Phoebe May Wynecoop

Phoebe Wynecoop: “Festoon Her Life With Praises!” Phoebe Marguerite Galbraith, enrolled Spokane, and Sinixt (Arrow Lakes Tribe) descendent, was born May 26, 1909 along the banks of the Columbia River in Gerome, Washinton. She was the third child (of nine) of William Galbraith and May (DeSautel) Etue Galbraith. When Phoebe was a baby her parents lived in a tent at Little Falls during the construction of the hydroelectric dam. Later, William and May established a ranch north of Wellpinit on Drum Road on May’s Indian allotment. From the ranch, Phoebe went to Wellpinit School by horse-drawn wagon/sleigh, attending 1st through 11th grades, and to Reardan High School, completing twelfth grade in 1928. She enrolled in Cheney Normal School (now EWU). In 1931 she began her teaching career and has the distinction of being the first enrolled Spokane tribal member to teach on her own reservation. She married Clair Victor Wynecoop (Wynie) in 1931.The young couple lived at the Galbraith ranch the first year and in 1932 George (Wig) was born at his grandmother’s home. Wynie built their next home, a little log house. Lilac bushes still mark the homesite just south of the high school and it is there that Arnold (Judge) was born in 1934 and Robert (Chick) in 1935, while twins Dave and Dick were born at Nespelem hospital in 1938. During her hospital stay Phoebe had enough nourishment to sustain her own little ones and also nursed another newborn whose mother could not. Electricity arrived in Wellpinit July 20th, 1939, almost three decades after the life-blood of the tribe was interrupted by the dam. Phoebe had vivid memories of that momentous day. With a growing family, Wynie, built the family’s next house in the early 1940’s on the land that he traded with Oliver Lot for “Cottonwood” (Phoebe’s allotment). “When we moved to the new house we missed that little log house,” Phoebe said. Son Steve was born at his Little Grandma’s home in 1940 and was followed by Vernon (Wade) in 1945, who was delivered by Dr. May in Chewelah. The new home’s nearness to the Presbyterian Church, made it easier for Phoebe and the children to attend services. She had been a member since October 1943 and she and six of her seven sons were baptized there all at once. She provided for and ministered communion for over 20 years and in her 99th year she attended the momentous, sad, and historic closure of her church – the center, though not the circumference, of her spiritual life. Phoebe’s garden sustained her family and fed many hay gangs over the years. For eleven years the family’s dairy herd provided milk to locals and supplied the seed money to begin buying cattle for the ranch. Wynecoop Ranch is still operating under the care of her son, Richard. Fresh vegetables, her own venison, beef and pork, her homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and butter, as well as her jams and jellies and canned fruits, fed her family, and friends and hay gangs. The sign above her kitchen entry said it all: “Phoebe’s Short Order”. Phoebe still gardened in her last years – on her front porch – and the hummingbirds that were drawn to her roses, petunias, begonias and geraniums pleased her much. Her longtime service on the school board, as director for eleven years, as well as service on the Stevens County board of elections, increased her duties. It is hard to imagine the time, effort and devotion it took for her to accomplish her different activities while raising seven sons without having ever driven a car: “I never drove a car and I never wanted to.” All her family and friends came to her house. She had enough sons to form a baseball team. Watching basketball, football and baseball filled her days with pleasure and she pointed out that in high school she played right field on her baseball team “just like Ichiro”. Loon Lake Moose Lodge membership supplied a wonderful source of friendship. Widowhood and the loss of three sons (George, Dave, and Wade) were borne with quiet dignity. Her sisters, Gertrude Sutton and Ruth Hintze, and brothers Allan Galbraith and Glenn Galbraith survive her, as do her sons Arnold “Judge” (Tina), Robert “Chick” (Lois), Richard “Dick” (Kay), and Stephen “Steve” (Jeanette), and twenty three grandchildren, sixty three great-grandchildren, and nine+ great-great grandchildren. When asked, recently, what guided her life she answered:: “Live and be happy and take each day at a time. And remember that Someone far greater than we made these days of our lives.” Sadly, the celebration planned for her hundredth birthday has been interrupted by her passing. Her service will be held at the Spokane Tribal Longhouse on Wednesday, May 6th at 10:00a.m., followed by burial in the Wellpinit Presbyterian Cemetery, with minister Jeff McCullough officiating. A wake will take place the night before at the Longhouse. God, keep her. Enjoy her. Her family did all these long years!