EMILIE D. SEARLE (1917-2018)

If Emilie D. Searle had not issued a personal mirror, it is unlikely that she would be recognized as a hundred-year-old numismatist. She was born in Chicago as Emilie Louise Frances Danielson on August 27, 1917, and died on April 3, 2018, in Vancouver, Washington. That qualifies her as a hundred-year-old.

Qualifying as a numismatist is not as obvious. Her mirror stated that she collected elongated coins. In 1972 she served on the board of directors for the California Collectors of Elongateds. A 1977 story in Coin World included her as helping Ed McClung with his new firm Trademark Castings. Her numismatic experiences were side tracks off the main lines.

The rest of this article will say nothing about numismatics. Public attention came from other areas of her life. The Newspapers.com site has no articles listed for "Emilie Danielson" during 1917-1936, and no engagement or wedding announcement.

She was married to Marshall Olaf Searle (1914-1947) on December 26, 1936. They were the parents of a son, Frederick Marshall Searle (1937-2016) and a daughter, Gladys Suzanne Searle (1940- ). Searle was the president of Searle Aero Industries, Inc.

There were no newspaper articles under the name of Emilie Searle in 1936-1941 and no announcements of the births of her children. She is first named in a 1942 article related to the incorporation of Searle Aero Industries, Inc.

Searle had a small business providing aircraft parts before World War II. During the war he had a new plant with 200 workers, mostly women, providing parts for the war effort. His innovation and inventions kept the business prosperous.

Emilie popped into the news with nine articles in 1943. She and Marshall were involved in divorce proceedings that became very public. The Santa Ana Register carried an article nearly every day of the trial.

Emilie Searle charged her husband with cruelty and alleged that Marshall was having an affair with Mrs. Dorothy Louise Rahn, described as Emilie's best friend that Emilie had known since they were six. Mrs. Rahn had left her husband in Chicago and lived with the Searles at one time.

Marshall alleged that Emilie had been spending time with Julian Heim, her riding instructor. Marshall had hired a private investigator and followed her when Emilie and Julian were together.

Marshall's family was involved with the trial. His stepfather, Vincent A. Marco (1890-1960), acted as his attorney. His mother, Mrs. Gladys Marshall Marco (1893-1991), was an investor and part owner of his property. She was described as a "Prominent Beverly Hills Society Matron." Gladys was married five times and divorced four. Emilie testified that Gladys had given her most of her clothing since her marriage including thirty evening gowns and three fur coats. Gladys also testified that she had paid for the couple's homes but they were registered under the couple's name for convenience.

Marshall was declared the winner in the divorce and their two children were put in the care of Vincent and Gladys Marco. Julian Warren Heim was married to Vivian E. Bloemer on April 2, 1929. They had a son, Phillip J. Heim.

After the Searles split, they moved on with their lives. Marshall Searle married his former secretary, Dorothy Louise Rahn (1916-1947), in the Little Church of the Flowers in Los Angeles on December 2, 1944. Emilie was married to Julian Warren Heim (1908-1960) on July 21, 1945. He worked as an auto mechanic.

Marshall and Dorothy did not live happily ever after. Marshall Searle, his wife Dorothy, infant son Rahn Anthony Searle and Dorothy's mother died in a plane crash in Texas on December 2, 1947. Gladys Marco claimed a share of the estate to raise Marshall's children. She stated that her net worth was $900,000 and two surviving grandchildren were her only heirs.

In 1979 Emilie moved to Portland, Oregon. Her son and daughter lived there at various times. After that, the details of her life get a bit fuzzy.

When Julian W. Heim died in 1960, Emilie was not listed as a survivor. She was using the name Emilie Searle again in 1958, suggesting they were divorced. Unlike her first divorce, I did not find that reported in the papers.

For more than the last half of her life, 1963-2018, her name did not appear in the newspapers again. I did not find a published obituary. It is unfortunate that most of what we know is not about her but rather about her marriages.

She is buried at Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver, Washington. The name on the headstone is Emilie L. Danielson Searle. The headstone also has the name of Gladys Suzanne Searle with no date of death. It is likely that Emilie was living with her daughter around the time of her death.

This article was somewhat sanitized to make it suitable for publication.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMATIST MIRRORS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n07a17.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web