Darius V. "Rye" & May Isabel (Axtell) Woodward

The 1880 Barbour (old fashioned spelling) County Census listed: boy infant, 1/4 year, in the family of Richard M. and Sarah Ellen Woodward. He was the fourth child. This same spring, boys were born in the James Warren and Thomas Gallagher families, and the wives were able to care for each other. Rye grew up in the Medicine Lodge area. A good student and an excellent penman, he enrolled in Business School in Salina, Kansas. He enlisted as a volunteer in the Spanish American War. His parents were notified after he was on his way to the Philippine Islands.
May Isabel Axtell was born in Watseka, Illinois, June 5, 1884, leaving there in a covered wagon heading for Raton, New Mexico. Her brother, Dan, rode and walked their way from Illinois to New Mexico. The mountains made quite an impression on May and she looked forward all her life to seeing them again. They came to Medicine Lodge in 1889.
Rye and May corresponded all the time he was away in the Army. She was teaching Rural School during this time, having begun teaching at the age of 17. Rye returned from his stint in the army by way of Ft. Sill. He had served three years and four months. Approximately two years of this time was spent in the Philippine Islands, mustering out late in 1904.
On April 12, 1905, Rye and May were united in marriage at the Baptist Parsonage. Their attendants were Nellie McCoy (Benefiel) and James Woodward. Their first home was a dugout near Grand, Oklahoma. Here their first child, Richard Axtell, was born July 31, 1906. By the time Axtell was nine years old, seven children had joined in the Woodward family. Rye and May had become rural mail carriers and moved to Gage, Oklahoma - to a farm - and then to Hardtner, Kansas. Rye was a carrier and May his substitute for seventeen years. They also had a leather goods and harness repair shop. Rye sold bicycles and motorcycles. They were always busy. May designed and made the family clothing, raised a garden, canned, kept a small her of milk cows, raised chickens and geese.
The children were encouraged to be good students, to be independent, resourceful, dependable and patriotic.
Three children died in infancy - Howard Scott, 11 months, born at Sharon, James Harvey, 13 months and Helen Evelyn, only a few hours old, born and died at Isabel, Kansas. All are buried at Highland Cemetery in Medicine Lodge, where the family moved in 1924. R. Axtell died a few weeks before reaching his twenty-first birthday. He was serving in the navy and died following surgery at the Naval Hospital in San Francisco.
Rye was not well and spent a number of winters at the Veteran's hospitals in Wadsworth and Wichita, Kansas, having problems with arthritis, asthma and a rheumatic heart. May died July 19, 1940, after surgery in Wesley Hospital, Wichita, Kansas. Her surgeon was a former Medicine Lodge resident, Dr. Updegraff. Rye lived until January 7, 1942, dying in the Veteran's Hospital, Wichita, following a heart attack.
Their eight children, who lived fifty years and five months without a death are: Edith Woodward Mullikin, Trantham, a graduate of Northwestern at Alva, Oklahoma, a teacher for twenty-five years, mother of three. Ethel Woodward Mullikin, a graduate of Emporia State College, Emporia, Kansas, a teacher for twenty-one years, mother of 5. Florence Woodward only taught two terms, attended Salt City Business College, Hutchinson, died October 3, 1978, Deming, New Mexico - no children. D. Vernon Woodward, retired Sergeant Major from U.S. Army after thirty years of service, now living in Sharon, Kansas, father of two. William (Bill) Woodward, served approximately twelve years in the army, serving in World War II, now living in New Mexico, no children. Virginia Woodward Newton Measday, a beautician for thirty-five years, has her own shop in Deming, New Mexico, six children - four living. Dan Henry Woodward, graduate of Denver University, after serving thirty-nine months in the navy on the USS Reno during World War II, teacher and Psychologist, co-author of "Living with the Now Child", a book used by teachers and parents of exceptional children, teacher for a number of years, father of five - four living. B. Joyce Woodward Wesbrooks, a beautician back in the late 1940's, entered college after her two sons graduated, presently teaching 4th grade in Deming, New Mexico, was an honor roll Master's Degree recipient from Silver City, New Mexico.
Though never wealthy in material things a HOME full of live and affection such as this one was could never, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered poor.
As of this writing, March, 1979, Rye and May's descendants number 89 - 78 of whom are still living, consisting of seven children, nineteen grandchildren, thirty-eight great-grandchildren and fourteen great-great grandchildren. Having preceded or followed them in death are five children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Dan H. Axtell, brother of May Isabel Axtell.
Florence Isabelle (Vennum) Axtell, mother of May Isabel Axtell.