My great-grandmother, Tresa Gruber was the youngest of thirteen children born to William Addition Tuley and his wife Rebecca Ann Broy. As the youngest, she had always been babied, and, even as a wife and mother, she always believed herself to be sicker than she ever really was. She was married at the age of 21 to my great-grandfather, Andrew Lewis Gruber.

The Grubers had their first three children within the first four years of their marriage. Grandma Gruber was partial to her two older boys, and when my grandmother Bea was born, she never really received the love and affection which a new baby usually receives. Grandma Gruber never really had much time or use for her. Grandma Gruber didn’t have another child until she was forty and my grandma was fifteen. By this time, she was ready for a little girl and showered all kinds of love and devotion on Aunt Virginia, so Grandma was always really relegated to a minor place in the family, except when it came to working around the house.

I have been told that when her final child was born, Grandma Gruber lingered in bed long after the usual time after a new mother had delivered a baby, thinking she was sicker than she was and Grandfather Gruber had to hire a young girl to come in and do for her and the children. After awhile, when she finally imagined that Grandpa Gruber was making eyes at the live-in girl, she got out of bed and fired the girl.

When Grandma Gruber died at the age of 79, my mother had heard that she had made a slighting remark about my mom being pregnant with her fifth child, and this upset Mother so much that she wouldn’t even attend her own grandmother’s funeral.

I vaguely remember this grandmother from having seen her at the Tuley reunion which was each held each year in August. I was five years old at the time of her death, and she had always looked like she was dying to me.

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Tresa Ellen Tuley, daughter of William Addison and Rebecca Ann Broy Tuley, was born in Lewis County, on July 1, 1869, and died on Wednesday, June 29, 1943, at the age of 79 years, 11 months, and 29 days. She was the youngest of a family of 13 children. On January 29, 1891, she was united in marriage to Andrew Gruber and to this union were born four children, Orange and Melvin Gruber, Bea McDaniel and Virginia Fishback, all of near Canton. Besides her devoted aged companion and children she leaves to cherish her memory, 9 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, one brother, Sam Tuley of Canton, and a number of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by 1 grandchild, Edna May McDaniel, her father and mother, 4 brothers and 7 sisters. Early in life she united with the New Prospect Baptist church and remained in the faith until the time of her death. She had been in failing health for a number of years, becoming a little more fragile as each year went by, until on Saturday morning June 25, she suffered a stroke. Funeral services were held Friday afternoon at the Canton Baptist church with the Rev. L. B. Arvin in charge, assisted by Rev. M. D. Mulvania. Music was furnisehd by Evelyn Westhoff, Dorothy Tompkins and Donna Briscoe, with Mary Jo Fishback at the piano. Pallbearers were Louis Riney, Albert Fishback, Kenneth Tompkins, William Westhoff, Keith Martin and Junior Bronstine. Flower girls were Isabel Martin, Mary Jo Fishback, Ruby Dell Bronstine, Rose Riney, Judy Fishback, Barbara Fishback and Jean Tompkins. Interment was in Forest Grove cemetery.