Charles Leslie Gillespie, son of Charles Vine Gillespie and Mabel Redding was born November 4, 1911, near Newell, South Dakota. His parents were on a homestead there at that time. When he was four years old, his family moved to the Neligh, Nebraska area. He received his education at District 16 and the Neligh schools. He attended high school one year at Clearwater and graduated from Neligh High in 1928. He started work as a clerk In the Clearwater Post Office in 1929. In 1931 he became a substitute clerk-carrier at the Neligh office. August 1, 19334, he moved to Neligh and became a regular. He enlisted in the United States Navy on January 15, 1944 and served stateside and the Island of Guam. He was separated from service on December 23,1945. He returned to the post office in Neligh after the war and retired as Assistant Postmaster in 1967.
He was married on June 4, 1930
to Celeta Hemenway, daughter of Stanley E and Opal G Hemenway at Yankton,
South Dakota. His wife worked at post
offices in Clearwater and Neligh, the Neligh Public Library and for Dr. Frank
McClanahan. She retired in June
1968. They had one daughter, Liane,
who married Dick Huckfeldt on June 1, 1958.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in July 2007