Theodore W. Haley was born in Keokuk, Iowa on 27 Feb 1912, the son of William Jennings Haley and Lucy Conn. At the time of his birth his mother was still married to her first husband, Pearl Franklin Webster. It is possible that Pearl was Theodore’s father, and in fact his name was given as Theodore Webster in the 1920 census, but when Pearl died in France in 1918 only their two older children – Lloyd (1907) and Pearl (1910) – were listed as his children. Lucy also had another child with William Haley in 1922, James William Haley, but it wasn’t until 1925 that they were finally married.
Theodore lost his mother in a family tragedy in 1930 when she stepped in front of a bullet shot by her brother Roby and intended for her eldest son Lloyd. At an unknown date, likely about 1941/1942, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and married a woman named Valeria, originally from Mississippi. In 1943 he joined the army and was assigned to the 1016th Quartermasters Platoon, stationed at the La Junta Army Air Field. In January of 1944 he was stabbed, the blade piercing the pericardium of the heart – but the exact circumstances are unclear. He sat in “confinement” for two weeks before his death. And autopsy was rushed and his body was shipped by train within 48 hrs back to Milwaukee for immediate burial.
| Vitals & Events | |||||
| Event | Date | Place | Notes | ||
| Born | 27 Feb 1912 | Iowa | to William Jennings Haley (b 1875) & Lucy Conn (1884-1930) | ||
| Census | 1920 | Keokuk, Iowa | with mother | ||
| Census | 1930 | Keokuk, Iowa | with mother and grandparents | ||
| Marriage | c1943 | ? Milwaukee | Valeria (born 1913) | ||
| Died | 11 Feb 1944 | La Junta, Colorado | Stabbed in the heart “by his own misconduct” – suspicious? | ||
| Immediate Family Members | |||||
| Relation | Name | Birth Date | Birth Place | Death Date | Death Place |
| Father | William Jennings Haley | c1875 | Shelby Co., Missouri | ||
| Mother | Lucy Conn | 2 Jul 1884 | Knox Co., Missouri | 21 Dec 1930 | Chicago, Illinois (murdered) |
| – half brother | Lloyd Russell Webster | 8 Jan 1907 | Keokuk, Iowa | 29 Nov 1995 | Chicago, Illinois |
| – half sister | Pearl Webster | Mar 1910 | Missouri | ||
| – brother | James William Haley | 27 May 1922 | Iowa | 28 Feb 2002 | |
| Wife | Valeria | c1913 | Mississippi | ||
Documentation
Burial Records:
- Wood National Cemetery – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Census Records:
- 1920 US Federal Census: Keokuk, Lee, Iowa – Webster family
- 1930 US Federal Census: Keokuk, Lee, Iowa – Conn/Haley families
Church Records:
- 1944: Burial record for Theodore W. Haley – Ascension Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Soldiers Home Cemetery) – Burials
Military Records
- Funeral Records: Theodore W. Haley
- Morning Reports: LJAAF, La Junta, Colorado – 1016th QM Platoon T, AB
- US Headstone Applications for Military Veterans: “Theodore W. Haley”.
- Order for an “Upright Granite Headstone” for Pvt Theodore W. Haley, 346th Aviation Squadron.
- Enlisted 2-16-43
- Born 2-27-1912
- Serial #36 806 044
- Died La Junta Air Fld. Colorado
- Emblem: Christian
- Division: Q M Corp, AC, Wisconsin
- To be shipped to Veterans Administration Manager, Veterans Administration Facility, West Allis, Wisconsin.
- Requested Feb 29, 1944 in Wood, Wisconsin; Verified Mar 6, 1944; Ordered Oct 2, 1944.
- WWII Hospital Administration Cards:
- Serial #36806044 – Theodore Haley – Jan 1944
- Serial #36806044 – Theodore Haley – Feb 1944
Newspaper Articles:
- Chicago Bee:
- 1944, Feb 27: “Soldier’s Death Shocks City”
- Clark County Courier
- 1931, Jan 2: “Obituary – Mrs. Lucy Haley”
- La Junta Daily Democrat:
- 1944, Feb 14: “Soldier Who Had Meningitis Dies”
