3230 MILO OATMAN

3230 MILO⁸ (John⁷, Eli⁶, Darius⁵, Benjamin⁴, George³, John², Johannes¹), son of John and Rosetha (Barnum) Oatman, was born 29 August 1888, in Tillsonburg, Oxford County, Ontario, and died 18 June 1962, Simcoe, Norfolk County, Ontario. He married Margaret Towns, 20 April 1921, at Iroquois Falls, Ontario; she was born in January of 1890, daughter of Peter Towns, and died 8 March 1976. Both are buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Walsingham Centre, Ontario.

Milo worked for many years as a sawyer for the McCall Boat Works in St. Williams until it burned, when he retired.

Margaret's father, Peter Towns, was married three times. By his first marriage, there was his daughter Margaret, who was raised, for reasons unknown, in an orphanage. His second marriage produced a son, Jim, about whom nothing is known. From Peter's third marriage came Eva, who married a Frazer from Orillia, and George, who passed away and is buried by Milo and Margaret at Walsingham Centre.

An obituary for Milo, obtained from the Norwich Archives, Norwich, Ontario, states:

"St. Williams--Milo Oatman, 73, died Tuesday in Norfolk General Hospital. Born in Tillsonburg, he resided there until coming to St. Williams 36 years ago. He was employed as a mechanical engineer for the McCall Company until his retirement. Mr. Oatman was of the Baptist faith. Surviving besides his wife, the former Margaret Towns, are two sons, Melvin of Brantford and Victor of Vittoria; two daughters, Mrs. Charles (Ilean) Smith of St. Williams, and Mrs. Jack (Pauline) Dinsmore of R3 Paris; a brother, Alvin Oatman of Tillsonburg; two sisters, Mrs. James (Lavina) Stover of Tillsonburg and Mrs. Rhoda Summerville of Fort William and 16 grandchildren. Mr. Oatman is at the Johnson Brothers' Funeral Home where service will be conducted by Rev. J. S. Lowden of the Baptist Church at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Interment will be in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Walsingham."

Milo's widow, Margaret, went to Simcoe, Ontario, in 1970, where she married Clarence Soper on 10 July 1971. He died 9 October 1973, and Margaret died 8 March 1976 from cancer.

Children of Milo and Margaret (Towns) Oatman:

5860 Melvin, b. 15 Mar 1922; m. Bernice Hurst, 10 Dec 1945; she b. 16 Jun 1925, daughter of Lester and Martha Myhre Hurst. Melvin died in Brantford on July 20, 1990.

5861 Ilean Lavina, b. 11 Mar 1924; d. 10 Jan 1988 (died of a brain tumor); bur. Mt.

Pleasant Cemetery, Walsingham, ON; m. Charles A. Smith, 27 Mar 1941. Children, surname Smith:

A Alex, b. 1941; m. Sheryl Lynn Cox

B Pauline, b. 1943; m. Don Rockefellow

C Donald, b. 1945; m. Bonnie Mole

5862 Harold James, b. 4 Jan 1926; d. 2 Oct 1944, Brantford, ON. Harold received his call to go into the Army the very day he died. Upset about the call, he died as "a result of injuries received when his bicycle came into collision with a car..." He was thrown from his bicycle, over the fender of the car, and his head struck the windshield.

5863 Pauline, b. 1928; m. 1) Jack Dinsmore, who d. at age 38; 2) William Stonham. William had four girls from a previous marriage. Children, surname Dinsmore:

A Tom, b. 1951; m. Joyce Noyce, Jul 1975

B Glen, b. 1953; m. Janie Robbins

C Lyle, b. 17 1957; m. Kelly Rodgers, Apr 1983

D Gregory, b. 1959; m. Susan Mercer, Jul 1984

5864 Victor Carl, b. 14 Nov 1930, St. Williams, ON; d. 2 Nov 1985, Simcoe, ON; bur. Oakwood Cem., Simcoe, ON; m. Ruth Gertrude Smith, 16 Jun 1951. Ruth was b. 3 Jul 1933, Brantford, ON, d. Brantford, ON; bur. with Victor.

Descendants of Victor Carl Oatman and Ruth Gertrude Smith not published on instructions from the family

Sources: Family records; Birth record of Milo Oatman; Marriage certificate of Milo and Margaret (Towns) Oatman; Obituaries Newspaper article re death of Harold Oatman (#5862); Information from Norwich Archives, Norwich, ON, submitted by Ruby Smith; Tillsonburg Observer, Mar 1941;

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