ELLIOTT, ALMOND DEAN AND MARY ALICE CLEAVENGER

by Mary Elliott

Entry F120 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

The Almond Elliott Family. Back Row - Judy, Dean, Lillie.
Front Row - Alice, Almond, Mary and Patsy.

Almond Dean Elliott was born January 9,
1924 at Mullen, Nebraska to Leo Larmar and
Lillie Elsie Bradley. His wife, Mary Alice
Cleavenger was born May.18, 1924 at Mullen,
Nebraska to Charles Edward Cleavenger and
Mary Ann (Mayme) Totten. Almond attend-
ed school in Mullen and after graduation in
1941 he completed a machinist course in
Kearney, Nebraska. He was employed by
Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, Washington in
1942 as a Class A machine operator. He
shaped external and internal cylindrical
surfaced by a hand operated engine lathe.
Worked from drawings, did boring and
thread cutting. Almond and Mary were
married in Seattle, June 17, 1943. He entered
The Army Air Corps on October 18, 1943 and
got his training at Buckley Field, Denver,
Colo. Laredo, Texas, Peterson Field at
Colorado Springs, Colo. and at Mountain
Home, Idaho. Almond and Mary's son Dean
was born in 1944 while Almond was stationed
at Laredo. In July 1944 Almond and his crew
flew to a base in England from Topeka,
Kansas. As an Aerial Gunner on a B-24
aircraft he fired and operated an aircraft gun
position in aerial combat and was familiar
with all gun positions on the plane. He also
acted as togglier and checked the bomb load
and dropped bombs. He and his crew flew 32
missions over Germany from their English
base and were returned to the States in
March of 1945. After a few months training
in Kingman, Arizona he was stationed at
Tyndall Field in Panama City, Florida as
Post Operations Clerk in charge of the
student gunner section. He also posted flying
time and did typing work. Mary and their son
Dean lived there for several months with him.
He received an honorable discharge on
September 30, 1945 at Maxwell Field in
Montgomery, Alabama after earning the rank
of S. Sgt.

The Elliotts and their son moved back to
Mullen after Almond's discharge from the
Air Corps. He went to work for Bob Blakeley
at The Mullen Motor Company and learned
to be a mechanic under Bob's training. He
worked for Bob ten years and when Bob
retired in 1955 Almond purchased the busi-
ness. Almond owned and operated Mullen
Motor Company for 30 years. He was a sub-
dealer for Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars
and pickups and had a reputation of being an
expert mechanic and was an honest and
generous man with many friends. He was
forced to give up the business in May of 1986
due to a serious illness. Almond was a
member of St. Joseph's episcopal Church in
Mullen, American Legion Marcy Upton Post
# 109, Broken Bow Elks Lodge # 1688, Al-
liance Eagles Lodge # 136 and the Mullen
Golf Club. He served for many years as the
Mullen Fire Chief. He passed away Septem-
ber 21, 1986 at the Veterans Hospital in
Grand Island, Nebraska at the age of 62. He
was buried in the Cedarview Cemetery at
Mullen, Nebraska.

Almond's wife Mary is a 1943 graduate of
Mullen High School. She had been an active
member of St. Josephs episcopal Church for
over 50 years. Besides being a housewife and
a full time mother she has been active in
various community projects through the
years. She is a member of The American
Legion Auxiliary Post #109 Mullen, B.P.O.
Does #109 of North Platte and the Mullen
Women's Golf Club. She has spent several
summers maintaining the grounds at the
Cedarview Cemetery.

Almond and Mary were married for 43
years before his death and are the parents of
five children. Dean Monroe was born
1944, Alice Ann (Mrs. Charles Schoene)
born 1947, Patsy Lou (Mrs. Nick
Phipps) born 1948, Lillie Marie
(Mrs. James Fackler) born
1949 and Judy Lane (Mrs. Jerry Cool) born
1954. They have ten grandchildren,
seven boys and three girls. Mary still resides
in Mullen.