Multicultural Festival 2025

Minnie Lizzie Slaughter Family History

Minnie Lizzie Slaugther Family History

Moving to West Des Moines

Thressa had a child, Wilbur Eugene Cherry ’39, with Eugene Blue. Eugene is the cousin of Vida Blue who pitched for the Iowa Oaks before becoming famous as a star pitcher for the Oakland A’s. A few years later, she married John Lamar and had seven more children: Michael, Larry, Dennis, Carl, Pamela, Wayne, and Diane. Diane died in childbirth.

Doc Slaughter left Minnie’s property in New Jersey and West Des Moines. Then she met and married Robert Love, an employee of Meredith Publishing Company. Minnie Love moved her daughter and six grandchildren to West Des Moines in 1955. Eugene and Michael both suffered from asthma and arrived in Des Moines with puffy runny eyes and sneezing fits.

Family Legacy Lives On

One of the West Des Moines residents, Thressa, met a navy hero, Omar James. In 1958 they had a daughter Omega, the name signifying the last in the Greek alphabet. However, soon after Judy was born Minnie Lizzie Loved died at the age of 81, but her legacy lives on in her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Among them is a great grandson that graduated from Duke and Columbia Universities and is currently a lawyer. There is also a great granddaughter that is an artist. And a great-great granddaughter who won the 100 yard dash at the Drake Relays 2 years in a row.

Omar James – Thressa Lamar Story

The Stories of the Joe Rodish & Ray Rodich Families of Valley Junction

The Stories of the Joe Rodish & Ray Rodich Families of Valley Junction

Raising a Family in Valley Junction

After Joe’s death, Mary Rodish married Mike Dicklich and moved to Earlham, IA for work in the limestone rock quarry, the mines and cement plant. It was 1910 when Andrew (Andy) Rodish was born to Mary and Joe Rodish. As he grew up, Andy and other siblings worked to help support the growing family. Teen Andy shared his Earlham cement plant wage with the family. Mother Mary sewed the cloth cement bags at the plant. Mary and Mike Dicklich had three daughters: Helen (died in 1967), Amy, and Anna. Eventually the blended family left Earlham and settled in Valley Junction with other Serbian families doing similar work.

Andy married Mary Frances late 1930 and started a family: Brenda, John, Steve, Sharon, Daniel, Linda, Dennis and Dino. Naturally, Andy found maintenance work at the Des Moines Hawkeye and later at Marquette Cement Plant. They lived in several places in Valley Junction to include 10th and Railroad, 200s block of 7th street and 12th and Maple. Mary Frances was an astute homemaker who loved her community. She was President of Phenix School Mothers Club, and many other organizations.

Rooted in Values

The Rodishes loved spending time with friends and family enjoying dinners and card games. During one gathering, with friends June Ferrari and Bev Turks they discussed girls’ softball in Holiday Park. June’s husband, Frank Ferrari, was the Superintendent of Public Works in WDM, while Jack Kimball was the Superintendent of the Parks Department. In 1963, Mary Frances led efforts to create the Holiday Park Girls Softball Association, resulting in several fields being named in honor of the pioneers: Rodish, Turks, and Kimball.

Andy would often take the children to the airport to watch planes and to Commerce to watch the speeding Rock Island Rocket passenger train zoom in from Chicago. The family enjoyed going to the drive-in movies watching the movie in the back of their dump truck. The Rodishes were a happy family. The family valued hard work, honesty, helping others, and education. Andy volunteered as a little league coach.

The Rodish family values of hard work and community were evident in their adult children. Brenda was a homemaker and waitress. John worked in maintenance at Hawkeye Cement Plant. Sharon and Linda found work in the Meredith Printing plant. Steve joined the Navy, owned his own businesses, and served the community with Dennis as a volunteer firefighter. Steve also joined his brother Dan, Dennis, and Dino to work for the City of West Des Moines.

Dino, a dedicated businessman and proud resident of West Des Moines, embraced the opportunity to serve as Mayor from 1993 to 1998, embodying leadership and commitment to his community.

The Story of the Joe Rodish & Ray Rodich Families of Valley Junction 

By Mary (Diaz) Murillo

Rasing a Family in Valley Junction

Cruz and Gregory had nine children, six boys; George, Nacio, Joe, Julie, Jess and Tony; three daughters, Mary, Maggie and Lupe. George (my father) attended Longfellow school, but being the oldest in the family, he left after finishing ninth grade to find a job and help his family financially.
George along with his two brothers; Nacio and Jess followed in their father’s footsteps and took a job working on the railroad. Joe and his brother Tony opened a barbershop on Vine between 4th and 5th Street and called it The Diaz Barber Shop. Julie went work for the Penn Dixie Cement Plant. Mary and Maggie stayed home to take care of their family and Lupe worked various jobs.
The children, who eventually married, continued living in Valley Junction raising their own families. All of their children attended Nellie Phenix grade school and went on to graduate from Valley High School, when it was located on 7th Street & Hillside Streets.

The families all resided in West Des Moines and stayed very close. Many times they would get together at each other’s homes for family fun and good food!
A few of the cousins continue to live in West Des Moines and stay in touch. They all have great memories of growing up in Valley Junction with all their uncles, aunts and cousins. They often share those memories with their children who will pass this history on to many more generations to come.

The Diaz family is proud to be a part of the history of Valley Junction, having lived in the area of a little over 100 years.