Descendants of Elbie and Evelyn Wilgus joined together last week at the Logan County Fair to celebrate the donation of a bench in memory of their parents and grandparents, who were supporters and regular exhibitors at the fair for many decades. Pictured are Elbie and Evelyn’s daughters at the center, Eileen “Cricket” Wilgus Wical of rural Bellefontaine, Freda “Shorty” Wilgus Quay of Kenton and Genny Wilgus Funk of Macomb. Also pictured, from the left, are the couple’s great-great-granddaughter Mia Dooley and their grandchildren Melanie Lehman, Nick Quay and Stephanie Shannon. In their early years, all six children of Elbie and Evelyn Wilgus showed horses at the fair, and for more than 40 years, Elbie was a familiar face showcasing his Oliver Farm Equipment tractors at the fair. “We loved being at the fair each year; it was like a vacation for all of us,” his daughter Genny said. The family owned and operated a county general store and gas station in Walnut Grove, beginning around 1936, where Elbie added Oliver Farm Equipment sales to the business in 1945. The store closed several years after Elbie suffered a fatal heart attack in 1982, Genny noted. (EXAMINER PHOTO | LUCY JARVIS)
