Earl Metzger

Earl Metzger was born to Dollie Wade Metzger and William Metzger on November 26, 1918, a Thanksgiving gift. He was born at home, the sixth of seven children and spent his childhood in Kansas City, Kansas.



As a boy he would work odd jobs including one at a mill he walked to several miles away from home. His sister Gussie would sometimes pick him up in her car after work but often as not he would walk home. Sometimes he would rest on a bench he passed in a shortcut through a cemetery along the way, as he worked long hours at the mill. One night he fell asleep on that bench and awoke to find himself not alone but with spirits. He was very careful not to sleep on that bench again.



At home he often slept on the back porch swing with, Tarzan, his yellow tabby cat through all kinds of weather. He loved all animals and they knew it.



When he finished eighth grade he decided it was time to work even though his teachers encouraged him to continue with school.



At 15 he and his father were in a car/trolley accident. Their car stalled on the tracks. The trolley hit them broadside. His father went to the hospital and as he told it, his dad sent me home for something (which was several miles away) and when Earl returned he had passed away.



Times were hard for everyone especially without a father. At that time Franklin D. Roosevelt started the Civilian Conservation Core (CCC). Earl being single and needing a job joined. Workers would get thirty dollars a month with twenty-five of it sent home. Most of the projects were public works. One of the projects he worked on was a Peace Memorial on the U. S. and Canadian borders.

In 1940 with WW ll well on its way, he signed up with the navy. He claimed to not know how to swim but he got in anyway. From 1940 to 1946 he served on the Indianapolis, the Indiana, and the Columbus. He became a turret captain. Earl received a transfer from the Indianapolis a day before it was sunk.



The day after his birthday in 1947 he married Ruth Hughes in a civil marriage at his mothers house. When asked why he married Ruth, he said that she was, just so nice. He had known Ruth since she was 10 years old. They moved into a four room efficiency, in Kansas City.



A year later their first child was born, Judy. Three years after that David was born followed by Karl. Earl and Ruth moved to a rustic farm outside of Olathe during this time. Earl started a dairy in addition to working as a truck driver at Prichard in Kansas City.



When the Korean War began Earl was given 48 hours to report for duty. This time he had good reasons not to go to wara dairy farm and a wife that was pregnant.



About 1955 he and Ruth decided to move to California. Ruth had an aunt and uncle there; the Millers that loved her like parents and helped them get settled in Whittier. Earl worked as a carpenter putting in many tract home cabinets. Those were the days when milk was delivered to your door and Helms Bakery would sell goodies from trucks.



In or about 1958 the family moved back to Kansas to again try farming. This farm was also located outside Olathe, Kansas. It was a beautiful location and a good farm. He just didnt have enough help to complete all the work that needed to be done and small children were not much help. His brother-in-law, Guy McKinzie could often be seen helping him. In addition to farming he built a new house on that property by himself. After contracting silo gas poisoning and loosing part of a thumb to a baler he decided to try something different.



In 1961 he returned to Whittier, California. He worked as a carpenter and later started his own maintenance business: Empire Building and Maintenance.



Earl was always doing something. When his sons were old enough to have cars, he worked on the cars with them. He could fix anything and he passed this trait on to both sons. At home he completed many carpentry projects including several grandfather clocks, octagonal curio cabinets, bedroom furniture, and a breakfront to name just a few. Anything Ruth wanted he would make.

They would often go to their, Place on the hill, near Idyllwild. There they had a trailer and loved to work on the place. They both enjoyed the friends they made there. They also had a motor home they enjoyed taking to the Sierras with their friends Elsie and John Conway.



People on Parise Drive would often see him riding his bike up and down the street. He would always stop to talk to everyone as he went. When neighbors needed help, he never refused.

During the years Earl and Ruths family grew. His son David and Davids wife Pamela who live in Post Falls, ID. have eight children: David, Dolly, Mary, James, Sarah, John, Daniel, and Emma. Those grandchildren in turn have given him 26 great grand children. His son Karl and his wife Anna Marie have five daughters: Rochelle, Irene, Marlene, Dominique, Amy, and 9 great grand children.

There is a saying that goes, It is not what you own that makes you rich, but who you are. Earl was kind, thoughtful, patient, forgiving, and resourceful. His life had its ups and downs as everyone does but he never failed to be in good spirits and show appreciation for everything that was done for him. Earl passed away at his home in Whittier where he had lived for 53 years on Friday, June 13, 2014. He was 95 years old. He leaves behind many people who felt that he was truly rich!



With love from your daughter,

Judy