Letters from Roger: The Konecke family
/by Roger Granger
The Ray Konecke family - Ray Sr., Florence (Flo), and Ray Jr. (Little Ray) - moved to Lummi Island sometime after 1940 and World War II. I know Ray Sr. came to Lummi Island from Chicago in September of 1940 because he was one of the the last guests to sign the 1940 guest register for Loganita Lodge.
Ray Konecke’s entry in The Log of Loganita, 1940
That 1940 guest register was given to me by Donna and Earl Granger just before Earl passed. They had purchased one of the cabins from Loganita Lodge years before that and moved it to a location on their property just below the hill by the Fire Hall on the north side of the road. That was Mary’s home for a while. That cabin was the last Cabin my grandfather Chan lived in before his second marriage to Mina in 1945.
Years after that cabin was moved, Earl called me one day and wanted me to stop by and visit because he had something to give me. What he had to give me was that 1940 guest register from Loganita Lodge. Since then I have given that register to Paul Davis for safe keeping.
If you look at that register, you will find a lot of interesting names of people who came to stay or just eat Sunday dinner. Not only are the names there; but, comments about where they came from and comments about their stay or dinner. It was interesting reading all the names and comments. It seems people really enjoyed being at the Lodge. Not only that, they loved the food and how it was served.
The Log of Loganita
The 1940 Log of Loganita is now in the safekeeeping of Paul Davis' achive at the Island Library.
The The last entry in the log also happened to be connected to Roger and the Granger family. Read about the amazing war-time romance of Ronald Russell here.
I know the Konecke family came to the island after World War II because I was visiting Bobby Brown recently and brought up Ray Sr.’s name. Bobby said, “Oh, Ray Konecke, he fished on one of my dad’s reefnet gears. In fact, it was the gear in Row 2. I was on that same gear.”
Ray had lots of World War II stories. One in particular was when Ray was in Europe. He was attached to General Patton’s Army in Germany. General Patton had captured a dam on a river. Ray was part of a patrol to keep the Germans from destroying the dam. The Germans were continually sending “special force” personnel to breach the dam. Ray’s patrol kept putting small “depth charges” off in the water to keep away “Jerry men” from destroying the dam.
Bobby Brown (whose father was John Brown) was the diver on our reefnet until just recently. Yes, Bobby was diving for until past 80 years of age. He is 92 now and still has a good memory. He shared some information about the personnel on his dad’s Row 2 reefnet gear when Ray Sr. was a crew member.
The crew consisted of Ray Sr., Bobby, “Red” Hillaire (a Lummi Native), Eddie Greene (a Lummi Native), and a Mr. White. Bobby said, “people used to make fun of John Brown’s ‘colorful’ crew - a Mr. Green, a Mr. White, and a “Red”.
Bobby Brown, a Lummi Island legend
Bobby Brown was a skin diver for island reef netters for 60 years, starting in the early 1950s. He passed away on February 21, 2021 shortly before this article was published. Pastor Chris Immer (and fellow diver) was there with him and his daughters before he passed.
Ray Konecke brought his family from Chicago, Illinois to be with his friends Bill and Hazel Greising and their son Ron. I do not know the relationship of these two couples. All I know is the Konecke family moved to the island sometime after 1945 and the Greising family left the island in 1953. The Konecke family stayed and became a very important part of our island.
Flo Konecke’s silhouette “The Chief Kwina” (1953), the Lummi Island ferry until October 1962.
From the private collection of Patricia Dunn and Washington Rural Heritage.
Both Ray Sr. and Flo were artists. Not only that, but very good artists. Flo had the gift of cutting out “silhouettes”. She cut out more silhouettes in her lifetime of people on and off the island than you could count. She loved to make people happy by cutting silhouettes of their children or even great-grandchildren. Her work adorns our bathroom wall. In fact, when my mom, Irene (Mundt) Granger passed, we took Flo’s silhouette cutouts to the place that makes headstones. My mom loved little children so her headstone has three little children taken from Flo’s work.
The gravestone of Irene Granger at Lummi Island Cemetery with silhouettes by Flo Konecke.
Ray’s artistic “gifts” centered on Native American art. He has some of the most beautiful American Native Chiefs in full headdress you will find anywhere. However, his main gift to the island was as a “handyman”. Ray could build anything. A man with these gifts is a welcome sight in any community. We had between 160 and 180 people living on the island at that time (160 in winter, about 180 in summer).
Ray Konecke helping take the Granger’s calf from the family’s kitchen to the barn after the freeze of February 1962.
Pastor Chris Immer is the Ray Konecke of Lummi Island today and has been for the past 12 years. You people on Lummi Island today should let Pastor Chris know how much he is appreciated before he is “no more”. I know the islanders of my day (1939 to 1959) appreciated Ray’s skills. But I don’t know if we ever told him so.
Roger and Helen, Christmas 1958. “I was home from the Marine Corps. Helen and I were engaged during this time. June 14, 1959 was set for the wedding.”
I left the island the year I was married, 1959; but Ray Sr. was there many years more. I thank him today for all he did for my mom and dad after I left the island and started my own family. I have my mom’s picture albums showing Ray doing many things for my folks. I would stop and visit Flo when I would go over to see or help my mom. Both Flo and my mom lost their husbands too early in life. Mom and Flo were next door neighbors and good for each other.
Joe Granger (Roger’s father) in front of the family home on S. Nugent Rd in 1956.
Ray Sr. also had a few milk cows and he raised young pigeons (squabs) for the meat market. He used part of our old 100-foot long chicken house for his woodshop and for raising young pigeons. That was quite interesting. We had our chickens in the “east end” of our chicken house and Ray had the west end for himself.
Roger Granger cleaning pigeons in 1950.
Ray’s handy work included a remodel of our old barn, a remodel of our home (he added a bedroom for my Grandma Mundt), and he remodeled our front porch and upstairs. He also remodelled the inside of our home. He helped mom pull more than one calf from a cow giving birth. My dad drove the Darigold milk truck and was off the island most of the day. If something came up (and on a farm you can bet something will come up at some time) Ray was always there with a helping hand.
Again I say, I will always be grateful for people like Ray Sr. They are the real sure thing here of a “close” community and we take them for granted many times. Ray, RIP!!!
Ray Konecke’s watercolor “Sprig O’ Spring” (1971). This painting was auctioned by Friends of Island Library in 2018 to help fund the new Noble Barn. Originally photographed by Pat Moye.
P.S.
If you ever visit the Whatcom County Museum in Bellingham, you will see a beautiful reefnet model built by Ray Konecke.
P.P.S.
Ray loved to raise flowers. His specialty was dahlias. He would cross the varieties and come up with his own varieties. He had a “special” pink one. My wife and I had those pink dahlias in our wedding in 1959. Yes, we have been married 61 years. I received a start (tubers) in 1960 and have been raising them every year since. In fact, I have brought several bouquets of these dahlias to the Islander Store last year!
