Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wedding Wednesday–Debs Warren Webster Finds Happiness Again

At the age of 28, my maternal grandfather, Debs Warren Webster, became a widower with a small child (my mom) to care for.  In a previous post I recounted the tragic death of his first wife Sarah Vasques Madeira.

Happily, Debs found love again.  He met a wonderful woman named Willis Quillin.  They were married on March 16, 1944 in Dobrada, Sao Paulo, Brazil.  In my mom's photo album, Willis is referred to as her “second mother."  I remember her as a loving grandmother.

Willis Quillin was born on July 22, 1921 in Dobrada, Sao Paulo, Brazil.  She was the daughter of Max Quillin and Helena Rubinger Rohwedder.  Willis passed away on March 31, 1991 in St. Helena, Napa, California.

Willis Quillin Webster
Willis Quillin

Debs and Willis Webster November 25, 1943
Willis Quillin and Debs Webster - November 25, 1943

Debs and Willis were the parents of one son.  They then adopted a young boy while still living in Brazil.

The family continued living in Brazil until 1952, when they immigrated to the United States.

In previous posts I have begun to share the story of how this branch of the Webster family came full circle from the U.S.A. to Brazil and then back again to the U.S.A.  The next installment of this story will find Debs and his family on The S.S. Brazil heading to America.  I have many vintage postcards from Debs' scrapbook that were purchased along the way, which I'm excited to share with you.


Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

4 comments:

  1. I like the happier turn your family history has taken once again. You certainly have some interesting history to explore ...

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! Yes, I'm so glad my grandpa found happiness again.

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  2. Could Willis and Sarah look more completely opposite? Olive vs Fair; Sleek and Straight vs Curly; Dark hair vs Light. I've known a lot of people whose second wife looks so much like the first that you start practicing amateur psychology to figure out why. Do you know anything about how they met? Regardless, it's good he found a new love.

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    1. Hello Wendy! I asked my mom about the particulars regarding how Debs and Willis met, so here goes. Debs was studying to become a dentist (hmm, same profession as his dad) and Willis was studying to become a nurse. There was a medical school next to a hospital. Not sure if they attended the same medical school or worked at the same hospital. They were introduced to each other by Willis' sister Alice. Thanks for stopping by!

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