TREANDOS, WILLIAM AND CORA ALICE (BASSETT)

by Thelma Bassett Pearman

Entry F424 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Cora (Bassett) and Bill Treandos - Wedding 1918

Cora was born in Red Willow County,
Nebraska in November 1888 or (McPherson
County, Nebraska-conflict in records) to
John and Elsie Bassett. School records were
not available but she did receive an 8th grade
education. She started working at an early
age as domestic help and ranch cooking in the
area.

Cora acquired a homestead in Grant
County in 1914 and sold it to Jesse Crossley
in 1915. She then went "out west" to
Cheyenne, Wyoming where she worked as a
waitress in restaurants. She met William
Treandos, chef who had come from Greece,
at one of the restaurants and they were
married in 1918 at Cheyenne. They contin-
ued in restaurant work until Lois Ollie was
born to them in March 1924 at Denver,
Colorado. They had owned a restaurant in
Colorado which they sold and returned to
Cheyenne where they purchased a home and
restaurant. Cora no longer worked as a
waitress.

In 1930 when Lois was six she became ill
with bronchitis and was advised to go to
Arizona to a warm dry climate. Cora and Lois
moved to Phoenix, resulting in a break-up of
the marriage.

In 1934 or '35, Lois was well and they
decided to return to Nebraska. They spent
their summer with Dell, Cora's bachelor
brother. In 1938 William sent for them and
they went to join him in San Francisco. The
family moved to San Jose in 1940 where Lois
finished high school and attended business
college after which she worked for a newspa-
per and a doctor.

Lois married Elbert Bruce in 1948 at
Plymouth and after living at Chester, Califor-
nia and San Jose until 1960, Elbert got a job
with the government and was sent to North
Africa at Khartaum Sudan for 2 years. Their
daughter Kathy was born in Asmara, Ethiop-
ia May 1962 and they came home via Europe
in November 1962, returning to San Jose.
They lived there until Kathy was 3 years old,
then they moved to Dunlap where Elbert
became a Forest Ranger. AFter Kathy start-
ed to school, Lois became a teacher's aid in
grades K-1&2 and school librarian later.

William and Cora lived in San Jose until
he passed away sometime prior to 1948. Cora
lived alone then until she moved to a Guest
Villa due to failing health, where she lived
until her death in December 1972. Her ashes
are in a Moseleum in San Jose.

Lois and Elbert were divorced in 1975. Lois
and Kathy continued living at Dunlap where
Kathy finished high school. She then went to
college and to Sacranamento to become a
chef. Kathy was married in 1984 to a
veterninarn college student. Lois continues
to be school librarian at Dunlap and will as
long as she is able.