On December 11, 1907 John Everett Flanagan was born in the small farming town of Fairfax, Missouri and two years later Anna Mae Dillon was born in Beatrice, Nebraska on January 24, 1910. After a few years of homesteading property in the Sand Hills of Northern Nebraska John and his family moved to Lewellen, Nebraska where he attended high school. It was there that John and Ann became sweethearts. To start their sixty years of life together they were united as man and wife on May 21, 1927 in Arthur, Nebraska. John worked as a truck driver and often times a farm hand, while Ann pitched in doing whatever jobs available to her.

On June 24, 1928 John and Ann gave birth to their first born, a daughter, and named her Phyllis June. They continued their hard work for the next year and one-half and soon started making plans for their second child; and on June 19, 1930 Charles Milan was born. Most young couples would have found, with both working and having had two children, their job in life would be well occupied, but not John and Ann, they soon gave birth to Lila Mae on June 1, 1931; Everett Russell was born January 16, 1933, and Lou Ellen, who would now be number five was born August 31, 1934, a fitting name at the time since the Flanagan family lived in Lewellen, Nebraska.

John and Ann, along with raising their family, both worked. John continued driving truck (his own) and at times through those years both worked as a team on farms, Ann caring for the farm families needs and John as a farm hand. Around that time they heard that land was selling for a very low price in Missoula, Montana and that opportunity was waiting for those who dared. During each day of hard work they both dreamed of those opportunities and a better life and started making plans to move to Missoula where they could possibly see those dreams come true. John built a small house on his flatbed truck, converting it to a motor home, as it would be called today, that soon would be used to shelter their family as they made their way West.

On August 31, 1935 John and Ann, accompanied by their five children and all their earthly belongings packed and stored away on the home-on-wheels; wood cook stove, bunk beds and the like left Lewellen, Nebraska and headed Westerly towards Missoula, Montana. After their arrival to the Missoula area they found, as they had been told, that land was inexpensive and could possibly be homesteaded. However, after several weeks of study and exploring, the opportunity they had dreamed of and driven so far to find, they discovered the land was both good and bad. Forgetting about the good, because the bad part was that the land in reference had a history of sinking and falling as a cake would if disturbed while being baked. That and the constant worry and possible threat to their family by unsettled Indians, John and Ann decided Missoula was not the placed to raise their family. Since they were already heading West they would continue in that direction.

Knowing that Ann had an Uncle who lived in Walla Walla, Washington and assuming that he owned a farm, John, Ann and family, more comfortable and excited than one would think and more determined than could be imagined, sporting their modern day motor home, were back on the road. They traveled for several hours on a very narrow winding road that wandered along the Lochsa River, and much of the way high on steep banks above the river. There was no doubt that several times during this part of their journey they wondered if it was all worthwhile. After leaving the crooked road along the Lochsa River their worries were not over since they still had to travel portions of the hazardous road that twisted along the Clearwater River which finally took them into Lewiston, Idaho. From there the going was not all bad and in a few more hours they reached Walla Walla, Washington.

After discovering that Ann's Uncle did not own a farm, but was only employed as a farm hand, they were a trifle discouraged; but investigative as they were and hearing of the possibilities of work in Northern California and appearing that jobs in Walla Walla were scarce to non-existing, and to top it all, the near tragedy of their youngest daughter who had fallen into an irrigation ditch and swept off in the current, fortunately having been rescued by John, they made their stay in Washington brief and headed South.

More determined than life itself, and still possessing a deep rooted belief that they would find success, John, Ann and their five demanding offsprings consoled in their castle-on-wheels hit that road again. After leaving Washington they traveled in a Southeasterly direction across Eastern Oregon and eventually finding a road that would take them to what turned out to be Tulelake, California. Very soon after their arrival John found work in the potato fields. Since their life in general was becoming more demanding, children reaching school age and the like they worked the full potato season which lasted approximately six months. With the potato harvest complete, as before by word of mouth, they were led to believe that the Bay Area of California had a vast amount of employment opportunities for young people. Guess what? With their proven track record that they would find the end of their rainbow, they wasted no time in leaving Tulelake.

San Francisco, which would eventually be the end of their long journey, did not happen exactly as planned, since there were job prospects throughout California and the news of those jobs traveled by means of conversation. In an effort to follow those job tips John and Ann made their way South through Northern California stopping wherever possible to feed and clothe their family. One of those brief stops was in Cottonwood, California where a fish hatchery was giving away spent salmon for food. Yes, you guessed it! Ann, being the ingenious provider and mother that she turned out to be canned an ample amount of those salmon which would be used to assist in the proper nourishment of her family. After a few days of traveling South they arrived in Redlands, California. They found work picking peas. Again, as in the past, pea picking was not productive enough to satisfy their desires so they moved North to Delano to pick peaches, grapefruit and lemons.

With their confidence in life growing each day John and Ann, with their family, headed for San Francisco where Ann's sister Irene lived. They were there two days when John went to work in a shipyard at Hunters Point as a rigger, and Ann, while taking absolute care of her family, worked as a seamstress in their home. Now at long last their dreams were finally coming to life. John took a course in welding in addition to his regular work, and after working hard for a couple of years they finally could start enjoying the fruits of their extensive efforts.

Because of a labor dispute the shipyard where John worked was struck by the Union. As jobs were scarce during this period due to the failing economy John went to work on the construction of the San Francisco International Airport under a WPA (Work Progress Administration) sponsored program. Possibly resulting from John and Ann's few years of moderate success, on January 9, 1939 Kenneth Wayne, the first of what will be called "the second bunch", was born. On May 2, 1940 Nancy Jane arrived followed by the birth of John Jay on August 5, 1941, making a total of eight children to feed.

John and Ann continued their trades for the next few years; John working in the shipyard and later worked welding steel girders thirty to forty stories high, and Ann devoted most of her wakeful hours working as a seamstress and caring for their "tribe". Topping it all, if that were possible, as though they did not know where they were coming from, Richard Ray was born January 22, 1943, Marilyn Ann appeared on the scene May 17, 1944 and the last born Robert Frank gave his first whimper February 6, 1946, bringing the total to eleven.

Realizing by now that with a family of this magnitude and the desire to fulfill their demands, John and Ann were to venture again in 1946. Accepting full responsibility, as they were capable of, they invested their hard earned accumulation of funds in 80 acres of peach producing property in Modesto. Putting all their efforts together with hard work they produced, harvested and processed peaches for three years. Due to the changing demands and market qualities at that time, producing peaches became less lucrative. This factor and in an effort to save what remained, they relocated to a small acreage and home in Danville, California. John, using his extensive experience as a worker and possessing the ability to work at higher paying jobs, went to work for Fruehauf (a trailer building company) in San Leandro, California. He commuted from Danville to San Leandro each work day for the next six to seven years. Ann, along with her work that had no end, with John's help and support, developed a poultry business and at times cared for 2,000 laying hens and at times as many as 10,000 fryers. By now the older children were leaving home to endure in their own ventures.

While becoming more successful at their present occupations John and Ann were always looking and dreaming of more. One of those dreams was to invest in the business of raising a fur-bearing animal called Nutria. A few of the requirements of raising Nutria was the large amount of cool fresh water available to them at all times and the need for good drainage for that water. They discovered that a little town East of Red Bluff and Redding called Manton, California had the very essential qualities they would require to raise Nutria. Well, as one could easily guess, in 1956 they were impelled to move to Manton and convinced their newly founded adventure raising Nutria would be rewarding. Because of controlled production, flexibility of the market, the high cost involved in raising animals for the use of their fur, together with the ups and downs of operating a small business (mostly downs) they decided to put their efforts relating to Nutria on hold.

By now John and Ann had become very well established in Manton. Ann worked in restaurants in Red Bluff and John worked part-time and eventually steady for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and did so until reaching retirement age in 1973. Still possessing the desire to venture Ann opened a small restaurant next to the Trading Post in Manton and named it "Ann's Diner". After a few successful years of leasing the building which housed Ann's Diner they purchased some property closer to Manton, purchased, placed and converted a mobile home into a very warm, efficient home-style diner and operated it successfully until it was sold in 1986.

John and Ann now live in their home on the outskirts of Manton surrounded by their many friends, family members close by and as always in close touch with their children and their families. As they have, throughout their lives they devote most of their wakeful hours wondering, caring and dreaming of good health and success for each individual related to them.

As one rambles through the seventy-seven and seventy-nine years of these two peoples lives one will discover that they spent little time dwelling on grim days and could possibly believe their life together was always exciting and filled with happiness. Those who know John and Ann would believe just that, because they took life very seriously and no matter, whether success or failure, they knew that they must go on to the next phase of life. As we traveled with them through parts of their sixty years of life together, one would without question, conclude that they have given new meaning to the words love, truth, faithful, honor, attitude towards life, and last but not least happiness.

By Dick and Lou Thurman, August 1987

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60 Year Anniversary | Looking Back