time within a year, and from 1967 she was Ruth Windsnes.1 She died on 23 September 2005, in Grays Harbor County, at the age of eighty-six, and was buried in Sunset Memorial Park at Hoquiam.1–2
What we know
Proven
- Birth at Portland, 1919
- Marriage to William D. Evans at Montesano, 1936
- Marriage to Woodrow Elgia Wilson at Aberdeen, 1964
- Marriage to Windsnes (her third husband), 2 Nov 1966 and Aug 1967
- Death at Grays Harbor County, 2005
- Burial at Sunset Memorial Park, 2005
- 2 homes, from the census and other records
What's still open
- First marriage (probable). The old family tree attaches the Grays Harbor County marriage record swgrhmc11373 to her marriage to William Evans at Montesano on 25 Sep 1936; it has not been re-read here.
- Third marriage. Her Social Security record gives the surname Windsnes from Aug 1967; Find a Grave names her husband and links his memorial, which has not been read, so his dates are not recorded here.
- Parents. Not yet identified.
Sources
Sources 1–2
1 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1919
"U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007," database, Ancestry.com, Ruth Eileen Evans [also Ruth Eil Wilson; Ruth Windsnes; Ruth Eileen Lefaive], female, white, born 23 March 1919, Portland, Oregon; died 23 September 2005; father George I Lefaive; mother Edith G Brisco; name listed as Ruth Eileen Evans in November 1961, Ruth Eil Wilson in September 1964 and Ruth E Windsnes in August 1967 (index read 27 September 2026).
2 Find a Grave, memorial 122323940, 1919
Find a Grave, memorial 122323940, Ruth Eileen Windsnes, maiden name LeFaive (23 Mar 1919, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon – 23 Sep 2005, "Grays Harbor City", Grays Harbor County, Washington), Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam, Grays Harbor County, Washington; linked to her father, George I. LeFaive, and her spouse, Windsnes; no biography (findagrave.com/memorial/122323940). Indexed in "U.S., Find a Grave Index," Ancestry.com.
Source 3
3 Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936
"Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854–2013," database, Ancestry.com, citing Washington State Archives, Grays Harbor County marriage records, reference swgrhmc11373: William Evans and Ruth Le Faire [Lefaive], married 25 September 1936, Montesano, Grays Harbor County (as attached to both of them in the old Hegnauer family tree on Ancestry; the index entry and the record have not been re-read in this study).
Source 4
4 Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, 1871
Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, "Grays Harbor County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1871–Present," Woodrow E Wilson and R. E. Evans, married 24 September 1964, Grays Harbor County, Washington, document swgrhmc28102 (index entry; no image) (digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/3E62748F453D48F4704C3B20A3728E6A). Also indexed in "Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854–2013," database, Ancestry.com, as Woodrow E Wilson and Ruth E Evans, 24 September 1964, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County.
Sources 5–7
5 The News Tribune, 1966
"Man Found Dead In His Auto," The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), 4 November 1966, p. 40 (C-14): Woodrow E. Wilson, 49, of Puyallup, who came to the area from Aberdeen in September, was found dead Thursday afternoon [3 November] by his estranged wife, of Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner; born in Oklahoma, he came to the Northwest as a boy; millworker for the Weyerhaeuser Company's White River mill at Enumclaw; Army veteran of World War II; survived by his wife, two sons and five daughters [names withheld: living], three sisters and a brother, and six grandchildren; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/734891548).
6 Washington State Department of Health, Certificate of Death, 1966
Washington State Department of Health, Certificate of Death, state file no. 25670 (1966), registrar's no. 29, Woodrow E. Wilson: died 2 November 1966 at his residence, 14018 80th St. East, Puyallup, Pierce County (one month there); male; white; married; born 8-29-1917, Oklahoma; age 49; usual occupation millworker, business "Weyerhauser White River"; father and mother "unobtainable"; served in the armed forces, World War II; informant Mrs. R. E. Wilson, Puyallup, Washington [his wife]; certified by the Pierce County coroner, 7 November 1966; burial 8 November 1966, Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen; funeral director Powers Funeral Home, Puyallup; image, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, "Death Certificates, 1907–2001," reference DE_1966025670 (digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/B5C331E6A6EDAE8AE447CB42F27C2637).
7 U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1917
"U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans," database with images, Ancestry.com, application for a headstone (DD Form 1330) for Woodrow E. Wilson, service number 39183940, World War II; Pvt., U.S. Army, 470 Ord Evac Co; born Aug. 29, 1917; died Nov. 3, 1966; flat granite marker with a Latin cross, for Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen, Washington; applicant Ruth E. Wilson, wife, 14018 80th St. East, Puyallup, signed 22 November 1966; verified 1 December 1966; image 2375_13_00009-04135.
More sources are in the evidence below.
Life in time
23 Mar 1919
Birth , Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States
How we know
Born to George I. Lefaive and Edith G. Brisco (Social Security record).
Her Social Security record gives 23 Mar 1919 at Portland, Oregon, and names her parents; Find a Grave gives the same date and place, her maiden name LeFaive and her father. No birth record has been found.
25 Sep 1936
Marriage, with William D. Evans , Montesano, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States
How we know
Grays Harbor County marriage record, Washington State Archives reference swgrhmc11373, of William Evans and Ruth Lefaive, as attached in the old family tree (not re-read in this study). She was seventeen. The groom is probably William D. Evans (1910–1972). The marriage had ended by September 1964.
The old family tree attaches the Grays Harbor County marriage record (index; swgrhmc11373) to a marriage of William Evans and Ruth Lefaive at Montesano on 25 Sep 1936. Her Social Security record shows her as Ruth Eileen Evans in November 1961, and she married again in 1964 as Ruth E. Evans. That this William Evans was William D. Evans, of Hoquiam in 1965, is probable, not proven; the record has not been read.
24 Sep 1964
Marriage, with Woodrow Elgia Wilson , Aberdeen, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States
How we know
Grays Harbor County marriage record, document swgrhmc28102 (index only; no image seen); the bride indexed as R. E. Evans and Ruth E. Evans. They were estranged when he died, on 2 Nov 1966; she was his widow.
The Digital Archives and Ancestry indexes of the Grays Harbor County marriage records give Woodrow E. Wilson and Ruth E. (R. E.) Evans, married 24 Sep 1964 at Aberdeen. Her Social Security record changes from Ruth Eileen Evans to Ruth Wilson in September 1964, the month of the marriage. In Nov 1966 she was the informant for his death certificate (Mrs. R. E. Wilson) and the applicant for his headstone (Ruth E. Wilson, wife).
between 2 Nov 1966 and Aug 1967
Marriage, with Windsnes (her third husband)
How we know
Her Social Security record lists her as Ruth E. Windsnes from August 1967, nine months after Woodrow's death; the marriage record has not been found. Find a Grave names her husband and links his memorial (not read).
The name change in her Social Security record dates the marriage to between Woodrow's death and Aug 1967; Find a Grave calls her Ruth Eileen Windsnes and names her spouse.
4 Nov 1966
Residence , Sumner, Pierce, Washington, United States
How we know
Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner, when her estranged husband Woodrow was found dead at Puyallup (newspaper report).
The newspaper report of Woodrow's death says he was found by his estranged wife, of Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner.
22 Nov 1966
Residence , Puyallup, Pierce, Washington, United States
How we know
14018 80th Street East, Puyallup, Woodrow's last home, the address on the headstone application she signed; she was "Mrs. R. E. Wilson, Puyallup" on his death certificate.
The applicant's address on the headstone application, signed 22 Nov 1966, and the informant's town on the death certificate.
23 Sep 2005
Death , Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States
How we know
Find a Grave gives the place as "Grays Harbor City", Grays Harbor County (an old place name west of Hoquiam, or an error for the county).
Her Social Security record and Find a Grave give 23 Sep 2005; Find a Grave gives Grays Harbor County. No death certificate or death index entry has been checked.
after 23 Sep 2005
Burial , Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States
How we know
As Ruth Eileen Windsnes (Find a Grave memorial 122323940, no biography). The date of burial is not known.
Find a Grave (index and memorial) gives her burial in Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam.
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1919 Birth
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1936 Marriage, with William D. Evans
Grays Harbor County marriage record, Washington State Archives reference swgrhmc11373, of William Evans and Ruth Lefaive, as attached in the old family tree (not re-read in this study). She was seventeen. The groom is probably William D. Evans (1910–1972). The marriage had ended by September 1964.
The old family tree attaches the Grays Harbor County marriage record (index; swgrhmc11373) to a marriage of William Evans and Ruth Lefaive at Montesano on 25 Sep 1936. Her Social Security record shows her as Ruth Eileen Evans in November 1961, and she married again in 1964 as Ruth E. Evans. That this William Evans was William D. Evans, of Hoquiam in 1965, is probable, not proven; the record has not been read.
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1964 Marriage, with Woodrow Elgia Wilson
Grays Harbor County marriage record, document swgrhmc28102 (index only; no image seen); the bride indexed as R. E. Evans and Ruth E. Evans. They were estranged when he died, on 2 Nov 1966; she was his widow.
The Digital Archives and Ancestry indexes of the Grays Harbor County marriage records give Woodrow E. Wilson and Ruth E. (R. E.) Evans, married 24 Sep 1964 at Aberdeen. Her Social Security record changes from Ruth Eileen Evans to Ruth Wilson in September 1964, the month of the marriage. In Nov 1966 she was the informant for his death certificate (Mrs. R. E. Wilson) and the applicant for his headstone (Ruth E. Wilson, wife).
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1966 Marriage, with Windsnes (her third husband)
Her Social Security record lists her as Ruth E. Windsnes from August 1967, nine months after Woodrow's death; the marriage record has not been found. Find a Grave names her husband and links his memorial (not read).
The name change in her Social Security record dates the marriage to between Woodrow's death and Aug 1967; Find a Grave calls her Ruth Eileen Windsnes and names her spouse.
-
1966 Residence
Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner, when her estranged husband Woodrow was found dead at Puyallup (newspaper report).
The newspaper report of Woodrow's death says he was found by his estranged wife, of Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner.
Source 5
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1966 Residence
14018 80th Street East, Puyallup, Woodrow's last home, the address on the headstone application she signed; she was "Mrs. R. E. Wilson, Puyallup" on his death certificate.
The applicant's address on the headstone application, signed 22 Nov 1966, and the informant's town on the death certificate.
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2005 Death
Find a Grave gives the place as "Grays Harbor City", Grays Harbor County (an old place name west of Hoquiam, or an error for the county).
Her Social Security record and Find a Grave give 23 Sep 2005; Find a Grave gives Grays Harbor County. No death certificate or death index entry has been checked.
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2005 Burial
As Ruth Eileen Windsnes (Find a Grave memorial 122323940, no biography). The date of burial is not known.
Find a Grave (index and memorial) gives her burial in Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam.
Source 2
- proven
Hover or drag along the line, or select a point and use the arrow keys.
Places in this life
7 places, in order- 1 Portland, Multnomah County Birth 23 Mar 1919
- 2 Montesano, Grays Harbor County Marriage 25 Sep 1936
- 3 Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County Marriage 24 Sep 1964
- 4 Sumner, Pierce County Residence 4 Nov 1966
- 5 Puyallup, Pierce County Residence 22 Nov 1966
- 6 Grays Harbor County, Washington Death 23 Sep 2005
- 7 Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam Burial after 23 Sep 2005
Hollow markers are placed approximately, at the town, county or region.
Family
The evidence 8 facts with their grades, 7 sources, and the research notes
Facts
| Fact | Date | Place | Grade | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 23 Mar 1919 | Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States | proven | 1 , 2 |
| Marriage with William D. Evans | 25 Sep 1936 | Montesano, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States | proven | 1 , 3 , 4 |
| Marriage with Woodrow Elgia Wilson | 24 Sep 1964 | Aberdeen, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States | proven | 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 |
| Marriage with Windsnes (her third husband) | between 2 Nov 1966 and Aug 1967 | proven | 1 , 2 | |
| Residence | 4 Nov 1966 | Sumner, Pierce, Washington, United States | proven | 5 |
| Residence | 22 Nov 1966 | Puyallup, Pierce, Washington, United States | proven | 6 , 7 |
| Death | 23 Sep 2005 | Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States | proven | 1 , 2 |
| Burial | after 23 Sep 2005 | Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam, Grays Harbor, Washington, United States | proven | 2 |
Research notes
- Identity: Her Social Security record ties together her names in date order: Ruth Eileen Lefaive, born 23 Mar 1919 at Portland, daughter of George I. Lefaive and Edith G. Brisco; Ruth Eileen Evans (Nov 1961); "Ruth Eil Wilson" (Sep 1964, the month of her marriage to Woodrow E. Wilson); and Ruth E. Windsnes (Aug 1967). Find a Grave gives Ruth Eileen Windsnes, née LeFaive, with the same birth and death dates and the same father.1, 2 The bride of 1964 is indexed as R. E. and Ruth E. Evans, and the widow of 1966 signed as Ruth E. Wilson.4, 7
- Maiden name: Lefaive in her Social Security record, LeFaive on Find a Grave.1, 2 The old family tree's "Ruth Le Faire" is a misreading of the 1936 marriage index.
- First marriage (probable): The old family tree attaches the Grays Harbor County marriage record swgrhmc11373 to her marriage to William Evans at Montesano on 25 Sep 1936; it has not been re-read here.3 That her husband was William D. Evans (1910–1972), who married Woodrow's former wife Mary Ann in Jan 1965, is probable but not proven (see his profile). How that marriage ended has not been found.
- Marriage to Woodrow Wilson: Index entries only; the record itself has not been seen.4 The newspaper report of his death calls her his estranged wife and gives her address at Sumner, while the headstone application she signed three weeks later is addressed from his house in Puyallup.5, 7
- Third marriage: Her Social Security record gives the surname Windsnes from Aug 1967; Find a Grave names her husband and links his memorial, which has not been read, so his dates are not recorded here.1, 2 The marriage record (probably Grays Harbor County, 1966–1967) has not been searched.
- Death: 23 Sep 2005 (Social Security record, Find a Grave). Find a Grave's "Grays Harbor City" may be the old locality of that name near Hoquiam or an error for the county; the Washington death index (2005) should settle it.1, 2
- Children: None are known from the records read; any would be presumed living and would not be named.
- Sources: The Social Security record and the Find a Grave index were read on 27 Sep 2026; Woodrow's death certificate, headstone application and the 1966 newspaper report were read on the images in the survey of his records. Until then the study treated her as possibly living and did not name her.
Working notes
- Old tree 165462681 @I252152276249@ "Ruth Le Faire"; b. 23 Mar 1919 Portland, Ore.; d. 23 Sep 2005; bur. Hoquiam (Find a Grave 60525/83870173; SS claims 60901/21013746 names parents George I. Lefaive and Edith G. Brisco); m. (1) William Evans 25 Sep 1936 Montesano (2378/365051, swgrhmc11373), probably H0145
- DECEASED: Find a Grave (bur. Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam); SS claims index: parents George I. Lefaive and Edith G. Brisco; names Evans (1961), Ruth Eil Wilson (Sep 1964), Windsnes (from 1967). Earlier wife of H0145 William D. Evans
- M. William D. Evans 25 Sep 1936 Montesano (PROBABLE; swgrhmc11373 unread)
Sources
- 1
"U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007," database, Ancestry.com, Ruth Eileen Evans [also Ruth Eil Wilson; Ruth Windsnes; Ruth Eileen Lefaive], female, white, born 23 March 1919, Portland, Oregon; died 23 September 2005; father George I Lefaive; mother Edith G Brisco; name listed as Ruth Eileen Evans in November 1961, Ruth Eil Wilson in September 1964 and Ruth E Windsnes in August 1967 (index read 27 September 2026).
- 2
Find a Grave, memorial 122323940, Ruth Eileen Windsnes, maiden name LeFaive (23 Mar 1919, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon – 23 Sep 2005, "Grays Harbor City", Grays Harbor County, Washington), Sunset Memorial Park, Hoquiam, Grays Harbor County, Washington; linked to her father, George I. LeFaive, and her spouse, Windsnes; no biography (findagrave.com/memorial/122323940). Indexed in "U.S., Find a Grave Index," Ancestry.com.
- 3
"Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854–2013," database, Ancestry.com, citing Washington State Archives, Grays Harbor County marriage records, reference swgrhmc11373: William Evans and Ruth Le Faire [Lefaive], married 25 September 1936, Montesano, Grays Harbor County (as attached to both of them in the old Hegnauer family tree on Ancestry; the index entry and the record have not been re-read in this study).
- 4
Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, "Grays Harbor County Auditor, Marriage Records, 1871–Present," Woodrow E Wilson and R. E. Evans, married 24 September 1964, Grays Harbor County, Washington, document swgrhmc28102 (index entry; no image) (digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/3E62748F453D48F4704C3B20A3728E6A). Also indexed in "Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854–2013," database, Ancestry.com, as Woodrow E Wilson and Ruth E Evans, 24 September 1964, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County.
- 5
"Man Found Dead In His Auto," The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), 4 November 1966, p. 40 (C-14): Woodrow E. Wilson, 49, of Puyallup, who came to the area from Aberdeen in September, was found dead Thursday afternoon [3 November] by his estranged wife, of Rt. 1, Box 105-A, Sumner; born in Oklahoma, he came to the Northwest as a boy; millworker for the Weyerhaeuser Company's White River mill at Enumclaw; Army veteran of World War II; survived by his wife, two sons and five daughters [names withheld: living], three sisters and a brother, and six grandchildren; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/734891548).
- 6
Washington State Department of Health, Certificate of Death, state file no. 25670 (1966), registrar's no. 29, Woodrow E. Wilson: died 2 November 1966 at his residence, 14018 80th St. East, Puyallup, Pierce County (one month there); male; white; married; born 8-29-1917, Oklahoma; age 49; usual occupation millworker, business "Weyerhauser White River"; father and mother "unobtainable"; served in the armed forces, World War II; informant Mrs. R. E. Wilson, Puyallup, Washington [his wife]; certified by the Pierce County coroner, 7 November 1966; burial 8 November 1966, Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen; funeral director Powers Funeral Home, Puyallup; image, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, "Death Certificates, 1907–2001," reference DE_1966025670 (digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/B5C331E6A6EDAE8AE447CB42F27C2637).
- 7
"U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans," database with images, Ancestry.com, application for a headstone (DD Form 1330) for Woodrow E. Wilson, service number 39183940, World War II; Pvt., U.S. Army, 470 Ord Evac Co; born Aug. 29, 1917; died Nov. 3, 1966; flat granite marker with a Latin cross, for Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen, Washington; applicant Ruth E. Wilson, wife, 14018 80th St. East, Puyallup, signed 22 November 1966; verified 1 December 1966; image 2375_13_00009-04135.