2 Catherine May (Katy) Tappana...dob: 1874 MO dod: 10/12/1884 MO
2 Don Carlos Tappana.............dob: 1877 MO dod: 04/13/1942 MO
2 Claude Leroy Tappana............dob: 1878 MO
2 Floyd Lissenbe Tappana............dob: 1882 MO
2 Wannie Naomi Tappana............dob: 1885 MO
To my knowledge all children of Charles Edward Tappana & Mary Melissa Sigler except Euretta were born around Grandby or Webb City and also died in that area.
Tina is a descendant of Walter Tappana, son of Charles Edward Tappana, (Carlo Eduardo)
Dolores,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I really don't know where to begin, so I guess I'll start with my great grandparents:
Walter Louis married Lena Gentes and had these children:
Mabel Clara (my dad always said it was Claire) - b. Dec. 17, 1895 d. April 6, 1973
Walter Louis, Jr. "Buck"
Truman Terry "Babe"
James
Paul Daniel
Pearl Evelyn
Gene Francis
Mabel C. married Daniel Marvin White and had my father:
Rev. Walter Gene White b. 03-08-22 d. 11-10-88 (Buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Joplin/Webb City, MO next to my grandmother-Mabel)
Mabel divorced Daniel when my dad was in high school and married Walter M. Delo (I never knew Daniel - my dad said he was killed when he stepped of the curb and walked in front of a car in Gallup, NM - he was a Pharmacist who became an alcoholics and had an affair - hence the divorce - my grandmother and dad never really talked about him - Walter M. Delo was more of a father to my dad and the only grandfather I grew up knowing) and lived in Springfield until they died - both in 1973.
Mabel is buried at Mt. Hope and Walter M. Delo is buried next to his first wife (Goldie) at Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield, MO.
Walter Gene married Oveta Brown on June 12, 1952 in Decatur, TX (b. 05-10-1923-still living) and adopted these two children:
Terri Tina White b. 05-02-1957 - adopted 5 days after birth
Walter Delo White b. 04-16-1959 - adopted 7 days after birth
My brother and I were both adopted from the Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio, Texas
My brother (Dee) is still living (in Denton, TX), has never married and has no children.
I was named after my Uncle Babe (Terry Truman) and the wife of the minister who married my mom & dad (Mrs. E. E. White - She went by Tina-her real name was Albertine).
My dad was born in Neosho, MO and grew up in Springfield, MO. He went to Southwest Mo. St. Univ. in Springfield for his Bachelors Degree and then went to the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist Univ. in Dallas - he became a United Methodist minister in 1945 for about 40 years (not exactly sure how long - He took a medical sabatical in 1975 and not sure when he fully retired - I want to say somewhere about 1977 or 1978 maybe.) He pastored chuches in St. Louis and Springfield (associate in Spgfld) and then came to Texas - the minister who married my mom and dad (Rev. E. E. White - very close family friend, but not related that we know of) was the Senior minister at the church in Springfield when daddy was the associate and he went to Texas - my dad decided he wanted to live in Texas also - that's how the Texas connection came to be. Rev. E.E. White introduced my mom and dad & then later performed the wedding ceremony. He also baptised me and my brother.
I married Terry Don Langehennig from Fredericksburg, TX (b. 03-15-1952-still living) on June 27, 1981 in Hereford, TX.
We have three children:
Matthew Ryan Langehennig - b. 01-24-1984 in Hereford, TX
Twin Daughters: Stefani Rene Langehennig - b. 09-25-1987 in Hereford, TX
Michelle Marie Langehennig - b. 09-25-1987 in Hereford, TX
(The girls are fraternal twins and were born one minute apart)
My father, Walter Gene, baptised all three of my children on Easter Sundays. My son was three months old (1984)when he was baptised and the girls were 6 months old (1988). It was the last ministerial act that my dad performed.
My son, Matt lives and works in Hereford.
My daughter, Stefani will be a Freshman at the University of Texas-Austin this fall.
My daughter, Michelle will be a Freshman at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX.
I divorced Terry in 1994 and married Anthony Ross Giaramita b. 07-30-1975 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Independence, MO. on June 21, 1997. His family is from Independence, MO (Kansas City Metro Area). We lived in Hereford from 1997 until June, 2004, when we moved to Gardner, Kansas. Anthony and I don't have any children together. That's how I got to KS.
I do know that Truman Terry "Babe" and his wife Audrey, Pearl Evelyn and her husband Bill (Chinn) and Gene Francis are all buried atMt. Hope Cemetery in Joplin/Webb City, MO. Gene's wife, Mary Jo as far as I know is still living with her daughter, Cynthia in Springfield, IL. Cynthia's brother, Jerry, is deceased and buried at Mt. Hope also.
Truman and Audrey had twin boys who apparently died shortly after birth and are buried at Mt. Hope.
I remember going to Uncle Gene and Aunt Mary Jo's house in Stroud, OK when I was a kid - it was on the way when we went to see my MaMa & PaPa in Springfield, MO. I really don't know anything about Cynthia or Jerry's families.
I was also told that Pearl and Bill Chinn were both alchoholics, which apparently really irked my MaMa off. Pearl and Bill had one daughter named Paula Jane who married Claude Devine - they had 5 children (this is according to the info I have). Don't know anything about her or her family.
I have taken pictures of graves from Mt. Hope on my digital camera - I am trying to locate that disc with them on it and will email it to you when I can find it.
By the way, CE's first wife, Nancy died in Spring Hill, KS which is about 10 miles from Gardner, where I live.
I do have a question: How do you pronouce 'Tappana'? My dad said that Uncle Gene always pronounced it
Tappana (Rhymes with 'Ipana' toothpaste). For some reason, we said Tappana with a long "a". I would appreciate your input on this.
I hope that this information has helped in some way and please feel free to post it on your website.
I have your website bookmarked so I can check back often.
Thank you for your time and hard work and for getting back to me quickly, as I was so excited to find all of this!
Tina Giaramita
I just found your awesome website. I dont know much about my family history but there are a few corrections I can make from Tina's letter. My dad was Jerry Gene Tappana, his dad was Francis Gene (not Gene Francis) They did live in Stroud for many years. My Granmother, Mary Jo Tappana did live with her daughter Cynthia, but passed away a few years ago. She is also buried at Mt Hope in Webb City. My dad Jerry Gene Tappana is buried in Hot Springs Ark. From what I gather my great great grandfather was Charles Edward Tappana ??? My Aunt Cindy and my grandmother (Mary Jo) did a very good family tree before her death. It might be useful to you. I can give you whatever info you might want, just let me know. You can reach me at the above email or at jtappana@bkelleyhs.org Thanks for all this work on this site, I have learned things I would have never known.
JJ (Jerry Justin) Tappana Wednesday, 12/26/07, 10:54 AM
Vernon Tappana III Friday, 12/21/07, 8:09 PM
This is amazing! My father Vernon Tappana Jr. died in 1999 of cancer and his father Vernon Tappana Sr. died 1 year later. They were from Webb City. My mother Linda Tappana (Lewis) of Webb City is still alive and my 3 sisters, Tammy, Missy and Mindy follow. Thank You.... Vernon
*******
Elizabeth Ann Tappana 03/31/10 *******
I am Elizabeth Ann Tappana. I was married to Lloyd Mack Tappana 1942 - 2007, son of Don Alvin Tappana, son of Leslie V Tappana,
son of Charles Edward Tappana. Lloyd Mack was born 07/26/ 1942 in Webb City, MO, the son of Bernice Evelyn McMinn. He married Judy Ann Beam, March 1962 and they had two daughters: Sue Ann June 20, 1967, and Ann Marie, Jan 24, 1969. They later divorced. We were married July 18, 1971. Mack adopted my four older children - Robert, Yvette, Nancianna Rientord, and Tracy Dee Timmons on 09/10/1978 in Anchorage, Alaska. We later had a son, Michael Lance Man Tappana, 01/12, 1978, and a daughter, Shnnon Lyn Tappana, 05/14/1980.
Don and Evelyn had three sons and three dughters: Don Alvin Jr, May 4, 1930; twin daughters, Ellen Maudina who married (John Kelly McKnight) and Helen Joann (married Mervin Hight), dob 09/1932; son Leslie, 04/22/1935 (married Imogene Davis); daughter, Patricia Marie, 01/27/1940- 12/06/1941; son of Lloyd Mack; daughter, Mary Theresa, 02/07/1949, married Ronald Glassburner. Ellen and Kelly McKnight had a daughter , Sherry Byrd McKnight. Ellen and Kelly divorced and she later married Ronald Freeman Oney. Don Alvin Jr. married Ethel Nadine Burke.
