JAMES GUSTAVE OUTMANBorn 18 July 1878 - Died 20 Apr. 19671st. Marriage Ida Walter died 1914 - 2nd Marriage Irma ? My Dad worked in the Steel Industry most of his life and was Foundry Foreman for several Steel Companies; St. Louis Frog and Switch, Southern Manganese Steel, American Steel in East St. Louis, IL and retired as General Foundry Foreman from this Company. After retiring he went into the Filling Station Business with his cousin, Clyde Outman. They had two stations in South St. Louis. Following this he drove a Fire Truck for the Wellston Fire Department. James lived most of his life as an adult in St. Louis and for awhile lived at Benson, Arizona. Following this he and my step-mother moved to Steelville, IL to be close to her daughter Regine, who we all called Genie. At the time of his death he was living there, my step-mother having died several years before he did. My grandfather died 3 Mar 1887 after being hit on the head with a jug. My grandmother died 4 months later of typhoid fever. My understanding was that my Dad and his brother Louis, were raised by an uncle, at Valles Mines, but I don't know his name. His two sisters, Mamie and Lillie, were raised by a friend of the family. My fondest memories of my Dad was that he never nagged. You never heard him say I told you about that last week. He was very active in teaching us how to swim, to ice skate, and all sports. He was quite a baseball fan, in particular the "St. Louis Cardinals." One thing I remember was that I was married and in my twenties before I ever heard him say a swear word. He had a nice vocabulary. Two of his sayings were First: "I may wear out but I will never rust out," and the other was when he heard someone brag, he always said "He is one of the great has beens". My father Gus, my mother Ida and I attended the 1912 Reunion in DeSoto, MO. - Written by: Robert Granville Outman, April 1988 |