Lucinda Proctor-Gillespie (1903-1990)

Lucinda Proctor 1926Maria Lucinda Proctor was born in July 1903 in Tucson, AZ and went by her middle name, Lucinda. She was baptized at St. Augustine’s Cathedral and attended St. Joseph’s Academy. St. Joseph’s was located on the corner of 6th Ave. and 15th St.

In an interview with her granddaughter, she described ranch life. “I rode horses, milked cows. I wasn’t too little then because I milked the cow. We had the dogie calves – the little motherless calves – to take care of. I had chickens – little chickens. Some kids had pet rabbits, pet javelina. Oh, we would go walking in the canyon. At Box Canyon Ranch, there were big rocks in the creek that we could slide down… Sometimes we would pan for gold, too. I used to help water the cattle.” She details further, “We had hogs. We went on picnics. People came from, all over – Nogales and Tucson. When I was older, I went to country dances.”

She married Hugh (Jehu) Gillespie in March of 1927. They drove to Texas to make their home on day of marriage. They had two children; John Edward in 1930 and Mary Loys in 1933. Lucinda left Texas (with the help of Silas Belton, Hugh’s father) and returned to Tucson with baby son John about 1930. Hugh came to Tucson later and they stayed in Southern Arizona.

Lucinda was a social butterfly, good humored and a great cook. Early on, the ranch-hands would learn the days she cooked and ate everything in site. The kitchen was a popular place when Lucinda was around. Later when she lived in Tucson, she was a cook for the L&K Drive Inn (located on 1st Ave.).

Lucinda Proctor-Gillespie died in Tucson, AZ in October of 1990. She is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park.

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