Howard Wilson Widdoes married Alice Mabel Steele in 1901 in Dickinson County. Alice was Garnett’s mother’s slightly older sister. (Phil's mom's older sister.)

The Widdoes were the only missionaries that I know of in my (Phil's) family. Gale's family had pastors in every generation, but not my family. The Widdoes served in the Philippines and at the end of their service were captured by the Japanese and put in a prison camp. Because of similarities in Howard's stories and our experiences in Indonesia, I found parts of this book very funny.