Early Life and Family
Earnest Oran Currey was born on April 5, 1906, in Lansing, Leavenworth County, Kansas. He was the son of Hiram Miles Currey and Winifred Mae “Winnie” Hutchinson. He grew up with several siblings, including Winifred Crawford and Alma Greiner, who remained important figures in his life.
By 1910, the family had settled in Rooks County, Kansas, where young Earnest was listed as a four-year-old on the census. Fifteen years later, in the 1925 Kansas State Census, he appeared as a 17-year-old living with his parents in Logan, Gray County, Kansas.
Building a Life in Denver
Earnest relocated to Denver, Colorado, by the late 1920s. Over the years, he was listed in Denver city directories from 1929 through the 1930s, establishing himself in the community. By 1936, he was living at 419 S. Sherman Street.
In 1940, the census recorded him as a 34-year-old merchandiser, living in Denver with his wife and son. That same year, he registered for the World War II draft. Although there is no record of him serving in the military, his work as a merchandiser supported Denver families during the war years.
By 1945, Earnest was working as a supervisor at Montgomery Ward’s (“Ward’s”), a large and well-known department store. He continued his career there for many years. His addresses shifted around Denver—948 S. Sherman in 1943, 498 S. Sherman in 1948, and finally 819 S. Downing Street by the late 1950s, a home he kept through the remainder of his life.
In 1964, he joined siblings and extended relatives at a Currey family reunion in Sedona, Arizona, reflecting his continued closeness to family despite distance.
Marriage and Family
On June 1, 1931, Earnest married Evelyn Marie Rasmussen in Denver. Evelyn was born on October 23, 1907, to Peter Rasmussen and Anna Marie Costello. She grew up in Colorado and spent her entire life there with Earnest.
They had one son:
- Earnest C. Currey, born about 1934 in Colorado. He appeared in the 1940 census as a six-year-old living with his parents in Denver. By 1979, he was living in New Rochelle, New York.
Evelyn lived until June 26, 1999, passing away at the age of 91. She was laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, beside her husband.
Later Years and Passing
Earnest spent his later years in Denver, balancing his career at Ward’s with his family life. On May 25, 1979, he died at the age of 73.
His obituary remembered him as:
“Earnest O. Currey, 819 S. Downing St. Husband of Evalyn Currey, Denver. Father of Earnest C. Currey, New Rochelle, N.Y. Brother of Winifred Crawford, Dodge City, Kans., Alma Greiner, Sedona, Ariz. Grandfather of Meghan Mara.”
Services included a rosary, a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis De Sales Church in Denver, and burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery on May 29, 1979.
Historical Context
Earnest’s life stretched across some of the most eventful decades in American history. Born in the early 20th century, he was a child during World War I and the influenza pandemic of 1918. His young adulthood coincided with the Great Depression, a time that influenced countless families in Kansas and Colorado.
During World War II, while he did not serve in the armed forces, he registered for the draft and contributed to the home front through his work in retail. In postwar Denver, the booming economy and suburban growth paralleled his own stability as a long-time employee of Montgomery Ward’s.
Family ties remained important to him, as seen in reunions and the obituary mention of his siblings. He lived through a period of extraordinary change—horse-drawn carriages gave way to automobiles, radios to televisions, and small-town living to bustling city growth. Through it all, Earnest built a steady life rooted in family, faith, and work.
SOURCES
1. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 2 January 2023), E Currey, 521-07-5355, before 1951.
2. Funeral Card / Memorial Book, Funeral card of Earnest O. Currey,
3. Hiram Currey, Hiram Currey Family Bible (New York: American Bible Society, 1880); Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS, Family Record
4. 1910 U.S. Census, Rooks County, Kansas, population schedule, Twin Mound Township, Rooks County, Kansas, ED 168, Sheet 11A, Image 6 of 8, household 201, Currey Hiram M; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2017); NARA microfilm publication T6224
5. 1925 Kansas Census, Gray County Kansas, State Census, Logan, Gray County, Kansas, page 5, Image 8 of 30, household 43, H M Currey; digital image, Ancestry.Com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2017)
6. The Gazetteer Co. Inc Denver Directory 1929 (Denver: The Gazetteer Publishing & Printing Co., 1929), page 884, Currey Earnest; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 20 September 2025).
7. The Gazetteer Co. Inc. Denver Directory 1932 (Denver: The Gazetteer Co. Inc, 1932), [City], page 879, Currey, Earnest; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2017).
8. The Gazetteer Co. Inc. Denver Directory 1934 (Denver: The Gazetteer Co. Inc, 1934), [City], page 775, Earnest O. Currey; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2017).
9. Denver Colorado City Directory 1936 (N.p.:n.p.n.d.), page 789, Currey, Earnest O; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2017).
10. “U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online July 2017), Earnest Oran Currey.
11. 1940 U.S. Census, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, ED 16-127, sheet 8A, Image 16 of 44, household 251, Currey, Ernest O; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online July 2017); NARA T627.
12. Deaths, Dodge City Daily Globe, Dodge City, Kansas, 15 Se[ 1043, page 2.
13. The Gazetteer Company’s Denver (Denver County, Colo.) City Directory 1945 (Denver, CO: The Gazetteer Company, 1945), Denver, Colordo, image 168 of 983, Currey, Earnest O (Evalyn); digital image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online June 2016).
14. The Gazetteer Company’s Denver City Directory 1947 (Denver: The Gazetteer Company, Publishers, 1947), page 412, Currey Earnest O; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2017).
15. The Gazeteer Company, “Denver, Colorado City Directory, 1948 in collection of ‘U.S. City Directories, 1822-1989’,” image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Currey, Ernest O.
16. The Gazetteer Company’s Denver City Directory 1958 (Denver: The Gazetteer Company, 1958), page 330, Earnest Currey; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online December 2017).
17. Assn. of North American Directory Publishers, “Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1959 in collection titled ‘U.S. City Directories, 1922-1989’,” database, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Currey, Ernest O.
18. Currey Siblings Taylor’s Host Reunioni, Sedona, Arizona, August 1964, Crawford Family Papers, privately held by Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS 66538.
19. “Herbert M. Currey,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), 23 April 1971, page 28; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 10 July 2021).
20. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online July 2017), E. Currey, 521-07-5355, before 1951.
21. Obituary of Earnest O. Currey, Colorado, 1979, Crawford Family Papers,privately held by Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS 66538
22. The Gazeteer Company, “Denver, Colorado City Directory, 1948 in collection of ‘U.S. City Directories, 1822-1989’,” image Currey, Ernest O.
23. “Colorado, County Marriages and State Indexes, 1853-2006,” Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : Denver, Colorado, ; #117774 viewed online (July 2017), Ernest O Currey – Evalyn Rasmussen.
24. Letter from Earnest Currey (), received by Marcia Philbrick, August 2016. held in 2016 by Earnest Currey (4 Andrea Drive, Brewster, NY 10509-1602).
25. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index”, database, Ancestry.com, Evelyn M. Currey, 521-07-5700, 1951.
26. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online 20 September 2025), memorial for Evelyn M Currey (1907-1999), Find a Grave Memorial no. 231959954, created by VDR, citing Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Jefferson County, Colorado; accompanying photograph by VDR, Evelyn M Crurey.
27. 1940 U.S. Census, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, ED 16-127, sheet 8B, household 251, Ernest C Currey.
28. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online 20 September 2025), Evelyn M. Currey, 521-07-5700, before 1951.
29. Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary & Mount Olivet Cemetery (Wheat Ridge, Colorado) to Marcia Philbrick, email, 19 November 2015, Earnest Currey and Evelyn M Currey.