Meda June (Richardson) Dennis was the daughter of Steven Calvin Richardson (1831-1907) and Caroline Elizabeth (Woodward) Richardson (1836-1888). Both were born in Massachusetts and died in Missouri.

Meda had 10 known siblings, of which she was the youngest:

Emma Evelin Richardson 1856–1946
Caroline Rosamond Richardson 1857–
Mary Adeline Richardson 1859–
Stephen C. Richardson 1860–
Francis Marion Richardson 1861–
Henry Lewis Richardson 1864–1945
John Everett Richardson 1865–
Iva Bell Richardson 1867–
Marquis Lafayette Richardson 1871–
Ona Hull Richardson 1874–1942

Meda's parents lived in Sylvester, Green County, Wisconsin until after their 7th child was born. They are shown in this location in the 1860 census. Then, they moved south to Adair County, Missouri where they appear in the 1870 and 1880 census.

Meda's mother died when she was only 11 years old in 1888. By 1900, Calvin Richardson had moved his family a short distance south from Adair to Macon County, Missouri. In the 1900 census, 22-year-old Meda and her father were the only two in their home in Independence Township of Macon County, Missouri.

Macon County, Missouri seems to have been a fortunate move for both Meda and her father, for there they met a mother and son named Lucy (Reeder) (Dennis) Varvil and Chester Dennis. Lucy had just been widowed from her husband George Varvil in 1901. Chester was in his early 20s at this time, as well as was Meda.

On December 29, 1902 both couples applied for their marriage licenses in Macon County. On December 31, 1902 in Elmer, Missouri, Calvin Richardson married Lucy, and the next day, January 1, 1903 in Elmer, Meda married Chester Dennis. They were married by the same Justice of the Peace J. C. Patterson.

Meda and Calvin Dennis continued to live and farm in Macon County, Missouri, near the town of Elmer. They had 7 children:

Della Mae Dennis 1903-1989
Calvin Lewis Dennis 1905-1933
Henry Willard Dennis 1907-1907
Myrtle Evelyn Dennis 1908-1991
Everett Lawrence Dennis 1910-2002
Tom Roy Dennis 1912-1999
John W. Dennis 1914-1993

In the latter months of 1922, Chester injured his foot. No one probably realized the seriousness of this injury, but soon red streaks and pain were going up his leg. Blood poisoning had set in. This condition is sometimes called having a tooth ache in the heel. Just one day after his 20th wedding anniversary, on January 2, 1923, Chester died. He was buried at Elmer Cemetery beside his infant son Henry who had died in 1907. Ten years later, his son Calvin was bured beside infant Henry.

At Chester's death, he left 6 living children between the ages of 20 and 8. Due to the family's poor financial condition, this was a geat hardship for wife Meda who found it necessary to farm-out her younger children as servants and farm hands to families in the community for their room and board.

Meda remarried in 1927 to William Richard Wallace. She died in 1950 at the age of 73 after having seen all of the only three grandchildren that her children were to ever produce, Betty Dennis from son Everett, Francis Dennis from son John, and Blytha Dennis from son Tom. Meda was buried beside Chester and their sons Henry and Calvin in Elmer Cemetery. Later, their daughters Della and Myrtle and their son Everett and his wife Opal were also buried in Elmer Cemetery.

Meda was my paternal grandmother. Although she saw me when I was a baby and a toddler, I have only one memory of ever seeing her. I had just turned 3 years old when she died, and my family had just moved from Macon County to Kirkville, Adair County, Missouri. Shortly before her death, my parents and I went to visit her when she was sick in bed at her farm home east of Elmer on Highway J. I have a slight memory of being at her bedside and I'm sure she hugged me. I wish she could have lived longer so I could have really known her.

- Written by Blytha (Dennis) Ellis