Edna and Stanley Cummings

By Mary Jo Berry

This page features the last two in a series of articles honoring a few of Mineral County’s local veterans. On May 20, Superior Community Outreach will honor local veterans on Armed Forces Day with a program and lunch for families at 1 p.m. at the Superior High School.

This article honors Edna Ellen Evans Cummings, the oldest WWI widow in Mineral County.

Edna Ellen Evans was born on her father’s homestead at Ovando, Montana on August 26, 1912. On November 1, 1919 Edna started her schooling in Coeur d’ Alene Idaho and continued until she graduated from high school. Edna remained at home caring for her parents and her baby sister until she was 20 years old.

Edna and Stanley Cummings from Missoula began a courtship by writing letters to each other. In 1933 with nothing but a brown paper bag and her purse Edna boarded a bus in Coeur d’ Alene Idaho and eloped with Stanley to Missoula Montana.

Stanley was born in Owasso, Michigan on December 6, 1896. As a young man he moved to Chinook, Mt with his family and enlisted in the Army on September 7, 1917 at Havre, Montana.

Stanley was shipped to Europe to serve with the 16th Ambulance Company as a stretcher bearer in France and Germany. He was wounded in the back and had a gunshot wound through the face and the sole survivor after being buried in a foxhole while in France. He contracted polio while he was recuperating at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula and spent 3 years in the hospital. He was later transferred to Fort Harrison Veterans’ Hospital not long after it opened where he spent 3 more years. He was told he would never walk again but he proved them wrong and was able to walk with a cane.

Stanley was denied compensation in the beginning of his disability, but was later declared 100 percent disabled. He later received the Purple Heart.

After Stanley and Edna eloped they moved to Plains, eventually trading two of their homes for a ranch in Hot Springs, and moving later to Cone Cliff between Paradise and Plains.

Edna and Stanley opened their home to everyone. She was one hard worker! People in Plains always remember her whether she was working at Gerdies Bakery, the dime store, or as a cook at the Plains Hospital. Their door was always open to anyone who stopped in, she never turned anyone away. There was always that extra potato or two.

Four children were born to Edna and Stanley. Doug, who resides in Superior, a retired Navy veteran, Ken retired Air Force from Spokane, Joyce in Troy, and Mirtha who is deceased. There are 13 grandkids, 20 great-grandkids, and 21 great-great-grandkids.