After the break-up of her marriage to Roy, Myrtle became involved with Carl Mullenburg. Carl was a painter, was said to have been a drinker and it was said that he did not treat Myrtle very well. It is clear that neither Myrtle’s children nor the Robbs family thought much of Carl. The Robbs family certainly appreciated the new, much more attractive sign that Carl painted for the laundry, but, Juanita was furious when she came home and found that Carl had painted her kitchen table brown, with a bouquet of flowers painted in the middle.

     Eventually, Myrtle became ill, and had to go to the hospital. Roy Spencer came to Colorado and took his two daughters back to Missouri. After a time, Pauline “Polly” returned to her mother, but, Louise was closer to her father and grew up for most of his life with her father.

     Ila Myrtle met her third husband James “Jim” Reagan when he was a car salesman. The story goes, that she bought a car from him and that he cheated her on the deal. Then he went out to the ranch and bought a horse from her, and she cheated him on the deal. When both realized what had happened, they decided that they were a match for each other and started going together.

     In the relationship with her third husband, James “Jim” Reagan, Myrtle found the love of her life. He was a big, kind protector. The contrast in their physical appearance was startling. Jim was a tall, massive man, towering over Myrtle who indeed stood beside him like a little child. Jim sheltered and protected Myrtle and allowed her to continue in the role of an adorable child.

     Eventually, both Jim and Myrtle became employed as custodial caretakers with the mental hospital in Pueblo, Colorado. They lived an enmeshed and comfortable life in their cute, little, blue, stucco house in Pueblo, with the plastic flowers in the flower beds in the front yard.It was said by the family, that magically, Aunt Myrtle’s flowers never ceased to bloom.

     When Myrtle’s father, Henry “Hank” Bloxsom, was released from prison, he lived for a time with Jim and Myrtle. Hank had been incarcerated for the statutory rape of his step-daughter, Charlotte, whom he impregnated. Pauline “Polly”, Myrtle’s daughter, visited the home while Hank was there. She said that Hank, previously a cruel, arrogant and volatile man, now appeared gentle and soft-spoken.

     Jim and Myrtle traveled a fair amount. They ventured out regularly on trips to relatives, mostly in Oklahoma and Texas. Their visits to the home of Myrtle’s niece Viola and her children in Guymon, Oklahoma, were a delight to the children. Uncle Jim was a big joker and had lots of good stories. Myrtle would chime in with her little tinkling laugh. Their loving presence, laughter and stories were wonderful. They always went to the grocery store as soon as they arrived and bought an incredible amount of food and cooked a huge meal for the family.

     Jim and Myrtle also always arrived with several boxes of used clothing. In those days, Viola was a struggling single parent with six children and very little money, so the donations were appreciated. The kids would pounce on the boxes, pulling things out, exclaiming and claiming. There would be lots of over-size men pants, old slips, big, funny girdles and bras. In the end, there might be only a few items of wearable clothing in the boxes, but the rest were used for dress-up play and it was the thrill of the treasure hunt that was all the fun.

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