#G3 BUNGARD, Helen Esther (AFN:47QT-41)*
Helen Esther Bungard Gray
Photographer: Scotts Studis, Tacoma
Born: 6 Nov 1896 in Rainier, Thurston, Washington
Died: 9 Jun 1982 in Fallbrook San Diego, California
Father: Niels Nelsen BUNGARD #G6 (AFN:47QT-09V) (15
Oct 1867-8 Dec 1923)
Mother: Bertha Kristine Madsine MADSEN #G7 (AFN:47QT-VB2)
(14 Apr 1871-28 Apr 1914)
Married: 25 Dec 1923 Firman Carleton GRAY #G2 (AFN:47QT-3T)
in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California. They had one child.
Child:
Wallace Firman GRAY #G1 (b 26 Aug 1925) m 29 Aug 1947 to Frances Mildred MCNABB #M1.
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Biography
By Wallace
F. Gray (See book at end of article for more thorough biography.)
Helen spent her first 21 years on a ranch seven miles from the town of Rainier. Her experiences there gave her a love of animals, flowers, vegetable gardens, hiking, cooking, bird watching and nature which stayed with her all her life. She and her parents had a team of horses, a cow and a dog as well as chickens and other farm animals. Helen herself had a riding horse.
Helen graduated from the eighth grade but did not go to high school She did, however, take further education at a business college in Seattle, Washington.
In 1914 she lost both her mother and her brother Howard. Helen and her father remained at the farm until 1918 when they moved into Rainier and were postmasters of the post office.
In 1919 Helen worked in Seattle as stenographer for the George P. Ide shirt and collar company. In 1921 she followed her father to Santa Monica, California, where she worked for Compton's Encyclopedia. On the boat trip to Wilmington she met Firman. They married on Christmas Day in 1923.
Helen and Firman settled down in the house that Helen and her father had owned at 1511 15th Street in Santa Monica. They lived there until 1943 when Wally joined the Navy, and they moved to Topanga Canyon, north of Santa Monica where they had owned property for 17 years.(See book Tres Robles: The Story of Firman and Helen Gray.) Firman called his wife Patty. Some of her close friends used that name when referring to her.
Helen loved flowers and had huge amounts of them at the Santa Monica home. When the couple moved to Topanga, Helen continued raising flowers.
Helen and Firman moved to Fallbrook, California, in 1963 to be near their son Wally and his family. Toward the end of their lives, they hired 24-hour nurses to care for them, and Frances, Wally’s wife, spent a great deal of time coordinating their care. They died within a few months of each other choosing to remain in their home rather than going to a hospital or rest home. They are buried at the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery.
Helen was a marvelous cook. One of the delicacies we enjoyed was rabbit and French
fries. I haven’t had them for years and have no desire for them now, but loved them
as a child. Here is one of her recipes that we use to this day:
Barbecued Lima Bean Casserole
(Recipe of Wally Gray’s mother, modified)
Ham hocks or ham cut in ¼-inch pieces
Two cups of dried lima beans (soak overnight, drain and discard water.)
(Can use 1 pound package of lima beans instead)
Cook beans with ham until beans are soft, then drain. Save the juice.
1 large chopped onion
4 cloves of peeled garlic
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups of bean juice
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of mustard powder
¼ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Saute onion and garlic
Mix all up in casserole dish.
Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 45 minutes covered then 15 minutes uncovered.
SOURCE: Biographical data obtained by Wallace Gray in interviews he
conducted with his mother. We also have in our possession the graduation certificate for
her school and her baptismal certificate as well as the death certificate.
See Tres Robles: The Story of Firman and Helen Gray, by Wallace F. Gray, 2000.
Home | Biographical
Index
Wallace F. Gray Ancestor Chart
The Madsen Family of Vejle, Denmark
The Bungard Family of Denmark
Tres Robles Introduction
The Value of Genealogical Stories