Hubbert | MGHS Class of 65

The story of Diane Truax by Larry Furniss

As an elementary student, your window to the world in which we all live is defined by the lessons learned on a daily basis. Most elementary students are somewhat protected by experiences that could be considered traumatic by their parents and their teachers. Death of relatives and acquaintances might even be hidden from the knowledge of elementary students. In some cases, parents avoided taking their children to a funeral home after the death of a relative since some of the questions a child might ask could not be explained in an understandable manner. How does a parent adequately explain death to their children?

As a child, we eventually will be faced with the death experience. The death of a goldfish flushed down the toilet may be one of the first experiences. The death of a pet cat or dog may progressively become more personal to a child since children and their parents treat cats and dogs more like family members. So what is the best manner in which to deal with death? Can a person eventually rationalize an explanation to avoid dealing with the personal repercussions of death? Some individuals having served in the military during a war related event may initially appear to successfully relate to death experiences only to be haunted by these experiences years later. We are all familiar with the term called post traumatic stress disability but few individuals can fully understand the impact of this trauma.

My first ‘too close for comfort’ death experience occurred in the fifth grade. We received word during our afternoon history lesson concerning the death of a class member. The year was 1958 and the class member was named Diane Truax. The death occurred in January. Additional information concerning the cause of death was not immediately available due in part to the nature of the event. Over time, we learned Diane was murdered by her mother as she slept in her second story bedroom. To make matters even more gruesome, the bodies of her mother and family acquaintance were found in the downstairs kitchen.

What would cause a mother to take the life of her daughter as she was sleeping by shooting her in the head with a twenty gauge shotgun? Furthermore, what would cause the mother and friend to shoot each other in the kitchen with a twelve gauge and twenty gauge shotgun simultaneously?

Slowly, the suspected reasons for this action were explored by the medical examiner and Sheriff’s office. Some notes were left by the male friend and part-time co-worker that helped piece together the causative actions. However, some background personal information may also be relevant.

Doris Brewer served as a member of The Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The extent of her duties during the war are not readily available but like many individuals serving during war time, the horrors of war can affect the long term memory of individuals that served and may have long term behavioral consequences. It was during the war that Doris Brewer met her future husband, Lowell Truax.

After the war, Mr. and Mrs. Truax settled in the small town of Mount Gilead, Ohio. Mr. Truax worked at Hydraulic Press Manufacturing and Mrs. Truax recently began working at The Baptist Church as the church secretary shortly after their children we old enough to do so. The Truax family, in addition to Doris and Lowell, included Diane ( age 10), Bruce (age 6), and Patty (age 4). In all likelihood, Doris became romantically involved with Foye Allen Goodrich since he was actively involved with the Baptist Church as a former Sunday School Superintendent and Clerk of the church. He was married and the father of three sons. He also farmed, worked at Hydraulic Press and Manufacturing and was a past Master at the Adams Grange.

The Goodrich family was an interesting combination of a hard working father and a stay at home mother. A younger son, John, demonstrated a combination of immaturity along with a learning disability. Mrs. Goodrich constantly corrected her son and was for all intents and purposes the director of the household. Her strong religious beliefs and opinions may have caused turmoil within the home. The father was rarely home since his manufacturing job, farming operation and church activities occupied most of his time. The conflict within the home can be verified by the suicide note left for son John, by the father.

The relationship of Doris and Lowell Truax on the surface appeared to be normal. Doris met Lowell during World War II and more than likely worked in a clerical capacity as a WAC. During this era, women did not bear arms or engage in conflict. Of course a certain amount of interest from a man wearing a military uniform directed at a WAC office worker would have been well received. Lowell was a down to earth trusting person with a strong work ethic. On the surface, he appeared to be a person with a steady course he wanted to follow and someone that readily accepted rules. Consequently, he was a good soldier. As the marriage evolved and children were born, The family needed the extra income so the position of church secretary for Doris was welcomed by the family.

According to the two page suicide note left for Mrs. Goodrich, an affair between Mr. Goodrich and Mrs. Truax had been going on for approximately three months. The stress relating to this affair was evident in the suicide note. In all likelihood, Foye and Doris had developed a friendship due to their connection with the Baptist Church. Over time, this friendship evolved into a romantic connection with devastating results.

Foye’s note to his wife (front) . Apologies for the quality.

The religious connection as a result of the murder double suicide is complicated. Originally, it was believed Foye and Doris intended to kill all three children and then commit suicide. Evidence at the scene would indicate all of the children were home when Diane was shot. However, the gun was discharged twice with the first shot missing Diane. In all probability the first shot caused Diane to wake up and then her mother shot her in the head as Diane looked into the eyes of her mother. The large amount of blood from a head wound and the stress of this event probably caused the mother to change her mind about shooting the other children. The connection to the Baptist Church may have also caused the mother to re-evaluate her plans. Mr. Truax stated during his testimony to the Sheriff his wife previously asked him to teach her how to shoot the twenty gauge shotgun but he refused to do so. He could not find a good reason to teach her how to shoot a shotgun.

After the shooting of Diane, the mother took her son to school and her four year old daughter to stay with the paternal grandparents in a neighboring town. The son reported to his first grade teacher he heard what sounded like gunfire before he left for school. The teacher did not take this report seriously since the boy lived in the country during hunting season. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Truax called the minister and told him she could not get her car started and asked him to please stop by her home around 1:00 PM and take her to work at the church. When the minister arrived at the home at 1:00 PM he noticed a note on the door of the house with directions to enter the home. The minister soon discovered the bodies in the house. The minister called the sheriff and the investigation ensued.

The small town in which we all lived was devastated by the events of this case. Various theories concerning this murder and double suicide have been examined over time. However, a logical conclusion never really developed until years later.

Mr. Truax was left with two small children he was not really able to care for since he did not have a wife or relatives able to assist him on a daily basis. In addition, his wife left a note for him describing her behavior and taking full responsibility for the death of Diane indicating Foye Goodrich did not participate in the killing of Diane. The note indicated Diane’s life was taken to ease the burden on him as he raised the children. The note mentioned Mr. Truax would have difficulty raising children especially Diane but further explanation was not available. As a result, Mr. Truax determined the remaining children of Bruce and Patty would be better served in foster care until such time as he was better prepared to raise his children.

My brother and his wife served as foster parents and assumed responsibility for Bruce and Patty for a number of months. During this time, Mr. Truax would visit his children on a regular basis. Mr. Truax displayed genuine concern for his children but also demonstrated an extended sorrow relating to the events that caused the death of his oldest daughter and wife.

Any analysis of the reasons Doris and Foye conspired to end their lives and the life of Diane obviously centers around their affair. Their strong religious beliefs and the violation of their respective marriage vows to their spouses was a factor. In addition, Foye may have found the interest Doris displayed in him too tempting to resist since his own wife showed relatively little regard for his decision making and tended to be controlling. The role of Doris in all of this becomes much more complicated.

Doris Truax on the surface appeared to suffer from a psychological condition entitled: Borderline Personality Disorder. A relatively small percentage of the population has BPD. Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by very unstable relationships, mood swings that are practically instantaneous, suicidal thoughts and a poorly defined image of self. Fear of abandonment along with quickly changing mood swings and difficulty controlling anger are typical symptoms. Doris’s mother passed away relatively early in life which may have helped set the stage to fear abandonment and she was having difficulty in her marriage. Her affair with Foye Goodrich was on the brink of destruction and as Foye indicated in the suicidal note to his wife, ” I could see no other way for it to improve.” Her anger toward her lot in life reached the point of no return when she took the life of her daughter, Diane. The stage was set at this point to either face legal charges or commit suicide. In the person of Foye Goodrich, she had a willing participant suffering along with his own personal issues of self worth and a bleak future. He was easily controlled even though he was nine years older.

Many years later, as a school counselor, I had the occasion to have a parent conference with the daughter of Doris Truax. Patty initially wanted to discuss the academic progress of her own children but this discussion rapidly evolved into the difficulty Patty was having in her marriage as well as how she felt powerless to be understood by her husband. Patty indicated she felt comfortable discussing some of her personal issues with me since she remembered my brother and his wife helping her adjust during a time in her life when things were very difficult. Although we did not directly talk about her mother and the events leading up to the death of her sister, she did express concern she may have her own personal problems. I recommended she actively seek professional counseling from the area mental health agency and she granted permission for me to introduce her case to one of the licensed therapists. I followed up with this discussion and called her to suggest an interview with a counselor would be scheduled if she called the agency requesting an appointment.

I am not aware if Patty ever sought the help she needed due to confidentiality regulations. Soon thereafter, Patty moved to a neighboring town and separated from her husband. In a short amount of time, Patty passed away. Most likely, Patty suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder which may have been the same condition causing problems for her mother. Inherited conditions of both good and bad traits from our parents is quite common. Today, better treatment plans are available. Identification of potential problems along with a complete study of family history helps in the formulation of a possible remediation of symptoms and longer lasting results. I am not aware of the similarity of Patty’s problem compared to her mother’s. However, Patty was definitely struggling with some significant emotional issues.

I think about Diane Truax quite often. Her death at such a young age was traumatically significant to me since our birthdays were only separated by a few days. Many of the students in our class had their first real experience with death when Diane was killed. A life cut short by ‘Malice in the Morning’ from a mother that could look in her daughter’s eyes and still pull the trigger of a twenty gauge shotgun is still beyond comprehension. Justifying murder by an assailant with mental illness lessens the impact somewhat; however, murder of your own child in a premeditated manner first thing in the morning goes beyond the parameters of someone with a borderline personality disorder and would more likely be considered a crime by someone socially maladjusted.

A socially maladjusted person exhibits behaviors similar to Doris Truax in that her behavior demonstrated severe conflicts within the home; her behavior was purposeful, planned and goal directed; she targeted younger children and/or less capable individuals and was able to plan or control the attacks. By societal standards her behavior more than likely would have been considered criminal and not eligible for an insanity designation.

In my opinion, Doris Truax was a criminal. Although many facts are not known and opinions may vary among investigators, the death of any young child continues to startle even the most hardened individuals. Did Doris Truax see something in her daughter, Diane, instilling a desire to eliminate the same experiences she had encountered growing up? Was something else going on in the home that only Diane had knowledge of that would implicate Doris? Was Doris trying to protect someone by silencing Diane? We will never know the answers to these questions.

Crimes of passion can be initiated by an intensely emotional state causing a person to act impulsively without regard to the consequences. Killing Diane and the suicide of two lovers is not the act of rational individuals. Why did a child need to be killed unless some form of retribution directed at the husband or someone else was an issue? Investigative resources today are much better than what was available in 1958. Unfortunately, the end result would have been the same.

What we do know is the path of a family was changed forever by an act of ‘Malice in the Morning’ and elementary school class members experienced a form of post traumatic stress. The lessons of life sooner or later are learned even though we may be sheltered by our parents. We learned a timeline concerning death is not always an option. As adults, we are more aware of the causes of death and the range of emotions death can initiate. However, the death of an innocent child caused by a parent exceeds the limits everyone’s understanding.

I finished writing this story on the same day and time Diane lost her life sixty-three years later. Most people have a chance to fulfill some of their dreams in life. Diane was denied this opportunity. I speak for members of our class when I report regret for her loss. Hopefully this story memorializes Diane and allows her continued rest with the knowledge she is not forgotten.

January 3, 2021