Iris Busick

Birth: She was born around 1919 in Washington.

Family Information: Daughter of Bert and Mabel Busick.

Half-sister of Beulah and Charles Miller.

Sister of Roscoe, Fred, Vivian, Byron and Bill Busick.

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: The family came to the colony from Washington in March 1922.  

Home in Colony:  

Job in Colony: In July 1928 the girls on the junior part of the canning crew included: Ruth Shoemaker, Captain, Vivian Busick, Irene Hewitt, Rhea Mae Baldwin, Iris Busick and Helen Daugherty.

In July 1931 the "Busy Beavers" consisting of Vivian Busick, Irene Hewitt, Jeannette Wooley, Jane Lentz, Wanda Self, Iris Busick, Norman Bays, Phillip Lentz, Kenneth Dean, Archie Ogden, Ernest Ogden, Byron Busick, Jimmie Dix, George Maki and Lyle Layer, under the leadership of Mrs. Killian, gathered Himalayan berries at the orchard in the morning and in the afternoon picked blackberries out of the woods.

In June she and Elsie Ogden were in charge of the dinner meal which was served by Iris, Mrs. Watson and Crystal Schutz with Arlene Watson at the bread counter while Lafe Murray served the water.

In November 1931 she was part of Mrs. Killian's six-man crew who turned out about 3,000 potato crate sides, fully nailed. Normally it required nine to run the plant, but the six of them managed it that day. In addition to Mrs. Killian, the crew included: Iris Busick, Irene Wilkerson and Comrades Banta, Bickle and Dean.

In 1934, she was among a group of high school girls including Rhea Mae Baldwin, Margaret Brough, Nona Crotts, Vivian Crossland, Erma Hayes, Afton Lewis, Irene and Myrtle Maki, Crystal Schutz, Jeannette Woolley and May Gossett who reported to the orchard to help with berry picking.

In 1936 she was helping out at the bakery which was managed by Florine Peecher. In May of that year she was working as the Circulation Manager for the "Llano Colonist".

Other Info: She was often part of the program at the theater and a junior member of the Glee Club.

In April 1928 Miss Wilson was teaching piano classes to several boys and girls in the colony. The Girls' Melody Way Club had had twelve weeks of classes and included Hope and Ruth Shoemaker, Beatrice Jensen, Lynn Rogers, Rhea Mae Baldwin, Irene Hewitt, Vivian and Iris Busick, Mary and Myrtle Gregerson.

In October 1928 she was part of a group of girls including: Helen Joe, Iris Busick, Mary Gregorson, Myrtle Gregorson, Lynn Rogers and Vivian Busick who sang "Old Kentucky Home".

In May 1929 she was part of a quartette who performed in the theater, along with Delsie Hopkins, Irene Maki and Dorothy Bridwell. Those "four little girlies most certainly s[a]ng most excellent to the piano accompaniment by Miss Mary Erma Wilson."

In May 1931 Miss Daisy Brown trained some dozen children to take parts in a little playlet called "The Census Taker" including Joe Blackshire as the father and Rachel Valleau as the mother; Blen Still played the census taker and the children were played by Jeanette Wooley, Ellen Jernberg, Iris Busick, Ernest Ogden, Bill Ogden, Andrew Parson, Liljean Corbett, Warren Roe, Leola Bays, Rozella and Quentin Quipp.

She was one of 16 girls who wound the broad ribbons round the Maypole at Llano's birthday party in 1932 (other dancers included Nellie (Kemp) Bradshaw, Laura (Synoground) Swenson, Ruth Shoemaker, Sylvia and Ruth Tuber, Verda Bradshaw, Hortense Self, Esta Caves, Helen Emry, Vivian Busick, Irene Hewitt, Myrtle and Irene Maki, Marguerite Killian, Winnie (Ogden) Dougherty, Flora Young and Rhea Mae Baldwin.)

In March 1934 the High School assembly elected for the new student body officers: Vivian Crossland, President; Iris Busick, Vice-President; Afton Lewis, Reporter; and Rhea Baldwin, Jeanette Woolley, Irene Maki, Program Committee.  

Post-Colony History: Late in 1936 it was reported that Iris (Mrs. Creely) expected to visit the colony soon after Christmas.

In July 1937 it was reported that she had arrived at Washington and was with her parents. Before that, she had been staying with her sister, Beulah Carroll, in Hot Springs, New Mexico.

In 1940 she was living in Washington with her husband, Owen Creley, and young son. In 1942 they were living in Bremerton, Washington.

In 2002 she was living in Puyallup, Washington.  

Death: She died in July, 2002 in Washington.  

Sources: Family Source: Val Busick; Washington Birth Records; "Vernon Parish Democrat": February 28, 1929, May 14, 1932, May 12, 1934; "Llano Colonist": April 14, 1928, July 21, 1928, October 6, 1928, May 25, 1929, May 30, 1931, July 11, 1931, November 7, 1931, March 3, 1934, June 30, 1934, March 14, 1936, May 2, 1936, December 26, 1936, July 10, 1937; US Census: 1920, 1930, 1940; Bremerton, Washington City Directory: 1942; US Phone and Address Directory: 2002; Washington Death Index; FindAGrave.com