Earl
Norman Stairs
(1904- ? )
Earl Norman Stairs was born on Nov. 24, 1904 in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, PA, the son of Lehman G. and Mattie (Minerd) Stairs. Tragically, when Earl was 20, he was severely burned in an oil explosion that claimed the life of his older brother Ray.
In March 1924, Earl and Ray were severely burned "in the Freedom Oil Company's gasoline explosion" near Mt. Pleasant, said the Connellsville Daily Courier. They were rushed to the nearby Frick Memorial Hospital. Two weeks later, on March 27, Ray died of his injuries, though Earl was "getting along nicely at the hospital," said the Courier.
Earl married Mary S. Hughes (1904-1943). They are thought to have had 2 sons.
They resided near Lycippus, in the Mt. Pleasant vicinity.
In September 1931, Earl is known to have attended a 25th wedding anniversary reception for his cousin Alvin P. Thurston in Mt. Pleasant.
Sadly, Mary passed away at age 38 on April 21, 1943. Mary's obituary in the Courier does not give details of her untimely death, nor does it identify their sons. Ironically, she and Earl's uncle, Charles W. Thurston, died one day apart.
Earl and his sister Pearl were twins, and their names rhymed. In 1977, when Pearl died, Earl was residing in McKeesport, near Pittsburgh. His ultimate fate is not known.
Copyright © 2001 Mark A. Miner