Dates

• Existence: 1896 - 1981

Biography

Viola Hannah Nesfield was born July 12, 1896 in Jesup, Iowa. Her mother, Richa Metzler, died in 1900 and Viola was raised by her father, George Robert Nesfield, and step-mother, Glendora Mae Holdiman Nesfield. George Nesfield was an English immigrant who worked as a farmer, carpenter, and groundskeeper. Viola Nesfield had two younger half-sisters, Elnita and Vidella. The family lived in Waterloo Iowa, where Viola Nesfield received her high school diploma at Iowa East High. She was a pianist, and played for events at her school and Catholic Church. In 1921, Viola Nesfield married Charles La Verne Owen. Since Charles was divorced, George Nesfield disapproved of the marriage. The couple eloped to Valpariaiso, Indiana, and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Financial hardship caused the family to move frequently, and they occasionally stayed with Charles Nesfield´s parents in Victory, Wisconsin. The family struggled during the Great Depression, for a time living in a tar paper shack with no electricity or running water. Eventually, they settled in Janesville, Wisconsin. Viola and Charles Owen had three children, Robert Harrison (born 1928), Betty Lolene (born 1930) and Anita Mae (born 1933). Betty nearly died from kidney disease when she was two years old. Viola Owen worked as a pianist, piano and accordion teacher, transcriber for the WPA Braille Project, and later at Parker Pen. Her husband worked several jobs, including brakeman, cook, carpenter, and housekeeper, but was frequently unemployed. Viola and Charles Owen divorced in 1941. She took custody of their two daughters, and Charles of their son. Later, Viola Owen became caretaker for her ex-husband, who was paralyzed by a stroke in 1948 and moved back in with her in 1950. He died in 1953. Viola Owen died in January, 1981.

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