Roy Franklin McLain

Roy McLain, Pioneer Resident of Royal Valley Community, Dies Sun.

Funeral service for Roy McLain, 88, a pioneer resident of Niobrara County, was being held this Wednesday at the Peet Chapel at 2:00 p.m. Mr. McLain died Sunday at Niobrara Memorial Hospital.

The Rev. Frank Bozart was officiating at the service with Mrs. A.F. DeCastro playing the prelude and postlude. She was also accompanying Mrs. Hobert Cockreham in singing "How Great Thou Art" and "In the Garden."

Custer Lodge No. 21 of the IOOF was conducting graveside service at the Lusk Cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers were Marion Rasmussen, C.E. Marvin, Walter Tyrrel, Floyd Simon, Pete Owens, Martin Glandt, A.F. DeCastro, Stanley Hoy, Floyd McCleerey, Andrew McMaster, Orval Manring, Orval Allen, Ted Jones, Clyde Blackmore, Charles Canfield, Everett Brooks and Del Alter.

Casket bearers were Bryan Hinz, Si West, Gene Tyrrel, Chuck Brown III, Paul Morgan and Orval Myers.

Roy Franklin McLain, son of George and Caroline Sebach McLain, was born September 18, 1886, in a sod-house on a homestead one mile east of Royal, Neb. He was the oldest of a family of five children, Minnie, Belle, Floyd and Dewey. He attended a country school a half mile from home and later went to school in Royal.

He played in the Royal Band which attained sufficient prominence to appear at the Sioux City State Fair for three days and at other towns at prominent gatherings. He played baseball with the Nebraska No. One nine, the Creek Rats.

Later he did carpentering and plastering work around Royal.

In May, 1909, he came to Lusk and found some vacant land which later became Royal Valley. Douglas being the county seat, he filed on the land there then went back to Royal to put in some crops.

September 8, 1909, he and Miss Effie Hoskinson of Royal were married. The following spring he came back to Wyoming, built a house and drilled a well on the homestead. In August, 1910, they filled an emigrant car with furniture, machinery, two horses and one cow and brought them to the Royal Valley place.

In the spring he broke ground and put in crops. Wood was hauled from the Rawhide Buttes. Their transportation at first was horse and buggy, till 1918 when they got their first car.

Eleven families came from Royal, Neb. and settled Royal Valley. The school was established in 1915 and Mrs. McLain taught there for the first three winters. The school was also used for community and Farm Bureau meetings. Dances were held with Mr. McLain and the late Archie Sparks furnishing the music for about 10 years.

McLains celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last year. Both Mr. and Mrs. McLain have been leaders in the community ever since their arrival. Mr. McLain was a member of the Odd Fellows and served in all the chairs. He was an active Farm Bureau member for over 50 years serving as president.

Survivors include his wife; one daughter Mrs. Addison (May Louise) DeCastro of Hay Springs, Neb.; two grandsons Dwyer of New Plymouth, Fla., and Douglas of Hay Springs; three great-grandchildren, Vern DeCastro, Morrill, Neb., Mrs. Yvonne Kaylor, Rochford, Mich., and Julie Ann DeCastro, New Plymouth, Fla.; one granddaughter-in-law Mrs. David (Mary) Hood and her three children, Mike, Kathy and Robyne; two brothers Floyd and Dewey both of the Royal Valley community; two sisters Mrs. Minnie Curtis of Neligh, Neb. and Mrs. Belle Thomas of Worland.

A son Earl and a grandson Earl died previously.

Memorials have been requested to the Nursing Home Fund.

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