This isn't the first time that my great grandfather, Orlie Charles McKenzie, has appeared in a "Thriller Thursday" post. Unfortunately, in this post, things don't turn out well for Orlie.
The story I am going to share today has been repeated many times in my family. There is a little bit of mystery, and quite a bit of tragedy and sadness.
Orlie registered for the WW1 draft on June 5th, 1917 at the age of 23. He was drafted and served time in the US Army, mustering out on May 31st, 1919. You can read more about Orlie's time in the military in my blog post "Orlie Charles McKenzie: WW1 - From Training to the Trip Home"
A few months later, on July 1st, 1919, at the age of 25, he married Mae Arla King in Briley Township, Montmorency County, Michigan. From 1920 to 1939, Orlie and Mae had nine children.
Orlie did not have an easy life and was said to struggle with alcohol addiction for a good part of his life. We can only assume that part of the reason for this struggle was due to his time in the army during WW1.
On May 14th, 1940, we find Orlie listed as a patient at the Veterans Administration Facility in Bedford Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. It seems at the time of the census he was only working about three hours per week.
The effect that Orlie's struggles have on his life becomes even more evident in the summer of 1944 when he and his wife Mae are granted a divorce, less than one year after their youngest child, Clayton D. McKenzie is born.
At this point, Orlie is 50 years old, divorced, unable to hold down a job and struggling with alcoholism.
It seems that Orlie decided that a change of scenery was the best option. Based on newspaper articles, Orlie moved from Briley Township, Montmorency County to East Tawas, Iosco County, Michigan.
The story that I have been told is that Orlie went to Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan looking for work as a cherry picker, in preparation for the National Cherry Festival.
So, why would Orlie go from working as a farmer and in the lumbering trade to picking cherries?
Let me stop my story for a bit and give you some background...
The national cherry festival started out, in 1910, as the "Blessing of the Blossoms", celebrating the blossoming of cherries in May.
In 1926, a local bakery baked a huge cherry pie, 3 ft in diameter and containing 5,000 cherries, and presented it to the standing U.S. president Calvin Coolidge.
By 1931, the Michigan state legislature passed a resolution making the cherry festival a national celebration.
The South has its Mardi Gras, the Pacific Coast its Tournament of Roses and the Middle West it's National Cherry Festival.
---from a 1948 festival board letter
Between 1942 and 1947 the festival was not held due to WW11.
The festival resumed, for the first time in six years, in 1948.
Orlie was living in East Tawas, Iosco County, Michigan and decided to look for work in Traverse City picking cherries. I can only imagine, with 1948 being the first year in a while that the festival was being held, that the demand for labor was high.
The newspaper article to the left, although from 1946, is an example of the type of ad that Orlie, looking for work, may have responded to.
To put the rates, referenced in the newspaper article, into perspective, I have converted them to today's monetary values.
1 lug = 16.53lbs (Average)
Rates being paid (in today's value) were:
Harvest Hands - $6.55 - $8.52 per lug (16.53 lbs) of cherries
or
Processing Workers - $9.17 - $10.48 per hour
Although, the rates were not extremely high, given Orlie's situation, it probably seemed like a good bet for easy money.
I also found it very interesting that the article mentions the availability of tents, cots, and blankets, as well as feeding stations, set up in a tent colony. Keep in mind, this article was published in 1946, a year that the National Cherry Festival was not being held. I can only imagine what 1948 looked like.
Based on the story that was passed down to me, Orlie was found dead on July 30th, 1948, having drowned in Grand Traverse Bay.
The newspaper articles and death certificate I found seem to back up this story.
The death certificate states that Orlie's cause of death was due to accidental drowning. The location of his death is indicated as being the Municipal Bathing Beach in Traverse City.
I attempted to find the "Municipal Bathing Beach", but was unable. My best guess is that he was found at or near the beach at the Traverse City State Park, as shown in the map.
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The newspaper article does not go into detail about Orlie's death. However, the article does say that there were 26 deaths that weekend in the state of Michigan.
The story I was told is as follows:
Orlie, although a great swimmer, was found drowned in Grand Traverse Bay. He was found in only his underwear. His clothes had been neatly folded on the beach, his wallet was set on top of his clothes. Found inside his wallet were cash and his most recent paycheck.
His death does not seem to be caused by foul play. We can only assume that he had a little bit too much to drink and while going into the water to either swim or bathe, incapacitated himself in some way, leading to his frowning and death.
Orlie was laid to rest on August 4th, 1948 in the Briley Township Cemetery in Briley Township, Montmorency County, Michigan.
I never had the opportunity to meet my great grandfather Orlie Charles McKenzie, however, his story tugs at my heart.
Some may see it differently, but I see a veteran who struggled to overcome the demons in his life and ultimately lost the battle.
