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Sarah Hortense 'Sadie' (McMurray) Ailes |
Sarah Hortense "Sadie" (McMurray) Ailes -- also nicknamed "Sallie" -- was born on March 22, 1876 or 1877 near Lafayette in Deer Creek Township, Madison County, OH, the daughter of Alexander Blaine "Alex" and Mary (Houser) McMurray Jr.
She pursued a career as an educator and received her higher education at Ohio Northern University. As of 1900, at the age of 23, she was engaged as school teacher in the county and shared a dwelling-place with her parents in Deer Creek.
She was joined in wedlock with Melville Darwin "Melvin" Ailes (April 17, 1883-1967), a native of Shelby County, OH, and the son of John Forsythe and Rebecca Lovina (Drumm) Ailes. She was perhaps seven years older than her husband.
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| Springfield's memorial to pioneer mothers of covered wagon days, symbolic of Sadie Ailes' grandmother Elizabeth (Sechman) Miner among many others |
Their trio of children were John Forsythe Ailes, Robert Eugene Ailes and Dorothy Ercilla Mae Pete.
At her father's death in 1906, she was named as an heir to his estate and resided in Springfield, OH. Circa August 1907, Sadie made news in the gossip columns of the Jackson Center (OH) News when paying a visit to her in-laws in Montra, OH.
Melville also was an alumnus of Ohio Northern, where he obtained bachelor's and law degrees. He was admitted to practice law in Ohio in 1904. He and a business partner founded a secretarial business school in Cincinnati and eventually, after selling his portion to the partner, went to the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. He then formed a family medical practice in Garrettsville, OH. During World War I, he served as a captain in the U.S.Army Medical Corps. He furthered himself even more when obtaining a master's degree in public health from Harvard College and devoted the balance of his career to that field.
Their marriage eventually dissolved in divorce. Sadie never remarried. Melville wed again in 1922 to Marie J. Frasik (1880-1961)
Sadie lived with her sons at 835 Olive Avenue Northeast in Warren in 1930. Burdened with diabetes and bowel problems, she died in Warren at the age of 83 on Aug. 28, 1959. Burial was under a large red granite stone in Crown Hill Burial Park in Vienne, Trumbull County.
Former husband Melville passed away in Sidney, Shelby County at age 84 on June 2, 1967. An obituary in the Akron newspaper called him "the tall physician-lawyer who guarded Akron's health climate for 27 years.... He was one of the few public health officials in the history of Ohio to hold both medical and law degrees. During his last two years in office Akron had the lowest death rate from all causes among Ohio cities with populations of more than 100,000."
~ Son John Forsythe Ailes ~
Son John Forsythe Ailes (1905-1997) was born on Oct. 17, 1905 in Springfield, Clark County, OH.
He is known to have served in the U.S. Army, serving in the South Pacific Theatre, with deployments to Hawaii and the Philippines.
In Aug. 1943, in nuptials led by a Methodist clergyman in Indianapolis, John was united in matrimony with Faytha Jo Johnson (Jan. 20, 1917-2000).
One child of this union was Aloha Louise Ailes.
Faytha Jo grew up in Oklahoma and was an alumna of Oklahoma State University, while John attended the University of Youngstown, in Ohio. His career was spent with Republic Steel Corporation's metallurgical department, while Faytha Jo taught first grade for the Warren Township (OH) Schools for 26 years.
They resided in California in 1959, and in 1975 settled for good in Rohnert Park.
John retired from Republic Steel in 1967 as a claims representative.
At their golden wedding anniversary in 1993, organized by their daughter, they enjoyed a buffet dinner for friends and family at Rohnert Park Community Center and pictured in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
John died at the age of 92, in Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, CA on Nov. 1, 1997. Burial was in Santa Rosa Memorial Park.
Faytha lived for another two-plus years. She surrendered to the spirit of death in San Francisco on Jan. 22, 2000.
Daughter Aloha Louise Ailes (1944-2009) was born on Nov. 25, 1944 in Ohio. She does not appear to have married. She made a career in the cruise industry, employed over the years with the Peninsular & Oriental, Prudential, Delta and Royal Viking Lines. Her final position was with the Stanford Court Hotel, from which she retired in January 1991. She spent the balance of her years in San Francisco. She liked to read, cook, travel, socialize with friends and root for the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Sadly, on Oct. 26, 2009, she passed away in St. Mary's Hospital. Her ashes were scattered at sea, with an obituary appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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| Warren, Ohio's Park Street, looking north |
~ Son Robert Eugene Ailes ~
Son Robert Eugene Ailes (1907-1983) was born on July 15, 1907 in Springfield, Clark County, OH.
He spent most of his life in Warren, Trumbull County, OH and stood 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 170 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair.
He was twice-married. His first bride, circa June 1936, was Donna Marie Cunningham (1916-2000).
They together bore a trio of children -- Dr. Robert James Ailes, Roger Eugene Ailes and Donna Jeanne Ailes.
Robert earned a living for four decades with the Packard Electric Division of General Motors Corporation. He also was active with the Masons lodge in Warren, serving as master and chaplain, and belonged to the Shrine and Alibaba Grotto. Their address in 1940, when Robert was required to register for the military draft, was 1178 Bingham Avenue, Warren.
The couple divorced in Warren on April 26, 1960 after 24 years.
Robert married a second time on Sept. 22, 1962 to widow and co-worker Leota "Mae" (Stalnaker) Gilliland (1915-2005), daughter of Thomas and Lulu (Jones) Stalnaker of Vienna, OH.
Mae spent 25 years with Packard Electric, retiring in 1969 as an inspector. She belonged to the Bazetta Christian Church, Order of Eastern Star and Ali Baba Cauldron.
Burdened with Alzheimer's Disease, Robert was admitted to a long-term care facility in Warren and carried away by death at the age of 76 on Aug. 20, 1983. The remains repose for eternity in Crown Hill Burial Park.
Mae lived for another dozen years, living at 250 Cortview Drive. She died in Warren's St. Joseph Health Center at the age of 89 on Jan. 27, 2005. Former wife Donna wed her second spouse, Joseph Donald Urban (1914-2000), spending the rest of her life in San Francisco, Seattle and Palm Beach, FL. She succumbed to the spectre of death in Palm Beach Gardens on June 22, 2000.
Son Dr. Robert James Ailes (1937-2023) was born five days before Christmas 1937 in Warren. He was the father of Christine Pribanic, Catherine Ailes and Susan Manley. On June 7, 1986, he was joined in wedlock with Patricia Anne (Foltz) Maruskin (1943- ? ). She brought two stepchildren to the union -- Kevin Maruskin and Kristen Maruskin. Robert received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology in 1960 from Oberlin College. He then earned his doctorate in 1964 from Case Western Reserve University. During the Vietnam War, he served with the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1968 as medical director, bearing the rank of lieutenant. His term in the military also included the role of the Hawaiian Islands' nuclear, biological and chemical warfare defense officer. After becoming a civilian, he was a family practice physician and was employed as medical director for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida and vice president and chief medical officer for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey. As well, he consulted in health care cost and quality management for clients before establishing his own firm at four sites in Utah and Colorado. Said an obituary, "He had an amazing sense of humor and kept his family laughing. In medical practice, he was a respected physician and a brilliant diagnostician. His patients valued his ability to treat them with respect and communicate with them on a relatable level." Their final years were spent in Tampa, FL and Frederick, MD. Interested in genealogy, Robert managed a number of pages on Find-a-Grave. As a resident of Frederick's Kline Hospice House, he passed away at the age of 85 on June 28, 2023. Burial was in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick. He was survived by 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
- Granddaughter Christine Ailes married Sean Pribanic.
- Granddaughter Catherine Ailes ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Susan Ailes entered into marriage with Todd Manley.
- Step-grandson Kevin Maruskin ( ? - ? ) wed Andrea.
- Step-granddaughter Kristen Maruskin ( ? - ? ) has been a companion of Mike Byrnes.
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| Roger Ailes biographies and New York Times Magazine (2001)
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Roger Ailes - courtesy FOX |
Son Roger Eugene Ailes (1940-2017) was born on May 15, 1940 in Warren, Trumbull County, OH. He became an influential and pioneering American television executive and political media consultant perhaps best known as chairman of Fox News during an era when political discourse on TV has never been at a higher pitch. During his career, he advised Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Donald J. Trump on strategies to best leverage their television personas. Roger was born with hemophilia, a blood disorder which prevents clotting and thus increases the likelihood of bruising and bleeding. This led to frequent hospital visits in his childhood. Roger was an alumnus of Warren G. Harding High School and majored in radio and television at Ohio University, graduating in 1962. As a student, he was station manager for WOUB-AM Radio. His parents divorced during his college years. His first employment was in Cleveland and then Philadelphia. He became executive producer of a local talk and variety program, The Mike Douglas Show, and then helped it become nationally syndicated, winning Emmy Awards in 1967 and 1968.
When presidential candidate Nixon went on the Douglas show in 1967, he made the comment that TV was a "gimmick." Roger told him that he was seriously wrong and could not win without changing the attitude. Impressed, Nixon hired him to advise on his TV strategy for the campaign. This role later was described in Joe McGinniss' 1968 book, The Selling of the President. Roger went on to work in 1975 for Television News Inc., and in 1984 was on Reagan's re-election team. He and controversial strategist Lee Atwater received credit for Bush's election. In 1989, he advised in the New York City mayoral election campaign of Rudolph Guiliani. His last political campaign was in 1991 when former Pennsylvania Gov. Richard Thornburgh lost in a race for a U.S. Senate seat. In 1988, Roger and Jon Kraushar co-authored the book You Are the Message: Secrets of the Master Communicators and then in 1989 issued You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are. The founder of this website received a copy of the book from a prominent public relations firm in the late 1990s.
Fascinated by the prospects of cable news, in 1993 Roger was hired as president of CNBC a few years after the network had been formed in a joint venture between General Electric and Cablevision. As reported in William D. Cohan's book Power Failure, The Rise and Fall of an American Icon, he "got CNBC going" by transforming it into "a ratings and profits juggernaut" and was well-liked by GE's chairman and CEO, Jack Welch. In this role, he helped create the "America's Talking" channel which evolved into MSNBC. But after a foiled bid to take over Bob Wright's job as president and CEO of NBC, and then making a controversial remark about a rival, he left the company in early 1996. News Corporation founder Rupert Murdoch recruited Roger in 1996 to run Fox News and in 2005 tapped him to chair Fox Television Stations Group. Roger resigned from Fox News in 2016 after allegations of sexual harassment by several women on-air personalities. He remained on good terms with Murdoch and 21st Century Fox for the rest of his life. He is known to have advised Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with heavy emphasis on preparing for televised debates. His third wife, whom he wed on Valentine's Day 1998, was Elizabeth "Beth" Tilson (1960-living). Elizabeth had a TV background and owned the Putnam County (NY) News & Recorder and The Putnam County Courier. Together they bore one son, Zachary Ailes. The family resided in Garrison, NY not far from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. They also had homes in Cresskill, NJ and Palm Beach, FL. Roger was the subject of several biographies -- Zev Chafets' Roger Ailes: Off Camera (2013) and Gabriel Sherman's The Loudest Voice in the Room (2014). He appeared in Adam McKay's 2018 film Vice. He has been portrayed by actor Russell Crowe in Showtime's The Loudest Voice and by John Lithgow in the film Bombshell. He died on May 18, 2017, eight days after injuring his head in a fall at their Palm Beach residence.
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| Fox owner Rupert Murdoch (left) and talk show host Rush Limbaugh.Sources: Douglas Kirkland/SYGMA (left) and Kimberly Butler/LGI Photo Agency for Frontline.
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- Grandson Zachary "Zac" Ailes (2000-living) was born in about 2000.
Daughter Donna Jeanne "D.J." Ailes (1943-2015) was born on March 3, 1943 in Warren, OH. By 1960, she relocated to California. She married George C. Bourekas ( ? - ? ). They became the parents of an only son, Philip Anthony Bourekas. Their marriage terminated in divorce, and Donna Jeanne took back her maiden name. She dwelled in California in 2005. The angel of death cleaved her away two days before Christmas in 2015 in San Marcos, San Diego County. Her ashes were buried near her mother's remains in Crown Hill Burial Park in Vienna, OH.
- Grandson Philip Anthony Bourekas (1963- ? ) was born in 1963.
~ Daughter Dorothy Ercilla Mae (Ailes) Pete ~
Daughter Dorothy Ercilla Mae Ailes (1914-2000) was born on Aug. 18, 1914.
She wed Arthur Raymond Pete (April 11, 1925-1995), son of Alfred and Evelyn (Handscomb) Pete of Bangor, ME. He was 11 years younger than his bride.
They made a longtime home in Rootstown, and their only child was Terry Horvath.
Arthur was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He spent his working career with Ford Motor Company in Walton Hills near Cleveland.
After retirement in 1978, the couple relocated to Maine, settling in Plymouth. He served a term as commander of the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and held a membership in the American Legion. He also liked to fish, hunt and be out-of-doors.
Sadly, at the age of 70, Arthur died in a hospital in Waterville, ME on Oct. 20, 1995. His obituary was published in the Bangor Daily News and Waterville (ME) Morning Sentinel. Rev. Charles Talmadge led the funeral rites, with burial in the local Sawyer Cemetery.
Dorothy survived for another five years. She passed away in Bangor on Feb. 28, 2000. A brief notice of her passing appeared in the Daily News.
Daughter Terry Pete entered into marriage with Lee Horvath. They made a home in Plymouth, ME in 1995. Their three offspring were Matthew Veatch, David Horvath and Steven Horvath.
Copyright © 2004, 2007, 2008, 2022, 2023 Mark A. Miner