I was born on the 28th of May
1915 at the Shalem ranch, Donna Anna County, New Mexico near Las Cruces. My parents are Claudius Bowman and Jennie
Robinson Bowman. I weighed 9 lbs. at
birth arriving at 5:30 A. M. My
grandfather, Henry Bowman said: "That
boy was born just as we are going to work so he will be a good worker all of
his life." I was given the name of
Bardell Robinson Bowman but my grandfather didn't like the name of Bardell so
he called me Bob which became my Nickname.
My grandfather and father blessed me on June 2, 1916.
Bardell Bowman as a child
My parents were married for
all time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on June 5, 1912 by Brother Anthon
R. Lund. They then went back to the
Mormon Colonies in Chihuahua, Mexico to live.
I owe to it to Pancho Villa that I was born in the United States because
the insurrection he led became so threatening in the Colonies that there was a
move to El Paso, Texas in railroad cars.
My father went to work for the Mathias Wholesale Establishment. Their first child was born in El Paso on
March 8, 1913 and was named Claudius Jr.
My father his brothers and a cousin, Rob Done,
joined the YMCA and played basketball for the Cactus Club and won the
championship of the Southwest in 1913.
That year they all moved to a farm called Shalom Ranch where I was born
as noted. My family then moved back to
El Paso where my father formed a partnership with Harvey Taylor to move back to
Mexico to work a farm a ranch and a flourmill. The partnership lasted for 34
years without any big disagreements because my father always showed great
respect and confidence in his partner.
His responsibility was to run the very successful flourmill.
My earliest memory is of wading into a
big mud puddle to pull a little crying girl out of it on her tricycle when I
was bout 4 years old. Her name was
Florine Farnsworth and after High `School she married Mennel Taylor, Harvey
Taylor's second son who we considered to be a cousin as we always called his
father, Uncle Harvey.
My next memory was an incident when I was
five years old two weeks before Christmas.
While my Mother was at Relief Society Meeting, my older brother Claudius
and my younger sister, Dorothy and I found the Christmas presents in a
closet. We put on the beautiful new
clothes, took out the whistles and the drum and were parading around the dining
room table when Mother came home. "Oh shaw" she said. "Now you've had your "Christmas and laughed
at our antics saying how sorry we were.
We had a wonderful Christmas anyway because Mother was a very forgiving
person and loved us very much. Dorothy was only 3 years old as she was born August
4, 1917.
During this time additions to our family
were: Henry Wesley born on August 29, 1919, Samuel Keith born on November 22,
1921, Donn Seymour born on February 22, 1924, Kathleen born on January 14, 1926
and Maurice Dwight born on July 18, 1928. When I was 8 years old I was baptized
in the warm springs by my father on September 1, 1923 and confirmed a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Moroni L. Abegg. At the age of 12 my Father ordained me a
Deacon June 5, 1927.
During
this time Bertha Pratt was my teacher and My Aunt Lucille, Mother's sister was
the music teacher. I remember that
Charlie Pratt and I did very well in mathematics and we walk down the sidewalk
after school singing: "We are the arithmetickers, we are the
arithmetickers". One of the games that
the boys liked to play was marbles for keeps.
It seems that I became very adept at this and one day Sister Pratt had
me bring in the gallon of marbles I had won to give back to the students. As I brought the jar to the front of the room
I happened to drop it and the marbles went all over the room. The students scrambled to pick them up and
after school returned them to me.
Aunt Lucille taught us many songs and my
favorite was "The Blackbird". She also
put on an operetta in which I had to sing:
"Goldilocks, Goldilocks wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash dishes nor yet feed the
swine, but sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam and feed upon strawberries,
sugar and cream".
There were many activities in the town
and one of favorites was the Easter Picnic in the grove of trees by the
river. We had races, and games and lots
of delicious food. The adults had a
face-pulling match to see who could make the funniest face. Uncle Loren Taylor usually won this
contest. He was the father of Nelle
Taylor who later married my brother Claudius.
One night while my parents and brothers
were at Church the croup that I was ill with became so bad that I could hardly
breathe so my little sister Dorothy ran to the Church to get my parents who
quickly came and took care of me. In the spring we boys helped our father plant
a big garden. Then it was our responsibility to hoe the weeds every Saturday
since there was no school. We learned to
drag the hoe 6 to 10 inches so as to get finished quicker so we could go
swimming, fishing or play basketball.
Our swimming place was a deep hole on the bend of the river about a mile
from home. We called it the Cardon hole
as it was next to Brother Cardon's farm.
We learned to dive off the high bank into the cool water. When we got tired of swimming we would wade
down the shallow part of the river to see how many water snakes we could catch
and throw out on the bank. We didn't do
anything with them but we did catch a number of land turtles that we took home
to play with. We drilled holes at the
end of the shell and had them pull little tin wagons that we attached with
string. When we were swimming and got
hungry we picked some sweet corn and roasted it in a fire that we made on the
bank of the river. We didn't shuck the
corn but put the whole ear in the fire until it was cooked nicely.
Before the people left the Colonies
because of the revolution my Grandfather had a big Cooperative Store that even
had a special candy factory. He also
had a canal dug from the river to the lake about 7 miles away to fill it with
extra water for irrigation of farms and lots in Colonia Dublan. He also had a telephone system operating.
When my parents returned to Mexico the store and the telephone system were all
destroyed. The only thing left was an
old long warehouse. With Dad's
enthusiasm for basketball, he turned the warehouse into a beautiful gymnasium
with a hardwood floor and basketball court.
The adults used it and so did we kids with
special coaching from our father. The
town also had parties there in the wintertime.
The town decided to have a contest to see
who could best beautify the grounds around their home. Dad really became enthusiastic and made a
beautiful driveway from the street to the garage and planted lawn on both sides
of it and all around the house. Also he
sculptured a big rose trellis by the south side of the house and planted
climbing roses, which bloomed beautifully.
Of course we got to water the lawn and garden and mow the lawn. Needless to say dad won the beautification
project and was awarded a nice flock of Wyandot chickens. Of course this necessitated building a
chicken coop and a fenced in yard. About
this time Keith and I had become pals and read a Tarzan of the Apes book. This gave us the idea to make some spears out
of iron rods that we found discarded at the mill. After much fun practicing we became quite
proficient in hitting our targets. One
day we saw one of Dad's prized hens sitting on the fence. Keith said, "Bob, I'll bet you can't hit that
chicken". Always ready for a challenge
I drew back my spear and let it go.
Wow! That chicken fell flopping
to the ground pierced through. Now we
had a decision to make. We gave it a
secret burial under the grape arbor bordering the garden. The tale finally came out later of this
exploit. Sometimes Keith thinks that he
is the one who threw the spear. Hi!
Dad's enthusiasm to improve our home
continued so he built a tennis court next to the barn where we kept our cow
that we had to milk morning and night.
He was a very good tennis player and taught us to play the game much to
our delight.
This was a great time and I felt quite
grown up. However the senior students
soon took care of that by calling us "greenies" and making us wear a green
cap. My brother, Claudius was already in
high school so I joined him in riding the bus driven eighteen miles to Colonia
Juarez driven by Brother Moroni Abegg.
He was the Manual Arts teacher.
He taught us many things but the greatest was to build a boat to row on
the Dublan Lake. We really had fun with that and gave friends rides when we had
watermelon bust parties at the Lake.
A big event was a circus
coming to the Mexican town two miles away called Nuevas Casas Grandes. Dad and Mother took us all and we were
enthralled. I especially liked the
gymnasts and started practicing, especially walking on my hands. When I had accomplished this I offered fifty
cents to any one of my brothers who could walk a distance of ten feet on their
hands. Keith was the only one who was
able to do this so won the prize. We
used freshly plowed ground as a mat to land on when we practiced somersaults
and handsprings. Later when Keith was
the principal of the Dublan schools he used these skills and added to them to
teach gymnastics to students in their physical education classes. After my first year of High School I was
ordained a Teacher on October 5, 1930 in the Aaronic Priesthood.
In early 1930 my father became very ill
throwing up blood. He became so weak
that Uncle Harvey, with help, put him on a cot and carried him to the train to
go to El Paso, as there were no competent doctors in town. He was immediately put in the hospital and
upon examination he had only a small bit of pink fluid for blood. The doctor gave him transfusions but didn't
hold out much hope for him. The Ward in El Paso and in Colonia Dublan had a special
day of fasting and prayer for him. In a
few days the nurse came in and was very surprised to see him sitting up. He said: "I feel fine. `Tomorrow I'm going
home". The next day he dressed and while
he was waiting he read an article about Ulcers, which was the doctor's
diagnosis. He read that he should watch
to eat a certain diet and drink a glass of milk at regular intervals. He was very determined and left to treat
himself. He was very diligent and
completely overcame his ulcer problem, which made us all very grateful and
happy.
Then an event happened that shaped my
life. I heard some beautiful musical
sounding from across the street. I went
to see what it was and saw our Spanish American War Veteran, who we called
Brother Fowler, playing the violin. Immediately I felt a strong desire to do
that so I asked my father to buy a violin for me. Finally he took my pleading
seriously and got a violin for me, a saxophone for Claudius and a second hand
piano for Dorothy. I took lessons from
Brother Fowler and in two years was playing popular music for dances with piano
and solos in Church and for school programs.
I practiced at every opportunity and Mother worried that on Sunday
afternoons I would come home and practice while all the other young people
would get together for a social time. On
July 3, 1932 I was ordained to the office of Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood
by my father.
About this time, Dad and Uncle Harvey
bought a Ranch out by the Lake and some flat land about a mile east of town
that we called the flat. They decided to
plant an apple orchard on this land, as there were quite a few flourishing
orchards on the fertile land west of town by the river. The Wagner brothers had a large orchard and a
packing plant to get the apples ready for shipment and sale to Mexico City. Brother Longhurst had a plant nursery that
featured delicious apple trees for planting.
So we boys worked with Mexican hired workers to plant all these trees on
the flat. We dug holes about a foot in
diameter and a foot deep in rows about half a mile long. We didn't have gloves so soon had blisters on
our hands that turned to calluses. One
day a teacher in high school, Brother Bentley, looked at my hands and said: "How can you play the violin with hands like
that?" Uncle Harvey supervised the
drilling of a well and installing a diesel engine to pump water to irrigate the
orchard. I remember practicing the
violin while waiting for the water to go down each row. When the trees got bigger we had to spade the
ground about four feet around the trees and I challenged myself to do two rows
while the Mexicans did one. There were
many jackrabbits in the area and they started eating the tender bark off the
trees so our job was to tie a bundle of "sacaton " grass
around each tree with strips of cactus for string. This reminds me of the rabbit drives that
farmers had down by the river. This was carried out by building a pen that
could be closed, with a mile fence on each side funneling into it. Then all the youth in the town and some
adults would gather a few miles from the pen in the evening and with closed
ranks march making a lot of noise to drive the rabbits into the pen. We thought this was a lot of fun, especially
since refreshments were served after the drive.
The Governor of the State of Chihuahua
had a ranch near ours and having heard of the very fine well that Uncle Harvey
had on his orchard land, hired him to dig some wells on his ranch. Dad decided it would be a good experience for
me to take two years out of high school to help Uncle Harvey. So I became the truck driver to go into town
to get needed supplies with the title of "chief cook and bottle washer".
One time when the Governor
came to check on the progress of the wells, I cooked a dinner of stew with
biscuits baked in a Dutch oven to serve to everybody. Then while they ate I was asked to serenade
them with violin music, which I loved doing.
One time on a trip into town the truck had a flat tire and not having a
spare I had to run the seven miles into town to get help from a garage there.
I remember that when I was in grade
school I became a slingshot or "flipper" expert and would shoot many birds in
the trees. This ended when we were
taught a song in Primary that said: "Don't shoot the little birds that sing on
bush and tree." Then I changed to a 22
rifle and hunted ducks and rabbits when I became high school age. So when I had some time off from well
drilling I would take a horse and ride out to the orchard area to hunt
rabbits. One time I remember that I
returned to town with six rabbits dangling from the saddle. These were used to feed dogs in town, as they
were not good for human consumption.
In 1933 I eagerly went back to school at
the same time that my father was called to be the President of the Juarez Stake. He served in this position for 25 rewarding
years, and was respected and loved by all.
He did take some time to go hunting deer and turkey in the mountains and
I remember one trip that I was invited to go along to an area that was called "the blues". I suppose because these mountains looked blue
in the distance. One afternoon we got
separated and just at dusk I saw a big beautiful buck and was lucky to shoot
him. He jumped and ran for a short
distance where I found him. I was on
foot and he was too heavy to carry, so I marked the spot and started back to
where I thought camp was. It was soon
dark and I realized that I was lost in the woods. I just about fell over a cliff as I went
struggling through the rugged country all the time shouting to see if someone
would come to my aid. Finally I saw a
campfire flickering in the distance and gratefully trudged into camp. They were a little worried about me but
hadn't sent out a searching party yet as they thought I would make it. The next morning Dad and I took some horses
and went to pick up the deer. Dad was
surprised with the size of the deer and complimented me on bagging him. `That was my first and only deer.
Claudius went to Logan, Utah to live with
our Grandfather and Grandmother Bowman and attend college there majoring in
horticulture and poultry. Grandfather
had a lot of chickens and Claudius was given the responsibility of taking care
of them, which was a lot of work. He
joined the Men's Glee Club and found out that he had a beautiful high tenor
voice that he had never used.
I loved getting back to school and
really delved into my studies with "gusto".
Spanish class was easy as we spoke it all the time working with Mexicans
on the farm. In speech class Brother
Bryant R. Clark had us memorize "The Highwayman" and recite it in
class. I enjoyed that and decided to try
out for the School Play
"Peg of My Heart". I was
surprised to get the lead and had a great time doing it. Typing class was challenging and fun. The
Juarez Stake Academy had a good sports program, which I really got into playing
basketball, Tennis and participating in track.
In one our speech classes we were called upon to tell an interesting
experience so I told about a scout camping trip that our scoutmaster, Chico
Jones took us on. When it came time to cook supper Melvin Hardy pulled out a
can of sardines and a package of crackers from his pack and ate. So after that he was called "Sardine Hardy". I decided to cook some rice so got out a big
kettle put it on the fire full of water to boil. I added quite a bit of rice so everyone could
have some and waited for it to boil.
Soon the rice swelled and started going over the top of the kettle. I quickly borrowed a kettle and spooned rice
into it. To my amazement and chagrin the
rice kept swelling until I had every kettle in camp full of rice. Wow! I
didn't get a merit badge for cooking but everyone certainly got their fill of
rice. Our scoutmaster had a big
laugh. I finally wound up getting my
Life Scout badge. I had enough merit
badges for Eagle Scout but never received that honor.
In the Summer I went back to work on the
farm that we called "Recania"
located five miles south of Dublan.
Uncle Harvey gave his son Lynn, who was my age, and me the responsibility
of plowing a big field with horse drawn plows.
It was challenging to plow straight furrows. We did this by sighting two points between
the horses in head of us. Our crops were
mostly wheat, alfalfa and corn and we worked on the harvesting in the
summer. In the spring we had the job of
irrigating the fields. Before Claudius
left for school we were often given this job to do together. One day as we were watching the water I heard
a sharp rattling sound and looked at Claudius and there near his bare leg was a
big rattle snake poised to strike.
Instinctively I threw my shovel at the snake and due to my spear
throwing experience, cut the snake right in half. That was a really a terrifying experience,
especially for Claudius. He was really
an expert in running the mowing machine drawn by horses in cutting the
alfalfa. One day he cut a skunk along
with the alfalfa and got sprayed royally.
Mother wouldn't let him in the house but had him bathe in the laundry
room in an outside building. We all had
greater respect for a skunk after that.
Claudius told the story of the mother skunk that was taking a walk
followed by her five little children.
They heard a loud bark and cried fearfully, "Mother what should we do?" The
mother responded, "Let's pray." He then
said he could identify with the poem:
"There was a young man from the city who saw what he thought was a
kitty. He gave it a pat and soon after
that he buried his clothes. What a pity"
Hi!
When the hay was dry we raked it up into
rows by a horse drawn rake then we used pitchforks to put the hay onto a big
sled to take to the bailer. The hay was
pitched into the mouth of the bailer and it was compressed and tied into bales
to be carted to the barn.
The wheat was cut with a header drawn by
four horses. The header had an elevator on it that funneled the wheat into a
horse drawn wagon with the right side of the box lower than the left. It took skill to keep the wagon alongside the
header to receive the wheat. One of us
would drive while another would pitch the wheat to fill the wagon evenly. One day a wild cat came up through the
elevator while I was driving and as I grabbed it to throw it off the wagon it
bite clear through my hand. That was the
end of the workday for me, as I had to walk to the farmhouse to get my hand
disinfected and bandaged. The next day I
was back on the job taking wheat to the thresher which separated the wheat
kernels from the chaff. The chaff went onto the ground and the wheat into a
wagon to be hauled the five miles to the mill.
I quite enjoyed taking the wheat to the mill and driving on to the scale
to have it weighed then emptying the wheat into the mill bin. Sometimes I had to walk home from the farm
and since the railroad track ran by the side of the road I practiced walking on
the rail until I finally walked the whole five miles without falling off.
Since Dad was now the Stake President it
became his responsibility to drive to El Paso to pick up the General
Authorities of the Church who would come for stake conference. Mother wanted a nice place for them to stay
so Dad went to Chihuahua City to buy some bedroom and dining room
furniture. Then he put plumbing in the
house with running water for a toilet and a bath. I was elected to go in the crawl space under
the house to make the pipe connections, as the space was too small for
Dad. Mother considered it a great
blessing to have General Authorities stay in our home and she took joy in
preparing extra special meals for them.
Of course we were able to enjoy them also. The road was rough and like a washboard from
the border of the United States so Dad drove fast to make it smoother by
hitting the high points. The Authorities
considered it a memorable experience and Apostle Ballard said that he especially
looked forward to it. He was my favorite
visitor as he was an opera singer and always sang a song to begin his
talk. His favorite was: "A Mormon boy, a
Mormon boy. I am a Mormon boy. I am much happier than a king for I am a
Mormon boy." He had such a beautiful
powerful voice that he could be heard many blocks away. He bore a strong testimony that he had seen a
vision of Jesus Christ in the Salt Lake Temple that really impressed me and had
a big influence on my life.
Many of our activities were Church
sponsored or related. One that I
remember vividly was the Dance Contest conducted by the Mutual Improvement
Association. My dancing partner we Blanche Lenore Coon. She choreographed a Spanish tango to the tune
of "Señorita Mía" that was dashing and fun to do. We came out first place in the Dublan Ward
then won the Stake competition in Juarez.
This made us eligible to participate in the District competition in
Mesa, Arizona. We won there and went to
dance at the Church finals at the Saltair Pavilion in Salt Lake City. We had a very good time there with all the
dancers and went home very happy to have participated even though we did not
win. Blanche Lenore went on to finish
high school and eventually married my cousin Ben Taylor, who was a tall
handsome bass singer. Ben, Bertha
Farnsworth and I formed a vocal trio singing requests in many programs. A favorite seemed to be "Home on the Range".
Another fun time came to me this summer
through my good friend Robert Stell. He
was the son of the only doctor in town and had the money to order a pair of
roller skates that clamped on to hard-soled shoes. He didn't like them so wanted me to buy
them. To get the money I sold delicious
rolls that mother baked especially for me to sell to the Mexican soldiers
stationed in Nuevas Casas Grandes. I
learned to skate in the Gymnasium in Dublan.
When Dad took me to El Paso to have a little lump taken out my cheek I
took the skates along and skated on the cement sidewalk all the way to the
amusement park and back. On the way back
to the hotel I stopped at a little roadside stand and got a hamburger and a
glass of root beer for five cents each.
When school started I put on a demonstration on the stage as part of a
program for the student body. After doing on the twists and turns that I knew I
skated off the four foot high stage into the aisle and zoomed down the aisle
and out the auditorium door with the students laughing and cheering since they
hadn't seen skating before.
Ashton Longhurst one of my good friends
and I were nominated for Student Body President. A group of girls got together to campaign for
Ashton as they said I had too many honors already. I was happy that Ashton was elected and he
did a good job all year. I was then
chosen as Senior Class President. This
year Dorothy and I got an apartment in Juarez instead of riding the bus. We took turns cooking and she put up with my
violin practicing. One day I decided to
make bread like my Mother did and followed her recipe exactly. When I went to class I left the pan of dough
on the radiator to rise. When I got home
it had really risen and was running all over the radiator on to the floor. I had quite a time cleaning up the mess and
it gave Dorothy a big laugh. I think she
really did feel sorry for me. This
senior year seemed to be more loaded with homework but I still took time for
sports playing basketball, tennis and doing some track. I was captain of the basketball team but the
real star was a big fellow by the name of Greer Skousen. He was nephew of our
wonderful music teacher, Viva Skousen. I
didn't have too much competition on the tennis court as Dad had taught me well
on our home court. Our track star was
Lamar Taylor, a student from El Paso, Texas.
He was a great sprinter. The
musical put on this year was "HMS Pinafore" (Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore) I
auditioned and the part I received had me sing:
"I am the captain of the Pinafore and a right good captain too." We all had a great time doing this musical under
our teacher's marvelous direction. I was
a little sad to see the school year come to an end. In the YearBook I was listed as All-around
Athlete and Valedictorian, class of 1935.
Immediately after graduation I was
ordained an Elder in the Melchizedec Priesthood and called on a Mission to
Mexico City for the Church. All my life
I had been preparing for this by attending all Church meetings and reading the
scriptures but I still felt humble and not prepared. The first step was to buy the needed clothes
then go to Salt Lake City to be set apart as a Missionary then attend a two
week Missionary Training School. There
was no language training so I got some Spanish grammar books and studied to be
able to speak more correctly. We had
some very inspiring talks from General Authorities and were given instruction
as how to best present the principles of the Gospel to the people we would be
able to contact.
When I arrived in Mexico City I was met
and welcomed by President Harold Pratt and his wife, Sister Anna Pratt. I was taken to the home of Hermano Balderas
to live temporarily. He was the
President of the little Ermita Branch with sixty members. It was the only one in Mexico City. There had been quite a change in the
religious situation in Mexico as the Government confiscated all the Churches
declaring that they now belonged to the Government to end the rule that the
Catholic Church had over the people.
Then the different Churches were given permission to use the Church
buildings. We were not allowed to tract
by going door to door to teach the people.
The Juarez Stake had sent representatives to Mexico City to explain that
if our Missionaries were allowed to work in the nation they would be doing an
educational and social work. This was accepted so we were to work mostly
through the Mutual Improvement Association.
So my first assignment was to travel over five states every fifteen days
in a little ford car with two Lady Missionaries as companions to find the
members in the towns designated as having some members. So each morning we would seek out the members
in the town we arrived at and invite them to participate in sports in the
afternoon and a social at night. We got
a lot of participation from the young people in the afternoon playing baseball
and basketball. Then in the evening I
would play the violin to help the Lady Missionaries teach them the hymns. Then we would give them a scriptural lesson
that would be helpful in their daily living.
Next we would teach them some dances with violin music. This activity
was loved by all as they loved to dance.
After some refreshments the lady Missionaries would go to sleep in some
members home and I would sleep in the back seat of the car. Early the next morning we would eat breakfast
with a member family and then go on to the next town to repeat our
program. All the time we gave special
attention to those whom we thought would be able to direct the Mutual Program
without us being present. My two companions were Hermana (Sister) Hannah Wood
and Hermana LaPriele Bluth who did a great job teaching and winning the hearts
of the people. One time a member came
with three big plates filled with honey.
We had to struggle but did eat it all even though we knew that we would
suffer afterwards. It was very impolite
not to eat anything that was brought to us as they did it out of love. After a period of nine months we had each
Branch MIA (Mejoramiento Mute) organized so they could carry on by themselves.
I was then called into the Mission Office
to translate the MIA Handbook, print it and send it out to all the branches to
help them have a successful organization.
Next I had the responsibility to edit and send out the Mission publication
entitled "El Azalea".
My next assignment was to teach the
gospel in Monterrey with Fay Johnson as my companion. We had great success there in teaching
friends of members that were recommended to us.
Many were baptized and attended church faithfully. There is a Temple there now. After a few months I was sent to the border
town of Piedras Negras. (Black Rocks) to work with a former classmate D. V.
Haws. We walked so much we had to have
our shoes repaired every month. We were
introduced to goat's milk and actually learned to like it. Some of the members there spoke a little
English and urged us to teach them more.
After almost three years, just two weeks
before my release I was called back to Mexico City to be the companion of my
Brother Claudius who just came into the Mission. As we came to our first
country town a large group of people met us to keep the Mormon Missionaries out
of their town as instructed by their priest.
One of the older men, seeing that I had a violin said: "Tocanos una pieza"(Play
us a piece). I asked him what piece he would like me to play and he said, "El
Jarabe Tapatío" (which is the Mexican national hat dance). I told him that I would play it if he would
dance it. Wow! I played and he danced, and the people clapped and
cheered and welcomed us into their town.
The violin was a great help to me on my Mission and I was asked to play
for some weddings of members. At this
time two Elders were allowed to come from the United States and we were asked
to introduce them to the members in the Branch at San Pedro Martir, a town near
Mexico City. We took them to the home of
the District President Juarez whose wife was a very good cook. As was customary we were invited for
dinner. The main course was tortillas y
frijoles (tortillas and beans). One
Elder, feeling well satisfied said:
"That was very good. How do I
thank her?" We told him to say: "Muchas
gracias, mass frijoles." So Sister
Juarez immediately brought him another plate of beans. He ate that and said: "Now I'm really
stuffed." Still he wanted to express his
appreciation so repeated again: "Muchas gracias, mas
frijoles." Sister Juarez now overjoyed
that the Elder liked her food so much brought him another plate of beans. This time he really struggled to eat it all
then just waddled away from the table without saying anything. We were really laughing inwardly but felt
sorry for him. When we left he asked: "What did I
say?" "We're sorry Elder. You said: " Thank you very much, more beans please". He took it as a good joke and determined that
he was really going to learn the language.
My brother Claudius coming into the
Mission just as I was leaving became a pattern for all the rest of my brothers
and sisters. Then my father was called
as the Mexican Mission President with mother as his companion in 1953. Everywhere they went they would hear about
what their sons and daughters had done which made them happy that they had
given us that opportunity to serve.
I went to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham
Young University in 1938. I batched it
with George Reimchissel in a little apartment we rented. He also played the violin and we played in the
BYU Symphony together that was conducted by Professor LeRoy J. Robertson, a very
fine violinist and famous composer.
George wanted to become a dentist and achieved his goal and finally set
up a very successful practice in Roy, Utah.
When I was in the mission field I determined that I would like to have a
life of service such as a doctor of medicine or a chiropractor but when I got
to school it was clear to me that I should major in music and teach music. To support myself I took the job of cleaning
the College Library at 5:00 A.M. and worked in a service station on
Saturdays. I began immediately to take
private violin lessons and became very good friends with Professor Robertson
and his family. In the winter I went
ice-skating with them on the Lake. They
had two daughters that were still in high school, who very good skaters. I
found a room at t he college where I could practice the violin when I found
time between my studies and work. At the end of the school year that seemed to
go by very rapidly, I went to work for Uncle Harold at his Tourist Camp forty
miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
It was called Jacob Lake and I worked there the summers during my
college years. My main job was to take
care of the service station from 6:00 A.M. until late at night, but I was also
called on to help clean cabins and make beds from time to time. The road from Kanab to Jacob Lake was gravel
so many tourists came with a flat tire for me to fix. With all the practice I
got I was finally able to fix a tire and put it on the wheel of the car in l0
minutes. If I didn't have a customer I
would sometimes play my violin. One day
a customer came in while I was playing "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" and said,
"Playing like that, what are you doing working in a service station?" Sometimes I would go out in the forest and
practice for a while at midnight. I had
a bar at the station to do chin-ups and got up to fifteen but Wayne, a strong
young man working at Jacob Lake, could do a chin-up with one arm. He had lost one arm in a farm accident. Of course he couldn't walk on his hands as I was
doing. Aunt Nina was a real taskmaster
directing the girls who worked there but Uncle Harold was the ultimate in love
and kindness. Sometimes he would slip me
an extra ten dollars to help out my low wages and advise me not to tell anyone,
especially Aunt Nina. After finishing my
second year at BYU I attended the University of Utah and lived with Uncle
Harold and Aunt Nina for one Year. I
walked to school about a mile away and got along very well having more time to
practice, as the housework I did was very little. The violin teacher didn't seem to me to be as
good as Professor Robertson so for my Senior Year I went back to the BYU and
stayed with My Aunt Eva, who was the widow of Uncle Henry Bowman. I was privileged to play a violin solo at his
funeral.
Aunt Eva had six children. Marion, the oldest had
finished school and married his cousin, Ireta Pierce from El Paso. Also gone from home was Lorraine who majored
in Music and was teaching high school vocal music. The four at home were Melvin, (Mel) Betty,
Mary and Jolene. We all got along
fine. Mel and Betty worked at Jacob Lake
during the summer vacation. Mel played
football and demonstrated an amazing feat by jumping in the air and landing on
his bottom with his legs outstretched without getting hurt. In addition to academic classes I took
gymnastics and a dancing class. The
teacher thought I could become a professional dancer but I didn't follow that
course. I got on the gymnastic team
that presented programs for many high schools in the area. The team also put on a show at half time at
football games. To start the show off
they had me walk down 132 stadium steps on my hands, which was a little
precarious when the aisle wasn't clear.
The BYU Symphony Orchestra also presented programs at High Schools. I
remember one particular concert where the Principal of school was interrupted
in his announcement of the orchestra to the students. He said, "Students I don't think"--and paused
just long enough for the students for the students to applaud and cheer. He was a little chagrined and laughed also
then finished his introduction of the orchestra beautifully.
I corrected music theory papers of
underclassmen for Professor Robertson and enjoyed it. I also took some extra classes including
string ensemble, private voice and private piano to round out my program. When I graduated with honors my father and
mother came to my graduation and took pictures of me in the traditional gown.
At this time graduating students were
being drafted rapidly. Since I was an
American citizen I looked around for a way to volunteer instead of being
drafted. The Ninety-Day Wonder program in
the Navy appealed to me so I applied and was notified that I needed sixteen
more hours of mathematics to qualify. So
I signed up for summer school and took classes in algebra, trigonometry and
geometry for six weeks. Then I went to
Chicago and was accepted in the program where I could receive the rank of
Ensign, as a deck officer, in three months.
When I got back home Aunt Eva told me that officers had been there to
draft me. I reported to the draft board with my acceptance into the Navy, which
of course was accepted.
Looking back on my college years it
wasn't all work and no play because I did enter the "dating game". I dated four beautiful, talented girls, one
at a time with great pleasure but didn't award the Mrs. Degree to any of
them. The first was an enthusiastic girl
who worked at Jacob Lake during the summer.
After one date she became more serious than I was ready for so it ended
there. The second one was a vivacious
dancer who was full of fun. I taught her to dance the Mexican National Hat
Dance "El Jarabe Tapatio" to do together but we never performed it in public. At the University of Utah I met Ruth Barton
who was more accomplished on playing the violin than I was. We played some duets together and she was
able to play the music to "El Jarabe Tapatio" very well. Back at BYU I became
very good friends with a girl who played the piano very well and accompanied me
on solos that I was called on to play in the area. One of these times was on a program at the
foot of Mt. Timpanogos the evening before the annual climb. This was not only for students but for adults
as well. My Aunt Grace, Uncle Thel's
wife was there to climb to the summit the next morning starting at dawn. She was about sixty-five years old and I was
surprised at how well she hiked and reached the top with just a little help
from me. She passed away a few years
later leaving Uncle Thel alone.
My Naval training at Abbott Hall in
Chicago was not easy but very interesting.
The first week we got a series of immunization shots that incapacitated
us to do the strenuous morning exercises for a few days. The next week some of the cadets had such
stiff and sore muscles from the exercises that they had to take a few more days
off. A big, handsome cadet from Texas
with a loud voice was appointed drillmaster.
He used such vulgar language, laced with profanity, that he was expelled
from the program. In the very
interesting class of navigation we were taught to find the latitude and
longitude of our position by using a sextant to take star sightings. Of course we had to pass a swimming test and
learn how to handle lifeboats including efficient rowing skills. Once a week we would have half a day free to
shop around in town or go to a movie. A
very memorable event was Thanksgiving when we were all invited out to dinner by
different families in the area. My
invitation was from Ed and Helen Lethen who lived in Glenview a short trip on
the elevated train from Chicago. Ed was
an advertising manager and also a member of the Coast Guard so we had something
in common. We got along so well that
they invited me to come to their home for dinner every Sunday. On December 7, 1941 we heard the tragic news
that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
This caused the declaration of war on Japan.
At our graduation in January, 1942 about
a thousand of us received the rank of Ensign
And declared to be officers
and gentlemen in the United States Navy. At
the close of the ceremony a Navy Captain arose and announced that as Deck
Officers now we were given the opportunity to resign our commission and start
all over in flight training, if we qualified, with the guarantee that if we
failed in flight training we would be reinstated as deck officers. He said that as aviators we could do even a
greater service for our country. Fifty of us volunteered to take the tests to
qualify for aviation training which consisted of having an IQ of 125 and a Snider blood pressure test between 12 and 16. The blood pressure was taken before and after
exercise. Mine happened to be a
sixteen. We were told that if an
aviator's Snider fell to 10 or below after a weekend of liberty he wouldn't be
able to fly until he recovered, so we were told we have to keep in good
physical condition. Out of the 50 who
took the tests ten of us qualified to go to New Orleans Naval Station for
training. It was called "Elimination
Base" because many were "washed out" before getting their "wings".
On one of my visits to the Lethens Helen
told me that every sailor ought to have a girl friend so she arranged a date
with a college girl who was a champion hockey player. She was very pretty and nice but we had
different beliefs and ideals. She
belonged to the Christian Science Church and said that she wouldn't call a
doctor if I were injured in an accident.
I did meet someone on the day that I was leaving Chicago who really
fascinated me so much that it was love at first sight. Can you believe it? Here is the story.
The night before I was to take the train
to New Orleans for flight training I checked out of Abbott Hall and went to
spend the night with Ed and Helen Lethen, as they wanted to take me to the
train the next evening. The next
morning, bright and early, anyway early, I went to take the elevated train into
Chicago to pick up some photographs from the Stone Studio. As I was running up the steps to the platform
I caught up with a girl taking the steps two at a time. A train was just passing by when we reached
the top and I said: "That isn't our
train. It's going the wrong way." Later she told me that she wondered how I
knew which way she was going. It was a
beautiful cool day with the sun shining brightly on January 19, 1942. As I looked at her balancing on her toes on
the platform I thought, Wow! What a
pretty girl with a beautiful smile under a big floppy hat. I must speak to her, so I said: "It's a
beautiful day isn't it? Here comes our train."
I followed her on to the train and since the seat was empty beside her I
asked: "Do you mind if I sit here?" She
looked around at the people getting on then at me wearing my blue navy raincoat
and said: "You are welcome to take this seat."
We talked and laughed all the way into Chicago just like we had always
known each other. I learned that she was
going to visit her Aunt Lydia who had three daughters near her own age. She had just broken off an engagement to a
young engineer who was her parent's choice and she lived in West Bend, Iowa and
worked as a guide and private secretary to Father Dobberstein at the Grotto of
the Redemption that depicted the Life of Christ. Then she told me that she loved music and
played the piano. What a joy that was
because I was already entranced by her vivaciousness and enthusiasm. I then told her that I had received my degree
in music at the Brigham Young University and that my solo instrument was the
violin and I thought it would be great if we could play music together. "Oh yes, that would be fun." She said. Then I
told her that I was on the way to pick up some pictures in Chicago then that
night would be taking the train to New Orleans for flight training to become a
Naval Aviator. "You will do very well I'm sure," she said. Then she asked if I would like her to write
to me as ladies were encouraged to write to service men to keep up their
morale. That would really be great I said and we exchanged addresses. I went about mile past my stop so had to walk
back, but I didn't mind that, as I seemed to be walking on air.
I picked up my pictures and when I got
back to Lethens I told them all about the beautiful girl I met on the
train. I told them that I had her
address in Iowa and that I had promised to write to her. Helen said: "Let me see that address." She took it and threw it into the fire. "You really wouldn't want to write to someone
you picked up on the "L", she said. They
took me to the train about 8:30 that night with my entire luggage and after a
fond, grateful goodbye, because we had become such good friends, I boarded the
train.
Later Rickie told me that she had me
paged at the Union Station at 9:00 P.M. but got no response. Also on the train she told me that her name
was Fredericka but her friends called her Rickie. Then I told her that my name was Bardell but
my friends called me Bob and we had a good laugh about that. When I checked in at the Naval Base in New
Orleans I lamented the fact that I didn't have Rickie's address because she was
always in my thoughts and I felt the need to talk to her. Imagine the joy I
felt when I received a letter from her about a week later saying: "You probably
don't remember the girl you met on the elevated train in Chicago but I promised
to write to you so here is my letter hoping that you arrived safely in New
Orleans. If I don't hear from you,
goodbye and God bless you." She told me
later that a couple of days after she got home her mother asked he why she seemed sad.
"Well." She said: "I met this
real neat fellow on the train in Chicago and I promised to write to him." "Well, go ahead and write because you
probably won't hear from him anyway." She said.
As soon as I read her letter I sat right
down and answered it telling her how I had lost her address. This started our correspondence that soon
escalated into writing every day without waiting for a response. We seemed to be of one mind and our thoughts
frequently crossed in the mail. When we
had "liberty" (time off) the other fellows would go into town but I spent my
free time writing to Rickie who I now called "my Honey". My longest letter was forty pages telling her
that I was a Mormon and about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. She was very receptive so I
wrote her a proposal in the form of a poem. (I will copy it here.) I told her that I would call Monday evening
to get her answer on August 10th.
Rickie
dearest,
FROM ME TO YOU
Emotions
they say are like a perfume,
Exuding
their sweetness all through their bloom
And
like the perfume gently fades as it dries
Our
emotions must have their good-byes
Thus
it may be for emotions but carnal,
But
those stirred in me must be greater than normal
For
they come in a surge, overpowering and linger
Through daylight and dark retaining their ginger.
Their
advent has been a wonder to me,
Gently
encircling me `ere I could flee.
`Til
now the mere thought that lose them I might
Makes
me shiver, gives me strength such to fight.
Perhaps,
my Darling, you'll never know
How
your letters have cheered and thrilled me so,
But
this Saturday night, on my cute little bed
My
heart's turning over the wonders you've said:
"I
adore you, my darling, just as you are."
Makes me catch my breath, seats me high on a star.
"You
know something! I like you too!"
Puts
my heart all aflutter, my eyes shine like dew.
"Did
you know when you smile your eye closes slightly?
And
raises a bit when I pass in my nighty?
And
you're with me tonight in my big easy chair
Eager
and ready my moments to share."
Why
Rickie, my darling, you're so lovely to see,
So
fresh, so alive, so full of vitality,
That could I but gain a
strong place in your favor,
Guarding
your happiness there could be no knight braver.
Your
soft cupid lips lovingly speaking my name
Is
for me a choice spot in Heaven the same?
To
be near you, the fragrance to breathe of your hair
Would surpass earthy visions of happiness rare.
Sweetheart
believe me I cannot express
The
depth of my feelings if you could say, "Yes"
When
I see you and clasp you close to my heart,
And
whisper, my darling, may we never part.
My
joy would be sweet, boundless, eternal,
If we were
inscribed as one in God's journal,
To share the
silly little things of this life,
Together
to vanquish all evil and strife.
So my own little
sweetheart, until that day
I bow my head
and reverently say:
"God bless you
and keep you safe for me!"
Darling, such is
my prayer and ever will be!"
Hopefully,
, Bob
I called Monday night and was overcome
with joy when I heard a breathless "Yes, yes, I will marry you!" She told me later that her parents were
listening and were really amazed and dismayed with her answer. Then our letters really flew thick and fast,
even though I. was really being diligent in my training. We got up early and had calisthenics before
breakfast. Then we had what they called
ground school, learning to send and receive Morse Code,
flag signals and all the basic rules of flying.
Then in the afternoon we would go up with a flight instructor to learn
how to take off, fly patterns and land safely.
After ten hours of this actual flight instruction we were to be given
either a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down" by our instructor. An affirmative rating brought another check
from another instructor and a "thumbs up" from him would give us the next step
to fly solo. A "thumbs down" from an
instructor meant two more checks and if they were not "thumbs up", it meant a "washout" and a return to deck officer duty. Out of the ten who came to training three of
us were qualified to go on in the program to get our wings. One of our fellow students was a champion
Ping-Pong player with such good coordination that we were sure that he would
make it and he did but was afraid to take the plane up solo so was sent back to
be a deck officer.
After a lot of practice
takes offs and landings we were sent to another field to learn Acrobatics and formation flying that
was challenging but a lot of fun. We
also had to learn the "manual of arms" with a rifle and do it while we were
marching. Our drill master was very demanding and anybody that "doped off' or
made a mistake had to march by the side of the platoon. Soon there was more marching by the side than
in the platoon. Finally I was the only
won left and my face was pretty red when he said in his booming voice "Now
there's a man!" We also did some hiking
and coming down a rocky slope I walked a hundred yards on my hands and the
fellows said: "Wow! You should be a
circus." When we got back to the
barracks we tried a standing jump up the steps with both feet together. I
landed on the sixth step and they had me do it ten times to believe it. Then
one of my friends jumped up five steps and in doing so ripped his trousers that
brought a good-natured laugh. It was
okay as there were no females anywhere around.
We also had to run an obstacle course and I was lucky to come in first.
Finally came graduation day and among all
those who got their wings were three of us from the Ninety-Day Wonder
program. This was the time Rickie and I
had been looking forward to so I could go to West Bend to see her and meet her
parents. They weren't too happy to have
their pride and joy hooked up to a boy from Mexico, who was a weird Mormon and
they were also skeptical about the safety of flying those machines in the
air.
We had talked about religion
and wrote about it very religiously with some of my letters being twelve pages
long and the longest was forty pages. Two missionaries came from Sioux City to
talk to her and her parents accepted their visit. Rickie was a golden investigator because she
was already living the principles of the gospel. She just had to give up coffee to keep the
Word of Wisdom.
Rickie had promised her parents that she
would go to Seattle to see the man she had been engaged to, Larry Rupel, to
give him one more chance before she married me. So our plan was for me to take
the train to West Bend when I got my wings in October to see her and meet her
folks. Then we would go together to Salt
Lake City to meet some of my relatives.
From there she would go on to Seattle and I would go to the Air base in
Alameda, California. These beautiful
plans didn't materialize as when I got my orders they were to proceed
immediately to the Air Base in San Diego for seaplane training before going to
Alameda. Rickie go up early to meet the train in West Bend and when I wasn't on
it she went home thinking that I would be on the next train. There was a
telegram waiting there from me that said, "Sorry I can't meet you in West Bend
as my orders are to proceed to the Air Base in San Diego. I hope to see you there." I had thought that if she went to San Diego
Air Base and asked for Ensign Bowman she would find me immediately, but it
seemed to her like a rebuff so since she was all packed she took off
immediately for Seattle.
That night I phoned West Bend from San
Diego to talk to her and her Mother answered.
"Where is your daughter? I want
to marry her!" "She's not here and I'm
not about to tell you where she is." She
said. Thus started many months of
heartache for me and also for Rickie, I found out much later,
that really put our love to the supreme test. I kept up a steady stream of letters from San
Diego then San Francisco but her mother was adamant. Just about every day I had a four-hour patrol
flight checking for submarines or anything suspicious off the coast. If the weather were good I would fly over the
Golden Gate Bridge and if it were bad I would fly under it. Since I was flying seaplanes I could land on
the water in an emergency.
The first test of our love came about two
months into our delightful romance through the mail. Classmates, friends and family advised me
that if this romance ended in marriage I might leave a sorrowful widow so it
would be better to end it now. Of course
my folks would rather have me corresponding with a girl who was a member of the
Church. With all this pressure I finally
wrote her a "goodbye
and God bless you letter". I found out later that her parents and friends
chided her with: "We told you that it wouldn't
last." She kept her faith in me and did
not burn my letters or pictures. After
two weeks she received a frantic phone call from me saying: "I've stood this as
long as I can. How
about you?" "Yes, yes!" she
exclaimed and our romance was on again better than ever and we made a date to
meet in West Bend when I graduated and got "my wings". When this plan was thwarted, as written
above, Rickie, feeling deserted went to Seattle to see her former fiancée to
please her parents. When she arrived there she went to work as an accountant
for the government in the Fiscal Office.
The letter of recommendation she had from Father Dobberstein helped her
get the job. The next
week she was crossing a busy street and was hit by a drunk driver and thrown
thirty feet, which gave her numerous bruises and several broken ribs. The people gathered around and were amazed
that she was still alive. Her clothing
was shredded and she said: "Where is my shoe?"
She was put into a taxi and whisked to the hospital where an intern
examined her, as there was no doctor available.
He released her and she walked to her apartment. The next morning she
was in such pain that her landlady took her back to the hospital and the doctor
was amazed that she had walked home the night before with three broken ribs. He
treated her and taped up her ribs not knowing that she was allergic to adhesive
tape. The two young rich lawyers who
were assigned to the accident case were surprised and impressed that she
wouldn't press charges against the driver even though he was drunk and didn't
have driver's license. He was married
and had five children and Rickie felt sorry for him. The two lawyers took turns taking her out to
dinner and one of them proposed to her but she said she couldn't accept. Larry reported all this to Rickie's mother
and she wrote to her daughter asking her what was wrong. Rickie's answer was
that she had fallen in love with a naval aviator and would never love anyone
else. Then Rickie's Mother, finally
accepting her daughters feelings and realizing that her long vigil was over and
that she had kept us apart long enough, wrote me a letter saying: "Every cloud
has a silver lining. Here is Rickie's
address."
I immediately wrote to Rickie expressing
my love and the sorrow that I felt at having been separated so long. I asked her if she could come down to "San
Francisco to see me as I had orders to go overseas about the eighteenth of May
at it was already April. The address on
the letter was long and complicated so I penned a little note on it saying:
"Postman please be patient with this address, remember
the letter to Garcia." Rickie took the
letter into her boss, Captain Zack and asked him what he thought of it. He said: "I think this letter is from a man
who loves you very much. I will give you
time off to go and see him." I sent her
gardenias, her favorite flowers and with phone calls and telegrams we made plans
to meet in San Francisco at the pier under the big clock in a week. She told me afterwards that she pulled my
big picture out of her drawer and put it on her desk and all the girls in the
office were anxious to know all about here romance as she had kept it a
secret. One girl at a desk near her had
tears in her eyes and when Rickie asked her what was wrong she said, "I'm
allergic to gardenias". So Rickie put
them on the other side of her desk.
My parents, my sister, Dorothy and Aunt
Maybeth planned to come to San Francisco to say goodbye before I went overseas
so we made a date to meet under the big clock at the pier on the bay the same
day and time that Rickie would arrive.
Rickie would come on the train from Seattle to Oakland then have to take
the ferry over to San Francisco so I decided to surprise her and meet the train
in Oakland and ride with her on the ferry to San Francisco. She told me on the phone that she would be
wearing a gold suit so I could recognize her easily. She told me later that on the train she kept
walking up and down the aisle and everyone knew that she was going to see a
naval aviator that she had only seen for a half-hour. When she got off the train we ran into each
other's arms, with the tears streaming, but she wouldn't kiss me yet. We had a
wonderful trip on the ferry and met my folks under the big clock as planned, a
wonderful reunion. Then we walked down
through Chinatown and as we walked I told Rickie that I had a little pain in my
chest and she said that she had one too.
I bought her a little ivory elephant because the elephant is supposed to
have such a good memory. Next we went to
their hotel to eat dinner and while my family ate Rickie and I went into the
ballroom and danced. Finally we had to say good night, as I had to report back
to my base. So Rickie spent the night
with my folks. My Mother said that she
loved her right away because she was so charming and sincere.
The next day I got some time off my
duties and we all had a good visit and wound up discussing the future. They all accepted and were happy that we were
engaged. Then Dad told us that he
thought it would be wise for us to wait until I got back from overseas to get
married so that Rickie might not be left a widow. We reluctantly agreed and planned to send
Rickie my allowance every month so that she could attend the Brigham Young
University to study piano, voice, speech and drama until I got home. Since the allowance would be more than Rickie
needed. Dad offered to invest the surplus in his ranch, which would give us a
good return by the time we returned and needed the money.
With this plan formulated my folks returned home and
Rickie went back to Seattle to get released from her contract so she could go
home to West Bend before going to BYU. .
After a week at her job and receiving
letters, flowers and phone calls she went to Captain Zack and asked to be
released from her contract. He said:
"Before you went to San Francisco you were the best accountant we had but since
you've returned you haven't been worth a dam."
She was released from her contract and accepted my urgent request to
come through San Francisco to see me on her way home. Of course it was way out
of her way but what a joy to see her again.
I got her a room at the Leamington Hotel and we stayed up all-night and
talked in the Lobby. The next day we went to Granat Brother's Jewelry and
bought a beautiful diamond and it was a thrilling, happy experience to put it
on her finger. We decided to go to
laboratory on the base to have our blood tests taken just to see if we passed
the State's requirement for marriage. Drawing my blood was easy but when I saw
the nurse approaching Rickie with that big needle I started to get dizzy so the
nurse told me that I had better leave the room.
She got through the test just fine and I took her back to the hotel as I
had a navigation flight with three other planes to Las Vegas.
We landed at Las Vegas just fine on time
and went to a little restaurant for a snack. While eating I thought: "Why should we wait to get married? We could write much better letters if we were
married while I'm overseas." When I got
back to the base I hurriedly reported the flight and dashed to the Leamington
Hotel in Oakland. I greeted Rickie with
a big hug and told her that just at noon I had this overwhelming feeling that
we should not wait to get married. She
said: "That's funny, just at noon I went
out and bought a wedding dress."
Another time, that though far apart, we were thinking the same
thing. So we called up Bishop Nalder in
San Francisco and asked for an interview.
He said to come to his home at 7:00 P.M. tomorrow night, Tuesday. After
my flights on Tuesday I went to the Hotel and Rickie and I again rode the ferry
from Oakland to San Francisco then took the streetcar to Bishop Nalder's
area. We stopped at a little restaurant
and bought one sandwich but were so excited we couldn't finish it. We arrived at Bishop Nalder's home on time
and told him and his wife our complete love story. He exclaimed: "How wonderful! After all you have gone through really
nothing should keep you apart. How about Wednesday night?"
His wife heartily agreed and asked about blood tests. We happily told them that we had the tests on
Monday, which would take care of the three-day requirement. These wonderful
plans left us feeling like we were walking on air and like we could hardly wait
for tomorrow when we could spend the whole half-day together since I was
granted one day and a half off duty to get married.
Wednesday noon we ordered a fancy
delicious dinner at the Hotel and managed to eat some of it. Rickie was such a sparkling, charming beauty
that I could hardly look at the food.
She thought she would like to go out on a rowboat on the lake to see
what some of my training was like so I got to show off my skill in rowing and
handling a boat. We were having so much
fun that we cut our time short to go to the courthouse to get our marriage
license. When we applied at the Oakland
courthouse the clerk asked where we were going to be married. When we told him
in San Francisco he told us that we better hurry to the courthouse in San
Francisco. We ran out to the taxi stand,
gave the driver ten dollars and said please get us to the courthouse on time. He exceeded all speed limits crossing the Bay
Bridge and got there in ten minutes. We
ran up the stairs and the clerk was just closing the window. We said: "Just one more please!" So he kindly made out our license. Hooray!
Bishop Nalder lived right by the Church so we didn't have to walk far
after we dressed for the wedding. Sister
Nalder helped Rickie dress in her beautiful wedding gown and then brought her
to the Church so I wouldn't see her until she came down the aisle to the tune
of "Here comes the Bride" played on the organ by Sister Nalder. She was a vision of loveliness coming down
the aisle escorted by Bishop Nalder. He
had arranged to have two Mormon girls, who lived nearby be the witnesses. Before the ceremony Bishop Nalder gave us a wonderful
talk while Sister Nalder played beautiful soft music on the organ. We
didn't have a recorder in those days but one thing I'll mention that will
always be remembered. "The only rivalry
there should be between husband and wife should only be who can do the most for
the other. Thus you should give not
fifty percent but one hundred percent to each other." We have followed that wise counsel all of our
lives. The ceremony was so thrillingly
beautiful climaxed by the long awaited words: "You may kiss your
bride." Wow! What rapture that was. Right after the wedding Rickie requested me
to baptize her in the Church Baptismal font. This was joy upon joy and the
Bishop confirmed her a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints and she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Getting married showed her parents that I
would marry her when she wasn't a member of the Church and the baptism right
afterwards showed my parents that even though we were married she wanted to
become a member of the Church. Bishop
and Sister then served us peaches and ice cream while we sat in
front of the fireplace to dry Rickie's hair.
So it was on May 12, 1943 at 8:00 P.M. that we became the happiest
couple alive, we thought, and still feel that way. Then Bishop and Sister Nalder took us in
their car across the Bay Bridge to the Leamington Hotel in Oakland. They said they were happy to do it and we
were so grateful. We had a date to go to
Church Sunday and Rickie was to have her Patriarchal Blessing after Church. The usual procedure was to wait a year after
being baptized but during wartime exceptions were made.
Of course
the first thing we did when we got to the hotel was to change her room to Mr.
and Mrs. Bardell R. Bowman to start our Honeymoon of six days as I was to ship
out on the Somelsdike for the South Pacific patrol duty on May 18th. All the time I could get off duty we packed
full of the activities we had talked about like going roller skating in the
Park, going hiking in the park, going to a musical play etc. On the last night before departure we went to
ships service on the base get some food to eat in my little room in the
Bachelor Officers Quarters. We enjoyed
that and since I didn't have a roommate I persuaded my beautiful sweetheart
wife to spend the night with me. She
accepted my invitation and I watched that no one would go in the bathroom while
she was there. Hi! At 6:00 A.M. when the truck picked us up to take us to the
dock to board the ship Rickie stood out on the porch and waved goodbye. My fellow officers wondered how that
beautiful girl got out to the base so early.
She took a taxi to go down to the pier to see me off. She left so quickly that she left a little
pair of brown pumps under the bed. She
carried a lot of my stuff, including a very fine violin that I purchased in San
Francisco to take to her home in Iowa. I
had also purchased a cheaper violin to take overseas with me.
It was very
difficult but we waved goodbye with tearful eyes grateful for the wonderful six
days we had together as man and wife.
She took the train back to West Bend and was welcomed with open arms by
her parents. The day before we were
married we received letters from our parents giving us their blessing. In her Patriarchal Blessing she was promised
that she would have the gift of discernment to be able to tell a friend from a
foe and that she would be honored by her children and by the world because of
her children. This last promise gave her
faith and assurance that I would come back to her safely from the South
Pacific. My blessing promised me that I
would be able to take my wife to the Temple and be married for all
Eternity. So we both had faith for a
reunion in a year to fourteen months.
We were passengers on the ship so our duties
were light. This gave me time to write a
letter or more a day to my sweetheart wife and also to think about her life
before I met her in Chicago, as she related it to me in her letters. She was born in Kossuth County on a farm near
West Bend on November 9, 1916. She
wasn't expected as the doctor told her mother that he thought she had a tumor
as she was carrying quite a bit of weight at the time. Bertha and Henry had three boys, Edward,
George and Elmer and they had adopted a little girl and named her Lydia. Still Bertha wanted a little daughter of her
own. On this night in November her wish
was granted and Henry had to deliver their little girl. Since they weren't expecting her they didn't
have any clothes for her. So Henry
called up Bertha's sister and excitedly said:
"Freda bring over some baby clothes.
Bertha just had a baby girl."
"You're crazy" she said, but brought over some clothes. The doctor came over to take care of things
and was truly amazed. They named her
Fredericka after her Grandmother and Bertha after her Mother. This was a happy time for them. She was
seventeen years younger than her youngest brother was and five years younger
than Lydia.
When she went to kindergarten the teacher
asked her name and she said: "sweetheart."
"No" the teacher said: What is your real name?" "That's all they call me at home," she
replied. Well she has been a sweetheart ever since. However the teacher looked on her record and
when she saw Fredericka Bertha said: "I'll call you Rickie and that has been
her nickname ever since. Rickie walked
or ran to school and did very well in her classes and her family really doted
on her. When she was in High School she
had the lead in a play entitled "The Red Headed Step Child" so had to color her
hair. She played violin in the
orchestra, played girls basketball and was a cheerleader for the boy's
games. She dreamed of playing the piano
and wore the varnish off the buffet using it as a piano. She finally took lessons from a nun in West
Bend and practiced at the church until her father got her a piano. She learned so rapidly that when she went to
Hammond, Indiana to stay with her brother, Elmer she played piano in a
restaurant. Then she took a class in
speech and dramatics at the Columbia School in Chicago and was featured on a
Radio Program telling children's stories entitled: "The Voice with a Smile".
After that experience she went back to West Bend and worked as a guide at the
famous Grotto of the Redemption. This is
now one of the wonders of the world built by Father Dobberstein using precious
and semi-precious stones from all over the world and carrara
marble from Italy for the beautiful statues depicting the Life of Christ. The story is told that Father Dobberstein was
deathly ill and promised the Lord in prayer that if he were healed he would
build a sacred monument to His name. A
priest came to check all the guides to find someone who could be trusted to be
a private secretary and accountant to Father Dobberstein. Rickie was selected for this position and was
on a three-day vacation when I met her on the "L" in Chicago. She took care of all the money that was
donated and whenever Father Dobberstein needed money he had to come to her. This is why he gave her such a wonderful
recommendation as an accountant that got her the job with the Government Fiscal
Office in Seattle, Washington. What a
wonderful girl I married.
On the ship, Somelsdike, we had pretty
good meals but often had to hold on to our plates because of rough
weather. One time I spread my bread with
what looked like black raspberry jam. It was that reputed delicacy
"caviar". Wow! It tasted like fish oil
to me and I couldn't eat it. This was really
a let down for a man who thought he could eat anything. We were to cross the
equator May 28th on my Birthday and it became a most memorable
experience. The Royalty was set up on
deck consisting of Father Neptune, Davy Jones and Aphrodite to preside over the
festivities arranged by the crew with great pleasure for them. They had all kinds of trials set up to turn
these officer polliwogs into shellbacks.
First we go a big bear hug from Aphrodite with stone breasts.
"Ouch!" Then an Ogre told us to say "ah"
and squirted the most foul tasting fish oil and caster oil combination into our
mouths. Next we came to the make up
artists who had big brushes with all kinds of paint to slap on us. I came prepared by wearing only my shorts.
Next we had to crawl through a tunnel on our hands and knees against a power
steam of water. The last thing was to
kiss the baby, which were big lips painted on a
seaman's fat tummy. After all this we
scrubbed and scrubbed to try to get reasonably presentable "Shellbacks" "Hooray!" they all shouted. Then we were treated to a delicious turkey
dinner and I played some violin music with piano accompaniment. The next day the weather was so rough that
the piano got loose from the bulkhead and we chased it from one side of the
wardroom to the other to secure it then it chased us back. It finally hit against the bulkhead and broke
into pieces necessitating throwing it overboard. Everyone was so sad.
On June 7, 1943 we finally
arrived at our secret island, which I can now tell you was the Fiji Islands and
reported to Lt. Hershey for duty in the VS 67 Squadron for patrol duty flying
dive bombers. Rickie soon knew where I was as we had marked on a map the
possible places I might be sent to with a code.
For example if I wrote, " I would really like
some of your delicious fudge." she would know I was on the Fiji Islands. We were assigned planes to fly and keep in
shape and immediately started operations flying four to six hours almost every
day. We were given turns at being
Officer of the Day to schedule all flights and activities under Lt. Hershey's
supervision. This included waking up
pilots at 04:30 A.M. for the early flight.
We also had special assignments such as Personnel Officer, Engineering
Officer, Material and Supply Officer.
My first assignment was Personnel Officer that included censoring all
enlisted men's mail, being available for counseling. Arranging
studies and tests for advancement for enlisted personnel, arranging parties and
athletic activities for physical fitness. In one letter a seaman wrote
to his lady correspondent in answer to her complaint: "Honey, the girls here
don't have anything that you don't have but they have it here." The officers were allowed to initial each
other's letters without reading them. When we had time in the afternoon we would
play volleyball or tennis for exercise.
Lt.Tommy Black was an accomplished gymnast so we sometimes worked out
together and he taught me a lot so that we put on an acrobatic show with
somersaults, handsprings and walking on our hands on the tennis court. He was the engineering officer and had
constructed a unicycle, which I was happy to learn to ride just like the
performers in a circus. Our officer's
volleyball team was very good with Lt. Andrus, six foot three inches tall, as
our special spiker enabling us to win all our games with Army Officers. We had a tennis tournament that was difficult
to conclude, as matches had to be played between flights. Since I had more experience in tennis I came
out the winner.
One day Lt. Hershey received
a radio message asking for a Mormon Elder to go to the Hospital in Suva, a town
on the other side of the Island that was larger than the town of Nandi near our
Air Base. Since I was the only Mormon in
our Squadron Lt. Hershey gave me permission to fly to the hospital in Suva to
see this Army Officer who was not expected to live. The flight was beautiful as I could see the
luxuriant foliage along the coast of the Island and the little bathtub size
pools lined with blue coral. I flew into
some rainsqualls and had a "rainbow around my shoulder" part of the time. I had some consecrated oil with me so when I
arrived at the Hospital I gave this Officer, Lt. Sorenson, a blessing even
though he had difficulty in speaking. I
returned safely to my squadron happy that I was able to answer that call. Later I received a letter sent to all Service
men who had attended the "Y" from Professor Pardoe telling the story of Lt.
Sorenson having been blessed by a Mormon Elder in the Hospital in Suva on the
Fiji Island and that he recovered quickly and was released from the hospital
even though the doctors didn't expect him to live. This was very joyful news
for me.
We sometimes had movies in a clearing in
the trees that we called our Hollywood Bowl.
One night while we were watching a movie our powerful search lights were
beaming around and one of our pilots, Lt. Young who was night flying, and
crashed into the jungle with his radio man.
The sad news had to be sent to both families but they weren't told that
the crash was due to pilot error as other pilots had flown in the searchlights
without any problem. We never knew
exactly what happened but felt very sorrowful and had a Memorial Service for
them.
There were Japanese soldiers hiding out
on the Island and we found out that some of them would hide in the trees in the
wee hours and wait there all day to see the movie the next night. These soldiers caught a young Fijian and hung
him in a tree. When his relatives found
him dead they became so angry that they organized a group of large Fijians who
came crashing through the jungle shouting wielding their big bolo knives. Thus they drove all the Japanese soldiers
into the army camp where they were captured.
Our base of operations was moved after
six months to Guadalcanal and then to Emira, that was one degree from the
equator. The Seabees had hollowed out a
big swimming pool in the coral reef that was fifteen feet deep and was
protected so that sharks could not get in.
It was wonderful to have a cool swim there after a warm four-hour
flight. A TBF {torpedo squadron} was
based there and I found one of my former classmates there. He played the sweet potato and one night I
got out my violin and we had a great time playing music together. The next day, I'm sorry to say he was shot
down on a flight over Saipan.
My assignment as Personnel Officer was
changed to Supply and Material Officer.
This gave me the responsibility of procuring and dispensing all supplies
for our planes and personnel except food. On one of my trips to a supply depot,
on the Island of Noumea, Isaac Stern, a great artist, privileged me to hear a
violin concert. Bad weather delayed my
flight back to base so I bought a beautiful little ukulele and learned to play
it to accompany some songs. During all this time my greatest joy was to write
to and receive letters and gifts from my sweetheart wife, who was studying at
Brigham Young University. Her classes
were private piano lessons from Professor Fitzroy, drama and play production
from Professor T. Earl Pardoe, a dance class for physical education and private
voice from Dr. Florence Madsen. She
started out living in a room in the Taylor household where I lived my first
year there. Then she set up housekeeping
with a friend, Joy Barber, in the home of Dr. Madsen, her voice teacher and wife
of the choral director at the "Y". Their
landlady became Aunt Flossie and they had a wonderful time together. Rickie
wrote me the most beautiful letters telling all about her studies and
activities and expressing such love and appreciation for which she thought was
the "sweetest and best husband in the world."
We had a mutual admiration society and I responded that I knew I had the
sweetest and most wonderful wife in the world.
She made her parents happy by going home for the Christmas
Holidays. She sent me a picture of her
playing in the snow to cool me off in the South Pacific but it had the opposite
effect, as she was so beautiful. While I
was at our base on the Fiji Island I spent most of my liberty time shopping in
Suva for gifts to send to her. Suva had
been a tourist town before the war and had very artistic jewelry such as beads,
necklaces, earrings, bracelets and ornaments made out of polished tortoise
shell, ivory and silver. When fellow
officers saw the beautiful curios I had purchased, they gave me money to buy
some for them so my activities as supply officer were considerably expanded.
When we were ordered to move to Guadalcanal and then to Emira I had the
responsibility of supervising the crating, packing and loading of all our equipment. When we arrived at Emira my assignment was
changed to Engineering Officer to make sure all the planes were in good shape
and all material was in good operating condition. As time went on our letters were filled with
anticipation of my joyful homecoming and plans for the future wondering what my
next duty would be. Of course we hoped
it would not be overseas again so we could be together.
About this time, in the merry month of
May it was decided that we needed a little rehabilitation so were
given ten days vacation in Sidney, Australia going two officers and several
enlisted men at a time. I didn't think I
needed the rehabilitation, as my moral was very high reading Rickie's letters.
Orders are orders so I went and had a great time. At the tremendous Zoo I
bought a little stuffed koala bear to send to Rickie, as I was always thinking
of her. Then I went to the grand opera
house to see a performance and took her along with me in spirit. I was awakened one morning, bright and early,
anyway early with a street vendor shouting: "Two pies for a Bob." I hurriedly got dressed and went down to the
street to collect the pies and found out that a "bob" was twenty-five
cents. So I paid it and took the pies
for a treat for lunch.
Rickie loved the little Koala bear but
said she would much rather has had the mail (male) be her husband. Of course
that made me feel good and I responded that July 7,1944
we were scheduled to be back to the "States" to get our new orders and a
month's leave. Wow! This news really made her feel good in fact
her letter said that she was in "Seventh Heaven." It really became that when I arrived in West
Bend. I arrived a little late for the 4th of July celebration but
not for our celebration. It was just
like we had not been separated as we continued our Honeymoon. It was great to finally meet Rickie's parents
in person. We really got along well and had a wonderful time with them and all
the family we went to visit. Then we
packed a few things got in our little Plymouth coup that we called our "woo"
car and drove to Mexico to see my family.
We went through Columbus, New Mexico to the border and had a little
trouble there as I spoke Spanish to the authorities there and they didn't believe
that I could be an American speaking like that.
I told them that I was raised in Mexico and that my parents lived in
Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua and they finally let me pass. After that experience I no longer spoke
Spanish at the border. The road from
there to home was a just a dirt road and we felt that we almost went up and
down as much as we went forward. I'm
sure that I didn't drive as well as Dad did over that road but finally I saw
the three windmills and exclaimed: "We're on the right road." "I'm really happy about that." Rickie replied. When we got to about five miles from town
Rickie asked me to stop so she could freshen up and change her clothes to look
her best when we met my family. When we
got there we were welcomed with open arms by Mother and Dad and Mother
exclaimed: "My, my, Rickie you look as fresh as a daisy, not like you've
traveled for five hours over that dusty road."
Rickie just smiled sweetly and said: "Thank you Mother." Then we went around to
greet my brothers and sisters, who were all in walking distance. The last place we went to was Keith and
Naoma's home. They seemed overjoyed to
see us and said: "You must be tired and hungry.
Please sit right down and have some hot soup." Wow!
That really hit the spot. After a
good night's rest we all went up to Juarez the next day for a Stake Day picnic
at noon and a dance at night at the Juarez Stake Academy which was the only
school still supported by the Church.
The food was delicious and we had a marvelous time meeting all the
people. Rickie was the "belle of the
ball" so to speak, as all my friends wanted to dance with her and talk to
her. We got home at midnight and mother
and dad had my old room ready for us to sleep in after a most delightful day. The next day we went swimming, played tennis
and had a big picnic on the lawn in the evening with a Mariachi Band playing
beautiful Mexican music. One sad note
was that Rickie got sick eating some hamburger that was accidentally left out
all day. I really sympathized with her
and was happy that she soon got over it. After a tearful but happy goodbye we
left for Sanford, Florida, as my orders were to report to the Air Base there to
be a Gunnery Instructor since I had already had combat duty in the South
Pacific.
For our first night in Florida we got a
room at a nice motel. We carried in what
we thought we needed and made some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the
lunch we had with us. Then we went out
for a little walk around the town that would be our home for a long time we
hoped. When we got back our sandwiches
on the counter were covered with little ants.
They ants seemed to be pretty clean so we took the sandwiches outside
and blew all the ants off, laughing all the while. I checked in at the Air Base and we decided
to move to a good hotel while we looked for an apartment. When we turned down the covers to hop into
bed we saw a host of little creatures scurrying off in all directions. We learned later that they were bedbugs and
were told that there were lots of all kinds of bugs in Florida. Before teaching I had to go through the
gunnery syllabus that included shooting a machine gun at a towed sleeve. Every pilot's bullets were painted a
different color so at the end of the flight the colored holes in the sleeve
were counted to record the score of each pilot.
After duty for the day ended we went out apartment hunting. Rickie always went to the base with me and
read or visited in the Ready Room until I was through flying. She always watched me take off and land. We didn't find any apartments in town so we
drove out into the country and right by the golf course we knocked on the door
of a charming little house to ask for information about a place to live for a
few months. A very trim cheerful young
lady came to the door and we told her that we were looking for a place to live
for a few months. She looked us over and
we were ecstatic to hear her say: "We've
just been looking for a nice young couple to live in our home while we are gone
for about three months on business. Won't you please come in and meet my
husband. We had a delightful visit and
they wanted to know all about us and about my service in the South
Pacific. They showed us around their
home orienting us to the things to be done to take care of it. They had a pretty back yard with a hutch full
of rabbits and a chicken yard with many chickens. "Now you should eat some of
the rabbits or they will get too numerous to fit in the pen," they said with a
laugh.
The next day the Bradley's left, only
taking what they needed, and we moved in.
They even left money on the dresser in the bedroom along with all their
precious things. We determined that they
would find things, when they returned, just as they left them. It was a wonderful feeling to be so
trusted. One day as Rickie was watching
our flight come in; one of the planes was coming in at an awkward angle. She knew my plane number so knew that it
wasn't me. She told me later that she
kept screaming for him to level off. He
never did and crashed fatally on the field.
We never did know exactly what happened.
I was delegated to go to his apartment to tell his wife about his tragic
accident. Rickie went with me. When we knocked at the door his beautiful
young wife came to the door saying: "Welcome home, darling! Dinner is ready. When she saw us she said: "Oh no! What's wrong?" Rickie embraced her and as gently as we could
we told her that her husband had a fatal crash on the field. We tried to comfort her as she told us of
the wonderful plans they had to have a family and never for one moment thought
this tragedy could happen to them. It
was so sad but she determined to carry on as she was pregnant with their first
child and would have something of him to love.
My fellow officers thought it was
remarkable that we had found a beautiful little home in the country and wanted
to see it. They gladly accepted an
invitation to bring their wife or girl friend out to dinner Saturday
night. Rickie planned to stay home to
make preparations so I told her to watch the sky, as I would be doing
acrobatics such as loops, slow rolls and snap rolls in the area and that I
would wiggle my wings if I saw her in the yard. All went well for she was there
waving enthusiastically. The dinner was
a great success as Rickie was a marvelous cook.
We mixed up the chicken and rabbit on the platter so we wouldn't know
for sure what we were eating. Rickie
couldn't stand the thought of eating a cute little rabbit. We had quite a conversation on married life
and having a family. One officer said:
"When I got married I had five theories of how to raise children. Now I have five children and no
theories." This gave everyone a good
laugh.
We had such a good time together that we decided to
have swimming party at Daytona Beach the next Saturday. It turned out to be a
beautiful sunny day with little waves rippling to the shore. We all brought a lunch and when Rickie went
to get ours out of the car she thought I was leaning over in the back seat to
hand her the lunch and playfully pinched the exposed bottom." Ouch!" Lt. Crockett said, as he straightened up.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Rickie said. "I thought
you were my husband." He said, "That's okay!" and they had a good laugh and so did we
all when Rickie told us about it during lunch.
When we got to Florida we thought this
would be as good time to start our family.
When a month had passed and Rickie wasn't pregnant we went to see Lt.
Kelly the Flight Surgeon. He was jovial
red headed Irishman and said: "Sit
down. What can I do for you?" Rickie crying said: "We want to have a baby
and I'm not pregnant yet". "How long have you been married?" He asked.
"Since May 12, 1943, but my husband was overseas for fourteen months,"
she answered. Dr. Kelly then laughed
hilariously and said; "This is the most refreshing thing that has happened to
me in a long time. So many wives have
sat in that chair crying because they were pregnant and you are crying because
you are not pregnant. Here take one of
these little yellow pills a day and keep trying." We were both overjoyed when she became
pregnant that month and looked forward to having our baby in Florida. It was not to be for as soon as I finished
the syllabus and was to start my teaching career, a
dispatch came from the Naval Headquarters saying to send all pilots with serial
numbers listed below to the West Coast for carrier training. My number was there so we faced another
separation. We decided to drive to Salt
Lake City to be married for all Eternity in the Temple there. My Mother's sister, Aunt Martha lived in Salt
Lake City and asked us to come and stay with their family and she would make
arrangements for the Temple Ceremonies.
We made the trip just fine and Aunt Martha and Uncle Irwin welcomed us
warmly into their home. It reminded us
of the loving warm welcome we received from Keith and Naoma in Mexico. Rickie wanted to know how they seemed to have
such a close loving family. So I told
her that when Keith came home with news that he was in love with Naoma Haynie
and wanted to marry her Dad was a little dubious and told him that he better
think it over as she had a different environment being raised in a mountain
colony. Keith really thought it over and
made the wise decision that she was the girl for him. They were perfectly matched and supported
each other in all their activities in work, play and in the Church. Naoma would accompany him whenever
possible. When they had their children
this togetherness was extended to them until now their loving family includes
nine wonderful children. Needless to say that this all made
Dad and Mother very happy.
It was wonderful going through the temple
with my sweetheart wife and our wedding ceremony was heavenly as we were sealed
together for all Eternity by an Apostle of the Lord, J. Rueben Clark. He had been an ambassador to Mexico and was
one of Dad's dearest friends. This
memorable date was December 4, 1944. We
expressed our appreciation to Aunt Martha and Uncle Irwin for all the help they
had given us and had to leave the next day for California. I had to take a plane from Salt Lake City to
California to be able to report on time so that left Rickie to drive our car
alone. She made the trip safely but had
an exciting time as the speedometer failed and she just followed the speed of
the trains. We had a good laugh about
that as she burned out the motor.
Learning to land our F4F Wildcat Fighter
planes on a carrier was very interesting, exacting and fun. We had to break some of the safety flying
rules that we had learned as we had to fly low and slow downwind parallel to
the carrier before making a left turn to approach the rear of the carrier to
land. If the speed going downwind was to
slow the left turn would further decrease the lift and the plane would crash
into the sea. In the turn we had to
advance the throttle to keep the plane with the nose up for the proper attitude
to see the signalman on the right side of the rear deck of the carrier. The signalman had two flags to indicate
whether our approach was too high, too low, or just right for a landing. If we were too low we had to immediately add
more throttle to gain altitude, if too high we would get a "wave off" and have
to go around again for another trial. If
everything were just right the signalman would give us a cut when we were at
the rear of the carrier. We would then
cut the throttle and dip the nose forward to gain speed so the plane wouldn't
stall, then pull back on the stick to make a flat three point landing so that
the tail hook which we had lowered would catch one of the hydraulic cables
stretched across the deck. Further
forward was a barrier of cables about four feet high to catch any plane whose
hook didn't catch a cable. This sometimes
happened when the weather was rough making the ship pitch and roll.
Since
I had already had combat duty in the South Pacific I was attached to the VC41
Squadron commanded by Lt. J. Knudson that had already been training for six
months. So I had to fly four extra hours
a day to go through the Fighter Pilot Syllabus to catch up in the three months
left before our scheduled departure on the Makin Island Carrier for the South
Pacific. Our first residence was in a
little apartment in the charming small city called "Carmel by the Sea". It was
cradled between the ocean and some beautiful mountains. One day one of our pilots didn't return from
his flight and it was days before his demolished plane was found in the
mountains. He wasn't married but it was
a really sad time for his parents when they were notified. We moved from Carmel to Holtville in the
desert to train with rockets. The
rockets were attached under the wings and our job was to dive at a target
circle from ten thousand feet, release the rocket and pull out of the dive gradually
enough so we wouldn't "black out" and lose control of the plane. We all became quite proficient at this
without any accidents. We lived in a
little room in the home of an elderly man and his daughter. The bed was so high off the floor that we had
to take a little run to jump into it, but it was comfortable. One day the daughter, Ella, announced that we
were going to have chicken and dumplings for dinner so we were really
enthusiastically anticipating it. When
Ella dipped the ladle into the pot to serve us the chicken, out came a complete leg with the foot attached. Surprise!
We both lost our appetite right away.
We went to Church in town and met Dr.
Hoyt and his family. They were very kind
and hospitable so we had frequent visits.
When the time drew near for our Squadron's departure Dr. Hoyt offered to
keep Rickie in their home and deliver our baby there. Rickie was really tempted to do this but she
had promised her folks that she would come home and have the baby in West Bend. I was able to get time off to take Rickie
home in our car then fly back to our Squadron.
So the first of March we took off in our little repaired "woo" car and
had a good trip to West Bend. While
there I hired a private nurse, Juanita, to help take care of Rickie and our
coming baby. She was one of Rickie's
classmates so Rickie was very happy about it and so were her parents. Dr. Givens was the doctor in town and he
promised to take good care of her.
Rickie took me to the airport in Sioux City and we had a tearful
farewell hoping to be back together in six months. I was really happy when I called from the
coast to hear Rickie say that she had made it home without any problem and was
feeling fine but lonesome already. I felt
the same way. Then our letter writing
started again even more fervent than before.
The first leg of our journey to the South
Pacific was to stop at Hawaii to train and qualify for carrier night
landings. I was glad that I was one of
the two who qualified, as I had to make a night landing while we were in the
Yellow Sea near Japan. We had a little
time to look around Honolulu so I found a pretty little grass skirt to send to
Rickie to dress properly to do the hula dance.
We had stormy weather on the way to the combat Zone but still managed to
get in some flights along the way. The
weather was so hot that some of the seamen would take a sleeping bag out on the
deck to sleep in the breeze made by the carrier's speed. One night we had a shrill call to General
Quarters, which meant that all men should man their guns at battle
stations. This awakened one seaman so
rudely that he didn't realize where he was and picked up us sleeping bag and
ran right off the sixty-foot high deck.
We heard his scream and so did a nearby destroyer escort so knew what
had happened. The carrier wouldn't stop
for fear of being torpedoed but the destroyer was happy to pick him up to
transfer him to the carrier. They would
do this by throwing a line to the carrier that would then be fastened so that a
bucket on a pulley could be sent over with the man in it. They wouldn't return the man until the
carrier had passed over ten gallons of ice cream, as the destroyer did not have
an ice cream maker. So the destroyers
were always hoping that a pilot would land in the "drink" or some one would
fall overboard. One day an Ensign got
too slow on the downwind leg parallel to the carrier so when he made his left
turn his plane plunged into the "drink" so the destroyer had another
celebration.
We stopped at Guam and much to our
delight picked up a lot of mail, which made us all happy, especially me. It was so wonderful to hear all the news and
expressions of love from my sweetheart wife that I couldn't stop reading until
far into the night. Rickie had a breast
operation on May 26th. We were so thankful that the tumor was not
cancerous. She told me how Dr. Givens and arranged to have Dr. Kirsten do the
operation in the Fort Dodge Hospital forty miles from West Bend. Juanita was there to attend her and all went
well. Dr. Givens assured her that her baby
was fine and that he could deliver the baby in West Bend but that it would be
better if she went to the Hospital with the thought that I would be happier if
she got the best of care. Later she
found out that Dr. Givens had arranged for Dr. Kirsten to do a cesarean section
as the baby was in a transverse position.
In her letter Rickie said that on June 14th she wasn't
feeling very well and all of sudden her water broke. Her Mother knew what was going on and
immediately called Juanita and she called Dr. Givens. They put her in his car and drove furiously
to the Hospital in Fort Dodge. Dr.
Givens dropped her off at the entrance in Juanita's care. She asked for Dr. Kirsten and was told that
he was on vacation out of town. So
Juanita got Dr. Bruce, a good friend of hers, to take care of Rickie. He told her that two months earlier he could
have turned the baby but now it was too late.
He gave her the choice of taking the baby forcibly that would probably
seriously injure the baby but leave her all right or to have a cesarean which
would be more difficult for her but would leave the baby strong and
healthy. "I want my baby," she said so
she was prepared for the operation for the next morning. Juanita stayed right with her all night to
make sure that she was given proper care.
Dr. Bruce performed the operation the old fashioned way and presented
Rickie with a beautiful healthy son weighing five pounds and six and a half
ounces. She gave him the name of Victor
Bardell Bowman that we had chosen if the baby was a boy. Dr. Bruce told her that she would be in the
hospital for ten days and then go home and gain back her strength quickly. I was so overjoyed with this news that couldn't
keep from telling everyone: "I'm a father!
I have a son! I have a son! My sweetheart wife is doing well and is going
to be fine."
Dr. Bruce advised her not to try to nurse
the baby because of her two operations.
Juanita got all the information needed to prepare the formula and Rickie
arranged with her neighbor, Iantha Mikes, to use her refridgerator to keep the
formula in. Rickie said that she was
loaded with tubes and was very uncomfortable but happy. One day Juanita brought her a milk shake that
she was able to sip and keep down and felt a lot better. Her parents, her sister, Lydia and her
brother Elmer went down to see her and thought little Victor Bardell was
beautiful which made her happy. In
Hawaii I had left an order with a florist to send her a lei
of beautiful orchids and they arrived on the sixteenth. All the nurses came in to see them and were
really complimentary. The last letter in
this mailing told me that she was home and getting along fine feeding the baby
every two or three hours with her Mother's help. I sent her all my love, as much as words can
express and told her also how proud of her I was and so thankful to be married
to most wonderful wife and mother in the world.
I couldn't write to her about our combat
operations carried on every day the weather would permit but could tell her some
of things that were happening on board our carrier. We had a church service every Sunday that was
well attended because it was held in the pilot's Ready Room, which was
air-conditioned. I was usually called
upon by the chaplain to play violin for the hymn singing. One Sunday they had a testimony meeting and
our little barber with red hair got up and said: "I know exactly the day and
the hour I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior so now I'm saved no
matter what I do." Of course this didn't
go along with my belief that we will be held responsible for our actions but it
really made him feel good. Sometimes
when we didn't have a flight we would play volleyball on the deck. It would really feel funny to jump in the air
after a ball and have the deck come up to meet you or drop away from you to put
you higher in the air. If the weather
was too rough we couldn't play but could watch a movie in the evening if it
wasn't raining. One morning we were
awakened by not being able to stay in our bunks on account of running into a
typhoon. The bow of the ship was dipping sixty feet to pick up water. When our
little shipboard paper came out the editor wrote: "The weather was so rough the writing fell
off the blackboard." He drew a little
cartoon to show it. After the typhoon
passed we joined a small fleet and began bombing operations on hostile
Islands. When we carried bombs the plane
was too heavy to take off on it's own power so we had
to be catapulted from the forward deck. This procedure was quite complicated. A cable was attached from the catapult to the
bottom of the plane. We had to apply the
brakes and "rev" up the engine to full throttle making sure that our head was
back against the cushion. When the
engine roar sounded right the signalman dropped his arm and the catapult shot
our plane seventy miles an hour in sixty feet.
Sometimes the plane would dip down after leaving the edge of the carrier
but quickly attained flying speed so that we didn't crash into the sea. I usually led a flight of three or four
planes so would circle the carrier until all joined up. Before taking off we would meet in the ready
room to be briefed on the mission. There
we would mark the target on our chart and figure the distance, the direction
and the speed to reach our target at the designated time. We also had to
estimate and plot in the speed and direction of the wind so we wouldn't be
blown off course. This was called "dead
reckoning navigation." After dropping
our bombs on the target we would return to the carrier using the same dead
reckoning. We had radio communication to
check our navigation if necessary. It
always seemed good to see the carrier come into sight even though it looked
like a postage stamp from a distance.
One flight from a different carrier go lost and
ran out of gas so had to land in formation in the sea. A big PBY seaplane landed and picked them up
so no pilots were lost. Our gunners were
very efficient in shooting down attacking Kamikaze planes but one did get
through striking the Sangomon next to us.
The attacking plane went right through the flight deck and exploded
leaving a big hole in the deck, a lot of damage on the hanger deck below and
quite a few casualties. We learned later
that these suicide pilots were won with the glory of serving their Emperor and
their ancestors. These so-called heroes
were then wrapped tightly in silk so that they wouldn't be torn apart if they
were hit by antiaircraft fire. When they
took to the air the wheels of the plane would detach and stay on the ground so
the pilots were committed to try to destroy their target. All of a sudden there
seemed to be very few Zeros or suicide planes in the air and we wondered
why. The answer to this question came
later
On one of our flights one of our pilots had
trouble landing on the carrier. As he
came in the signalman gave him a "wave off", as he was too high and too
fast. On his second pass he got the same
signal so went around again. On the
third pass even though he got a "wave off" he decided to land anyway. He cut the throttle dipped the nose as he
should but since he was so high he missed all the cables and flew over the
barrier and bounced from side to side, like a billiard ball, knocking five
planes overboard and then bursting into flames.
Needless to say he was grounded for disobeying the signalman. This was his second offense as when we were
training in the states a farmer came to the squadron complaining that one of
our pilots was "buzzing" his cattle causing them to run into the fence. It was determined that an Ensign from Texas
was the offender. He was severely reprimanded but allowed to keep on
flying. He didn't learn the lesson of
obedience, it seems, but we still felt sorry for him losing his flight status.
We did have some funny incidents that I
wrote to Rickie about. We had jovial
seaman on board who dressed up like a wave. Then he would go out on deck
standing by a line of ladies undergarments that he had put up and wave at the
men on the destroyer near us. They were
envious that we had a woman on board.
Next one of our pilots, five minutes after take off, frantically radioed
the carrier saying: "My plane is on fire.
What shall I do?" He heard: "Turn
your plane 180 degrees and return to base."
He did this and made a good landing on the carrier. The fire crew with all their equipment rushed
up to the plane as he staggered out sweating profusely. There was no fire. He had the heater on in the South
Pacific. We all had a good laugh about
this. He was quite chagrined but took it
in good sport.
Our carrier was not only an airport but a
small city with a power plant, water system, restaurants, stores, sewage
system, barber shop, tailor shop, laundry, church, filling stations, hospital,
drug store, library and living compartments. The Captain was the Mayor with no
city council so his word was law. The
Makin Island was the Flag Ship of the fleet in our area and the Admiral told us
that we had the responsibility to protect the ground forces from air attack and
to bomb, rocket and strafe the enemy positions a few hundred yards ahead of our
advancing troops on the island. Also we
were to patrol the whole area for submarines so that our torpedo bombers could
demolish them. Sometimes we would have
two flights a day, about eight hours in the air. The mechanics would work on the planes at
night to keep them in flying shape. The
ordnance men had the responsibility to arm our planes with bombs, rockets and
ammo for the machine guns according to the mission to be flown. So the whole operation was a team effort and
we appreciated the hard working staff that had to feed a thousand hungry men
every day. Planes were in the air from
dawn to sunset and sometimes later.
About a month before the atomic bomb was
dropped on Hiroshima our captain, Lt. G. Knudsen led a flight to strafe the
enemy installations on an Island. I was
flying as his right wingman when anti-aircraft shells hit his plane. He bailed out safely and floated down to the
beach while his plane crashed. The
Japanese soldiers grabbed him immediately.
We lamented that he hadn't landed out in the ocean so that a PBY
seaplane could have rescued him.
Everyone was so saddened with his capture as he
was respected and very well liked by all.
He took every precaution to protect his squadron and had the pilots man
their planes on deck and respond to different emergencies that might happen so
that if they did happen they would take care of the situation without
panicking. He wore a vest with all kinds
of survival medications.
Our fleet was enlarged and one day a
flight leader from a different carrier couldn't spot their carrier so he sent
out a radio message to it saying: "Rub a dub dub, where is my tub?" His carrier shot back the message: "Hi
diddle, diddle, we're in the middle!"
On August 15, 1945 I was leading a
flight in the Yellow Sea, near Japan and received a glorious radio message
saying: "Japan has surrendered and peace
has been declared. Make a simulated attack on the carrier!" Wow!
We circled the carrier in formation then peeled off in sequence and flew
screaming over the carrier above all hands on deck waving and cheering. Then we landed joyfully with visions of home
and loved ones in our eyes. Then we flew
over Japan like we were supporting a troop landing and saw that the atomic bomb
had leveled Hiroshima and left it almost like a plowed field. We also saw the answer to the recent decrease
in Japanese Zeros in the air for all along the coast were thousands of
camouflaged revetments each containing a Kamikaze plane ready to go. Without the atomic bomb these three thousand
planes would have attacked the U.S. Fleet with a terrible slaughter. On September 2, 1945 the surrender of Japan
and peace terms were formalized on the U.S.S. Missouri with Japanese Foreign
Minister Shigemitsu signing for the Emperor and General Douglas MacArthur
broadcasting the ceremony.
Then a damper was put on the
rejoicing in our Squadron by a package sent from the Island of Cho Shan where
Lt. Knudsen was shot down containing a cremation urn with a note saying that
the officer had died of burns and was cremated according to their custom. We were sure that he was put to death as his
plane was not burning nor was his parachute.
We remembered him telling us in the Ready Room that he didn't care how
many Zeros we shot down but wanted to get everyone of us back home safely. He accomplished that because he was the only
one that was lost. What tragic news to
give to his hopefully waiting wife with their little year old son. Many years later at a VC 41 reunion I had the
opportunity to tell his son, now a young man, the
details of how his father was shot down and died heroically while I was his
right wingman. He had never heard the
complete story before so was very appreciative.
Instead of sailing directly
to Honolulu, as we hoped, we were assigned to search land and sea for two
hundred miles for a lost plane that carried an Admiral and a Captain. We found
no trace of the plane so it was concluded that it had crashed into the sea. All the prisoners were released from Japan and
taken aboard different ships. Some of
us, officers and men, were given leave to go ashore at Wakayama for sight
seeing. We looked over the interesting
shops and shrines and had no trouble at all.
On September 16, 1945 I was detached from Squadron duty and given orders
to report to the Intake Center in San Francisco then to the Separation Center,
after a months leave, either at Great Lakes or at Minneapolis. We were awarded the Victory Medal for World
War II. On the voyage to Pearl Harbor we
carried on the celebration by playing volleyball on deck land watching an
occasional movie. The most entertaining
activity was a program our chaplain arranged using all the talent on board that
he could muster. It was put on in the
evening and was called a "Smoker." I played "Ave Maria"
with double stops and "El Jarabe Tapatio"
(The Mexican National Hat Dance). At the conclusion of which I was
carried off on a stretcher as they said after such a dance I was too tired to
walk. Everyone had a good laugh,
especially me. On October 26, 1945 we
flew our planes to Barber's Point before going into Pearl Harbor to save
unloading them manually. On the 29th of October we left for San
Francisco. On the 5th of November we passed under the Golden Gate
Bridge and saw a big white sign on the hill saying "Welcome Home." Letters from my Sweetheart Wife were full of
expressions of love for our little son and me with great anticipation for my homecoming. She sent me a pinup picture of her in a
bathing suit I sent her showing that she had returned to her beautiful slender
figure. She hadn't been getting much
sleep, as she had to feed our little son about every two hours besides keeping
a batch of formula made up and doing all the washing etc. She was overjoyed when she got my call from
San Francisco telling her that I would be on my way to her as soon as I could
get transportation.
The Transportation Department that said
that there was no air transportation and quoted three to seven days to get a
ticket on a train. Getting a ticket as
soon as I had finished with the Intake Center was a marvel and a wonder. I called Rickie and told her that I would be
in Mason City at 1700 on November 8th, in time for her Birthday on
November 9th. Hooray! She
left little Victor Bardell with her Mother and met me there. Wow! What a Homecoming! It was even more marvelous than we had
imagined. It was a real joy for me to be
with Rickie's parents and thank them for the wonderful care they had taken of
Rickie and our son. They were pleased
with a document I showed them from the Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal
that said: "All hands of CVE'S are congratulated on the continuous and precise
support given the ground troops during this operation. They made 35,00 sorties,
expended 64,000 rockets, dropped 400 tons of bombs and sprayed DDT to keep down
sickness of our troops." We had a
wonderful birthday party on November 9th, and I just couldn't
express the joy I felt holding our darling little son, Victor Bardell and my
sweet, wonderful wife, Rickie.
Mom and Dad Sauder offered to take care
of our little son with Juanita's help if needed, while we drove to Minneapolis
to the Separation Center. We had a
thrilling honeymoon trip getting there, and on November 15th I was
released to Inactive Duty in the Naval Reserve with ninety days leave on pay
and the option of joining the Regular Navy.
While we were there the weather turned very cold, below Zero, so I
purchased a fur coat for Rickie that she thought was beautiful and really kept
her warm. On the way home the heater
stopped functioning in the car so we had to stop to buy some thick woolen socks
for me as the cold came through a hole by the accelerator. We enjoyed stopping on the way home to see
Rickie's brother Edward and family. On the way we talked about all the plans we
had discussed in our letters and had the feeling that the decision we had made
in letters to go ahead with the study of music and a teaching career instead of
medicine would bring us greater happiness.
When we got back to West Bend we found
Mother and Dad Sauder happy that they had been able to take care of little
Victor just fine. His grandpa called him
"Bubilee" which meant "my little boy". I
called Uncle Harold in Salt Lake City to see if could find an apartment for us
to live while I got my Master's Degree in Music at the University of Utah. He wasn't able to find anything as the many
returning servicemen had taken all of the available living places. So we set up house keeping with Mom and Dad
Sauder for a while until I could find a teaching position. I registered with
the Teacher's Placement Agency of Iowa and accepted a teaching job teaching
vocal and instrumental music in grade school and high school in Schaller, Iowa
to start in December. The lady who was
teaching there had a nervous breakdown thus leaving a vacancy. Before we moved we found out that with
Rickie's vibrant health and our long awaited thrilling second honeymoon she
became pregnant right away without any little yellow pills. We called Dr. Bruce with the news and he
said: "It would have been better if you
had waited a year but I will be happy to take care of you again."
Section 7--The Music Teaching Years
The School Board in Schaller assumed the
responsibility to find us a place to live.
On the first of March we moved into a cute little upstairs apartment
that a couple had remodeled just for us.
It had quite a steep outside stairway that we didn't mind climbing at
all. One of the first things I did was
to take the challenge to walk down it on my hands. The small town was neat and friendly and the
school was great with a very helpful administration and attentive and
cooperative students. Some Saturdays we
would drive back to West Bend to see Mom and Dad Sauder and help out by
cleaning house or working in the garden.
They just loved to see their little grandson, Victor. In Schaller we put up a clothesline in the
back yard to hang up the cloth diapers and got a little washing machine to wash
them in. I found that I loved the
teaching so accepted the job for the next year.
When school was out I accepted the offer to direct the Summer Community
Band Concerts. On one of our trips to
West Bend we went to Fort Dodge for Rickie to have an examination by Dr.
Bruce. He said that the baby's position
was good for a normal delivery but strongly recommended a cesarean
section. We made an appointment for July
22nd. Rickie wanted her
favorite nurse, Juanita to help take care of her and she was really happy to do
it. So our second son was born July 22,
1946 and we named him Brian Leslie Bowman.
Rickie got a long better this time so in a week we were able to go back
to our little apartment. We were happy
that this blessed event happened in the summer so I could be there to help take
care of our precious little family.
While we
were in Fort Dodge I purchased a little movie camera and proudly presented it
to my darling sweetheart wife saying that we could take action pictures of our
two precious boys as they grew up. By
the time school started Rickie was strong enough to take care of both our boys
during the day. Of course we had spread
the joyful news far and wide so received many cards from friends and
family. We could hardly believe it when
my parents came all the way from Mexico to see their two little grandsons and
us. They said that the trip was worth
it. We still had our little Plymouth
coupe so when we went to West Bend we would make a secure little bed for Brian
in the space back of the seats and Victor rode in the seat between us.
We had talked a lot about signing up for
the Regular Navy as I loved to fly and the salary was very good and looking
better as I was due for a promotion to Lt. Commander. However when Brian came along and I loved the
teaching so much and not wanting any more separations we decided to just stay
in the Inactive Reserve. This was a wise
decision as it gave us a wonderful life together. The school year seemed to speed by with so
much activity. I put on a little musical
with grade school students entitled "The Inn of the Golden Cheese" that the
students really enjoyed and was well received by parents and all those who came
to the performance. I took the High
School Choir and High School Band to contest and also many vocal and
instrumental soloists, which was the first time the
school, had participated. We had a very
friendly relationship with our landlords living downstairs and took some real
interesting movies of them playing with or children. We took movies of Victor rattling the playpen
in the yard and Brian in the high chair.
We missed him wiggling out of it on to the ground. He was very active and managed to fall off
the changing table in the kitchen but didn't cry. When Victor was just two months old Rickie
and her parents were having a visit with her brother George and his wife Emma,
when they heard a "thump" from the bedroom.
Rickie rushed in there and found little Victor lying on the floor. He had squirmed and pulled himself from the
middle of a full sized bed. He didn't
cry until his Mother picked him up. She
said that she thought that maybe he wanted to stay there. We took movies of each other playing with our
children. Then Rickie wanted pictures of
my skinny body that I came back with from overseas. So I walked down the stair
steps and off a table on my hands. My
height was 5'9", weight 138 pounds, chest 40" and waist 28". That didn't last long because of Rickie's
delicious cooking.
Again I conducted the summer band concerts
and we had a very tragic accident during the town's 4th of July
celebration. Our outstanding vocal
soloist, Harriet Granger, was hit and killed by a rocket from the fireworks
while sitting in bleachers at the football field. Her classmates were sitting around her but
none were injured by the blast. Though
we very much enjoyed our stay in Schaller we had to say Goodbye to take a
position in Reinbeck, Iowa where I would teach only instrumental music in Grade
School and High School. So we moved into
a cute little home about six blocks from the school and started teaching the
last week of August 1947. There were two
teachers called "Bob" there so I was called by my real name Bardell. When Rickie wrote to our friends in Schaller
and said: "Bardell and I did this and
that." They wrote back wanting to know
whom this Bardell was as her husband's name was Bob. Even though it was a lot further to West Bend
we still spent some weekends there as Mom and Dad Sauder doted on their little
grandchildren. We have movies of Victor
climbing all over his grandfather and of them taking a walk hand in hand with
Victor pulling a little wagon and Brian learning to walk
It was interesting to us that the music
teacher in Reinbeck quit because he got so nervous that he was fainting. He went into furniture repair work. It was a challenge to build the instrumental
department up but I enjoyed it. I also
was asked to teach a Spanish class in High School, which of course was "right
down my alley." Besides a concert band I
developed a marching band with an outstanding drum major and very pretty and
talented baton twirlers who really pleased the crowd that watched parades and
the band shows on the football field. On
one performance we lacked the baritone player, due to illness, so I donned a
band uniform and marched in his place.
Of course we took movies of most of the performances. They were really fun to watch even though
there was no sound. Our little boys
loved to play in the snow so Rickie would put their snow suits on them and away
they would go jumping and running in the snow.
The movies we have of them are choice.
When they came in they were wet and cold but rosy with rosy cheeks and
happy. The people in town were great and
we made many friends not only the parents of my students. One thing I learned in teaching was to never
send an unruly student to the principal's office. I did that once to one of my best saxophone
players by the name of Giles and it took me about six months to get back a good
relationship with him. We were so saddened when our wonderful neighbor next
door contracted breast cancer and didn't survive the operation.
We were having a little economic struggle
so I turned to selling Volume Library Encyclopedia on the side, hired by Dean Drury
of Iowa City. Mr. Stronks in Iowa City
was the president of the business so I was asked to go there for a week of
concentrated training. I really enjoyed
meeting people and explaining to them how the Volume Library could help their
children in school. This really helped
out because by the end of the second year I was the top salesman in the
nation. We drove to Waterloo, about
twelve miles, to go to Church. We met in
the Odd Fellow's Hall and had to clean it up every Sunday morning before
Church. We had only about thirty members
to start with the Missionaries were very active and quite a few were baptized
and confirmed members of the Church. I
enjoyed playing in the Waterloo Symphony under the direction of Otto
Jellenick. Of course Rickie attended all
the concerts and took Victor along. The
people near her were shocked that she would bring a child only three years old
but expressed their amazement when little Victor sat through the whole concert
very attentively. Rickie having turned
on the radio to classical music during his bath every day prepared him. Brian
was thirteen months younger so had to stay home with a baby sitter. Both boys enjoyed the Missionaries as we
frequently took them home to dinner.
After
three enjoyable years in Reinbeck we decided that it would be wise for me to go
to college and get my Master's degree in Music.
We investigated and found that Drake University in Des Moines Iowa had a
very good graduate program in Music. So
in August of 1950 we moved to Des Moines and lived in a nice little apartment
in Fort Des Moines. I took a part time
job teaching instrumental music in the little town of Grimes about ten miles
from Des Moines. Again the teacher I
followed had to quit because it was too stressful for him. Rickie redecorated our apartment with my help
carrying out her ideas. I Had Professor
Noyes for violin, Ralph Woodward for voice, Ralph Laycock for flute and
clarinet and Professor Pierce for music theory.
Victor started kindergarten at the Fort Des Moines School and found
quite a few little friends in our neighborhood to play with. One day he came home with the story that his
teacher, Miss Stucki, wasn't very nice to the students but was very nice to the
man who swept the floor. We rented a
little garden plot and planted tomatoes, green beans, squash and bell
peppers. Our boys loved to walk down to
garden every few days to see how much everything had grown. Later they liked to look for the ripe
tomatoes. I practiced my music at school
as much as possible so I would have more free time at home. One weekend we accepted the invitation to
visit Elmer and Elsie and their two boys in Hammond, Indiana. We enjoyed the visit. They had big tricycle that Victor and Brian
loved to ride and a swing set in the back yard that kept them pretty well
occupied. Normie was brain damaged and
large for his age so was a little difficult. Later they sent him to a special
school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Gary was
younger than our boys but was very smart and sociable so they had a good time
together. The next week we drove to West
Bend and Rickie accepted the request to stay for a week to visit and help out
since Victor had vacation for a week from school. When we returned a little black girl, named
Norma, was very happy as none of the other children in the neighbor hood would
play with her. One day she skinned her
knee on the teeter-totter and Victor brought her to his Mother so she could put
a Band-Aid on it. Her parents were well
educated and very nice and we lived in the same building. The husband was getting his master's Degree
in business at Drake so we had some nice discussions and got along very
well. Neither one of us had racial
prejudices. Ralph and Lucy Laycock were
members of the Church and had two cute little girls just a year older than our
boys so we often got together for dinners and games. Ralph Woodward was not a member of the Church
but his wife Margaret was a voice major and was one of my classmates at BYU. She called one day and said that their little
son was very ill in the hospital and asked me to get the elders and come to
give him a blessing. I told her that I
would be glad to do it and asked her to bring her husband Ralph along so I
could talk to him about the administration of oil and blessing we would give
his son. Ralph came along and was very
attentive to my explanation that through the priesthood we were authorized by
God to give a blessing to the sick for their well being according to His will. When we arrived at the room where little
Bruce was the doctor was just coming out telling the nurse: "That boy needs a
transfusion immediately." We went in
and placed our hands on his head and I sealed the anointment that one of the
Elders had given him and gave him the blessing.
Ralph told us on the way home that he felt like the room was
electrified. The doctor came back to
check on Bruce and after examining him said:
"I don't know what has happened but this boy no longer needs a
transfusion." Little Bruce was soon
released from the Hospital completely well.
As a result of this Ralph investigated and joined the Church and the
next year the BYU accepted his application to be the Choral Director. His wife, Margaret also was hired to teach
voice there. We had a very small Branch of the Church that met in the living
room of a large home. I played first violin in the Drake University Symphony
Orchestra and Rickie brought both boys to the concerts.
My last requirement was to play a violin
Master's Recital. All my teachers, many classmates and of course my greatest
supporter, my sweetheart wife, attended and said that I did very well. Anyway the recital was accepted and I was to
receive my Master's Degree at the Graduation Ceremony two weeks after classes
ended. Having this free time we decided
to accept the invitation to drive to Mexico for a visit with all of our family
there. We had traded in our coupe for a
Chevrolet sedan so had a good trip down there.
Instead of going through Columbus on the dirt road we traveled before,
we took the improved highway from El Paso, Texas crossing the border at Ciudad
Juarez. It was a delightful trip and Victor and Brian really enjoyed it
especially Victor as we stopped to catch a big blow snake by the side of the
road. After handling it we let it go but
did pick up some land turtles on the way and took them all the way to Mexico.
The children down there were quite captivated by the turtles so we let them
have them. We received a very warm
welcome and felt right at home. The next
day a big picnic was scheduled on the High School campus in Juarez and a big
alumni program in the evening. I was
asked to play a violin solo on the program so Rickie and I decided to play a
Spanish Dance. The picnic was wonderful
not only because of the good food but because we met so many of my former
classmates and friends who were all anxious to meet and talk to my beautiful
wife. The program was very varied and
delightful and we were able to play our number well despite the excitement of
the occasion. We were brought up to date
on all that my brothers and sisters were doing and had a family meeting and
program with my oldest brother Claudius being the director of it. We all had an opportunity to tell about the
experiences that we remembered during our growing up years at home, some of
which were quite hilarious. Then we had
a talent program with singing and Spanish dances. We played "The Millionaires
Hoe Down." The kids stomped in time and
said they really liked that. Maurice and
Nellie sang the neat duet from "Fiddler on the Roof" "Do You Love Me?" We planned to leave on
Tuesday in order to get back for my graduation ceremony but as Dad was
President of the Mexican Rotary Club he prevailed on us to stay one more day to
present a little program to the Club. He
said that Brother Mammoth was going to El Paso leaving at 4:00 A.M. Wednesday
and would lead us on a short cut so that we could still make the graduation on
time. That sounded good so aiming to
please we stayed and played a half-hour program that was well received. Dad was so grateful. It seemed that he was always anxious to show
off his children.
Well our easy fast trip turned out to be
quite a disaster and we didn't make the graduation ceremony so they sent my
diploma in the mail. Wednesday morning
started out fine with our parents seeing us off at 4:00 A.M. as planned. We had only traveled about ten miles when it
started to rain. Soon it was a veritable down pour. We were to cross the alkali flats bordered by
some tall mountains, which was the planned short cut to El Paso. When we got there two trucks were stopped at
the beginning of the alkali flats call "El Barrial". When Brother Memmott saw
this he said that he was afraid to go on as he had been stuck their once
before. I talked to the truckers
and they said" "No tenga cuidado
nosotros les ayudamos." (Don't have care
we will help you.) They went on to
assure us that they had traveled through many times and that they would help us
get to the highway in an hour and a half.
That sounded good to us so we shared our lunch with them and started
following them across the barrial. Soon
the road led into a lake but they kept right on. Finally they slowed down so much that I decided
to pass them and go ahead on our own. This worked fine for a while then we slowed
down as our wheels were spinning. So I
got out the chains and put them on the wheels in a foot of water. Then we really went zooming along coming to
an island of dry ground. The road
divided here and we decided to take the one that went straight ahead. In a
short distance the road led into another Lake and it was impossible to see
where the road was. So I got what I
thought was a bright idea to take off my shoes and follow the road with Rickie
driving the car behind me. This worked
great for about one hundred yards when all of a sudden the rear wheels sank
into the mud up to the axle off the road.
We were stuck. The sun had just
gone down behind the looming mountains on our west and it started to rain
again. We looked back but the trucks
were nowhere in sight. We decided that
the only thing I could do was to go find the trucks tell them where we were
stuck and to not pass us in the night. I
took off with a flashlight and the boys started to cry. Rickie was comforting them with the last of
our lunch saying that I would soon be back.
I found the trucks about two miles back and they said that they would
pull us out in the morning. When I returned to the car I announced the good
news that the truckers would pull us out in the morning and then we tried to
get some sleep after a prayer for our safety.
The morning dawned bright and clear and
we were happy to see a man on a horse coming towards us. We greeted him and asked if he could help
us. He said that he worked at a little
Ranch that the other road led to on dry ground and that he would get help from
the rancher when he returned from seeing his "novia" (ladylove). After two hours of waiting I took a rope we
had in the car and caught a stray horse.
Then I rode tithe ranch and told the Rancher, Don Sanches, our
predicament and asked if he could help.
All he could do was to bring another horse and help us get to his ranch
until the truckers were able to pull us out.
So Rickie mounted the extra horse and I put Victor and Brian on my horse
and led it to the ranch. The ranch was
one little adobe building with a blanket flap for a door and holes for
windows. Along the ceiling a line was
strung for drying meat. There were no
toilet facilities except the nearest bush outside. There was a tank of water hanging on the wall
with community cup attached. The
rancher's wife and daughter were busy preparing some food using the same pan
for everything. They invited us to eat
breakfast with them. We gratefully
accepted even though it was just "tortillas y frijoles" (tortillas and
beans) Brian wolfed it down but Victor couldn't eat it. Rickie and I did okay and we tried to wipe
off the community cup to drink. Don
Sanches agreed that I should go check on the truckers so I took them some
lunch. I was glad to take a horse, as my
feet were cut and sore from walking barefooted back to find the truckers the
night before. I found the trucks on the narrow neck of land that we had crossed
and one truck was really bogged in a hole.
They were busy unloading the truck so they could get it out. They said
they appreciated the lunch very much and promised to pull our car out when they
got there. When I got back to the ranch
I gave Rickie the news that we would soon be rescued. Then I saw a little plane coming in the
distance following the road. I got up on
top of a wagon, took off my shirt and waved as it passed over. It circled the
area and then flew back the way it had come.
Later we learned that when we hadn't called that we were in El Paso,
mother got so worried that she had Dad call Harold Turley in El Paso to send a
plane to look for us in the barrial.
Brother Memmott had returned home and told them that we had gone on with
the truckers. We heard later that the
pilot hadn't seen our car stuck in the mud or me waving. With that news my folks thought that we had
reached El Paso okay and went on without calling.
The first night Victor and Brian slept on
a blanket on the floor and Rickie and I shared a little cot. The next morning Brian ate well but Victor
was having trouble. The family there
felt very sorry for us and gave us all the hospitality they could. Again I took some breakfast to the truckers
and found that they were still stuck and having problems. The next night it was that time of the month
for Rickie so she wasn't feeling very well but did the very best she
could. On the third day the truck got
free and was ready to move so we got the horses and made it to our car as they
came along side. They looked the
situation over and said they didn't think they could pull us out. I got really adamant and told them that I
brought them food and that they had promised to get us out so they had to at
least try. So they attached a rope to
the back of the car and I got in our car ready to go full power in reverse on
the signal. The plan worked and our car
was hauled back onto the road. We
gratefully expressed our thanks.
"Muchicimas gracias" and since the road was dry went on ahead. Victor got sick and vomited in a little pan
we had. We noticed that our speedometer
registered fifty miles since we had hit the barrial though we had only covered
ten miles. When the road dipped down
into a wash we would speed up to get enough speed to get up the other side. We were rejoicing how well we were doing when
we came upon a very sandy road. I had to
get out and scoop out the road with our little pan for a distance of fifty feet
to get up speed to plow ahead. Finally
we got through the sand dunes onto a solid dirt road with clear sailing to the
highway, we thought. I looked at the gas
gauge and it was just about on empty. So
we stopped at a little Mexican farmhouse and knocked on the door and said we
would pay double for a little gasoline.
The farmer said that he was sorry that they didn't have any. One of the little children was crying so I
asked what was the matter. The mother said that her little son was very
sick with a temperature. I said: "Yo
tengo medicina." (I have some medicine) I went out to the car and got some
aspirin. She gave it to her sick son and
in a few minutes he stopped crying and seemed to be feeling much better. The farmer thanked me profusely and said that
he would see if they had a little gasoline left. He came back with five gallons for which I
paid him double as promised and after a grateful goodbye we were on our way
again. When we got to the highway
leading right to the border it was dusk and when I turned on the lights nothing
happened. I checked under the hood and
luckily found a loose connection that I quickly fixed. Very soon we were at Customs to be
inspected. The inspector came and when
he saw our car all splattered with mud he asked: "What in the world happened to
you?" "We were stuck in the barrial for
three days." I answered.
He called another custom officer out to see our car
and they said not to unload anything but to go right on. We thanked them very much and drove into El
Paso to the Cardon Motel. Brother Cardon
was a good friend of mine who had lived in Mexico. In fact I had dated his daughter Verla, a
couple of times when I was in High School.
"Brother Cardon was surprised but happy to see us and wouldn't accept
any money for our room. We called Mom
and Dad in Mexico and they were very happy that we were safe but so sorry that
we had such an ordeal in the barrial. We
then got some delicious warm soup and Victor ate some and felt better. Next we all had a luxurious warm bath and
tumbled into bed after a fervent prayer of thanks to our Heavenly Father for
our safe arrival. The next morning we
had a good breakfast and took off for our home in Des Moines singing along the
way. We had a good trip and it was
wonderful to be home. We called a doctor that we knew very well and he came and
examined Victor. He said that he was
very dehydrated and seemed to have typhoid fever so wanted to take him right to
the hospital. We asked him to let us keep him that night and have the Elders
come to help me give him a blessing. He
was a member of the Church so he understood our request and agreed. It was early evening when the Elders came and
after the blessing Victor went right to sleep for all night. The next morning his fever was gone and he
felt so much better that he didn't need to go to the hospital. We were so thankful
for that as I had to go to St. Louis to report in on Monday at Cleveland High
School. Ralph and Lucy Laycock offered
to take care of Rickie and the boys if they needed anything. Before leaving I purchased a list of
groceries that Rickie needed for a week.
I arrived in St. Louis Sunday night the
last week in August and got a room at the YMCA.
Monday morning I reported to Cleveland High School and the
Superintendent seemed happy to see me even though my lips were cracked and
swollen. I had a very good week teaching
and getting acquainted with students and teachers and two obliging janitors who
helped me find and organize the available music equipment. After the teaching day I spent all my time
looking for a home to buy. Of course I
found some nice homes in the city and in the country but the down payment was
so high that we wouldn't be able to buy one.
I called Rickie and we decided we had better rent a good place. The next week I found a comfortable downstairs
apartment on 1045 California street just five blocks
from Cleveland High School and two blocks from the elementary school where
Victor and Brian would attend. In the
meantime Rickie had been packing to move that weekend. I left Friday after school and was so happy
that our family could be together that night.
The next morning early I rented a big truck and Ralph and Lucy came out
to help us load our furniture and belongings.
We expressed our gratitude and said farewell. Rickie took Brian with her in the car and I
took Victor with me in the truck. We drove to West Bend that day to pick up the
furniture that we had stored there and stayed overnight. The next day driving
to St. Louis we got so sleepy that we stopped to sleep at a motel for four
hours. We arrived at our apartment at
7:00 A.M. and the two obliging janitors helped me unload the truck so that I
could get to school on time. At noon I
dashed home. Rickie and the boys were having fun finding a place for
things. We had lunch and I turned in the
truck and hurried back to school. When I
got home after school we set up our beds and found that we would have room for
all our things, much to our delight.
Victor and Brian really like to play on the lawn in our little back yard
that had a nice fence around it. The next morning, Tuesday, September 2, 195l
Rickie took our boys to school and registered them. Victor went in first grade and Brian in
morning kindergarten. That afternoon
when I got home they told me the exciting news that school was fun. Our folks were happy to hear that we had
arrived safely and had a nice place to live on California Ave. Rickie was
invited to visit our boy's teachers and the principal. She got along so well that she invited the
principal and his wife for dinner on Saturday.
Rickie prepared a delicious roast beef dinner, that we all enjoyed, and
the conversation never lagged, as Rickie was such a vivacious hostess. That was the beginning of a precious
friendship. I was happy to get right
into teaching. This time the teacher
that I followed didn't resign because of illness but was promoted to be the
supervisor of all the music in St. Louis schools. The superintendent told me that one of the
reasons I was hired was because of my success in starting and teaching
beginning students in the grade schools so he asked me to start a program in five
grade schools. I was happy to do this
even though my time would be limited there because I had a good Concert Band to
teach to march in parades and a good sized orchestra
that the vocal teacher Miss Mann wanted to play for her musical production that
year. She was very cooperative so I
promised her that I would direct the orchestra for her. The band did very well learning to march and
performed beautifully in a long parade through the city in their very neat
white and blue uniforms. Our talented strutting drum major followed by six
classy baton twirlers led the band past the applauding crowds along the
way. My place to march was on the right
side by the first rank of the band so I could take care of any emergency. The band was really happy to rehearse one of
John Philip Sousa's famous marches "El Capitan" to play on the parade. In this area the bands didn't put on football
shows but had a pep band to play at the games.
I still continued to sell Volume Library
in my spare time and found the people very receptive in the area around St.
Louis. We were delighted with the
outdoor theater in the park that we could take our boys to on Friday or
Saturday night. The first production we
attended was "The Show Boat." And the next day we heard Victor and Brian trying
to sing "Old Man River". They really
loved going to the Zoo with all the animals in their natural habitat as much as
possible. Victor was enchanted with the
reptile house and Brian really like the performing monkeys on the stage going
through all kinds of gymnastic tricks.
Then one of them, little Pancho would come out to the edge of the stage
and wave to the audience. In the
wintertime there was an ideal hill in the park for sledding. One of the things we were the most grateful
for was a beautiful Church with a large Ward of very friendly members. After the first Sunday we were called to
direct the music in the services. We
made many friends and were especially close to Wayne and Lucy Mack and
family. He was an agent for the F.B.I. and
we were sorry that he was transferred to Mesa Arizona. Brother Oscarson was the District President
and lived in a big home with his charming wife and talented children. His boys and ours were dressed as shepherds
for the Christmas pageant in the Ward at Christmas time. He told us how he started out as a shoe
salesman and through diligence worked up to be the president of the shoe
company. His son, Don Oscarson later
wrote the script and produced the Nauvoo Pageant. "Nauvoo
Beautiful". Vera Oscarson gave Rickie a beautiful maroon velvet dress to
wear for concerts and dress up occasions.
Cleveland had the tradition of having the
whole student body meet to select a queen for the Homecoming. Each candidate was to walk down the aisle to
the stage to the music that she selected, to be played by the orchestra. So I had to meet with the candidates and
approve the music they selected then rehearse it with the orchestra so they
could play it well at the glamorous ceremony.
The musical that Miss Mann presented in the spring of the year was "The
Babes in Toyland". She asked for our
boys to be two of the pages in a royal scene so they had to be dressed in fancy
frilly costumes. They had a lot fun
doing it and seeing themselves in those costumes in the movies we took. The trouble with the movies then was the lack
of sound that we now have with the video cameras. I enjoyed directing the orchestra for the
musical and Miss Mann said that the orchestra was the best they had ever
had. They were happy to receive this
compliment. Soon after I arrived at St.
Louis I auditioned for the Symphony there and was accepted in the first violin
section. Of course Rickie and both boys
enjoyed attending the concerts.
In the spring of the year Mr. John
Denning came to see me. He said that he
was the District Manager for Compton Pictured Encyclopedia and had heard of my
success with Volume Library so wanted to offer me a position as a Manager for
Compton. He explained the plan that I
would hire and teach salesmen besides selling and that I would make twice as much money as my teacher's salary. It sounded very good to me, as our financial
situation was not very good. Rickie and
the boys were in West Bend visiting the folks for a couple of weeks so I called
her and explained the plan to her and she said that it was up to me and that
she would support me if that was what I wanted to do. So I signed the contract
to begin at the end of the school year and began to study the sales material to
get ready for the change. When I
tendered my resignation the superintendent he said that they were very sorry to
see me go, as they were very pleased with the work I had done. I told him about this opportunity and he
thought it was good so wished me well. The area that I was given was
Springfield, Illinois. The members of
the Swing Band were especially sorry to see me go as I had organized them to
play for school dances and they were very good.
All our friends promised to keep in touch and we did hear from them for
a few years. So we rented a nice little
home on Passfield Avenue on the edge of Springfield in June 1952 with high
hopes for a great future.
One of the first things we did was to look
up the Church. It was small, attractive
and adequate for the small Branch there.
The members welcomed us enthusiastically and we were called to take over
the music. Rickie played the piano and I
directed the singing. Victor and Brian were happy to have a really fine Primary
teacher. Rickie and the boys had been
spending quite a bit of time with her mother because while we were still in
Reinbeck. Her father, Henry, had a stroke and passed away February 15th,
1948. They belonged to the Christian
Apostolic Church and they don't have a Relief Society but the women got
together to clean her house and help out in every way. Rickie's mother, Bertha was really quite in
shock with the loss of her husband because he had always seemed so well and she
was the one that was doctoring for heart trouble for years. She was surprised and pleased to receive a
letter of condolence from an old school friend, Herman Nuest. She sent him a letter thanking him, which
continued the correspondence until he came from Arizona to see her in West
Bend. He was about her same age and
seemed quit dashing and handsome to her. Feeling lonely, she accepted his
proposal of marriage and they were married the next year. It seemed that he was really interested in
her home and wanted her to sell it, give him the money and move to Phoenix,
Arizona. She didn't want to sell her
home so after awhile he went back to Arizona alone. They kept up a correspondence and finally
about the same time we moved to Springfield she got so lonesome that she joined
him in Phoenix. We talked about it and
Rickie thought that now she would be well taken care of.
To start my new work with Compton's
Pictured Encyclopedia I decided to concentrate on selling by myself before
hiring and training representatives. I
found the people in the area very interested in their children and receptive to
the great help that Compton's would give them so was even more successful than
with Volume Library. Considering this I
went out and hired ten people for a training class to be representatives. After a week they all seemed ready and
enthusiastic to get started. I told them
that I would visit each one to see how they were doing and help as needed. The first one I visited hadn't made a sale
and was discouraged and wanted to quit.
We went out together and I made the presentation and sold a set on the first
trial. "Now I see how it's done so I'll
give it another try." He said. He went on and was successful. This happened to all of the ten except one
who was successful from the beginning.
Mr. Denning came to Springfield to see how I was doing and was very
pleased to see that ten people I had hired and trained were working
successfully. As a result he gave me a
bonus.
When we were settled in Springfield
Rickie went to a good doctor for a check up.
After his examination he told her that she endometriosis
so probably wouldn't become pregnant and if she did she wouldn't be able to
carry the child to term. This was very
disheartening news because she wanted another baby, maybe a daughter. We were both elated when she became pregnant
in March, 1953 and very happy when she didn't have the morning sickness that
she had suffered with before. Victor and
Brian were doing well in school and the money was rolling in as promised. The boys helped me plant a garden and liked
playing in the dirt. We were enjoying
life. Then in August Rickie started
feeling sick and had to go to bed for awhile.
I stayed home to take care of her and the boys until she felt better and
was able to move around. Then I hired
one of our church members, a German girl by the name of Johanna Meisner, to
come and help Rickie during the day so I could go on with my business. The next month Rickie received word from her
mother that she was ill and needed someone to come and bring her back from Arizona. Not one of the rest
of the family volunteered to go so Rickie gathered up her strength and took the
train to Phoenix. It was a very
difficult trip for her but she brought her Mother with her to Springfield so
she could get her health back When they returned
Rickie was sick too so they were both in bed and Johanna had to do double
duty. Rickie told me about the shocking
conditions that she found when she arrived in Arizona. Herman was neglecting her completely by not
getting enough food in the house. He
would go out to eat in some restaurant and leave Rickie's mother to fend for
herself. She was living mostly on
oatmeal and sour milk, as they had no icebox or refrigerator. I called the doctor and after his
examinations he put Rickie in the hospital because she was so dangerously dehydrated. After a week she was released from the
hospital and felt better. With Johana's
help at home I was able continue my sales work.
A curious thing happened that changed our life again for when I had sold
a set of Compton's to a family and they had someone in the family that played
an instrument I would go ahead and give them a free lesson. Though I enjoyed selling I found that I
enjoyed teaching more so decided to go back into teaching. I talked to Rickie about it she was very much
in favor of it. So I proceeded to tell
Mr. Denning about my decision. He said
that he was very sorry to lose me but wanted me to be happy doing the thing I
liked most. So I started looking for a
good teaching position through College Placement, newspaper advertisements and
referrals from friends. I found quite a
few openings and finally settled on two to choose from. One at East High School in Salt Lake City
referred to me by my cousin Lorraine Bowman who was teaching vocal music there
and a Grade School position in Dixon, Illinois.
Mother Sauder regained her strength and was able to return to her home
in West Bend with the promise from her son George that he would take care of
her. Then a most wonderful thing
happened at a Conference in our little Church.
Brother Antone R Ivins, who had roots in the Colonies in Mexico, was the
visiting General Authority and he went to the Bishop and said: "I have a blessing for that young lady if she
would like to receive it." The Bishop
told this to Rickie and she was thrilled to tell him she would like to have the
blessing. In the blessing Elder Ivins
told her that she would not be sick any more and that she would have the child
of her choice. We could hardly believe
our ears but knew that the blessing would be carried out. Then Elder Ivins wanted to know something
about our plans since he knew my father.
We told him that I had a Master's Degree in Music and had been teaching
before taking up the sales work that I was now doing but had made the decision
to go back to teaching. He asked where I
would teach and I told them that I had a good job offer at East High in Salt
Lake City and an offer for a Grade School position in Dixon, Illinois. He thought a moment and then told us that he
thought Illinois position would be best as we were needed in the Mission Field
and that he would like to hear from us.
We thanked him very much and said that we would take his advice and
write to him when we were settled and our baby was born. When we got home I read my Patriarchal
Blessing that said I would be instrumental in building up the Center Stake of
Zion so knew that we had made the right choice.
The next day I called the superintendent in Dixon and accepted the
position to start the last week of August 1953.
Section 8--The Music Teaching Years in Dixon, Illinois.
According to the blessing Rickie was not
sick anymore and we moved to Dixon in a Downstairs apartment in a beautiful
home on the corner of Galena and Third Street. It was three blocks to South
Central School where I would have my band rehearsals and two blocks to down
town in the other direction. The
apartment had three bedrooms, two fireplaces, a kitchen, dining room, living
room and music room and a big window facing the street that was shaded by large
beautiful trees. As we drove into town
on Galena Avenue the trees met over the avenue like a lover's lane. Superintendent Lancaster and his wife were
very kind to us and helped us move in so we felt quite at home in Dixon
immediately. At the time we had no idea that I would teach there for thirty
years. They gave me six years credit on
the salary schedule for my years in the Navy so I didn't have to continue my
sales work. Also the salary was a thousand dollars more a year than I was
offered in Salt Lake City. Grandma Eaton,
her daughter and her granddaughter Judy, lived upstairs and we got along
beautifully.
The teacher that had this position before
me was Theldon Meyers, who was a very fine saxophone player and did some
composing. He said that he didn't like
working with large groups so resigned to take a job at Miller Music Store and
start a Jazz Band to play in the area.
There were thirty-five members in the Concert Band so I took the
challenge to build up the program. From
the small Junior Band I was able to increase the band to fifty members in time
to take them to Band Contest in March.
I started the program of having all the band members play a solo at
contest and participate in an ensemble if possible. This first year the Concert Band played quite
well and got a number two rating.
Everyone was happy as they hadn't been to contest before but said next
year they would work for a first rating.
The soloists and ensembles that received a first rating were eligible to
go to the State Contest in April. All
participants received medals designating their rating so we had a lot of
decorated uniforms for our first Spring Concert in May at the High School
Auditorium.
We registered the boys at South Central
School just three blocks from home.
Victor started third grade and Brian second grade. Then I took Rickie to
Dr. Charles LeSage for an examination.
He said that she was doing fine and that he would do a new half moon
operation instead of down the middle, as it was much less invasive and set a
time for the last of November. Next we
looked for our Church and found the nearest one in Rockford fifty miles
away. On Sunday we went and found about
25 members meeting in the YMCA. After
two weeks meetings were moved to a nice conference room in the Faust Hotel. In October we received word that a Branch of
the Church had been organized in Freeport with meetings in the YWCA. Since Freeport was only twenty-six miles we
attended meetings there. Victor and
Brian were happy because they had their own class studying "What it means to be
Latter-day Saint". Their teacher was Pat Patton who had been a prisoner in
Japan and went through the Bataan March on which he went from 176 pounds to 100
pounds. He and his wife Thelma had large
food storage, as he said he never wanted to be that hungry again. We became very good friends and got our
families together for good food and good times.
On November30, 1953 our blessed event took
place for Dr.LeSage, true to his promise, took care of Rickie and brought forth
her beautiful, healthy, perfect little girl. She weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was
21 inches long. We named her Linda for "beautiful" and Jane for "gift of
God". We wrote to Elder Ivins, who gave
her the blessing, and told him that we had the beautiful little girl of our
choice and that we named her Linda Jane that means "beautiful gift of God". He
was happy to share our joy. Rickie got
along really well and was released from the hospital in five days. Our parents were all overjoyed with the
wonderful news. Victor and Brian were
really happy to have a little sister and went with me to the hospital to bring
their mother and little sister home.
That was really a thrilling time for me.
Rickie was so happy to be home and very pleased that we had everything
all ready for her and sweet little Linda Jane.
Robert (Bob) L'Heureux was the high school band director and he and his
charming wife Norma, came over to see the baby and offered to help in any way
they could. We had become friends as
soon as we arrived in Dixon. Another
couple, Bill and Jeannie Thompson, had welcomed us to Dixon as representatives
of the Welcome Wagon so now as special friends were
happy to welcome our beautiful little daughter, Linda Jane. We received so many congratulations that we
really felt like we had a hometown. We bought a really nice baby buggy before
Christmas to take Linda Jane riding around town to see all the decorations and
take Victor and Brian to Santa's hut.
They told Santa what they wanted for Christmas, and of course we listened.
They received some candy and a popcorn ball from Santa. We decorated a real tree and had a wonderful
Christmas singing carols, sharing presents and enjoying the Holidays. With the
coming of the New Year I auditioned for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and was
accepted in the first violin section.
Rehearsals were once a week during the school year with an extra
rehearsal just before each of the four concerts during the Concert Season. Our conductor was Arthur Zach who presented
the standard symphony music literature.
At the time I had no idea that I would be playing in that Symphony for
thirty years under three different conductors.
The four grade schools I taught were North
Central, South Central, Lincoln and Jefferson.
Later a new school was built and it was called Washington School instead
of North Central. The principals and teachers were very cooperative in letting
me make out a schedule to teach all of the music students in classes of like
instruments once a week. Miss Barton,
the principal of Lincoln school was also on the Park Board and when she heard
of my tennis playing skill asked me to take over the summer tennis teaching
program as their teacher was retiring on account of illness. This I was very
happy to do and enjoyed it for two summers.
Emma Hubbs had two children in the program and was a very enthusiastic
parent as she was an accomplished tennis player. At the end of the second summer in 1955 I
decided to start a summer band program so recommended to Miss Barton that Emma
Hubbs be given the tennis job. Emma was
so happy to get the job that she told me she would always be grateful to me for
recommending her. She taught very
successfully for many years and the beautiful tennis courts at the High School
were named "The
Emma Hubbs Tennis Courts".
In the last month before school was out
in 1956 I tried out all the students in fourth and fifth grades in all the
schools to learn to play an instrument in the summer. The system I used was to have one class at a
time come to the band room to listen as I demonstrated each instrument so they
could get an idea of which one they would like to play. Then I would try each student on the
instrument of his or her choice first to see if they were physically suited to
that instrument especially mouth and teeth formation and body size. They were usually happy with the instrument
that I suggested they could be play most successfully. I would then send a letter home with them to
their parents indicating the instrument recommend and inviting them to a
meeting at the South Central School Auditorium to hear information about
renting an instrument from the music store or one from the school if
available. Also the
small fee for summer lessons that would be held and South Central School for
six weeks. In the fall they would
then be in the Junior Band that would play in the Spring Concert in May. During the year those students who were most
diligent and became proficient enough would be promoted into the Intermediate
Band which I had organized in my second year. Victor had taken up the trumpet
and was in the Intermediate Band. Brian
started on the clarinet but then switched to the baritone horn and was in the
Junior Band.
The State Music Contest Association
published a list of solos for all instruments according to difficulty I, II and
III, to be played at contest in March. I
went to the large music store in Chicago, Lyon and Healy, and purchased solos
in all three categories for my students to learn. We would select a solo that
they liked in the level that they could learn to play with my instruction. Then
they would memorize it and practice with a piano accompanist of their
choice. If they didn't have a friend or
relative to accompany them I would arrange for them to practice with one of our
volunteers. Rickie accompanied many of
them so in the spring our home would be full of students rehearsing in the
evenings. I would listen and write down
suggestions for them to work on to improve their performance to do their
best. In the spring of 1955 I had only a
few who could play a solo in the number I classification. However, the Band was so much improved that
they received a First rating at District Contest and a number II at State which
was considered very good. The Dixon
Telegraph published an account of the Bands performance and listed all the
soloists and their ratings according to the article I prepared for them. Mrs.
Estella Johnson was our most faithful and proficient accompanist and would
spend all day on Saturdays a few weeks before contest playing accompaniments
with me writing down suggestions for each student to work on. The Summer Band
Program was very successful the first year in 1956 as I started eighty
beginners with thirty-five string players to form and orchestra. In three more years I went to Superintendent
Lancaster with the request that since we now had so many students in the
program I couldn't possibly teach them all so would like to have an assistant
Band Director. He was pleased and hired
a very fine musician, Jerry Rehberg, to help out. He fit right into the program and we got
along very well. His wife Ginny and
Rickie also had a good relationship. We
organized a Band Parents Association to support the band and to help in fund
raising to buy new uniforms. Cledon's
Candy Shop offered to let our band students sells
boxes of chocolates with a good margin of profit for the band. So we took on that project offering prizes
for the top sales people. The next year
we sold World's Finest Chocolate bars at a better profit and soon were able to
buy 98 beautiful new uniforms each one made to fit a student. At contest Rickie not only accompanied
students but carried a little black suitcase containing everything she needed
to take care of student emergencies and to make sure they looked their best,
whether it was shoes shined or hair trimmed etc. Students really loved her. L'Heureux's offered to take care of little
Linda Jane but Victor and Brian went along.
The highlight of the summer of 1956 was the visit of my youngest brother
Maurice Dwight, who was very talented in music. He attended and helped me in
all my Summer Band classes and learned to teach all the instruments. He also learned to tune pianos from my
correspondence course in piano tuning.
When he went home he was given the position of High School Music
Director which he enjoyed and carried out very successfully. After we got our new uniforms I sent him all
of our old ones for his band. Now I'm going to include a letter that Rickie
wrote from Dixon on May 6, 1958 about school activities.
Dearest Mother, Dad and all the family,
There is so much that I would like to say
to each and every one of you that I hardly know where to begin but I'm going to
start anyway. HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!
Thanks so much for your wonderful letter that came
today, Mother. We're always so happy to
hear from you and wish that we would be more diligent is our writing. We also appreciate the swell letters we've
received from Salt Lake, Downey, Peru and Dublan and are thrilled to pieces
with the new arrivals. CONGRATULATIONS
to Nellie and Maurice and Keith and Naoma.
It's been about five weeks since you
called us from Salt Lake City. It was
the best treat we've had for a long time so we hated to say good bye. Since
then things have been happening rather fast so I'll try to go back a few weeks
and give you a synopsis of our comings and goings.
Naturally, after winning so many blue
ribbons at District Music Contest we had to put our shoulder to the wheel and
keep right on working for State Contest so every night that we didn't have an
obligation elsewhere we had rehearsals here at the house. I had the ones that I was accompanying from
four to seven and Bob had other groups from seven to nine-thirty or ten. Many times we went without supper until they
were all gone. With 41 soloists and 14
ensembles going to State Contest he had to utilize every minute and held band
rehearsals during vacation as well. The
Wednesday after you called he was going down the stairs with a big box of music
and the strobotuner in his arms when he missed a step and sprained his ankle
terribly. The ligaments were all torn
away from the bone but we were thankful that it wasn't broken. He went right on holding Spanish Class and
rehearsals that night and all weekend until Tuesday (April 15th). I managed to keep him down long enough to
soak it in hot and cold baths so that the swelling went down enough for the
doctor to tape it. He played a concert
or I should say directed that night at South Central School PTA stocking
footed. Hi! Victor and Brian both played
their solos for that concert and all the other first place winners from that
school played too.
The following Saturday Bob squeezed into
a shoe and that night Brother and Sister Farthing came from Chadwick and took
us along to the antique and hobby show which was very interesting. Sunday we went to Church as usual and Sunday
evening we held the officers and teachers meeting here. We are happy to have a new family in our
Branch. Brother and Sister Booth have
transferred from the Clinton Branch and Brother Booth is going to be our new
branch clerk.
Tuesday, April 22nd, we went
to music club at the Beinfang home in Rochelle and John Nelson from Rockford
was special guest. He is a very fine
singer who goes on tours etc. and he sang for us. It was so inspiring that Bob decided to see
if he could take a few vocal lessons from him in Rockford. He runs a Music store there. I don't think I told you that Bob was elected
president of the music club for the third consecutive year which is a real
honor in that organization.
Speaking of honors, we've come to the
week of state Music contest and if you read the paper you would know we had a
wonderful day. It started at six o'clock
in the morning (April 26th) when we and all 89 Concert Band members
loaded in three big busses and rode to Streater, Ill. Our Band was scheduled to play at ten o'clock
so we went right to the homeroom and unpacked and had some time to catch our
breath before going to the warm up room.
We played right on schedule and everything went off without a
hitch. They were terrific to the
least! From what they wrote on their
comment sheets the judges thought so too.
It was a thrilling Victory for Bob and the students--and for me too.
We listened to other bands for the rest
of the morning and then we went to another building where our soloists and
ensemble began performing right after lunch.
Of course we didn't take time to eat as Bob stays right in our homeroom
and sees to it that each soloist and ensemble is warmed up and that their
instruments are working properly and that they have the music in order to give
the judges. The students aren't allowed
to wear their band uniforms for this competition so that the judges won't be
prejudiced if they knew the school. They
are given a number for identification and perform in various contest rooms
according to the type instrument they play.
The Band instructors are not allowed in the contest rooms but I was busy
as a beaver all afternoon accompanying and listening to as many others as time
permitted. There were 589 soloists and 155 ensembles in all representing 221
schools and Dixon came away with more blue ribbons than any other school so
naturally we were overjoyed. Victor and
Brian got a 1st in everything except the Trumpet Trio that Victor
played in missing it by only one point.
We felt that was very good considering that they played "Three
Trumpeters" that is college caliber and by far the most difficult trio played
at the contest. Out of our 14 ensembles,
12 received a 1st rating and 35 of the 41 soloists won a 1st. We didn't get any 3rd place
ratings. So much for
the contest. I've gone into more
detail than usual but sometimes it is sort of hard to imagine what contest
involves so thought I'd give you a little of the inside picture. I'm sure there isn't a band director in the
State or anywhere for that matter, that works harder,
longer or more prayerfully than Bob does so he deserves the richest rewards.
It was 8 o'clock when the buses got back
from Streater that night. We were happy,
tired and hungry so we picked Linda Jane up at L'Heureux's (she stayed at their
home Friday night and Saturday) and went to a restaurant to eat. When we got home we had to start planning for
our Branch conference that was Sunday the 27th. I had to furnish enough salad, cake and beans
to serve thirty people and Bob had to give a talk so we didn't have time to
relax. We had a nice Conference for a
little Branch. President Stratford
couldn't be with us but most of the District Officers were there and President
Haglund gave a wonderful talk. Starting
this Sunday we're going to have our Relief Society lessons and meetings during
Priesthood time on Sunday in the hopes that we will have a better attendance
than on a week day evening. Practically
all of our members except Sister Mendoza and myself
work outside the home and they just can't find the time, or the will, to
attend. I'm anxious to see if this will
help solve some of the problems.
Last Thursday night our family put on a
Mexican Program for the Baptist Mother and Daughter Banquet and a good time was
had by all. Hi! Linda Jane modeled the
little painted skirt and blouse with the little crate on her back. Victor and Brian sang "La Burrita" and helped
with the demonstrations and Bob and I talked, and danced the Jarabe Tapatio
(The Mexican National Hat Dance) in spite of his sore ankle, which is still
pretty tender. The music we used was a recording by a Mexican Mariachi Band.
Monday
night Bob went to City Band rehearsal and I had to be one of the hostesses for
the Women's Club board meeting. Tuesday
I had to go to Peoria to a funeral and that is why this letter has been in the
typewriter for four days. I took a lady
to Sterling the next morning and Wednesday afternoon our children all took
their dancing lessons. They are going to
be in a dance recital May 19th so we have to get their costumes
etc. Victor and Brian have only had 7
lessons but are taking to it quite naturally so are doing a real cute routine
with the intermediate class. Linda Jane
is in the ballet group. Mama and Daddy
are in the audience. Ha!
Herby and
Sara Nichols and Brian played their contest solos for the luncheon of the
Illinois Nursing Homes Association held here in the Nachusa Hotel. Mrs. Nichols and I accompanied them. We were all invited to the luncheon so it was
a nice experience for the children. Bob
was on the program for the convention dinner in the evening as the Dixon Serenader
for which he wore his Mexican Charro suit and sang and played requests for 45
minutes. Then he hurried home so we
could drive to Rock Island for a Church Conference. President Young was there and gave a
wonderful gospel message
Tonight we went o the High School band
concert. They played a delightful
program of difficult music such as the Finale from Dvorak's New World
Symphony. Bob taped the program and was
especially thrilled because many of the students in that organization this year
are the very first ones he started in music when we came to Dixon almost five
years ago. How time flies. It won't be
long until our boys are up there.
Besides their dance recital and band
activities, Victor and Brian are playing in three piano recitals on June 6th,
11th and 12th.
They are playing in two different two piano quartets, one 2 piano duet,
two single piano duets and several solos each so our pianos have little time to
cool off. They have also been asked to
play their horn solos and ensembles for the different recitals so the
practicing goes on and on. Our big
Spring Concert is next Friday night and Bob's three organizations will perform.
We wish you could all come and be in the audience. Victor and Brian also play
in the Orchestra and a few months ago Brian came home tooting a big sousaphone
so he is also playing that in the Junior Band which has 169 members this year.
We aren't planning any long vacations
this year but hope to take in a few sights around here and in Chicago. Miss Worley has given Victor a piano solo
(Rondo in B flat by Beethoven) to play in the Chicago land Music Festival
August 23rd, which is on the order of a contest and a very
outstanding opportunity as only a very few students from each area are chosen
to participate. He is working hard and
has the first page memorized already.
Going over this letter it sounds like we
don't do anything that doesn't pertain to music but we do have fun in other
ways too. Brian is a sports enthusiast
so he stays after school for track, which is the current sport. He came out first in the wrestling matches at
his school this spring. Victor prefers to spend the time fussing with his pets
or going fishing or hunting for turtles.
Then there is always basketball, croquet, badminton or horseshoes in the
back yard. The marble tournaments are on
and Victor is winnings so far. His dad
coached him. Hi! Something else the boys
are looking forward to is the music camp this summer at the University of
Illinois. They and two other boys from
Dixon, Chris Lazaris and Herby Nichols, will leave June 15th. It is a two-week session of study under the
finest college professors. They will
live in the dorm and be supervised in all their activities so it should be a
fine experience for them.
I received a call from my
sister, Lydia, in Edelstein tonight telling me that Mother Sauder is quite ill
so we will be making a couple of trips over there this weekend. She wishes to see the boys
so I will take them over tomorrow for a few hours while Bob is
teaching. Sunday we have our Mother's
Day program and the boys have a piano rehearsal in the P.M. so Bob and I and
Linda Jane will probably drive over to Edelstein after Church to spend the rest
of the day with Mother. She has been
with us here in Dixon since last summer and just went to Lydia's home for a
visit over Easter. She is 81 and very
weak so I am very concerned. This is a
long letter but I hope I haven't bored you with all the details of our
activities because we love you and enjoy hearing from you so much. Bye, bye now!
Rickie, Bob and Family.
On April 24,1955 a Sunday School was organized in Sterling under the
direction of District President Custer to meet in the basement of Brother
Wallace Taualii's home. Then on November 6, 1955 the Sunday School
was organized into the Sterling Branch. Officers were sustained and set a part
as follows: Branch President, Wallace Taualii; First Councilor and Sunday
School Superintendent, Bardell Bowman; Second Councilor and Branch clerk,
Alio Fonoimona; Primary President and organist, Fredericka Bowman; Relief
Society President, Lemoa Taualii. The
first converts to the Church in this area were the Glenn Padgett family. Sister Emma Padgett frequently was a baby
sitter for our children and usually brought a magazine to read. One night Brian handed her a Book of Mormon
and asked her if she would like to read something really worthwhile. She took it home and read it and wanted to be
baptized. The Missionaries called on the
family at their request and after a few months all were baptized: Glenn and
Emma. The parents and the children were Emil, Fred, Keith and twin sister
Karen. Keith and Karen were born on
February 29th, Leap Year.
Within a year the membership went up to 42 so meetings were moved to the
YMCA
The Concert Band members to wanted to do
something special to celebrate their success in contest so we planned a picnic
at White Pines Park with a two hour skating party at the White Pines Roller
Rink near there after the picnic. We
reserved the whole rink for the two hours. Everyone had so much fun that we
decided to make it an annual affair.
In 1956 we had long Spring Vacation so
decided to make a trip out West to see Yellowstone Park and friends and family
along the way. We were all excited to see bears along the road in Yellow Stone
Park with some of them coming up to the window begging for food. We saw a mama bear, a papa bear and a baby
bear together. Little Linda Jane clapped
her hands in glee because she knew the story of the three bears. Victor and
Brian liked the bears too but were more interested in the Dragon's mouth that
was a gaping hole in the side of a cliff that spewed out water and steam. We all enjoyed watching Old Faithful erupt into
the sky. On the way from Yellow Stone to
Salt Lake City we stopped at Downy, Idaho to visit my sister Kathleen, her
husband Dale and family. A highlight for
our children was to take turns riding Dale's horse that he saddled up for them. In the evening we had a musical program with
their children and ours playing the piano and singing. The next day we drove to Roy, near Salt Lake
City to visit our friends George Reimchissel, his wife Eileen and their
family. They had a really nice play yard
so the children were busy swinging, sliding and teeter tottering. George had become a dentist after getting out
the service and was doing very well as they had a beautiful brick home and were driving a Cadillac. George offered to take care of
Rickie's teeth by taking out the removable partials and putting in a permanent
bridge that would be trouble free which we really appreciated. Rickie was so charming and vivacious that she
and Eileen became friends immediately.
Then we went on to Salt Lake City to visit my sister Dorothy, her
Husband, Hugh and their family. They had been living in Peru, so we heard their
exciting story. We had a wonderful time seeing Temple Square and all the
interesting sights like the "This Is the Place" monument. A high light was going to Carnival by the
Salt Lake with Ferris Wheels and Merry-go-rounds etc. We went swimming in the
Salt Lake and the water was so salty that I could lay
on my back with my hands and feet in the air. How about that? We were sorry we couldn't stay longer but had
to get back home for school. We had a
good trip and talked about the wonderful vacation we enjoyed, and then went
back to school with renewed energy.
The next vacation we enjoyed
was to Mexico City to visit Mother and Dad Bowman in the Mission Home located
in Las Lomas de Chapultepec. We loaded
our carrier on the green Oldsmobile and took off after Summer Band on August 1,
1957. Victor and Brian took along their
colorful cowboy chaps that Rickie had made for them as special Christmas
present and Linda Jane took along her favorite doll to show their
grandparents. We had no trouble at
customs crossing the border at Laredo, Texas.
Brian got a car sick at one point and Victor wasn't too sympathetic
until he also got a little sick going around the curves in the mountains. They still enjoyed the trip with so much to
see along the way. They wanted to stop
to see why a flock of buzzards were flying in a circle over a spot on the
mountainside. We stopped and took a picture
of a big flock of buzzards eating a dead cow.
We explained that the buzzards not only got the food they needed but
cleaned up the area. Soon we heard the
boys exclaim: "I see the City! I see the City!" It was an awesome sight. The Mission Home was a beautiful building
with a tile roof and in a park setting.
Mother and Dad and the Missionaries working there greeted us very
warmly. They helped us unload our
carrier and all our stuff. We then had a
great visit to catch up on all that had been going on. Dad felt the people needed education so he
established schools in all the churches and a college in Mexico City to train
teachers and give all the young people an opportunity to work while going to
College. He also had a Mission Training
Center to send these young people into the Mission. When they finished their Mission they were
prepared to take leadership positions in the Church. Mother and Dad had prepared a list of
interesting things for us to see and do as follows:
1. See the Zocalo, which was
the down town square, with interesting shops all around and the large ornate cathedral
at one end.
2. See and climb the pyramid of
the sun and the pyramid of the moon and see the Aztec dancers perform there.
3. Go to the large, marvelous
zoo and let the children ride the horses available there.
4. Go to see the Mexican
Folklorico at El Palacio de Bellas Artes that had a glass curtain depicting the
two volcanoes, Popocateple and Ixtacuihuatl, lighting up for sunrise and
sunset. The professional dancers
performed all the famous dances of Mexico in resplendent costumes.
5. Go to see the glamorous bullfighters
(matadores) in the Mexico City Arena.
6. Go to the beautiful floating
gardens at Zochimilco.
7. Go to the fabulous shop where they hand tooled
leather goods.
8. Go with them to a Church
Conference in Puebla where I had started a Mutual Improvement Association in
1936 on my Mission
9. Believe it or not we had a
wonderful time doing all of all of these things and added one more thing which
was to go to El Mercado (the market) and buy a lot of treasures, especially
Mexican dresses. Dad took us to the fine
leather shop where he got us big discount on a complete set of hand tooled
ornate leather luggage. On the way to
the Conference Dad told us about the very remarkable story the conversion of a
whole village to the Church. Dad said
that a good looking black man came to see him at the Mission Home with the
information that he and all the village had heard and studied the Gospel and
wanted to be baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Dad was very surprised and
thrilled with this great request but told him that they wouldn't be able to
receive the Priesthood. His reply was
that none of the other churches even had the Priesthood to give. So the work was done and a very enthusiastic
Branch of the Church was organized there.
Of course now, because of revelation received, all men who are worthy, are entitled to receive the Priesthood so that
Branch, which has since become a Ward, attached to a Stake, is staffed by the
members.
The Conference was very inspiring with both
Mother and Dad giving wonderful talks.
At noon the members served a very elaborate, delicious potluck dinner
and Rickie had an opportunity to eat some of the "mole de guajolote" (chile
gravy with turkey) that I had talked about.
A very good-looking mother came up to me and introduced herself as Lisa
Alvares. I called Rickie over to
introduce her and tell her that in 1936 I had stayed overnight in her home when
she was a little girl. Her Mother was a
member of the Church but her Father, who was a professor at the college there,
was still investigating the Church. I
remember asking her Mother why she didn't ask Lisa to help with the dishes and
the housework. Her response was that
when Lisa got married her turn would come to do all that work. They insisted that Mother and Dad take some
left over chicken and turkey home to eat "otro dia" (another day). Of course I
was delighted that they accepted as I really enjoyed the food. On the way home Dad asked us to give a little
concert in the Mission Home the next evening for the Missionaries and some
invited guests like we had done in Mexico for the Rotary Club. In those days I always carried my violin with
some music and me so we were happy to play for them. After our little concert every one was served
a desert but I requested some of the chicken they brought back from the
Conference. The next morning I was I was very sick with a high fever. Dad called the doctor and he said that I had
food poisoning from the chicken that had been left on the counter and it was
very serious and wrote out a prescription to be given as soon as possible. Rickie drove down town with two Elders as
guides and interpreters to the drug store.
In the meantime Dad and two Elders gave me a blessing that I would be
restored to health. The Elders were
amazed at how well Rickie drove in that heavy Mexico City traffic to bring back
the medicine. She said that she was so
worried about me that she didn't worry about the traffic. She made sure that I took the medicine
faithfully and in two days I was well again so we could pack up for the drive
home. With all the things we had
purchased, including the beautiful leather luggage, we filled up the whole back
of the car level with the top of the front seats. We made a bed on top of all
that so that Victor and Brian could slide into that space and ride comfortably
lying down. Linda Jane could sit with us
in the front seat. When
we finished loading our carrier the canvas cover that we had put in the garage
was no where to be found. We
asked Dad about it and he said: "I didn't know that belonged to you so I let
one of our members take it home. I'll
ask him to bring it back right away."
They asked us to stay one more night and leave early the next morning so
we did. We had a good trip home and were
happy to have had this great opportunity to see Mother and Dad in the Mission
Field. The members called Mother "La
Angelita" (The Little Angel) and they respected and loved Dad very much and the
children gathered around him to hear stories after meetings.
Rickie's
letter told all about teaching and contest so now here is some of our winter
fun. The first thing was Linda Jane's
birthday party on the 30th of November. All her little friends were around the dining
room table with presents at one end and a big beautiful cake in the middle of
the table with a gorgeous doll peeping out of it. Rickie led them in a lot of fun games before
opening the presents and cutting the cake to be served with fruit punch. Two favorite games were "Ring around the
roses" and "London bridges falling down" with Rickie playing the piano in the
living room. Of course we took movies of
the party. In December was fun in the
snow sliding down the hill by the side of our home on sleds. The boys had
skating snowshoes that they wore to scoot down the hill. Also they all enjoyed throwing snowballs. In
the Park by the High school there was a frozen pond that they loved to skate
on. Linda Jane had skates with double
runners so she could stand up and skate just fine. She really enjoyed going to Santa's hut this
year and giggled when she sat on his lap and told him what she wanted for
Christmas. Victor and Brian really took
care of her to make sure she had a good time.
They helped her play with her Christmas toys.
During the
Holidays Bob and Norma L'Heureux and their little girls, Sally and Peggy came
over for a fun evening. Norma played the
piano for Bob's trombone solos and the little girls had fun crawling under the
grand piano and watching Bob pull faces and clown around while playing the
trombone. Rickie and I took a turn at
playing some Christmas music while everyone sang. The children especially liked "Rudolph the
Red Nosed Reindeer". We told them about
our trip to Mexico and they asked to see some of the movies we took. We showed them the bullfight where a matador
was so daring that he was gored and tossed by the bull. He was carried out of the ring and rushed to
the hospital while the crowd cheered. We
found out later that he did not survive his injuries. Bob and Norma especially liked our movies of
Xochimilco (the floating gardens) where we rode in beautifully decorated
chalupas (flat bottom boats) that were pushed along by a captain with a
pole. Venders would come along side in
little boats offering all kinds of food and one boat had a Mariachi Orchestra
that played for us. I asked the
violinist to let me join them playing his violin and he handed it to me very
graciously. Rickie took pictures as we
played "El
Jarabe Tapatio". Of course the children liked the pictures of
the zoo the best.
Section 9--Dad and Mother's
Accident in Mexico while We Were Teaching in Dixon.
Soon after Rickie wrote the letter on May
6, 1958, that was included here, we received the sad news that Mother and Dad
had a tragic accident on the highway from Puebla to Mexico City after a
conference. Dad died instantly and
Mother was severely injured. We immediately
made plans to go to Dublan, Mexico for the funeral. Our good friend Bud Nichols came right over
and offered his new Chrysler for us to drive to Mexico. We thanked him
profusely, as it was a wonderful act of love and kindness but there wasn't time
to drive so we would have to fly. Superintendent
Lancaster arranged for us to be gone for a week and the High School Band
members contributed $70.00 for our trip.
Sarah and Bud Nichols offered to keep Victor and Brian while we were
gone. Their son, Herby, was our boys
best friend. Grandma Eaton, living
upstairs, took care of Linda Jane. We arrived safely in Mexico and were met by
our loving, grieving family. My brother
Claudius wrote a letter to the family telling details about the accident so I
will copy part of that letter here.
Dear Family,
A sincere message of love
and good will and good wishes from the Bowman Family in Mexico, with a prayer
that you may enjoy every good thing that life has to offer.
Bob's and my former Mission President,
Harold Pratt, flew here that Monday morning, May 19th in his plane
to tell us of tragic accident our parents had suffered the night before. Don, Wesley and I drove to Chihuahua to be
sure to catch the afternoon flight to Mexico City. Arriving at the Mission Home, we found that
Mother was in a hospital in Puebla very seriously injured, as were Elder Bevan
Haycock, (Dad's first counselor) and the two Lady Missionaries who had
accompanied them. Dad's body was on the
way to the mortuary in Mexico City. We all felt that Mother needed us, so after
discussing plans with the Missionaries, and Brothers Farnsworth and Griffin,
who were taking care of most of the arrangements, and after a much appreciated
telephone visit with Uncle Harold, (who was the president of the Spanish
American Mission in El Paso, Texas) we borrowed Brother Farnsworth's car and
went to Puebla arriving at about 2:30 A.M. Tuesday morning. When we saw Mother we didn't wonder that they
were fearful of losing her too. She was
terribly injured. Her right arm was
broken just below the shoulder; she had bad bruises over her body and
especially on her jaw a face. Her false
teeth had badly injured her mouth, but her jaw was not broken, as they had
feared. Because of her state of deep
shock they had not told her that Dad had passed on. She rallied some when she
saw us, and we administered to her with oil.
The Lord certainly gave her the blessing we asked for her.
Elder Haycock was terribly bruised ands
cut on the body and face and his right leg was painfully broken above the
knee. He was the driver of the car. When he saw us he broke down and cried
inconsolably. I think we were able to
show him, during the week we were there, that we didn't hold any feelings
toward him nor blame him in any way. One
of the Lady Missionaries was cut quite badly just above the nose, but was
feeling pretty well. The other, Sister
Bernard was still out with a brain concussion.
It took nearly all day Tuesday to get around the red tape and get them
transferred from the General Hospital to the Hospital Latino-Americano so that
we would have the services of their very fine surgeons and modern
equipment. It is a serious crime to have
an accident in Mexico. They were holding
Elder Haycock criminally responsible, even with a guard, and under the system
that the law holds the doctor responsible for the patients entrusted to his
care after an accident. None of the
patients could be transferred without a court order and a transfer of
responsibility to another doctor. It was
a legal holiday that week so all the judges were away leaving only the secretaries
in charge. It was necessary to pull
every possible string and influence to get the transfer which was done with
three lawyers, and the most influential man in Puebla.
Mother was transferred to a nice room with
two beds. She said, "Oh, good, now they
can bring Dad here with us." This was
the first opportunity I had to tell her that Dad was gone. She had said a number of times that she
couldn't see how Dad could be all right, because she had seen how he was in the
car. I reminded her that she knew in her
heart that he was gone. Then the force
of it hit her. But she is a wonderful,
strong character. After a few tender
moments in which we were crying together, she was able to control herself and
it didn't have the adverse effect on her that they had feared. Wesley and I gave her blood (all three of us
had been tested). She was still taking
the blood when they took her to surgery to put a plate in her arm. This was so she would not have to have a
chest cast, which would be so painful. They have the most modern techniques,
including Dramamine with the anesthetic to prevent sickness. She stood the surgery very well, and made
rapid recovery, except that it was so difficult for her to take nourishment because
of her sore mouth and weak condition.
Thursday we went down to Tecamachalco to
get Dad's personal effects from the car.
We were blessed to be able to find the Ministerio Publico and the
Recaudador de Rentas (both lived out of town) who had the things in the
safe. They were both on vacation but
just happened to be in town. After
proving our identity and waiting for a number of long "actas" to be written up
and signed, they finally turned over to us Dad's bloodstained watch, $130.00 dollars, $1452.00 pesos, and a
$1000.00 Bolivar bill that Dad carried as a souvenir. They also brought his
wallet, papers, a Bible and Book of Mormon.
We interviewed the doctor who had performed the official autopsy and had
taken care of Dad's body, and also had given first aid to the others. We
thanked the Red Cross people who had taken care of them all and gave them a
$500.00 donation (which the Church reimbursed us for).
Then we went on to Tehuacan, where they
had taken the car and other personal things from the car. The sight of the car gave us a profound
emotion. We took some transparencies but
haven't made prints yet. The accident
happened at about kilometro 211 near Tlacotepec. They had picked up everything so we couldn't
find the exact spot. The way the
accident happened it was unavoidable. It was raining when it happened about
9:00 P.M. Mother had tried to get them
to stop at Fortin de las Flores and at Tehuacan, but they thought it necessary
to make the trip that night to meet the schedule the next day. Elder Haycock was driving. They had left
Tierra Blanca about 6:00 P.M. after a very nice Conference. They were following a passenger bus, came to
a straight road and started to pass. The
bus cut quickly in front of them. Elder
Haycock pressed hard on the brake but got no response. He didn't want to ram the bus and to the left
was the hill so he turned to the right and hit a truck loaded with mangoes
parked in the right lane with a broken wheel and no lights. The car went under
the truck putting the hood and windshield in their faces. The right doorpost was broken. The front seat
came loose and was bent double under the impact of the three ladies sitting in
the back seat. Dad was killed instantly. We didn't ever see his face as his head was
bandaged completely.
Elder Haycock's strength
saved his life as the strength of his arms broke the steering wheel loose from
the spokes. His leg was broken from the
pressure on the brake and against the bottom of the steering wheel, which was
badly bent. They had taken the car to a
service station in Tierra Blanca to check the brakes as they were not
functioning very well on the trip down.
The brake pedal was caught in the down position when we saw the car. So
it was just one of those things.
Mother wanted to go home on Friday. When we got ready to go we found that we had
to have a court order to take her out.
So we went again to Mr. Paul Bunstzler, a German or Swiss-American who
is married to the daughter of Jenkins, one of the most influential men in
Puebla and who also has a lot of influence in his own right. After a long search riding in his Cadillac
with a chauffeur, to find the right people and with one of those blue bank
notes, we finally got cleared and left Puebla about 3:00 P.M. Mother stood the trip over that narrow
winding road very well.
The good people of Mexico--the Farnsworths,
the Griffins, the Larsons, the Hawses and others had started packing all of
Mother'' things. W finished the packing and were able
to get a little sleep before leaving the Mission Home for the airport about
5:30 P.M. Some little nincompoop of
Salubridad Officer tried to prevent our take off and delayed us about an hour
until Wilford Farnsworth found out what was going on and told the Airline
Officer, "Let's go." They drove the
hearse over to the plane. We loaded the
casket, and then we all got in the plane and took off for home.
W really appreciate the Church spending
over $17,000.00 pesos to send us home by plane and also appreciated all the
million other things that were done for us, by the Church, the Missionaries and
the good people of Mexico. The presence
of family and friends to meet us was a comfort and a joy. We felt keenly the suffering of those who
were not able to come. You have heard
the funeral proceedings and we feel that it was a blessing of the Lord that
Mother could attend.
Love
from Claudius and family
Rickie and I were invited to ride with
Uncle Harold in his air-conditioned car to meet the plane in Casas Grandes as
Claudius has described. It was a time of
great mixed emotions of sorrow and joy as we tearfully greeted each other. Mother was so brave
as she smiled through her tears, thanking everyone for coming. The funeral was held in the large gymnasium
that Dad had helped to build. It was
like an auditorium with a stage at one end.
Dad was so revered by the Mexican population because of the many
services he had rendered them that the attendance was overwhelming. At the entrance there were large wreaths of
flowers donated by the Rotary Club and other organizations. Because Dad was a Mission President when he
died the First Presidency of the Church sent a General Authority, Apostle
Gordon B. Hinckley, to preside and speak at the Funeral. He praised Dad and Mother very highly for the
great service they had given not only in the Mission Field but also through out
their lives. One sentence that
particularly impressed me was: "He died with his boots on." The music was beautiful furnished mostly by
the family. Rickie and I played their
favorite song "Las Golondrinas". There
were many wonderful sentiments expressed and the funeral that was held on May
24, 1958 lasted for two hours because all the talks in English had to be
translated into Spanish. I recorded the
Funeral for posterity. Mother was so
strong and long suffering that she sat through the funeral and also went to the
burial ceremony at the Dublan Cemetery. The Ward Relief Society provided a
delicious dinner at the church for the family and friends after the burial,
which allowed an opportunity to visit. I told the family about a conversation
that Rickie and I had with Dad at the Mission Home last year in which he said
that when he was in Salt Lake City for a Conference he had a physical
examination and that the doctor didn't give him a clean bill of health that
could lead to his release. Because of
this he was taking extra good care of himself as he wished to spend the rest of
his life as Mission President because he loved it so much. Well, he got his wish for after five years of
dedicated service the Lord took him to serve in the realm beyond. Now Mother started her twenty years of
serving her family here on earth.
We were so glad that we could be a part of
this sorrowful, joyous, memorable occasion and were grateful that Mother would
be well taken care of. We asked her to
come and visit us in Dixon sometime soon when she was completely well from her
injuries. She said that she would like
to do that. After a very fond farewell
to everyone we accepted the invitation of Gerald and Marza Cardon to ride with
them to El Paso, Texas. Marza is my
brother Don and Maurine's daughter. From
El Paso we flew to the Moline Airport where we had our car parked. Moline is only sixty miles from Dixon so we
were soon home to pick up our children and finish out the school year. The Nichols said that they enjoyed having
Victor and Brian with them and of the course the boys had a great time with
their friend Herby after school hours.
Grandma Eaton said that Linda Jane was "as good as gold" and gave them
no trouble. We expressed our appreciation and were so happy that everything
turned out so well and that we were all back together again.
We heard that Mother went to live with
Don, Maurine and family in the family home for about two months then moved to
Wesley's home to help take care of his four children. His wife Alleen ,
died in El Paso during an operation for a brain tumor in February,1958. Later Mother moved into a neat little home
that Wesley and Alleen had built by the side of the home place where Don and
Maurine lived because she wanted to take care of herself. Keith and Naoma helped her sell her sewing
machine and use the money to buy some artists supplies to use her natural
artistic talents. She took a painting
class in watercolors and oils with some other ladies taught by Salomon Chonke
who was the art teacher at the Juarez Stake Academy. She was very dedicated and
graced all of her children's homes with beautiful paintings. We have the most of her paintings because
when she came to visit us we set her up with paints, brushes and canvases
instead of mending or sewing.
In November 1959 Wesley went on a Temple
excursion to Mesa, Arizona that really changed his life. Alleen's parents advised Wesley to get
married again to have a mother for his four little children but he hadn't found
anyone that he was interested in until that day in the Arizona Temple. Here is
a quotation from Wesley's Life Story.
"While sitting in the chapel waiting for the session to begin I noticed
a beautiful young woman come in. As I
looked at her and watched her during the singing, etc. I had a very strong
impression that she was the one I had been looking for and that she would be my
wife and the mother to my children. As
we formed a line to receive the name of the person to do the work for I was
just a few persons behind her. I heard
her say in response to the question concerning her marital status. "I am single". After the session I met my mother and told
her that I wanted to get the name and address of this certain young woman. With help of the Temple Matron I found out
her name was Mary Louise Shumway and that she lived with her brother
Dale and his family in Tucson and was teaching school." Wesley wrote to her and finally won her love.
He said: "It was very hard for her to
think of going to a strange country to take over the responsibilities of four
children and a husband." It all worked
out and they were married in the Arizona Temple June 30, 1960. He said: "She has
been and is a perfect wife, companion and mother. She has also been a big help and asset to the
Ward and the community. I am very
thankful to the Lord for selecting her for us.
She is loved by all who know her."
Mary helped raise Wesley's four children and they were blessed with six
more children making a wonderful family of ten children.
Section 10--Purchasing a home in Dixon and Visits from Family.
In August 1959 we were fortunate to buy a
beautiful old home on 606 Peoria Ave. for $14,500.00. (It is now valued at $98,000.00 with the
passing of time and the many improvements we made on it.) Rickie's home decorating talent came
forward. I called her my idea girl and I
carried her ideas out with her help. The heating system had been changed from
old fashioned radiators to base board heat but the furnace was still using oil
so we had it converted, by Pete Howell, to natural gas to be cleaner and
cheaper. Rickie picked out beautiful
wallpaper for the different rooms and carpeting and rugs for the floors. We did this work ourselves, but the
insulation and shingling of the roof we hired done. There was a little enclosed back porch half
the length of the house on the East Side.
Rickie thought it would be great to have the room extended the length of
the house and enclose it with beautiful windows and have a fireplace in the
extended room. We hired two excellent
carpenters and they went to work following Rickie's plans. While they were at
it we had them build beautiful cabinets for the kitchen. Bud Forbes, a good friend and excellent builder
put in the windows and electrical circuits and a new electrical box in the
basement, with circuit breakers, to take care of everything. Over the new part they put a flat roof with
seven layers of waterproof material. I followed instructions and put up the
ceiling tile myself. A friend of mine
who was a mason showed me how to lay stone to face the fireplace using
cement. We bought beautiful stone in
Rockford and Linda Jane and her mother helped decide which stone to put up
next. We worked until the wee hours and
finished the fireplace and it is beautiful to this day. We did as much of the work as we could to
save money and will write more about this later. We heard that Mr. and Mrs.
Wolf, who owned the Jewelry store in Dixon, were going to move to New York so
were selling their furniture. We went to
see them and Rickie was entranced by the dining room furniture, which included
a large ornate hand carved oak buffet with matching table and chairs. When Mrs. Wolf saw how much she loved it she
said: "I've just been waiting to find someone who loves this set as much as I
do, as we brought it from Germany. I
want you to have it and it will be half price and you can pay for it as you are
able." Bud Nichols brought his farm
workers to move it for us as they had moved our fifteen-foot grand piano to our
new home.
Contest went even better in the spring of
1959 than in 1958 so all the students and their parents were very happy. At the end of the year we followed our plan
to have a picnic in the Park followed by a two-hour skating party for the
Concert Band Members and it was really a great success. We added Marching Band to the program in 1959
and marched in the Halloween Parade and the Memorial Day Parade. The Band looked great and Brian did a fabulous
job as Drum Major. We had a row of very colorful Majorettes who danced and
twirled their batons beautifully. I
marched traditionally in my white uniform at the right side of the first rank
to take care of any emergencies that might arise. After the Memorial Day Parade and program at
the cemetery we had them stop at our home for punch and cookies.
Claudius III came to spend the summer in
1959 to study piano and get acquainted with Victor and Brian. They had marvelous time swimming, roller
skating and hiking in the Park. At the
end of Summer Band classes we went to see Dean and Joyce Drury in Iowa
City. Even though I had quit selling
Volume Library we still remained very good friends. They had a daughter, Andrea who was bout the
same age, who joined them in playing basketball on the garage driveway. Rickie and Joyce visited and watched while
Dean and I played horseshoes. He was
very good at it and I managed to only win one game. He wanted me to go golfing with him but I
told him I had never done that. "Oh,
that's okay. I'll show you how it's
done." He said. As a boy I had a lot of fun playing hockey
using a curved stick to hit a tin can across the goal line. It really surprised both of us that I beat
him in the Golf game, but he was always the winner in the game of
horseshoes. Next we went to a stable for
the children to ride horses. Linda Jane
was really enthusiastic and was given a little pony called "Buckshot ". She was only six years old so Brian led the
pony out into the field. All of a sudden
Buckshot broke away and ran as fast as he could back to the barn. Linda Jane was holding on for dear life and
shouting joyfully. I had the movie
camera and took pictures of her unforgettable ride. When we all got back to the barn she was still
excited and wanted to do it again. That
experience increased her love of horses which has continued through the years.
This was a sad year for Rickie's adopted
sister, Lydia as her husband Walter Herman Meyer died of a heart attack on
March 9, 1959. He left her with a little
daughter, Henrietta, seven years old, an appliance business in Edelstein and
many precious memories of their eleven-year marriage. Lydia sold the business and bought a home
there near friends and relatives in Edelstein.
Victor and Brian especially enjoyed
scouting activities this year as a big Jamboree was held at White Pines Park
for the entire Scouting District. They
participated in an exciting program where they danced in full Indian Costume.
Of course Rickie, Linda Jane and I watched, clapped and took movies of all
their activities. Victor felt pretty grown up as he graduated from eighth grade
with all the ceremonies at Madison Junior High School. He was dressed in his best suit and looked
very handsome and happy. Brian seemed
very happy for him but said he could hardly wait to go into High School next
year. He was hoping to be the Marching
Band Drum Major in High School as he was in the Grade School. This would be more demanding because of the
Band Shows at the football games that Bob L'Heureux put on with his band at
half-time. I will jump ahead here to say
that it really happened in 1960 and he did so well that he continued as Drum
Major for all four years of High School and was given a special award when he
graduated.
In addition to playing violin in the
Rockford Symphony I played in the Sauk Valley String Orchestra under the
direction of Max Guinop. He wanted to
increase his violin playing experience so was coming to my orchestra rehearsal
that was held once a week in the High School band room. Now some of my string students were
graduating from Grade School and the High School would not support a string
program so I had to close down the string program in the Grade School. I turned over the Intermediate Band direction
to my capable assistant, Jerry Rehberg which gave me time to start a Stage Band
and a little German Band to play at our Spring Concerts and at school programs.
We enjoyed a nice visit from my
brother Maurice and his wife Nellie that brought us up to date on what was
going on in Mexico with our family. Maurice helped me put a black metal railing
on the deck over our new room so it would be safe for children to play out
there and even sleep in sleeping bags in the fresh air. Maurice felt that his band program was going
great and appreciated the experience he had here with Summer Band classes in
1956. He said that he was also teaching
Art and Ceramics in the High School. My
family was a little disappointed that we didn't go to Mexico to live when I was
released from the Navy. We did consider
it but it was my decision to stay in the United States and establish a Home
Town for our children, when we had them, without fear of being separated. Rickie happily agreed with that. Now in the year 2003 there are only three of
our family members living in Colonia Dublan.
When the children grew up and went on Missions and then to college they
got jobs in the U.S. or married someone living there so Claudius, Dorothy and
Don moved out to be near their children.
Keith and Naoma, Wesley and Mary and Maurice and Nellie made trips to
the U.S. to see their children and their families as often as possible.
Dorothy and her husband Hugh D.
McClellan had moved to Peru to improve their financial situation and sent their
daughter, Claudette to live with us for a year to attend Dixon High School in
1961. She was the oldest grandchild born
March 13, 1945, just about three months before our son Victor was born. She did well in school and seemed to have a
good time. At Christmas time she and our
boys danced around the Christmas tree while opening presents. This was the year that Rickie received her
new bicycle. She came to the door and
saw Victor and I bringing it in. Victor said:
"Oh! Oh! Surprise! She laughed
through her tears and thanked us for helping Santa.
This was another lavish
joyful Christmas for everyone. We all
played Christmas music on our instruments and sang Christmas Carols with Mother
playing the piano, Claudette her violin and Linda Jane playing the cymbals.
This was a very busy spring with Victor
and Brian playing in the High School German Band, the Concert Band, singing in
a male quartet and in the High School Choir. They also participated in the
Musical "Promised Valley" that was composed by Brother Crawford Gates. The Rockford Stake put on the production and
since I was the Rockford Stake Music Director it was my responsibility to
direct the Musical. Janie Landgren
complimented by Don Bluth, a Missionary who was the male lead, beautifully did
the female lead. Beverly Waite was our marvelous accompanist on the piano. We traveled to different Wards to rehearse
the chorus members before combining them.
We became very good friends with the Nelson family in Madison, Wisconsin. Their young son Douglas, was quite and
athlete and showed us how he could do a lot of "pushups". He had charming twin sisters, Louise and
Eloise, about our boy's age. They
accepted an invitation from Victor and Brian to go to the Stake Gold and Green
Ball. The match that we parents were hoping for didn't happen but we remained
friends through the years. Doug Nelson,
in the 1990's, became President Nelson of the Rockford Stake and did a
marvelous work. Linda Jane was in the second grade doing well even though she
started young because her birthday came just before the cut off date. We asked
the principal, Miss Barton if we should keep her back a year and she said that
she was so advanced for her age that it would be a big mistake to keep her back
and she was sure that she could handle being the youngest student in her
class. We hosted District Band Contest
this year with the help of the band parents and the use of the High School
building and facilities. The Dixon
Telegraph was very cooperative and published all the news of the contest with
pictures of many of the participating bands.
Of course everyone was happy that our band received a first rating and
our 95 soloists and 35 ensembles did very well also.
In the summer of 1962 Victor took organ
lessons from Rachel Hughs, the Methodist Church organist, and did very
well. We recorded the music he learned
to play for him to keep. The beginning
students in Summer Band were mostly fourth grade students with a few fifth
grade students who didn't get started during the previous summer. When school started I needed a good bass
drummer to keep the rhythm in the Junior Band so I drafted Linda Jane, even
though she was in the third grade. She
did very well at the Spring Concert and the next summer took up the flute.
Victor's graduation from High School
was in the spring of 1963. Both he and
Brian had beautiful dates for the big Prom Dance. Victor escorted Pam Johnson and Brian's date
was Linda Love, who played flute in the band.
Rickie prepared a delicious dinner for them and they had a very
memorable time. During the year Victor
had been going with our veterinarian, Dr. Collins, to take care of farm animals
on Saturdays because of his love for animals.
In the year book Victor's statement about his goal was that he had
finally decided to be a poor musician instead of a rich veterinarian. At the Spring Concert in addition to
featuring two outstanding eighth grade students who won a First at State Contest
on their solos, we played music for a talented young group of tap dancers, that included Linda Jane, to dance on the stage in
front of the Concert Band. Victor and Brian were both taking music lessons from
Chicago Symphony players and their mother took them in the car every week
Victor's trumpet teacher was Mr. Herseth and Brian's teacher was 1st
trombonist.
Victor and Brian enjoyed the wonderful
experience of attending Interlochen Music Camp in the northern tip of Michigan
in the summer of 1963. Twin sisters,
Leila and Lola, who were members of our Dixon Music Club and who we had taken
to some Rockford Symphony Concerts, offered to finance them. The boys were both playing in the Rockford
Symphony and these kind ladies thought they deserved this great learning
experience. We drove to Interlochen
every weekend for their concerts in our black and white Pontiac station wagon
staying overnight as we could make a bed in the back for Linda Jane and
us. The boys met and enjoyed the many
challenges there. Brian was the leader
of the euphonium players and Victor was designated as the most musical trumpet
player. The boys kept in touch with Lola
and Leila with their achievements so they thought it was money very well spent. Victor and Susie Branner became very good
friends. They thought that they were in
love but couldn't quite get together on their goals and ideals, as she was a
devout Quaker. However they did remain
friends through the years.
Victor received a music scholarship at
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
We loaded the things he needed into our station wagon and all made the
exciting trip to get him settled in an apartment in Ann Arbor. We met the band director Dr. Revelli and the
situation looked so good that Brian said he would like to attend there next
year. Victor had a very exciting year
there and we drove up there to some of the football games to see him march in the high stepping Michigan Marching Band that
performed at half time. Victor met some
beautiful, interesting coeds there but was still more interested in Susie
Branner, his friend from Interlochen. He
was also writing to Penny Padgett, a friend from Dixon High School. We brought
him home for Christmas and had a wonderful time. We had great fun at Sinnissipi Park in
Sterling going down the hill on a sled that held all of us, that went scooting
across a frozen lake. Victor met Kay Prowant, a beautiful, talented girl who
played the piano, the french horn and sang beautifully
so they had a lot to talk about. Her
plan was to go to the University of Illinois to major in music. Her younger
sister, Connie, was a contestant in the Illinois Junior Beauty Pageant. We were
invited to attend that so met her parents, Arnie and Shirley and a brother,
Lonnie. Now when Victor went back to the University of Michigan he had three
girls to write to. He could have thought
that there was safety in numbers but was probably too busy with his studies to
think about that. Brian graduated from
High School in the spring of 1963 and was happy to be chosen to go to All State
Band in the summer. He had a memorable
experience there as first chair euphonium.
We sent a recording of his playing to Dr. Revelli and he received a
musical scholarship to attend the University of Michigan with Victor in the
fall of 1964. In September we loaded the
car with all the things they needed for school and to set up housekeeping in an
apartment together. We helped them get
set up in a nice apartment on Cross Street close to the University and got home
in time to begin our school year. We made a lot of trips to Michigan to visit
Victor and Brian and see them perform at the football games in that fabulous
fast, high stepping band. We took many
movies of their performances for them to enjoy in later years. We were all very
happy to have them home for Christmas and of course took movies of Christmas
morning around the Christmas tree opening packages. Linda Jane was thrilled with her big stuffed
collie dog and Victor was ecstatic with his new D trumpet. Kay Prowant was
there and was excited to hear him play his new trumpet. The movies show that she was very happy with
the presents she received and joined in the fun. This of course included a lot of Christmas
Music with her playing the piano.
1965 was
a very a very eventful year starting off with Victor and Brian playing in the
Michigan Marching Band at the Rose Bowl.
Victor said that he was in the movie releasing the balloons. Of course we watched it on television. Sin March Brian was thrilled to play a
Mazurka for Leonard Falconi the famous Euphonium artist and teacher. He was very happy to receive finally a fine
trombone that we had ordered for him and wrote us a very appreciative letter
and said that this was the first Band Contest he had missed in ten years and
wished us great success. He received the
opportunity to go with a selected Concert Band to tour Mexico in the summer
from Mr. Kursh as brass specialist to conduct sectional rehearsals and give
counsel with all expenses paid. He was
very happy to have our permission and support.
He was also happy to become first chair of the euphonium section of the
Michigan Concert Band. Victor received a
call from the First Presidency of the Church to go on a Mission to Uruguay and
to report to the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah on September 15,
1965. He had been looking forward to
going on a Mission so was happy to receive the call. His first convert to the Church was Kay and
they became engaged in October 1965 making him, he said "the happiest man in
the world."
Priscilla, my brother Wesley's daughter, came
to spend the summer with us to study music.
She was the same age as Linda Jane so they had a wonderful time
together. Rickie really admired the homes in Florida that had beautiful porches
with pillars in front so we decided to change the front of our home. I tore off the old wooden porch in four hours
and we hired our good friend Bud Forbes to lay a cement porch the length of the
house and six feet wide with beautiful wide cement steps from the sidewalk to
the porch that would be four feet high.
He did a beautiful job with the walls of the porch having a brick
pattern. Then I put up some beautiful
white round pillars to support the roof of the porch. It turned out to be exactly what Rickie had
envisioned. Then she thought that a
couple of pillars by the side door would look very nice supporting an
attractive little balcony that I could build.
This turned out well also so now our home looked as much like a Southern
Mansion as we could make it.
Jerry
Rehberg announced that he had been happy here in Dixon but now was ready to
take a music teaching position in New Jersey.
We were very sorry to see him and his family go
but were happy for them. So another
assistant Band Director was hired for the fall.
His name was James Nelson and this was his first job so he was eager to
please and to learn. We made out his
schedule of teaching together and he took over the Intermediate Band rehearsals
to prepare them for the Spring Concert.
We took
Priscilla to the plane to fly back to El Paso where her parents picked her up.
She said she had a great time and would like to come
again if possible. Brian went back to
Michigan to school and we took Victor to Provo for his Mission Training. Victor
wrote that they were really kept busy learning to speak Spanish and memorizing
the discussions in Spanish. He was the
District Leader of his section and was put in charge of the Music and had an
opportunity to play his trumpet. He was
asked to play a sacred trumpet solo in the Tabernacle in their farewell
meeting. He finished there in December
and had an hour lay over in Chicago on his way to Uruguay. We took Kay and Linda Jane and met him there
for a very mixed emotions visit on December 16, 1965. He was happy to be going but sad to have to
leave us and especially Kay, his bride to be, when he would be home in about
two years.
Maurice
invited us to go down to Mexico to help out with the Stake performance of the
Messiah to be presented December 19, 1965.
We went and had a wonderful time.
I was listed on the program as Guest Violinist. I played all the Music
with Rinda Robinson on piano and Sherry Bluth on organ. My brother Claudius sang the tenor solos very
well and Maurice directed the whole performance beautifully. Especially mother
Bowman wanted us to stay for Christmas but we decided to go home so Brian could
be with us. We had a wonderful Christmas together and felt close to Victor as
we received a letter from him telling us that he had arrived safely and that he
was getting along fine.
Our Branch of the Church was still meeting
in the Sterling YMCA and was called the Sterling Branch with about one hundred
members. Rickie and I had been working
diligently in our music and teaching callings and now I was called to be the
Branch President which position I served in for three years. I had Brother
Glenn Padgett for one of my councilors and when Sister Padgett saw the volume
of paper work that had to be done she said that if her husband were called to
do that she would feel like quitting. Well, just the opposite happened because
when I was called to be Branch President of the new Flag Center Branch Brother
Padgett was called to be Branch President of the Sterling Branch and she
supported him totally.
Section 11--Victor and Brian's University of Michigan and Mission
Years.
In
September 1966 Linda Jane started 8th grade and was chosen Drum
Major of the Grade School Marching Band and did very well in the three parades
that year, which were the Halloween Parade, the Memorial Day Parade and the
Flag Day Parade. Brian was excelling at
the University of Michigan and we took Linda Love with us to see him in action
in that fast, high stepping Michigan Band performing an exciting football
show. We were all impressed but Linda told
Brian that she could hardly believe it and would never forget it. Brian came home for Christmas and received a
call to go on a Mission to Sonora, Mexico in June 1967. Victor was permitted to call us at Christmas
time and was happy with the news of Brian's Mission Call and told him to be
sure to bring his horn as he was playing his trumpet frequently with a Mexican
Mariachi Orchestra which opened the way to meet people who became interested in
hearing what he and his companion had to say about the Gospel. He also reminded Brian about the stories I
had told them about the great help playing the violin was on my Mission to
Mexico in 1935.
Our Dixon
Music Club was still going strong and this year we had an Ensemble Night
Program in which all our members performed.
We co-hosted the meeting with Jim Wiltz in our home and I performed a
violin and viola duet with William on viola and Rickie accompanist entitled
"Sonata in E" by Handel. We recorded the
whole program to add to our growing tape library stored in the basement along
with the recordings of all our Band Concerts including Contest performances,
which we hoped to listen to again some day. We even had recordings of our joyous
Christmas mornings to go along with the movies we took of the family opening
and admiring presents received.
When
Brian was in 8th grade he won the brass division of the Lyon and
Healy Instrumental Solo Contest on television in Chicago and said at that time:
"I want to put the euphonium on the map."
He had already played a solo on tour with the University of Michigan
Concert Band and now was going to take his instrument to Mexico. The case was so big and heavy that his Mother
got out her sewing machine and fabricated a beautiful, light, soft leather case
that he could carry easily. Brian
enjoyed his studies at the Mission Training Center in Provo and like his
brother, Victor, was asked to play a sacred solo in the Tabernacle in their
farewell meeting. He was assigned to go
to the town of Navojoa in the State of Sonora, Mexico. He didn't get to see Victor before he left,
as Victor wasn't released from his Mission until December 16, 1967. That was a wonderful homecoming. Kay was home from the University of Illinois
so they were able to spend Christmas together at our home and make plans for
the future. She felt that she should continue her music studies at the
university and Victor wanted to study also so we took him right up to Ann Arbor
to continue his studies at the University.
Dr. Revelli said that he would miss Brian for a couple of years but was
happy to have Victor back. Of course Victor and Kay continued their
correspondence and Victor played his trumpet for a beautiful selection in one
of her Vocal Recitals.
Our three Music Concert Tours of the
Mission in Mexico started with a surprise call from Brian in which he asked:
"Can you send me instruments, music stands, music and everything else I need in
fifteen days to start a fifty piece band?"
Wow! He went on to explain that
he had played his euphonium in a program for the city and Don Luis Salido, El
Presidente Municipal de Navojoa, (the mayor of the city of Navojoa) heard him
and asked him if he could start a Boy's Band of High School students and that
the City would furnish the money to pay for the things he needed. He responded that he would be happy to do
that if he would get President Eugene Olsen's permission. Don Luis Salido then went to President
Henderson and told him what a wonderful thing it would be for the youth and for
the town to have a good band. President
Olsen could see that this would make for good relations with the people, which
would help out the Missionary work there, so enthusiastically gave his
permission. This was very exciting news
and we told Brian that we get right to work on this project. We went to all the music stores in the area
and told them the story of our son going to start the first band of high school
students in Mexico and asked for a discount on instruments they could provide. We finally bought most of the instruments and
equipment in Elkhart, Indiana and the music and stands in Chicago at a bout
fifty percent discount. Along with
method books for all instruments and suitable music we included the little
"Best Band Book" that I used for Junior Band Concerts and that had familiar
songs written in two-part harmony that sounded great. One song that students preferred was the
Mexican song "Sobre Las Olas"
(Over the Waves). By the
end of two weeks we had all the equipment at home and spent all night putting
everything in big boxes to send to the border at Nogales where Don Luis Salido
would arrange to have it taken to Navojoa.
Here there was a problem, as the Custom Officials wanted to charge more
duty than we had paid for the instruments.
Don Salido went to the Governor and other officials to get the charges
reduced or canceled since the shipment was for the benefit of the Country. He wasn't successful so he sent his Jefe de
Policia (Chief of Police) to the border with a garbage truck. They loaded everything into the truck and
drove across the border without paying anything. How about that? We were certainly amazed and elated when
Brian wrote to us about it and sent us the money for the instruments and
equipment.
Now Brian
used all he had learned going through our school system in Dixon about trying
out students and getting them started on the right instrument and added
innovations of his own. The high schools
students were excited and eager to be selected for the band so Brian had many
to try out. The city had an old medical clinic, that was very adequate for Brian to use for try
outs, lessons and rehearsals. They
renamed it the "Clinica de Musica" instead of the "Clinica de
Medicina". He had all the students
wash their hands before they could touch an instrument and had great success
getting an enthusiastic student for each instrument. He had clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, two
baritones, four trombones, one sousaphone, one bass drum, snare drums, French
horns and flutes. At the end of three
months he had a concert in the town square, which was like a park, and sent us
a copy of the newspaper with headlines:
"El milagro del siglo! Todos los ninos quedaron quietos por una hora." (The miracle of the
century. All the children were
quiet for one hour.) Of course Don Luis
Salido was very happy with this early achievement and labeled Brian the son of
Navojoa and gave him a certificate that allowed him and his companion to eat in
any restaurant free of charge. President
Olsen was pleased also and since he learned about our musical family invited us
down to tour the Mission in June 1968, to give concerts in all the Chapels.
We accepted the invitation gladly and were
happy that Victor and Kay could go along with us. We planned a program to know what music to
take. Then we loaded our instruments and
luggage on two carriers on our station wagon and took off. We had a marvelous time and were welcomed and
treated royally everywhere we played for ten days. Sometimes we would vary our program as we had
a lot to choose from as follows: Brian had a euphonium solo, a trombone solo,
"Lassus Trombone", a duet with Victor, "Pedro y Amigos", a trumpet trio with
Victor and I, "The Three Trumpeters.
Victor added to this with his spectacular solo "La Virgen de la
Macarena" which was the bull fight song.
Linda Jane sang "Que Lejos Estoy", a very popular Mexican song and
played a piano solo, "Clare de Lune".
Kay sang the beloved Mexican song: "Estrellita" accompanied by
Victor. My violin solos accompanied by
my sweetheart wife were "Czardas" by Monti and the famous Mexican goodbye song:
"Las Golondrinas". Then we all played
the "Mexican Overture" that was a medley of popular Mexican songs. In this group Kay played the French horn and
Linda Jane played the flute, Victor played the trumpet, Brian played the
euphonium or trombone, I played the violin and Rickie played the piano. For an encore we all sang the beautiful hymn:
"'Come, Come Ye Saints" in Spanish. Of
course went to one of Brian's rehearsals to hear the band play and were really
amazed at how great they sounded. We
suggested to Brian that he teach them to march so they could participate in
parades. He went right to work on it and
trained a drum major right away so they could practice marching down the
street. Victor and I helped all we could
and Brian appreciated it though he really didn't need it. Don Luis Salido was advised about the
marching rehearsal so he sent a water truck to spray the road ahead of the band
to keep down the dust then had refrescos (cold drinks) for the band at the end
of the rehearsal. Later the Sister City
of Navojoa in the United States heard about the band and sent beautiful
uniforms for all the members of the Band.
Don Luis
Salido was so impressed by our concert in Navojoa that he requested President
Henderson to invite us to come down again in December to play in all the same
cities but in a concert hall or public building open to the public. We all
enjoyed the tour so much that we heartily accepted the invitation. We had a
good trip home and had tape recordings of all of our concerts and of a chorus
of dogs barking near a motel where we stayed one night. Sometimes we slept in the chapel where we
gave the concert and were fed by a potluck dinner prepared by the members of
that Branch.
This
experience drew Victor and Kay even closer and they decided to get married and
set the date for August 16, 1968 in the Freeport Chapel. They wanted me to
perform the marriage ceremony so I was authorized by the Mission President to
do it. Kay and her parents planned some
of the festivities and hired a professional to take pictures. Vinette Parry, a beautiful girl from
Arlington, Virginia came to the wedding at Brian's request and our invitation
and took care of the guest book. Brian
met her at the University of Michigan before going on his Mission and all this
time had been corresponding with her in competition with another man by the
name of Brion. He learned that in Mexico
the man tried to win over the girls mother to help win
the daughter so he had been writing to Virginia, Vinette's mother and seemed to
be the favored one. We were very happy
to meet Brian's chosen one who was not only charming and lovely but also very
intelligent and faithful in the Church.
All of Kay's family attended and her parents thought the wedding was
beautiful. Kay's sister Connie and
Victor's sister Linda Jane were bridesmaids and Victor's cousin, Gary Sauder
was his Best Man. The Freeport Ward
provided a banquet for all the guests. After this Victor and Kay left for their
honeymoon before moving to Michigan for Victor to continue his schooling.
Christmas vacation was soon upon us and again we loaded up our station
wagon and left for Mexico for our second concert tour. When we arrived at Navojoa there was a banner
across main street saying: Gran Festival de Musica por la Familia Musical
Mormona Bowman. (A Great Music Festival by Mormon Musical Bowman Family) Then it gave the date and time of our Concert. Don Luis Salido had arranged for us to stay
at the Rancho Motel free of charge as our headquarters for the tour. It had a beautiful swimming pool that we all
enjoyed. The Radio Station broadcast our
first concert in Navojoa and at the end of the Concert we were given a standing
ovation and the ladies each received a beautiful bouquet of flowers. In
Hermosillo we gave a radio program in the morning to advertise the concert in
the evening and were given a recording of the program by the Radio
Station. We not only played but also
were interviewed about our interest in giving the concerts. Brian was able to tell about his missionary
work and about la Banda de Navojoa. All
of our concerts went very well until we got to the last one in Mazatlan on the
seashore. We had lodging in a beautiful hotel
on the beach and enjoyed swimming in the afternoon before our concert, which
was scheduled to begin at 7:00 P.M. in the Hotel Conference Room. We were jumping the waves as they came in to
the beach when an enormous one came and toppled Linda Jane over. I was near her and was able to grab her and
keep her from the undertow going out to sea.
As we were ready to start our Concert at 7:00 P.M. and order came
from el Jefe de Policia (the Chief of Police) to stop the concert. His son was there for the concert and was
taking lessons from the Missionaries. He
told us that his father didn't understand and to wait while he went to talk to
the Governor of the State who happened to be in the Hotel that night. We waited and the audience waited patiently
until 8:00 when permission was granted to go ahead with the Concert. It turned
out to be one of our best Concerts and the audience was very enthusiastic. We were very surprised to see Arthur Zach and
his wife there. He had been the Rockford
Symphony conductor for years and had just retired to Mexico. They invited us to come to their home after
the concert and he made his famous cheese blitz sandwiches for us. We had a wonderful visit before going back to
our hotel about midnight. Before leaving
Navojoa for home we were again asked to make another tour next June as a
farewell to Brian as he would be released from the Mission at that time. Of course we accepted not knowing that Victor
and Kay would have their first son, Eric, May 19, 1969 so would not be able to
go with us.
In
September 1968 Rickie accepted an invitation from Don Luis Salido to fly down
to Navojoa for their big Independence Day Celebration on September 16th
in which La Banda Junvenile de Navojoa (the Young Band of Navojoa) would march
in the big parade and play a concert. He
made all the arrangements and paid all her expenses and she had a wonderful
time. We were thrilled to hear all about
it. The Marching Band had become so well
known that they were invited to march in the Inauguration Parade in Mexico
City. Brian told us later that the Band
did well and had a wonderful experience. He also told us that the Missionaries
were having a problem getting to see people to teach because the Priest told
them not to let the Mormon Missionaries into their homes. Brian went to the Priest of the Catholic
Church there and offered to have the Band play in the Virgin de Guadalupe
Parade. He was very pleased and the
Missionaries had all the doors opened to them after that.
In the Fall of 1968 Victor had a change in his program because he
cut his lip performing in the Marching Band and switched to playing euphonium
with Dr. Revelli's approval. This worked very well for him as his lip healed up
and he found that he could switch from euphonium to trumpet without any
trouble. He graduated with distinction
playing a recital on euphonium in the Spring of
1969. His teacher, Professor Glenn
Smith, complimented him by saying that he was the only one who had played a
recital completely from memory for many years.
We were very happy to be there to hear his wonderful recital and were
thrilled to have Kay show us our first grandson, Eric. We told them that my
assistant, James Nelson was leaving and asked them if they would like to move
to Dixon and take over as my assistant Band Director in the September. They decided that they would like to do
that. Victor's application for the
position was accepted so they purchased a beautiful little home with the help
of my signature on the contract.
Before we
went to Michigan that Spring Linda Jane entered the Miss Flame contest
sponsored by the Fire Department and won a trophy for 1st runner-up
and rode on the fire engine with the Queen in the big parade. She was also a star in the program put on by
the Physical Education Department doing an outstanding routine on the balance
bean and in gymnastics. She loved her
horse, Rusticana, that she kept on a farm near Dixon
and spent happy hours riding him without a saddle and brushing him. As soon as school was out she was ready to go
with her Mother and me to Mexico for our third concert tour.
It seemed like the car knew the way to
Navojoa and we had an enjoyable trip eating cinnamon rolls and honey ham along
the way. Brian was happy to see us and
gave us the good news that a new Missionary, Brent Jones, was a concert pianist
and would join us to accompany him on his solos and play some piano solos.
Brian had his Band prepared to play a concert so in Navojoa we had a joint
concert for a very enthusiastic audience that packed the auditorium. The concert was such a success that the Band
was sent with us to play a concert in Hermosillo. The Band played the first half of the Concert
and we did the last half. By special
request we added a new number with Rickie and I
singing the popular Mexican song: "Adios
Mi Chaparita, no llores por tu Pancho."
I played the song on the violin and then we sang it without
accompaniment. After the applause I told
the audience
e in Spanish that after mi amada esposa had learned
to sing the spanish words of the song, I taught her to say: "Te amo muchicisimo
mi querido marido y no paso de hay" (I
love you very much my beloved husband and that she did not get beyond that).
They really responded to that with laughter and applause.
When we
got back to Navojoa we found that a big Farewell Festival had been prepared for
Brian to go along with our concert to be given on a stage in the Park. Brian was given a Charro Traje de Lujo (a
Mexican Cowboy Dress Suit). He wore it
for the concert and it was beautifully adorned with silver and included a big
fancy sombrero, also ornamented with silver.
In between our numbers were given eloquent speeches of praise and
gratitude to Brian for the founding and development of the now famous Banda
Juvenil de Navojoa. He responded
beautifully thanking everyone and especially Don Luis Salido for their
cooperation and support and turned over the direction of the Band to the most
qualified musician in the area with the hope that it would continue. After the festivities Don Luis Salido invited
us to his beautiful home for a farewell visit.
Rickie admired the beautiful embroidered table linen on the table and
was overwhelmed when Mrs. Salido folded it up and gave it to her. It has been a treasure in our home through
the years. Brian also received a
beautiful blanket as a "recuerdo" that was especially made for him. He packed all his belongings and went home
with us. We stopped near the border to
see the fascinating operations of a glass blowing factory on the way home.
Section 12--Linda Jane's
High School and College Years and Victors Teaching in Dixon.
The
summer was quite a change for Brian from his busy Missionary schedule but he
adjusted to having more free time and played solos with several Municipal Bands
in the Area. Linda Jane went to the two
week Summer Music Camp at Purdue University and we all attended her final
Concert. This was her third camp as she had attended one at the University in
Normal, Illinois and another one in at Northern Illinois in Dekalb playing the
flute on other years. She also took
private flute lessons from the flute teacher there. The next summer, 1970 she attended the Music
Camp at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and decided she would like to
attend college there when she graduated from High School the next year. So in
the fall she started her senior year and took piano lessons from our local
Concert Pianist, Ethel Sinow. Brian went
back to the University of Michigan and Victor and Kay moved to Dixon with their
little son, Eric, to start Victor's teaching career as my Assistant Band
Director.
Dr.
Revelli was very happy to have Brian back in the band and had him resume his
position as leader of the euphonium section and featured him as a soloist on
their annual concert tour. We attended
one of these concerts and also a football show.
He continued his courtship of his chosen one, Vinette Parry, and finally
married in the Salt Lake City Temple August 26, 1970.
Victor
seemed to be a natural born teacher and fit right into the program beautifully
and conducted the Intermediate Band in some very fine music at the Spring
Concert. Kay enjoyed being near her
parents and family and was kept pretty busy taking care of their little
son. Linda Jane was doing very well on
the piano. She also sang in the Spring
Musical and had a leading role in the drama "The Twelfth Night". We had another
successful year at the District and State Contests, a great Spring
concert and a very enjoyable band picnic and a skating party at the end of the
school year.
After Summer Band we all went out to Salt
Lake City in August 1970 for two weddings.
Victor and Kay were married for Eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple on
the 25th of August and Eric was sealed to them. We had a very nice
reception for them in Uncle Thel's beautiful flowered back yard. Then Brian and Vinette were married in the
Temple for Eternity on the 26th of August and had a beautiful
reception in Vinette's Uncle Bob's home in Salt Lake with many of our relatives
and Vinette's relatives present. We also
had a reception in Dixon for them. Then it was back to school for
everyone. Brian and Vinette went back to
the University of Michigan, Victor and I to teaching in Dixon, and Linda Jane
to start her very busy senior year in Dixon.
She especially concentrated on piano as her teacher; Ethel Sinow
scheduled her to present a Senior Piano Recital at the Loveland Community
Building for the public in the summer.
In the spring she had a date to the Senior Prom to which she wore a
beautiful gown and was escorted by her friend David Herzog who also was dressed
elegantly. Of course we took pictures of
this memorable occasion and her graduation ceremonies. Linda Jane attended another Senior Prom with
Walter Bristow in Savannah about 35 miles from Dixon. She met Walter at a Church Seminary Dance and
was attracted to him because of his intelligence. When he graduated from High School he went on
a two year Mission for the Church. They
corresponded and after about six months he sent her a proposal of marriage
which was against Mission Rules. When
Walter got home from his Mission to attended the BYU
and had several dates with Linda Jane.
He was quite devastated when she became engaged to marry Grant Calhoon. He recovered and got married the very next
year. We thought a lot of Walter and
have remained friends through the years.
On June
4, 197l Victor and Kay's second son was born in Dixon and they named him
Brent. Rickie was happy to take care of
Eric for awhile. He was now two years
old so Kay and Victor appreciated it very much.
Another important event that we were very happy about was moving our
Church Meetings from the YMCA to our new Church Building at 2709 16th
Avenue in Sterling on February 7th, with a membership of 200. Linda Jane's diligent work on the piano
really helped her give an outstanding Summer Concert. The capacity audience was very enthusiastic
in their applause and praise for her artistic renditions and her teacher was
very pleased saying that she was really proud of her great achievement. Her Grandmother Bowman was with us and told
Linda Jane that she was thrilled beyond words to express it. Rickie and I felt the same way and so did
Victor and Kay. We recorded the program
to send a copy to Brian and Vinette. Brian could hardly believe that his little
sister was playing that well. Of course Linda Jane was happy about it and now
was excited about attending Brigham Young University. We helped her pack up all the things she
would need and drove to Provo, Utah in time for her to find a nice apartment
with two other girls before registration.
Of course
her piano teacher thought that she should major in piano and our good friend
Ralph Laycock, who was the Band Director, recommended that she major in
flute. When she tried out for the choir,
our friend Margaret Woodward found that she had over a two octave vocal range
and told her that it would be a shame not to major in voice. So that is what
she decided to do. Along with voice
lessons and required academic subjects she took piano lessons from an Oriental
concert pianist who told her that in New York she was charging $70.00 a
lesson. She was happy to come home for
Christmas and tell us all about it.
At the time we took Linda Jane to Provo
Mother Bowman went on the bus to El Paso then by car with Claudius to home in
Colonia Dublan, Mexico. While she was
with us in Dixon she painted some beautiful pictures and among them was a
special one for Victor of the scene of the Prophet Joseph Smith's Vision in the
Grove in Palmyra, New York. We really treasure all her beautiful paintings that
grace our home. In 1972 she got an
apartment in Mesa, Arizona and did five Temple Sessions a day four days a week
all summer. We were really impressed
with her great dedication and amazing stamina at her age. She told us that she enjoyed doing the Temple
Ordinances so that those who hadn't received the Gospel here on earth could
receive it in Heaven. She went back to
continue the Temple Work in the summer of 1973 then came to Dixon to spend
Christmas with us.
Brian and
Vinette came for Christmas bringing their little son, Brian Parry who was born
on June 4, 1973. After Brian and Vinette
graduated from the University of Michigan, Brian had so many extra credits that
he stayed on for the Summer of 1972 to get his
Master's Degree. Then he auditioned for
a vacancy in the Navy Band in Washington, DC.
He was accepted so they moved to Arlington, Virginia where Vinette's parents,
Dean and Virginia Parry, lived. Brian
weathered the Boot Camp training at Great Lakes Naval Station before playing in
the Navy Band. His outstanding ability
was soon recognized in the Navy Band and he became the leader of the euphonium
section and a soloist on tour.
In 1973
I was replaced as Branch President at Flag Center by Brother Ralph Belnap who
asked me to speak at the funeral of a Mexican member who had quite a few family
members in the Branch. Then I was called
to be on the District High Council to visit all the Branches in the District to
give talks and help out with any problem.
It was a large District extending clear down to Quincy, Illinois, a
four-hour drive. Rickie carried along
her yarn and made afghans for all our family members
as we made these trips.
After
Summer Band in 1973 Rickie and I had a delightful time going to Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, to see Linda Jane perform in a Musical Play. She was very vivacious and seemed to be right
in her element singing and dancing. but was confused
about a boy friend's plan for them. He
wanted her to go to France with him and work as a Nanny there to help him pay
for lessons from a world famous flutist there.
His name was Grant Cahoon, the son of a Band Director in Canada,
attending BYU as a flute major. We accepted her suggestion that she bring him
home to Dixon for the Christmas Holidays.
On
Christmas Eve we all got out our instruments to form a Family Orchestra and
played and sang Christmas carols. Mother
Bowman played the guitar, little Eric played the triangle and Brent, just two
years old had a tambourine. Linda Jane and Grant played flute, Victor played
trumpet, Rickie, Kay and I played violin, Brian played cello for fun and
Vinette played the piano. Our home was
decorated beautifully under Rickie's direction and the presents were piled high
around the Christmas tree. We finally
got the children to bed after they hung their stockings up by the fireplace
with the promise that they could open presents in the morning after Santa came.
A little
too early in the morning, for some, the words rang out: "It's Christmas! Santa's been here!" So everyone hurried down the stairs to see
the beautiful Christmas tree aglow with colored blinking and bubbling lights
and the glistening presents underneath.
Eric was fascinated by a little train zooming around a track and a
singing push toy that he joyfully pushed all around the room. Then the custom of opening one present at a
time began with exclamations of delight that lasted most of the morning. I took
movies and a recording of all the fun activities, especially of the Children
for review in the future. Brian P. was only seven months old but got lots of
attention. Next came
Brent two years older, then Eric two years older than Brent.
At about 1:00 P.M. we had a very delicious
Christmas dinner prepared by Rickie with volunteer help that consisted of a big
Turkey with all the trimmings including dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy,
candied sweet potatoes, peas, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, milk, water,
cake, pie and ice cream. Brian was
elected to use his expertise to carve the turkey. Vinette used her organization skills to
speedily get the dishes washed and put away.
After a little rest and conversation we got out the sleds and all went
over to the hill by the tennis courts about a block from our home for a
hilarious time sliding and frolicking in the snow. We took more movies of this time to be
remembered.
When it
came time for Grant and Linda Jane to go back to the BYU to school they asked
for counsel so Rickie asked them to each write down what they would expect from
the other if they were married. This
helped Linda Jane make up her mind that Grant was not for her as among other
things he wrote that he would expect her to support him no matter what he did
whether it was right or wrong.
After our
visiting families departed Victor was called to be President of the Sterling
Branch of the Church. He carried out the
duties of this demanding calling very well until he moved with his family to
Washington, DC in the fall of 1975. He
continued doing a great job teaching in Dixon, continued trumpet lessons at
Northern Illinois University, in Dekalb and got his Master's Degree in
trumpet. He was playing First Trumpet in
the Rockford Symphony and was a featured soloist playing "La Virgen de la
Macarena" and also playing First Trumpet in the trio "The Three
Trumpeters." Kay's application to teach
General Music at Washington School was accepted and Rickie took care of Eric
and Brent during school hours that year. Kay also sang the leading role in the
Musical "Brigadoon" in a neighboring town.
This led to her indiscretion of going on dates with Ron Turner who had a
beautiful, talented wife and three children.
Victor forgave her and they continued their busy life together in
Dixon. Victor now decided that he would
like to play trumpet professionally so went to Washington D. C. and auditioned
for the Navy Band, the Army Band, the Marine Band and the Air Force Band. He
was accepted by all of them and chose the Air Force Concert Band. After school was out for the summer they
rented a big van and we helped them pack for the move to Washington, DC. They were able to sell their home and we took
care of their boys, Eric and Brent until they got settled in a home in Maryland
not far from Bolling Air Force Base. Kay
auditioned for the Army Chorus and was accepted and became a soloist with the
group. We drove up to their home to take
the boys and wish them success and happiness in their new life.
Section 13--Victor, Brian
and Linda Jane's Service Years in Washington, D.C. and Messiah Performances in
Mexico.
While
in Washington D. C. we attended a Concert with Vinette of the Bi-Centennial
Band. This Band was constituted to tour
the United States and the membership was selected from all the Service Bands by
audition to have the most accomplished musicians. Brian was selected as First
Chair of the euphonium section and as a featured soloist. We had a very good visit and he told us that
the Band was scheduled to play in every State so during the year he would play
a solo in every State. He gave us a
schedule so we could attend the concerts in Illinois and neighboring States.
Linda
Jane had a very good year at BYU and in the summer of 1974 went on tour to
Europe with the Concert Choir conducted by our special friend, Ralph Woodward.
This was a marvelous experience for her and she really enjoyed it. She sent us a deluxe feather tick for our bed
that was unbelievably light, soft and warm and supposed to last a
lifetime. When she went back to school
in the fall she had a very demanding schedule and worked so hard that she
contracted mononucleosis and had to come home in January to get the rest she
needed to get well. When she told Grant
she was leaving to go home to recuperate he broke their engagement. Her Mother knew how to take care of her as
Brian had the same mononucleosis when he was in grade school. By the Summer Linda Jane was well enough to
play tennis, go swimming, play in the City Municipal Band and go on trips to
concerts with us to hear Brian and Victor.
In September 1995 she went back to BYU for her senior year. She met Ben Johnson, a charming young man who
was very attentive to her. They got along
so well that she invited him to go to Mexico with her as all of our family was
invited by my brother Maurice to come to Dublan for Christmas and provide the
orchestra to play for the Messiah that he would be conducting on December 28th. We met Linda Jane and Ben Johnson in El Paso
and my brothers met us there to help us get across the border and help provide
transportation to Dublan. We enjoyed a
wonderful Christmas with all our families there and were amazed and happy with
all the festivities and delicious food provided. We had some very good Messiah rehearsals and
the outstanding performance was worth all the effort required. Here is a quotation from "The History of the
Mormon Colonies in Mexico" "December 28,1975, the "Messiah" by George Frederick Handel was
presented in the stake auditorium by the Dublan choir and invited guests. Mary S. Bowman was the choir director. Sharon Taylor was the choir president. Maurice Bowman was the guest director.
Michelle Romney was the pianist. Bardell
R. Bowman was the violinist. Brian
Bowman played the euphonium. Linda Jane
Bowman played the flute. Victor Bowman
played the trumpet. The soloists were Kay P. Bowman, soprano; Beverly J. Call,
alto; Dean L. Castle, tenor; and Marion C. Robinson, bass. After the presentation, which was marvelously
done, the audience walked out into a most beautiful snow. It fell in large fluffy flakes, reminding one
of fairyland." Before we left for home
we were asked to promise that we would come again for a Family Reunion in a few
years. On the way to El Paso Ben Johnson told Linda Jane that he really had a
good time but felt that perhaps he wouldn't fit into such a musical family but
would really like to remain good friends.
We all
had plenty to talk about as we went back to continue our work in the happy New
Year of 1976. Dennis Speer was hired to
be my new assistant Band Director when Victor left in the summer of 1975. Dennis, his wife Jodi and children Angela and
Jared were welcomed warmly and quickly made Dixon their home. In fact they stayed until a year after I
retired in 1983. Of course I really
missed Victor's expert teaching and total support. His students were devoted to
him because he made music study fun for them and treated them so kindly that
they were sad to see him leave. However,
Dennis was enthusiastic, willing to take suggestions and worked into our
program very well. He conducted the Intermediate Band in the Spring
Concert. He changed the name to Cadet
Band. I had the Concert Band, the Stage
Band and the German Band that all played in the Spring Concert. Only the Concert Band members participated in
District and State Contest and wore uniforms.
We continued our program that called for every member of the Concert
Band to memorize a solo to play at Contest and participate in an ensemble if
possible. This enabled us to take home
more medals than any other organization.
When the weather was good we had Marching band rehearsals to prepare for
all the parades. This included the
Halloween Parade, the Memorial Day Parade and the Flag Day Parade.
This
year Rickie taught music at St. Ann's Catholic School and presented an
outstanding program in May. In the fall
she took a leave of absence, as she was a Councilor in the Stake Primary, Music
Coordinator and Organist in the Sterling Branch of the Church and Music
Director in the Junior Sunday School which required her time and attention. She
also went Home Teaching with Bardell who is Branch Mission Leader, Ward
Chorister, Sunday School President and Priesthood class teacher.
In March 1976 Mother Bowman came from the
Temple in Mesa, Arizona on a bus to Dixon, and Linda Jane came from BYU so we
could all drive to New York to attend Brian's euphonium concert in Carnegie
Hall. The concert was a great success
and he was happy that we could be there to share this wonderful
achievement. On the way home we went to Niagara Falls and
had a great time riding a boat in the spray of the waterfall. We also attended
the inspiring Book of Mormon Pageant at Palmyra. Crawford Gates who conducts the Rockford and
Beloit Symphonies composed the beautiful music of the Pageant. When we got home Mother stayed for a visit
and to paint another beautiful picture but Linda Jane had to get right back to
school. It was necessary for her to take
summer classes to graduate because of the semester she missed. We were very happy to be able to attend her
excellent final vocal recital at the BYU.
While there we went to hear a choir rehearsal and were surprised that
the director, Ralph Woodward asked us to stand up and told the choir that I was
the one who gave their son, Chris, the blessing when he was baby that he had
told them about. In August Linda Jane
graduated Cum Laud from Brigham Young University and immediately accepted a
position to teach all music at Roosevelt Junior High School in Roosevelt, Utah,
which included vocal and instrumental music starting the last of
September. She bought a green Datson
Station wagon for transportation.
We
accepted Linda Jane's invitation to visit her during our 1997 Spring Break. We
were thrilled to see her in a leading role in the patriotic musical "1776" and
attend her beautiful Concert of all her organizations which included the Cadet
Band, the Swing Singers Chorus, the Stage Band and the Concert Band. In addition to these groups she taught three
General Music Classes. After School
hours she was the vocalist and organist for a Dance Combo, accompanied the
Symphonic Singers who performed in the area, directed the Church Choir and
taught private piano, voice and instrumental lessons. She told us that one of
the cast members of the Musical asked her to play a game of billiards and that
she told him that she had never played it so didn't know how. He told her not to worry that he would teach
her. He taught her so well that she won
the little tournament they were having.
She introduced us to Don Gingel, a fine young man from a large family
that she had met there and become engaged to.
After this year of teaching she decided that she would like to do
something different so took a job as a computer trainee with Vinette in
Washington D. C. After six months she auditioned for the Singing Sergeants in
the Air Force and was accepted in April 1978. By this time her engagement had
come to an end and she went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas
for basic training. She was appointed squad leader, became a member of the Drum
and Bugle Corps and received the Honor Graduate Award for Excellence of
Performance in all areas of training.
She rented an apartment in Arlington, Virginia near Bolling Air Force
Base and started her singing career performing in the same concerts with Victor
and Brian in the Air force Band. She
traded her station wagon in on a dependable little red Datson hatchback
Brian really put the euphonium on the map
touring with the Bicentennial Band by playing a solo in every State of the
Union. An announcement in the Santa Barbara, California New
said: "The U.S. Bicentennial Band will present a concert here on July 28th
at 7:30 P.M. The featured soloist will be Brian Bowman of Dixon, Illinois, who
has been called "The greatest euphonium soloist in the Nation". At the end of the year he was then given the
option of going back into the Navy Band or any other military band. He chose to go into the Air Force Band with
his brother, Victor. Both boys became
featured soloists at concerts and Linda Jane sang with a special quartet of the
Singing Sergeants.
Section 14--Mother Bowman's
Funeral in Mexico, Air Force Band Tours, Grandchildren's, and Claudius and
Nelle's Visit, and 1981 Reunion in Mexico.
We
received a telephone call from Mexico with the sad news that Mother Bowman had
a tragic accident. She fell in her
little home and hit her head on the sink and passed away April 1, 1978. Here is a quotation from the "History of the
Mormon Colonies in Mexico." "On April 1,
1978, Jennie R. Bowman passed away. Her
funeral services were held April 3, 1978, in the Colonia Dublan chapel. Her son Bob and his wife came from
Illinois. They were professional
musicians and rendered inspiring instrumental music. Her children and
grandchildren gave the entire program, except a talk given by David S. Brown. It was a very impressive service for a very
gentle, loving mother, grandmother, and everyone's friend." Also here is a quotation from my brother
Wesley's Life Story. "All of her
children and many of her grandchildren attended the funeral services. My brother Bob's two
sons, Victor and Brian are professional musicians and at the time were members
of the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D. C.
Dressed in their Air force uniforms they played the prelude music,
Victor on trumpet and Brian on euphonium.
They ended with "O Divine Redeemer".
The Bowman brothers sang "O Home Beloved, Where're
I wander". Maurice Jr. sang "The 23rd
Psalm". Victor and Brian played "I
Walked Today Where Jesus Walked". My son
Chris and Donn's son Harold sang "That wonderful Mother of Mine". My brother Bob and Rickie played "Angel's
Serenade" and "La Golondrina" on the violin and piano. The women of the ward choir sang "I know that
My Redeemer Lives". Between the musical
numbers different grandchildren told about the different periods of her
life. The talks were by her brother Daniel
Owen Robinson and David S. Brown, our former Stake President. Many people told us it was the most beautiful
funeral they had ever attended. "This wasn't the reunion we had been looking
forward to but it was good to see all the family there. Mother was 88 years old and had spent the
twenty years since Dad had his tragic accident loving and serving her
family. She certainly was and is a
wonderful Mother and we have faith that we will all be together again sometime.
During
this time Wesley's sons, Mike and Eric were attending the Palmer school of
Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Wesley
and Mary came up for their graduation in August and we drove down to visit them
there. We took them home with us before
graduation to see Dixon and we also took them to the House on the Rock, which
is one of the "wonders' of the world.
Then we went back to Davenport to enjoy their graduation and stayed over
Sunday to attend Church with them. Their
daughter, Priscilla, took care of their younger children while they were on
this eventful trip. Mike ad Eric helped
Wesley found a good motorcycle to take to Mexico for their brother, Paul. Of course this made Paul very happy and
grateful when they brought it home to him.
In
January of 1979 Rickie taught the Charleston dance to the young women of the
Ward to perform in a Stake Talent Show.
It turned out to be one of the most spectacular and well-done
performances on the program and the young women were very appreciative. She was
the President of the Young Women in Mutual.
It was a challenge but the girls love her and respected her because she
was doing marvelously in it. Our children, Victor, Brian and Linda Jane wee
featured in the Air Force Band Spring Tour down the East Coast to the Virgin
Islands. Victor and Brian played a duet
that was especially written for them and Linda Jane did a special arrangement
of "Heliotrope Bouquet" accompanied by her brothers and the Band. She also sang in the "WUSA" Quartet that
performed a medley of songs using costumes and dancing. Rickie traveled by bus and met them in
Savannah, Georgia and toured with them for four days hearing concerts in
Savannah, Jekyll Island, Daytona Beach and Melbourne. Our grandchildren, Eric,
Brent and Brian P. came to spend the summer with us. Linda Jane came for two
weeks and played flute and sang solos with the Municipal Band that I was
conducting. She joined in the fun activities with the grandchildren. Every week day after Summer Band lessons were
over at 5:30 we would go into our program of swimming, fishing, roller skating
and games. Eric was especially busy as
we gave him piano and violin lessons.
Rickie gave him a special reading course that required daily practice. Brent was enjoying the piano and Briancito
was a whiz with the drum set. We had a World Conference of the Church in
Madison, Wisconsin and enjoyed taking our grandchildren. We arrived home just 20 minutes after a
tornado struck our town and were appalled to see the gigantic tree in front of
our home lying across the street to the west.
If it had fallen to the east it would have crushed our home. We felt
very thankful for that blessing. Rickie
always managed to keep their "tummies" satisfied with good food and
treats. They had so much fun that they
coaxed their parents to let them come the next summer and it became an annual
event. All of our Children and
Grandchildren came home for a wonderful Christmas.
Just before school started we took a trip
down to Southern Illinois to visit relatives and get more details on genealogy. Rickie did a lot of counseling on the piano
bench and since one of her teen-age students was having emotional problems we
took her along and she got a new outlook on life. As soon as we got home we drove to Minnesota
and visited with Nellie Sauder and her family and wrote down more family
history. The last of November we went in
to Chicago to see Linda Jane and hear her solo with the Singing Sergeants for
the big 4H Convention at the Conrad Hilton Hotel. She loves to sing and in Washington DC has a
part time job delivering s for "National Onion" which is paying for her new
little red Datson 510. We also went down
to the University of Illinois to spend a day with Brian and hear a recital he
played in the Concert Hall there. Our
daughters in law are very busy also. Kay
is in demand as a vocal soloist with the Army Band and her Army Chorus and
directs the choir in her Ward. Vinette
is doing a great job as Relief Society President and still works part time as a
computer Consultant.
All our
family came home for Christmas and Linda Jane brought Steve Peters, her friend
from Arlington. He gave us a beautiful bouquet of roses to put on the
table. We enjoyed caroling around the
neighborhood to all our friends with some of us playing instruments and the
rest singing on Christmas Eve. When we got home Rickie served us hot chocolate
and homemade sweet rolls. Then we all
participated in our family orchestra as we had done on other Christmases before
getting the children to bed after hanging up their stockings around the
fireplace. Of course Christmas morning
was joyful as usual sharing the opening all the presents. This was all climaxed by our delicious
traditional dinner with enthusiastic conversation about the activities of each
family. Everyone left for their home
just in time to miss the big blizzard of 1979 that dumped several feet of snow
on us. After shoveling the sidewalk the
snow was so high that from our porch we couldn't see the cars passing by on the
street.
In 1980
we saw some beautiful cream colored paneling with beautiful nature scenes
embossed on it. Rickie thought that it
would really look beautiful in our upstairs hallway and stairwell. So I installed it and ceiling tile also. I fell off the ladder in the stairway trying
to reach too far and had to go to the chiropractor to get my back
adjusted. Luckily I had no bad
complications and Rickie's vision was realized and is beautiful to this day.
We spent our Easter vacation following the
Air Force Band through Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee and had
a wonderful time. In July our entire family, Vinette's parents and her sister
Judy and her two children, 16 in all spent a week at Rehoboth Beach in New
Jersey. We all stayed together in a
large Beach house that Brian had rented just three blocks from the Ocean. We had great fun sunning on the beach,
swimming in the ocean and skating on the streets. To top that off we brought our three
grandchildren, Eric 11, Brent 9, Brian 7 and a nephew from old Mexico, Steven
15, back home with us for the rest of the summer. They were excited to help me dig a 6x4 pit by
the sidewalk to find a water leak We
found it, repaired it and they enjoyed climbing in an out of the big hole. We
all worked to cover it up again. This
summer we took them skating to the White Pines Roller Rink instead of just on
our sidewalk and they had great fun and became quite proficient zooming around
the rink. We were invited to swim at Dr.
Collin's big swimming pool and to use their big outdoor trampoline. Eric really became expert at that but Brian
P. and Brent had just as much fun.
May, 20, 1981 Claudius and Nelle came to
Dixon to visit us. We took them to Washington D. C. to see the sights and to
see and hear Victor, Brian and Linda Jane in a Concert by the Air Force Band
and Singing Sergeants. They were trilled with the concert and said that it was
certainly worth the trip. Linda Jane invited Claudius to sing a duet with her
from the opera "Carmen" at her voice lesson at the Catholic University where
she was getting her Master's Degree in Voice.
The teacher complimented Claudius on having a natural tenor voice like
his own father had. He said that his
father, without any training could sing a high "C" easily anytime while he had
to really work at it. Claudius asked
Linda Jane to sing her recital in Mexico for the Summer Reunion in Mexico and
said that he would really be honored to sing the duet with her in the program.
She accepted the invitation and said that she would see if her accompanist,
Georgia Hurry could make the trip with us.
Before
going to Washington DC we took Claudius and Nelle to see the home where
President Ronald Reagan lived when he was young. I will quote from the autobiography that Claudius
wrote as follows: "Monday was Decoration Day, so we got to see Bob's big band
march and play in a parade. They also
held a program at the cemetery. We took
pictures. The next evening Bob's band
gave a concert on his birthday. We celebrated with him. I found an occupation
that I very much enjoyed, that of taping Dad's and Mother's funerals and many
other interesting tapes and records he had.
On Saturday, May 30, 1981, Bob and Rickie drove us over to Carthage and
Nauvoo to visit the Church historical sites there. We visited the Visitor's Center and the homes
and shops that have been restored, including the blacksmith shop established by
the Webbs, our progenitors. We stayed in
the evening to see the drama: "Trailing Clouds of Glory" in the Pioneer
Cultural Hall. We got back to Dixon at
1:00 A.M. They took us to see relatives
and friends, and we also gave a Mexican supper to friends they invited. All of us helped prepare it and they seemed
to like it." After this wonderful time
together, we took Claudius and Nelle to O'Hare Field on June 10th
for their flight back to Salt Lake City so they could get ready to go to Mexico
for the Bowman Reunion the first of July.
All our
family made the trip to Mexico the first of July for the Reunion and Georgia
came with Linda Jane to our home and we drove to Mexico together. We all stayed at Maurice and Knell's
beautiful home. Here is a quotation from
Claudius: "The Tailors went on a trip and let us use our home to stay in while
they were gone. The Mexico Bowmans
outdid themselves preparing such delicious food for us. We had a talent show in the Recreation hall
of the chapel, and memories session, telling stories about our growing up days
and memories of our parents. We also
visited each other to our heart's content".
On another evening Linda Jane, accompanied by Georgia sang her Master's
Recital very beautifully and received many compliments.
Keith
showed us his school where he was the principal and illustrated his gymnastics
program by having Maurice and Nellie's son, Stephan, show his advanced routine
of acrobatics including back flips, a somersault from feet to feet and walking
on his hands Keith and I also walked on our hands for him to see. Keith took some of the boys on a trip to the
mountains. Brian and Kenny got lost and
had to stay away from camp all night.
This made them late getting home so on the night they were supposed to
arrive Rickie walked the floor all night worried about them. Vinette said that she was going to bed so she
would be rested to take care of any emergency in the morning. Well, the next day they all came home safely
and said that they had a great time and will always remember it. We were all given a T-shirt that said "Bowman
Reunion `81". We all took turns riding horses and had a big picnic party at the
Lake about seven miles from town that was great fun. It was difficult to say goodbye but we took
the memories home with us expecting to relax for a little while.
Section 15--Trip to Seattle,
Rickie's Busy Piano Teaching Schedule, and Stake Music. Grandchildren visit and Steve piano.
When we got home we had a letter waiting
for us from Aunt Jane Stark. She was our
great Aunt on Mother's side of the family.
She said that she had a very precious violin that belonged to her
grandfather and wanted a member of the family to have it who played the violin
and would appreciate it. She thought
that it was too valuable to send in the mail so said that if we came to see her
we could have it. This was very happy
news for us so in August we bought a 1980 yellow Cadillac for the very low
price of $6500.00 and started on our wonderful trip along the coast of
California and through the redwood forest to Seattle, Washington. It was really great to meet Aunt Jane and her
family and hear the story of her exciting life.
This made up for the disappointment of finding that the precious violin
was just an ordinary violin in very poor condition. I put strings and a bridge on it and tuned it
up to play for Aunt Jane. I had to adjust my fingering a little because the
neck had been broken and repaired leaving it shortened one half inch. I didn't let Aunt Jane know that I was
disappointed but thanked her very much for her kindness. Our Colonial Yellow Cadillac worked perfectly
and we arrived home from this wonderful trip just in time to start school.
When we
went to church our Branch President William A. Balagna greeted us as strangers
as we had been gone so much. Of course
we missed at least one Sunday a month as I was still serving as a District
Councilman and was assigned to visit different Branches or wards. In 1982 I was called to be the Stake Music
Director and Rickie was called to be a Councilor in the Stake Relief Society so
we were kept pretty busy even when we weren't teaching. I taught private instrumental music lessons
in our new addition that was surrounded with windows and Rickie taught piano
lessons in the living room. She had
taken over Marie Worley's students so now she had about sixty students. Parents
told us that they not only appreciated the excellent music instruction their
children received but also the good influence on their lives.
It was my
responsibility to select the music for the Stake Conferences and combine the
entire Ward and Branch Choirs to sing at the Conferences. We would sing about four or five hymns for a
prelude and a special number in the meeting.
I also conducted the congregation singing hymns with Sister Jan Frank as
our very capable organist. During our
Spring Vacation we had the joy of driving to Washington DC to visit our
children. We were happy that they were
all well and happy with their advancement in rating that gave them a little
more money. Our grandchildren, Eric,
Brent and Brian P. were all in school and said they were looking forward to
coming to see us in the summer. Linda
Jane proudly showed us her beautiful dog, Serge that she had rescued from the
pound and nursed back to health. Also we
went to the stables to see her ride her prancing horse. In her spare time she
worked delivering Singing Telegrams all over town, wearing a special uniform.
It was amazing how she could find all the different addresses in that large
complicated city. It required a very good sense of direction.
Section
16--Linda Jane' Mission Service In France,
Grandchildren' Visit, And Retirement, And Mexico City Temple Dedication.
Now
after about four years in Service of her country she would go into the Service
of her Lord as she was getting a call to go on a Mission for the Church in the
fall. When her call came it was to go to
the MTC in Provo in November to prepare for a Mission to France for eighteen
months. She was happy that we promised
to take care of Sergie while she was gone.
We had a great summer with our
grandchildren here as usual. Brian P.
was enchanted with the drums so he would come with me to Summer Band at South
Central School some mornings to play the drums.
I would put him in a room by himself with the drum set the timpani and
the bass drum and he had a blanket to lay down on when he got tired
drumming. He especially enjoyed playing
the drum set along with Sousa Marches.
He got so good at it that I offered to have him play for the residents
at Heritage Square at an outdoor picnic.
He dressed up in a band uniform and did an excellent job making up an
accompaniment for several band recordings.
He was pleased with all the applause.
Also in the summer, Maurice, Nellie came to take their son, Steve
home. We took them all to see the sights
and sounds of Nauvoo. Steve spent two
summers with us to study piano at Northern Illinois University. He practiced diligently and his teacher
thought he could become a concert pianist.
He still had time to spend with our grandchildren. Stan Smith had a daughter, Joanna who was the
same age as the boys who joined in some of the activities. Stan being a fine musician was interested in
Steve and insisted on paying for his piano lessons one summer. Steve was really captivated with Joanna and
invited her and her Dad to come to Mexico for Christmas. They accepted the invitation and really had a
good time but the romance faded when Steve went to BYU.
In
October Linda Jane received her Honorable Discharge from the Air Force and came
home to get ready to go on her Mission. Rickie thought that Sergie was awfully
big but she loved him because he was a beautiful good dog. In September, we got Linda Jane's passport
and helped her pack everything on the list that she needed then took her to the
MTC in Provo for Missionary training, especially in the French language. She loved it and did very well. Of course we missed her at Christmas
time. She said that we had Sergie, and
that she would write to us. Also the
rest of the family came for Christmas and we had the usual wonderful
Christmas. Before going to the Mission
Training Center Linda Jane had sat down at the piano and recorded some
beautiful songs for us to hear her voice when we got lonesome. Everyone enjoyed listening to this tape and
reading her Christmas card from France.
She said that she and her companion used bicycles for transportation and
though they wore ponchos they still got wet in this rainy season but still were
enjoying meeting the people to tell them about the gospel speaking French.
Our
very eventful year of 1983 started off with our new School Superintendent
telling me that the previously arranged leave for us to go to France in 1994
had to be canceled because he planned to have me replace the young lady who was
the High School band Director as I was experienced in putting on good Band
Football Shows. Rickie and I discussed this problem as we did all problems that
came to us and decided that it would be a good time for me to retire at the age
of 67 instead of waiting until age 70.
So before the last number to be played by the Concert Band in the Spring
Concert I asked all the 8th grade students to stand who would be
going into High School in the Fall. Then I asked Miss Mead, the High
School Band Director to come to the Stage.
She and the band students had been lamenting the fact that she would be
leaving at the end of the year. She was
an accomplished musician with a major in flute and very well liked. When she came upon the stage I said: "Now Miss Mead I am putting all of these fine
students you see standing here, into your capable hands in the Fall because I am Retiring."
This was a big surprise for everyone and she was overcome with joy. She said, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Then gave me a big hug and left the stage with happy tears streaming
down her face. When School was out we
had a big farewell picnic and skating party with many
band parents attending and we expressed our appreciation for all the help that
they had given us through thirty years. The new Superintendent's plan was to
economize so he left Dennis Speer to handle the whole Grade School Program. He
lasted only one year, as he didn't get along too well with the
Administration. He got a job in Kentucky
and got along very well there. We've
kept in touch with them and have remained good friends. The Dixon Grade School Program was taken over
by Mrs. Ruth Johnson who has done very well.
Since
I didn't have the Band Classes this summer we took our grandchildren on a trip
to West Bend to see Grandma Sauder and the Grotto of the Redemption. We took a tent and camped in the park
there. They were really fascinated with
the Grotto and we had great time visiting but they were glad to get back to
play time in Dixon. They loved the
waterslides in the Water Park, the swimming in Dorothy Forbes pool, the
go-carts at White Pines Park and the roller skating at the White Pines Roller
rink so were reluctant to go back home for school.
In September, 1983 we received a letter
from my brother Claudius saying that his son Claudius III, who was the
Comptroller in the building of the Mexico City Temple, told him that the Temple
would be dedicated the first part of December and it would be great to have all
the family there to attend the dedication and have a Bowman Family Reunion. This was very exciting news and of course we
planned to go. Victor, Brian and Linda
Jane couldn't get leave from the Air Force at this time so we flew down to
Mexico City alone. We were invited to
stay at Marion and Maurine's home where all our family met for our reunion. They had a large comfortable home and their
hospitality insured that we all had a wonderful time. We were blessed to get tickets for the whole
family for the first Dedication Service that turned out to be a thrilling,
inspirational experience. The Juarez
Stake Choir provided the music under the direction of our brother Maurice. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, a Counselor in the
First Presidency conducted the Session.
In his talk he said that there were probably many unseen people present
who were allowed to observe these proceedings.
He mentioned the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and a few
others. We were all moved to tears with
his next statement that "surely Claudius and Jennie Bowman would be permitted
to attend because of the great work they did in the Mission here." He went on to say that Dad died serving in
the Mission and that he had the opportunity to speak at his funeral in Colonia
Dublan. This was an unforgettable,
thrilling experience for as Claudius wrote in his Autobiography "As we were
sitting quietly in the Temple I guess we were all thinking about Mother and Dad
and wondering if they had been permitted to attend". President Hinckley gave a beautiful
Dedicatory Prayer that was then read in Spanish by Brother Harold Brown. The first counselor, President Ezra Taft
Benson led the "Hosanna Shout". Here is another quotation from Claudius showing
that their son, Claudius III was
honored for his important work in the construction of the Temple. "Claudius and Marina had been sitting with us
in the first session, but they sent for them to go into the Celestial Room with
the General Authorities and others involved in the temple construction. They
were honored in this way. The General Authorities attending were Elders Gordon
B. Hinckley, Ezra Taft Benson, Richard Scott, Grant Bangeter, Ted Brewerton,
Burke Peterson and Howard W. Hunter.
Maurice's choir sounded like angels".
President Spencer W. Kimball was ill so was not able to attend. We had a very delightful farewell party at
Marion and Maurine's home before we all left Mexico City with plans to have
another reunion in Colonia Dublan in two or three years.
When we
arrived home we immediately went to pick up Sergie from our good friend Stan
Smith, who played organ solos in our Dixon Music Club. Since none of our children could come for
Christmas this year we invited our very dear musical friends Walter and Mary
Whipple and their young son, Timothy, to spend Christmas with us. They both sang beautifully and Walter taught
at Rockford College specializing in organ.
I succeeded him as Stake Music Director.
He had just returned from Poland where he took instruction on violin
making. Their plans were to go to BYU as
soon as possible
Section 17--Stake Road Show
Director Years, and Rickie Stake Relief Society Music and Recreation Director. Trip to France.
With the
coming of the New Year we were called to be Stake Road Show Directors. We went right to work on this responsibility
and February 23, 1984 sent out the following letter.
Dear Bishop and Ward Road Show Director,
1. The finalized date for the
Road Show this year is May 12th at 7:00 P.M.
2. The Theme approved the Stake
Activity Committee and the Stake President is THE STATE OF THE UNION. This Theme offers the opportunity for each
Ward to use ingenuity and creativity in developing a Script about the state,
condition or status of the unity of the selected situation such as Family,
Ward, Mutual, Marriage or any organization of the Church or Country, Team or
Committee.
3. Each Ward should identify
immediately the Ward Road Show Director and the ScriptWriter so they can start
working right away.
4. Rules for the Road Shows
this year are as follows:
(1) Time for the show will
be 8 to 10 minutes. An Olio may be
performed. In front of the curtain
while the stage is being set.
(2) Participants may be of
any age and family participation is encouraged.
(3) Sets and decorations
should be simple and movable.
(4) At least one song or
musical number should be included to enhance the show.
(5) Solo or group dancing
should be included in the show in harmony with the script.
5. Competent judges will be
provided to evaluate the Road Shows to determine
the recipients of the following Awards: (1) Best Script. (2) Best dramatic
performance. (3) Best Musical
performance. (4) Best dancing performance
choreography. (5) Best staging including lighting and
scenery. (6) Best
Olio. (7) Best Actress. (8) Best Actor.
6. Posters for this big event
are being prepared by Sister Donna Abbot and will
Distributed
to each Ward to encourage participation and attendance.
7. Brother and Sister Bowman
will contact you by telephone when they
return
From Europe the first part
of April to make a date for a meeting with the Ward Road Show Director to get
all the information needed to print the program and to plan to help in any way
needed. If you should need more
information or assistance before the first of April please contact the Stake
Activity Chairman Brother Jack D. Ward: 3452 Conover Drive, Rockford, Il.
61111. Telephone: 282-1823.
With
best wishes for a joyful activity
Bardell
and Fredericka Bowman
Stake
Road Show Directors
At this
time Rickie was also serving as Stake Relief Society Music and Recreation
Director and also Ward Music Chairman so we were really immersed in Music. Now
we had a change of activity as we had to get ready to meet Linda Jane in France
the first of March and bring her home from her eighteenth month Mission. Stan Smith offered to take care of Sergie
again while we were gone. We got our passports and packed as little as possible
as we knew that Linda Jane would have a lot of luggage to bring home. Our flight took us to Luxembourg where we
exchanged some money so we could buy tickets to board the train for Paris to meet
Linda Jane. President Crockett sent two
missonaries to pick us up at the depot and take us to Linda Jane's
apartment. We were greeted with joyous
hugs and kisses and an invitation to attend the farewell testimony meeting for
departing Missionaries the next night at the Mission Home. We found a good Hotel room and had a great
visit talking about Seur Bowman's wonderful mission and plans she had to visit
some of her friends to whom she brought the gospel and to see some of the
beauties and wonders of Paris.
The
Testimony meeting at the Mission Home was very interesting and inspiring and of
course we were very happy to hear President Crockett thank and praise Linda
Jane for her dedicated service during all of her Mission. He appreciated the little letter she sent
with her report each week. Her first
assignment was to the Orleans District with Sister Wheatley as her
companion. I'm going to copy her first
letter here and his response.
Dear President Crockett,
"It
is difficult to believe I'm really here.
All the Sisters in our apartment are really great. I love my Companion, my bike, my City, the
food and the people we've taught. I can
see that it is going to take a great deal of commitment and dedication for me
to be successful here. I have much to
learn and am grateful to have such an able Senior Companion to help me. I am
extremely happy to be here. My greatest
challenge will be to use every minute of the day wisely so that I can be
prepared to teach mentally, physically and spiritually. Many thanks!"
Seur Bowman.
"You
shall do well. Your positive attitude
ensures a delightful harvest. Excellence
continues. Orleans is being taught and
testified to. His Servants are doing His
will. I am delighted." President Crockett. We said we would look forward to hearing and
reading all about her Missionary experiences. Here is a letter that Sister
Crockett wrote to her for her birthday in 1984.
Dear Sister Bowman,
Have
a Happy, Happy Birthday. I know you
will. You are one of the neatest Sister
Missionaries and I adore you. You are so fantastic and have been blessed in so
many ways and because of all your blessings and talents you are able to bless
he lives of so many people. You have
much enthusiasm and a joy for life. You
are always happy and smiling. You are
sensitive to the needs of others and always have a helping hand. I remember when you first arrived in the
Mission Field how you helped me in the kitchen of the Mission Home although you
were tired and in jet lag. On top of your personality traits you have an
excellent knowledge of the Gospel and use it in your decision making. Then you have studied and studied and bless
so many with your many musical abilities.
You are one great total woman.
Your apartment is fantastic and much is due to your leadership. Keep up your great missionary work and in all
that you do remember you are loved and appreciated by us. Love, Sister Crockett.
Linda
Jane was now free from her missionary duties so she took us sight seeing in
beautiful Paris. Of course we went to the to the top of the Eiffel Tower for an exciting panoramic
view of the whole city. She took us to
fascinating shops and in one of them she found some fancy hose that we were
happy to purchase for her as special memento.
We ate at a delightful sidewalk café that gave us a little taste of life
there. We especially enjoyed visiting
people to whom she had introduced the gospel.
We had a really enjoyable evening with one of her special member
families who invited us to have dinner with them at their home. Their two young children were very well
behaved while the husband and wife served the meal in courses. First came the salad then vegetables then the
meat then the dessert and last of all different kinds of delicious cheese. After each course they would go to the
kitchen to prepare and bring the next course so the meal took quite awhile and
afforded time for very interesting conversation. It was really neat that they spoke English. We thanked them for such a wonderful
time. They said that we really ought to
go see a ballet performance at the beautiful, grand Opera House. We took their advice and on March 13th
attended the "Soiree de Ballet". The
performance was fabulous and the Opera House was elegantly ornate giving us a
very exciting, memorable experience.
Linda Jane wanted to take ballet lessons when she was young but they
weren't available in Dixon so she became a very good tap dancer.
Linda
Jane had to bid Paris and France a fond farewell as we had an invitation to
spend a day with Willis and Beverly Waite in Switzerland. They were on a Temple Mission in
Zolikofen. When we arrived they told us
that they had the day free and planned to take us to the top of the Shilthorn
Mountain and eat in the 707 restaurant that was named for James Bond, who
starred in a Movie filmed in the area.
On the train on the way to the base of the mountain we sat by a little
old lady who had a pair of skies by her side. We asked her where she was going
and she said that she was going to the Shilthorn Mountain to go skiing with her
grandson down the steep slopes. We asked
her how she could do that at her age and she said that she had grown up with so
it was just like walking for her.
When
we arrived we all got into an elevator called a "lift" that took us to the top
of the snow-covered mountain. The sun
was so warm that a young man was lying on a mat in the snow with his shirt off
getting a sun tan. When we went into the
restaurant we were amazed to see a very large round room with windows all
around. When we sat
down at a table facing the windows a pretty little maid, dressed in Switzerland
attire, told us that the room would revolve 360 degrees in one hour so that
while we were eating we would have a beautiful view of all the mountain slopes. The food was very good and we had a wonderful
visiting while watching the changing scenes.
Willis and Beverly said that they were very happy working in the Temple
there and invited us to stay over and do a Temple Session the next
morning. We were happy to do that and
enjoyed it very much. I was surprised to
meet LaPriele Bluth working there, as she had been one of my Missionary
Companions in Mexico City in 1936.
We
thanked our dear friends, Willis and Beverly for this wonderful experience and
took the train to Stuttgart, Germany to visit Rickie's relatives, Otto
Schaeffer and his family. They welcomed
us warmly and were quite amazed that we actually came to Germany to see
them. Every morning Otto would walk to
the bakery a few blocks from their home and bring home delicious sweet rolls
for breakfast. He was an engineer at the
Mercedes Benz automobile plant so took us on an interesting tour. Rickie was really fascinated by a red convertible
with every luxury on it. The price was
$60,000.00 so we didn't bring it home.
Then next day Otto took us in his Mercedes Sedan to see the legendary
Black Forrest that included a tour of an old Castle. Of course we invited them to come to visit us
in Illinois and they said that they would like to do that, as they also wanted
to see their relatives Lee and Ben Zaugg who lived in Rockford. Two years later they came for a Reunion at
the Zaugg family home and we were privileged to have them in our home also.
The
amount of luggage we had was almost unbelievable but we made it the last of
March to the White Side Airport in Sterling, Illinois where Bob and Norma
L'Heureux picked us up and took us home to Dixon. They were interested and excited to hear all
about our marvelous trip to Europe and were glad to see Linda Jane safely home,
well and happy. Linda Jane was really
pleased that her beautiful dog Sergie recognized her and jumped for joy when he
saw her which helped her to feel right at home.
We
had two responsibilities to take care of right away when we arrived home. One was to rehearse the Stake Choir and send
a list of the members of it to the Regional Music Coordinator, Brother Sylvan
D. Ward who would conduct the 300 voice choir at the Multi-Stake Conference on
April 15th at the University of Illinois Chicago Campus Pavilion,
1140 W. Harrison Street, Chicago. I also
sent a list of the men who would sing in the Priesthood Chorus on the night of
the 14th. The second
responsibility we had was to contact the entire Ward and Branch Road Show
Directors to insure and help their participation on May 12th at the
Rockford Stake Center. This date just
happened to be our 41st Wedding Anniversary. We were very happy that these two events proceeded beautifully promoting very good feelings among our
Stake members. It was an inspiring experience for us to sing in the 300-voice
choir and hear the wonderful talks at the conference. People told us that the Road Shows were
exceptionally good this year.
In
June Linda Jane attended a Single Adult Conference in Madison, Wisconsin and there
met Don Rice who gave her a lot of attention which included a ride with him on
his motorcycle, that she thought was great fun.
He was divorced and had a home in Freeport. Linda Jane accepted a position to teach
Junior High School Music in Galesburg, Illinois to start the last of
August. This was near enough for Don to
make the trip on his motorcycle to see her. Of course she took her dog, Sergie,
with her and bought a horse to ride on weekends.
Our life changed in June also as we
received a call from the First Presidency to go to Mexico City on a Genealogy
Mission for the Church. We accepted the call, which was extended to us by the
Stake President and received instructions to report to the Mission Training
Center in Provo, Utah the first of September.
This gave us time to make needed preparations such as paying someone to
check our home every week and send us our first class mail for a year. We were
given a suggested list of clothes and things to take on our Mission to help
meet any situation that might arise. We
planned to take our red station wagon but that was canceled by an accident
coming from Rockford to Dixon. After a
special meeting with our Stake President we were bringing Walter and Mary
Whipple's son, Timothy, home to spend time with our three grandchildren. It was raining and as we came around a sharp
curve a car was stopped right in our lane waiting to make a left turn. A car was coming from the other direction so
we couldn't pass. Because of the wet highway we skidded into the rear of the
parked car. The driver was a young girl
who lived just down the lane on the left.
Her father heard the crash and came running to see what had
happened. He told us that he never stopped
to make a left turn but turned around in a lane ahead so that he could turn
right into his lane. The police came and an ambulance. No one was blamed or
given a ticket for the accident. Our car
was totaled and was towed away to the near town of Byron. Fortunately none of us were injured but they
insisted on taking us to the hospital in Dixon to be examined. Tim, only ten years old, had a good time
telling Eric, Brent and Brian P. about his exciting experience. We called Walter and Mary to tell them what
had happened. Of course they were glad
that no one was hurt in the accident.
The boys had a really busy, fun time before going home to school as they
realized this would probably be their last vacation here for quite a while.
Instead of driving to Provo, as we had originally
planned, our dear friends, Bob and Norma L'Heureux took us to the O'Hare
Airport with all our luggage. Rickie gave them a Book of Mormon and asked
them to read it while we were away. They
said that they would as a special favor to us.
My sister, Dorothy, kindly met us at the Salt Lake City Airport and took
us to Provo where we joined about two thousand others for the six-week training
session. We became very good friends
with some other couples there. We
especially enjoyed Arthur and Mary Pierce from El Paso as they were in our
Spanish classes preparing to go to Merida, Mexico as Welfare Missionaries. Since I was already fluent in Spanish I
concentrated on helping Rickie. She
enjoyed speaking Spanish and learned very rapidly. She was chosen to accompany the hymns in our
devotional assemblies and we were asked to play violin and piano for some of
the programs. The food was cafeteria
style and was very good. We were taken
to the Salt Lake Genealogy Center for special instruction to help us conduct
genealogy seminars when we arrived in Mexico City. When we had some free time
we enjoyed visiting Ralph and Lucy Laycock and their family in Orem. Our final Devotional was a very inspirational
send off into the Mission Field so we felt really ready to go to work.
We
had a good flight to Mexico City and were welcomed by President Quentin Harris
and Sister Harris and taken to the Mission Home. This was the beginning of a very harmonious
and helpful relationship that lasted throughout our Mission. They took us to see the Temple and the Temple
apartments. The Temple complex was
enclosed by a wall and included three apartment buildings for people to lodge
when they came to the Temple from out of town.
Also there was a spacious Stake Center, a beautiful Visitor's Center and
a Genealogy Center. Across the street on
the West Side of the Temple were enclosed the Temple Apartments for
Missionaries to rent. Nellie Romney, one
of my High School Classmates, was just released from her Temple Mission so we
were allowed to rent the apartment she had which was the largest one and nicely
furnished except for a table which we were able to procure from the Temple
Supply Office.
We
would be working under the supervision of President Harris so we had a meeting
to outline our work. We would be
teaching genealogy to all the Wards in the eighteen Stakes in the Mission. We were given all the information we needed
to find them all. Hermano Gomez and his
wife were given the responsibility to drive us in their little Volkswagen to
the appointments we would make in the Mexico City area. President Harris
arranged for us to check out a car from the motor pool to travel to other
States. President Harris suggested that
we get all the help we could from the director of the Genealogy Center, Hermano
Pacheco. He was very helpful in
providing all the material we would need to prepare a Seminario Genealogico
(Genealogical Seminar) to use in teaching classes in each Ward. He was very pleased with our finished
product as it had instructions how to do research and how to fill out the
genealogy forms step by step. He had it
printed out for us and said he would continue to make more copies as we needed
them so that each person attending a class could have a copy. Finally we were ready to give our first class
and chose to go to the Ermita Ward which was the only Branch in Mexico City
when I was there on a Mission in 1935.
Hermano Gomez and his wife took us to our appointment there and we found
the members to be very receptive, enthusiastic and appreciative. Hermano Gomez and his wife could hardly
believe the success of the class and said they would be happy to continue
taking us to our appointments. He worked
as an insurance agent so could make our schedule in the City. Once they took us to Cuernavaca, down in the
tropics and enjoyed helping members fill out their work sheet in the
Seminario. On the way back to Mexico
City Hermano Gomez commented that it would be nice to take a detour to
Acapulco. Just then we discovered that
we were on the wrong road because there was a big sign saying "Acapulco
adelante". (Acapulco
straight ahead). We all had a
good laugh about that.
The
next week we checked out a car from the Motor Pool to drive to Puebla to teach
the Wards in that Stake. On the way back
to our apartment the lights on the car go dimmer until the car stopped
completely. We advised the Mission Home
of our dilemma and President Harris sent two Missionaries to pick us up and had
the director of the Motor Pool pick up the car.
The next morning President Harris let us take the Mission car to drive
to Puebla for our teaching appointments.
We got along fine and enjoyed seeing some of the people that I had known
as youngsters when I was there as a Missionary in 1935-1937.
In
January of 1985 President Harris invited us to go along to a District
Conference and scheduled an hour for us to give our Genealogy Seminar
especially to the leaders in that area of Toluca. On the way home a car passed us going very
fast and Rickie said, "There goes a man headed for an accident." As we came around a sharp curve about two
miles ahead we saw the car upside down burning in the field. We stopped and went down to investigate. We found that the driver had been thrown from
the car and was lying in the grass seriously injured. President Harris was really Doctor Harris but
said he could not treat the man because when the police arrive he would be
blamed for what happened to injured man.
As it was President Harris had to talk very persuasively to get
permission to go on our way instead of going to court as witnesses.
A Mission training Center was established in the
Temple Complex with Brother David Lingard and his wife Martha as
directors. They asked us to give their classes instruction on how to conduct the hymns when they
went out to different Wards. We were very happy to do that and prepared an
instruction sheet to help them learn to conduct the hymns very well. David and Martha invited us to their
apartment for dinner and afterwards taught us to play dominoes, their favorite
game. We became very good friends and
had many other good times together.
Our apartment became a visiting and counseling center for
Missionary couples and some members and Rickie always served refreshments. We stayed well because we washed everything
we bought at the market in disinfectant, even watermelons, and we drank bottled
water that was electrically purified at the Temple. One of our favorite Temple Missionary couples
was Willis and Flora Thompson. He was
from Jerome, Idaho and she was from Venezuela.
When they had a misunderstanding they came over for a little help as he
spoke very little Spanish and she spoke a little English. They got together because of Flora's daughter
who married a Missionary to Venezuela when he was released from his Mission and
they lived in Jerome. The daughter
invited her mother, who was divorced from an abusive husband, to visit her in
Idaho. She accepted the invitation and
loved being with her daughter and her husband in their new home. Soon the
daughter said, "Mama,
I want to introduce you to Brother Willis Thompson, who lost his wife because
he is a very fine member of the Church."
"Oh no", she said. I am not
interested in any man". The daughter
persisted and arranged a date to eat at a fine restaurant. It seems that Willis was captivated by this
beautiful lady and at the end of the meal said in brief English, "You and me
marry". "Que es esto de Maria" (What is this about
Mary?) He replied, "You and me" and in
sign language hooked his fingers together.
This she understood and having been won over by his charm she answered
with the only word she knew in English; "Yes!"
So they were married in the Temple and the daughter was overjoyed. They really didn't have any arguments since
they couldn't speak each other's language but "lived on love". Flora learned to speak a little English very
rapidly and they went to San Diego as Temple Missionaries for a year. They got along so well and enjoyed it so much
that they accepted a call to go to the Mexico City Temple. A very lovely and dedicated
couple.
Another
interesting and delightful Missionary couple, Brother Glenn Wilcox and his wife
June lived in our semicircle of temple apartments. They drove a station wagon down to Mexico
City as June wanted her own dishes and some of their own furniture to set up
their apartment. Their car was a
convenience for shopping and sight seeing but with their American License
plates they were stopped and fined for minor violations and sometimes even
imagined traffic violations. This made
us happy that we weren't able to bring a car. They were from Orem, Utah near
Provo.
Ursal, a 77-year-old
good-looking man with snow-white hair lived next to us. He had a motor home that he felt gave him
extra conveniences. He was having
trouble hearing the people at veil so I gave him my old hearing aid that went
behind the ear and he could hear very well.
Next a very unusual thing happened.
A very pretty young senorita, Catalina, (young single lady) thought he
looked so much like an angel with his white hair and pleasant smile that she
promptly fell in love with him. Of
course he was very happily surprised and proposed marriage. She readily accepted and they were married in
the Temple and continued doing Temple Work together for a year after which they
moved to his home in San Diego and far as I know lived happily ever after.
Hermana
Ortega and her two daughters, Laura and Reina became very interested in
genealogy so we spent extra time in their home.
The two girls taught grade school in their school district and the
mother baked fancy cakes for weddings and parties. In the spring the school had a Fiesta de
Primavera (spring festival) and the girls invited us to come to the
festivities. They had a very spectacular
parade with decorated floats and cars carrying the children dressed in
beautiful costumes and elegant dress clothes.
We took a lot of pictures to show our family when we returned home. After the parade they had a program with the
children performing songs, dances and reciting dramatic poetry, all on a sunny
Saturday afternoon.
The summer of 1985 seemed to be the time for us to have
very welcome visitors. Our daughter
Linda Jane came down to visit us in June and we were able to spend time with
her between our Genealogy Seminars.
Ursal and Catalina took us to the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of
the Moon in their motor home. I thought
that was quite remarkable that this 77-year-old man could drive through the
heavy Mexico City traffic out to the Pyramids.
After all I was only 70 years old.
We all climbed to the top of the Pyramids and picked up the tourist
brochures to get the full benefit of this experience. We all had worked up quite an appetite so we
entered the picturesque restaurant in the Grotto and treated everyone to a very
delicious Mexican dinner we offered to pay Ursal for taking us on this
beautiful trip but he said that it was his pleasure especially since he
appreciated the hearing aid so much that I had given him.
On Wednesday, June 12th, our
Month-aversary, we started quite early to take Linda Jane down town to see the
Zocalo. (The large city square in the
center of the city.) It was surrounded
by beautiful buildings and shops and on one side was the great, ornate,
picturesque Cathedral. Linda Jane was
really impressed with the massiveness of the Cathedral because it was so
different from the Cathedrals in France.
She loved all the little shops and especially admired a beautiful red
dress. Later we went back and bought it
to give to her as a memento from Mexico.
In the evening we were able to take her to see the Folklorico Dances at
the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a fabulous building. On the glass curtain of the stage was
depicted the two volcanoes, Popocateptl and Icztacihuatl and before it was
raised for the performance a scene was shown of the sun rising between
them. All the typical dances of the
Mexican Nation were performed in beautiful costumes with the typical
music. One of the performers was a Mormon
young lady, Adela who worked in the Temple Visitor's Center.
On
Saturday, since there was no school, Hermana Ortega and her daughters, Laura
and Reina took us to Zochimilco (the floating gardens) as they thought Linda
Jane should really have the experience of riding in the decorated flat bottom
boats that traversed all the waterways of the gardens. Our chalupa (special boat) was decorated with
a large wreath of flowers at the front with the name "Alicia" at the top. The captain of our boat stood in the rear and
propelled the boat forward with a long pole. As we moved along we admired the
many beautiful flowers along the waterway on both sides. We passed by a whole field of blooming roses
that Hermana Ortega pointed out. Soon
two ladies in canoes hailed us. One was
selling tacos and tamales and the other one had paletas (ice cream on a stick)
and soft drinks. Of course we bought
some to enjoy eating along the way. Then
a larger boat came along side with a Mariachi Orchestra offering to play music
for us. There were eight members and
they charged 600 pesos for each piece.
After one delightful number I paid the violinist to let me play his
violin and chose to play the Jarabe Tapatio with the orchestra. They really thought that was something so wouldn't
take any money for that pieza. When we finished our entertaining boat ride
Hermana Ortega bought two plants in the little market there to plant in her
flower garden at home. On the way to
their home we stopped at the Tlalpan shopping center that had a large
bakery. We bought some bread, some ice
cream and some cuscos. Linda Jane really
liked the fried cuscos as they were like a long donut. We thanked the Ortegas for this wonderful
tour and they invited us to come to their home for dinner party the next Monday
evening.
When
we arrived at the appointed time of 6:00 P.M. none of the other guests the
girls had invited were there so Hermana Ortega took us upstairs to see her bake
shop. She had just stirred up a fancy
cake for the party and put it in the oven.
She had a really elaborately decorated wedding cake on the shelf to be
delivered the next morning. Six young
people arrived about 7:00 P.M dressed beautifully. After warm greetings and lively conversation
with some singing accompanied by one of the young men on the guitar, we were
served a delicious dinner about 8:00 P.M. Now Linda Jane understood why Mexico
is sometimes called the land of "Manana" (tomorrow). They invited us to attend the MIA (Mutual
Improvement Association) program by the young men and young women in the Stake
Center the next night. Of course we
accepted that invitation con mucho gusto. (With much
pleasure).
When
we arrived at the Stake Center Tuesday night the place was packed with members
from all the Wards in the Stake. Each
Ward presented songs and dances in beautiful typical costumes and Linda Jane
thought that some of them were as good as the professional Folklorico dancers
we had seen at El Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Two Elders were there from the Mission Home and asked if Linda Jane had
seen El Castillo de Chapultepec, the castle where Maximilion and Carlotta lived
as Spanish rulers of Mexico. When we
told them she hadn't seen it yet they offered to take us there in the morning
before taking Linda Jane to the airport for her flight home in the late
afternoon with permission of President Harris.
We didn't get much sleep that night as Linda Jane had to pack her things
and we had so much to talk about. She
said that she planned to move to Rockford in August and probably do some
substitute teaching.
The
Castle of Chapultepec was built on the top of a hill on the south side of
Mexico City and from the courtyard we had a panoramic view of the whole City
and a breathtaking view of the two volcanoes in the distance to the east. We heard the story that a princess,
Icstacihuatl. She was so grieved that
her fiancee died in the war that she went up on the mountain side and perished. Then her fiancee, Popocatepetl, returned from
the war unharmed and went out to the mountain to keep a vigil for his
sweetheart and died by her side. Now the
tall mountain bearing his name watches over his sweetheart's mountain that
looks like a sleeping lady. We went
inside the Castle and found that it was really a Royal Palace that had been turned
into a museum that you have to see to believe its grandeur.
We
were sad to have to say goodbye to Linda Jane but were very happy that we could
arrange time to have this wonderful time with her. Also we told her that it wouldn't be long
until we would be together again as our release from the Mission should be in
September. We continued our goal to
teach all the eighteen Stakes in the Mission.
We had to walk a half a mile to the Post Office for our mail and a mile
to the market pulling our little cart to shop for groceries. Prices went up as the exchange of pesos went
up so we often carried a thousand peso bill to do our shopping.
In
July Ralph and Helena Belnap came form Dekalb Illinois for a visit. Ralph was a Professor at Northern Illinois
University and he and Willis Waite were Councilors to the Mission President so
we had spent time together as I was serving in the District Council. They really enjoyed their vacation seeing the
sights and doing many of the things we did with Linda Jane. The extra experience we had with them was to
go through the Visitor's Center and the Temple.
President Harris renewed our Temple recommends so we could go through an
Endowment Session in the Temple with them.
The very large picture window of the Visitor's Center faced the six-lane
highway that passed on the East Side of the Temple. In the center of this reception room was a
large statue of Christ like the one in Temple Square in Salt Lake City. People passing by on the sidewalk would see
this figure and come in to see it. There was a circular row of seats in front
for people to sit and listen to the meaning of the figure of Jesus Christ and
hear an introduction to the tour of the Visitor's Center that dramatized the
Gospel Plan. All of us were then directed
to a large elevator that had flashing lights that flashed faster as we ascended
to the first room that depicted our life in the Spirit World. Here a couple talked about Heavenly Father's
plan to send them to earth to have a body and keep all of His Commandments. They expressed their desire and hope to find
each other on earth.
The
drama continued in the next room that was earth. The couple did meet, got married and had a
son to care for. When he was bout six
years old he ran into the street to get the ball that he and his father were
playing with. His father ran after him
and pulled him from in front of an oncoming car. In doing that the father was hit and died. The young mother grieved for her husband but
gave thanks to God that her husband had been able to rescue their precious
little son.
In
the next room we saw the father greeted by his grandparents and other family
members who had died before, now all dressed in white, waiting in Paradise for
the resurrection through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since they had passed away before receiving
the Gospel they were now anxiously waiting for the Temple Work to be done for
them on earth. We then saw that the husband
was permitted to communicate with his wife to help her get all the genealogical
information needed to have their baptism, endowments, marriage and sealings
done in the Temple so they could go to the Celestial Kingdom. We next went into the Celestial Room and saw
families living together engaged in service.
When we returned to the reception room we were given cards to write our
name and address and to indicate if we would like the Missionaries to call to
teach more about the Gospel Plan. This
provided so many referrals that the Missionaries were really pushed to take
care of them all. This was the second
time we went through the Visitor Center's program as we had also taken Linda
Jane through it. Ralph and Helena
thought the Temple was very beautiful and the enjoyed going through the Session
even though they had to be prompted some in their Spanish responses. They were so happy that they had come to
Mexico City for their vacation and said they would always remember the
wonderful time we had together.
Early
in our Mission we received the sad news from Victor that he and Kay had become
completely incompatible and that though they had gone to the Stake Presidency
for counsel they decided to get a divorce and go their separate ways. In the settlement of the divorce Victor gave
their home and all their property to Kay and custody of their two boys, Eric
and Brent with him having visitation privileges. Victor's Bishop advised him that now he was
free he could start dating other young women if he so desired. He was now sharing an apartment with a tenor
saxophone player in the Air Force Band so was free come and go as he
pleased. After dating several beautiful
Mormon girls he wrote to us that he had found one that he was falling in love
with and wanted to bring her down to Mexico City to get our approval. Her name was Cynthia Hilton and she was
working for the Government in Washington DC
When
they arrived Victor introduced us and told us that she was so efficient and
knowledgeable that she wanted to arrange their transportation. She seemed to be very concerned for Victor's
welfare. When we were sight seeing
downtown in the Zocalo, doing a lot of walking, Victor was having trouble with
his feet so she insisted that we go to a shoe shop and get
him some more comfortable shoes. We did
that and he had no more pain. They went
with us to one of our Genealogy Seminars and afterwards to the home of one of
the members for a late dinner. Victor
took his trumpet along and at the families request played some Mexican songs
for them. Cynthia was concerned that he
was getting too tired as it was so late so suggested that we go home to our
apartment even though the family wanted to hear more music. When we arrived we planned to have Cynthia
sleep in our little guest cot in the living room and Victor on a mattress in
our bedroom. She said she wanted him
near so asked if he could sleep on the couch in the living room. She won Rickie over when she said; "If our
marriage isn't happy like yours I know it wouldn't be Victor's fault but mine." They became engaged and planned to be married
in the Washington DC Temple in September when we could be there.
Our
next visitor came from Navojoa in August to be sealed in the Temple to his
wife. He said that he owed everything to
Hermano Bowman (Brian) because he taught him to play the trombone in the Banda
Juvenil de Navojoa and Music had become his life as he started a dance band
that played many engagements. Also he
had become a member of the Church because of Brian and was married to a
beautiful Mormon lady. He had a little
ocarina with him that he played very well and I got out my violin and we had a
very good time playing duets. His name
was Daniel Lopez and he called Brian on el dia de los maestros (teachers day)
and thanked him for all that he had done for him and
gave him the good news that he was now married to his wife for all Eternidad
(Eternity).
Also
in August President Harris scheduled a Zone Conference for all the
Missionaries. One of my brother Keith's sons, Jonathon came over to our apartment to
greet us before the Conference started and we had a wonderful visit. He told us that some of his investigators
were so receptive to the Gospel that they gave them the baptismal challenge
after the first discussion. Rickie
invited him to bring some of his friends over after the Conference for a
pancake dinner. "Wow!" he said. "That will be awesome." Rickie enlisted my help and we stirred up a
big batch of pancakes and made some maple syrup and got the griddle ready and
put on the first eight pancakes at 11:30 A.M. Just in time here came Jonathon
and six other Elders. After Jonathon
blessed the food they started eating and it was a joy to see and hear how much
they were enjoying the pancakes with milk to drink. "Oh, Oh" I said, "Honey stir up another batch of
pancakes quickly because hear come a dozen more Elders into our courtyard. What a great time we had. It seems that the word leaked out that the
Brother and Sister Bowman are serving pancakes in their apartment so they kept
coming. Now there wasn't room in the apartment so they had to eat outside. This didn't dampen their enthusiasm at
all. They said that they would always
remember this treat as one of the highlights of their Mission.
The last week in August while we were out of Mexico
City giving Genealogical Seminars in Puebla we heard that a strong earthquake
had hit Mexico City causing a lot of damage.
We returned to our apartment with trepidation but found no damage. Elder and Sister Wilcox were not so fortunate as a shelf in their kitchen toppled over and
many of their precious dishes brought from home were broken. The Temple was not damaged as it rested on
pilings driven deep into the soft earth.
We were jokingly told that this earthquake might be an objection to us
leaving the Mission next week.
On
the first of September President Harris called all the Missionaries who were
departing at this time to a Farewell Testimonial program at the Mission
Home. This was a very inspirational time
with mixed emotions. We felt happy to be
going home but sad to be leaving the Mission and all the people we had come to
love through our work. We were
complimented on having taught all the Wards in the eighteen Stakes and the
Branches in the Districts. Sister Harris
had the tradition of cutting off the necktie of each Elder to make a memory
quilt. I wanted to wear a beautiful
necktie that Rickie had made for me so I brought along another necktie for her
to cut. We were asked to play some music
on the program so Rickie accompanied me on the beautiful violin solo
"Meditation" from "Thais" by Massenett.
President and Sister Harris gave us their home address and telephone
number of their home in Utah and asked us to keep in touch with them. We also promised to visit Willis and Flora in
Jerome, Idaho and Glenn and June Wilcox in Orem, Utah sometime in the
future. So we tearfully said goodbye to
all with "Adios! Hasta luego" (God be with you
until we meet again). Bob and Norma
L'Heureux picked us up at the Whiteside Airport in Sterling and took us
home.
Section 19--Home Again
Years. Victor's Marriage, Linda Jane in Rockford and
Brian's Concert in Des Moines May 9th, 1985.
Mr. and
Mrs. Hayes, who were checking on our home, wrote to us that there was some
water damage in the basement due to a stopped up rain pipe on the South side of
the house but we weren't prepared for what we found. The rug was wet and moldy and had to be
thrown out with a lot of other things, but we were thankful that it wasn't
worse. It felt really good to be home
again and all our friends welcomed us warmly.
When we left for our Mission, Bishop William A. Balgna was directing the
Ward that had been changed from a Branch in January. He had been the Branch President since August
1978. He was released as Bishop February
3, 1985 and replaced by Brother James E. Baker who welcomed us home with an
invitation to speak in Sacrament Meeting.
We were also asked to give our report to the Stake Presidency and the
High Council members in their meeting the next week. At that time I was called to be the Stake
Music Director again. We received
Welcome Home calls from Victor and Brian and Linda Jane came down from Rockford
to see us right away. We were so happy
to see her and asked how her plan to move to Rockford in August worked
out. She said that it turned out very
well as she was invited by Matt and Marion Ciembronowicz to stay with them
until she found an apartment. During
this time she looked for a stable to move her horse to from Galesburg. She found a very nice place on Spring Creek
Road quite near to the Stake Center.
They offered her a job there and a nice little apartment above the
stable. She was happy to accept the
offer and moved in with her horse and her dog, Sergie. She also got a singing job in King's Hall
Dinner Theater at Rockton. With all this
we asked her why she seemed so sad. She
told us that she thought she was in love with Don Rice and that she was
devastated because he just left her to go back to his divorced wife. We then
told her that her brother Victor was getting married to Cynthia Hilton in the
Washington DC Temple on September the 13th and asked her if she
would like to go along. That invitation
was just what she needed to feel a little better. We had a very enjoyable trip in the Cadillac
that took fourteen and a half hours and received a warm welcome from Victor and
Cynthia, her parents Lynn and Hope Hilton, Brian and Vinette and our
grandchildren. The Hilton's invited us
all to the wedding breakfast at a plush Hotel that was quite elegant and a lot
of fun. Cynthia's father, Lynn, told
Victor that he admired him for marrying Cynthia as she was quite independent
having been taking care of herself for quite awhile. Victor said that he saw something wonderful
in her eyes and he was sure everything would work out great. I took movies of everything except the
ceremony in the temple. The marriage
ceremony was inspiring and beautiful just like ours to be lovingly
remembered. They decided to buy a home
in Arlington, Virginia, not too far from Bolling Air Force Base. We loaned them thirty two thousand dollars
for a down payment so their monthly payment would be less. We assured them that
our prayers would be for them to have a very happy marriage and success and joy
in their work.
When
we got home from this wonderful experience Linda Jane went back to working at
the stables and singing in the Dinner Theater at King's Hall. We got busy cleaning our home and yard to
get things back in order. We also got
right back into Church work with me called to the High Council and Stake Music
and Rickie directing the music in the Sterling Ward and teaching the Spiritual
Living Lesson in Relief Society. Linda Jane also found the time to sing in
Church and attend all the activities. At
a dance for single young men and young women she met a tall handsome young man
named Edward A. Smith. He told her just
to call him Ed and that he had seen her in his Ward in Rockford and really
wanted to meet her. He also said that he
had served in the Army overseas in the Bankok Area and had joined the Church
and was very happy in it.
November 9, 1985 was
Rickie's 69th Birthday so I bought a beautifully decorated cake and
invited some of our friends in for a little surprise party. She gave me a big hug and a kiss the Birthday
Card with a special message I wrote.
Just for fun I'm going to copy it here.
"Happy Birthday to you my Sweetheart wife, mi querida
Riquita!"
"It is difficult to remember
life without you because since I met you have been the light of my life. It would be impossible to see a future without
you as it would be enveloped with darkness.
I love you with all my heart. (Te quiero con todo mi corazon. Ich liebe dich".) In every language now and
throughout all Eternity. You are
my queen and I adore you. (Te adoro vida mia). Your slightest wish is my command. My greatest joy is to see you happy and since
the scriptures say, "Man is that he might have joy." My whole mission is that you, my love, and I
might share this joy throughout this life and beyond with each other and our
precious family. You remember my promise
that you can have anything you want. Right? That's because I love you so. When I'm refinishing or making beams etc.
that will be my song without words meaning: Te quiero mucho mi querida esposa! Happy Birthday from your loving
husband."
Saturday evening, December
14, 1985 Ed went with us to the Dinner Theater at King's Hall to hear Linda
Jane sing. She sang a solo beautifully
entitled "Whistle" and played her flute in a Christmas Medley. Ed was really impressed and so were we. The dinner was delicious with bread cheese,
soup, barbecued ribs, Cornish hens, vegetables, cake and cider to drink. It was so noisy, with everyone talking that
we couldn't understand all the risqué jokes that we didn't want to hear
anyway. When we got back to Rockford Ed
went to his parent's where he was living temporarily and we stayed overnight
with Linda Jane in her little apartment.
The
next morning I played a violin obligato written by Linda Jane to "Jesu Bambino"
as she sang it for Sacrament Meeting. We
received many compliments on the beauty of it. In the evening Ed and Linda Jane
took us to eat at the Pizza Hut and Ed insisted on paying for it, which
impressed Linda Jane. We spent Christmas
together and went caroling to our friends and neighbors. Estella Johnson, who accompanied so many
students at contests through the years, her husband Verne, and her family
especially, appreciated it, even though we didn't have our whole family with us
this year.
Rickie
invited some of her piano students over for New Years' Eve. Party. They all had the opportunity to play the
piano for their friends and Rickie had baked a big chocolate cake and had punch
to go with it as soon as we greeted the New Year with hats and whistles and
"Happy New Year!" We all had a very
joyous time. Those who participated remembered that evening for a long time as
some of have mentioned it in letters.
Our
son Brian invited us to come to Des Moines, Iowa on Friday May 9, 1986 to
attend his concert at 8:00 P.M. He had a
beautiful corsage to pin on his mother.
She wasn't feeling very well so we went out for some food and pepto
bismo. After this treatment he said that
he felt better. He said that he never
played unless he prayed so we prayed and he performed his solo beautifully with
the University Band. He got so much
applause that he obliged by playing an encore.
The next morning, Saturday, he held a clinic at 10:00 A.M. to tell, show
and demonstrate to the students how they could improve their playing. They received his suggestions
enthusiastically, especially how to take bigger breaths to play longer phrases
and support a beautiful tone. After the
clinic we drove to West Bend, Iowa to see Rickie's brother
George, his wife Emma and some of his children.
After a delightful visit and some good food we left about 6:30 P.M. and
arrived in Dixon at 12:30 A.M. tired but happy.
The
next morning Linda Jane and Ed came down for Mother's Day. We all went to Church for a nice
program. We came home after sacrament
meeting and a delicious meal that Rickie had planned in advance. In the evening we went to the High School
Band Concert. I was surprised and sad to
see only 32 members in the Band but was happy that they sounded surprisingly
good. One of my former cornet students,
Tom Whitcomb, who was the French Teacher in High School, had been given the
responsibility of the Band. He was very
pleased that we came and enjoyed talking to Brian. We took Brian to O'Hare Airfield at 6:00 P.M.
for a 7:00 P.M. take off. He called when
he got home to let us know that he ad arrived safely and thanked us profusely
for a great time.
Section 20--Anniversary,
Stan and Dolly Williams, Charity Loughe, Victor and Cynthia, Linda Jane and Ed.
Temple.
Monday May 12, 1986 was our 43rd
Wedding Anniversary. To help us
celebrate we invited Stan and Dolly Williams and their grandson Jason for a
Belgian Waffle Supper. We served the
waffles with Rickie's special homemade maple syrup and they thought that they
were the best they had ever tasted.
Jason was living with his grandparents because their son Jeff had
divorced his wife and married a beautiful Chinese lady who preferred not to
take care of Jason. Jeff had introduced
the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his parents and asked us to visit them. We did and found them to be wonderful
people. They joined the Church and
became very active and faithful. Stan
worked for a tool and die company and was a very good
mechanic and computer operator. They
were given responsibilities right away and on November 8, 1987 Stan was called
to be the Bishop of the Sterling Ward.
He served diligently for five years then was later called to be a Sealer
in the Chicago Temple.
On the 21st of May Charity
Loughe came from Utah for a week's visit.
She had stayed with us for awhile when she was in High School. She and her brother, Andy, were orphans and
she wasn't getting along very well with her relatives who were supposed to take
care of her. This was surprising because
she had such a lovely personality. We
had invited Victor and Cynthia to visit us for an open house reception for them
at the Church. Victor had been a very
beloved Sterling Branch President from April 1972 to June 1974. We met them at
the Airport on Saturday the 24th at 9:00 A.M. and drove to the
Chicago Temple in the Cadillac to do a Session. Cynthia thought that the
Cadillac was new and the most comfortable car she had every ridden in. We go home about 3:30 and had a delicious
dinner and a good visit. They liked our
new tandem bike so went for a ride on it and Charity took my boy's bike around
the town.
Victor was asked to play a
trumpet solo in Church the next day so his Mother accompanied him on the
beautiful "Sino Nomine". It was
announced that there would be an Open House for Victor and Cynthia from 4:00 to
6:30 P.M. in the Cultural Hall and that everyone was invited to come. Victor and Cynthia were delighted with all
the people that came and the delicious food Rickie had prepared. There were ham and cheese sandwiches made
with on "snow on the mountain rolls", vegetables including carrots, celery,
radishes and cauliflower with Rickie's special dip, carrot cake and Texas sheet
cake with grape juice to drink. Everyone had a very good time and Cynthia was
really impressed by how much everyone thought of Victor.
The next morning, we had
Belgian waffles for breakfast and then showed movies of Victor and Cynthia's
wedding. Next Cynthia wanted to see some
movies of Victor's growing up years. She
loved seeing Victor as a little boy and said that he was really cute. We took them to the airport at 5:00 P.M. and
they called at 11:00 P.M. and said that they really had a wonderful time and
would like to come again. We told them
that we would be happy to have them come as often as possible. Charity's brother, Andy, took her to the
plane later that night and she called us next morning to say that she had
arrived safely and thanked us for our "loving hospitality". She told us
confidentially the sad news that the problems in their marriage have brought them
to divorce.
The next day we hosted the
Dixon Music Club at our home and Rickie was a perfect hostess serving delicious
leftovers from the Open House we had for Victor and Cynthia. We played three pieces on the program:
"Hungarian Dances #5 and #6" and "The Sleeping Beauty Waltz". All the
members performed to present a program that we all enjoyed. Our entertaining continued because the next
day May 28th was my Birthday.
We invited our dear friends, John and Julie Boss and their three
children, Ben, Nick and Jackie over for dinner at 7:00 P.M. John was one of my good clarinet students in
the grade school; he served in the Armed Forces, joined the Church and now had
a very successful
"Boss Carpet" business in Dixon.
We had a great time with this wonderful family.
In
the meantime Ed had been helping Linda Jane fix up her apartment with new
shelves etc., as he was a very handy man.
They announced their engagement and said they would like to be married
in the Washington DC Temple on August 12, 1986 so Victor and Brian could be
with them also. They received their
Temple Recommends so Ed could get his endowments in the Chicago Temple before
the wedding. I was honored to be Ed's escort in the Temple on May 29th.It
was a very inspirational experience and they said they could hardly wait for
marriage in August. On the way home we
stopped at a little Mexican Restaurant and Ed insisted on paying the bill.
On
the 30th we were invited to Rickie's sister Lydia's home for dinner
in Edelstein, Illinois. When we arrived
we were surprised to find that it was a Birthday dinner for me. We celebrated with Rickie's family Bertie,
Herman and Mary. They sent the left over
angel food cake and strawberries home with us.
Sunday
the 31st, we went to Church in Freeport with our good friends Glenn
and Helen Schwendiman then took them to the Open House at the church to
introduce the Gospel to all the visitors in an interesting way. Glenn is suffering from Parkinson's
Disease and his trembling seems to be getting a little more pronounced
but he doesn't let it slow him down so we all had a good time.
Rickie
got a phone call fromVincent and Cheryl Gilbert asking if she could do
something about a bill for $178.00 they were being charged for phone book
advertisement that they had not requested.
She called the Telephone Company and got the bill canceled. They really appreciated her help, as it was a
great relief for them. Vincent is an
organ and piano tuner and repair technician and seems to be happy in the Church
and in his second marriage. He had two
sons and a daughter from his former wife and they are married and doing well on
their own.
Section 21--VC 41 Carrier Reunion and Friends along the Way.
On June 6, 1986 we left home at 5:25 A.M. all neatly
packed for a trip to Monterey, California for our VC 41 Naval Squadron reunion
on June 15th. We left early
so we could stop along the way to see friends and relatives. Our firsts stop was in Oakley, Colorado to
see Pat and Thelma Patton at about 8:30 P.M.
We exchanged family news and got to bed about 11:30. We saw Pat off to work at 7:30 A.M. and
thanked them for their hospitality and left for Orem, Utah to see Ralph and
Lucy Laycock. We arrived about 2:00 P.M.
in a blinding rainstorm but it didn't dampen our joyous reunion. They told us
where Glenn and June Wilcox lived on the Provo Bench as we had promised to
visit them when we left the Mission in Mexico City. They were happy to see us and we were happy
to see them even though June was confined to her bed. She cried and though she couldn't talk she
could understand everything we said.
Glenn was taking good care of her and they had their family around them
so felt that they were being blessed.
Before we left, David and Martha Lingard came to visit them so we had a
nice visit with them also.
Monday
June the 9th was Ralph and Lucy's 44th wedding
Anniversary. They invited us to stay
over and celebrate by going out to dinner and to the Utah Art Show with
pictures and paintings being posed by live people. We had a wonderful time and Lucy's mother
went with us. The performances were
superb and very inspiring. I asked Ralph
to drive us there in the Cadillac and he was delighted and enjoyed the
cornering lights. After breakfast the
next morning Ralph the lecture and demonstration of instruments that he was
scheduled to give at the Museum tonight.
It was very professionally done and I recorded it. Then he expressed appreciation and admiration
for the work I had done through the years in the Grade Schools in music which
was very kind of him and nice to hear.
We left about 1:00 P.M. to go to Salt Lake City to visit Dorothy,
Claudius and Nelle.
When
we arrived in Salt Lake City and knocked at their doors we got no response so
went to the nearby CottonWood Mall to window shop. At 3:00 P.M. we went back and found Claudius
home with the news that he and Nelle had just come from Uncle Thel's funeral
and that the family would be getting together and eating at Eileens's, Uncle
Thel's Home. We went along and had a
great visit with all the family there.
Claudius told me that they had heard that we would be coming so had put
me on the list as a pallbearer and were looking for me to dedicate the grave.
We told them that we sorry that we didn't know about Uncle Thel's death and his
funeral. Everyone seemed to think that
it was a blessing that he could pass away peacefully. We took Aunt Maurine, who was 82 years old to
see her sister Aunt Martha who was 86 years old and in a nursing home and had a
good visit. Aunt Martha remembered that
she had taken us to the Temple when we got married December 4, 1944 and that we
stayed at her home overnight.
When
we got back to Claudius and Nelle's home we called my long time friend, George
Reimchissel and his wife Eileen. She
told us that he was in the Hospital, intensive care, with a bacterial infection
of the heart, called encarditis with a high temperature and that he wouldn't be
able to recognize us. She suggested that
we come to see him on our way home from California. We said that we would do that and would hope
and pray that he would be a lot better.
Dorothy asked if we would like to see the new home that her son Bob is
building in Draper. Rickie loves to see
new homes so off we went to Draper near Salt Lake City. He drew the plans himself and had the home
perfectly framed with the roof on. He
planned to get some help on the plumbing and electrical work. We went back to Dorothy's home and she told
us that tomorrow a family picnic was planned that would be a lot of fun. Maurice and Nellie were planning to come from
Mexico and should be here. They arrived
at 7:30 P.M. just as we finished eating but fortunately there was enough food
left for them to feast on. Nellie seemed
to be overjoyed, as she is very outgoing and expressive. At the table she brought up the subject of
them moving to the United States as the situation in Mexico with the high
exchange is pretty discouraging. Maurice
didn't commit himself one way or he other. After
dinner we went for a little demonstration ride in the Cadillac with Maurice
driving. Nellie told him that if he
moved to Salt Lake City he could drive a car like that. She would like to be near her parents and
children and thinks the future looks bleak in Mexico. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
At
the family dinner after Uncle Thel's funeral we gladly accepted an invitation
Uncle Thel's daughter, Cloris and her Husband Ray Barnes to stay with them a
couple of days in Moraga, near San Francisco on our way to Monterey. We left Salt Lake City on Friday the 13th
at 7:00 A.M. and were welcomed in Moraga by Cloris and Ray at about 8:30
P.M. They asked about our trip and we
were happy to tell them that we had traveled 754 miles that day without any
trouble. We ate some delicious
California fruit and had a good visit about going into San Francisco to see
where we were married May 12, 1943 before going to bed. The next day we went to Oakland and San
Francisco on the metro called the BART (Bay Area Rail Transportation) and had a
marvelous time going over familiar places.
In Oakland we found the Leamington Hotel where we stayed for our six-day
honeymoon. It is now an office building
so we just took some pictures in front of it.
We went to the Leamington Florist shop next door and got a gardenia
corsage, Rickie's favorite. When the
lady, Marlene, heard our story she insisted on the gardenia corsage being a
gift from her. We took her picture and her address and thanked very much. In San Francisco we rode the cable cars and
buses for two hours as senior citizens for 15c instead of $2.00. Rickie remembered the address of the Church
where we were married as 1647 Hayes Street and we found it. It is now an Emanuel Lutheran Church but we
took several pictures and remembered and talked about our beautiful wedding
there. Then we went to the embarcadero
to take the ferry ride to Oakland that we had done before and found that the
ferry was discontinued in 1967. When we
got back to Moraga we found a note from Cloris saying that they were at a
wedding and to make ourselves at home.
We played some music then went around admiring their beautiful home with
paintings and artistic things from different countries. Their daughter, Catherine, was getting
married soon so we gave her a wedding card with $10.00 when the family got
home. She accepted it very graciously.
On
June 15th it took us only two hours and fifteen minutes to drive to
Monterey. We checked into the Hyatt
Regency Hotel at 11:30. After getting
settled we went to the Hospitality Room to meet all the gang. Everyone had name
tags to help us get reacquainted. It was
a wonderful experience to meet old Squadron Mates who had become friends. At 7:00 P.M. we had a banquet to the tune of
$21.00 a plate. Afterwards each member of
the Squadron arose and gave a short account of his life since leaving VC 41
that was very interesting. The party ended at 10:30. The food wasn't very good but the association
was great.
On
Monday the 16th breakfast at 8:30 was $8.30 per person. We wanted to take in all the activities. In the afternoon we went to the Monterey
aquarium. It was attached to the sea and
we really were amazed at the many varieties of fish and sea creatures. In the
evening we had a banquet at the Rogue Restaurant at the wharf. We were served prime rib at $17.00 a
plate. The price on the board was $9.95
but they included the tip. We went back
to the hospitality room for more visiting and received a VC41 cap.
Tuesday
morning we got up early, packed our things, ate some fruit and went to the
hospitality room to say goodbye and to get the VC 41 Diary. We left about noon and went to the Oakland
Temple to do a Session about 4:00 P.M.
We then drove to a Motel 6 in Petaluma for the night. The next morning early we took time to enjoy
driving through the beautiful redwood forest.
We stopped at a Motel in Crescent City and called our friends and family
to make a date to see them. Dean and
Joyce Drury Thursday night, Loris and Aurelia Stewart in Caldwell, Idaho Friday
night, Willis and Flora Thompson in Jerome, Idaho Saturday night and then to
Downy, Idaho to visit my sister Kathleen, her husband Dale and family.
On
the way to Dean Drury's home we stopped to see Walter Bristow and his family
and were invited to eat dinner with them at 5:30. We were happy to hear that Walter was doing
well in his law practice and his wife and children were really enjoying playing
music together. We left at 7:20 P.M. and
arrived at Dean and Joyce's home at 10:30.
Joyce had been ill but was feeling much better. We had a good visit talking about old times
and catching up on their activities. In
the morning after a good breakfast Dean and I had our traditional game of horseshoes
and I was happy with him that he won. We
finally left at 11:00 A.M. and arrived at Caldwell at about 5:30 P.M. We had a joyous meeting with Loris and
Aurelia and they served us a delicious dinner.
We then had a great time playing music, Rickie played the piano, Loris
the Classic Guitar and I played the violin.
Then just Loris and I played the songs we had played for High School
programs when we were at BYU. They had a
beautiful home and said that they were really enjoying their retirement
years. Loris gave us coupon to have our
car serviced including a wash job on our way out of Caldwell.
Our
next stop was at Jerome, Idaho for our promised visit with Willis and Flora
Thompson. We talked about our time in
Mexico while eating a delicious dinner. They told us that they had brought
Adela home with them and she was going to school at Brigham Young University in
Provo. Then they took us to the
picturesque Shoshone Falls. We took some
pictures to show our family. When we got
back to their home we had some delicious watermelon before departing for
Downey, Idaho to see Kathleen, Dale and family.
We arrived at 7:30 and had that long awaited, enjoyable visit.
Sunday
morning we were asked to present a musical number in Sacrament Meeting so we
played our favorite for Church "Meditation from Thais" by Massenet. Rickie wasn't feeling very well as she had
caught a cold in "Sunny California" but played very well and stayed for the
three-hour block of meetings. Kathleen
had put a beef roast in the oven so when we got home we had a delicious roast
beef dinner with all the trimmings. Two of their sons, Craig and Claud, came to
dinner. Craig was helping his father on
their farm and raising fighting cocks.
Claud was studying to be a physical therapist in a hospital. Kathleen has her hands full making a wedding
dress for her daughter Renae. After
dinner we played music for all the family including Dale's parents. Claud's
little son, five years old, has been staying with them since his parent's
divorce and joined right in swinging in the back yard with the other
grandchildren.
On
Monday June 23rd we went with Kathleen to take her son Karl and
Bronson to their swimming lesson at the warm springs
swimming pool. This gave us a good
opportunity to talk to Kathleen. She
said that she was having a problem keeping her boys active in the Church but
wasn't giving up. Her son Paul and his wife Sandra were going to bring their
children for them to take care of for a week while they went to Mexico City for
a Music Convention so they would really have their hands full. After a delicious ham dinner we left for Salt
Lake City via Pleasant View and Ogden.
We
found my cousin Mel Bowman in Pleasant View and talked about our time working
at Jacob Lake together for Uncle Harold.
We also visited his daughter Bonnie and her family. Mel told us about his work on the atomic bomb
when he was at Indiana University. He
said that in that way he had a hand in helping to end the war so I could come
home.
Next
we drove to the McKay Hospital in Ogden, Utah and Eileen took us in to see her
husband George Reimchissel in the Intensive Care Unit. He was having a lot of pain but knew us and
thanked us for coming. Our hearts really
went out to him as he was so thin and pain racked. The doctors caring for him
assured Eileen that he would get well.
She wrote us the good news that after a month he was finally home
feeling better.
We
arrived at my sister Dorothy's home at about 7:00 P.M. and parked in her
driveway. We didn't see any lights on in
the house so when we knocked and didn't get an answer we walked a few blocks to
Claudius and Nelle's home. Nelle's
brother Gerald Taylor and his wife were there to start Mission President
training the next morning. We had a
great visit until 10:00 P.M. before going back to Dorothy's home. Dorothy was very glad to see us when we got
there and said that she was probably in the bathroom and didn't hear us
knock. She was expecting us to come
earlier so had food prepared. She said
we could eat the chicken salad tomorrow.
Of course we catch up on all the news before going to bed. We were happy that she had such a good
attitude about life after all the trials she has and is having. The next day Claudius and Nelle came over for
dinner and we all had great time talking about what was going on in our lives.
On
Wednesday, June 25th, Dorothy took us out to Draper to see the great
progress Bob had made building his home since we were there on the way to
California. We complimented him on the
beautiful work he was doing and told him we would like to see it when it is
finished and they move in. His wife,
Peggy was there and they both said they would look forward to another visit
next year. That evening were invited to
David and Martha Lingard's home for supper at 5:30 P.M. It turned out to be a delicious chicken
dinner in their condominium looking out at their glistening swimming pool. We had a great visit and played their
favorite game of dominoes. They promised to come to see us in Dixon, Illinois
sometime. David told us that his job
working for the Church was coordinating business and salaries of Church
personnel throughout the world and was enjoying it.
Thursday
morning Dorothy had an assignment to do Initiatories in the Temple at 11:00
A.M. She told us that Cliff and Dorothy
Erickson, our friends from Freeport, Illinois were working in the new Genealogy
Center and would like to see us while she went to the Temple. We were glad to see them and were surprised
to see Dorothy's hair completely white.
It made her look more angelic and Rickie complimented her on her
beauty. We went to the Lion House for
lunch and ate at a little table in the garden.
They introduced us to Trudy Schenk, a professional genealogist, who
charges $12.00 an hour for research. She
agreed to search for our ancestors on Rickie's lines when we would send her all
the information we have. We were happy
about that.
Dorothy
took us back to Claudius and Nelle' home and we had a delicious dinner at 2:30
P.M. Then we made a duplicate recording
for Claudius of Victor and Brian's duets "Cousins" and "Figaro", using his
beautiful Fischer Stereo outfit.
Claudius went with us to enjoy doing live Session in the Salt Lake
Temple like we did before our Marriage Ceremony December 4, 1944. Claudius took us back to Dorothy's home at
10:30 and we thanked him for a wonderful day.
On
June 27th we expressed our thanks to everyone for taking care of us so well and
arrived at the Jordan Temple at 10:00 A.M.
We were surprised and happy that the floor plan and lay out was almost
the same as the Mexico City Temple which made going through a Session all the
more enjoyable. We stopped at a Motel in
Rawlins, Wyoming that night for a good rest.
The next day we drove to Oakley to Visit Pat and Thelma Patton again as
promised. They asked us to give their
regards to all their friends in Freeport when we got there and tell them they
were lonesome to see them. We told them
we would be happy to do that and thanked them very much for their
hospitality. Our next stop was in Kansas
City to see Judy and her husband Jim Mann and their three children, Eric, Brian
and Mimi. Judy lived in the apartment
above us with her mother and grandmother before she was married so we had
become good friends. We had a lot to talk
about so we accepted their invitation to stay the night.
The next morning, bright and early we drove out to
see Brian's good friend from the Navy and Bicentennial Band, Forrest Philpott
and his Mother. He went with us to see
the Liberty Jail where the Prophet Joseph Smith was held. Then to see President Truman's home and the
Church Visitor's Center in Independence, Missouri. He treated us to dinner at a special pie
restaurant before we took him home. He
said to be sure to tell Brian "Hello" for him and that he was happy and doing
fine. We assured him that we would do
that and told him that we really enjoyed being with him. We drove on home that day, the 30th
of June and it was really good to be home after 25 days of tripping. We had slept in a lot of nice beds but none
seemed as good as our own.
Section 22--Linda Jane and Edward's Marriage, Trips and Brian's
Concert.
During the month of July we had a little time to relax but kept quite
busy doing the things require after a long trip. On our to do list was to clean the house and
the yard, pay the bills, catch up on paper work and letters and take care of
our church obligations. Linda Jane and
Ed came from Rockford for dinner and to make plans for their wonderful marriage
in the Washington DC Temple on August 12th. We offered to take them in our car but they
decided to drive their car as they planned to drive to Florida for their
honeymoon. They were so excited about it
all that they were anxious for the time to come. It seems that nothing is as constant as the
passing of time so we soon made the trip safely and all relatives met at
Grandpa and Grandma Parry's home in Arlington, Virginia for a wonderful dinner
party on the 11th of August.
Dean and Virginia Parry are Vinette's parents so Brian and Vinette
planned the party and helped make it such a memorable time.
The next morning when we woke up we said, "This is the
day!" We all arrived at the Temple at
9:00 A.M. presented our recommends and went to the dressing rooms to dress in
white clothing. Next we gathered in the
Sealing Room surrounding the beautiful white altar in the center of the
room. Linda Jane and Ed were directed to
kneel at the altar across from each other and clasp their right hands together
on the alter.
They were a very handsome couple and Linda Jane looked like an Angel all
dressed in white. Elder Mark Henderson performed the beautiful ceremony with
many blessings and promises to be realized through faithfulness in the
Gospel. Then they were told that they
could kiss as husband and wife for all Eternity. There were tears of joy especially from my
sentimental, sweetheart wife, Rickie.
Next we went to the Visitor's Center Reception Room for a Ring Ceremony
in which they would exchange rings after an inspirational talk. Linda Jane asked Victor to play the
"Trumpeter's Lullaby" and Brian to play "Danny Boy" on the very inspirational
program. We recorded the Ring Ceremony and also took many pictures of the bride
and the groom and the family in front of the Temple. After this wonderful experience we all went
to Brian and Vinette's home for a delightful Wedding Reception with delicious
food and a beautiful wedding cake. Many friends came who were not at the
Temple. Linda Jane and Ed were
overwhelmed with all that was done for them and were very grateful and happy as
they took off in their decorated Newly Wed car for
their honeymoon in Florida.
We
had a safe trip home to Dixon and began planning for a reception for the newly
weds at the church in Rockford when they came home. When they arrived they told us about the
marvelous time they had at Disney World, the Epcot Center, and Sea World in
Florida. They then moved to Linda Jane's
little apartment on above the stable. Ed
brought his dog and cat but couldn't give Linda Jane his bird. The next exciting time was their big gala
reception. Linda Jane decorated the
Cultural Hall with colorful balloons above the dance floor that was lined with
a semicircle of tables and chairs for the banquet. The delicious food was catered by Brother
Matt Ciembronowicz from Penguin Lockers.
Debbie, Ed's sister, made the beautiful wedding cake. Everyone enjoyed dancing to the music of the
excellent dance band we hired. The Bride
and Groom went home happily laden with gifts. They realized the party was over
when they went back to work the next week.
Ed to his job with Kirsch Window Coverings and Linda
Jane to substitute teaching in the Rockford Schools. The felt that their
apartment was a little small so started looking for a home to buy.
As
usual I was asked to prepare the Stake Choir to sing about six hymns for a
prelude and one special sacred number for the November Stake Conference. This involved having each Ward and District
Choir rehearse the music selected then have a combined
rehearsal for an hour before the Conference.
All the members of each choir did not attend but it seems that the best
singers came so it was an inspirational experience for them and for the
congregation. We had a very enjoyable
Thanksgiving and Christmas with Linda Jane and Ed, as they are so enthusiastic
about everything they are doing. They
think they have found the house they would like to move into the last of April
next year.
We
had the joy of picking up our son Brian at the O'Hare Airport on April 24, 1987
for his concert engagement with the Rock Valley Community band in Rockford at
3:00 P.M. April 26th. On the
25th Brian took his Mother and Ed to see Linda Jane's show at the
King's Hall Dinner Theater in Rockton, while I conducted the Music in Saturday
Stake Conference Meeting. They said that
Linda Jane was marvelous. On the morning
of the 26th we all went to Stake Conference that was very
inspirational with the Stake Choir singing and very fine talks given. Then after a little lunch we went to Brian's
Concert at 3:00 P.M. The crowd was small
but very appreciative of Brian's fine performance. Linda Jane went with us to take Brian to the
Airport and we had a very good visit on the way.
From
April 27th to May 1st was moving time for Linda Jane and
Ed into their new home on 1806 Ridge Avenue.
We were happy that they let us help them pack and move. On Thursday
night we moved a van full and on Friday we filled a large U Hall Truck, our Van
and Regina's pick up truck and with the help of three Elders got it all moved
except the piano. The piano movers
called to say that they didn't want to move the piano, as it looked like it
would rain. Rickie talked to them on the Phone and convinced them to go ahead
and move it. The job was done and
everyone was happy though tired. We
helped out on their down payment so their monthly payments would be lower. Their home is a very attractive colonial
Dutch style with two pillars on a little front porch.
On
May 2nd we received a call from my brother Claudius telling us that
all the family planned to get together on May 23rd to celebrate Aunt
Lucille's 100th birthday. He
said they very much wanted us to come and play some appropriate violin and
piano music on the program. We had a
Symphony Concert scheduled from May 23rd in Dixon. Then a trip on May 28th with Ralph and Lucy Laycock
through the Utah Canyons. We
called Ralph and Lucy and they suggested that we change the trip with them to
August. I decided to get excused from
the Symphony Concert so we could leave on May 21st in order to attend the
Alumni Meeting and High School Graduation that my brother Maurice was in charge
of. We were very fortunate to get round
trip tickets to El Paso, Texas for $156.00, which was cheaper than driving.
Section--23, Aunt Lucille's 100th Birthday. Mexico trip.
On May 15th we received a letter to Grandma
and Grandpa Bowman from Victor and Cynthia announcing the beginning of a new
grandchild. Rickie cried and laughed for
joy. We called them to congratulate them
and to rejoice with them. We'll see them
when we go up for Eric's graduation.
Rickie is working feverishly to finish a beautiful afghan for his
graduation present. It is a mulberry trimmed with black with his name in black
in the center. The total time to make
the afghan is about 325 hours. He will
appreciate it because he had asked his Grandma to make him one.
On May 21,1987, our dear friends
Bob and Norma L'Heureux took us to the Midway Airport to catch the Southwest
flight leaving at 11:10. On the way to
take off the slipstream whipped some asphalt against the fuselage so we had to
return to the line to have it checked.
An hour and a half later we finally took off and arrived at El Paso at
7:50 instead of 4:45. On the flight we
were served a glass of juice and a little bag of peanuts. We were happy to see
my brother Keith in the Airport waiting to take us to Mexico. We had a delightful visit all the way home
interrupted only by a flat tire. Keith
drove off the road to put on the spare tire.
The jack wouldn't work so I rolled over a large flat stone to drive the
car upon so we could raise the jack with no weight on it and slip it under the
axle. It worked just fine and with the
help of a little key ring flash light that Rickie pulled out of her purse we
were soon on our way again. We arrived
at Donn and Maurine's about 11:30 P.M. and they had a feast waiting for us of
beef stroganoff and fresh garden peas with ice cream and cake for desert. After
a tour of their beautiful, spacious home we trundled off to a queen sized bed
in a king-sized room with it's own bathroom. This is Donn's dream home that he built with
the help of his workmen that is so grand that it defies description so we
planned to take pictures.
May 22nd was very busy as we spent the day visiting Mary
and Nellie, going to a young men's basketball championship game at 5:00 P.M.
and an award assembly at 8:00 P.M. in Colonia Juarez. Maurice and Nellie's son, Bruce, received the
Director's Award. This was the award for
the highest all around excellence. Their
son, Troy, also received Awards for academic excellence and activities. We complimented them for their achievements.
May
23rd was the day for Aunt Lucille's 100th birthday
celebration. At 10:00 A.M., I went down
to the old Robinson Home to tune the piano.
I had to go over it twice as the pitch was half a step low, which took
two and a half hours. There were about
150 in attendance at the dinner and program was held outside on the lawn. Most of them were relatives so we had a great
time renewing friendships. The program
was wonderful with Mother's youngest brother, Owen Robinson, Master of
Ceremonies. There were some wonderful
talks given telling about Aunt Lucille's wonderful life with great musical
numbers in between. Rickie and I
received compliments on the music we played; especially on "The Old Refrain"
that was Kathleen"s favorite.
The
next day was Sunday and we were asked to play a musical number in Sacrament
Meeting. We played our favorite solo for
Church, which was "Meditation" from "Thais" by Massenett. Rickie also accompanied Marcel and me on a
violin duet "Sweet Hour of Prayer". In
the evening we had a family get-together. Claudius told us that Nelle's
brother, Gerald Taylor, was taking care of their orchard in partnership, since
they were now living in Salt Lake City. They said they would like to take us
out to see it tomorrow. The trip to the
orchard was very interesting as Claudius explained the work required to make it
productive. He said that they irrigate
every week by a permanent sprinkler system and mow the grass between the trees
every week. They hired help to thin the apples, as the trees would be too
loaded otherwise. Then every year they
had to spray the trees so insects wouldn't damage the apples. We told him that it really takes a lot of
work and knowledge to be successful in the orchard business down here. In the evening all the family got together
for a big taco dinner on Donn's lawn by the swimming pool and the tennis
court. After eating we had a Home
Evening program inside the house with a number from each family. We played "Czardas' by Monti and some love
songs that everyone joined in singing.
We recorded it all to be a treasure.
On
May 26th we got up early and went to the ranch with Keith and
Naoma. We had a great time riding
horseback along the lake shore and over the range to see the land and the
cattle. The work required to take care
of the ranch is mind boggling. When we
returned we enjoyed a delicious dinner and a good rest. Claudius III asked us if their son Marcel, could come to visit us in the summer to study
violin. We said that we would be glad to
have him come and would arrange for him to take lessons from fine teacher and
give him the opportunity to practice three hours a day besides play time. He
was the same age as Brent so we were thinking they would have a great time
together if Brent comes this summer.
The next day seven of us,
Claudius and Nelle, Dale and Kathleen, Dorothy and Rickie and I, had a great
time eating at the fancy Palmas Restaurante.
The servings were so generous that we had to some "doggie bags" to take
some home. When we go back to Donn and
Maurine's we were surprised to see the rest of the family there singing "Happy
Birthday to You" this was for my birthday. They gave me a valuable book "Stalwarts South
of the Border" about the people who established the Mormon Colonies. Also my
seven brothers and sisters each contributed $5.00 to buy the biographical book
"History of the Colonies" that had many pictures. I was very happy and thrilled with it all.
Donn and Maurine then served ice cream and fresh strawberries while we talked
about our growing up years with Mother and Dad.
We went with Dale and
Kathleen to the rehearsal for the High School Graduation in Juarez, as they had
to leave for home before the graduation.
Maurice had arranged a medley for an instrumental ensemble that was very
beautiful. He also had a double ladies
trio and a double male quartet that were very well rehearsed to be on the
program. He had rehearsed the graduates
to march in and out very precisely. In
the evening we went to Keith and Naoma's home for a "cook-out" for
everyone. They prepared carnitas,
frijoles, salsa, a yierba drink and very good cake. Then we went inside and Claudius showed
slides of Mother and Dad going on their Mission and their tragic accident in
which Dad lost his life. The pictures of the wrecked car were really
gruesome. The picture of mother with her
broken jaw, broken arm and ribs getting ready to come home for the funeral was
really a poignant experience. She suffered so much but she did it silently and
cheerfully.
Today, the real date of my birthday, was the Alumni Program in Colonia Juarez at 8:00
P.M. so Rickie and I rehearsed "Canzonetta" by D'Ambrosio to play on the
program. We first went to the Grade
School Graduation at 5:00 P.M. where Wesley and Mary's daughter, Sonya, and
Keith LaRae and Charlene's son, Justin, graduated. We recorded the music that Mary presented
which was very good. The Alumni program
was great and I introduced Rickie to a lot of my old classmates. We played our number to the best of our
ability and even Maurice complimented us, which he doesn't usually do. When we got home Rickie had a candle on a
cake for my birthday and we all had a late night snack. Rickie looked beautiful with her new Mexican permanent, which had turned her hair to a
beautiful blond color. The sisters told
her to keep that color but she likes it a little darker.
On May 29th the
High School Graduation was held in Colonia Juarez at 11:00 A.M. We took pictures and recorded the program.
The musical numbers that Maurice prepared were beautifully done. The talks were given in English and Spanish,
very fluently by both Mexicans and Americans.
These young people are really taking advantage of the opportunity to
become bilingual. This ability really helps prepare them to be fine
Missionaries. After the program a lunch was served on the lawn at 1500 pesos a
plate. The exchange was 1250 pesos for $1.00 so that wasn't very much for a
sloppy joe hamburger, potato chips, potato salad, vegetable salad, cake and a
soft drink. Rickie and I sat on a curb
and balanced the paper plate on our laps while we ate. Rickie saved her hamburger and most of her
food for Claudius who had to go to Casas Grandes to check on a birth
certificate for Aunt Maurine so missed the meal. In the evening we all went to Wesley and
Mary's for an outdoor supper where we made our own tortas by putting meat,
cheese, tomato, avocado and sauce in a big tortilla and rolling it up. It was very good and everyone had a good time.
The next morning at 8:00 we
were invited to Wesley's son's home for breakfast. Chris and his wife had a cleverly printed
menu of six different meals we could order.
Chris was the Chef and his wife took care of the fruit salad. It sounds like we spent a lot of time eating
because we went to Wesley and Mary's for dinner then over to Donn's for a
family visit and banana splits.
On Saturday, May 30th
we went shopping at Nuevas Casas Grandes the Mexican town two miles from Dublan
and purchased a lot of things. A beautiful white hand tooled leather purse for
Rickie, Jell-O, a gallon of vanilla, two large cans of Hershey chocolate, Knorr
chicken cubes and film. In the afternoon
Rickie wasn't feeling very well so she stayed home while Dorothy and I went with
Wesley to look over his farm. We were
simply amazed at how well he was doing.
We thought he was in terrible financial straits but found out that he is
completely out of debt and that his farm and orchards are beautiful and very
productive. He was very happy and had a
very fine attitude. When we got back Rickie was feeling better so went with me
to take pictures of all our brother's homes.
Rickie got the addresses of all the children and we packed up all our
things to be ready to leave early in the morning for home.
The next morning we
reluctantly told everyone good bye and thanked them for their wonderful
hospitality and left with Steve and Trisha Taylor for El Paso at 11:00 A.M. as
they live in El Paso. Steve is Floriene
and Mennel's son and Trisha (Patricia) is Maurice and Nellie's daughter. We were happy when they offered to take us to
their home in El Paso and then to the airport on Monday to take a 1:20 flight
home. Before we left Steve Bowman, who spent two summers with us studying piano
came home from BYU and we had a good visit.
He told us that the first year he studied piano, the second year he
majored in accounting like Stan Smith, but now he wanted to study law. This he
did and became a very successful lawyer, but has still kept up his piano
artistry.
We loaded all our suit cases
in the trunk of their beautiful new Marqui and occupied the back seat with
their little daughter Megan, about three years old. They had a car seat for their little two
month old baby but Trisha held her most of the way. We had a very good visit in the three hours
it took to get to the border. Steve is
the president of an International Bank and travels to take care of business. We were very impressed with his financial
experience and knowledge. It took only
seven minutes to get to their beautiful Spanish style home in El Paso and they
made us feel right at home. We played music for an hour while they were out
shopping. When they came back Steve sang
with us "Un Viejo Amor" and "How Great Thou Art". I was very happy to hear him
sing so well as the male side of his family wasn't
very musical. Trisha told us that he
sings solos with the choir in Church and when he was in High School he took the
part of the Father in "Sound of Music".
Rocky Iman, who was Bishop of the Freeport Ward before they moved to El Paso, and his wife Mary came over at 7:30 for a visit. Steve and Trisha then took the four of us out
to the Fancy State Line restaurant for a tremendous Rib Dinner. We were served three giant ribs with potato
salad, cole slaw and beans. Rocky seems to be doing well at his job but they
said they liked Illinois better. The
next morning June 1st, after a delicious breakfast of orange juice,
hot cakes and bacon Trisha took us across town to see Lavonne and Lois Cardon
at 10:30 A.M. We were glad to see my sister Dorothy there on her way to Salt
Lake City. Lois was one of my classmates
in High School and was the prettiest girl our class. Their home was even more elegant than Steve
and Trisha's and we didn't think that was possible. Lois played a tape of her
sister Isabel's five-year-old grandson, Dustin Tedwell, playing a virtuoso
piano recital. He is really a little genius.
Margaret Cardon and her husband were also there and they asked us to
play some music for them. We played
about six pieces for them. Lavonne was
especially expressive saying that he enjoyed the music more than any he had
ever heard and that we really had a great thing going for us. We were sorry
that Lavonne is suffering from Parkinson's Disease. Margaret and her husband took us to the
airport at 11:20. They helped us get our
suitcases checked right away and we got on the plane after thanking very much. We had a good flight and were really happy to
see Linda Jane waiting to take us home from Midway Airport. We had time to tell her all about our
wonderful trip to Mexico on the way home.
We told her that one of the nicest things about a trip is getting home.
Section 24--Eric Graduation
from High School, Marcel, Violin and Brent to Dixon for High School, Quit
Rockford Symphony, 1987.
We turned around twice and
drove to Washington DC on Friday June 5th, for Eric's graduation
from High School. He was a very handsome
graduate and we told him that we were proud of him. He loved the afghan that his grandma made for
him which made her happy. After a good
visit we drove home to attend three family reunions of Rickie's family. We went to the Rocke Reunion in Cissna Park
on June 21st. The big social
meal at noon was a potluck dinner and we were assigned to bring potato
salad. We had a great time visiting with
all of our relatives and got quite a few genealogy sheets filled out. On July 5th we went to
Princeville, Ill for the Sauder Reunion hosted by Rickie's brother George's
family. The Scheppmann reunion came next
on august 30th in Okabena, Minnesota. We were really happy to get a lot of
genealogy information there on Rickie's Mother's ancestors. Marcel went with us on this trip as Claudius
sent him from El Paso on June 23rd.
First we took Marcel to
Freeport to see Ernie Seaman about violin lessons. Ernie said he had a concert coming up and
would teach Marcel to play the famous hoe down tune "Orange Blossom". This didn't please Marcel as he wanted to
study the "Bruch Violin Concerto". So we
took him to Mike Dowell who taught lessons at Sauk Valley College and conducted
the orchestras there. Marcel was really
excited about that and started right off practicing the "Bruch Concerto". I introduced him as my Grandnephew to Robert
Whipple who conducted the Area Symphony, of which I was Concert Master, and he
welcomed him into the Symphony. In one
Concert Robert had all the first violins stand up and play the flashy violin
solo "Czardas" by Monti in unison, accompanied by the Orchestra, so I was glad that
I had it memorized and had played it on our three Musical concert tours in the
Mexico.
Marcel took another trip
with us on July 25th this time toWashington D.C. to take part in
Brent's ordination in the Priesthood and to bring him home with us. Victor
ordained his son, Brent, to the office of Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and
it was a very spiritual experience.
Since Marcel hadn't been to Washington D.C. before we took him sight
seeing to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the Big Museum. He was quite awed by it all. Victor had asked
us if could take Brent to live with us to attend the Dixon High School for his
last two years. He told us that Kay had
married Ralph Willett who was a Councilor in the Stake Presidency when he and
Kay had gone to the Stake Presidency for counseling to try to save their
marriage
Now it seemed that Brent
wasn't getting along well with his stepfather and wasn't doing any homework for
school so was in a failing condition. We
said that we would be glad to take him. His mother helped him pack as she
wanted to be sure that he took all his things that he would need. We were
really happy that Brent and Marcel got along really well on the way home to
Dixon Brent brought his clarinet along that he played quite well so we
introduced him to Bob L'Heureux when we got home as a possible member of his
High School Band when school started the last of August. Bob also conducted the
Summer City Band Concerts every Thursday night with a rehearsal on Tuesday
nights. He asked Brent if he would like
to try the Bass Clarinet, as he needed one in the City Band. He was excited about that and did so well on
it that he was put right in the City Band.
We played in it together as I played the Bb Clarinet in that
organization. Marcel and his Aunt
Rickie, my Sweetheart wife, listened to the concerts in the Band Shell in the
Park on Thursday nights and Marcel practiced the violin while we rehearsed on
Tuesday nights. He was enjoying his lesson with Mike Dowell and Mike told me
that he was very talented and was doing very well on his Concerto. Then I invited Marcel to play violin with me
in the orchestra for the Musicals "Camelot" and "Fiddler on Roof" presented in
the Dixon Theater by a Professional Director using local talent.
In August we had the
pleasure of taking Rickie's Nephew Gary Sauder, Melissa, his seven-year-old
daughter, Brent and Marcel to Nauvoo for the pageant "Nauvoo, City Beautiful". It was a wonderful experience for all of us
just before Marcel returned to his home in El Paso and Brent started junior
year at Dixon High School.
Marcel wrote to us that in
his orchestra auditions the Director told him that he had improved so much and
his sight reading was so good that he was promoting him to Concert Master of
the Orchestra. Marcel thanked us for
getting him such a good teacher, giving him time to practice and the
opportunity to play in the musicals to improve his sight-reading. Claudius and Nelle were happy that he had
done so well on the violin besides having the experience of going to Washington
D.C. and to Nauvoo.
When Brent started School I
quit the Rockford Symphony after playing in it for 30 years to be able to spend
time helping Brent get started with his home work. After two months he had not missed even one
homework assignment and thought it was fun.
He received a letter of commendation from the school for this
achievement. He started right out playing bass clarinet in the Band. We asked him about joining the choir like his
father did but he didn't think he could sing very well. We talked to Jim Wiltz, the Choral Director
and a good friend about Brent. He said
he would get him the choral room to audition him. He came home from school a
couple of days later bubbling over with enthusiasm about his day. He told us that the Mr. Wiltz, the Choral
Director saw him in the hall and said, "You look like Victor Bowman are you
related." I told him that I was his son
and was staying with my grandparents to go to school here this year. He then invited me into the choral room and
had me do some singing with him. He told me that I had a very fine bass voice
and invited me to sing in the Robbed Choir. At the end of the first quarter
Brent was on Academic Honor Roll, enjoyed playing in the Marching Band for
football Half Time Shows and loved singing in the Choir. I then started playing in the SaukValley
College Orchestra and the Clinton Symphony that didn't take so much time.
We felt that we were now
back into school activities, going to concerts, football games, basketball
games, back to school nights, and drivers training for Brent. On December 21st we had a date to
go back to Washington D.C. for Victor and Cynthia's Blessed Event, the arrival
of our new grandson in Arlington, Virginia that borders Washington D.C. As Stake
Choir Director I had planned to present a large part of Handel's "Messiah" in Rockford on December 20th
so we were very busy having special rehearsals. The Stake Presidency was very
pleased with the performance and thought it would be great as an annual
event. Linda Jane sang the soprano solo
"Rejoice Greatly" very beautifully.
Rickie and Brent sang in the chorus, Walter Whipple played the organ and
I conducted it. We have been
enjoying Brent's his sweet spirit and keen sense of humor. Of course he went with us to Arlington,
Virginia and the fifteen hour trip didn't seem so long. When we arrived we were
welcomed with open arms and the news that they had a baby girl instead of a
boy. She was born a day early on the
20th and they named her Jennie Bryce Bowman.
Victor took us to see her and her happy Mother in the Hospital. They
asked us to stay for Christmas and promised to come to our home for Christmas
next year as Jennie would be a year old.
We accepted the invitation. Of course we had a good visit with Brian,
Vinette and their son Brian P. and learned that Vinette is still the Computer
Consultant at Acacia, Brian, in addition to his duties in the Air Force Band
continues to play recitals and give clinics all over the world. He is getting his Doctors Degree on Trombone
at the Catholic University as there is not a doctoral program for euphonium.
Victor is also in doctoral program on trumpet at the University. Brian P. is a freshman in High School and is
excited about playing the drums in his Rock Combo. He gave us a recording of
one of their performances and it is really good.
On Wednesday morning,
December 23rd, Victor brought little Jennie Bryce and her mother
home from the hospital to get ready for Christmas. We took video pictures of
their homecoming and Victor giving Jennie her first bath the kitchen sink. He washed her
head under the faucet, which was quite a sight to behold. That evening Victor played trumpet for the
Stake Messiah sing-a-long and I played violin in the small orchestra. Rickie stayed home with Cynthia and baby
Jennie and Brent and Eric were at their Mother's home. Victor played "The Trumpet Shall Sound"
beautifully and everyone seemed to have a very good time.
On Christmas morning we were
all together at Victor and Cynthia's home for a pancake breakfast that Victor
prepared. Then we all gathered around
the Christmas tree to open all the presents.
Everyone was having so much fun that we video taped all the
proceedings. In the evening we had a big
Christmas dinner at Brian and Vinette's home. On December 27th we
all went to the Stake Center where Victor Ordained Eric an Elder in the
Priesthood. Brian and I were in the
circle with then for the ordination.
Then we went to Victor's home to bless little Jennie Bryce and name her
officially. Now that Eric was an Elder he participated in the Circle with
Victor giving the blessing. We gave
Victor a tape of it so Jennie can see and hear it when she grows up. We attended the New Year's dance and a great
time welcoming in the New Year at Midnight. We did manage to get up early
enough the next morning, after a wonderful Holiday, to take off for Dixon at
8:00 a.m. Saturday 2nd to get Brent back in school on Monday January 4,
1988. We arrived home safely at 11:00
P.M. happy to be home in our nice warm home.
After Church we called Linda
Jane and Ed and were happy to hear that she was pregnant but sad to hear that
she wasn't feeling well. Here is a
quotation from her Christmas Letter. In
January I found out that I was pregnant and promptly became very ill with
hyper-emesis (excessive vomiting).
Eventually I was hospitalized for dehydration, and found that if I
wasn't sick before, being in the hospital was enough to make me ill. Finally it was obvious that I was not
thriving or even improving in the hospital so I was released and went to stay
with my parents for several months. Gradually I was able to keep some food down
and began to recover some of the ten pounds that I had lost. Mom and Dad were very conscientious caregivers,
and I was able to return home to Rockford and my lonely husband late in
March. I continued to feel sick and
nauseous, but the vomiting lessened then completely stopped."
We were very sorry to see
Linda Jane so sick but were glad that she could come to stay with us so we
could help her as much as possible.
Brent continued to do well and enjoy school. He repaired one of his
Church friend's radio and tape player so he got quite
a reputation and repaired quit a few others.
He could have gone into that business but had a goal to become an
electrical engineer. Linda Jane decided
to sell her horse, Danny, since she wouldn't be able to take care of him for
quite a while and found a good new owner for him. The company that Ed worked
for closed down and he was fortunate to get job in June at Pfauter-Maag at a
higher salary and better working conditions.
This company makes cutting tools for gears and Ed enjoyed his work as a
machine repairman in the heat-treating department. He also works with the Boy Scouts and the
National Guard. They took on the project of refinishing the hardwood floors and
redecorating their new home that included getting a room ready for their baby
that was due the 1st of September.
Our dear friend Stan
Williams became our Bishop in Sterling Ward November 8, 1987 and soon put in a
request to Brother Glenn Schwendimann, who was the Stake Physical Facilities
Representative, for an addition to the Sterling Church Building. The need was recognized and a plan made that
would add four classrooms, a library, two bathrooms and a remodeled kitchen, to
be completed by March 1992.
On Sunday, July 24th
Brent and I played in the City Band Concert at 2:00 P.M. at Lowell Park that
was very well attended. The applause was
enthusiastic and Rickie told us that it was a very enjoyable concert. At 4:00
P.M. Bishop Stan Williams, Stan Smith and Glenn Schwendimann and I went to the
Church to check the organ. Stan Smith
played it and found the volume adequate only on setting #4 and some of the
stops didn't work. So Glenn is going to
call the technician recommended by Vincent Gilbert to get it put in good shape.
On Monday we took Brent to
Sauk Valley College at 10:50 for a math class for special credit. We went shopping at the Mall until time to
pick him up at 12:30. He usually rode his bike or drove the green olds for this
14-mile round trip. Brent and I went to
City Band rehearsal from 7:15 to 9:15 P.M.
Rickie had a snack ready for us when we got home. Brent is quite ambitious and has a summer job
three days a week at Hardy's from 5:00 P.M to 11:00 P.M. He is also working to become an Eagle
Scout. On Tuesday he got up at 7:00 A.M.
to practice his clarinet. He also wanted
to learn to play the saxophone so I loaned him my instrument and gave him some
lessons on it. He learned very rapidly
and when school started Bob L'Heureux put him in the Swing Band playing the
Baritone Saxophone.
About 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday
we up to Rockford to have a doctor give her some injections in her fingers for
arthritis that seem to help some. Then
we went over to Linda Jane and Ed's home for a delicious roast beef
dinner. After eating we took Linda Jane
to a rehearsal and Brent to a Scout meeting at 7:00 P.M. He got his Eagle Project approved by the
Scout Master Jack Ward and Ralph Zitelmans, which was to mark the Dixon High
School Parking lot. In doing the project
he was to demonstrate leadership by having other scouts help
him. We let Brent drive home and at an
intersection in Oregon his grandma advised him not to turn left on a yellow
light but it was too late. He made the
turn as light turned red. A Police
officer stopped him, took his license and asked him why he didn't obey the
signal. I talked to the officer and told
him that Brent was really a cautious driver but had underestimated the yellow
light. He gave him his license back and
gave him a warning instead of a ticket.
Brent was really grateful not to get a ticket and have his name in the
paper. When we go home we read our
chapters in the Book of Mormon as usual.
Brent is going to Seminary Class every Sunday and doing very well.
Section 25 -Ben Zaugg Died, His wife, Lee, Getting Alzheimer's Disease,
Relatives from Germany to Visit. Bob and Norma on Vacation,
Brent a Patriarchal Blessing from Brother Waite, Grandchildren born.
The next day we went over to
L'Heureux's home to check their home, put their mail in and water their flowers
as we were doing every three days during their three week vacation out
West. We had their schedule so we called
them at Parowan, Utah and they said they were having a wonderful time going
through Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon and the Grand Canyon. They said that they would be home next week
on August 2nd. Rickie's
cousin, Lee Zaugg, called from Rockford to ask us to take her teen-age cousin,
Katja, who was visiting from Germany, for a few days, as she was exhausted
taking care of her. Lee's husband, Ben,
passed a way this summer making it difficult for her to do everything at home.
It seems that she isn't getting much help from her children. So Thursday we did some shopping, took care
of L'Heureux's home and went to Rockford to pick up Katja and her cousin
Stephen came along also. We took them to
the Band concert and they said they liked it.
On Friday the 29th,
we helped Brent on his arrangements to do his Eagle Project. The German children enjoyed shopping down
town, as it was "Dog Days" with merchandise displayed on the sidewalks and the
street. We had pizza for lunch that they
thought was quite as treat. At 1:30 I
took Brent over to see the High School Principal to make final plans for
painting the parking lot on Saturday.
Rickie prepared a ham casserole for dinner with Jell-O and lemon pudding
that we all enjoyed especially Katja and Stephen. Then we taught them how to play croquet on
the back lawn and they said it was a lot of fun. We stayed up quite late
watching the movie "Sound of Music" starring Mary Poppins.
On Saturday our two visiting
teenagers slept until 10:30 A.M. so we had brunch of pancakes and eggs. The materials weren't ready for Brent to use
so he couldn't do his project until next week.
Katja and Stephen enjoyed playing Chinese Checkers
and a bowling game. They listened to
Rickie play the hymn "Sweet Hour of Prayer" that she was scheduled to teach the
Relief Society Sisters Sunday morning at 8:40 then conduct them from the piano
to sling it in Sacrament Meeting. Sunday
was a busy day and all things worked out as planned. The Relief Society Sisters sang beautifully
with Rickie directing them playing the piano.
Rick Baker, who was the same age as Stephan invited them to come to see
his home then they would all come to our home for dinner. We invited Stan Smith and his daughter Joanna
to come over in the evening for apple pie a-la-mode. Brent preferred to have ice cream without the
pie. We talked to Stan about his
decision to go into a monastery in Missouri.
He said that he just wanted to have peace and a cloistered life. He admitted that he was sort of a loner and
not a family man. He said that Joanna would
be well taken care of financially and that was all that she really wanted from
him.
On Monday, August the 1st
we took Katja and Stephan to Rockford at 9:00 A.M. and had a good visit with
Lee. She was very grateful that we had
taken the children and happy that they said they had a wonderful time. Then we took some sweet corn over to Linda
Jane and Ed's home and ate lunch with them.
After lunch we took Linda Jane to her doctor's appointment at 1:45 P.M.
We were very pleased with the doctor's report of his examination as he told her
that everything was fine with her pregnancy.
The Baby was growing normally and Linda Jane's blood pressure was
normal, 120 over 60. Ed called from his
National Guard Camp and said that the place was SNAFU as there was no class for
him. He was told that he would have to
go to Iowa Camp next Friday for two weeks.
Linda Jane was not very good news for Linda Jane. When we got home we found that Brent had gone
for a bike ride and had a head on collision with another bike turning a corner
at a high speed. As a result he skinned
his elbow, threw his shoulder out of place and bruised his hip. He said that
the other bike cut right in front of him and that he would be more cautious and
take the corners at a slower speed. He said that he felt okay to go to band
rehearsal. Afterwards we read scriptures
and had a discussion on family love and responsibility and the sacredness of
Patriarchal Blessings. He had just received his Patriarchal Blessing from
Brother Willis Waite so decided to ask him if it would be all right if he let
his good friend Rick Baker read it.
On Tuesday the 2nd
Rickie and I went over to L'Heureux's home to clean up the front yard and put a
big WELCOME HOME sign on the front door.
Then we took Brent to the doctor to get his shoulder taken care of. By this time Bob and Norma L'Heureux were
home so we had a great visit. They
thanked us for taking care of their home so well. We invited them to come over to our home to
eat in a half-hour. Then we hurried home
to prepare something that Bob could eat, as his diet was limited since having
his 6 Artery by Pass. They brought us a beautiful Indian Pottery Dish made by
the Ute Indians. They said that they had a marvelous time but were very happy
to home again.
Wednesday Brent had his
final exam in his Algebra Course at the College. When he got home he said that he thought he
did okay and his shoulder was feeling better. Dorothy Forbes came from Sterling
for a visit and brought us a bucket of beautiful tomatoes. She said that she is sad that her divorce
from Bud is in the process but feels that is the only solution to their
problems. Brent got a letter from his
Dad with the news that his mother is pregnant in her new marriage. She said that he didn't feel good about it. Thursday morning we took Brent shopping to
find him some Lee jeans for our trip to Arlington next week. We found some that he liked at Farm and Fleet
size 30 by 30 that fit him just right.
At noon we had a date with Glenn and Helen Schwendiman, our dear friends
from Freeport to celebrate their 49th Wedding Anniversary. We told them that we wanted to pay the bill
at the Golden Corral but they said they had some coupons that would take care
of it. We all had a steak dinner with the great salad bar. The food was delicious and the conversation
never lagged. Brent joined in and seemed
to be making progress in his maturity. He was able to finish his Eagle Project
on the High School parking lot and received a letter of thanks and commendation
from the High School Principal. He will
receive his Eagle Award in as Court of Honor in January.
On Tuesday August 9th
we made the trip to Arlington in the Cadillac to visit Victor and Brian and
their families and especially to see our little grand daughter, Jennie Bryce. We snacked on sweet rolls and ham on the way
and stopped for Brent's favorite ice cream.
We were welcomed warmly by the happy parents, Victor and Cynthia, and
got to hold our precious little grand daughter.
We enjoyed a great week visiting and heard Victor and Brian play in a
very fine Air Force Band Concert. Brent
had a good visit with his mother then was ready to go back to Dixon. When
School started Brent told us that he would really like to be a member of the
Jazz Choir but he didn't know how to dance.
We talked to Sharon Wiltz about it as she choreographed for the Jazz
Choir and was the wife of Jim Wiltz, the Choral Director. She said that she would be glad to take him
to the choral room for a try out with others.
She showed them some dance steps used in the Choir for them to try. The result was that she complimented Brent
saying: "Brent you have some very good
moves you will do well in the Choir. So
he became a very valuable member of the Jazz Choir.
The next big event was the birth of another
beautiful little grand daughter on August 19,1988. Linda Jane and Ed named her Rachel Elizabeth
Smith. She evidently was anxious to come
to them, as she didn't wait for the due date of September 1st. We visited Linda Jane in the hospital and she
was radiantly happy holding her precious little bundle from heaven. Ed was a very happy proud father and said he
could hardly wait to take them home. We came to Rockford often to help out as
much as possible. Brent continued doing
well in his schoolwork and especially in computers. Linda Jane and Ed have a large album full of
beautiful pictures of their darling baby, Rachel in the hospital with her
beaming mother and she was so photogenic that we all had to have our picture
taken with her. She received many
presents from friends and relatives and an especially beautiful dress from her
Uncle Claudius and Aunt Nelle. She was
blessed and given her name officially by her father in October. On her Grandma's birthday we took her picture
with her happy Grandma in front of the birthday cake on November the 9th in
Dixon. We also recorded everything on
videotape that will be as treasure.
On November 17th,
as Stake Music Chairman, I wrote a letter to all the Bishops in the Stake with
the suggestion from our Departmental meeting that they start Sunday School right after Sacrament Meeting without a break to keep
all the congregation there. Also I sent
a suggested list of hymns for the entire Stake to practice in their Sunday School song practice time so we could use them effectively
in our Stake Conference. Also in the
letter was the announcement that rehearsals for the Messiah presentation would
start on Saturday December 3rd.
We were happy that the performance of the Messiah was even more
inspiring this year than last year.
We enjoyed the most
wonderful Christmas in our home in 1988 as all our family came together. Victor and Kay's son Eric was not with us as
he had been called to go on a Mission to Japan. Of course little Jennie Bryce and little
Rachel Elizabeth were the center of attention.
The pictures of Victor holding Jennie and Linda Jane holding Rachel
while sitting on the davenport are adorable.
Again everyone had to have their picture taken holding the babies and
the group pictures of the whole family came out beautifully. As usual we took movies with the video
recorder of all the festivities that included our family orchestra playing
Christmas Carols and singing. We took
time to prepare and enjoy our Christmas feasting under Rickie's able direction. We really enjoyed the True Spirit of
Christmas and talked about being able to get together as a family in our next
life as well as in this one. We were
happy that everyone was able to return home safely to start the New Year.
Section
26--Linda Jane Stake Music Direct or In My Place, Brent in Band and hoir,
Received Eagle Award, to Washington DC. Sousa National Band.
The start of 1989 New Year
was exciting for us as we looked forward to new things happening. The first thing was that it was time for me
to be released as Stake Music Chairman so I suggested to the Stake Presidency
that Linda Jane was really qualified for that position. They had already chosen her because of her
expertise in directing the Relief Society Choir, singing in Community Choirs
and having a Master's Degree in Music.
She accepted the calling gladly and made plans for the year.
The Scout Court of Honor was
very impressive attended by District Scout Troops and parents. Victor came from Arlington, as Brent was one
of three to receive the Eagle Award.
After posting the colors, the American Flag and the Scout Flag very fine
talks were given by Scout Leaders extolling the efforts and dedication the boys
had shown in earning merit badges leading to an Eagle Project to receive the prestigious
Eagle Award. Jack Ward, the Rockford
ScoutMaster, complimented them on their achievement telling them that it would
be of benefit to them through their whole life.
Mothers were called up to pin the Eagle Badge on the boys wearing their
scout uniforms. Since Brent's mother
wasn't there his grandmother was given that honor.
This
year was very exciting and rewarding for Brent.
He played the baritone saxophone in the Jazz Band and had the alto
saxophone ready to play the saxophone solos. In the Choral Concert he sang in
the Robed Choir, the Jazz Choir and the Madrigal Singers. He was the only bass singer to be chosen to
sing in the All State Choir. He played
bass clarinet in the Concert Band and was awarded the John Philip Sousa Band
Award. He was selected to play Bb
Clarinet in the National Sousa Band in Washington D. C. in June joining the
other five from Illinois. His father,
Victor came for his Graduation and his Mother Kay came to visit her parents in
Lanark and attended his graduation also.
Afterwards they were invited to come to our home to see a display of all
the awards that Brent had received in his school days in Dixon. Rickie had all the awards arranged
attractively on the dining room table including an
beautiful album of pictures of all his activities including his dates for the
Junior and Senior Proms. They were very
happy and impressed with their son's accomplishments. I had recorded all of his performances on the
video camera and copied them on five six-hour VHS tapes to give to him. Brent was really busy packing up all the
things he wanted to take to Arlington as he was now going to live with his Dad
and Stepmother, Cynthia while he go ready to go on a Mission.
We had a delightful trip to
Washington D.C. in June, for Brent's performance with the National Sousa
Band. We were allowed to attend a
rehearsal and all the family attended the Concert that was really superb. After the concert Brent's mother whisked him
off to a special dinner. He said that he
enjoyed it very much. The next trip we made was back to Arlington, Virginia for
Thanksgiving with our family at Brian and Vinette's home. Linda Jane, Ed and little Rachel Elizabeth
went with us. Linda Jane was able to
visit some of her friends there. We were
really happy to see our little grandson, Zachary. He was born October 5,1989
and Victor and Cynthia are really happy thankful for his arrival. It seems that
we parents are always grateful for our children. Here is a quotation from their Christmas
Letter telling about their precious little daughter. "This year has been one of joy and happiness
as we watch our sweet Rachel shine brighter each day. She is truly the light of our lives and has wrought
wondrous changes in our home. She now walks, runs, climbs, and speaks many words. She is a delightful child, and we are very
grateful to have her!" Ed has been
enjoying his job as a machine repair technician at Pfauter-Maag and is also
taking classes at Rock Valley College.
He still has his responsibilities in the National Guard and enjoys
fixing things in their home. Linda Jane
is still teaching French to the young children in Montessori School and is
responsible for developing the curriculum and making all the materials she
uses. She did very well in the part of
the Strawberry Seller in the production of "Oliver" at the Starlight
Theater. She will sing some solos and
conduct the Stake presentation of the Messiah this year. Quoting from Linda Jane's
letter: "Rachel loves to spend time with
her grandparents. Happily, both
sets live close by, so they see her often.
Grandpa Bowman has recorded about 32 hours of Rachel's cute activities
with his video camera. We are delighted
to have such a wonderful record of her growth and development."
We had a wonderful
Thanksgiving catching up on all the family news and eating the most delicious
Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Victor and Cynthia brought their happy
family. Their sweet
little daughter, Jennie and their happy little son, Zachary. Brian and Vinette's son, Brian P. is a junior
in High School this year and is doing very well. Victor and Brian are still
enjoying their service in the Air Force Band looking forward to retirement
soon. Vinette is still working as a
computer consultant and Cynthia is working for the Government.
In December we enjoyed the
beautiful and inspiring Christmas Broadcast of the Fist Presidency of the
Church from the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Then we had a wonderful
performance of the Messiah under the inspiring, expert direction of Linda
Jane. The rendition of the soloists was
very good, especially Linda Jane's, "Rejoice Greatly". Linda Jane, Ed and
little Rachel celebrating our Savior's Birth with us this year really gave us a
joyous Christmas. Rachel was now 16 months old and we all enjoyed her joyous
expressions as she walked in front of the Christmas tree clapping her hands and
pointing at the twinkling lights. Of
course we took pictures and movies to enjoy again.
It
seems that every year brings us many memorable occasions and experiences and
1990 followed the same pattern with activities with our children and grand
children. This summer we enjoyed seeing
Linda Jane take the female lead in the production of "The Student Prince" in
the Starlight Theater. We video taped a
rehearsal as it was not permitted in a performance. Ed was able to watch Rachel during the five
weeks of evening rehearsals. Linda Jane
had been taking private voice lessons from Diane Kramer for the last two years
so felt confident in the role. Here is a
quotation from her Christmas letter. "I had to sing high C's at the end of
almost every song in "The Student Prince" and was happy to find that after nine
performances in the cool outdoor air, I still had plenty left to give on the
closing night. This fall I have been
singing with the Rock Valley College Community Chorale and was asked to sing
some of the solos on their Concert." We
were very happy with her achievements.
We were also excited to see Rachel's amazing progress and took movies of
her dancing in her special "dance dress' and doing
arabesques and somersaults on the living room rug and asking questions.
Brian
and Vinette were happy with their son Brian P's graduation from High School in
1991 with Honors. We were happy to be
there to congratulate him and also to rejoice with Brent in his Call to serve a
two year Mission in Honduras leaving in August, 1990. Brent didn't get to see
his brother, Eric, as he hadn't come home from his mission in Japan yet. He
came home just in time to enroll in Rick's College in Idaho. This was a very
busy and happy summer for Linda Jane and Ed as they bought a sail boat they
named "Starwind Sundance" and found time to enjoy sailing it on Fox Lake in
Wisconsin. Also they squeezed in time to
go camping at Starved Rock.
Our dear friends, Willis and Beverly Waite were called to
go on a Mission to the Ivory Coast, Africa.
So he ended his 23rd year of teaching at Rock Valley
College. He said that he hoped he had
touched 12,000 lives for good. They
wrote: "The beauty of the country is surpassed only by the beautiful ebony-skinned
Ivorines whom we love so very much.
Forty three percent of the population read and write French, the
official language. The Church is in a
pioneer stage only having been here for three years. We have been baptizing about thirty every
month. It is thrilling to see them
change their lives and commit themselves to living the high standards if the
Gospel. We are grateful for the good
health we have enjoyed. We are most careful to eat only at home after we have
washed all the vegetables and fruits in Clorox water and washing our hands and
taking our 16 pills per week and a shot for hepatitis every 2 months. We sent you our love and blessings out of
Africa."
Section 28--Messiah and Family Together For Christmas 1991.
Our next event was the Stake
Messiah production in December. Here is a quotation from Linda Jane' Christmas
Letter about it. "This is may second year conducting
the stake production of Handel's Messiah.
This is the highlight of my year!
It is always such a blessing to work with a church choir and to see the
diligence and hard work of those who participate. This year we have added a few more choruses
and also a string quartet to play all the choruses with us. Dad was the one who found our strings and
will play first violin as usual. Mom and
Dad have been a great support to me in all my endeavors this year and are
especially good about helping out with Rachel.
Rachel gets to see them almost every week. I am teaching French at the Montessori
Learning Center again this year and I really enjoy it". I must say that the Messiah performance was
the best ever this year and the audience was invited to stand up and join in
singing the "Hallelujah Chorus".
The Air Force Band played a
Concert at the Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago on December the 19th and
Victor and Brian were featured playing one of the duets that had been composed
especially for them. As much as we have
heard them play it was really thrilling to be there for this stellar
performance. They accepted our
invitation to come home for Christmas and were joined by the rest of the
family. Our three little "angels",
Jennie, Rachel and Zachary helped us to have a lively, joyous Christmas. They were so excited hanging up their
stockings by the fireplace on Christmas Eve that it was difficult getting them
to sleep. They were up bright and early
in the morning, dancing around the Christmas tree, and anxious to open their
many presents. We were all as delighted
as they were, as the movies we took will show.
1991
turned out to be another busy happy year participating in our children's and
grand children's activities. We were
happy that Ed had a job change to a sister company named American Pfauter that
gave him a salary increase and changed his job from repairing machines to
assembling them. He also took on an
interesting part time job building elaborate birdcages for exotic birds. We enjoyed spending time with Linda Jane and
Rachel who is really progressing. Here is
a quotation from Linda Jane's Christmas letter about her. "Rachel has made two giant leaps forward in
her development, leaving diapers and baby bottles behind. She is making many more decisions for herself
now, including deciding to grow out her bangs and wanting to have curly hair. She is getting really used to going to rehearsals
and concerts, and often pretends to conduct, or to teach a piano lesson. Her favorite thing is to get up on the
stage. She is still enthusiastic about
dancing, and now takes both pre-ballet and tap lessons. Many times she will say to me: "Mommie, put
some music on, I have to dance!" She
turned three this August and is 42 inches tall." Linda Jane has been busy as Stake Music
Chairman rehearsing and presenting a beautiful Easter Cantata "My Turn on
Earth". She also conducts her Ward Choir
and wrote about it in her letter as follows:
"My Ward Choir is a source of great joy.
We have done some beautiful music this year. One of the highlights was doing "The Promise
of Living" from Aaron Copland's "The Tender Land". Some were dubious that we would be able to
perform such an ambitious work, but we did it and had wonderful time. I am constantly amazed and buoyed up by the
outflow of love I feel for, and from, the members of the choirs I am blessed to
work with." In the summer Linda Jane
sang the part of Teresita in the Starlight Theater Production of "West Side
Story" very beautifully. This was her
third year teaching French at the Montessori Learning Center with great
success.
Rickie and I attended a wonderful Bowman Reunion down
home in Mexico from the 6th to the 10th of June. We were given a warm Welcome when we drove
into town on the 5th with abrazos and a delicious meal and a
beautiful room to sleep in at Donn and Maurine's home. We wondered how we were going to get through
the long list of activities planned, but we took it one day at a time and the
thoroughly enjoyed it. The first on the
program was a JSA (Juarez Stake Academy) talent show in Colonia Juarez as a
prelude to the High School Graduation Ceremony the next day. Our whole family traveled the 18 miles to
Juarez and was royally entertained with songs and dances. There were vocal
solos, duets, trios and quartets and solo and group dances including clogging
and the Charleston in full appropriate dress.
The Graduation Ceremony was long but entertaining and uplifting with
talks given by the Honor Students in English and Spanish. The music, both
instrumental and vocal by students was very good. After the program a big meal was served on
the Campus giving everyone time to congratulate the Graduates. Maurice and Nellie's son, Troy, graduated and
I took pictures of all the hugs he got from his parents, and relatives
especially is Aunt Rickie. The next day
we all went out to the Lakes for a cookout, boat rides, games and a great time
visiting. Keith, Wesley and Mary did
most of the cooking providing a real feast.
An obstacle relay race was a favorite activity of the Children, as they
had to step in a series of tires on the track.
A favorite for the grownups was the game of horseshoes. The next morning we had a late breakfast
outside at Donn and Maurine's home with Keith cooking his famous pancakes,
bacon and eggs. This lasted most of the morning as everyone was visiting while
eating. Rickie was taking a lot of
pictures with her trusty camera and I was taking movies with the video camera
of everyone at the different tables and the children jumping on a large
trampoline. In the afternoon Maurice
took us out to his ranch to see his horses and bring one home in the truck for
the children to ride. The next day we
all gathered at Wesley and Mary's home for a traditional Mexican dinner that
was really good and a lot of fun. In the evening we had the traditional family
talent show with each family providing a special number on the Program. Every family did very well with a total of 19
performances. I was asked to be the
Master of Ceremonies so had the privilege of announcing each number and making
some appropriate comment about it.
Wesley's Daughter, Priscilla, her husband and four children started the
program singing the round "The Three Blind Mice". Then they divided the audience into three
sections and asked them to have the fun of singing with them. Then there followed vocal duets, trios and
quartets some with guitar and some with piano accompaniment. We listened to very fine flute solos, duets
and quartets, and enjoyed a variety of dances from solo cheer leading style,
mother and daughters clogging, and a family doing the famous Viejito Dance in costume. Rickie and I played "The Millionaire's Hoe
Down" that had people clapping and tapping their feet. On Sunday we all went to Church and enjoyed
the services with special music by the Choir conducted by my youngest brother,
Maurice. After Church we all went to
Maurice and Nellie's home for another delicious dinner. In the evening Kathleen gave a very complete
report on the genealogy of the Bowman and Robinson families showing many
interesting pictures of our ancestors.
She and her husband Dale had prepared a copy their complete genealogy
records to give to each family that we appreciated very much. On Monday we told everyone "Adios, Hasta
luego" (God be
with you until we meet again). We met
Donn and Maurine at the border in Ciudad Juarez to go through all the fantastic
shops selling beautiful Mexican clothing and artistic artifacts of every
description. A Mariachi group of 2
trumpets, one violin and two guitars were playing outside one of the shops so
we recorded their fascinating performance. We told Donn that we would send him
a copy. Then it was another "Adios" and
off for home. We arrived safely and had
a long happy tale to tell our family.
In
August Linda Jane and Rachel made the trip with us to Arlington for Brian' last
Concert with the Air Force Band and his retirement after 21 years of
service. The Concert was wonderful with
both Victor and Brian performing. Victor
has two more years to go before retirement.
Brian has received a position at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as a
professor, head of the Brass Department.
He was an experienced supervisor as he had been the Leading Chief of the
Air Force Band where he was responsible for taking care of the band members
complaints and requests and working out the details of the itinerary for the
Band trips and concerts. He also performed Concerts and Clinics in Germany and
Sweden this year. Vinette left her job
with Acacia so was free to go along with Brian on this tour. They found a
beautiful home high on a hill in Wexford near Pittsburgh to purchase and moved
in November. The home was really an
estate with many trees, acres of lawn to mow, a large garden plot, a berry
patch and a long driveway up the hill to shovel the snow from in the
winter. Brian P. didn't get to help
shovel the snow as he was attending the University of Indiana majoring in Audio
Engineering. He excitedly called his
parents to tell them that he had been accepted in the in the Drum Line of the
Marching 100.
We
enjoyed helping Victor, Jennie and Zachary celebrate Cynthia's Birthday on
August 9th with a party and a birthday cake at home. Then Victor and Cynthia took us on a holiday
to the great Washington D.C. Zoo for an exciting time. The children really loved it and topped it off
with an hour of swimming in a heated pool.
When we got back to their home the children had fun riding bicycles in
the spacious yard. We invited them all
to come to our home for Christmas again. Ed was happy to have his family home
again as he had to stay home to work.
In
December Linda Jane was happy to have a larger Messiah Chorus of 54 singers and
fine singers for the solos. Michael
Dowell, the director of the Sauk Valley Orchestra and his wife, Mary, the
Concert Master, accepted my invitation to play `cello and violin in our quartet
for the Messiah. Linda Jane appreciated their compliments on a very fine
performance. We had another wonderful
Family Christmas. Cynthia brought all
the materials to make a beautiful, delicious Ginger Bread House and had Linda
Jane and the children help put it together.
The rule was that we couldn't pick on it until the day after
Christmas. On Christmas Eve we gathered
around the beautiful twinkling Christmas Tree, read
the Christmas Story from the Bible and some other Christmas stories and sang
and played Christmas carols. Again the
children hopefully hung up their Christmas Stockings and reluctantly went to
bed. Now the "Santa Clauses" had a good
time filling the stockings and putting all the presents around the tree and
sprinkling it all with glistening snow flakes before going to bed. Morning came all too soon for the adults but
the children were anxious to hear the signal to go downstairs: "Santa Claus has been here." It was really marvelous to see their joyous
excitement as they waited to open the presents one at a time which gave us time
to take pictures and made the fun last a long time and a time that we will
always remember and treasure.
In
1992 Brian continues as chair of the wind instrument department at Duquesne
University in addition to his teaching schedule. It is good publicity for the University for him to continue to give Concerts and Clinics around the
world as a professor at Duquesne. This
year he played in Iowa, Kentucky, Japan, and Taiwan--to name a few. His calling
as a Stake High Councilman keeps him very busy traveling and speaking in
sacrament meetings in different Wards on Sunday. Vinette many times has to attend their home
ward alone and is very busy taking care of her Relief Society responsibilities. Once when Brian attended with her she was
asked: "Who is this strange man with you?"
Linda
Jane and Ed kept up their busy work schedule, church activities and taking care
of Rachel, their pride and joy. Ed has
become the Scout Troop Committee Chairman and the secretary in the Stake Young
Men's Presidency. A quotation from Linda
Jane's letter says: "Rachel turned 4 (going on 12) in August, she's so grown
up. She enjoys her dancing and swimming
lessons and can write her name backward and frontwards. She goes to school mornings at the Montessori
Learning Center where I teach French and music. I love the Montessori learning
philosophy: "When I do, I learn."
Section 29--Brian P. Mission call to Ecuador, Rickie
Started `Cello, Brent Home from Mission, Lydia's 80th Birthday,
1992. Family Christmas.
Vinette wrote us the news that Brian P. had studied very diligently at
the University of Indiana this year and that in May he received a
Call from the First Presidency of the Church to go on a Mission to Ecuador in
the North Guayaquil Mission and invited us and Linda Jane to come to Pittsburgh
for his Farwell Program in August. On February 28th we had the
pleasure of congratulating Lydia, Rickie's adopted sister, on her 80th
Birthday at her party in Edelstein. Her
daughter, Henrietta came from Washington D.C. to help celebrate her
Birthday. Henrietta told us that she was
enjoying her work with the Fort Worth Mortgage Corporation and her part time
job as a Travel Agent. She was doing so
well that she purchased a two bedroom Condominium. This made her mother happy as she now had a
good place to stay when she visited her.
At the end of our Sauk Valley Orchestra Concert at as
nursing home in Sterling, Rickie told me
that she just loved the sound of the `cello and would like to learn to play
it. I thought that was great so fixed up
our best `cello, bought some beginning books and started teaching her. The experience she had playing the violin in
High School really helped her learn the `cello rapidly and soon we were playing
duets on the hymns. She played the melody
and I played a harmony part on the viola.
It was really fun and by the end of the year we played a duet in Church
that we were told was beautiful.
In
the summer Ed and Linda Jane invited us to go to the Milwaukee Zoo with them as
Ed had a little vacation. The Zoo was
very large and exciting with every kind of animal, many fowls and reptiles that
was made more enjoyable by sharing Rachel's enthusiastic responses to
everything. Then we saw what amounted to
a fabulous Circus Parade with horse pulled decorated chariots, lavishly dressed
riders on their colorful high stepping horses, camel riders wearing appropriate
clothing with turbans and elephants ridden by beautifully attired young women
smiling and waving to the crowd.
The
first of August Linda Jane and Rachel went with us to Brian and Vinette's
beautiful home in Wexford, near Pittsburgh, to attend the Missionary Farwell
program for Brian P. We were welcomed
warmly and taken for a tour around their "Estate". The Farwell Meeting was very impressive with
talks given by the Bishop, by Brian P. and his parents. Linda Jane was asked to sing which she did beautifully
accompanied by Brother Brady Allred, who came from Utah to be a professor at
Duquesne. Afterwards Brian and Vinette
served us a delicious dinner at their Estate and we took pictures of them with
their son and also of Linda Jane with her accompanist. This was a thrilling unforgettable
experience. Brian P. next move was to go
to Provo to the MTC (Mission Training Center) to get ready to go to Ecuador,
which included a concentrated study of Spanish even though he already had been
preparing. Our move was to go to Victor
and Cynthia's home in Arlington to go to the Airport to Welcome Brent home from
his mission in Uruguay. This was another
exciting time as we took a big sign to the Airport saying: "Welcome Home Elder Brent Bowman". He was quite overcome when he got off the
plane and saw us all there holding this sign waiting for him. It was a big
thrill to see him so mature and handsome rushing towards us. He gave us all un gran abrazo (a grand hug) and said that his Mission was
wonderful but now he was happy to be home.
He planned now to attend Junior College in Arlington but promised that
he would come with his Dad and his family to our home for Christmas. We stayed an extra day to take the children
to the park to have fun on the swings, the slides and the teeter-totters. We were surprised to see Rachel hanging
upside down from with her knees over a bar. She is so athletically inclined that
Linda Jane said she was going to enroll her in a Gymnastics class.
We
have a Halloween picture showing Brian, Linda Jane, Rachel, Gary Sauder and his
fiancee, Diane, with us eating at our table.
Gary, Rickie's cousin, saw Diane playing violin at one of our Sauk
Valley College Orchestra Concerts and admired her so much that we started their
relationship by introducing them to each other.
We were happy to have Brian come after playing a concert in Illinois. Linda Jane and Rachel came to enjoy the "trick
or treat" activity in our neighborhood.
Rachel was dressed in a beautiful Princess outfit and Rickie joined in
the fun in her clown costume. Rachel was so excited knocking on all the doors
and having all kinds of "goodies" put in her bag when she said "Trick of
Treat".
In
December Linda Jane had another very successful Stake Messiah presentation that
really helped us to feel the true Spirit of Christmas. We were happy that Linda Jane, Ed and Rachel
came to our home for Christmas and that Victor and his family, including Brent,
could join us. Cynthia brought another
Gingerbread House to put together since the one last year was so much fun. Brian and Vinette sent us their beautiful
Christmas Letter in poetry and called their Christmas Greetings since they
couldn't come this year. Victor last year wanted to learn to play the violin so
when we went to their home I took him a violin and started him with some
lessons. He kept practicing so now this
Christmas we had fun playing some duets on Christmas Eve. A highlight was Linda Jane and Victor playing
beautiful Christmas music on piano and trumpet and Brent playing Christmas
carols on the clarinet. Rickie played
"Silent Night" for us on the `cello that she has named "David" and Linda Jane
took her picture. Victor said that he
would like to learn to play the `cello. Of course the children, Rachel, Jennie
and Zachary hung up their stockings with great anticipation before going to
bed. The next morning their fondest
hopes were realized gleefully opening all their presents. As usual we recorded all the joyful
proceedings for the children to see when they grow up. After eating another one of Rickie's
delicious Christmas dinners we got the sleds out of the garage and had a great
time whizzing down the snow covered hill a block from home. Brent was especially happy to be doing this
again and gave Zachary a thrill taking him down the hill. He would walk back up the hill instead of going
around like the rest of us.
For
1993 I am including here a copy of our Christmas letter as follows: "Dear Loved
Ones. Once again we come to the
beautiful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our dear Savior and
Redeemer, Jesus Christ. It has been a
very eventful year for us. On May 12th
we had our 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our
sons, Victor and Brian were unable to be with us but our daughter, Linda Jane,
had a beautiful surprise party for us at the home of Matt and Marian
Ciembronowicz who provided a luscious dinner for us and a few special loved
ones. By happy coincidence our sister
Dorothy and sister in law, Nelle, from Salt Lake City were able to attend.
On
July 4th Bardell had the honor of being the Parade Marshall for the
Petunia Festival Parade. I wore a red
jacket and Rickie wore a beautiful red dress to wave at the crowd from our
seats in an elegant red convertible as we moved along in the parade. Later in
July we had a family dinner at Brian and Vinette's country home in Wexford and
then Linda Jane and Rachel took us to Arlington, Virginia to spend a week with
Victor and his family.
In
October we drove to Salt Lake City to hear the Air Force Band play four
concerts in Utah with Victor playing a solo in the Concert in Logan. The Concerts with the Tabernacle Choir were
especially beautiful. We also heard
Linda Jane sing a wonderful concert with the BYU Alumni Choir conducted by
RalphWoodward. Victor stayed over a few
days to visit his son, Eric and then accompanied us to his home in
Arlington. On November 2nd we were back in Dixon after this
6000-mile trip and the next morning Bardell was ill with what the doctor
thought it was the flu. He said he could go ahead and play in his string
quartet for a Wedding and an Anniversary and on Saturday go to Chicago to see
Donny Osmond in the "Coat of Many Colors".
He didn't get to see much of the show, as he had to spend time in the
bathroom. When they arrived back in
Dixon they went to the Emergency Room and the doctor said immediately: "You
have the Shingles". Because of late
treatment he became numb from the waist down because the virus attacked the
spinal nerves. He had to wear a catheter bag for the bladder problem. He went to a specialist in Rockford who told
him that the bladder problem was a coincidence and had nothing to do with the
numbness so he needed a TURP operation to take care of it. This was done and only the numbness remained.
Needless
to say Christmas preparations are moving slowly but we still have so many
things for which to be thankful. We have
each other, our beautiful children and grandchildren and a multitude of
wonderful caring friends as well as family.
Most of all we have a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our
prayers. He gave His only Begotten Son
that we might have Eternal Life. May
your homes and hearts be filled with joy and peace during this Holiday Season
and always."
When
we were at Brian and Vinette's home in July we had fun helping Brian haul horse
manure to fertilize their spacious garden which Vinette loves to plant and
harvest. We got the news that their son,
Elder Bowman in Ecuador, who is now financial secretary in addition to
proselytizing and has become a very expert cook that, makes his companions
happy. Vinette is Ward Relief Society
President and works part time at Acacia so has plenty to keep her occupied
while Brian is off on his concert tours. This year he performed in Indiana,
Illinois, Texas, Ohio and with the San Francisco
Symphony.
While
we were in Arlington in July Victor and Cynthia took us all to the Washington
D.C. Zoo again and as the children were older they had even a more wonderful
time. Victor is continuing to practice
the violin and thinks that he might teach it some day. Also he got an introduction to `cello playing
that he wants to pursue.
When we got home we really enjoyed going to Gary and
Diane's elaborate wedding reception in Chicago.
They were a handsome couple and seemed to be very happy. Diane had been divorced from her husband who
abused her. Since they belonged to the
Jehovah Witness Church she was excommunicated because of her divorce and her
family disowned her so now she was happy to have someone who really loved her.
When
Linda Jane sang in the Alumni Choir in the Provo Tabernacle in October, the
occasion was a Reunion of Choir Members and the Concert was followed by a
reception to which we were invited. It
was good to see Ralph Woodward again and talk about "old times". We also enjoyed visiting Ralph and Lucy
Laycock and their family while in Provo.
On
December 12th we all participated in the Messiah under Linda Jane's
inspiring leadership. It seems like it
gets better every year and is very well attended and appreciated. Another Christmas highlight was the Christmas
Message of the First Presidency broadcast from the Salt Lake Tabernacle. We did get our home decorated for Christmas
with Christmas lights around the front porch and on our Christmas tree in front. Linda Jane thought it was very beautiful when
they came for Christmas.
In
January 1994 I continued my Church Calling as a Stake High Councilman. My assignment was to supervise Ward and
Branch Sunday Schools and help out the President of these organizations when
they had problems with appropriate suggestions.
Also I was assigned to visit a different Ward each month to bring
greetings and council from the Stake Presidency and give a talk in Sacrament
Meeting. I was happy that Rickie could
go with me on these assignments. She
usually knitted afghans along the way for our children
and grand children. In March I received
a different Calling as explained in our Christmas letter.
"On March 20th 1994 Bardell
(Bob) was ordained Bishop of the Sterling Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. Since then the
numbness in his body, resulting from the shingles in 1993 has gradually
decreased so that he can minister to the needs of the Ward members and
friends. Rickie has several callings in
the Church and together we feel richly blessed for the opportunity to spend our
"Golden Years" in the service of our Heavenly Father and our fellowmen."
In
July we drove to Pittsburgh to celebrate and welcome our Grandson, Brian P.
Bowman home from a very successful Mission for the Church in Ecuador, South
America. It was very interesting and
enjoyable to hear many of the wonderful experiences he had in his two year
Mission. In the Fall Brian P. went back
to the Indiana University to continue his studies and play snare drum in the
Marching Hundred. Brian continues
teaching at Duquesne U. and recorded another CD. He counted up that he had given one hundred
and two Performances and Clinics. His Church Calling is now in the High Council
is to be in charge of the Family History Program. Vinette is very busy doing computer work at
PNC Bank and serving as Relief Society President of their Ward.
We also drove on to
Arlington, Virginia to spend a few days with our son Victor and his
family. We were happy to see Brent and
have him tell us that he was now going to attend Virginia Tech. to get a degree
in Electrical Engineering. He also told
us about a pretty Senorita from Uruguay that he was corresponding with asking
him to come back to Uruguay and marry her.
We already knew about her as she had written to us as her Abuelos
(Grandparents). She was very spiritually
minded and a very faithful member of the Church. It probably would have been a good thing if
he had taken that path, as I will explain later.
I
found the responsibilities of Bishop to be very interesting, demanding and
enjoyable especially with the total support of my sweetheart wife and my
councilors, Brothers William Balagna and Matthew Howze. Brother Balagna had
been Branch President for 6 years, August 1978 to January 1984 and Bishop from
January 1984 to February 3, 1985 so had very good council to offer. Brother Howze was a comparatively new member
but was very dedicated and enthusiastic. Our Branch Clerk was Gordon Johnson a
returned Missionary and Brother Lawrence Slifer was our Executive Secretary and
assistant Branch Clerk so we made a good "team". The Stake President, Douglas Nelson, who I
knew when he was a young boy in Wisconsin when we presented the pioneer musical
"Promised Valley" set me apart and ordained me to the office of Bishop. He
announced that I was the oldest new Bishop in the Church. He was a great source of counsel and help to
me in this office. I had already been
ordained a High Priest in the Melchizedec Priesthood to be a High
Councilman. My line of priesthood
authority is as follows: Bardell Robinson Bowman was ordained a High Priest by
Willis D. Waite who was ordained by Elder Howard W. Hunter, who was ordained by
Prophet David O. McKay, who was ordained by Prophet Joseph F. Smith, who was
ordained by Prophet Brigham Young, who was ordained by the Three Witnesses to
the Book of Mormon, who were ordained by the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was
ordained by Peter, James and John, who were ordained by Jesus Christ.
In
the first meeting with my councilors, called a Bishopric Meeting, we decided to
make a schedule of meetings for the rest of the year and plan activities as
much as possible. Of course it took more
than one meeting to accomplish this. We
ended up with a program that would facilitate the operation of the Ward. A Bishopric meeting would be held every
Sunday an hour and a half before the three hour block of Sacrament Meeting,
Sunday School, Priesthood, Relief Society, Young
Women, and Primary. Other meetings that
would be held after Church once a month were Ward Council, Welfare and Bishops
Council with the Youth Leaders of the MIA (Mutual Improvement
Association). The regular meeting of the
MIA, Young Men and Young Women was held on Wednesday evening as well as most of
their activities. The Seminary Program
for High School students was held Sunday Morning an hour before sacrament
meeting and the students had assignments to read and do for the next week.
We
printed a program listing the theme for the talks for each Sunday and which one
of the Bishopric would be conducting. The list was subject to change when deemed
advisable by the one conducting. A copy
of the list was given to the chorister so appropriate hymns could be selected
and given to the person responsible for printing the bulletin, this person was
also given a list so that the speakers could be included with all the
announcements from the auxiliaries, the priesthood quorums, and the
Bishopric. The printed bulletins were
passed out by an appointed "greeter" to the members when they entered the
chapel.
We
assigned a list of young people to each member of the Bishopric for a monthly
interview. As Bishop it was my responsibility
to give all the interviews for a Temple Recommend and to get members an
appointment for a Patriarchal Blessing. Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers had
the responsibility to report to the Bishop when any of the families they
visited need welfare assistance. The
Relief Society President, Sister Brenda Druien and I shared the work of taking
needy people shopping for groceries or shopping for them from a list they
needed. I was authorized to write checks
for those who needed money for rent or other needs such as medical assistance.
I
set the goal with my sweetheart wife, Rickie, to visit all the families in the
Ward, active as well as inactive, which numbered about 120, over 300
members. The expansion on the chapel was
finished so we had room and facilities for the needs of the Ward. I will mention our visit to Craig and Brenda
Meyocks and their two teen age daughters who lived in the country about twenty
miles from Church. They were inactive so
when they opened the door we introduced ourselves. They seemed surprised but welcomed us into
their home. Craig said: "This is the
first time a Bishop has ever come to our home."
We had a delightful visit and they told us that they had been using
Sundays to ride and display their beautiful horses but that they would come to
Church next Sunday. When they arrived at
Church they were welcomed very warmly and their attendance continued. Their talents were soon recognized and they
were happy to receive callings to serve.
Craig in the Priesthood Elders Quorum, Young Men and
the Scouting Program and Brenda in the Relief Society and the girls
participating in the MIA Program. In August Rickie was sustained as
Compassionate Service Coordinator for the Relief Society so we worked closely
together helping those in need.
Here
is an excerpt from Linda Jane and Ed's Christmas letter 1994. "Rachel is 6, going on 16. She is a precocious child and keeps all of us
on our toes. Besides being involved with
piano, gymnastics and dance she started playing the violin this past year and
is doing very well. For Christmas her
grandparents traded in her ¼ size violin for a ½ size. She is making the size adjustment well and
will be playing in her first solo recital in a couple of weeks. She is enjoying school very much this year
and has joined the Girl Scout program as a Brownie. She is heavily into reading, especially since
the addition of a bedside light in her room.
I have kept the same schedule as last year, teaching both music and
French at the Montessori Learning Center and juggling 32 piano students. The biggest change was that our Church Ward
was divided so that now we are in Rockford 3rd Ward. Unfortunately the split was the demise of my
oversize Ward Choir, but we have a good group in the 3rd Ward even if our
numbers are few. For Christmas we had a
combined Choir from all 3 Wards that was fun.
The Stake Choir did not present "The Messiah" this year as in years
past. Instead we did a program of lovely
Christmas songs and carols. Ed received
a new Calling in our new Ward. He is
serving as 1st counselor in the Young Men's Presidency, teaches the
priest quorum and is assistant Scout Master.
We
received an interesting letter from Nellie saying that her son Claudius III is
now living with her. She had been alone
most of the time since her husband, my brother, Claudius passed away from Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) in1989. She said that she and Claudius went to hear
Marcel perform as Concertmaster of the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra. As noted before Marcel spent a summer with us
studying violin very successfully, so we were very happy to hear that he had
become so accomplished in his chosen field of Music.
We
hosted a Fireside Chat at our home on November the 6th to grant
President Nelson's request that we tell the youth our WarTime Love Story. Also in November Aaron Stocks received a
Mission Call to report to the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo, Utah on
the 16th. In December the
Priesthood and Relief Society Members cooperated in preparing and taking
Christmas baskets to those families in need.
On December 4th we celebrated the 50th
"Anniversary of our Temple Marriage in the Salt Lake Temple as it was such a
wonderful experience. In our Christmas
letter we wrote, "Dreams do come true".
Last year Rickie decided to learn to play the `cello and in the past
month has performed in the same organizations with Bardell, the Sauk Valley
Orchestra, our Ward String Quartet and the professional Singing Strings
Quintet. We really love and appreciate
this togetherness." In December I was
fortunate to get all the active member families to Tithing Settlement and some
of the inactive families. Linda Jane, Ed
and Rachel came for the Ward Christmas party then came home for a wonderful
Christmas. We counted our many
blessings.
In
1995 I had the sad duty to hold a Bishop's Council with my Councilors and the
Ward Clerk for four members who had fallen into serious transgression breaking
the law of chastity and had to be excommunicated from the Church. They were
given the path of repentance to follow to regain their membership by being
baptized again. I was very happy and
thankful that three of them regained their membership in the Church and have
remained faithful. The fourth one
elected to live with a widow out of wedlock for financial reasons instead of
repenting to return to the Church.
In
May we had a very beautiful Mother's Day program and at the end of the program
each mother was given a white rose corsage to wear. The youth were assigned to present the
flowers to their mother, when possible, that made it all the more
meaningful. The next Sunday, after
Church, I was given a surprise 80th Birthday party by the ward in the Primary
Room with some music and talks a large decorated cake
saying: "Happy Birthday Bishop Bowman"
to serve everybody with a fruit drink.
My brother Donn sent me a fabulous Memory Book
entitled: "A tribute to Bardell Robinson "Bob" Bowman on his 80th
Birthday". The booklet had my picture on
the front and the back and was filled with letters from all my brothers and
sisters and children and many pictures of our family's activities through the
years. Perhaps I can include some of it
at the end of this "Life History".
Linda
Jane decided that her schedule was too "hectic" so resigned her teaching
position at Montessori in June. Here is
a quotation about it from her Christmas Letter:
"I taught at Montessori School where Rachel attended, and after school
we went to teach piano lessons. This
schedule resulted in us arriving home late in the evening, sometimes not until
8 or 9 o'clock. Trying to do practicing,
have dinner, and doing homework at that time of the evening was proving to be
an impossible dream. I decided to quit
teaching at the school and teach Rachel at home." In the summer she said that they played
tennis and Rachel continued with violin and piano and started singing with the
Church Choir. "A high point of her
summer was taking horse riding lessons.
We traded with a family we knew from school by teaching their little
girl French for the horse riding lessons on their estate. It was a lovely arrangement." In the summer Ed was sent to the Netherlands
to learn how to run a new machine that his company had purchased. He was gone for two weeks and had a good time
as he was taken out to dinner and sight seeing by the company there. He brought back a shirt for Rachel from
Amsterdam that became her favorite.
Brian
was very busy teaching and administrating at Duquesne University but had time
to play three solos with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Vinette cut her work down from 5 days to 3
days a week so was able to go with Brian to New York City where he was
scheduled to play in the Brassfest.
Their son, Brian P. in addition to his studies to become an audio
engineer found many paying jobs on an audio crew and became the captain of the
drum line in the "Marching Hundred". He
also moved from the dorm to an apartment that he called his "pad" that had room
for his Mom and Dad to stay overnight.
In the Fall Rickie and I went to visit him and enjoyed seeing him
perform in the Band in the half time show at the football game.
Victor
and Cynthia were very busy taking care of their children, Jennie and Zachary
and working at their jobs. Cynthia was
still working for the government and Victor after his retirement from the Air
Force, became a Real Estate Agent. They
said that they would come to Dixon to spent Christmas
with us.
Section 32--Dale and
Kathleen Host Brother and Sister Reunion in Yellowstone Park 1994.
In
July 16th to the 20th we had fantastic Brother and Sister
Family Reunion hosted by Kathleen and Dale going through Yellowstone Park in a
big van that easily carried all twelve of us and the three coolers of food that
Kathleen and Dale had prepared to take along.
We all met in Downey, Idaho at their home to start the trip. They had the trip all planned as they had
gone through by themselves to record the time it took to go to each wondrous
sight to see and a reservation at a large cabin to stay overnight in the
Park. We were sorry that Wesley and Mary
were not able to come. On the way to
Yellowstone Park we stopped at Idaho Falls to see Kathleen's daughter. Renae
and her husband Daryn. They invited us
to stop on the way back for a lasagna dinner and recommended that we see the river
and the beautiful falls before going on.
We enjoyed the beautiful view immensely and Donn had his video camera to
record all our activities. We went to
the Park and had a delicious picnic lunch that Dale and Kathleen had
prepared. Maurine used two crutches for
short distances and a wheel chair for longer ones. Kathleen was getting along well with a
cane. We arrived at our cabin in
Yellowstone about dusk and made our sleeping arrangements while visiting and
planning for our sightseeing tour the next day.
We were up early the next morning and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of
pancakes, eggs and bacon before starting our sight seeing tour.
Our
first stop was at the Yellowstone Falls.
It was a breathtaking scene to see the water rushing to the edge of the
falls and then cascading hundreds of feet to the pool below. Those who couldn't stand heights were warned
to not get close to the edge of the gorge.
Next we walked up a little hill to a pool that exploded every half hour
sending water and steam high into the air making different pictures or
formations every time. Dale pushed
Maurine's wheel chair while Donn used his video camera. We then drove to the mud flats, parked the van
and strolled along a boardwalk that had railings on each side. It was fascinating to see the little pools of
water bubbling up in different colors.
We passed the mud volcano that bubbled and hurled mud into the air that
came down with a "plop". When we came to
the "Dragon's Mouth" the children watching were very excited because every few
minutes this big hole in the side of a cliff would belch forth water and steam
with a roar just like their story books.
At the end of the day we drove to the "Old Faithful Inn" and rented a
cabin for the night. We still had time
before dark to join the crowd sitting in semi-circle on benches to watch Old
Faithful in one of its magnificent eruptions.
A schedule of the time of the eruptions was posted so we could be ready
for it. When it came we heard a loud
noise like the rushing wind followed by a white geyser of water and steam
shooting high in the air. The steam kept going until it joined the clouds
above. By this time we were getting
pretty hungry so went to our cabin and had a delicious lunch from the three
coolers that Kathleen and Dale and brought along. It was really too early for this enthusiastic
group to go to bed so we all went to see the famous picturesque Old Faithful
Inn. Inside we saw something we had
never seen before. All of the beams and
supports were trees from the forest that had been skinned and polished. There was a spiraling stairway that led to a
walkway near the high ceiling that circled the large decorated reception room
below. It was an exciting experience to
take that walk. Of course there were all
kinds of curios and postcards with scenes of the Park to buy. We got cards with a picture of "Old Faithful"
erupting to send to our children and grandchildren. In the morning after a great breakfast we
went to see Old Faithful spout off again before starting homeward. Donn took a picture of a cute little hedge
hog running around and chirping, while we were waiting for the big show. It was worth waiting for and a person just
has to see it to believe it.
Going
out of the park we saw elks with large antlers feeding on the plants in a
stream of water. They were not
frightened at all when we got out of the car to get a closer view and take
their picture. We then drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming taking in the view of the beautiful snow
capped Teton Mountains. We stayed there
overnight in a Motel 6 and saw a Western Show with "gun slingers" acted out in
the street. The next morning, July 20th,
we took an exhilarating ride in a cable car to the top of the mountain. It was a lot of fun and the view of the
mountains and the countryside was fantastic. The promised lasagna dinner at
Renae and Daryn's home in Idaho Falls was wonderful and they were as interested
in hearing about our experiences in Yellowstone Park as we were about telling
about them. Back in Downey we just couldn't
thank Kathleen and Dale enough for planning and carrying out this wonderful
Reunion. They were happy that it turned
out so well and that we all enjoyed it so much.
A time to remembered, para siempre. (for all time). Rickie was especially concerned about Maurine
and suggested to Donn that he take her to the Mayo Clinic for a complete
examination. He thought that was a good
thing to do and since there was a Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona he would take
her as soon as they got home to Mesa.
Later, after we were home we were happy to hear that the Mayo Clinic had
prescribed Oral Chemotherapy for her cancer and that she was in remission and
able to walk and do Temple Work with Donn in the Arizona Temple. Dale took Kathleen to the Hospital in Salt Lake
City and after several examinations and tests she was told that she had Lou Gehrig's Disease just like Claudius had suffered with. This was very sorrowful news for all of
us. She said that she was thankful that
they had been able to give us this Yellowstone Park Brothers and Sisters
Reunion while they were still able to do it.
I
was very happy that my counselors had taken such good care of the Ward program
while we were gone for the Reunion. We
got right back into the swing of things just as though we had never left. Also we were still playing in the Sauk Valley
College Community Orchestra and the Singing Strings Quintet for weddings and
Anniversaries and the "Festival of Trees".
In November Heather Balagna was called on a Mission to New York. Her
Farewell was in Sacrament meeting on November 12th and all the
family participated. She had special
training at the MTC to do sign language to teach the deaf.
Section 33--Linda Jane, Ed
and Family to Zoo, At Home for Christmas with Victor and Family and Cynthia's
Parents, Lynn and Hope Hilton.
In
November Ed had a few days vacation so they went to Indianapolis for a two-day
vacation. Here is a quotation from Linda
Jane's letter. "We visited the
Children's Museum, the Zoo, (which we loved) and a wonderful piano store. Ed and Rachel spent fun hours in the hotel
pool. We had a great time then went to
my parent's home for Thanksgiving. My
brothers and their families are coming home for Christmas, so we are all
excited at the prospect of being together.
It is the greatest gift that we could give my folks--being together at
home." Everything worked out as planned
so we had a most wonderful Christmas doing all the traditional things we loved
with gratitude in our hearts for our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly
Father for all the many blessings we enjoy. Cynthia's parents, Lynn and Hope
Hilton came just in time for Rickie's Special Ham and Turkey Christmas dinner
with all the trimmings and we enjoyed the visiting almost as much as the
delicious food. Rachel said she liked
the Ward Christmas party two days before Christmas because they had Christmas
music, Christmas Stories, games and Santa came with his pack with a "Ho, Ho,
Ho" and decorated bag of goodies for every child.
The day after Christmas Victor and I went over to Sterling to the
Church to get the baptismal font ready for his daughter Jennie's baptism at
5:00 P.M. When we got back home
Lynn was excited about the historical significance of Dixon because the Prophet
Joseph Smith was arrested and incarcerated here. We took him to see the Nachusa House Hotel,
the place where it was thought he was in jail.
The place was for sale so Lynn thought it would be a good idea for the
Church to purchase it and use it for a Historical Visiting Center. We went to the Library to look up the History
and found that Joseph Smith was arrested in 1843 and the Nachusa House was
built in 1853 on the site that John Dixon had a tavern in which Joseph Smith
was held overnight. So that ended the idea of buying the Nachusa House. We went to see James Dixon, the mayor of
Dixon and a friend of mine to ask what he knew about Joseph Smith being held
here in the Tavern. He told us that his
Great Grandfather who founded the town of Dixon and owned the tavern didn't
think that Joseph Smith was guilty of anything and showed us in a history book
of Dixon that he had sent two lawyers to Quincy, Illinois to defend Joseph
Smith in his proposed trial there. It
turned out that the Prophet Joseph Smith was released without a trial. We all went to Jennie's baptism and it was
very beautiful with Music and appropriate talks and Victor baptizing her and
confirming her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Ed took some beautiful pictures of Jennie and
her father and the family to treasure.
The
next day we went to see my friend Woody Wasson, who was the Principal of Reagan
Middle School, as his grandparents had lived on the Wasson farm in Amboy, about
ten miles south of Dixon when Joseph Smith visited there. He told us that his Great Grandmother,
Elizabeth Hale was a sister of Emma Hale who married the Prophet Joseph
Smith. He extended us an invitation to
go visit his parents who now were living on the Wasson farm in Amboy. We followed his directions and had no trouble
finding the place, as it was right off the highway near the entrance to the
town of Amboy. Woody's mother was home
and invited us in when we told her that her son had sent us to find out more
about Joseph Smith's visit long ago. She
told us that she remembered one story about it if we would like to hear
it. Of course we told her we would be
delighted. She said that in those days
Elizabeth often spread the wet laundry over the high weeds to dry and that when
some officers came looking for Joseph Smith she hid
him in the weeds under the laundry until they were gone. Lynn took notes of all these things, as he
was quite a historian. He and his wife,
Hope had traveled Lehi's Trail, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, and wrote a
book on it that was then used for Sunday School Classes. We then went to see a cemetery that was
called the Mormon Cemetery because all those members who left the Church and
didn't go West to the Salt Lake Valley were buried
there when they died. The cemetery was
not taken care of but was interesting to see anyway. When we arrived home that
Friday evening we received a call from our boys telling us that they had
arrived home safely and thanked us for the wonderful Christmas. The next day, Saturday, Lynn and Hope
expressed their appreciation for our invitation to come for Christmas as they
had a marvelous time and Lynn said that he would send Woody Wasson some more
information on his ancestors as promised.
Saturday night I was able to finish up the Tithing Settlement and
welcomed in the New Year 1996.
We started
the New Year by watching the Rose Bowl game and writing the rest of our
Christmas Cards. We had Norma L'Heureux
over for supper and had fun talking about old times and our children's
activities and accomplishments. After
New Year's Day we worked to get our home back in order by doing a lot of
washing and getting the Christmas tree out and the decorations put a way for
next year. One of our single parents who
came from California needed an excessive amount of welfare assistance. Every few days I was receiving a letter from
him requesting money for dental expenses, car repair or groceries. On some of his requests it was necessary to
get approval of our Stake President, Douglas Nelson. He eventually sold his house in Dixon and
moved back to California to teach school as he had a Doctor's Degree in
English.
On
Saturday, January 13th we met Brian at Lake Geneva in
Wisconsin. He was there to check out new
Wilson Euphoniums in the Music Store to make suggestions for improvements. We
brought him home and on Sunday he played "Lead Kindly Light" in Sacrament
meeting very beautifully. Linda Jane, Ed and Rachel came for dinner so we had a
good visit. He was in a quandary as to
whether he should resign his teaching position at Duquesne University to teach at
the University of North Texas in Denton so asked me to give him a Father's
Blessing. Later he said that he felt
that he should make the change at the end of the school year. Linda Jane and Ed took Brian to the Airport
for his flight home so they could have a good visit on the way.
On
Wednesday the 17th I took Rickie to Dr. Gale for tests of her
thyroid as she was getting dizzy spells and had lost her sense of taste and
smell. He found that her thyroid was low
so prescribed medication to take care of it.
It helped her dizziness but not her sense of taste or smell. On the Monday the 22nd we went to
Freeport for the visitation of our friend, Elvin Koester, in Freeport then went
to the funeral and comforted Sister Koester and family as much as we could. When we arrived home we called President
Nelson who had just taken his sick father to Salt Lake City. He gave us the sad news that his father had
died just ten minutes after reaching the Salt Lake Valley where he wanted to
be. The funeral was to be held on
Thursday. We were sorry we couldn't be
there because he was such a good friend but expressed our love and sympathy to
President Nelson.
On
Thursday we went to the funeral of Kevin Castle's mother. She had been had been taking care of his
financial affairs as he had "Manic Depression" and had been counseling with us
for a few months. The next day he came
to our home for breakfast and we talked until 2:00 P.M. and recommended that he
get some medication from a doctor. He
did that and seemed to feel better when he came for dinner the next day. On Sunday we blessed Kevin's daughter,
Shelby's baby and invited him and our visiting High Councilman, Brother
Winebrenner for dinner after Church.. Brother
Winebrenner gave Kevin some good council and I gave him a coat, a pair of boots
and a Book of Mormon.
On
Thursday I took Rickie to Doctor Gale for tests of her pituitary gland. It was a cold day 15 degrees below zero. On Saturday there was so much snow and cold
that I called my counselors and we cancelled church meetings for Sunday by
putting an announcement on the radio and having the home teachers call all
their families. On the 16th
of February we had a car pool to take the youth of our Ward to the Temple to do
baptisms for the Dead. As usual we took lunch
for everyone to eat in the cafeteria after the baptisms. We rode with Dale and Brenda Druien and the
care would not start to go home. We were
fortunate that Dale was a good mechanic and was able to fix the trouble while
everyone was eating and visiting in the cafeteria. The youth felt very spiritually uplifted by
this experience and expressed the desire to come again.
In
March Chad Balagna was called on a Mission to Chile Concepcion so we'll have
another Spanish speaker when he returns.
We heard from Brent that he is at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia
and loves it. He has a free room in the
Cranwell International Center as a supervisor.
He gets along very well with students of different nationalities. He is doing well in his studies but still
hasn't come back to activity in the Church.
On May 14th Brian P. thought he was the happiest man in the
world because he married his special college sweetheart Juli Milliman. We were all happy and especially the parents
of both the bride and the groom who gave them a beautiful Reception to start
their married life back at school as Brian P. will graduate in 1997.
Brian
and Vinette have been very busy as usual this year. Vinette doing her computer job, Relief
Society unending duties, gardening and canning.
Brian has been doing his extended concertising along with teaching at
Duquesne. In January and April he was
invited back to solo with the Air Force Band and made a recording. He also made a recording with a College Band
in North Carolina. He played in
California, Missouri, Washington State and made two
concert trips to Japan. When he is home
Vinette says that he is the handy man, plumber and mechanic and serves in the
Church on the High Council supervising the Temple and Family History programs. Victor is just about as busy as he teaches
private lessons, plays for weddings and programs and is getting into Real
Estate Sales. Cynthia has her work with
the government and they both take care of their children so don't have much
leisure time.
Linda Jane, Ed and Rachel are looking forward to a
new addition to their family in December and are continuing their other
activities. Here is a quotation from
Linda Jane's letter. "Rachel and I are
in our second year of home schooling.
She is doing well in her academic studies and both her piano and violin
lessons. She enjoys her gymnastic class and loves to play tennis in the
summer. We were very pleased to find a
wonderful ballet school, just recently opened by the former artistic director
of the Rockford Ballet Company. Rachel
takes a class twice a week and really loves it.
She loves to create things such as a space rocket to the moon, complete
with jet flames. This year marked the
passing of her 8th birthday and her baptism, a very special
event. Ed continues to work at
Pfauter-Maag as "the invaluable fix anything man." He now wears a pager so they
can call him anywhere, anytime...and they do!
He enjoys teaching the 10 and 11 year old boys in Primary and is currently
working on home improvement projects designed to stretch our living space to
accommodate our new arrival."
In
March Jonette Adamson, one of twelve children in her family married Ryan Geddes
who was also from a family of twelve so they have something in common to start
with. It will be interesting to see how
their family will develop. On the 17th
of May we had a beautiful Mother's Day Program and after church the Priesthood
members treated all the Mothers to pie and ice cream to show their love and
appreciation.
On
August 13th we went to Rockford to celebrate Linda Jane and Ed's
Wedding Anniversary and they appreciated a car payment as an anniversary
present. Rickie helped Linda Jane who
was sewing a baptism dress for Rachel as she will be 8 years old on August 19th. Rachel had a gymnastic class at 4:00 P.M.
then in the evening we had a delicious sweet corn dinner. On August 19th we drove out to
Arlington, VA. For Victor's Retirement Party from the Air
Force. It was very impressive
with talks praising his years of service and many gifts. We enjoyed hearing him play the trumpet at
home and Jennie's demonstration of her gymnastic routine. He had just listed a home for sale in his
Real Estate work so was happy about that.
We stopped at Wexford on the way home to visit Brian and Vinette. They were excited about moving to Denton,
Texas to teach at North Texas University.
We listened to audiotapes of the Book of Mormon on the way home so it
seemed like the trip was shorter.
On September 5th
Matt and Marion Ciembronowicz appreciated us taking them to De Witt, Iowa to
have Dan Drayley appraise the violin they brought home from Poland. They were happy that he told them it was a
fine, valuable instrument. Two days later
we had a beautiful baptism service for Rachel in the Sterling Chapel. Linda Jane played the piano and Rickie
conducted the hymns. Ed baptized his
daughter and I was asked to give a talk on the Holy Ghost as she received the
Gift of the Holy Ghost in her confirmation as a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. We took
pictures afterwards.
On the 13th of
September we invited Tim Volker, who had just joined the Church to bring his
family to our home for dinner, as they wanted to know more about the Church
that their son had joined. We had a
wonderful time and the father was especially interested in Navy Escort Carrier
scrapbook showing a lot of the action in the South Pacific. The next night we had our home evening
families, the Williams and the Oltmanns for dinner to go along with our
discussions. This turned out to be a
month of entertaining as we had our good friends Dale and Brenda Druien on the
26th. Ingrid Teran, my solo
clarinet player was thrilled to have her father come from the Philippines for
her wedding and invited us the gala affair.
To top off this busy month we went to Rachel's violin recital in
Rockford at the Music College. We enjoyed it very much and were very proud of
her as she played beautifully. It seems
like October was just as busy with more dinners visiting members and having
Church Conference. We loaned Linda Jane
and Ed the money needed to put a new furnace in their home. Ed did much of the work himself, as he is a
very handy man.
Section 35--Rickie's 80th Birthday.
As I mentioned before we
spent all our spare time getting our home ready for Rickie's Birthday November
9th, as our children all planned to come home to help us celebrate
her 80th Birthday. Brian and
Vinette came at 10:00 P.M. November the 6th and brought 30 dozen
donuts with plans to take over all the festivities for mother. She was so excited but didn't dream of the
unbelievably wonderful Birthday Celebration she was to receive and neither did
I. Without us knowing it Brian and
Vinette had written elaborate invitations to all of my Brothers and Sisters and
to Rickie's family to come to our home on the 8th of November or to
the Church on the afternoon of the 9th to celebrate Rickie's 80th
Birthday. Victor, Linda Jane, Ed and
Rachel came on the 8th and just as we sat down to a delicious dinner
that Vinette and Brian had prepared, the door bell rang and in came Dale and
Kathleen and their son Karl. What a great surprise. Rickie was really thrilled. Kathleen was in a motorized wheel chair so
came to the table without assistance. We
all sang "Happy Birthday to You dear Rickie".
She couldn't keep the tears back so had to wipe her eyes. After dinner
Victor a Brian played two duets with Linda Jane accompanying them on the piano.
They were "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked" and "Oh Divine Redeemer". Next we enjoyed watching Rickie excitedly
opening her presents. After a good visit
we got a room for Dale, Kathleen and Karl at the Comfort Inn, as they were
pretty tired after their long trip from Downey, Idaho. The next morning after a
good breakfast at 8:00 Brian and Vinette said they wanted to go to Sterling to
do some shopping. Actually they went to
get the Church ready for the party in the afternoon.
When we walked into the
Cultural Hall in the Chapel in the afternoon we saw a big banner saying HAPPY
BIRTHDAY RICKIE. Then there was a
smaller blue and gold tapestry hanging on the wall near the piano that said,
"Happy 80th Birthday, Rickie November 9th, 1996. Rickie was really overcome with joy when she
saw practically a room full of relatives and friends waiting to give her a big
hug. Her sister, Lydia and her daughter,
Henrietta, her cousins: Herman and Mary Baer, Bertie Sauder, Virgil and Mildred
Sauder, and Gary Sauder. Dear friends
were Bill and Jean Thompson, Matt and Marion Ciembronowicz and Emma
Padgett. Brian stood up to the podium at
the front of the room and welcomed everyone to the party. Then Rickie, looking beautiful in a red
velvet dress and a gardenia corsage stood and thanked everyone warmly for
coming. Then we saw a trumpet peeping out of a curtain and heard a dramatic
clarion trumpet call announcing the beginning of the program from Victor. Brian then dramatically announced, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye,
let the festivities begin." I had our
video camera set up and Ed was taking care of it very well to have a record of
this memorable occasion. To start Brian
called on Rickie's sister, Lydia to tell something she remembered about their
growing up together. She told about how
Rickie wanted to play the piano so much that she wore the varnish off the
buffet pretending it was piano until finally her dad got her a piano and she
took lessons from a Catholic Nun and spent all her spare time practicing.
Then Brian announced that in
WarTime, Rickie was visiting her aunt in Chicago and met a young man in the
Navy whose name was Bardell Bowman on January 19, 1942 and after many letters
and passing of time they were married in San Francisco on May 12, 1943. Then Brian called on me to come up and say a
few words about it. I said that I had
married the most beautiful, vivacious girl I had ever seen. The day after we were married we did many of
things we had written about in our letters.
We went roller-skating, went to Park, the Zoo and saw a Musical
Show. Rickie prepared a picture album
for me to take overseas filled with her pictures and love notes for me to look
at and treasure, as I had to go overseas 6 days after we were married. I came back after 14 months and she had
written me at least one letter everyday.
She was a real sweetheart, still is and always will be. It was love at first sight and we believe
that we chose each other on the other side before coming to earth. I returned in 1944 and went overseas on a
carrier before the year was up and got word, when I was in Guam, from my
Darling wife that we had a beautiful little son, Victor. After the war was over we were blessed with
Brian and Linda Jane who are a joy to us.
After every talk there was applause and smiles.
The next number on the
program brought laughter as Victor, Brian and Linda Jane all donned baby hoods
and sang "M is
for Mother with appropriate words for each letter of the name. Then Brian said that when we moved to 606
Peoria Ave., in Dixon there was music all over this big home because of all the
teaching and practicing going on. He
said they would demonstrate the result by playing a duet with Linda Jane on the
Piano. They played "Bless This House"
very beautifully. Then Henrietta,
Lydia's daughter came up and said that she remembered the wonderful times we
had when they came to Dixon or we went down to Edelstein. Brian then said that it was the children's
turn to talk so called Victor to be the first.
Victor said that his Mother
always made good use of her time so used the time when she was combing his hair
with wave set as a teaching session. She
told me that persistence was important and that I should never give up when
things didn't turn out as expected. He
said that she always supported him in his activities by always being there to
see him and hear him perform. Brian
stood up to talk next and told an interesting story of how he was given a
lecture on not being late that he didn't hear.
"Mother and Dad came to pick me up in the car after my lesson at Bob
L'Heureux's home as I had an appointment with the doctor. They had to wait as I was held overtime at my
lesson. When I came out Mother was in
the driver's seat and said, "Hurry Brian, we're late." I opened the back door, put my horn on the
seat, closed the door and started walking around the back of the car to get in
the other side. Just as I was going to
open the back door she drove off leaving me standing there. I ran to catch up but the car turned the
corner and they didn't see me. Dad told
me later that Mother gave me one of her $50 lectures on being on time for
appointments all the way to the doctor's office and that when they got there
the doctor was outside and asked, "Where is Brian?" "In the back seat," she said. "I don't see him," was the response. Mother was shocked and whirled the car around
and came rushing across the bridge just as I got to it. "I'm sorry Brian," she said and we all had a
good laugh on the way back to the doctor's office. Also I remember that when I was in the fourth
grade I had done some mischief and the teacher reprimanded me with very strong
language. It was enough to make me cry
when I got home and told Mother about it.
This upset her very much and she sent right up to school, marched into
the teacher's room and said, "You can't talk to my son that way. I want an
apology." Needless to say she received
it. When I was in grade school I had
mononucleosis. Mother read that I was supposed to be on complete rest so
insisted on carrying me to the bathroom. Thank you Mom!"
At this point came the biggest surprise.
Rickie jumped up and could hardly believe her eyes for in walked three
of my brothers and their wives who lived in Mexico. They were Donn and Maurine, Keith and Naoma
and Maurice and Nellie. Rickie rushed to
give them big hugs with tears of joy in her eyes. They told us the sad news that Dorothy, my
sister living in Salt Lake City, had planned to meet them at the O'Hare Airport
but her plane was cancelled so she couldn't make it. Brian announced that he and Vinette were
happy that Mother was so joyfully surprised as they
had planed it that way by not letting us know who was coming. He then called on Vinette to tell us
something about his Mother. .
Next was Linda Jane's turn
and she came up looking very beautiful and very pregnant in a stunning red
outfit. "My mother was a rescuer," she
said. "She didn't want her children to
struggle really hard or have many disappointments. This was especially difficult to achieve with
me. For example, one day when I was
playing in our big yard the boys next door coaxed me to go down to the little
creek close by. When my Mother couldn't
see me in the yard she got worried and started calling me. I thought that I had better hurry back up to
our yard and make out like I had been lost.
She took me up on the porch and gave me one of her 75-dollar lectures
about going somewhere without telling her or asking permission. She wasn't
angry but told me she was worried about me.
I remember that she stayed up all night to make a skirt for me to wear
the first day of school. When I was
about 8 or 9 years I was invited to a party to play with Barbie Dolls. Mother made a little box for my Barbie doll's
bed and a place to hang her clothes so I would be able to take something to
play with. When I was 17 and didn't get
a part in the High School Musical she went like a ferocious tiger to the music
director and asked why I was not given a part.
Whenever I was sick she would bring me chicken soup in a little gravy
boat with a spout on it so I could drink it. She always put a little green
elephant on the tray to keep me company.
She also brought my favorite food at that time that was corned beef on
bread with her special white sauce on it. When I came home from BYU to recover
from mononucleosis she went back to Provo with me to encourage me and standby
me as I made up the work I missed. When
I moved to Arlington, Virginia and got into some poison sumac she came to take
care of me. My first pregnancy was no
picnic so I came home and she took care of me and would do anything to
alleviate my suffering. She felt strongly
about everything as she had strong emotions.
Now that I have child of my own I can understand why she did what she
did and was such a wonderful Mom. Thank
you Mom!"
After the applause Brian
asked Vinette to come up to the podium.
She was wearing a beautiful green dress and said, "When I first met
Brian's mother I was attending the University of Michigan and Brian asked me
what I thought of his folks. I told him
that his mother was very pretty. "Yes,"
he responded, then said, "Isn't she gorgeous?" I remember the time the whole family was
going into Chicago and Brian's Mother was to ride with me in our little red
"bug". I don't like to say it out loud
but I didn't feel that I was very musical and here I had married into a musical
family. When we started on the trip she
suggested that we sing a song along the way.
When I protested that I didn't sing very well she said that she would
teach me. This was not a woman who gives
up easily so we started on the love song: "With Someone Like
You a Pal Good and True" I had no difficulty learning the words and to my
surprise was singing the entire song by the time we reached Chicago. When I got home I found myself singing it
alone, so thank you very much."
Linda Jane's husband Ed was
running the movie camera and now Brian called on him to come to the front. He said, "I'm not much for words but can say
that when I went to Linda Jane's home for Christmas her mother had their home
decorated beautifully, in fact it was gorgeous.
She goes out of her way to do good things for people. I'm thankful for
all you have done for us, Mom."
Brian then came up and said
that we had four grandsons, two granddaughters and one undecided and asked
Rachel, 7 years old to come up and show a picture book that she had made of
things she had done with her Grandmother.
It was very interesting and she did it well then played one of her
Grandmother's favorite songs on the piano.
"Somewhere My Love." Then she gave her Grandma a big hug.
Brian then announced that
Victor's wife Cynthia and the Children, Jennie and Zachary couldn't come so
they sent a tape that he would like to play for us. The tape was good of Cynthia playing the
piano and the children singing: "I'll Walk With You"
from the Primary songbook. Then they
sang "Happy Birthday to you, dear Grandma, Happy Birthday to you." Next Brian read a letter that his son Brian
P. had written telling about the fantastic memories he had of Grandma
Bowman. She said, "She knew I liked big
words so she told me not to prevaricate but to always tell the truth. She had lots of grandma clothes for every
occasion and lots of toys up in the attic that we could bring down to play
with. I told her that I just loved this
messy old house and she was pleased and laughed at that. I felt that it was truly a safe place but we
had prayers so we wouldn't have bad dreams.
She called herself a silly grandma.
It was wonderful how she nursed me when I was sick at her house. The memories I have of my "Silly Grandmother have influenced my life for good in many ways. Thank you Grandma."
Next Brian announced that
Willis and Beverly Waite were sorry they couldn't be here for the birthday
party but sent a tape to wish their beloved Rickie a Happy Birthday so he would
like to play some of it for us. The film
was delightful showing Willis and Beverly smiling and singing "Happy Birthday
to you! Happy Birthday dear Rickie Happy Birthday to you." Then Willis said, Greetings to you
Fredericka, Eureka, the Great and your husband Bardell and to all of you
gathered there at the Church. Where else would you find a couple in their 80's
that are such marvelous leaders in the Church. We think you are unique as we've said
before. Good things should be repeated
so we would like to sing your favorite song in French "La Vie En Rose" Beverly played the piano and sang the song
while Willis translated it into English using our names in the song. Then they sang it as a duet. It was beautiful and everyone enjoyed
it. After the song Willis said, "Many
moments of happiness we have spent with you and enjoyed your beautiful
music. You have touched the lives of so
many. You will be sweethearts forever because of the suffering of our Lord,
Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemanee and on the Cross-. We would like to dedicate our next song to
you "In The Garden".
Beverly didn't even look at the piano keyboard but looked at us the
whole time and they sang very beautifully.
We surprised to see Matt and Marion come to the piano and sing a quartet
with Willis and Beverly
"Father In Heaven". The
videotape was made in October and they were there visiting. Matt and Marion then sang Happy Birthday to
Rickie in Polish that was really great.
Then they said that they hoped she lived to be a hundred.
Next Brian said that he
would like to show us videotape that Brent, who is working in Washington, D. C.
made for his Grandma. On the tape he
expressed gratitude for the two years he attended Dixon High School living with
us. He said he has tried to make
pancakes like his Grandma makes but they never turned out as delicious. He said that he remembered a surprise
birthday party that his Grandma carried out that was a lot of fun and that he
had many precious memories that he would never forget. Then Brian read a letter from Glenn and Helen
Schwendimann saying how much they enjoyed all the activities we did together
and especially taking them to Salt Lake City and helping them find just the
right home to buy.
Brian then asked all those
who were 80 years old or older to come forward as octogenarians and gave his
mother a certificate stating that she was now an Octogenarian. Emma Padgett was the oldest being ahead of me
by two years. She said that she
remembered when she came to our home to baby sit our children that Brian gave
her a Book of Mormon to read saying that it was better than a magazine. She said that she read it and asked for the
Missionaries to come to her home to explain it to them. When they came, her husband, Glenn told her
to give them a couple of dollars and they would go away. She invited them in and after several more
visits she, her husband Glenn and their four children, Emil, Keith, Karen and
Fred were baptized. Then Emma read a
beautiful poem about touching the lives of others as you go on your way saying
that Rickie was a good example of that.
Brian then called our dear
friends Bill and Jean Thompson to come to the front and say a few words. Jeannie, as Rickie called her, was the first
person to welcome us to Dixon as a member of the Welcome Wagon organization. She said that she felt like she had always
known Rickie so they became fast friends right away. Bill said that he remembered the wonderful
time they had when we took them to Washington D.C. They went to the White House to see his
former classmate; President Ronald Reagan and we went to see our family living
there. In their home in Dixon they have
a room full of memorabilia of President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy.
Norma L'Heureux then came up
to the podium and said that she and her husband Bob had appreciated our
friendship since we came to Dixon in 1953 as Bob was the High School Band
Director and we worked closely together.
She said that when her husband died January 4, 1992 that Rickie told her
children not to worry about their mother, as she would take care of her. Norma said that she was grateful for that and
that Rickie had called her every day.
"Thank you Rickie and thank you all for great Birthday party for her." My sister Kathleen then said that when Rickie
joined the family she embraced everything and everyone and was a loved member
of the family.
After this Brian said that
it was time for his mother to say a few words.
She came up and said, "I hope as I say a few words I don't cry as I'm so
overwhelmed with the joy of having you all come here for my Birthday. I will always treasure this time and never
forget it and even thank you when we meet after we leave this life. Thank you all very much for coming for as my
mother used to say: "If you can't come to see me when I'm alive don't bother to
come to see me when I'm dead." I'm so
happy to be alive as I had five close calls from car accidents to walking in a
hurricane when I could have been taken.
I hope I can complete what the Lord has for me to do and I feel that
part of that is loving you." Then Brian called on my brother Keith, who is
Patriarch, to offer a prayer and bless the food that had been prepared for
everyone.
We were really amazed at how
beautiful and inviting the Primary Room looked full of decorated round tables
with a long table filled with delicious food, a real banquet. I took over the video camera to take pictures
of everyone as they came to the table to fill their plates. Brian and Vinette had prepared this banquet
using the Church kitchen. I'm sure that
we all will always remember it. After
eating, Dale and Kathleen's 10th child, Karl, sang a song dedicated
to his Aunt Rickie, "As I Have Loved You" that brought tears to her eyes. Then Brian and Vinette brought in a big
candle for mother to blow out. Everyone
clapped and sang "Happy Birthday". Next
all the people from Mexico and those that knew Spanish including me, sang the Mexican Birthday song "Las Mananitas". This was followed by several other Mexican
favorites that everyone enjoyed including "Que Lejos Estoy del
Suelo Donde Nacido" (How far I am from the place where I was born.) and "Barca
de Oro".
When we got home, my brother
Maurice passed out some copies of hymns in Spanish for us to practice to sing
at Church tomorrow. Since I was the
Bishop in charge I planned to have a generous amount of sacred musical numbers
in the Sacrament meeting. The hymns in
Spanish were "God of Our Fathers" and "Secret prayer" (Oracion Secreta). Then
we had a musical program starting with Victor and Brian playing a duet. Then
Brian and Linda Jane playing
"Bless This House O Lord I Pray".
Rachel followed playing a "Minuet" by Bach and a "Waltz". Linda Jane sang and accompanied herself on
the piano. Then she accompanied Victor
playing the dramatic bull fight song: "La Virgen de la Macarena". Then we made plans to attend Church tomorrow
and took our guests from Mexico and Idaho to the Motel to get a good rest.
The Sacrament Meeting was
wonderful in the Chapel in Sterling on the 10th with music between
the inspirational talks. Victor and Brian played "I Walked Today Where Jesus
Walked" accompanied by Linda Jane on the Piano and our chorus sang the two
hymns we practiced the night before under the direction of my brother, Maurice.
Everyone said the music was beautiful, especially the Spanish members. After Church we all went home to enjoy eating
the food left over from the banquet yesterday heated up and served by Brian and
Vinette with help from Linda Jane. It was
wonderful to have so many of our family together. Wesley and Mary were sorry that they couldn't
come due to an operation on Wesley's knee. After dinner we had a good visit to
catch up on all the news of each family.
The couples from Mexico said they would really like to see Nauvoo and Carthage. Victor he could stay and go along but the
rest of the family said they would go home in the morning. We made a copy of the videotape of Rickie's
Birthday party for Dale and Kathleen to take to Dorothy and one to go to Mexico
for Wesley and Mary.
The next morning we all got
up at 6:00 A.M. and got together for a good breakfast before leaving at 7:00
A.M. We arrived at Carthage Jail where
the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred and heard the
whole sad story from the missionaries there who took us through the jail. Rickie,
Victor and I had been there before but it was a new emotional experience for
the others. We drove over to Nauvoo and saw the historical films in the
Visitor's Center of founding of Nauvoo and the experiences of the Members there
before the Prophet's martyrdom and the exodus west to the Salt Lake
Valley. We were all impressed with the
many statues in the Garden that we had read about and seen pictures of them in
the Church Magazines. We went to the
blacksmith shop and saw a demonstration of preparing a wheel to go on a wagon
to make the trek to the west. It was
exciting to see the homes of church leaders that had been restored to their
former beauty and the Nauvoo Temple site with a miniature replica of the Temple
that had been destroyed. Then we did
something they couldn't do in Mexico, which was to stop at an ice cream shop
and get double dip cones for everyone to eat on the way home. We all had a wonderful time and talked about
it all the way home. When we arrived in
Dixon we went to the Golden Corral Buffet where everyone could eat what they
liked ad as much as they wanted after our long trip. We planned that everyone would check out of
their Motel and come to our home for breakfast at 8:00 A.M. before departing
for their homes tomorrow November 12th.
Rickie thought that since
they would be traveling all day it would be good to serve a full course
"brunch". So we had roast beef, potatoes
and gravy, vegetables, salad, a chicken casserole, Hawaiian bread, ice cream,
cookies, milk and orange juice. We had a
great time and they all said that they felt well fortified for their trip. We bid them a fond farewell at 9:00 A.M. as
they took off in their rented van for the airport. Victor stayed with us and after washing the
dishes we took him to Rockford for a physical examination by Dr. Feeny. We were happy that he was given a clean bill
of health along with the other bill that we took care of. Then we went to Linda Jane and Ed's home for
a visit before going back home. The next
morning we had a regular breakfast and our Relief Society President, Brenda
Druien went with us to take Victor to the airport for his flight home to
Arlington, Virginia. We thanked Victor
for coming and helping to make Mother's 80th Birthday party such
joyful success. He said he was really
happy that he was able to come and would tell Cynthia and his children, Jennie
and Zachary all about it.
Brenda came with us to the
airport so she could go with us to visit one of our Members, Molly Gosney in a nursing home in
Rockford. Molly had diabetes and had to
go to dialysis every day. She seemed
very happy to see us and told us that she was feeling better since coming to
Rockford from Dixon and asked us to tell everyone in the Ward hello for
her. Our next appointment was in Schaumburg,
Illinois for a Leadership Meeting. Since
it was noon we stopped at the Country Buffet in Rockford for a fun time eating
together. The Leadership Meeting turned
out to be several very informative meetings to help us in our work with our
Ward Members, which made Brenda very happy.
We arrived in Dixon at 11:45 P.M. and Brenda drove her car home in the
country near Rock Falls. We thanked her
for coming with us and she said that she really enjoyed the day. When we got up a little later than usual the
next morning November 14th we basked in the afterglow of all the
festivities we had enjoyed and finally got to work getting our home back in
order and getting ready for Christmas.
Section 36--Brother Ralph
Belnaps Funeral 1996. Rebekah Ruth Smith Born. Family Christmas.
On December 3rd
we took a dinner up to Linda Jane and her family in Rockford then went to
Dekalb to the funeral home for the visitation of our dear friend, Ralph
Belnap. The next day we went to the
funeral at 1:00 P.M. and stayed for lunch at the Church and a visit with
Helena, Ralph's sweet wife. Then I had a
String Quartet Rehearsal at 4:00 P.M. and a Bishopric Meeting at 7:00 P.M. Our Christmas party at the Church was held
December 6th with a delicious potluck dinner, of Christmas music and
stories and a visit from Santa Claus with presents for all the children. On
December 8th we had a Sunday Christmas program and afterwards our
string quartet played Christmas music for the Residents of Heritage Square. On
December 10th we attended a concert at the Dixon Theater by Myron
Floren, the virtuoso accordion player of Lawrence Welk's Band. On the 12th we had a dinner and a
rehearsal for the Ward Choir in our Home and everyone said they had a wonderful
time. Then we made preparations for the
arrival of our new little Granddaughter.
Here is a quotation from Linda Jane and Ed's Christmas Letter about it.
This year Christmas has
taken on a special meaning for our family as we welcome our own child's
birth. Rebekah Ruth Smith was born at
10:01 A.M. on December 16th weighing in at 9 lbs. 9 oz. and
measuring 21.5 inches. The baby is well
and healthy. Both mother and baby are
doing fine. Some of you may remember
that my first pregnancy with Rachel was no picnic. This explains why I waited so long to try
again, but I had been feeling for quite some time that I needed to show
Heavenly Father my willingness to follow His plan for bringing spirits to the
earth, so I took a leap of faith. Even
though this pregnancy resulted in me being very ill for many months, great
blessings have come to my family and me.
It has been a time of spiritual growth and closeness for all of us, as
we have had to make adjustments and work together. Both Ed and Rachel made many sacrifices in
order to take over my usual duties. Mom
and Dad have been an immense help, taking care of me for several months until I
quit losing weight and started gaining.
I am deeply grateful for their love and support."
Ed was allowed to be in the
operating room as the baby was born by cesarean section. At 11:00 A.M. we were thrilled to see their
beautiful baby Rebekah Ruth in the nursery.
Ed took some beautiful pictures of the baby and her mother Linda Jane
and later of us holding the baby in Linda Jane's private room at Rockford
Memorial Hospital. The next day, the 17th
of December we went back to Rockford and took Rachel to her violin lesson and
1:00 P.M. then went to the hospital and helped Linda Jane walk down the hall
and back to her room. She was feeling
much better.
On the 18th we stayed
home to get ready for Christmas and to put a bed in the sun room with a new
mattress and boards underneath to make it firmer for Linda Jane when she came
home from the hospital. The plan was for
her to come to our home as Ed had to work and Rickie could help take care of
the baby. We also delivered boxes of
goodies to needy families in the Ward that the Relief Society had prepared. On
the 19th we went to Rockford and to the hospital with Ed to bring
Linda Jane a little Rebekah home. Of
course Rachel was with us and helped carry the flowers from Linda Jane's room
to the car. The single bed worked out
fine for Linda Jane as we had moved the table in front of the fireplace. We had a nice crib for Rebekah and Rachel had
Linda Jane's bedroom upstairs. She liked
helping us decorate the Christmas tree.
On Sunday the, 22nd,
Rickie stayed home with Linda Jane and Rebekah while Rachel and I went to
Church. We had a Primary Program for
Sacrament Meeting and President Nelson gave the youth a wonderful talk. We had invited him and his wife Mary, for
dinner after Church so Rickie prepared a delicious pork chop dinner with mashed
potatoes and gravy, vegetables and all the trimmings. Linda Jane was able to sit up to the table
and enjoyed the meal and the visit. Of
course they thought little Rebekah Ruth was beautiful, which pleased us all.
On Monday morning the 23rd
we took Linda Jane to Rockford for the Doctor to take out the clamps from the
healed incision. We had a crib car seat for the baby so got along just
fine. Ed met us at the hospital to take
Linda Jane in to the Doctor's office. She got along just fine and the Doctor
was pleased with her progress. When we
arrived back in Dixon we were all very happy to see that Brian and Vinette had
come to see Linda Jane and their new baby and spend a few days with us. They said that they would take over the
cooking. Brian loved to hold little
Rebekah and Vinette suggested that we call her Ruthie but Linda Jane preferred
that we call her Rebekah or Beka for short.
Christmas Eve day came with
Rickie not feeling well so I took her to the Doctor and he sent her to the
Emergency Room for blood tests and an x-ray.
They gave her an IV and oxygen for an hour and said she didn't have to
go to the hospital, which made us happy.
By evening she was feeling better and helped put Christmas presents
under the tree. On Christmas morning
Rachel was anxious to open the presents so we all got up early and had a
wonderful time opening presents one at a time.
Baby Rebekah didn't cry and was very good. The Elders came to join us for a delicious
turkey dinner with all the trimmings that Vinette and Brian prepared, and
stayed until evening. Ed and Linda Jane
were so happy with their new little baby and we all shared in their joy.
On the 27th Brian
went with me to the drug store to receive a $500.00 prize that I had won. They wanted to take a picture for the
newspaper so Brian took a picture also.
Then Brian and Vinette took a bottle of their home made pickles to our
long time friend, Emma Padgett and left for home about noon. We thanked them for coming and doing so much
to make Christmas so wonderful. Then I went to Church to finish tithing
settlement
On Monday we took Linda Jane
to her Doctor in Rockford for a check up at1: 30 P.M. and delivered a beautiful
Christmas Music Box to Matt and Marion.
We stropped at Wendy's drive in for Rachel's favorite treat a junior
bacon cheeseburger and a frosty. We were
happy that the Doctor told Linda Jane that she was doing fine. Ed came to our home to join us for New Year's
Eve and we had a turkey casserole that Rickie prepares so well and a lot of
leftovers that made a delicious meal. On
New Year's Day we watched the Rose Bowl Parade that was quite spectacular and
watched the Brigham Young University football team win the game against Kansas
State University. The next day we
finally sent out our Christmas and New Year's Greetings to our family and
friends.
1997 was a very eventful
year for all of us and I will start out by quoting from Christmas letters. First from Linda Jane and Ed. "We have had a wonderful year, enjoying our
new baby Rebekah. Rachel, now 9, is a
wonderful sister and loves to help out with the baby. Rebekah continues to be a very mellow and
easy going baby--a delight to all. Linda
continues to teach private students and do Choir and Primary music at church.
Ed has had knee surgery and is recovering slowly. He is respected and in demand at work and
continues to prove his worth to the company.
He is a loving father to the girls and especially delights in producing
giggles from both of them. Rachel is
excelling in her musical studies and is beginning to show more interest in
ballet. She also enjoys her Girl Scout
Troop and association with friends. Home
schooling continues to be a learning process for both of us. We have much to be thankful for, especially
family and friends. We have had some sorrows this year as well, with the death
of Ed's father, and several close friends. We are reminded of the true meaning
of the birth of the Savior, that we have in Him an
eternal hope and will be together again."
Brian and Vinette reported
that their son Brian P. and his wife, Julie are out of school and have moved to
their home in Arlington as renters.
Brian will be an audio engineer for the Navy Band and Julie will work as
assistant director of the Huntington Learning Center. The letter from Victor and Cynthia tells
about his new job in Real Estate. "There
are so many things to learn to accomplish this feat that my first reaction was
that I couldn't do it. However as I
continue on through the material, I'm beginning to see a light at the end of
the tunnel. This is turning out to be an adventure I wouldn't want to miss." Willis and Beverly Waite wrote in their
letter that they were working in the Jordan River Temple. "We celebrated our 50th wedding
anniversary this year by going to the Salt Lake Temple with our children and a
special dinner. We were so grateful to
Heavenly Father for 50 wonderful years.
Again, we thank our many friends and relatives who sent to us good
wishes.
Section 37--Juarez Stake
Centennial, 1997. President Hinckley, Small Temples.
We had a wonderful never to
be forgotten experience attending the Juarez Stake Academy Centennial
Celebration in June 1997. On the 4th
the Stake presented a Centennial Pageant that was marvelous. President Gordon B. Hinkley was in
attendance. It started out with the
Stake Choir singing "Faith in Every Footstep" followed by the reading of "The
Goodwill Scale" as follows: 1. If you are in a state
of angry indignation others will tend to fight back. 2. If you are in a state
of annoyance and irritation others will drag their feet. 3. If you are in a state of contentment,
others will join you. 4. If you are in a
state of appreciation, others will put themselves out for you. 5. If you are in a state of deep gratitude
others will pull out all stops for you."
The program continued with many fine musical numbers from a Youth Choir,
and Adult Choir, a Men's Choir, The High School Band, a Boy's Choir, a Sextet,
a quartet and interesting historical and informative talks. It was amazing the talent this program
brought forth.
The next day, June 5th
for a "Fireside Chat" by President Hinkley, 6,000 chairs were brought from
Mexico City and arranged on the football field under a large awning. A large platform had been built for the
double Stake Choir with a podium for speakers.
The audience filled all the chairs and some were standing. The program started with a beautiful anthem
by the choir under the direction of my brother, Maurice. Then after an opening prayer Brother Romney
introduced President Hinckley. I took
notes on his talk and will include some of it here.
"Thank you President
Romney. I don't know whether all those
things you said about me are true or false but I'm not going to worry about
it. Brothers and Sisters it is a
wonderful opportunity for me to b here among so many smiling happy people. I thank the wonderful choir for the beautiful
music. It was just wonderful. We should take it to Salt Lake City and bring
the Tabernacle Choir down here.
My dear friends and
associates, I'm glad to be here on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of
the Academy, which has afforded me the opportunity to be here. I've just traveled thousands of miles and
have spoken to thousands in South America, Australia and New Zealand and now
I'm glad to be here in the Colonies.
These little Colonies have
made a tremendous contribution to the Church for a hundred years providing more
Mission Presidents than any State. It's
hard to believe but it is true. Those
born here have grown up to be men and women of faith to give testimony and
witness of the Gospel in the earth. I
have been here twice before and it is better now than before in homes, the
flowers, the apple trees and the peach trees.
How was this place found? Through the inspiration of the Almighty. I believe with all my heart that the Lord is
watching over you, all of you in these valleys.
I thank God for the testimony of those in Colonia Dublan and Colonia
Juarez. You should be known as the best
people of the world for trying to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You send your young men and young daughters on
Missions, pay tithing and are doing a great and divine work here.
I marvel at the contribution
to come out of the Colonies in Mission Presidents, Stake Presidents, Bishops,
Area Presidencies, General Authorities and Councilors to the First
Presidency. You are going forward with
your lives. May the Lord continue to
smile upon you.
You are a part of a great world congregation of 10 Million around the
world. There are marvelous things happening.
This is the greatest time of the Church as there are no persecutions, we
are being listened to, talked about, and newspaper reporters are asking
questions. The foremost question is: "How is it that you are growing so fast
when others are losing memberships." The
answer is that people are looking for an anchor in a world that is falling
apart. We are retaining the strength of
families. We are doing marvelous things
in education at BYU. We have 30 thousand
seminary students and the largest Family History Archives in the world. We have more Missionaries in the field than
any other organization. We'll be the
largest religion anywhere in the future.
There is a great forward thrust in the Church. We thank the Lord for this wonderful day in
which we live. We just dedicated the St. Louis Temple, which makes 50 Temples
in operation. This is the greatest day
in the Church and we will see the day when all people will be able to attend a
Temple near them. I don't know what we
will do about you here. Just get 20,00 members and we'll build a Temple.
Who would have dreamed 25
years ago that we would have a House of the Lord in Sweden, Switzerland,
Germany and South America. There are more members outside than in the
U.S. Between 1830 and 1930 there were
one million people. Now in 1997, 67
years later there are ten million. I
can't thank people enough for paying their tithing so that we have no
debt. It's a great program and we are
blessed to be members. The future looks brighter than anytime in the past. The only regret I have is that I am so old. I'll be 87 my next birthday. I remember that
I was on High School Board years ago and didn't think that the Golden Years
would be laced with lead.
Now my Brothers and Sisters
I've wanted to come down here to thank you for what you have done. You have kept the faith generation after
generation all by yourselves and have gone on serving the Lord in diligence and
righteousness. What a remarkable thing this school has been for a century and
most of you are products of it. The
results have been wonderful in education since the days of Annie Romney with
one math book and one reading book.
There has been an unbroken line of love for education since then. The lord has held you in the hollow of His
hand.
Now my friends some people
feel sorry for you being so isolated but you have shared your blessings, your
sacrifices, our sorrows and have helped one another in times of stress. You've had to do this as you've live here
alone as a great family. Most of your
children leave and only come back to show their children where they grew up. You will always have a strong membership
here. These marvelous Latter-day Saints
strengthen each other to be wonderful people.
You speak Spanish and have wonderful faith and leadership. The shades of darkness are falling from the
Lamanites and they are becoming a pure and delightsome people. There are 30 thousand in South America and 50
thousand in Buenos Aires.
May
the Lord bless you that you will always have food on the table and clothing to wear. May He shelter
you crops, stay the frosts that you crops may be save and you will be
prosperous in the land. May you be an island
of faith in the world and go forward in this great day of faith to accomplish
your mission.
The Lord smiles upon you. I
express my love for you and leave you my blessing in name of Jesus Christ.
Amen."
Needless
to say this was a thrilling experience for all of us. Then the next month we were elated to read
President Hinckley's words that while as he left Mexico he thought: "Why should
those fine people have to wait to have 20,000 members to have a Temple? Why don't we build small Temples where needed." So plans were made to build a smaller Temple
in Juarez or Dublan. President Hinckley
chose a hill overlooking the Valley and the High School. The ground for the
Temple was donated by Nellie Romney who had been in the Mexico Mission with us.
Section 38--Matt Ciembronowicz, Cancer, and Funeral.
After this gloriously happy time in Mexico we came
home to the excruciating sad news that our dear friend Matt Ciembronowicz had
cancer of the liver and had an appointment for an operation in the Hospital in Madison,
Wisconsin the last part of July. We told
Matt and his wife Marian that we would be glad to take them there and stay with
them for the operation. When the
appointment time came we took them to the hospital in our Cadillac. He was admitted to the Hospital and we all go
lodging in a nearby Motel for the night.
We went to the operation waiting room and the Doctor came to tell us
that they planned to remove the cancerous tissue and let the liver regenerate
itself thus giving us the hope that Matt would be able to get well after
that. After several hours about 7:00
P.M. the Doctor came back and told us that the cancerous part of the liver was
too large to remove so they froze it hoping that would kill the cancer. Of course we had a special prayer for him and
waited for further news. About midnight
the Doctor came back to the waiting room and told us that the frozen part of
the liver disintegrated and they couldn't save him. This was crushing news for Marian and her
family and also for us to lose such a wonderful man. Arrangements were made and the funeral was
held in the Rockford Chapel July 29, 1997.
There was a visitation in the Chapel before the funeral and many, many
people came to express their sorrow and sympathy before attending the funeral. I couldn't begin to write down everyone who
came to pay their respects but I took videotape of all proceedings to give to
Marian and her family. Since he was a
pilot in World War II his coffin was draped with a large American Flag. Marian
finally was urged to sit down in the reception line as she was suffering from
diabetes and felt pretty weak. It was amazing that she could greet all the
people that came. They filled the Chapel
completely for the funeral. The Service
was conducted by Stake President Nelson and started off with the congregation
singing one of Matt's favorite hymns "Rock of Ages". After a prayer his adopted son Adam gave a
nice eulogy and then Sharmon Ward and I played a violin duet "I Need Thee Every
Hour" accompanied by Rickie. Then the
congregation joined in singing the words with Linda Jane leading that was very
impressive and brought tears to many eyes. Other speakers were President
Nelson, Brother Jack Ward, Brother John Landgren and Brother Willis Waite. I was hoping that he was able to hear the
wonderful said about him and the comforting words to the family that this was a
short separation as they could be together again through the Atonement of our
Savior, Jesus Christ. The closing hymn
was "Though Deepening Trials" another of Matt's favorite hymns. The Family was escorted out of the Chapel
first to get in cars to follow the hearse to the cemetery. At the Cemetery I was asked to Dedicate the grave with a prayer then the Rockford
Detachment of the American Legion gave him full Military Honors with a speech,
a gun salute, taps and the folding of the flag to give to Marian. She tearfully thanked them graciously. President Nelson then invited everyone to
return to the chapel for fellowship and a dinner. This was an opportunity to visit with Marian
and her family that we appreciated.
Section 39--Victor, Linda
Jane and Families for Christmas.
Zachary's Baptism.
In the Fall
we enjoyed working to complete our goal of visiting all the members in their
home and getting ready for tithing settlement and the annual Christmas program
and delivering baskets of food to the needy members. In December we got ready for Christmas by
getting our Christmas Tree, decorating our home and
buying food as Victor and his family and Linda Jane and her family planned to
come home for Christmas. The joyful time finally arrived and Cynthia brought a
Ginger Bread House for the children to help put together and asked Linda Jane
to be charge of decorating it. It looked
beautiful and delicious when it was finished.
On Christmas Eve the children, Rachel, Jennie and Zachary dressed up and
put on the Nativity Scene for us that really brought out the Spirit of
Christmas. After singing and playing
Christmas carols ending with "Silent Night" the children hung up their
stockings and reluctantly went to bed. Then it was time for Santa with our help
to fill the stockings, bring out the rest of the presents and sprinkle
snowflakes over all before saying "Goodnight".
As
usual the children were up early anxious to go down stairs to see the wonder of
Christmas Morning. They shouted
gleefully when they saw the shining Christmas tree surrounded by presents and
we saw their shining eyes in anticipation of opening the beautifully wrapped
gifts. First we asked them to bring in
their stuffed stockings from the fireplace mantle which they did with great
enthusiasm. Sit took most of the morning
to open all the presents and everyone had a joyful time. We had invited the Missionaries to come for
dinner at 1:00 P.M. so they joined right into the festivities. We all enjoyed the delicious dinner prepared
under Rickie's expert supervision and then had a wonderful time sledding on the
hill by the tennis courts a block from our home. We then went back home to
relax by enjoying a Christmas music program with everyone participating.
The
next day we had a very enjoyable time going to Zachary's Baptism in the
Baptismal in the Sterling Chapel. Victor
was privileged to baptize his son and confirm him a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and bestow on him the gift of the Holy Ghost
by the power of the Priesthood. It was a
sacred, thrilling experience for him and for all of us. Before the baptismal service Ed took pictures
of Zachary and his father all dressed in white and afterwards of the whole
family to put in his memory book. Linda
Jane, Ed, Rachel and Rebekah then left to spend the evening with Ed's mother
and family and Victor, Cynthia and children got ready to leave for home
tomorrow. It seems that we all felt
renewed to start the New Year 1998.
Section 40--Linda Jane's Family News, Teaching Music and Concert.
We started the New Year by having the Missionaries
and Linda Jane's family here for New Years dinner and had a marvelous
time. I'm not going to write our daily
activities here as I have done in my journal as it would be too tedious for you
to read so will write about activities given in our Christmas letters. We did make many enjoyable trips to Rockford
to help take care of our grand children as Linda Jane took a teaching job. Here is a report from her. "Rebekah will be two December 16th. She is extremely mobile and excels in
climbing. She often piles her chair on
top of a stool, on top of the couch, to get up in the world. She has a natural joyous spirit and will turn
any activity into a game. She loves to
dance, and will don her dancing dress with the request for music, please. She is an animal lover, and keeps our dog,
Kije, well supplied with hugs. She is
finally showing interest in looking at and reading books, for which I am
grateful. (She would never sit still enough before this.) She is a very curious girl, and loves to
investigate everything she sees. I think
probably her greatest disappointment in life so far is that she is still not allowed
on the computer. Rachel is ten, and
growing up way too fast, despite repeated requests to stop it, or at least slow
down. She recently got a cute, more
stylish haircut, which in my view makes her look even older. She is delighted. She is a fabulous big sister and has started
watching Beka for me occasionally for short periods of time. Rachel continues
to study violin, piano, and ballet, doing well in all. Last month she graduated to a full-sized
violin, generously furnished by her grandfather. The new violin has a much better tone than
the one she was using, and will be a great boost to her playing. Next week she will accompany the primary
children in the Church on the piano, thus commencing a life of useful and
joy-giving service via her talents.
Highlights of her year include finding three new neighborhood friends,
our trip through the Smoky Mountains to visit family in Georgia and summer
horseback riding lessons. She is a
wonderful child, and I hope she stays close by forever.
My
year has been one of challenge and growth.
In the Spring I took a part time job teaching choirs in a local High
School. This was a really, bad
idea. It took me most of the summer to
recover. I did learn that public
recognition is overrated, and that my family needs me at home." I will insert a comment here that Rickie and
I attended her Choral Concert on May 19th and it was excellent. One of students, the president of the choir
got up and praised Mrs. Smith for teaching them so well. The Concert was called "Pie in the Sky" as
pie was served to the audience after the Concert. Linda's story continues with, "I took a few
riding lessons with Rachel, and found it a great joy and release to return to
the love of my youth. I also took a few
summer ballet classes, something I had wanted to do as a child, and was
immediately hooked. In August I worked
on a presentation of "Women at the Well" a musical portrayal of the women
touched by Christ in the Scriptures.
This was a great blessing to me as it inspired me to get my life more in
order. Around this same time I signed up
for fall ballet classes. Then I started
stretching exercises added more fruit and vegetables to my diet and dropped a little
weight that had been clinging on after the birth of Rebekah. I took it as a compliment when someone asked
my husband if I was his girlfriend.
Ed
continues to work at Pfauter-Maag, which has been taken over by Gleason. He remains indispensable as no one else can
fix anything it seems. He has been a
great help to his Mother, fixing things around her house and generally taking
care of whatever she needs. He enjoys
spending time with the girls, and took care of them all the time I was teaching
at school. It was fun for us to visit
his sister's family in Georgia, and go with her to see his nephew graduate from
Marine Corp Basic Training in November.
On our trip we passed through the Smoky Mountains. They were absolutely gorgeous!"
Vinette
reports that she is still doing computer work for PNC and keeping busy with her
Church Calling as Young Women's President along with gardening and taking Brian
to the Airport to fly to his many concert engagements. Brian is enjoying his teaching at Duquesne
University, tours with the River City Brass Band and has a contract to fly six
times a year to the University of North Texas in Denton to teach special
classes. In the summer he judged a
contest and taught classes in Japan and taught at the Oklahoma summer Music
Camp. He also completed his fourth CD
recording. Their son Brian P. and his
wife Julie are celebrating their second year of marriage in Arlington in the
home place."
Section 41--Norma, Cancer of
the Pancreas. Strolling
Violinist, Quintet for Hospice, Brian solo, Jean Thompson died. Rickie Had Cataracts Removed From Both Eyes.
Victor "Music Man", Linda Jane Concert "Pie in the Sky".
Our dear friend Norma
L'Heureux has been diagnosed as having cancer of the pancreas and it has now
spread to her lung but she is still feeling quite well. She fell on her basement stairs and hurt her
leg and broke her nose, which is heaping insult upon injury. Always the
optimist she said, "It could have been worse."
Rickie calls her every day and we help out all we can like putting her
storm windows on in the fall and fixing her toilet when it malfunctioned.
On
March 6th, 1998, I was engaged to play as a strolling violinist the for Sterling Cadillac Open House for two hours. I learned later that I got the job because
Michael Dowell, the Orchestra director at Sauk Valley College, told them that I
was the only one he knew that could do it.
Rickie of course went with me as we were always together. She wore a red jacket and looked very
beautiful and I work my tux with a red bow tie. I had made a list of a hundred
pieces to play of familiar songs and some classical music. People seemed to enjoy it and we had a fun
time and received a check for $50.00.
On
April 23rd I played first violin in the Sterling Singing Strings
Quintet at the Dixon Country Club for the Hospice Benefit Banquet and made a
recording of it for future use. The next
day we drove to Rockford to take Linda Jane Rachel and Rebekah with us to meet
Brian in Skokie, near Chicago, to hear him play "The Yellow Rose of Texas" with
variations with the River City Brass Band.
He received a standing ovation and of course we were thrilled to be
there with him. He came with us to Rockford to take Linda Jane and the girls home then on to Dixon for the night. On the 24th we went shopping and
he purchased parts and updated our computer with his vast knowledge. Rickie kept us well fed and we had a really
good visit taking him to the Airport for his flight home.
Jeannie
Thompson had been suffering with cancer and Rickie spent the last night with
her and I was asked to speak at her funeral and at the gravesite. Since then we have had her husband Bill over
for his favorite waffle breakfast about once a week and sending the extra
waffles home with him. He has asked
Rickie to pick out any of Jeannie's clothes that she likes and gave her a
special strand of pearls that she wore.
This was a sorrowful time though we did all we could to give comfort.
In
April Rickie had cataracts removed from both eyes by Dr. Skoring with a week in
between. She was very diligent in
following all the instructions so go along very well. She got new glasses and was able to see very
well right away. May 9th Victor called
to invite us to come to see the Church production of the "Music Man' on the 13th
as he was playing first trumpet in the orchestra. We left on the 11th to visit Brian
and Vinette in Wexford on the way to Arlington.
We arrived in the evening just in time for a delicious roast beef
dinner. It was great to catch up on all
the family news. The next day we went
with Brian to get his riding mower repaired.
Then we shopped at a discount store and found a beautiful skirt for
Rickie and five pair of slacks for me and some presents for Rachel and
Rebekah. Next we helped Brian haul five
loads of horse manure to scatter on their garden. We enjoyed the day as this was May 12th
our 55th wedding anniversary.
On the 13th we left Wexford at 8:30 A.M. and arrived at
Victor's home in Arlington just in time for a delicious dinner. In the afternoon Brian P. invited us to bring
Jennie and Zachary over to his home to see the movie "The Lion King" in the
little Theater he has built in his basement.
It was quite spectacular and during the show he brought in a big pan of
popcorn for us to enjoy while watching the exciting film. In the evening Brent came over to go with us
to see "The Music Man". The performance
was outstanding and the director told us afterward that Victor had held the
orchestra together with his playing. We
were allowed to videotape the performance.
We
thanked Victor, Cynthia and Jennie and Zack for a wonderful time and left at
10:30 May 15th taking the Southern route to Rockford. We had to drive through a severe storm but
still arrived in fifteen and half-hours.
We stayed overnight and Rachel and Rebekah were happy with the presents
we brought. Ed went to work at 7:00 A.M.
and Linda Jane to teach school at 7:30 so we stayed to take care of the
children and have dinner ready at noon.
On the 20th we attended Linda Jane's excellent Choral Concert
"Pie In the Sky" as already mentioned. On May the 23rd we drove to
Rockford to see Rachel perform in the Beautiful Copellia Ballet. We were able to video tape it to enjoy again
later.
The
next day for a change we worked at home and "put up" three gallons of
strawberries in 147 jars for our food storage.
Rickie was having some dizzy spells so we went to see an ear specialist,
Dr. Eli and he thought a tube in her ear would help. When Rickie read the side effects that could
happen she refused the procedure. On
June the 6th we drove to Rockford to hear Linda Jane's Piano Recital
held in the Jackson Piano Store. All the students played well and Linda Jane's
number at the end of the Concert was brilliant and an inspiration to all of her
students.
Section 42--Visitors: Charity and Family, Victor and
Children, Grandma Adair's Funeral, Eric and Jen.
Charity, Charlie and their children came June the 12th
1998, to visit their Grandmother Adair in a nursing home and stayed with
us. We had a good visit until they left
for home on the 20th, after a good breakfast. We were happy that the same day Victor and
his children, Jennie and Zachary arrived for a week's vacation. On Sunday the
21st Linda Jane and her family came to join us and she accompanied
Victor on two sacred trumpet solos in Church.
Ed and Linda Jane had to go home for work on Monday but left their
children with us. The whole next week
was a round of fun for the children and we enjoyed seeing them so happy,
playing tag in the Park, swimming in memorial pool and playing games. In the
heat of the day, about 2:00 P.M. they like to put on their swimming suits and
run under the sprinkler on the lawn.
They wanted to stay for the Petunia Festival starting the 1st
of July but Victor's tickets were for the 26th of June so we took
them to the Airport then took Rachel and Rebekah home to Rockford. Linda Jane said that they would like to come
to Dixon on Friday to go on the rides at the Carnival. We were glad to have them come and enjoyed
seeing them have so much fun on the exciting
rides. We bought tickets that let them
go on as many rides as they wanted to after 2:00 P.M. Of course they had some
treats between rides and cotton candy was a favorite. In the evening we saw the spectacular 4th
of July Fireworks over the river after dinner.
After that everyone was tired and happy so welcomed going to bed before
midnight.
On
the 13th of July Dr. Skorin removed a film from Rickie's left eye
with laser surgery and she recovered quickly.
We were really grateful for that as on the 15th Charity,
Charlie and their family came back from Utah for their dear Grandmother Adair's
Funeral. A beautiful Service was held on the 16th and Charity's
brother Andy dedicated the grave. Linda
Jane and her family came for the funeral and afterwards they all came for a
delicious dinner. Linda Jane was the
speedy dishwasher as usual as she was always very helpful for which we were
grateful. They returned home to Rockford
that night but Charity and family stayed with us and went to Nauvoo the next
day. They said that they really glad to
have had that experience before going home.
It seems that this was a great summer for visitors
as on the 27th Eric and his wife Jennifer stopped at 10:30 A.M. on
their way to Arlington to see Eric's family.
We took a chicken dinner to Lowell Park for a fun picnic and then went
to White Pines Park to show Jen where Eric caught his first fish in the creek
there. He said that he would come back
some time and put a railing on our front porch steps that Rickie would be
convenient. They had to leave at 5:30 to see the Prowants, his Mother's parents
before going to Arlington, Virginia the next day.
Section 43--Rickie Hernia
Operation. Oren Stocks Mission Willis and Beverly Visit, Temple.
Rickie started having pain
in her abdomen so on the 31st I took her to a specialist, Dr.
Osmoni. He examined her and said that
she had a hernia in her lower abdomen and should have an operation as soon as
possible to repair it. We accepted his
recommendation and he gave us an appointment at the Surgery Center on August 4th. The Doctor put her on a liquid diet and gave
her a quart of liquid called Golightly to drink on the 23rd. On the 4th Willis Waite called
from Utah and gave Rickie a blessing over the phone. We arrived at the Surgery Center at 11:00
A.M. for the surgery at 12:15. All went
very well Dr. Osmoni said and Rickie was ready to leave the Recovery Room at
3:30. We arrived home at 4:00 P.M. with
pain pills and an antibiotic to take. It
was a blessing that we had air conditioning in our bedroom so she could be more
comfortable. She said she wasn't hungry but she ate anyway to keep up her
strength. Two nurses and the Doctor
called the next day to see how she was getting along and to make sure she was
getting her medication. Instructions
were that she wasn't supposed to lift anything so I took over the cooking
etc. This wasn't difficult, as I had
always helped Rickie in the kitchen. On
the 6th our faithful Missionary couple, Dallas and Margaret Ward
came to visit and Elder Ward and I gave her blessing. She said that she felt better and watched
"The Ponderosa" show on TV. On the 7th
I took Rickie to Dr. Osmoni's office to have her bandages changed. I was then instructed to change Rickie's
bandage twice a day a clean the incision each time with hydrogen peroxide and
apply antibiotic ointment and she could now take Tylenol instead of the pain
pills. Also she was to take a glass of
citracell three times a day to avoid constipation. On the 11th I took her back to Dr.
Osmoni's office and he said that the incision was healing very well and the
nurse took out the staples and made an appointment to come back for a check up
on the 18th.
Oren
Stocks received his Mission call to go to Guatemala so his father; Bill wanted
to take Spanish lessons from me so he could speak Spanish also. Of course Oren would learn to speak Spanish
at the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo before going to Guatemala. On the 14th of August Willis and
Beverly came from Utah for a visit and by that time Rickie was free of pain and
feeling well enough to go to the Temple with us on the 18th to do
the work for Dr. Michael Hong who took care of us so well before he died a year
ago. The next day we took Willis and
Beverly to Rockford for breakfast at the site that was to be dedicated for the
building of a new Stake Center. Many
people attended and the dedication service was very impressive.
On
Sunday the 20th Stan Williams, Dale Druien and I went together to
the 7:00 A.M. Stake Priesthood Meeting in Byron and then to Sacrament Meeting
in Sterling at 9:00 A.M. At 3:00 P.M. we
served the Lady Missionaries and Dorothy Mielke dinner at our home and had a
gospel study hour for Dorothy. She
joined the Church when her husband passed away few years ago and has been
riding to Church with us since then. On
the 26th we were invited to have a picnic dinner with Willis,
Beverly at Brother and Sister Benedetto's home in their beautiful back yard and
had a wonderful time eating and visiting.
Afterwards we attended Rachel's violin concert at Rockford Music College
that was very fine. Rachel played in the orchestra and a string quartet. We were just as proud of her as her parents
were. On the 28th we met
Willis and Beverly at Linda Jane and Ed's home to give Ed a blessing for his
health, as he hadn't been feeling well.
Then we went to visit Marion Ciembronowicz in the Nursing Home, joining
John and Janie Landgren. We made
arrangements to eat dinner in the dining room there with Marion. Afterwards we went with her to her room and
she wanted to view the videotape of her husband, Matt's funeral with us. It was
good for her to hear her husband praised again for his wonderful life of
service. At 3:30 John, Beverly's
brother, took them to the airport to fly home to Salt Lake City. They promised to come again next year.
The next day we went to the Temple with Stan and
Dolly Williams to seal Rickie's little sister, as Miss Sauder, to her parents
as she died at the age on one year and there was no name recorded. We did three Endowment Sessions and one
additional Sealing Session. Again we
stopped for ice cream on the way home and arrived at midnight. On the 30th we drove to the
Christian Apostolic Nursing home near Peoria, Illinois for a good visit with
Rickie's adopted sister, Lydia. She had
sold her home in Edelstein and said that she was happy and getting along
fine. On the way home we stopped at
Princeton for the visitation of Betty Dunavin's mother then came back the next
day for the Funeral at 10:30 A.M. After
that we continued on to Rockford to videotape Rachel's Ballet Class and her
Irish Step Dance Class. Of course we
thought she was the best dancer there.
Section
44--Sophie Hong's Wedding. Brian Concert In
Rockford, Victor Concert at Temple.
On the 16th of October 1998 we attended
Sophie Hong's wedding accepting her mother Chong Hong's invitation. We really
admired Chong for the way she carried right on taking care of her family after
her husband Dr. Hong died. It was a very nice wedding and at the reception they
had a "sit down dinner" that was quite elegant.
On the way to the car Rickie fell in the parking lot and hurt her knee,
which made me very sad. She didn't
complain and said it would be all right.
When we got home we treated it with hot and cold packs and she was able
to sleep. The next day Brian called to tell
us that he was going to play a concert in Rockford on the 19th and
asked if we could meet him the Clock Tower at 4:00 P.M. Of course we said that we would be
delighted. Everything worked out
fine. He took the bus from O'Hare Field
to the Clock Tower in Rockford and we picked him up at 4:30 and drove to Linda
Jane's home. Then we all enjoyed going
to a Chinese Buffet before the Concert at Rockford College at 7:30. The concert was beautiful as usual and Brian
was given standing ovation. In the afternoon
we called our dentist in Dixon, one of my former students, James Hey, for an
appointment for Brian the next day on the 20th has he had an aching
tooth and a cold. On the way home he
told us that the next night he had a concert in Cedar Rapids and then could
spend a day at home with us. On Tuesday
the 20th we ate breakfast and arrived at the dental office at
8:30. Dr. Hey treated the infected tooth
and patched it up so it would last a few months. He had known Brian in School so they had a
good visit. We drove to Cedar Rapids and
heard Brian play another beautiful concert.
We arrived home at midnight and told Brian to sleep in as long as he
could to help him get over his cold.
Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah came for the evening meal so we had a very
good time.
Brian's
trip home was to be by bus from South Bend Indiana on the 22nd at
12:30. Brian drove very fast and we made
it 3 hours and 20 minutes a half hour early so he plenty of time to load his
instrument and his suitcase and get a good seat on the bus with the fruit lunch
we had fixed for him to eat on the way.
Rickie always cried when she had to say goodbye. We waved as the bus left and were happy for
the opportunity we had to be with our precious son. We were not in a hurry so it took us 4 hours
to drive home. We invited Linda Jane, Ed and the girls to come for dinner and
"trick or treat" activity on Halloween October 31st. We had a great time and Rachel and Rebekah
had their Halloween sacks full of goodies.
The
first of November Victor called and said that he had accepted the invitation to
play a full hour concert with piano accompaniment at the Washington Temple
Visitor's Center and would really like us to come. We told that we would be there as we have
always supported our children's performances.
We called Brian and told him our plan and that we would like to stop to
see them the evening of the 7th.
So on the 7th we left Dixon at 7:40
A.M. and arrived at Wexford at 5:00 P.M. after a pleasant trip. Brian and Vinette welcomed us with good food
and a good visit and we had a good night's rest. We left the next morning at 8:00 A.M. and
arrived at Vic and Cynthia's home in four and a half hours. It was great to see them and our grand
children. We all went to the Concert at the Visitor's Center. The Concert was wonderful and Victor and his
accompanist were praised highly and thanked profusely by the Visitor's Center
President. All the seats were filled and the audience was very enthusiastic. As usual I video taped the performance to enjoy
again in the future.
The
next morning we went with Victor to take Jennie and Zachary to school then went
to his office to see how he worked his Real Estate job. This was November 9th, Rickie's
Birthday so we stopped at Baskins and Robbins for ice cream for a little party
at noon. After this we thanked Victor
for a wonderful visit and left for Wexford to stay overnight, which makes the
trip a lot shorter it seems. As soon as
we arrived Rickie was greeted in song with "Happy Birthday" and had to make a
wish and blow out the candles on the Birthday cake Brian and Vinette didn't
have any obligations that night so we had a good visit and listened to some of
Brian' recordings from Japan. The next
morning the 10th we left at 7:30 after a good breakfast and arrived
at Linda Jane and Ed's home in Rockford at 6:00 P.M. to give them a report of
our visit and relay messages of love. We
arrived home in Dixon at 8:30 P.M. and agreed that "There is no place like
home."
Section 45--Rachel's Solo
Concert. Dallas and Margaret Ward, Missionaries in Dixon.
The next day we visited
Norma and put her storm windows on the windows ready for winter. On the 14th we went to Rockford to
hear Rachel's solo concert at the Rockford College Music Academy and were quite
amazed by how well she played at such a young age. We stayed overnight to go to Rockford
Memorial Hospital to be there with Ace Ensign's family as he was scheduled for
an operation. We were all happy with the
Doctor's report the operation went well.
His wife, Mary Lou, had been so worried about it. We went shopping and took some apples,
bananas and ice cream dove bars to our Missionary couple, Dallas and Margaret
Ward in Dixon. They really appreciated
it and told us about the success they were having in their work. Margaret plays the organ for the hymns in
sacrament meeting while Rickie conducts the hymns for the congregation to sing
and plays the piano for the Ward choir that I conduct and for the Relief
Society. Rickie asked me to write the story and the meaning of each hymn that
she schedules for Sacrament Meeting so it can be put in the Bulletin for
everyone to read. I've been doing that
for about a year and everyone seems to enjoy knowing more about the hymns. I have a large book with information on the
hymns so it's and enjoyable task for me.
My
sister, Kathleen, suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease, has only been able to
move her arms for quit a while now so her husband, Dale, has been lifting her
from her chair to her bed and turning her at night and reports that he has now
purchased a lifting machine like they use in the hospital as he has developed a
hernia and has to have an operation.
Kathleen will be taken to her daughter, Ranae's home in Idaho Falls
during this time.
Section 45--Thanksgiving, Linda Jane and Family, Gary
and Diane, Linda Jane and Ed' Birthday, Sauk Orchestra Concert. Rebekah's Birthday. Christmas with Family.
Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel, Rebekah, Rickie's cousin
Gary, his wife Diane and daughter came for Thanksgiving. We had a great time
visiting and eating the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings and
pumpkin pie and ice cream for desert.
After dinner Rachel played for them on the full size Becker violin that
we gave her and they were very pleased as Diane is a violinist. Gary and family had to go home to Lisle near
Chicago but the rest stayed overnight.
The next day we went shopping for birthday presents for Linda Jane and
Ed as his birthday is November 29th and Linda Jane's is November the
30th. We found what they
wanted which was a nice briefcase for Ed and a swivel
chair for Linda Jane to sit in while teaching piano students.
On
December 13th we had our Sauk Valley Orchestra Christmas Concert
that featured Messiah Solos accompanied by the Orchestra. The Audience was very appreciative and
enjoyed singing carols with the Orchestra playing for the singing. On Wednesday 16th we went to
Rockford for Rebekah's Birthday party at 11:00 A.M. She was delighted with her Birthday cake and
had fun flowing out the candles. She was very responsive opening her gifts and
I video taped it all so she can see it when she gets older. We got back to Dixon in time for me to dress
in my tux and take Rickie with me to the Colonial Rose Inn in Grand Detour to
play in our Singing Strings Quintet from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M for a Dentist
Christmas Dinner that was $30.00 a plate.
On
Sunday December 20th we had a beautiful Christmas Program in
Sacrament Meeting. The Choir sang
"Angels We Have Heard On High" with an all time high
of 30 voices. Our special contribution
was "Starbright" with Rickie playing the `Cello, Dalene Welch playing violin,
Sister Ward playing the piano and me playing the viola. Our Priesthood Chorus sang "O Holy Night" and
the Primary children sang "Silent Night" very beautifully. These musical numbers were between
inspirational talks about the True Spirit of Christmas coming from the love of
our Savior, Jesus Christ. On Monday 21st
we put the final touches on our Christmas decorations, cleaned and cooked and
wrapped presents to be ready for family's arrival. On the 22nd Linda Jane, Ed and
their girls came bringing their gifts and their dog Kije along. Rebekah really loves that dog. Linda Jane arranged all their presents under
the tree beautifully. We brought our
presents up from the basement on Christmas Eve.
On the 23rd Brian and Vinette came for Christmas. Ed had to go back to Rockford to get some
presents they left and do some and errands but he got back in time to eat with
us all that evening. On the 24th
Brian and Vinette went to Sterling shopping for a new light fixture for our
ceiling fan in the kitchen and found a beautiful one with four lights. Brian and Ed installed in very professionally
which brightened up our kitchen beautifully.
Christmas Eve Linda Jane asked us all to participate in a Christmas
Drama she had written for the occasion.
Rachel and Rebekah loved it and it put us all in the spirit of
Christmas. Then we had a music program
with everyone participating. Linda Jane
and Rachel played violin and piano and then sang some duets. Rickie and I played "Starbright" as a `cello
and viola duet. Then we played carols
with Vinette and Rickie playing piano, Brian the euphonium, Rachel and I violin
and Linda Jane flutaphone. We ended up
by all singing "Silent Night, Holy Night".
After Rachel and Rebekah hung up their stockings by the fireplace and
reluctantly went to bed we put all the presents under the tree and finally got
to bed at midnight as usual. Before
going to bed Linda Jane gave us a present to open and surprise -it was a tripod
for the movie camera. Just what we would
need in the morning so we could let the camera roll without holding it. I set it up so the video camera would be all
ready for the exciting early morning "Merry
Christmas".
This
Christmas morning was a little different as we got up early and prepared
breakfast so everyone could eat before opening the presents. It was a very exciting and fun time
especially for the children, Rachel and Rebekah. After this Linda Jane, Ed and the girls had
to leave to have Christmas dinner with Ed's family. They came back on Saturday the 26th
and Brian and Vinette took us all out to eat at the Ponderosa restaurant. They had a really great salad bar and a large
variety of foods so we were all well satisfied.
Back home Linda Jane and Brian practiced the appropriate song "I Walked
Today Where Jesus Walked" to play in Church the next day. On the 27th I got up early to put
the turkey in the oven and make the dressing so we could eat soon after getting
home from Church. Dorothy Mielke and
Brian and Vinette rode with us to Church and Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and Rebekah
rode in their car. Brian and Linda Jane
played beautifully adding to the wonderful Church Service. When we arrived home we got the turkey dinner
on the table and had a wonderful time visiting and eating. Linda Jane, Ed and the girls stayed until
Brian P. and his wife Julie came in the afternoon. We were so happy they could come and Brian P.
wanted to show Julie around our home as he had told her about the summer
vacations he had spent here. While this
was going on we warmed up the food and they really enjoyed the turkey dinner
after their long trip from Arlington, Virginia. I didn't have to take time out
for tithing settlement as I had been released as Bishop in November being
replaced by Brother Loveless who had moved his family in from Utah.
On
December 28th Brian installed outside sensor light that Linda Jane
and Ed had given us for last Christmas and it worked beautifully. Brian P. wanted to restring our classic
guitar and electric guitar so I gave him $20.00 to buy the strings. He said that he thought it was too much but I
told him if it was he should keep the change.
He did a professional job and played a little concert for us, which we
thoroughly enjoyed. Then we all went
shopping for fun as everything was on sale.
Brian bought his mother a beautiful tam and I found a scarf to match it. When we got home Brian worked on our
Christmas card list and printed out labels for next year. It's amazing what an
expert he is on the computer. On the 29th
we awoke to see snowflakes gently drifting down but they all decided to leave
anyway after a good breakfast at 9:00 A.M.
We were sorry they had to leave for home but so happy that they came to
spend Christmas with us. On the 30th
we went shopping again and found a black and white tam that Rickie really liked
so we really liked. When we got home
Rickie washed sheets and towels far into the night.
Aaron
Stocks called on the 31st and we told him we would be delighted to
have him come for a visit. He came at
11:30 A.M. and we asked him if he was hungry.
He said that he was because he hadn't had any breakfast. So we prepared a 5-egg omelet with hamburger
onion and cheese, two cups of hot chocolate and donuts. While he ate he told us all about his flight
school experiences. We were really proud
of his accomplishments as he already earned his Commercial Pilot's
license. Now he is going for his
instructor's license in instrument flying and multi-engine license so he can be
an Airline pilot like his Dad. We really
congratulated him and wished him well when he had to leave at 2:00 P.M. Then Beverly Cross, one of Rickie's former
piano students, now living in California called and asked if she could bring
her mother and some of their family to see us on New Years Day. Of course we told her we would really be
happy to see them. They came about 11:00
A.M. and we were happy to welcome Beverly's sister Lori, her husband Marcus
Moffit and their two girls, Brittany and Rebecca. We had attended Lori's exciting wedding as I
have written about. I brought the
rocking horse down for Brittany and she really enjoyed it. I video taped their visit and made a copy for
them at their request.
We had the lady Missionaries
over for a New Year's dinner at 6:00 P.M. and served turkey, mashed potatoes
and gravy, sweet potatoes, dressing, tossed salad, apple pie and ice cream and
they never knew that they were left-overs.
Sister Darnell and Sister Smith are sleeping on two single beds that we
put in their apartment. Sister Smith
said that she was cold at night so we loaned her a wool blanket. They both expressed their gratitude as they
left. We felt that we had done something
worthwhile on the first day of the year 1999.
Then it started to snow, which was the beginning of a big storm. We awoke on Saturday January 2nd
to a white world with 18 inches of snow.
Julie Boss called at 7:30 A.M. to tell us her husband John was stopping
by on his way to work to snow blow our walks and drive way. We thanked them profusely and told them to
wait until the afternoon as our neighbors liked to take care of the snow for us
with their snow blower. Sure enough Gary
Schreiner soon cleaned our sidewalk and driveway. It is really nice to be surrounded by people
who care about us. We called John Boss
and thanked him again for offering to clean our sidewalks and also told him
that Norma had called and said that there was an announcement on the radio that
Church meetings were cancelled for Sunday.
Then Rickie called all the members on our teaching list to tell them
about the cancellation. When she called
the Donavon home, Tim told her that President Nelson was in the hospital from a
car accident. We called their home and
their daughter, Nan told us that he fallen from a high place at work and had to
have surgery for a broken jaw. This was
a sad start for their New Year but President Nelson said it could have been
worse and was glad that he didn't have any other broken bones.
Rickie
was worried about Victor driving to Blacksburg to take Brent back to Virginia
Tech so we called him. He said that they
had rain but it wasn't freezing so was sure he could make the trip okay and
would call us when he got home. He
called at 8:30 P.M. and said that they made the trip just fine but on the way
home he was delayed for three hours by a car accident on the freeway. We had spent the day listening to recorded
Conference talks and playing `cello and viola duets. For supper we had a turkey casserole, as
Rickie really knows how to make leftovers look and taste delicious. Linda Jane called and asked if we could come
to Rockford tomorrow and pick up Rachel at the College after her violin
rehearsal and then take care of Rebekah also in the afternoon so Ed could work
on getting their van started in this cold weather -25 degrees below zero. Of course we said that we would enjoy doing
that. Everything worked out as planned
on Tuesday the 5th little Rebekah jumped for joy when we came in
bringing Rachel and some ice cream dove bars. Ed was able to get their van started so when
Linda Jane got home from teaching school we left for home. On Wednesday, January 6th we
shopping in Sterling after breakfast and after playing `cello and viola duets,
to find something nice that Kathleen could wear in their home. We couldn't find a nice bed jacket so we
bought a beautiful pajama set and a garnet birthstone angel to go with it. We had it wrapped and mailed it to her. Then
we did one of our fun things--bought some chicken tenders, French fries,
Hawaiian rolls and strawberry milkshakes and ate in the car. We were glad that we had a good heater in the
car, as the temperature was 37 degrees below zero outside, a record for
Illinois. We had invited Bill Thompson
for breakfast the next morning, Thursday the 7th so I got up early
and stirred up the waffle batter, put the sausages on to cook slowly and got
the eggs ready to scramble. Rickie
finished the rest of the preparations while I went to pick up Bill as his car
was "snowed in". We got back at 9:00
A.M. and had a great time visiting and eating waffles, sausages and scrambled
eggs with milk to drink. Then we went to
Bill's home and video taped all of the hats and dresses that Jean used in he old time style shows. His home was like a museum so we
video taped his Reagan Room that had all of President Ronald Reagan's
memorabilia in it, and the Oriental Room with pearl inlaid furniture and the
very interesting Indian Room, with potter, blankets and paintings. He appreciated getting a copy of the tape for
a record of what was in his home with his comments recorded right along with
the pictures as we went from room to room.
Kevin
Castle called to ask us to take a kettle of chili beans to the Lady
Missionaries as he made too much. The
Lady Missionaries were very glad to get the chili and told us to thank Kevin
for them. Then they told us that Sister Wakenight wasn't home and they could
see through the window that her bed was gone so were worried and asked us to
investigate. We went to her daughter,
Lisa's home and found Sister Wakenight in her bed in the living room. The story was that she had fallen the night
before when she tried to get out of bed.
She said that she managed to get up on the potty chair by the bed then
could not get off so sat there all night and the next day until her neighbor
came over and called her daughter, Lisa.
So then Lisa and her husband took their mother to their home and said
they would fix up a bedroom for her and take care of her. She asked for priesthood blessing so. I gave her one and she said
that she felt better and would be all right now at Lisa's home.
Victor
called and excitedly told us that he had applied for a music teaching position
in the Arlington Elementary schools that would pay $40,000.00 a year with three
months vacation in the summer. He was
happy that this would give him more time with their children, Jennie and
Zachary. His welcome call came on Friday January 8th just after we
had eaten breakfast played some `cello and viola duets and were just starting
to prepare dinner for our Home Evening guests.
Rickie set a beautiful table while finished the seven-layer salad and
the corned beef casserole. Larry and Marilyn Slifer were the first to come
and liked our Christmas decorations, as we hadn't taken them down yet. Then Elder and Sister Ward came bringing a
vegetable dish that looked delicious. At
6:50 we put the food on the table and were sitting down to eat when Stan and
Dolly Williams came then we got a sad call from Dale and Brenda Druien telling
us that they couldn't make it because when they left home their car stopped and
when Dale lifted the hood to see what the trouble was he was met with a blast
of fire that burned singed his eyebrows and burned his face. We felt so sorry for them but they said not
to worry that they were having their car towed to a garage and the insurance
would pay for another one. Stan and
Dolly had brought a chocolate cake and ice cream for desert so we sent the
leftovers with them when they went home later.
They wanted some music after dinner so Sister Ward played the piano,
Rickie played the `cello and I played the viola on "O My Father" and "I Need
Thee Every Hour". They all said they had
a great time and left at 9:30 P. M. By
11:00 we had the dishes washed and put away and were ready for bed. We had all felt sorry for Dale and Brenda in
their fire crisis but were glad that they weren't more seriously burned. The next week they were happy to get a better
car than the one that burned. "So all is well that ends well".
On
Sunday, January 10th we picked up Dorothy Mielke at 8:40 and arrived
at Church in time for my interview with Brother Hamer, our Stake High
Councilman. I was called as High Priest
Group Leader assistant to Brother Dunavin in our Ward. I was sustained in Sacrament meeting and set
apart afterwards. In the afternoon Linda
Jane, Rachel and Rebekah came for a visit at about 4:00 P.M. and were hungry so
we warmed up the corn beef casserole, peas and had a salad and desert. Then Rachel danced to the music of Lawrence
Welk. She was so expressive that I video
taped it for her to see later. When
Linda Jane said it was time to go home at 9:00 P.M. Rebekah didn't want to go
yet. We told her that she would be
coming again soon for another visit. We said goodbye with hugs and kisses. We were glad that Linda Jane called to tell
us that they had arrived home safely.
On
Tuesday January 12th, our "Weekaversary" we drove to Rockford and
took Ed to work as his car would not start and then took care of the children
all day while Linda Jane was teaching school.
We fed them at noon and prepared an evening meal to have with Linda Jane
when she came home. Ed had to take a
lunch as he works until 9:00 P.M. We
drove home in a mist but arrived safely tired, but happy. We invited Stan and Dolly, Dale and Brenda
for dinner and Home Evening for Friday January 15th at 5:30
P.M. So on that day we put a beef roast
in the oven at 3:00 P.M and prepared to have mashed potatoes, green beans,
salad and pie and ice cream for desert. Stan and Dolly came at 5:00 P.M. and Stan
offered to help me reinstall June E Mail as it wasn't working. By 6:00 P.M. we had it done and could print
out the 17 letters waiting. Dale and
Brenda arrived in the elegant Ford Grand Marqui that the insurance company had
given them when their car burned. They
said that they really enjoyed the dinner and we had a good time. They left at about 9:00 P.M. after Rickie
offered a beautiful prayer.
On
the 17th Linda Jane called to tell us that Crawford Gates, Rockford
Symphony Conductor was organizing a 100 voice choir from three stakes to sing
at the Regional Conference and wanted me to send her a list of those in our
choir who would participate as she was in charge of training our stake
participants. At choir practice I
announced this wonderful opportunity to the choir and got six volunteers who
were Paula and Jim Jordan, Dorothy Forbes, Daleen Welch and us. After Church Bishop Loveless called us to his
office and asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting next week. The subject for Rickie was "Partnership in
Marriage" and for me was "Supporting your Spouse". Of course we accepted the assignment.
On
Monday morning the 18th our Missionary couple came over for Sister
Ward to have a violin lesson. I had
written out the G, D, and A scales with the fingering marked and "Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star" and "I Am a Child of God" At the end of an hour she was
doing them all very well and said that she would continue to study when she got
home after her Mission. Then we went to the travel Bureau to get tickets to fly
to Phoenix, then go with Donn by car to Mexico for the
dedication of the Temple in Jaurez in March.
We could get tickets to Phoenix round trip to arrive on March 4th
and return on March 9th for $380.00 instead of the regular price of $700.00. We called Donn, my brother in Mesa, Arizona
and he said that those dates would be fine so we paid for the tickets. On the 19th Victor called to tell
us that he was very happy that he had been selected to teach band and orchestra
instruments in two Arlington Elementary Schools and that he could still do some
Real Estate Work on weekends.
On
January 19th we picked up Stan and Dolly to go to a High Priest's
planning meeting as Stan was also called as an Assistant High Priest Group
Leader. We had a good meeting and were
assigned the responsibility of arranging for members of the High Priest Quorum
to split with the Missionaries on some of their discussions to double the
Missionary effort. After the meeting
Betty, Tim's wife, served us cake and ice cream which we all enjoyed. Norma called on the 21st and said
she had to go to the doctor for a pain in her heart so we took her there and he
gave her some medication and said that it wasn't serious. When we got home we worked on our talks for
Sunday. As usual we picked up Dorothy
Mielke at about 8:30 and got to Church at 9:00 A.M. for choir practice. We rehearsed "Father in
Heaven We Do Believe" to sing in Sacrament Meeting. Rickie gave a wonderful spontaneous talk and
directed the congregational singing beautifully. The choir sang very well and I told them
afterwards that it sounded like angels and joined them. My talk was okay though I had to cut it a little
short for lack of time. When we arrived
home we called Brian and Vinette and were told that Monday Vinette had to fly
to Louisville on business and Brian had a concert tour to Monroe, Louisiana,
Houston, Texas and Corpus Christi, coming home on Friday. Then we called Victor and he was "on cloud 9"
with his teaching position and Cynthia and he were both happy that his salary
would be a little over 48 thousand dollars for the school year.
We heard on the 28th that Ernie Seeman,
our long time friend and associate in music passed away after a five-year
battle with prostate cancer at the age of 85.
He taught Music in the Freeport Schools for 33 years played in the
Rockford Symphony with me for 30 years and repaired violins and rehaired bows
and was a wonderful friend. We called
his wife, Phillis to express our sorrow and sympathy and she invited us to come
to the visitation the next day at 5:00 P.M.
We went and were happy to meet all of their family, four daughters and
one son. We had a nice visit with them
and told them we would always treasure the many memories we had of Ernie.
On
the 30th we drove to Rockford and took the whole family to Rachel's
violin concert at l:00 P.M as their car had
stalled. I video taped the concert which
was played by a group of older advanced students that Rachel had been invited
to join. She did very well and Elinor
Stanlis was in charge and directed the group.
"Orange Blossom Special" was an outstanding number that the audience
really applauded. After the concert we
drove to the college parking lot and started Linda Jane's car with our cables
after Ed cleaned the battery terminals.
They appreciated having their car running again.
Brian
called on February 8th to tell us he had been offered a teaching
position at the University of North Texas and asked us what we thought about
it. We advised him to write down all the
"pros' on one sheet of paper and the "cons" on another to give him a clear
picture of the situation. He said he
would do that and that at the top of the list would be (1) no shoveling snow in
the winter of a long steep driveway, and (2) not such a hectic Church schedule
where they had to go separate ways. On
the 11th we read in the Dixon Telegraph that Kelley Woesner had
passed away and that the visitation would be February 12th in the
funeral home from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. At
2:00 P.M. on the 12th we went to Heritage Square Retirement Home and
Care Center to the program to dedicate the painting of Jean Thompson that her
husband Bill gave them as a memorial for all of the service she had given to
them for many years. The Mayor of Dixon,
Donald Sheets praised her for the service she had rendered and sang two songs,
"Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair" that were
beautifully rendered by his Irish tenor voice.
Bill thanked us for coming and we told him that we appreciated his
invitation because Jeannie was such a dear friend. Then we went to the Chapel Funeral Home
Kelly's Visitation and enjoyed visiting with their two children, David and
Marian who were in our Grade School Band and were now married. It was sad that their mother, Harriet didn't
know that he was gone as she had a stroke and was still quite incapacitated.
On
the 13th we drove to Rockford to hear Rachel play in a violin
recital by 16 students. She played
beautifully with her mother accompanying her on "Allegro from the Concerto in A
minor" by Vivaldi. At home before the
recital she asked for a blessing so she wouldn't be nervous. Her faith was rewarded. After the concert we took the whole family to
dinner at a Chinese Restaurant and had a good time eating and passing out
Valentines. When we arrived at their
home Rachel wanted to play the game "Pay Day" so we had fun doing that. We got home at 7:00 P.M. and took a birthday
card over to Jaci Boss with a little money in it. She was delighted and thanked us. She is doing well in school and is a track
star. Her two brothers, Ben and Nick are
also doing well and are helping out in their parents business "Boss
Carpet". We had a good visit with Johan
and Julie. Julie told us that her father
has Alzheimer's and is in the Woodward Care Center in Dixon. We made a date to go see him.
On
Sunday, Valentine's Day the theme for the Sacrament Meeting was "Charity". We
heard some fine talks encouraging us to do more for our families, friends and
neighbors and a new member, Amber Eade sang "The Savior" accompanied by Sister
Ward. After Church Services Amber and
Jackie Stocks told me they would like to sing in the Stake Choir so now we had
eight members from our Ward. We visited
Sister Wakenight and were pleased that she is feeling better and that her
daughter, Lisa is taking good care of her as she still isn't able to take care
of herself. Victor called to wish us a
Happy Valentine's Day and we were thrilled with his enthusiasm for his music classes
in the schools.
On
the 15th got a better offer on our trade in of 3 cars of $3065.00
which would give us the 1995 cutlass cierra for $8,000.00 extra cash so we
closed the deal and put insurance on our new car at Walder and Rhodes Insurance
Agency and cancelled the insurance on the traded cars. On the 16th
we drove to Rockford to take care of Rebekah and Rachel was excited about our
new car as she found a secret compartment in the armrest in the front seat that
held cups and money. Linda Jane took
Rachel to her Ballet Class then to school with her and we had a good time with
Rebekah all day. We arrived at "Home
Sweet Home" at 8:00 P.M. and got ready for the next day's activities starting
with Bill Stock's Spanish lesson at 10:00 A.M. until 11:00. He came on time on the 16th and
showed that he had been studying and was learning rapidly. His incentive was that he wanted to be able
to converse in Spanish with his son Aaron when he got home from his
Spanish-Speaking Mission and he was a pilot for American Airlines and had some
friends who spoke Spanish. He told us
about some of his interesting experiences flying around the world. At noon I took Rickie to her appointment at
June's Room for a permanent. Her hair
looked beautiful when I picked her up at 3:30.
Then we went to Sandy's Restaurant where, Charles, one of new members
worked and enjoyed a hot roast beef sandwich.
We called Victor to see how his week of teaching had turned out and he
was happy that the principals and teachers all thought his schedule of classes
was very good and were cooperating wonderfully.
He said that his students were excited that he had arranged popular
music that they knew for them to learn for their Spring Concert.
On
Sunday the 21st Rickie accompanied our choir singing "Sweet Hour of
Prayer" and conducted the congregation singing the hymns. After Church we arranged rides for our
members to go to the Stake Choir rehearsal in Rockford at 4:30 to 6:00
P.M. Linda Jane did a super job
conducting the rehearsal and made it fun for everyone. Rachel went home with us so we stopped at
Wendy's for our usual treat of a junior bacon cheeseburger, French fries and a
frosty. She wanted to watch her favorite
program "Touched by an Angel" before going to bed. On Monday after breakfast
Rachel rode Rickie's scooter to the Library while we walked to meet her
there. She picked out some books to read
and a film "Mrs. Santa Claus" to watch.
When we got home she practiced the piano then we had a game of Ping-Pong
in the basement. She then practiced her
violin lesson and we played more Ping-Pong as she is playing really well. In the evening she went with us to Sauk
Valley Orchestra rehearsal and said that she had a very good time. On Tuesday, when we got up it was snowing but
we went to Rockford anyway and it stopped snowing before we arrived. Rebekah was feeling well and took us into her
bedroom to see the kitchen set that she was playing with. Rickie read a couple of books with her. We played some games had two meals and she
had a two-hour nap before Ed came home at 5:30 and Linda Jane and Rachel at
6:15. We had dinner together and Linda
Jane said the he appreciated us washing the dishes. We arrived home about 8:00 P.M. feeling good
that we had helped out.
The
next morning Linda Jane called and said that Rachel was excited about the Sauk
Valley Orchestra and wanted to play in it.
I told her that I would call Michael Dowell, the conductor, and ask him
about it. I did that and Mike said that
if she could play the music he would be happy to have her in the
Orchestra. He gave me a folder of 2nd
violin music for her to try. On Saturday
the 27th of February Rickie and I practiced "God Be With You `Till We Meet Again" to play for Missionary couple,
Dallas and Margaret Ward's Farewell Party at the Chapel at 6:00 P.M. The Relief Society Sisters prepared a roast
beef dinner with all the trimmings. I
helped carve the meat and mash the potatoes.
There was a good attendance but we didn't eat all of the 45 pounds of
meat they cooked. They were certainly
loved here in the Ward for the wonderful service they rendered. We prayed that they would have a safe trip
home to Idaho on Wednesday and asked them to keep in touch with us. I took pictures of everyone for them to take
home. They said that they loved us all
and enjoyed serving their Mission in this area.
On Sunday the 28th
after Church we arranged rides for our 8 Stake Choir Members to go to Rockford
for another rehearsal. Jackie Stocks and
Dorothy Forbes rode with us and we took the orchestra music to Rachel. When Linda Jane saw she said that she was
sure Rachel could play it with a little practice. The rehearsal was great and we felt well
prepared to sing in the combined take Choir of 100 voices. When we arrive home after taking our
passengers to the Church in Sterling to get their cars Rachel wanted to
practice the orchestra music so we spent an hour on it and she did very
well. The next day Rachel practiced
three times during the day a total of three hours. She was very patient, diligent and had a good
attitude all day. She is developing a
pleasant personality. She helped peel
the potatoes for our chicken strip, potatoes and gravy and string bean meal
with raspberry pie for desert. We had
dove bars, her favorite snack, available in the freezer. Rachel enjoyed the rehearsal at Sauk Valley
College and Mike and his wife Mary, the Concert Master were
very pleased with her and introduced her as Rachel Smith our Newest Orchestra
Member. When we got home we had hot
chocolate and a dove bar before going to bed.
On Tuesday, March 2nd, we met Linda Jane and Rebekah at the
Baptist Church on State Street where Rachel had some Home Schooling classes at
11:00 A.M. We said Goodbye and drove
home to get ready for our trip to Phoenix then Mexico on March 4th. On the way home we stopped and bought some
Russell Stover Chocolates and some dove bars for Elder and Sister Ward for a
departure gift. The Lady Missionaries,
Sister Darnell and Sister Smith were there helping them pack up so they enjoyed
the treats also. Then we went home and
continued our packing for our trip and got to bed about midnight.
Section 48--Trip with Donn to Dedication of Temple in Mexico.
March 3rd was a
busy day getting ready for our trip to Phoenix tomorrow. We had a nice bath and washed our hair and
put Rickie's hair up on curlers the way she likes it and it turned out
beautifully. Norma came over and offered
to check our house and would call Stan Williams if there were a problem. Stan and Dolly came over about 7:30 P.M. to
say goodbye so we had cookies and ice cream while we visited. When they left we checked our list to make
sure we had forgotten anything. Brian
called at 11:00 P.M. to wish well on our trip and to send his "saludos a todos"
down home. On the 4th we
drove to the Clock Tower in Rockford to park our car and take the bus to the
O'Hare Airport. Just as we were getting
on the bus Linda Jane came to say goodbye and pick up Rachel's music bag that
we brought along for her. We arrived the Airport at 10:30 and had no trouble checking our
luggage and boarding he plane at 11:30.
We had a good flight and Donn met us at the Airport in Phoenix at 2:45
P.M. He took us to his beautiful home
and his wife, Maurine gave us a cordial welcome and served us a delicious
dinner with her daughter Marza and husband Gerald who came from Fargo, North
Dakota to go to Mexico with us. We had
an enjoyed a good visit before going to bed about 11:00 P.M.
Friday,
March 5th we got up at 5:00 A.M. and got ready to leave for Mexico
at 7:00 A.M. Marza drove one of Donn's cars,
as they had to return on Saturday after the Temple Dedication. We rode with Donn and Maurine to the first
stop, about 2 hours and then rode with Marza and Gerald the rest of the trip. They wanted to hear our romantic story of how
we met and finally married that kept them awake. At the border they examined our birth
certificates and we had no trouble getting across. About 4:00 P.M. we arrived in Dublan and were
welcomed warmly by Wesley, Mary and Dorothy.
At 7:00 P.M. we went to the Bowman Family Reunion Party at the Church
and had a wonderful time greeting everybody, eating a delicious meal and
participating in an extemporaneous program.
The food was good consisting of lasagna and cake. Donn was the Master of Ceremonies and asked
each family to come up and tell something interesting about what they were
doing. Then he asked for volunteers to
do a musical number that brought forth an amazing amount of talent. To top it off all the boys sang some Mexican
songs with Chris, Wesley's son, who was now the Bishop, playing the guitar
accompaniment. Then Chris sang a couple
of solos with his beautiful high tenor voice filling the place. I took pictures
of each family as they came forward and Donn took a video of all the
proceedings. We stayed at Wesley and
Mary's home sleeping in their King size bed.
The
morning of March 6th we rode with Donn and Maurine up to Juarez for
the dedication of the beautiful Temple on a hill overlooking the High School
and the Valley. President Hinckley,
President Packer, and Area President Erin Call sat in the front row of the
Celestial Room. My brother, Maurice
conducted the Choir and Mary, Wesley's wife accompanied on the organ for the
beautiful music for the three meetings.
We were seated in the auditorium where we could see and hear everything
very clearly by closed circuit TV.
President Erin Call spoke in Spanish very well. President Packer spoke a greeting in Spanish
and then had a translator. President Hinckley had a translator so everyone was
able to understand their inspiring words.
The first meeting ended with a beautiful anthem by the choir and a
prayer. Then President Hinckley lead the
other dignitaries outside for the Cornerstone Ceremony and we all followed to
see President Hinckley place the mortar in the seems of the cornerstone. When this ceremony was closed we all went
back to our seats in the Temple for the Dedicatory Prayer which was beautifully
given by President Hinckley in English and then read in Spanish. The Hosana Shout was led by President Packer. We were seated for three hours and it was a
very inspirational and thrilling experience.
It was great to see many people that I grew up with in Mexico that I
hadn't seen for many years. Since the day was so long our families decide to
have dinner in their own homes instead of a big combined dinner for everyone.
So we ate at Wesley and Mary's home with their family and Dorothy, Donn and
Maurine and had a good time. Mary said
she would like to go up to the Dedicatory Session tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. so we
said we would like to go along with them
The
next morning we were served waffles, sausage, orange juice and fruit for
breakfast and left at 12:15 to be in our seats by 1:00 P.M. The Session lasted from 1:30 to 3:00 P.M. and
was beautiful with all-different talks and music. President Hinckley commented about being here
41 years ago to speak at Claudius Bowman's funeral and asked if there were any
Bowmans here. We all said, "yes". He pointed at
Keith and said that he knew he was a Bowman because he had been asked to give
the closing prayer in Spanish. Keith's
prayer was beautiful and we could see why he had been selected to be set apart
as a Sealer in the Temple. He had already
been serving as a Patriarch giving Blessings in English and Spanish. His wife, Naoma was called as a Temple Worker
and Maurice and Nellie were called to work in the Record Department. So they would all be very busy. Tomorrow we will attend a Temple Session at
11:00 P.M. and then go to Mesa, Arizona with Donn and Maurine.
Monday
morning, March the 8th we got up early and packed all our things
before breakfast at 8:00 A.M. I had an
interesting talk with Paul, Wesley and Mary's son who did all the beautiful
marble work in the Temple. That is his
profession in Provo, Utah. He said that
he gets his marble from Mexico. Renee,
Donn's daughter, took us up to Juarez to the Temple and we went through a
marvelous Session in English with Chato Bluth officiating. When we got back to Dublan we put our luggage
in Donn's car and Mary and Wesley served us a delicious dinner before
leaving. We went with Donn and Maurine
and Dorothy and Leona Farnsworth rode with Renee. We had a good trip to the Border and got through
without any trouble. Renee went to El
Paso for Dorothy to fly to Salt Lake City and we went towards Mesa, Arizona to
Donn and Maurine's home. Coming down a
mountain road Donn hit a rock and it made a hole in the gas tank. We went on to a little town and Donn used his
ingenuity and patched the hole with some Mexican soft soap that got us home
okay. Donn made a copy for us of all the
family activities we enjoyed there which we really appreciated.
In
the morning Donn and Maurine had to go to the Temple early at 6:30 so their
son, Donny came in his truck to take us to the Airport at 8:00 A.M. They told us that our flight was delayed for
five hours because of six inches of snow in Chicago but they would try to get
us on another flight. We were happy to
leave at 10:00 A.M. because we got to Chicago in time to take our bus to Rockford
at the scheduled time of 3:30 P.M. We
got our car out of the parking lot at the Clock Tower Inn and got home, "Home
Sweet Home" at 7:30 P.M. Stan and Dolly
were shoveling snow when we arrive so we invited them in for soup and salad and
ice cream. They were anxious to hear
about our trip ad especially about the Temple Dedication as they are dedicated
Temple Workers in the Chicago Temple. This Tuesday was their day to go to the
Temple but they didn't go because the weather was so bad. They had worked with Norma checking our home
and said that everything was fine. We
thanked them for taking care of things so well.
The roads were now clear so they didn't have any trouble getting
home. We didn't unpack everything so got
to bed at midnight.
The
next morning March 10th, we finished unpacking and were going
through a big stack of mail when John Boss called to tell us that Sister
Wakenight was in the hospital and that they had given her a blessing yesterday
and that she would like to see us. We
went right up to the hospital to see her and she smiled weakly and seemed to be
weak and frail. She said she was going
to have some therapy and hoped to go home soon, as she wasn't happy in the
hospital. We had a prayer with her before she went to her therapy session. About 5:00 P.M. we went to the Church to have
a meeting with Dale Druien our new Ward Mission Leader and the Missionaries to
plan for visits to investigators and inactive members. On the way we stopped at the International
Eye Center to pick up my new glasses.
They were neat and Rickie said they looked just like hers.
Greg Smith from the Dixon
Telegraph called to ask us for an interview as the Paper was going to publish
in the magazine section and article and pictures of "unsung heroes" in the
Dixon Area. He came and took picture and
asked a lot of questions about our life and activities. He thought that he was related to the Prophet
Joseph Smith so we asked him if he and his wife would like the Missionaries to
tell them more about him and the Church of Jesus Christ he restored. He said they would like that so we made an
appointment for them. The Telegraph did
a beautiful job on the Magazine featuring "Unsung Heroes" so we put a copy in
our file.
On Thursday the 18th
all the Missionaries in the area came to our home early for a District
Meeting. We fed them a breakfast of
Rickie's delicious pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, orange juice and milk so
they were well fortified for their meeting.
After the Meeting we served them apple pie and ice cream. The elders working in Dixon asked me to go
with them to talk with Miss Kampiani in her home about baptism. When we arrived the Elders asked her what
they could do for her and she said, "Get me baptized." "We can do that", was the response. Her Mother
and two brothers were there and approved of her decision so we called our Ward
Mission Leader, dale Druien and set up the baptism for Saturday at 7:00 P.M.
It
seems like every day is brim full of things to do. Last night we were talking about it and
wondered how we got everything done while we were teaching school before we
retired. Got example I'll write the
activities of one today Friday March 17th. I got up at 7:30 A.M., exercised and took a
shower before starting the waffle breakfast for Bill Thompson. Rickie got up to help and we were all ready
for him at the appointed time of 9:00 A.M.
Rickie called him and he said that he was sorry that he had forgotten
and would be right over. When he came we
laughed about it and had a good time eating and visiting about the display he
had of Jeannie's hats and our trip to Mexico.
He was very interested in the video we showed him of the Temple and our
Family Reunion. After he left Sister
Tuschida called to invite us to her Missionary Farewell from the Mission on
April 1st. We told her that
we were sorry we could not attend as our son Victor and his children would be
here. I was scheduled to play with our
Singing Strings Quintet at the Dixon Country Club for the Hospice FundRaiser
dinner. Just as we were leaving two Lady
Missionaries, working in Dixon, Sister Berry and Sister Smith came for some
help so Rickie went with them to teach a young man and I went to the
program. When I arrived home at 9:00
P.M. Rickie and the Lady Missionaries were there looking for the music to
"Amazing Grace" as they were asked to sing it at the Baptismal Program of
Sister Campianie Saturday at 7:00 P.M.
We found it in a Reader's Digest Album so they could practice it. When they left Linda Jane called to tell us
how cute Rebekah was sitting on the couch with a blanket for her lovable cat
singing; "The Three Little Kittens Have Lost Their Mittens." Finally we went upstairs to bed and watched
some of Rickie's favorite show "McGiver" before going to sleep.
Our
next day, Saturday the 20th was just as busy but I'll just write
that Rickie went with for our Singing Strings to play for a wedding at St.
Andrew's Church in Rock Falls and the scheduled baptism was beautiful with the
Lady Missionaries singing their song.
Sister Campianie brought egg rolls to treat everyone after the
baptism. They were especially good. The Sunday meetings were all very
inspirational and Sister Campianie was confirmed a Member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and given the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
power of the Priesthood by the Bishop. The Lady Missionaries had heard
something of our Romantic
Story leading to marriage during the war and asked if we would be
so kind as to relate it to them. We
invited them to come over Monday, their preparation day, for a beef roast beef
dinner. They readily accepted our invitation. After dinner, on Monday, we
cleared the table and decided to videotape our story and they set up to make a
cassette recording. We had a great time
with many laughs and some tears and the program took an hour and a half. They had brought their washing so while they
were doing that with Rickie's help I copied the videotape on VHS. Later I made a copy to send to all of our
children for Christmas. In the evening
Linda Jane called and said that Rebekah wasn't feeling very well so we
volunteered to take care of her Tuesday.
Tuesday morning we packed all the leftovers from the
Roast Beef dinner and drove to Rockford. Of course Linda Jane and Rachel had
already gone to school. Ed had to go to
work at noon so we fed him and Rebekah some of the dinner, which was very much
appreciated. In the afternoon Rebekah
was feeling much better and wanted to go to the Park to play on the swings and
the slides and climb the wooden structure.
The weather was warm so we went and video taped all her fun activities. She especially liked playing tag with some
other little girls there. She went to
sleep on the way home and we carried her upstairs for a little nap. Linda Jane and Rachel came home about 5:30
P.M. and we all enjoyed the rest of the Roast Beef dinner. Afterwards Linda Jane asked me to practice
the Sauk Valley Orchestra music with Rachel so we had a good time doing
that. We finally got home at 9:30 tired
but happy.
On
Friday evening Rickie went with me to play for the Cadillac Open House in
Sterling as a strolling violinist like I did last year. They told me that it was big success that the
people like the music, about 70 songs.
They gave me a check for $60.00, $10.00 more than last year. I gave the money to Rickie to take to the
Bergner's Petite clothing sale next week.
Linda Jane called to tell us that Rachel wanted to go to the airport
with us tomorrow to pick up Jennie, Zachary and said that she could bring her
down to Dixon at noon as we had to leave at 1:30. We told her that would be great and to bring
Rebekah along as we would have dinner ready for them. On Saturday, the 27th our plans
worked out fine. After dinner Linda Jane
took Rebekah back to Rockford and we left to pick up the children at O'Hare
Airport. The plane was an hour late but
we didn't mind waiting and were very happy to meet them at the gate. Of course Rachel and Jennie were overjoyed to
see each other. Jennie called home and
told her folks that they had arrived okay and that we were leaving for Dixon,
so not to worry. We stopped at
McDonald's at their request and let them order anything they wanted. They thought it was a great treat and had a
lot of fun. When we got home we called
Victor and Linda Jane to let them know that we were all home safely and that
all was well. Zachary had a little ear
infection so had to take his medicine.
He finally went to sleep listening to a story and a lullaby like his Dad
sings to him every night. On Sunday we
all had a good time at Church and came home and ate Zachary's favorite food,
hot dogs, baked beans and ice cream bars for desert. They played games and then
I brought up my trumpet for Jennie and she and Rachel had fun playing music
together.
Monday,
March 29th was a fun day. After breakfast we have each of the
children a dollar to spend at the dollar store.
Jennie bought a silk rose for her grandmother, Rachel bought a little
stuffed squirrel for her grandmother and Zachary got a pistol and a little car
to play with. Then we went to the
Woodland Wonderland to play. They had a
marvelous time, especially playing tag.
We came home to a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings and after a
little rest they wanted to go over to the park about a block from our home. We
went along and took videotape of their activities to show their parents
later. In the evening we had a snack of
chicken nuggets, egg rolls, corn dogs and ice cream bars before going to the
Sauk Valley Orchestra rehearsal. Jennie
was quite amazed that Rachel was in the Orchestra with all those older people
and could play the music very well. On
Tuesday after breakfast we went to the Sterling Woodland Park for fun. Zachary got a little upset in the game of
tag, as he couldn't catch the girls so he went to the swings and really enjoyed
going high with me pushing him. When we
got home Rachel and Jennie made tents in their room with blankets and had a
great time. They all watched their
favorite comics on TV before going to bed.
On Tuesday we took them hiking in Lowell and White Pines park and talked about their school work and activities at
home that told us that they were kept pretty busy at home. When we got home the girls continued enjoying
their tents and Zachary played with his cars.
In the evening we showed them movies of their parents when they were
young. They really seemed to enjoy that
and laughed a lot. They were tired so
needed no urging to go to bed.
Thursday
April 1st was the last day before we had to take Jennie and Zack
back to the Airport to fly home, no fooling!
Linda Jane and Rebekah came at noon so we prepared roast beef with
potatoes and gravy, peas, green beans, salad and cake and ice cream to help
them remember their trip to Grandma and Grandpa's home. After dinner we all went to the park to play
on the slides and the swings and merry-go-round. While they were playing tag, Zack swung
around his grandmother and almost upset her.
She asked him not to do that. He
soon forgot and whirled around her again to her again to get away from the
girls and she lost her balance and went flying through the air to land on a
bench. She hurt her back, hip and
shoulder. Linda Jane saw her fall and
ran over to help her. I was taking
pictures of Rebekah in the swing and didn't see the accident happen. All the children were crying, especially Zack
and were asking if she was all right.
She could still walk and Linda Jane was surprised that she wasn't hurt
more seriously. Rickie told the children
that she was okay and to go on playing.
After eating delicious leftovers we had a program with all the children doing
something they liked to do. Jennie put
on her leotards and gave us a gymnastic show that was really good. Rachel played the violin and played the piano
for Rachel to sing "I Am A Child of God". Linda Jane had a good trip back to Rockford
with little Rebekah and the rest of us got ready for bed. This was the last time I got to read Zack a
story out of the Dr. Zeus Book and sing the lullaby "Go to Sleepy Little
Baby". In the morning we all got up
early to eat breakfast and get ready to go the airport. We were complimented that Zack said, "I don't
want to leave!" Then he asked, "How did
you get so rich to have so many beautiful things?" We laughed and told him that most of the
things were old things that we had fixed up.
We had a hilarious trip to the airport singing and asking riddles. We arrived safely and had time to get the
children some snacks before Jennie and Zack got on the plane. Shortly after we arrived home we called
Victor and he said that he picked up Jennie and Zack just fine and they were
home waiting for Cynthia to come home from her doctor's appointment
Section 50--Crawford Gates
Concert, Easter, Dean Parry's Birthday, Rachel playing "Orange Blossom Special"
Missionary Meeting.
On Saturday April 3rd we took Rachel back
to her home in Rockford and then went to the Choir rehearsal with Linda Jane
conducted by Crawford Gates. He invited
me to sing in the choir but I told him I had an Orchestra Concert at the same
time and hadn't learned how to be in two places at once yet. Linda Jane invited
us to come to her home for Easter Dinner.
She had everything fixed up beautifully with the dishes and tablecloth
she said we had given her. The food was delicious. On Sunday we attended our wonderful Ward
Conference in Sterling with the Stake Presidency speaking and our Choir singing
a Special Anthem. In the evening Victor
called and said that Jennie and Zack couldn't stop talking about the fun time
they had at Grandma and Grandpa's house and wanted to visit again next
year. We told him that we would be very
happy to have them come. Brian and
Vinette happened to be there as they were in Arlington to celebrated Vinette's
father, Dean Parry's Birthday. We talked
to them and they said that the party was wonderful with the program centered on
Dean's capabilities, competence, character and concern for the family's
welfare.
On
Saturday April 17th we went to Verona, Wisconsin for the big
Crawford Gates Concert. I videotaped the
wonderful Concert. Linda Jane conducted
one of the numbers and Sister Gates said that Linda Jane was great and had
really improved the number she conducted.
Ed took Rebekah home to Rockford and Linda Jane and Rachel came home
with us to Dixon to be here for the Sauk Valley Orchestra Concert the next
day. On Sunday after Church Ed came down
to have dinner with us and go to the Concert.
I set up the video camera on a tripod and Ed managed it to get some
close up pictures of Rachel playing in the Orchestra. Everything went well and we will enjoy
watching and hearing the Concert again.
Linda Jane called from Rockford at 9:30 to thank us and to let us know
that they arrived home safely. On the 20th
the Missionaries called to ask us to go with one of them on a split to visit
two families. Of course we accepted the
invitation and had a good time visiting and teaching the Pinkston family and
the Sandusky family. When we arrived
home at 9:30 we heard on the radio all about the shooting tragedy at Columbine
High School in Littleton near Denver, Colorado.
The story was that a gang of dropout students came into the school
shooting students in the cafeteria leaving 21 casualties.
It
seems like Saturday is a day for tripping as on the 24th we drove to
Rockford to hear and record Rachel accompanied by her Mother play the "Orange
Blossom Special" in a concert of soloists.
They did very well and even added a train
whistle. We took ham and turkey
sandwiches and apple juice for a snack after the concert and had a good time
riding bicycles afterwards. Our Stake
President Doug Nelson visited our Ward on Sunday and spoke on "Mercy for those
who ask". Brenda Druien's sister, Sherry
McClanahan was confirmed a member of the Church in Sacrament Meeting. After Church she made us feel very good by
giving us a big hug and telling us that we were very special people to her
because we had visited her so faithfully.
Elder Boyce told us that he was leaving to go home Monday so would
really like to come to our home with his companion for breakfast as he really
loved our waffles. They wanted to come
at 10:00 A.M. before leaving for the Airport.
Monday we prepared a big batch of waffles and go all ready for
them. When they came they brought the
Elders from Byron as they were going to drive him to the Airport. They were all seated at the table when the
two Lady Missionaries came in to join us as their appointment had
cancelled. "Always room for one more at
our home we said." We stirred up a batch
of dough for pancakes also as they were faster than waffles. One of the Elders working in Byron, Elder
Paredes was from Colonia Juarez in Mexico so enjoyed talking Spanish with me
about our missionary experiences in Mexico.
We played the tape of one of our family's programs in Hermosillo and
they enjoyed that. Since this was their
Preparation Day the Lady Missionaries brought their washing and while they were
doing that the rest of the Missionaries wrote letters home to their
parents. At noon we served apple pie and
ice cream. As they were leaving Kevin
Castle came for a little counseling about his desire to go to Salt Lake City to
live. He said that his family here only
wants money and he really doesn't have anything to do. We asked him if he thought it would be a good
idea for him to lose some weight and move to West Jordan near Salt Lake City to
work in the Temple there and get a part time job. He said he would really like to do that so
would make plans to leave in June. He thanked us and left about 3:00 P.M. Stan and Dolly Williams, our home teachers
came about 3:30 P.M. and brought us a picture of the Chicago Temple that we
ordered. We had a discussion about all
the new Temples being built and the joy of working in the Temple. Then Linda Jane called to ask if we cold come
to Rockford Tuesday morning to take care of Rebekah until about 6:30. Of course we were delighted, as little
Rebekah is so much fun to take care of.
On Tuesday we recorded her as she sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on
pitch and then other nursery songs like "The Three Little Kittens" and "Ba, Ba,
Black Sheep Have you Any Wool". We drove
home in the rain but had no problems on the road
On May 7th I took
all the driver's tests to renew my driver' license. I enjoyed the driving more than the written
test but was happy that I passed okay.
Brian called to tell us that he accepted the offer to teach at North
Texas University, in Denton starting August 23rd and that both he
and Vinette were very happy about it.
The distance will be about the same from Dixon as Arlington, about 830
miles. Victor called to tell us that
Jennie had fallen backwards in Gymnastics and broke her left arm below the
elbow. This will take her out her ballet
program and the Gymnastic Meet in May in Virginia that we were planning to
attend. He said that Zachary is getting
over his ear infection but has a sore throat and a swollen lymph gland on his
jaw. On May the 9th we had a
beautiful Mother's Day program in church. Our Priesthood Chorus sang "Oh My Father" very
well and the talks giving tribute to Mother's was very good. Each Mother received a beautiful rose at the
end of the meeting presented by the youth.
Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and Rebekah came about 4:30 bringing and umbrella
for Mother and a beautiful hanging Impatiens plan in bloom. We gave her a card with some money in it,
which she appreciated. For a treat we
took them out the Chinese Buffet that they loved. Afterwards, at home Linda Jane accompanied
Rachel and I playing the Bach Double Concerto. We
would want to perform it if Brian accepts the invitation for our family to play
a musical program at Temple Square in Salt Lake City in the fall. Rickie liked the card and gardenia corsage I
gave her for Mother's Day and the bouquet of flowers that Victor asked me to
buy for him. She also received many
beautiful cards from family and friends.
Monday
May 12th was our 56th Wedding Anniversary so we invited
Dale and Brenda Druien and Stan and Dolly Williams to celebrate with us at the
Candlelight Restaurant in Sterling at 6:00 P.M.
A complimentary cake from the restaurant added to
the festivities. Rickie looked beautiful
wearing her corsage and was the life of the party. The food was delicious and our guests
insisted on paying for everything, as a present despite our saying that there
"presence" was all that we wanted. It's
wonderful to have such good friends.
When we got home we called Linda Jane and offered to pick up Rebekah
tomorrow and keep her until Saturday as I had a leadership meeting in Rockford
at 3:00 P.M. Linda Jane was delighted as
she had so much to do. On Thursday we
made the trip to Rockford just fine and Rebekah was happy to go home with us.
She is a little jewel and a happy child.
When we got home she said she was hungry and proved it by eating
potatoes and gravy, chicken tenders, green beans, bread and butter, milk and
ice cream. We took pictures of her
dancing to music that she loves to do and playing in the park. She went to
sleep in her crib but later woke up and wanted to come in our bed with us. The next day Rebekah went with us to the
dentist as Rickie had a broken tooth to be fixed. Rebekah enjoyed all the toys in the waiting
room. We ate leftovers when we got home
and Rebekah liked the ice cream the best.
Norma L'Heureux came over for a visit at 2:30 and said that she was
getting along okay. Vincent Gilbert came
to tune our pianos at 3:30 and worked until 7:00 P.M. at which time we went to
the Grade School Band Concert at the High School Auditorium. There weren't as
many members in the band but Mrs. Johnson is doing a good job since she took
over from me and has two assistants. It
made me happy to see the program still thriving. Rebekah got a little restless so was happy to
get home to have a snack and go to bed.
The next morning, Rebekah seemed to be feeling really well. On the trip to Rockford she drank some milk
and fell to sleep in her car seat. When
we arrived she woke up and rushed into her Mother's arms then she gave Rachel a
big hug. Her dad wasn't home. Rickie
stayed with Linda Jane while I attended my Priesthood Leadership Meeting. Then
we all went to a Conference Meeting at 6:00 P.M. The visiting General Authority was Elder
Lance D. Wickman who gave us good counsel on how to have "happier and more
useful lives". The whole family enjoyed
the resume I gave them of the talk when I got home.
On
Friday, May 28th we invited Linda Jane, Ed and their family to help
us celebrate my 84th Birthday at Sandy's Family Restaurant in
Dixon. Ed had to work so couldn't
come. Rickie and I ordered pork
tenderloin dinners with potatoes and gravy and green beans to share with
Rebekah. Rachel had chicken strips and
spaghetti and Linda Jane ordered a Caesar's salad. The food was very good and we had fun eating
and visiting. When we left the
restaurant we went to the Park by our home and Rickie and I took care of
Rebekah on the swings, slides and merry-go-round while Linda Jane and Rachel played
tennis. Rachel loves to play board games
so we played monopoly when we got home to end a wonderful day.
Linda
Jane had a piano recital scheduled for June the 5th 1999 and wasn't
feeling very well so we offered to bring chocolate chip cookies for the
refreshments. We arrive in Rockford at
12:30 P.M. and helped get ready to leave for the recital t 1:30 to set up
everything for the starting time of 2:00 P.M.
Linda Jane said that she appreciated us bringing the cookies and Rachel
helped arrange them on a serving table with the fruit punch for the audience
after the recital. All of the students
played well but Rachel and Linda Jane's were an inspiration to all. Rachel played "Sonata 111" by Mozart and
Linda Jane played "Brillante Valse Concerto" by Crawford Gates. I video taped the program as usual to enjoy
again later. Linda Jane told us that she
had an offer to teach vocal music the Byron Schools but after much deliberation
decided to stay home to take care of her children and continue teaching piano. She said that she had talked to her brother
Brian about it and he thought her decision was the right thing to do. She was happy that we agreed also.
We
planned to go to Salt Lake City to visit Dorothy, Kathleen and their families
in June. We checked the fare by plane
and by bus and decided to take the bus as we got tickets for half price. Victor called us to report that little
Zachary is very sick with an ear infection, sore throat connected to the
swelling in his neck. We asked him to
take him to a different doctor for a second opinion before his MRI appointment
on June 8th. Then Linda Jane
called and said that they all had a cold or the flu so to wait a few days
before coming for a visit. On the
morning of June 8th Rickie was so worried about Zachary that she
asked for a Priesthood Blessing for peace and comfort. She is so tender hearted that she worries
about all her children and loved ones.
We called Victor in the afternoon and found out that as a result of his
MRI he was sent to the hospital to have an operation on the tumor on his neck
in the morning. Cynthia stayed with him
in the afternoon and when Victor got through teaching he went to stay overnight
with Zach so Cynthia could be home with Jennie.
The next morning Victor called and said they were going to do a biopsy
to see whether the tumor was benign or malignant. All we could do was to hope and pray that it
was benign. We called Brian and Linda
Jane to tell them about Zachary's situation and asked for their prayers in his
behalf. This was Tuesday and the
Missionaries called to ask for a District Meeting in our home like they had
many times before with breakfast etc. on Friday. We told them that we would be
glad to have them on Thursday but couldn't do it on Friday as we had to get
ready for a trip. We called Victor in
the afternoon and he said that the preliminary diagnosis was that the tumor is
malignant but won't know for sure until Friday.
WE offered to cancel our trip to Utah and drive to Arlington right away
but Victor thought we should wait for more news. We called our friend Stan
Williams to tell him about the situation and he said that Dolly was washing her
hair in the bathroom and lost her balance and fell into the bathtub. He said that she hurt her shoulder and gashed
her head so he had to take her to the Emergency Room to put clamps on her head
and have a x-ray.
He said that her shoulder was not broken so she is okay now. We were glad for that bit of good news.
On
Thursday June 10th we got up early to ready for the Missionaries
coming for breakfast and their meeting.
All went well as before and they were very grateful for being able to
have their meeting here. Rickie wasn't
feeling very well with all this worry so had gone upstairs. We called Arlington and talked to
Cynthia. She said that she was just
leaving to go to the hospital as Zachary has cancer. We told her that we wanted
to help and to talk it over with Victor about our offer to drive up there right
away. We called Brian and Linda Jane to
give them the sad news and told them that we were canceling out trip to Utah. On Friday June 11th Victor called
and said that Zachary would be going into surgery on Monday the 14th
to have a shunt put into a vein in his arm to deliver chemotherapy and other
needed medications instead of taking shots.
He said it was going to be very difficult for them as he had to finish
up his schoolwork and Cynthia really needed to catch up on her work. He said that they were very grateful for our
offer to come to help at this time. We told him that we would stop at Brian's
home on the way and be in Arlington Sunday afternoon the 13th. He offered to pay for plane tickets but we
said it would be better if we had our car there to drive to the hospital. The Bus Station gave us vouchers for our
tickets that could be used anywhere for a year instead of refund. We called all our family and friends and told
them about our plans but didn't know when we would return home.
On
Saturday June 12th our Monthaversary, we got up early and packed all
our things including lunch for on the way.
Rickie washed her hair and I put it up in curlers for her to dry on the
way. Brian called to ask us to bring a
big cooler to take frozen food to his son Brian P. and to Victor. We had a very pleasant trip eating lunch
along the way the usual sweet rolls, deli ham, lettuce, carrots and chocolate
cookies. We stopped a couple of times
for gas and to go to the rest room and arrived at 6:45 in 9 hours. No one was home but they had left the side
door open for us. Brian and Vinette came
home at 8:00 P.M. and were happy to welcome us.
They cooked some steaks and potatoes and cut some watermelon. Before eating we had a special prayer for
Zachary. Brian had to pack and practice
the music for a Recital he had to play tomorrow in Cincinnati and also teach
some classes. We enjoyed listening to
him practice and were amazed at how he could play such difficult music so
accurately. We finally went to bed at
2:00 A.M. after a good full day. On
Sunday we go up at 8:00 A.M. ate a good breakfast and helped pack frozen food
for Brian P. and Victor in our cooler.
We all left at 10:00 A.M. Brian
went to Cincinnati, Vinette went to Church and we went to Arlington. We had one rest stop and arrive at 2:45 in 4
hours and 45 minutes. Victor hadn't
eaten so enjoyed eating the rest of our lunch.
Then we went with Victor and Jennie to the Hospital to see Cynthia and
Zachary. They were happy to see us and
Zachary liked the little play spider we brought to him. The doctor came in to explain what would
happen tomorrow. (l) Putting a tube in a
vein in his chest to facilitate chemotherapy and medications; (2) A bone scan. (3) Bone marrow check. (4) A spinal tap to
check the extent of the cancer. Victor
stayed with Zach all night and we went home with Cynthia and Jennie. Cynthia cooked chicken strips, rice and
broccoli and it was delicious. We called
Linda Jane to give her a report on Zachary and she appreciated it and said that
she was glad that we had arrived safely.
On the way home from the hospital I wrote down the roads we traveled so
we could drive there easily tomorrow alone.
The plan was for Cynthia to go to the hospital early at 7:00 A.M. so
Victor could go to School and we would stay to help Jennie get on her school
bus at 8:15 A.M. Then we would go to the hospital to stay with Zachary all day
so Cynthia could go to work. In the
evening Victor would come to spend all night with Zack and we would go back to
their home to send the night. We could
get food in the hospital cafeteria.
On
Monday June 14th we got up at 6:30 A.M. and remembered all the Flag
Day parades we participated in with our Grade School Band in Dixon. Jennie was up and Cynthia was calling Victor
to see if there was any change. Cynthia go to the hospital at 7:0o0 A.M. as planned and called us at
7:30 to say that they were taking Zachary into the operating room instead of
waiting until the afternoon which was a blessing. She said that we shouldn't leave to come to he hospital before 9:15 because of the heavy traffic. We
walked with Jennie to the bus pickup station and then had a special prayer for
Zachary and left for the hospital. On the
way we stopped at the drug store to get a refill for Rickie's thyroid and
detrol pills. We arrived at the hospital
in 20 minutes following the directions that I had written down. It took another 10 minutes to find a parking
place. We went right to the recovery
room to see Zachary. At 11:30 A. M. they
took him to his hospital room and since he was having trouble breathing they
put him on oxygen. He soon went to sleep
and Victor left to go to his evaluation meeting at noon. Cynthia also left to go to work and after
school will pick up Jennie to take her to the doctor to check her arm that was
broken. An attractive young woman with a
7-month-old baby came in bringing some posters made by his Sunday School Class expressing
love and wishing him well. Her name was
Alisa Allen and her husband teaches Zachary's Sunday School Class. While Zachary was sleeping I went to the
cafeteria to get some ham sandwiches.
Cynthia called at 1:45 and Rickie told her that Zach was still sleeping
peacefully. Victor, Jennie and Cynthia came about 7:30 P.M. and Zachary was
very glad to see them. Victor stayed all
night and Cynthia and Jennie rode home with us.
We stopped at Safeway and got some dove bars on the way home. Linda Jane called to get an update on
Zachary's condition. We read a chapter in the Book of Mormon together and had a
prayer for Zachary before going to bed.
Tuesday,
June 15th was Victor's birthday so the plan was for us to get to the
hospital at 11:00 A.M. and stay until 9:30 as Victor and Cynthia had a date to
go with Jennie to her Girl Scout banquet.
Before we left for the hospital Victor came home and seemed to have the
flu with a headache, a temperature and body aches. We sang Happy Birthday to
him and told him to take some flu medication and go to bed for a much needed
rest as he has been trying to sleep in a chair at the hospital. Zachary had a bone scan at 2:30 and the nurse
changed his bandages at 5:00 P.. M. He was in good humor and went through
everything just fine. He played a video
game in the afternoon and ate some food and drank 4 cups of apple juice and
some water. The night nurse came in and
Zach drew some pictures for her and she drew a cartoon of herself to give him
that pleased him. We watched the nurse
change Zach's bandages and it was quite a complicated procedure. Victor and Cynthia will be shown just how to
do it as it will have to be done twice a week when he gets home next week. Victor and Cynthia came at 9:00 P.M. bringing
Zach some presents from friends. Victor
still wasn't feeling very well but stayed with Zach anyway and Cynthia went
home with us to pick up Jennie at a friend's house on the way home.
The
next day we went to the hospital after taking Jennie to her bus stop so Cynthia
could go to work. She wanted to stay to
help Zachary take some fluid necessary before tests of his belly, chest and
pelvis. When he drank the fluid he threw
it up so they had to put a tube down his nose, which was quite an ordeal. The tube clogged up so they had to give him
some medication for nausea and to deaden his throat to finally get the tube in
at 11:30 A.M. Cynthia was sorry she had
to leave for work but the nurses assured her that they would take care of
him. By 1:30 P.M. all the fluid was in
his tummy. He had the tests at 3:00 P.M.
and was back in his room at 4:00 P.M.
They gave him some cheerios, milk and peaches and some ice cream on a
stick. He wanted some popcorn so I
microwaved some in the snack bar. He
watched a movie on the TV while eating the popcorn. I went to the cafeteria to get a snack for
us. His 2nd and 3rd
grade teachers came and brought him some presents. He especially liked the Star Wars Lego Set
and promptly put it together on his bed.
Victor came at 8:00 P.M. and was feeling a little better. We visited awhile
before going home. He told us that
tomorrow would be another late night, as they had to go to Jennie's Graduation
program.
On
Thursday the 17th I put a roast in the oven before taking Jennie to
the bus. We arrived at the hospital at
9:55 A.M. and Zachary was excited about going to the playroom. Victor thought he would enjoy the art room
better and it turned out just the thing for him as he designed and formed a bus
of clay and made some snakes that he liked.
I took some snapshots. At 11:30
A.M. we all went down to the radiation department. The head doctor came in and asked Victor a
lot of questions about the onset of the cancer.
He then explained that the radiation treatment would take five and a
half weeks with a half-hour treatment Monday through Friday in the
hospital. The side effects were
frightening including death, paralysis and feeding through a tube. But that
none of these things would probably happen.
We hoped and prayed that he would sail through the treatment and that
his cancer would be destroyed. Victor stayed with Zach in the Hospital and we
got to bed about midnight.
On
Friday we arrived at the hospital about 10:00 A.M. and Victor and Cynthia
stayed until about noon. We went with
Zach to have another scan, which included an injection. Of course he didn't want the shot but was
brave and even watched the nurse put the needle in a vein in his hand. At 2:00
P.M we took him down to the radiation department to have mask made that would
hold his head still while taking the radiation treatments that would start next
Wednesday. His chemotherapy treatment
through his tube will start next Tuesday.
The doctor said that they would get him through this okay. Sister Allen brought her three children to
visit and their son 9 years old, also name Zach and Zachary really had fun
playing nintendo games together. Cynthia
came about 6:00 P.M. and we packed up everything to take Zach home from the
hospital. We were able to get to
Victor's 5th grade Graduation Program a little late but heard his
saxophone trio and enjoyed seeing him awarded a bouquet of flowers with
appreciation for his good work. When we
got home Zachary and Jennie were having fun playing checkers. Then Victor and Cynthia had to flush Zach's
tubes and get him ready for bed.
Cynthia said that she was exhausted, as this had
been a very full day.
Saturday,
June19th, Zach's first full day home from the hospital a celebration was
planned for him and for Victor's Birthday by going to a movie, the Disney
version of Tarzan, in the afternoon.
Then have a roast beef dinner that I offered to prepare. We all enjoyed pancakes that Victor cooked
for breakfast. I put the roast in the
oven and prepared other things before we went to the movie. The cartoon was interesting but I didn't like
it as well as the original version. Zach loved it so that was the important
thing. The dinner turned out good
everyone said with frozen corn and beans that Brian had sent with us Cynthia
got all the presents ready to open at the table before we had pie and ice
cream. Jennie and Zachary took turns
holding a present over their Dad's head and chanting, "Heavy, heavy hangs over
your poor head". Then he had to make a wish for the person giving the present
before he could open it. We all had a
lot of fun and I recorded the whole event.
Victor liked the recording of the trumpeter, Harry James, and the card
that we gave him. I had baked the frozen
apple pie that Brian and Vinette had sent for 45 minutes and it turned out to
be delicious with ice cream. Cynthia put all the dishes in the dishwasher and I
did the kettles in the sink. Victor called on Rickie to give the family prayer
before going to bed.
We
all went to Church on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. and enjoyed it though
Zachary got pretty tired. We talked to
Brian P. and his wife Juli and they asked us to take some things to his folks
when we left for home. Also Dean and
Virginia Parry, Vinette's parents, asked us to come over to their home for a
visit before we left. Brent came over
and Cynthia said that she had made reservations to take us all to the Rain
Forest Restaurant for a surprise for Victor. The place was fabulous and really
looked like a forest so we took video pictures.
The food was good, Victor was surprised and we had a marvelous
time. When we got home we had ice cream
for desert and Victor and I were given Father's Day cards. Brent said that he planned to come to Dixon
in July for his High School Class Reunion and would like to stay with us. Of course we told him that we would be delighted. Cynthia announced "Bath time for Jennie and
Zack before going to bed."
On
Monday June 21st Cynthia took Jennie for her physical therapy at
8:00 A.M for her arm and then took her to school. Zach's 3rd grade teacher came to
pick him up for his first day back at school and Victor left at 9:00 A.M to
work. We visited Dean and Virginia from
10:00 to 11:00 P.M. and had a good time.
They are having some health problems but are still taking care of each
other at home. Victor and Cynthia came
home at noon and picked up Zach from school to go to the hospital to make the
final arrangements for the start of his chemotherapy tomorrow. On the way home Victor dropped Cynthia off at
the airport, as she had to go to Kansas City for her company business. She'll be back Tuesday night. When Victor got home with Zachary and Jennie
was home from school I warmed up the leftovers and we had a good meal.
Jennie
still had school on Tuesday but Victor's school is over so he felt confident to
take care of Zachary now. When he left
to take Zachary to the hospital we said goodbye and left to drive to Brian and
Vinette's home in Wexford. The plan was
for Jennie to go to friend's home after school and her mother would pick her up
at 8:00 P.M. when she got home from her trip so they could go see Victor and
Zachary in the hospital. Before going to
the hospital Victor gave us Zachary's final diagnosis and the schedule for the
day. The diagnosis was Rhabco Meio
Sarcoma. He was to have medication
through his chest tube, Vin Cristin at 10:00 A.M. and after two hours Anisna to
protect the bladder. Then after two more
hours he was to have a 16-hour injection through his tube of Citoxin. Victor said that he would be right with him
the whole time, but to have a special prayer for them. They don't know how long
the chemotherapy treatments will go on but the radiation treatments will start
next Tuesday and is supposed to shrink and kill the cancer in five and a half
weeks. I'm going to quote here a
paragraph from Victor's Christmas letter.
"Our year has been one of trial and reward. Our lifestyle changed when Zachary was
diagnosed with cancer in June. It is a
smooth muscle cancer in he head and neck, and the course of treatment is
radiation and chemotherapy over 12 months. We have suffered over why children
suffer, especially since Zachary has already been the subject of medical
concern because of his behavioral social delay.
Zachary's cancer has put him out of school for a year, and we can only
pray that the focus and attention he is getting this year will help him
overcome that. We have to believe he
will beat the odds and be declared "in remission" come June 2000."
When
we arrive at Brian and Vinette's we were welcomed with a delicious ham and
vegetable dinner. We gave them a detailed
report our weeks activities and Zachary's condition and treatments. They had brochures of homes in Denton, Texas
where they were going to move to in August and we were very interested in the
kind of home they would like to purchase. Their schedule is too full for them
to make a trip down there to look at homes.
Brian had to pack his suitcase and practice the music for his tour in
the Cincinnati area. He will be home the
4th of July and leave for Denton with a rented truck filled with all
his musical equipment. He plans to take
some time to look at homes while he is there.
He will meet the River City Brass Band in St. Louis July 9th
to solo in their concert there. From
there he will go to Oklahoma for 2 weeks to teach in the Tuba, Euphonium Camp. On the 25th of July he will go to
Colorado to play the "Mahler Symphony" on July 29th and 30th
with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He
will be home August 2nd and they have to have their home cleaned out
to give possession to the new owners August 6th. Whew!
What a schedule and a big job.
Anyway we took Brian to the Airport Wednesday morning at 11:30 the 23rd,
as Vinette had to go to work at 7:00 A.M.
When Brian's plane left at 1:30 P.M. we left for Dixon. We arrived at 10:30 P.M. and found all well. It was wonderful to be home and we were happy
that we had been able to help our children and grandchildren.
We spent the morning on
Thursday the 24th catching up with the phone calls, the mail and
mowing the lawn. Our neighbor, Gary, had mowed our lawn twice while we were
away. Linda Jane and Rebekah came in the
afternoon. We had a good visit and
caught up on all the news. Rachel is at
the White Pines riding camp near Dixon and Linda Jane will pick her up tomorrow
at noon. `The next morning we drove out to the Camp and Rachel gave us a
tour. It was an amazing Camp with great
facilities and about 100 horses. I video
taped the tour so Rachel could have a record of it. Saturday our Singing Strings Quintet had an
engagement to play for a wedding in Rock Falls from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Rickie went with me and had a good time. Our
group charges the smallest fee so we get many engagements to play. My pay was $30.00, which I gave to Rickie as
a present. When we arrived home we got a
call from Victor telling us that the Zachary was very ill from the chemotherapy
Tuesday morning until Wednesday being very nauseated and throwing up a
lot. By Friday he was feeling much
better. Next week he will have only one
medication, the Vin Cristin, that doesn't make him sick. The 16-hour
intravenous is given every three weeks. Victor is with him all the time, which
is hard on him but a great comfort to Zach.
It was good to be back in
Church Sunday after missing two Sundays especially since we were told by many
that we were missed. The second
counselor in the Stake Presidency, Brother Jack Ward was our visiting speaker
in Sacrament Meeting. He praised his
Mother who is 87 years old saying that she taught him the importance of
obedience to Gospel Covenants. After
Church we went Home Teaching. When we
arrived at Sister Wakenights we some bananas that she appreciates getting, she
said that she had just enjoyed a visit from the Missionaries and now that we
had come it was a happy day for her. We
were happy to see her looking better and feeling better.
Monday we called Victor and he said that Zach had a
temperature of 102 this morning so he had to take him to the hospital to be
given antibiotics. He also had to have
IV injections, as his throat is too sore to eat very much. We were worried about him right along with
Victor and Cynthia and all prayed for his recovery. Thursday July 1st is the start of
the Petunia Festival in Dixon. Linda
Jane called and said that she would like to bring the girls down tomorrow and
stay overnight for them to enjoy the rides in the Carnival and bring Caitlin
Stallings so Rachel would have a good friend to share everything with. We told her that would be great. Then prepared the beds and
go food ready for the big day tomorrow.
They all came at noon on Friday and we had a wonderful time. We bought a bracelet for $10.00 each that let
them go on all the rides as many times as they wanted to. Little Rebekah was really joyful, as this was
her first experience at a Carnival.
Rachel land Caitlin slept in the basement and Rebekah slept her mother
in the queen-sized bed in Victor's room.
At 2:00 A.M. the doorbell woke me up and when I opened the door there
was Brent smiling happily. He was here
for his Class Reunion as promised. It
was really great to see him and he went right to his old room that he had
occupied here for two years going to High School. He said it was just like old times, nothing
had changed.
Saturday morning after
breakfast Brent and his grandmother, Rickie went over to visit Norma and I took
the rest over to the Woodland Wonderland to play for an hour while I joined
Rickie and Brent at Norma's home. I went
back to pick them up in 45 minutes because we were having a heat wave of 90
degrees. We all went home and had a delicious roast beef dinner. Brent wanted
to be excused to take a nap to be ready for his Reunion at 6:00. We could understand that as he had driven
nearly all night getting here from Washington, D.C. Lori Slifer Free and her
husband Bill came to pick up Caitlin to go to the Slifer Reunion in the
Afternoon. Rachel and Rebekah wanted to stay while longer but Linda Jane said
that they had to say goodbye and thank you and go home to spend some time with
their Daddy. Brent got home about 10:30
and said he had a wonderful time and that it was worth the trip. Also he said that he had a date to visit the
Prowants, his mother's parents early in the morning for breakfast so wanted to
use an alarm clock
July 4th dawned
bright and warm and Brent left for his date after telling us how much he
appreciated being here. We picked up our
usual passenger, Dorothy Mielke and went to Church a little early to make sure
they printed out the "Hymns for Today" for the bulletin giving the program for
the day and announcements for up coming events at the Church. It was testimony meeting and Rickie gave a
beautiful testimony about being married and baptized the same day in San
Francisco and then getting her Patriarchal Blessing three days later. (In wartime
they waved the waiting period of a year in special cases) This was possible because her husband was
going overseas in six days. She said
that she knew I would be coming back to her because her Blessing promised that
she would have children. Of course this
was a great comfort to me also. We had
to hurry home right after Church as the Petunia Day Parade passed right by our
home and we had people coming to sit on our porch to watch the parade. Jim and Sharon Wiltz and family brought
cookies and we had fruit punch to serve with them. Bill and Jean Thompson and some of their
family came for a jolly good time. The
weather was still so warm and only one Drum and Bugle Corps and the City Band
marched. However they're many beautiful
and interesting floats and other units.
I video taped it to take to Linda Jane and her family. At 9:30 we watched the spectacular fireworks
over the Rock River.
On Monday, July 5th
we called Brian in Wexford to see how he was getting along with his moving
project. Brian P. answered the Phone and
said that his Dad had already left for St. Louis his first stop driving to
Denton with the truck loaded with all his musical and electrical
equipment. He said that he and Juli were
there helping his parents pack and load things. Rickie thought it would be fun
to drive to St. Louis to meet him but we didn't know where to find him or even
if he decided to drive further than St. Louis so had to give up the idea. Later we found out that he had passed St.
Louis and stayed at a motel in the little town of Bourbon. On Tuesday we called Vinette and got Brian's
telephone number in Denton. When we
called he said that he had arrived Okay and that he had an appointment to see
some home to rent before he made the trip back.
We called Victor and he said that Zach was getting along all right in
the hospital and expected to bring him home again the next day. At about 3:30 Rickie had a pain in her chest
going under her arm to her back. I took
her up to bed and gave her three nitroglycerin tablets at 10-minute
intervals. That didn't give her any
relief so I took her to the Emergency Room.
They put her on oxygen, gave her an IV and an EKG. That didn't show a
heart attack. The doctor recommended
that she stay overnight in the hospital and have three blood tests. I started out sleeping in a chair by the side
of the hospital bed. She couldn't get to
sleep to I moved beside her with my clothes on and she went to sleep on my arm
as usual. The nurse came in and thought
that was really neat. She came in every
three hours to take her blood pressure and temperature. She was supposed to be able to go home in the
morning if everything was all right. The
nurse said that Dr. Appenheimer had to come and release her and that he was in
the hospital. We waited and complained
and finally the doctor came at 2:00 P.M.
He apologized for taking so long and said that all the tests were
negative so she didn't have a heart attack.
He suggested that she go to a cardiologist for more tests. I suggested that we wait to see if she had
another angina attack before doing that and he said he would go along with that
and signed her release from the hospital.
We called Victor and told him about his mother's night in the
hospital. He was amused at how we slept
but was very concerned about her welfare.
He said that Zack was home and was eating better. On July 10th
I picked the raspberries and made jam.
When I was going out to pick the beans I noticed that I had a date to
play a wedding in Amboy at 1:30 P.M. and it was already noon. Rickie went with
me but decided to read in the car instead of going into the wedding. I got out at 3:30 P.M. and we went to
Sterling to the Bishop's home for a wedding reception for Rebeca Roland in his
decorated back yard. The groom was on
leave from the army in Ft. Hood, Texas and is a member of the Church, which
makes her parents happy. They were happy
couple and planned to stop in Alabama to meet his folks on the way to Texas.
On Sunday the 11th,
after Church we picked up Stan and Dolly and drove to Clinton, Iowa to see
Sister Katherine Wells in the hospital.
She looked quite good but didn't feel well with diarrhea and blood clot
in her leg. She said the doctor told her
that she might be able to go home on Tuesday.
On Tuesday we called Dorothy to see how she was getting along as she had
suffered with the shingles and the virus had attacked the nerves her spine the
same as had happened to me. She said
that she still had pain in her legs and had trouble walking. We told her that we would put her name on the
prayer roll in the Temple and keep her in or prayers. Then we called my Sister Kathleen in Downey,
Idaho and she sounded better over the phone. We told her that we were praying
for a miracle for her to be healed. She
thanked us but said it would be better if we prayed for a miracle for her "to
go" as she was completely helpless. We
talked about the possibility of either flying or driving out to see her next
week.
On Monday we got a letter
from Victor with all the details about Zach.
He is really having a rough time and Victor is being very kind and
patient taking care of him. Linda Jane
called to say that she and the girls would like to come to visit us on Tuesday
about 6:00 and stay until Thursday. Of course we said we would love that. On Tuesday we went to the Travel Bureau to
check on plane tickets to Salt Lake City.
United Airlines had a deal of $233.00 each round trip but didn't take
effect until August so that was out. On
Southwest Airlines the fare was $278.00 each round trip so we asked them to
hold them until Thursday. We then
prepared for Linda Jane, arrival with Rachel and Rebekah by preparing chicken
and rice in the oven, sweet corn on the cob, green beans, salad and strawberry
pie and ice cream for desert. We all
were hungry and had a good time eating and visiting. Rachel has a lot of schoolwork to finish and
violin and piano practicing to do while they are here. She likes to play on the
grand piano. Rebekah is really growing
and loves to talk, have books read to her and play with dolls.
I got up early at 7:20 to
prepare breakfast as we had invited Bill Thompson to come over at 9:00
A.M. Linda Jane and Rachel got up at
7:30 to go play tennis before breakfast.
Rickie and Id worked together to get everything ready to serve waffles,
sausages, scrambled eggs, orange juice and milk. At 9:00 Rickie called Bill and he said he
thought breakfast was at 9:30 so not to wait and he would come right over as he
did once before. Bill came as we were
starting to eat and we had a very enjoyable time. Bill got along great with Rachel and
Rebekah. Linda Jane always insists on
washing the dishes so we got everything cleaned up and put away very
quickly. Then Rachel, accompanied by her
mother played some violin pieces for Bill and he was quite amazed and
complimentary. The rest of the morning
was study time and after a delicious dinner of leftovers we went to Woodland
Wonderland for fun and games. For dinner
at night we had ham sandwiches, baked beans, vegetable soup, salad and peaches
and ice cream for desert. We were glad
that Rachel and Rebekah like everything.
On Thursday, July 15th Linda Jane and Rachel had fun playing
tennis again. Rickie wasn't very hungry
for breakfast, as she was worrying about Zach and our proposed trip to Salt
Lake City so we settled for having cereal and bananas and milk. Linda Jane took
the girls over to the park for a little while to play. They said they had fun even though Rebekah
had to have some band-aids for a skinned knee.
After lunch while Linda Jane was packing to go home to take Rachel to
her violin lesson we called Victor. He
said that Zach is having a rough time understanding that the pills and
medication he is supposed to take are for his good. He has an IQ of 140 but the emotional
development of a child so can only understand the "Now" and not the "Future".
Emma Padgett called and
offered to take Rickie to Sterling to the Church for Relief Society Dinner and
Meeting at 6:00 P.M. She accepted her
invitation and looked beautiful wearing one of her Mexican embroidered dresses. Rickie go home at about 9:00 P.M. and said
they had a wonderful time. We thanked
Emma for taking her and she said she was very glad for her company. Sister Darnell's parents planned to come for
her Missionary Farewell Testimonial in Arlington Heights near Chicago on July
22nd and then stop to visit us on the way home.
Sister Darnell told us that their plans had changed a little because
they wanted to visit a nephew in Wisconsin who was ill so would come to our
home on the 28th. We told her
that we were sorry but ha plans to leave July 26th to go to Salt
Lake City and Downey, Idaho to visit our Sister, Kathleen who was incapacitated
with Lou Gehrig's Disease but we would see them at the
Farewell on the 22nd. Linda
Jane called and said that Rachel's teacher said she did very well in her violin
lesson. We were glad to hear it even
though that is what we expected.
I played as a strolling violinist from 5:30 to 7:30
for the Gyro Club in Dixon and was paid $82.00 with an expressive thank you
letter on Saturday the 17th.
Rickie was happy to have me home early at about 7:40 P.M. I changed my clothes and we drove to Sterling
to visit the Barrientos family who were inactive members of the Church. The parents were not home so we visited the
children. Then we went out to Dale and
Brenda Druien's to invite them to go with us to Sister Darnell's Farewell
Testimonial. Dale is the Ward Mission
Leader so of course they wanted to go and said that they would come to our home
at 5:00 P.M. Thursday the 22nd ready to go. On Sunday we were happy that Stan and Dolly
asked if they could go with us to Sister Darnell's Farewell Testimonial so
we'll have six in the car. "The more the
merrier". On Wednesday the 21st
we kept Rickie's dental appointment and Dr. Hey said that she had a loose
bridge that needs to be fixed when she gets back from Utah. Norma is on a trip to see some of her family
so we stopped to take the mail in and take care of her cat on the way home. Tomorrow morning we will have 6 Missionaries
again for a District Meeting so had to make the preparations to feed them as
before. They thanked us and said they
had a very good time and really appreciated our hospitality. We went to the
Sterling Hearing Aid Center to pick up my little hearing aid computer replacement
and it cost $595.00. It was worth it as
it really worked great. We called my
sister Dorothy when we got home and she said she was still having a rough time
with her weak legs. We asked her if
August would be a better time to visit and she said that it would be better for
her. She had called Kathleen and she was having a difficult day also. We went to the Travel Bureau to see what our
options were and found out that we could travel on United
leaving on August 21st and returning August 27th for a
total of $514.00 including bus fare from Rockford to O'Hare Airport both ways.
This would save us time and money and Rickie said she would feel more
comfortable flying on United than on Southwest Airlines. Also we felt comfortable parking our car at
the Clock Tower bus stop in Rockford as we had done it before.
We were ready to go when our
four passengers came to go with us to Arlington Heights for the Missionary
Farewell Testimonial. We had a wonderful
trip of 107 miles and the conversation never lagged with our dear friends, Stan
and Dolly and Dale and Brenda. Stan told
us about the devastating storm Monday morning about 7:30. We heard the thunder and saw the lightening
but went right back to sleep for an hour.
Stan said that the lightening didn't hit their house but it was close
enough to knock out their water heater and their TV. After the very inspirational Testimonial
refreshments were served and we met Sister Darnell's parents and told them what
a wonderful work their daughter had done in our area. Of course they were happy to hear us sing her
praises. We told them that we had
decided not to get to Salt Lake City until August so would be happy to have
them visit us any time. They thanked us for the invitation and said that they
would call if they had time to stop on their way to Nauvoo. We had a very
enjoyable trip home and everyone felt that it was an inspiring experience. Sister Darnell was so happy that we came to
hear her testimony and bid her farewell.
When we arrived home at 11:15 P.M. we checked our answering machine and
a message from Linda Jane said that Victor had called and said that Zach was
back in the hospital with a bad infection and a 10 percent weight loss, as he
hasn't been eating. It was so late that we decided to call Victor at the
hospital tomorrow. Of course we felt
like we should just get in the car and drive out there tomorrow. When we called Victor he said that Zach was
now getting nutrition via IV tubes and was feeling much better. We offered to drive out to help but he said
it would be much better if we could come out for awhile when school
starts. He said they were going to have
to make arrangements to take care of Zack and suggested to Cynthia that since
her job is going to be eliminated that she stay home and take care of the
children. He said that today Jennie left
to spend a week with her Aunt in Seattle and Cynthia had to go on a three-day
business trip. After talking to Victor
we went to Norma's home to take in her mail and take care of her cat as we've
been doing every day. She will be home
tomorrow, Saturday the 24th. We hope that she had a real good time
visiting her family. This was another 90
degree day and Rickie was feeling a little dizzy so we went up to our
air-conditioned bedroom to make some phone calls. Dorothy said that she was feeling better and
was glad that we would be coming in August so she would be well enough to go
with us to visit Kathleen and Dale. We
called Dale and he told us that Kathleen wants us to plan to stay overnight
with them on August 23rd. We
called Willis and Beverly Waite and they were elated that we were coming to
Salt Lake City and offered to pick us up at the Airport at 10:30 P.M., our
arrival time, on the 21st of August and stay with them that night.
We told them that Bishop Theriot wanted them to take over the program in
Sacrament Meeting when they came to visit us September the 19th. They gladly accepted the invitation as they
had enjoyed doing this once before.
Bishop Theriot will be happy about that and we'll look forward to that
treat.
I mowed the lawn early
Saturday morning before the weather got to hot and then we went up to our
bedroom to read the 5 E-mail messages on the computer. My brother Keith wrote about another one of
his almost unbelievable mountain road experiences and also that he had
performed 4 marriages in the Temple this week.
Rickie dressed beautifully to go with me to play for a wedding with our
Singing Strings Quintet in Sterling at 2:30 P.M. Then we played for the wedding reception from
5:30 to 7:30 P.M. at the Dixon Elks Club.
When we got home we went over the hymns for Sunday as Rickie will have
to play the piano and I will conduct as our pianist Sister Berry was
transferred. On Sunday the 25th
we had choir practice to sing in the Sacrament Meeting at 10:00 A.M. I invited our visitors; Brother Hamer and
Brother Both to sing with the choir which made a total of 16 members who sang
beautifully. After Church we took some
dove bars over for our visit with Norma as she was home from her trip. She said that she had a wonderful time but
was glad to be home again even though the temperature was 97 degrees. We were comfortable sitting in her
air-conditioned dining room. Then we
went to visit Sister Wakenight and she was feeling better and ate one of the
bananas as soon as we arrived. She asked to have a prayer with us before we
left. We watched our favorite program
"Touched By An Angel" before going Sister Jesse Darnell called us at 7:30
Monday morning to tell us that they would like to come Tuesday afternoon for a
visit after eating at Brother and Sister Adamson's Dutch Diner in Tampico but
couldn't stay overnight. We called the
Dutch Diner and one of their 12 children, Eileen answered the phone and said
that it would be fantastic if we could come to eat with the Darnell family
tomorrow. They invited Stan and Dolly,
Brenda and Dale and others so we looked forward to quite a happy party. We arrived at the Dutch Diner on Tuesday at
about 11:30 and we all had a great time visiting waiting for the Darnell family
to come. Finally at 1:30 P.M. Beverly
Adamson said that they would like to serve us.
The dinner was delicious and we were sorry that the Darnell family had
come at noon as planned. They called at
3:00 P.M. to apologize for not being able to keep their appointment as they had
car trouble. They said that they would
be able to get to our home about 4:00 P.M.
They arrived at 4:30 P.M. and we visited in our air-conditioned dining
room while eating dove bars our favorite hot weather treat. Sister Darnell,
Jesse, said that she planned to attend the University of Tempe in Arizona to
study physical therapy and then study to be a Medical Assistant. We thanked her for all the service she
rendered as a Missionary here and would pray for her success and happiness in
school. They went on to Chicago to stay with some friends that night.
Section
53--"Sound Of Music" In Dixon with Linda Jane Rachel and
Rebekah. Zach Feeding Tube.
On Wednesday we cancelled
the appointment the doctor had given Rickie for a head scan, as she hasn't had
any more dizzy spells. We called and
invited Linda Jane and her family to come to Dixon Thursday to go with us to
see the musical play "The Sound of Music" in the Dixon Theater. She said that would be great and we could
pick up Rebekah this afternoon if we wanted to.
We thought that would be fun so drove to Rockford. Rebekah was anxious to go with us and waved
goodbye very enthusiastically. She
didn't like being in the car seat very well but finally settled down singing
songs with her Grandma. She had a good
time playing with all the toys in her room and after a bath and some cereal,
milk and cookies she finally got to sleep at 11:30 P.M. She is quite the little "night owl". The bath lasted quite a long time as she
loves the water and having a mind of her own didn't want to get out of the
tub. I suppose that some day she will be
a swimmer.
After breakfast on Thursday
the 29th Rebekah divided the living room into sections with the
couch pillows and then danced to music jumping over the pillows. Of course I videotaped all of her activities
so her mother could see them later. At
1:30 we went for a ride in the car and purchased a supply of Luv diapers. On the way home Rebekah drank some apple
juice and fell asleep her car seat. When
we got home I carried her upstairs and Rickie laid down with her on our bed for
a little nap. This was a good
opportunity for me to put the beef roast in the oven and get everything ready
for our meal with Linda Jane and Rachel at 5:30. Rebekah and Rickie woke up and set the table
so we were all ready when they arrived at 5:15.
We had the air conditioning on in the dining room but it was still
warm. We all enjoyed the meal and ten
went to the theater early to get good seats near the front. The "Sound of Music" was beautifully done and
we all enjoyed it even though it lasted for three hours. Rebekah stayed awake as she had napped in the
afternoon. When we left the theater we
didn't have Rebekah's bottle so Rachel went with back into the theater and we
found it in the dumpster with all the pop bottles. We all slept in our air-conditioned bedroom
because it was 90 degrees in the other bedrooms.
The next morning as Linda
Jane was packing up to go home to Rockford Rickie suggested that we take the
children in our air conditioned car while Linda Jane drove their car with the
windows open. Linda Jane was really grateful for that. We took the leftovers
from the roast beef dinner along to eat at noon. We were sorry that Ed wasn't home for dinner
but there was enough food left for him to eat later when he got home from
work. Rachel practiced the piano and her
violin and then Linda Jane took her and a friend to Magic Waters for fun. She appreciated taking the air-conditioned
car and hoped that the next car they bought would have air conditioning. Ed came home at 3:00 P.M. and said that he
had just put a light fixture in his mother's bathroom. Linda Jane came home at 3:30 and we left for
home a half-hour later. When we arrived
home we were horrified with the news that a Mr. Barton in Atlanta had killed
his wife and 2 children and then shot 9 people and wounded 17 others. We wondered how a person could do such a
thing. The story was that he was
despondent over market losses.
On Saturday July 31st
we heard that Wayne Bryant had died from cancer in Utah. So we went to the Card Shop to get an
appropriate card to send to his wife, Sylvia.
We became good friends when they lived in Freeport. Of course this brought Zach to mind so we
called Victor and found out that Zach is home with a pack on his back
containing all the IV equipment to feed him 24 hours a day. He has gained one pound. He said that they would really appreciate us
coming to help them from August 30th to September 10th. Then we had to call Cristin Balagna and tell
her the situation and asked to be excused from playing at her wedding on
September 4th. Rickie and I
had been looking forward to that as we got very close to the Balagna family
when the father, William (Bud) was my councilor in the Bishopric. For the prelude for Sacrament Meeting on
Sunday, Rickie and I played "What a Friend We Have In
Jesus". "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and "I Know That My Redeemer
Lives", on violin and piano. Then
she played the piano while I conducted the congregation singing the hymns for
the service. Jeff Williams was there
visiting his parents so we had a good visit with him about old times. He is now working in Dubuque, Iowa. After Church Rickie went with me to keep the
date for our quintet to play for Cindy Whitcomb's wedding in the little Stone
Church in Grand Detour. Cindy was my
first clarinet player in the Band when she was in 8th grade and her
father, Tom was one of my best trumpet players when he was in grade school and
now teaches French in High School and helps out in the Music Department. Cindy's mother, Joan, teaches many
students. The temperature had moderated
to 80 degrees so we got along great.
Everyone seemed to like the music we played. On the way home we stopped at Norma' home and
her daughter Sally was there with her daughter Sara so we had a good visit.
They live in Decorah, Iowa. Sally's
husband farms and she works in the Library and are well and happy. When we got home we called Victor and Cynthia
and Cynthia was very happy that they got tickets for us to leave on August 29th
and return on September 11th for $308.00 round trip for both of
us. She said that she really appreciated
us coming to help them for 10 days at a crucial time. Brian called from Wexford about 11:00 A.M on Monday,
August 2nd to tell us that they had arrived home safely and now had
two weeks of packing to do in two days.
We told him that we were sorry that we were not there to help them. He said that he might stop at our home Friday
night on his way to Denton, Texas. We hope it works out so he can do that. Julie Boss called at 8:00 A.M. Tuesday and
asked if she could come over for a blessing in 20 minutes. I told her to come to the front door and we
would be waiting for her. In Priesthood
class last Sunday we were advised that a wife could lay on her hands with her
husband to exercise her faith in the Blessing but couldn't participate as the
voice in giving the Blessing. We
welcomed Julie when she came and I performed the ordinance of Anointing and
Blessing, as she was very despondent and ill with depression. She rested on the couch for a little while
until she felt better then Rickie rode home with her while I drove our car to
their home. We offered to bring her some
food but she said she couldn't eat right now.
Jackie, her daughter came home from swimming and asked her mother about
getting a different doctor, as the one in Rockford didn't seem to be helping
her. She said se would go to one more
appointment that she had for Saturday.
We offered to take her there if John, her husband isn't free to do it.
She thanked us and said she would let us know.
Then we went over to Sterling to turn in the loaner hearing aid control
and buy three CD's for Rachel's Birthday coming up on the 19th of
August. We also bought some chicken
strips. Potato salad and Dutch apple pie. We ate some on the way home and took the rest
over to Julie and her family. Julie ate
a piece of chicken right away and said it tasted really good. We came home, ate some apple pie with ice
cream and went for a walk. Rickie always
said that it was good to take a 15-minute walk after eating a meal. We enjoy walking together at other times too,
just for fun. Tomorrow we have a date to
go to the Chicago Temple with Bishop Loveless and others to do some Sealing
Sessions and Endowments. On Wednesday Julie was feeling so much better that she
went to work at their store Boss Carpet.
We went out to see her and gave her the name of a woman doctor. She said that she would call her for an
appointment. We went home and worked
together to get ready to go to the Temple at 4:00 P.M. Bishop Loveless came
with his van at 4:30 with his wife sitting in front, Brother Theriot and
Brother Froisland sitting in the back and we took the middle seats. We stopped at the Dekalb Oasis and picked up
Sister Vicki Williams so we had a full load.
We had an enjoyable trip and some wonderful Sessions in the Temple. We left the Temple at 9:15 and went to a
Restaurant. Everyone but Rickie and I
ordered a big dinner. We were happy with
some ham sandwiches we brought along and a chocolate shake for Rickie and a
strawberry shake for me that we ordered.
We had a good time visiting and got home at 1:30 A.M.
Section 54--Brian's Visit on Way to Texas. Victor
and Jennie In Salt Lake City for Dinosaur Bone Hunt, Rachel's Birthday With
Family, Including Victor and Jennie, Our trip to Salt Lake City August 21st .
We arrived at Rickie's
dental appointment at 8:45 and Dr. Hey, who had been one of my students in grade school took out
her loose bridge and cemented it back in for $55.00. We were glad to have that done. Friday morning we got all ready for Brian's
visit on the way to Denton. We called
Victor at 2:00 P.M. to wish him and Jennie a good trip to Salt Lake City to go
on a dinasaur bone hunt with Cynthia's father, Lynn Hilton. Cynthia is going to take care of Zachary
while they are gone. Brian arrive about
8:30 P.M. and we sat down to a dinner of Alfredo hamburger helper, ham
sandwiches, watermelon, honey dew melon, tossed salad, peach pie and ice
cream. We wanted to hear all the details
of this tremendous moving operation. The weather cooled off quite a bit so he
said he would be comfortable with the ceiling fan on and the whole house fan
going. We were happy to hear him say that
he wasn't in a hurry so could stay until Sunday afternoon. He really had the van loaded tightly but was
able to get his suitcase and euphonium out. We asked him to play a solo in
Sacrament Meeting and he said that he would be happy to do that. Our Church Members really love to hear him
play when he comes for a visit.
Linda Jane came down at
10:30 with Rachel and Rebekah to visit Brian.
Of course Linda Jane wanted to hear all about their move and their plans
for the year. The children soon had an
elaborate tent made of blankets set up in the living room and Rebekah arranged
the couch pillows so she could carefully walk on them. We had a delicious dinner at 1:00 P.M and
Linda Jane washed the dishes, I wiped them and Rickie put them away. Quite a team. "Many
hands make light work." Brian shined up
the dining room table with liquid gold furniture polish. Linda Jane had to leave at 3:00 P.M. as she
and Ed had a dinner date with some friends.
Brian decided to play "Lead Kindly Light" unacompanied in Church as he
plays it in three different keys that makes it very beautiful and
inspiring. Brian called Rickie's sister,
Lydia in Edelstein and made arrangements to visit her Sunday evening and sleep
on the couch with his own sheets and pillow and this would put him 75 miles
further on the road. Then he called his
friend in Oklahoma City to ask if he could take him out to dinner Monday
evening and stay overnight. "Delighted"
was the response. It is about a 12 hour
drive so he told him to expect him about 6:00 P.M. Brian said that he could then drive to Denton
on Tuesday and be ready to unload the moving van on Wednesday. Wow! This has been and contionues to be a big
project. About Friday Brian will fly
back to Wexford and he and Vinette will drive their car to Denton to stay. They want us to come down to visit them
sometime soon as we have vouchers for a bus trip.
We arrived at Church at 9:10 in time for me to post
the hymn numbers for the audiene to see and get everything ready for the
Service. Sister Dorothy Mielke didn't
come with us as she called to say that she had a nose bleed and had to stay
home. Brian played beautifully and Rickie played the hymns very well and we
enjoyed the inspiring talks. The Bishop was
happy to put Willis and Beverly Waite on the Calender for the program on
September 19th. After lunch
we decided to go to Edelstein with Brian to visit Lydia. We moved the things out of Brian's front seat
into our car so he could have a good visit with his mother on the way. It only took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to make
the trip and it was really great to have a good visit with Lydia before
returning home. We did remember to take
Brian's things out of our car to put them in his front seat. We watched some of the news of Lindberg's
flight to Paris before going to bed. We
felt that we had enjoyed a full day.
Monday morning we went over
to Norma's home to see if she was all right. She was teaching a piano lesson and said that she was
fine except for some bloating. We then
checked on Sister Mielke and she had just returned from a chiropractic
treatment for her aching back. Her nose
had stopped bleeding but she still didn't feel very well. We called Cynthia and
sang "Happy Birthday to You" over the phone.
She said that Zach was sleeping and that they were getting along Okay.
He said that Victor had visited Eric and his wife Jennifer and that they were
well and happy. She said that Victor and
Jennie were excited about the big dinasaur bone hunt tomorrow. Brian called us from Oklahoma City to tell us
that he had arrived just fine and was just leaving to drive to Denton. Our next phone call was from Linda Jane
saying that Rachel wanted to with us to pick up Victor and Jennie at the
Airport on Saturday the 14th.
So we offered to pick Rachel up on Saturday at 4:00 P.M. and then drive
to the Airport to be there for their arrival at 6:P.M. Then Rachel could stay
with us all week and have her Birthday Party on the 19th. On Tuesday we enjoyed our morning walk afer
breakfast as usual and then took care of our mail, bills and paper work. At
2:00 P.M. I took Rickie to June's Room for a permanent and then went to our
quintet rehearsal in Sterling to prepare a program for a Wedding Anniversary
Party. I picked Rickie up at 5:30 and
her hair looked beautiful. We came home
and ate a dinner of steak, sweet corn, salad and apple pie and ice cream for
desert. We called Brian at his rented
home in Denton and were glad to hear that he had made the trip just fine. He
said that the temperature was 107 in the shade but their rented house is air
conditioned so he would sleep well. We heard that Jan Cannon
who played the organ for some of our Messiah performances, just had a cancerous
brain tumor removed so we went to visit her at Rockford Memorial Hospital. She said that the doctors were hoping for a
full recovery.
On Friday August 13th
at 10:00 A.M. we called Dean Parry in Virginia and Brian answered the
phone. He said that he been able to get
some rest since arriving yesterday afternoon and that he and Vinette planned to
leave tomorrow for Denton driving through Memphis as it is much shorter than
going through Dixon. We were glad to
hear that their plans were working out fine.
Then we went to Sterling to finish our shopping for Rachel's Birthday
Party. She loves to read so we bought
"Oliver Twist" , "Ann of Green Gables", "Kidnapped"
and "David Coppefield"'. We also got the CD's she requested, Back Street Boys singing "Melenium,
Spice Girls Group doing "Spice World" and Brittany Speers doing "Baby, One More
Time". Then of course we had to wrap
them in birthday paper when we arrived home.
We did this as we thought we wouldn't have time after we picked up
Victor and Jennie tomorrow at the O'Hare Airport. We went shopping to get a good supply of food
ready including plenty of sweet corn.
Saturday we arrived in
Rockford about 12:30 to take Rachel with us to the Airport and were just in
time to eat some delicious spagetti and salad Linda Jane said that they were
thinking of selling their home and buying one in Loves Park a few miles from
their home because they had a very good School System and they wanted Rachel to
go to Junior High School next year. We
offered to help them with a down payment if they needed it. We arrived at the airport at 5:00 P.M which
gave us plenty of time to get their arrival gate by 6:00. They actually came at 6:25 P.M. and we had a
joyful reunion. Jennie was really happy
that Rachel came to meet them. We
stopped at McDonalds on the way home and Rachel and Jennie really enjoyed their
chicken nugget dinners. Victor had the
same and said it was really good. Rickie
and I shared a crispy chicken sandwich basket.
We had a fun trip home and called Cynthia in the hospital at 8:30
P.M. She said that she was hoping to
take him home in a day or two and that he really misses his Dad. The weather has been cool all day and we are
looking forward to a wonderful week. Victor accepted my invitation for him to
play in Sacrament Meeting tomorrow so I brought my trumpet up from the basement
for him to practice. He always carries
his own mouthpiece in a little bag in his pocket to keep his lips in
shape. He practised "I Need Thee Every
Hour" with Rickie playing the piano. It is a joy to hear him as he plays so
expressively with a beautiful tone.
On Sunday we all ate cereal
of different kinds for breakfast and arrived at Church in time for choir
practice at 9:00 A.M. Sister Mielke had
called to say that she wasn't feeling well enough to go with us. Many told Victor
how happy they were to see him as he had been their Bishop for a couple of
years and said they really enjoyed hearing him play again. He said he loved being home again even though
it was only for a few days. When we got
home I heated up a frozen corn beef casserole we had in the freezer, cooked 8
ears of sweet corn, had watermelon and honey dew melon and then apple pie and
ice cream for desert. The girls then
played ping pong in the basement while Victor, Mother and I went for a leisurly
walk and heard all about their trip to Salt Lake and dinasaur bone hunt that
was very successful. In the evening we
watched a film I had recorded about St. Jude's Hospital for children. It was very interesting and close to home because
it told about a little boys fight with cancer whose name was Zachary. Victor volunteered to make pancakes and heat
sausages for breakfast in the morning like he does at home. We had so much to talk about that we din't get to bed until midnight.
Monday morning we ate Vic's wonderful breakfast at
9:00 A.M. and after cleaning up the dishes we took the girls to Woodland
Wonderland at their request. Then we all
played miniature golf and had a "ball". Linda Jane called to ask us to come to
Rockford on Tuesday to go to Magic Waters as it was going to be a nice warm
sunny day. We said that we would bring a
lunch and meet them there at 10:00 A.M. Ed planned to take off work that day to
go with us all. Everything worked out as
planned and it was a marvelous pre-birthday party for Rachel. After we ate our lunch at some picnic tables
there Rickie and I went to the hospital to see Jan Cannon. We met her husband, Cordell on the elevator
going to her room. Of course she was very glad to see him and us too. President Douglas Nelson came while we were
there so we had a good visit with him also.
We told him that we were sorry we couldn't attend his daughter's wedding
on September 4th as we would be in Arlington helping to take care of
our grandson Zachary who had cancer. We
went back to Magic Waters in time to go with everyone to celebrate Rachel's
Birthday today instead of waiting until the 19th. Linda Jane had prepared a delicious Birthday
Dinner which we all enjoyed including Ed's Mother. We had brought all of our presents along and
when they were put with Linda Jane and Ed's and his Mother's it was quite
display on the cleared dining room tale.
I continued taking vidio pictures while Rachel enthusiasticaly opened
all the presents with joyous exclamations and hugs for each one. Vic and I
helped with the dishes while Rickie took care of Rebekah. We arrived home at about 10:00 P.M. ready for
bed after a full happy day.
Wednesday August 18th
started out as a very rainy day but Linda Jane and Rebekah came from Rockford
to spend the day anyway. The girls had a
great time playing ping pong and other games while Linda Jane, Victor and
visited. Victor told us about his new
plan for human relationships comparing it to his successful trumpet
playing. He said that his plan for
mastering the trumpet was to realize that the trumpet couldn't change and that
it was blameless so he had to make adjustments to accomplish his goals. He said that his concept of the sound he
wanted to produce brought about the coordination of the muscles necessary to
produce it. So his thought was to keep
in mind the loving relationships he desired to bring forth the appropriate
actions to make them a reality. I told
him I would put his theory to the test right away. The rain finally stopped so we took the girls
to the Woodland Wonderland, their favorite place to play. While they were all having fun Rickie and I
came home to prepare the dinner. When we had everything about ready we went to
pick them up. They didn't want to leave
yet but when we said dinner was ready they were ready to come with us as they
said they were really hungry and could hardly wait, especially when we told
them what we had prepared for dinner. We
all enjoyed the pork chops, potatoes and gravy, green beans from our garden,
sweet corn on the cob, carrots (grandma Bowman's recipe) tossed salad and pie, ice cream
and dove bars for desert. Linda Jane was
our speedy dish washer as usual, Victor and I dried the dishes and Rickie put
them away. During this time the girls
put on their swim suits and were all ready to the front yard to run in and out
of the artificial rain of our sprinkler on the lawn. We enjoyed watching them and hearing their sqeals of
delight. After that we all went for a
hike in the Park for a fun day Thursday the 19th I got up
early to prepare a Belgian Waffle breakfast that included, sausages, poached
eggs, orange juice and milk. When we all got to the table we sand "Happy
Birthday to Rachel" as this was really her birthday. After breakfast the girls went to our
neighborhood park to swing, slide and go on the merry-go-round while we went
for a walk. At noon we had a roast beef
dinner as the Elders came to eat with us and give us a special message.
We went to see Norma as her diagnosis was cancer of
the pancreas and she had just returned from a treatment at the Mayo Clinic. She wasn't feeling well at all but was still
optomistic. We were glad that she asked
us to have a prayer for her. She knew
that we understood what she was going through because of our coping with
Zachary's cancer and the concern that she had for his welfare. Stan and Dolly
heard about Norma's condition and offered to check on our home while we were
gone to Utah
since Norma couldn't do it now. We
thanked them and told them that they did not havae to come in every day as the
put through a slot in the front door and could just accumlate on the
floor. In the evening Victor and Linda
Jane played a little concert for us and then watched a special movie on the
TV. Linda Jane washed all of Victor and
Jennies dirty clothes so they could pack them clean to go home tomorrow. We planned to leave at 9:45 in the morning to
get there plenty early for them to check their luggage and get to the boarding
gate without rushing.
Friday
morning we all got up about 7:30 and everyone ate their favorite cereal except
Rebekah. She wanted scrambled eggs and
toast so I prepared it for her. Rachel
had to go home with her mother and Rebekah as she had three friends coming over
for a birthday party that would continue to a slumber party so she had to tell
Jennie goodbye as we all left Dixon. We
had a good trip to the airport and I dropped Victor, Jennie and Rickie off at
the United Airlines entrance with all their luggage
and went to park the car at 11:00 A.M.
There was no parking near because of construction so I had to park about
3 miles away and take a shuttle bus back.
I had to wait a half hour for the bus so I had been gone an hour when I
reached them at the departure gate.
Rickie was very worried and said that she would never let me do that
alone again. We still had a long wait as the plane was delayed and didn't take
off until 2:00 P.M. While we were waiting we had a good visit and got Jennie
some pizza and Victor a sandwich. We had
a good trip home and went to see how Norma was getting along. She said that she had to give herself a shot
in the abdomen every day to try shrink the cancer that
had gone to her liver and get rid of some of the gas that was causing her
bloating. Her son Tom,
came to stay with her and was very attentive to her needs and concerned about
her condition. We called Victor at 6:30
P.M. and they had made the trip just fine and found Zach at home feeling a
little better. He even sang a song for
their homecoming. We called Brian and
Vinette and they said that they were getting along fine and were very busy
unpacking and getting things arranged for living. They wished us well on our trip to Salt Lake
City tomorrow. We decided we could get
along with an over the shoulder bag and a pilots carry on suitcase that hold a
lot so we wouldn't have to check anything.
This
was the day, Saturday August 21st for our departure. We got up at 7:30, ate breakfast then straightened up the house a little
and finishe our packing. I mowed the
lawn and put some tomatoes in the freezer that were getting too ripe. We had lunch and left at 2:30 to go to the
Clock Tower in Rockford to park our car and take the bus to O'Hare Field. The bus was scheduled to leave at 4:20 so we
would have plenty of time. As we were
nearing Rockford Rickie called Linda Jane on our mobile phone and she said she
and the girls would come to the Clock Tower to see us off. They came at 4:00 P.M. and Rachel brought us
some little fish crackers that she loves.
We should have given them some of our lunch but I didn't think of it
until later. Rachel will have tennis
camp next week and will start playing in the Sauk Valley Community Orchestra on
the 30th. I had called the
conductor, Mike Dowell and told him about our trip and got excused from two
rehearsals. Rachel will only miss one
because of her tennis camp. Mike's wife,
Mary, who is the Concert Master told me that their
viola player, Charlie Engle has lukemia and only has from two weeks to six
months to live so asked me to play viola this year. What a tragedy for Charlie and his wife. Cancer seems to be all around us. We got on the bus at 4:25 and waved goodbye
to Linda Jane and her Rachel. Rebekah
had gone to sleep in the car. We arrived at the airport on schedule and got our
boarding passes and seat assignments and walked about a mile to gate 32. We had time to go to the bathroom, eat our
lunch leisurely and visit with a couple of teachers and a Missionary going to
Provo to the MTC. We finally boarded the
plane at 7:55 and took off at 8:15. We
had two aisle seats so a German youth traded seats with Rickie so we could sit
together. In about an hour the flight
attendent brought us a sandwich, some carrots, potatoe chips, 2 macadia nuts
and an orange drink that tasted good. We
had a delightful converstion with the young lady who was sitting in the window
seat and found that she was a member of the Church from Canada. Her name was
Lynn Moisen and we exchanged addresses to keep in touch. We arrived at the airport in Salt Lake City
on time and Willis and Beverly Waite gave us a warm welcome and ride to their
home in their Lincoln Town Car. Willis
said that they got a real bargain paying only $6,000.00 when it cost $45,000.00
new. We had a good visit before going to
bed at midnight.
On
Sunday, August 22nd we got up at 7:30 and were greeted with, "Good
Morning! Did you sleep well?'' and given
a good breakfast of cereal and toast.before going to Church at 8:40. When we arrived only a very few people were
there but by 9:00 A.M. the chapel was full. It reminded us of Church attendance
in Mexico. When Willis introduced us to
Bishop Gomez I spoke Spanish to him and he was very surprised and was
interested to hear my connection with Mexico, especially about our Missionary
experiences in Mexico City. We really enjoyed the meetings. When we got home for lunch their son Bill and
his son Wilson were there. So we had an
interesting visit. We were sorry to hear that Bill was divorced but happy that
Willis and Berverly have been taking care of Wilson most of the time. In the afternoon we visited, Glenn and Helen
Schweniman, Lynn Hilton, Cynthia's father, Victor's son, Eric and his wife,
Jennifer and my sister Dorothy. Helen
has Alzheimer's Disease but was more conversational
than we thought she would be. Glenn is
taking care of her, but is having trouble with is Parkinson's disease which
makes it hard for him to speak clearly and gives him eractic motions and
twiching facial expressions. Dorothy is
feeling pretty well and was happy that we could stay with her Tuesday and
Wednesday. She said she was sorry she
couldn't go to Downey with us tomorrow to see Kathleen but said she didn't
think she could stand the trip. When we got back to Willis and Beverly's home
they insisted that we have a little snack at 10:30 even though we had enjoyed
cookies and ice cream with Dorothy at her home.
We
got up early Monday morning and after breakfast left for Downey, Idaho at 9:00 A.M. driving
the Lincoln Town Car that Willis insisted on us taking saying that we always
loaned them our best car when they came to visit us. In two and a half hours we were in Downey and
received a very warm welcome from Kathleen and Dale. They had the table all set for dinner. Kathleen looked very pretty and visited
beautifully. She said that her son Karl had cleaned the house and that Dale had
prepared the dinner while she just watched wishing she could help. We enjoyed the sweet corn and tomatoes from
their garden and the chicken and salad to go with them. For desert were served delicious German
chocolate cake. After dinner Kathleen
was tired of sitting so needed a rest lying down for awhile. Dale very efficiently brought the lift
machine he had purchased for $4,500.00 and fastened a little canvas seat around
her with a belt and pushed as button to lift her from her chair and wheeled her
into the bedroom. He showed us that it
was easy to swing her over the bed and lower her gently down and then take off
the belt so she could rest comfortably.
After an hour's rest she was ready to go for a ride with us in the
van. Dale had a special front seat tht
swivels out and down so he can put her in the seat easily and push it back in
place. Dale drove to Red Rim Rock then
to Hot Springs sight seeing and Kathleen really enjoyed it and so did we. When we got home she had another little rest
befor supper. We had a real nice visit
before we went to bed and Kathleen promised Rickie that she would try to have a
positive attitude to enjoy life as much as possible. We had a good sleep but Dale had to turn
Kathleen in her bed four times during the night. We got up at 8:00A.M. and
were amazed tosee how well Dale was able to get Kathleen up and ready for
breakfast. He managed to have her take
all her medications which was difficult for her to do. Kathleen had Dale get
out all her genealogy material that was very complete and interesting and gave
us a Book of Remembrance, with everything in it, for Brian. We had another delicious dinner and Rickie
played "God Be With You `Til We Meet Again". While Karl and I sang it.
He said that he is a 2nd Tenor and loves to sing. Karl is their 10th child and they
wondered why after after nine normal children the 10th would be
"Down Syndrome". Now with Kathleen's
illness Karl, now 30 years old, has been a Godsend to them with his loving ways
and willingness to help in every way he can.
He cleans the house, washes the dishes and stays with his Mother when
Dale has to be outside. We reluctant to
leave but were very glad that we could spend this time with them. Kathleen said she really appreciated out
visit and would pray for our saftey on the road. We left at 1:00 P.M. and arrived back at
Willis and Beverly's home at 3:30 P.M.
We told them about our wonderful visit and how much we appreciated
taking their beautiful car. They took us
over to Dorothy's and
said they would like to pick us up Thursday night so they could
take us to the airport Friday morning.
Claudette, Dorothy's daughter, who had spent a year with us going to
High School in Dixon, was there, so we had a good visit hearing all about her
activities. Claudette left her Mother a
book that she wrote entitled "My Life" as a Birthday present. We were happy to read some of it especially
the part she wrote about her stay with us in Dixon. When she left we took Dorothy out to dinner
for her Birthday to
Marie Callender's Restaurant that specialized in many kinds of pies. We had potato soup, corn bread and strawberry
pie with ice cream and had a very good time.
On
Wednesday the 25th we got up at 7:30 to eat breakfast at 8:00 A.M.
so Dorothy could go to the Church to do Genealogy Extraction work. After breakfast she didn't feel very well as
her heart was bothering her so decided not to go to Church. While she rested we went to the Mall to have
our film developed in an hour to show Dorothy the pictures we took of Dale
transporting Kathleen around in their nifty machine. Nelle, who has been living alone since my
brother Claudius passed away came for a visit for a very pleasant hour. Dorothy fixed some delicious vegetable soup
and toast for lunch. Maurine Robinson
and her daughter, Elena came over for a visit as Dorothy had called her to
invite her. Maurine still lives in Mexico but has three daughters living in the
Salt Lake area. Her sister, Hannah Wood,
was one of my companions in the Mission Field in Mexico that I have written
about. They left at 3:00 P.M. and
Dorothy let us take her car to drive to Pleasant Grove to see Charity and
Charlie Wilson and their children as they had called and invited us to come to
dinner. They cooked a steak dinner for us
with all the trimmings and we had a great time catch up on all the news of
their activities. Their children, Nathan
and Natalie are doing vert well in school and they seem to be a very happy
family. We got back to Doroth's home at
8:00 P.M. and watched "Touched By An Angel" with her
before she went to bed. We stayed up
awhile and read some more of Claudette's "My Life" about their stay in Peru and
more about her year in Dixon.
On
Thursday the 25th after breakfast we walked the three blocks over to
Glenn and Helen's home for a little visit.
A neighbor came in and told us about finding Helen walking up the hill
while Glenn was out Home Teaching. He
had come home and couldn't find her so was grateful when this neighbor brought
her home. The neighbor told Glenn that
she would be glad to go with Helen when she wanted to take a walk so she wouldm't get lost. She is at the point now where she
isn't responsible for what she does.
Glenn is doing the best he can but soon will have to take her to a home
for Alzhiemers Disease. When we got back
Dorothy wanted to drive down town to show us the destruction a recent tornado
had caused and show us the magnificent Conference Center under construction. We saw some awesome sights but it didn't look
like that tremendous building would be finished to accommodate April Conference
which was the goal. We told Dorothy how much we appreciated being with her in
her home before Willis and Beverly picked us up at 8:00 P.M. We had a rather confidential visit in Willis
said that their son. Randy is divorced from his wife but she has influened him
to be cut off from association with his parents and keep their children away
from them also. This was very sad news
because we thought so much of Randy. He
said that the situation was so bad that they almost would have preferred losing
him in death. They still love him and the children and hope and pray that some
day he will see the light and come back to them.
Friday
morning, August 27th we got up at 7:30, that
seems to be a good time and after eating breakfast said goodbye to Beverly as
she went off to do Initiatories in the Temple. Willis will go over later to do
Sealing Sessions. Willis dropped us off
at the airport at 10:00 A.M. as we requested saying that we could find our way to
the departure gate just fine. We told
him that we would look forward with joys to their coming to see us in September
and reminded him of the appointment we made with the Bishop for them to do the
program in Sacrament Meeting in the Sterling ward on September the 19th. We had no problem getting on our plane at the
airport and had a good flight and a good lunch and landed on time at 3:55 P.M.
in time to get on the 4:30 bus to Rockford since we didn't have any checked
luggage.
We arrived at Linda Jane and Ed's home at 6:30 and
they all came out to greet us with hugs and kisses. It was really darling the way little Rebekah
stretched out her arms to her grandmother so lovingly. They wanted to hear all about our trip in detail so
we didn't get home until 9:00 P.M. We
called Stan and Dolly and they came over and visited until 10:00 while we all
feasted on Dove Bars we had in the freezer.
We thanked them profusely for taking care of or home so well and they
said that they were glad they could do it for us and would continue next week
when we went to Arlington to help to take care of our little grandson
Zachary. We had a big stack of mail that
we will take care of tomorrow. Our bed
felt really good in our air conditioned bedroom.
We
got up early Saturday morning and after breakfast Rickie did the washing while
I took care of the mail, went to the Post Office and cashed a check at the Band
to have extra money for our trip. We had
sweet corn, crispy chicken and french fries for lunch.
About 1:00 P.M. Then I mowec the lawn,
took a shower and got ready to play for a wedding at 3:00 P.M. Rickie went with me of course. The weather was really warm with the
temperature in the 90's. The air
conditioning wasn't working in the Church so I was dripping with sweat before
the wedding was over. We played a lot of
music for a prelude and also a postlude besides the music in the wedding for
the Mother's entrance, the bride's maids and the bride to come in. Rickie went out to sit in the car in the
shade for an hour. When we arrived home
we packed for our trip tomorrow. We
planned to get up at 4:00 A.M., leave for Rockford at 5:00 A.M. to catch the
6:25 bus at the bus terminal instead of the Clock Tower as we be sure to get good seats and the parking is free there.
Sunday
August 29th we got up at 3:00 A.M. instead of 4:00 A.M.as Rickie got
a little nervous and excited so we left Dixon at 4:00 to to go to Rockford to
the bus terminal. Instead of taking the
6:25 bus we took the 5:15 bus so got to O'Hare at 7:00 A.M. We had no trouble getting our boarding passes
and getting to our departure gate B3 for Flight 606 to the Reagan Airport in
Washington, D.C. We had two hours to wait before boarding our plane so had a
relaxing time walking around and reading the paper and writing in my Journl. We
had a good flight with a snack on the way of a roll, a fruit cup and an orange
drink. We arrived on time at 12:07 P.M. and we were happy to see Cynthia and
Jennie there to take us home with them. When we got there Vic said he had
planned to take Zachary to Church but they agreed that since he had been
vomiting and wasn't feeling well we would all stay home today. Cynthia called to tell them that she couldn't
be there to play the piano for Primary.
We gave Zach the leggos that we brought for him and he enjoyed putting
it together right away even though he was weak and not feeling well He is really
talented in putting legos together. He
was tired so Victor took him upstairs for a nap. Cynthia had someting to do on the computer,
Jennie to watch "Sleeping Beauty" and Rickie and I went downstairs to hear
Victor musical practice for an engagement to play 1st cornet with a
brass quintet for a benefit program. On September 11th. We told him that we hoped to be able to hear
him do that program. Then I helped
Victor arrange the basement and make our bed. Then we unpacked our clothes and
hung some up in the closet ready for any change we might have to make. Victor
said that we would probably be taking him to the hospital on Tuesday. Tonight they had quite a procedure to go
through before putting him to bed for the night, changing his bandages and
flushing his tubes to give him his medication.
For the evening meal Victor cooked steaks on the grill outside and had
baked potatoes and corn to go with them which we really enjoyed. Then we had a Family Home Evening in the
Music Room with Jennie in charge. Zach
was comfortable in the lounging chair.
Jennie asked me to give a little talk so I talked about adversity saying
that nearly everyone has problems and some have more trials than others. I told them about our trip to Salt Lake and
how our Sister Kathleen has Lou Gehrig's Disease and
is helpless but still keeps smiling and that our other Sister Dorothy has weak
legs and an irregular heart making it difficult for her to walk, but she still
has her family come in for dinner for holidays.
Zachary smiled and seemed to understand the message. We sang "Beautiful Savior" with Cynthia
playing the piano. Jennie accepted Zach's request to let him say the closing
prayer and he did it very well giving thanks for blessings received. His temperature was up but if it is down in
the morning we won't have to take him to the hospital. I reviewed the directions to get there just
in case.
We
got up in the morning at 7:30 and Zach's temperature was down to 99.2 so he
didn't have to go to the hospital. Also
he took his medicine better this morning.
Jennie was scheduled to go to Gymnastic Camp this morning but really
didn't want to go as she said the teacher was rough on her last year. Victor went to School and we took Jennie to
Camp. Rickie talked to her and asked her
to be more respectful when she talked to her Dad. She said, "I'm sorry. I'll try."
Zach slept most of the day but did wake up to go to the bath room when
he needed to. He thanked us for being
there to help him when he needed help.
Brent came over and Zach seemed glad to see him. He showed us the damaged fender and broken
light on his new Saab caused by a girl backing into his car in a parking
lot. He said that his insurance should
take care of it. We took Zach's temperature
and it had gone up to l0l.8 so we called Victor and school. He called the doctor and got the message that
he should bring him to the hospital in the evening if the temperature didn't go
down. The temperature went a little
higher so Victor took him to the Hospital to stay all night with him and asked
us to be there by 7:00 A.M. so he could go to move all his equipment to the
right schools.
Tuesday
morning the 31st we got up at 5:30 and got to the hospital on time
but Victor wasn't quite ready to leave.
Zach's temperature was 10l.8 and blood pressure was 98 over 57. Victor left about 7:10 A.M. Cynthia came about 1:30 P.M. and asked for a
doctor to come and check Zach. He
slapped the doctor as he was looking in his mouth. The doctor said tht Zach's mouth was very dry
and that he would have something put in the IV to take care of it. Cynthia said that she would stay with Zachary
now for awhile so we could take a note to Victor when he came home from school
with a list of things to do before coming to the hospital. When we got home at about 3:30 we ate some
left-overs out of the fridge including a piece of pie. We picked up Jennie at her Gymnastic Camp
while Victor was getting things ready to go to the hospital. We were happy that Jennie had a very good day
at the camp. Vic practised the trumpet
for forty five minutes then cooked some spagetti. We told him that we had already eaten so he
and Jennie ate the spagetti before he went to the hospital. Also he had to prepare the IV Bag by
injecting into it some vitamins and added nutrients. Rickie wasn't feeling very well so I gave her
a nitroglycerine tablet for her angina pain. Jennie went upstairs to take a
bath and watch a movie until her Mom came home. Cynthia came home about 9:15
and ate some of the spagetti that was left.
We all went to bed about 10:00 P.M.
Rickie was having a difficult time getting to sleep as she couldn't get
a deep breath. I gave her an extra
pillow that seemed
to help her finally get to sleep about midnight.
I
woke up at 5:30
Wednesday morning, September the 1st and woke Rickie
up at 6:00 A.M to get ready to go to the hospital. She was tired and still not feeling well but
made the effort and we arrived about 7:10.
Victor was happy to see us and left as soon as he told us Zach had been
up every hour with his diarhea. By 10:00
A.M. Zach had been to the bathroom twice and had stomach cramps. Rickie went to the nurses
station to report his condition and asked for a doctor to examine him. The doctor came and felt Zach's stomach that
was very painful. Zach blurted out,
"Stop that you idiot". The doctor paid
no attention so I guess he was used to getting cutting remarks. The nurse came in and said that the doctor
told the Oncology Department what to get for him. We tried to get him to drink some apple juice
or take some ice cream but he didn't want anything. Thet gave him an injection of morphine and
that seemed to stomach pains and his chills. He sat up and played with his toys
then put transfer tattoos of reptiles on his arms that were brought to him from
the Oncology Department. At 3:30 they
took him to the first floor for an ultra sound of his abdomen. Zach didn't like it but endured three
episodes. We finally got him upstairs at
5:00 P.M. and met Cynthia going to the room.
After we gave her a
report of all that had happened during the day she sent us home
and said that Vic would cook dinner and to tell him about the list she left on
the table for him. We had no trouble
driving home in one of their cars and found Victor teaching a trumpet student. Rickie saw the macaroni and cheese box on the
counter so prepared it for a good meal.
When Victor finished teaching he joined us and we had Dove Bars for
desert as we kept a supply in the freezer.
He took care of the list Cynthia left him and left for the hospital at
8:15 P.M. We left at the same time to
pick up Jennie from her Camp. We stopped on the way home at a service station
and filled the tank with gas. When we
got home we warmed up some macaroni and Cheese and gave her a Dove Bar for
desert. There was enough left for
Cynthia when she got home but she to eat wheat thin crackers, cheese and fruit
instead. We took an alarm clock to be
sure to wake up at 5:30 to get to the hospital by 7:00 A.M. Cynthia planned to spend the day with Jennie
so they will sleep in for once. We went
to bed at 10:30 and Rickie was feeling better so we went to sleep quickly.
In
the morning, Thursday I woke up just before the alarm sounded at 5:30. I left the alarm on and was loud enough to
wake up Rickie. She took her synthroid
pill and citrocel and didn't want any breakfast so I took some cereal along for
later. We got to the hospital at 6:50
and Victor had just finished showering.
After preparing the medicine for us to give to Zach he left at
7:20. Before he left he told us that he
was thinking of giving up his teaching job so he could take care of Zach as
that is the most important job right now.
We had to wait an hour before giving Zach his medications by mouth. At 11;15 the nurse
started giving him a blood transfusion without giving him tylenol as she said
he wouldn't take it. The blood flow
clogged up and his temperature went up to l02.9 so they didn't start the
transfusion again. They will try this
afternoon to give a tylenol tablet before the
transfusion. Rickie told them that we
could get him to take the tylenol. She finally ate some cereal but was very sad
about Zach's condition and Victor's thought of quiting his teaching job. Zach asked, "Grandma why are you crying?" I pushed the thermostat up a little so Zach
wouldn't have to cover up so much which pleased him. We were able to get Zach to take the tylenol and they started the transfusion at 5:30 P.M. that
would go on for four hours. Cynthia came
at 7:45 P.M. and Zach seemed happy to see her.
We must have passed Victor on the way as Jennie was home with the doors
locked when we arrived. She saw the car drive up so opened the door for
us. We ate some food before Cynthia got
home at 9:30. She said that she would be
going to work tomorrow to clean out her desk then come to the hospital. The plan was for us to get to the hospital
tomorrow early so Victor could take Jennie to an all day party before going to
work at school.
On
Friday, September 3rd we left for the hospital at 6:15 just as
Cynthia go home from her morning swim at the High School
Pool. We got to Zach's room at
6:45. He fixed the pilocartine mouth
wash and tooth brush for us to help Zach use before he left. We found that Zach does everything when he is
ready so we didn't rush him at got the job done just fine. Zach watched the movie "Ghosts" and then went
to sleep at 9:30 A.M. I went down to the
cafeteria and bought a sweet roll some fruit and a doughnut for Rickie to eat
so she could take her pills that had to be taken with food. She only ate about half so wanted me to finish
the food for her. How about that? Victor told us that he has planned a Birthday
Part for Cynthia Saturday evening and has arranged for Zach's teacher to stay
with him so we can all be there for the party.
Lt. Suttons and two other doctors came in to check Zach and said that he
could probably go home tomorrow and come back Tuesday for tests of his
esophagus before the procedure of putting tube in his stomach is done on
Wednesday the 9th. Zach slept
most of the afternoon so we read the Guide Post magazine and got some chicken
strips, french fries from the cafeteria. Victor called to tell us he would pick up Jennie 4:00 P.M. then
prepare dinner for us. We told him that
we had just eaten so wouldn't want any supper.
I told Victor that the doctor said that Zach could probably go home
tomorrow. He said that he preferred that
Zach stay in the hospital until his feeding tube is in place so he will request
that. It didn't seem likely that would happen as his temperature is normal and
the nurse said that he doesn't need a private room now and the only way he can
stay here is having his temperature go up again. Cynthia has lot to do in her last day of work
for the "Toxic Waste Co." so will come to the hospital late tonight. Zach watched "Mission Impossible" until his
mother came at 7:30 P.M. After giving
her as detailed report of the day we left at 8:00 P.M. and arrived home at
8:30. We had a good visit with Victor
and told him that we thought it would be a good idea to hold on to his teaching
job as Cynthia had now lost her position.
He left for the hospital at 9:00 P.M and Cynthia got home at 10:15 and said she
was very tired after her long day. The
plan was for Victor to leave Zach in the morning to come home to make pancakes. I offered to make the pancakes so Victor
could come home after we got to the hospital and eat some pancakes and finish
the patch in the ceiling that he had started.
She said that would be fine and called Victor to tell him to wait for us
to get there in the morning before coming home.
Saturday
morning the plan worked out just fine and when we got tol the hospital Victor
had just prepared Zach's medication for us to give him that would deaden his
throat so they could put a scope down his throat and install a peg in his stomach
from the inside out instead of making an incision on the outside. This was necessary for a feeding tube to be
installed. We explained all this to Zach
very patiently and eventually he swallowd the medication. While Victor went
down to the hospital pharmacy to get some more medication the doctor came and
said that Zach could go home as soon as Victor signed the papers. He called Cynthia and told her what was going
on so she wouldn't come to the hospital at 1:00 P.M. as planned. We packed up everything and I carried things
down to the car. Zach went to the
parking lot in a wheel
chair with me pushing it. He rode in our
car and Victor followed us home arriving about 12:30 P.M. Zach was really happys to see his
Mother. Victor got his IV ready and got
him settled on the couch. We went to the
store to get a Birthday card for Cynthia's surprise party tonight and brought
some skim milk and Dove Bars home. We
ate a Dove Bar on the way home. We
helped Victor get Zach to take his medication with the promise of watching a
movie. While he was doing this Victor
put a new program on the computer and Cynthia took care of her paper work. I went with Victor to pick up Jennie at the Ashley
home and then we had pizza with brocolli and tomatoes and fruit for supper. Cynthia took Jennie with her to buy some
underwear for Zach and this gave Victor an opportunity to get everything ready for the surprise party. Cynthia and Jennie came home at 7:15 and was really surprised to hear "Happy Birthday To You" from
guests in the living room. They had
brought flowers, gifts and Kathryn Johson brought a Birthday Cake. Cynthia was really surprisesd and we all had
a wonderful time. I recored everything with Victor's video camera and Rickie
took a roll of snapshots. We had some
interesting conversations especially with Peter and Margaret Lagenberg. They have adopted three Russian children and
are doing very well. After everyone left
Victor gaave Zach his medication and carried him up to bed to read him a story
and sing him a lullaby to go to sleep.
Before doing this Victor gave a beautiful family prayer. Tomorrow was to
be "sleep in" time as Church Services begin at 1:00 P.M.
Rickie
and I woke up at 8:30 had a nice warm shower, dressed in our Sunday Clothes and
read the EEE from Brian and Vinette.
This was Fast Sunday so we didn't have to worry about breakfast. We spent some time with Zach and then read
President Hinckley's message in the Ensign.
We went to Church at 12:45 with Victor and Jennie and Cynthia stayed
home with Zach. After
Sacrament Meeting Victor went home to stay with Zach while Cynthia came to play
the piano for Primary. In
Sacrament Meeting we heard some heart-felt testimonies and in Sunday School the lesson dwelt on Galations 6:7 "Be not deceived.
God is not mocked. Whatsover ye sow ye shall reap." In priesthood Brother Bennett told about his
trip to Korea and Japan. He said that
there is a "cease fire" in Korea but the war is still on with million troops
ready to fight. North Korea is void of
trees as they were all cut down for firewood.
He said that South Korea is agricultural and has many trees and plenty
of food. The north
Koreans are malnourished and shorter and lighter than the South Koreans. He said that his grandfather was Mission
President in Japan in 1902 and made no progress at all. Now there is a Temple in Japan and the people
have accepted many western ways along with the gospel. He said that the U.S. is the super power of
the dworld and the base from which the gospel is to go forth. When we got home Victor was practicing his
trumpet beautifully and Zach was watching a movie. We had a ham dinner about 5:00 P.M. with
green beans, rice and cheese that tasted very good. After Victor got Zach to take his medications
we had Family Home Evening. Cynthia
played the piano for us to sing a Primar song "Built His House Upon A
Rock". Victor offered a prayer and I
gave a lesson on
President Hinckley's talk on "Excllence". Then Cynthia read a story about the birth of
Jesus. After a closing prayer by Jennie we had cake and ice cream before going
to bed.
Monday
September 6th was Labor Day so there was no school and no work so
Rickie was able to sleeep in a little while.
We had breakfast about 9:00 A.M. and then washed our dirty clothes while
Victor took care of Zach. Jennie went to
a show with some friends about 11:30 A.M. Victor mowed the lawn and sanded the
ceiling he had patched. As a reward we
gave him some Dove Bars. Hi! Dean Parry called and said they would like to pick
us up and go to dinner with Brian P. and Juli.
Brian P. drove Dean's Lincoln Continental to pick us up and go to an Italian restaurant. We had a very enjoyable time visiting and
eating. We went back to Parry's home for more visiting and ice cream and
cake. We told that we were very glad we
had this opportunity to be with them.
When Brian P. dropped us off at Victor's he also left the little drum
set we had given him for Zach as he now had a bigger set. The family was watching a show about the
astronauts "The Right Stuff" so we joined them while they ate ice cream. On Tuesdasy we went with Victor to take Zach
to the hospital to get ready for the installation of his stomach tube on
Wednesday. Cynthia said that she would
like to take Zach to the hospital alone on Wednesday so we won't go in until
noon.
Wednesday
morning the 8th we had breakfast about 8:00 and took Jennie to the
bus for school. Victor finished his
letters to send to parents and went to school at 8:25. At about 11:30 we ate some ham with bananas
and milk so we would be ready to go to the hospital at noon. Victor came home at noon and said that was
"fasting" so wanted to go to the hospital with us to see Zach before
tonight. After a visit
and talking things over they left Zach in our care until 8:00 P.M. when Victor
would come to spend the night.
Zach said that he couldn't breath very well so
I raised the head of the bed and he settled down for a nap. Victor and Cynthia
had received a thorough briefing on how to use the stomach tube and the weaning
process from the IV to the tube feeding.
The tube has to be flushed before and after feeding. Dr. Sullivan the doctor that performed the procedure, came in to examine Zach and said that he would be
able to go home Thursday or Friday P.M. and they would try to give him some
food through the tube tomorrow. Victor
came about about 8:45 P.M. and we left at 10:00 P.M. When we got home Cynthia and Jennie were
asleep so we had
crackers, bananas and milk a dove bar, took our pills, had
prayer, set the alarm for 5:00 A.M. and
went to bed.
Thursday
morning we got up at 5:00 A.M. and Cynthia left for her morning swim at
5:15. We had little breakfast, took our pills and
got to the hospital at 6:10. Victor was
in the shower and was surprised that we arrived so early. Zach was uncovered to his waist but was warm
enough because he pushed the blanket back down when I pulled it up, a student nurse, Lena Grubb came in at 6:40 to check Zach. She had been on duty all night and had given
him morphine at 1:00 P.M. and at 3:00 A.M.
Polly, Cynthia'a sister, called last night at 11:30 and I told her that
Cynthia wouldn't
answer the phone after 9:30 P.M. so I told her about Zach's
condition. This morning I told Cynthia
about Polly's call so she could call her and give her details. I also told Victor this morning that Polly
called last night and I told her that Jennie said she enjoyed her visit in her
home and was doing okay even though he was having quite a bit of pain. Victor left at 7:00 A.M. and Cynthia is
planning to come at 4:30 P.M. At 9:30
A.M. Zach went to the bathroom and at 10:00 said that his stomach hurt. The nurse and a doctor came in to check him
but didn't give him any medication for it.
He wanted a cold cloth on his head so we supplied that. At 11:30 the nurse gave him some morphine for
the pain and he felt better. She said
that he could go home as soon as his parents came and fed him here in the
hospital through his tube to make sure they could do it. Dr. Grahm came in and said that they would
give him pediolyte through his tube today and tomorrow he can be given
nourishment. Then Dr. Morrow came in and
tried to turn the tube but Zach wouldn't allow it. She said that it had to be
turned every day He
went to the bathroom at 2:00 P.M. and then wanted to play with his legos. Rickie suggested to Zach that we could give
him a ride in the wheel chair but he wasn't interested and just wants to be
left alone. He had more pain at 3:30
P.M. and went to the bathroom at 4:00 and was watching "Hercules" on TV when
Cynthia came at 4:45 P.M. She saw Dr.
Sullivan and he told her that they were going to turn his peg and give him some
peiolyte through his tube. We left at 5:00 P.M and Victor was teaching a
trumpet student when we got home. We ate
supper together when he finished teaching.
Cynthia came home and said that the feeding tube trial was a disaster as
the nurse spilled the fluid all over Zach and his pillow. She said that she would like to go to the
Hospital in the morning to release Victor and 7:00 A.M. and we could get Jennie
off to school on the bus before coming to the hospital to stay all day. Jennie got frustrated trying to play her new instrument, a
french horn and she hurt her ankle in the music room and went upstairs. Rickie asked Cynthia if it was all right for
her to go up and talk to her and she said, "Good luck". Rickie was successful in getting Jennie to
apologize to her Mother for screaming at her and being disagreeable.
On
Friday, Septemer 10th we got up at 6:00 A.M. to see Cynthia before
she went to the hospital at 6:30. After
breakfast we took Jennie to her school bus stop and then went to the hospital
to join Victor and Cynthia and Zach.
Victor went to school to do his program of testing the students to
select an instrument for them to begin studying. At 9:45 A.M. I Cynthia and I took Zach to the
psychology building for a preliminary discussion Two pschiatrists interviewed Zach to
see what they could advise to help him with the trauma of his illness. I took Zach back to his room at 11:00 A.M. to
be ready for his nutrition through his tube and Cynthia stayed to talk to the
doctors. She came back to the room about
noon and left for home leaving us to take care of Zach for the rest of the day. Zach threw up after his 2:00 P.M. feeding and
the nurse thought that they had probably given him too much. Victor came at 8:30 to stay the night. When we got home Cynthia asked me to make
pancakes in the morning for breakfast since tomorrow would be Saturday
September 11th our departure date.
We packed up all our things ready to go before we went to bed.
Saturday
morning we ate breafast about 7:20 and Jennie and Cynthia said the pancakes I
had cookd were good. Cynthia dropped us
off at the airport at 8:50 so we had plenty of time to get to our departure
gate with our boarding passes.
We had a good flight and
arrived at O'Hare in time to catch the bus to Rockford. When we arrived there we picked up our car and drove to Linda
Jane's to give her a report of our trip.
She had a delicious dinner ready for us as we had given her the time of
our arrival over the phone. We arrived
home at 4:00 P.M. in time for me to dress in my tuxedo and get to the Grand
Detour to play for a wedding with our String Quintet. After the
wedding we played at the reception in Dixon. We got home at 11:00 P.M. with $45.00 and
Rickie said that she had a good time listening to the music, eating and
visiting with friends. We were tired and
ready for bed but felt happy for the help we had been able to give to Victor,
Cynthia, Jennie and Zach.
Sunday morning was our
Weekaversary, September 12th.
Dorothy Mielke rode to Church with Emma Padgett as she had done while we
were gone. We took over the music and it
seemed like we had hardly been away.
Everyone seemed glad to see us and wanted to know how our little
grandson Zach was getting along with his cancer. We spent the rest of the day getting ready
for Willis and Beverly's arrival tomorrow at 6:00 P.M. at the Sweeden House in
Rockford. In the morning we prepared a
dinner for us all to eat when we got home. Rickie wanted to make sure we got
the the Sweeden House on time so we arrived at 5:15. They were not on the 6:00 P.M. bus so we had
to wait for the 7:00 P.M. bus. Willis
and Beverly looked great and we had a warm reunion. con
abrazos (with hugs). Linda Jane and
Rachel were already home when we arrived.
She helped Rickie get the food ready while Rachel and I went to Sauk
Valley Orchestra Rehearsal. I played
viola as requested and the conductor Mike Dowell was complimentary and said
that the other viola player, Chris, played better when I was there. When we got home the folks had eaten as I
asked them to and Linda Jane had to leave with Rachel and Rebekah as she had
much to
On Tuesday we took Willis
and Beverly to Champaign to see all their old school haunts and talk to professors there
that were their friends. We had a
confidential chat on the way down and ate at their favorite restaurant. They said that they really enjoyed visiting
with old friends there. We couldn't find
one friend they went to see as he no longer lived at te
address we had and the neighbors thought that he had died. On Wednesday we drove to Rockford picked
Marian Ciembronowica and had dinner with Orval Erickson who was our former
Stake President. We all really enjoyed
talking about "old times." On Thursday we
drove to Nauvoo and heard all about the plans to rebuild the Temple. Willis was happy that he was able to get a
lot of information at the Records Office on the Wolfe side of his family. We
visited the Carthage Jail on the way home and enjoyed the presentation there
and the story of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother,
Hyrum. We found a good place to eat at
Monmouth on the way home and talked about all the interesting things we had
seen and heard. We arrive home at 9:30
and Willis and Beverly said that they were tired, but happy to have had this
wonderful day.
On Friday the 17th
we called Helen Belnap in DeKalb and told her that Willis and Beverly were here
and would like to take her out to dinner.
She said that she would be delighted.
Willis and her husband Ralph, had worked
together as counselors in the Mission here before he passed away. When we arrived her nephew was there from
Utah so we had a good visit with him also.
He said that homes were getting almost too expensive to buy in the Salt
Lake City area. Helena was sweet and
enthusiastic a always and gave us pie and ice cream
for desert after we got home from the restaurant. Willis and Beverly said that
they really appreciated having this very enjoyable day. Saturday morning we stayed home and talked. They told us more about their son Randy who
is divorced and is still shutting them out following his former wife's desires
so they don't get to see their grandchildren.
They said that they had finally just given this situation to the Lord so
they could have a little peace and enjoy the rest of their faithful, loving
family. We went to visit Vincent Gilbert and his wife Cheryl and Willis gave
them some very good counsel. Vincent has
been very ill and asked for as blessing with Willis sealing the annointing. They were very grateful. We had put a roast in the oven so had a
delicious roast beef dinner with all the trimings when we got home.
Sunday morning, the 19th
we got up early at 6:00 A.M. to leave for the Stake Priesthood Meeting in Byron
at 6:30. Stan Williams went with us. Rickie and Beverly had a little longer sleep
as we wouldn't be back to pick them up until 8:30. The meeting was very inspiring and we were
happy that we were there to enjoy it. We
got home at 8:35 to pick up our ladies, Rickie and Berverly and Dorothy
Mielke. We arrived at Church at 9:0 5
and had a little time to visit for the start of Sacrament Meeting at 9:30. Beverly played the piano and Rickie conducted
the hymns for the congregational singing very well. Bishop Theriot announced that
the program woud be given by Brother and Sister Waite. After the opening hymn and prayer Beverly
spoke inspiringly and then she played the piano while they sang a duet "In the
Garden" very beautifully. Willis gave a
wonderful talk as usual and after the meeting everyone said that they really
were impressed and inspired to live the gospel.
In Sunday School we attended the Missionary
Class taught by Sister Brenda Druien "Sacrifice" and had the opportunity to
express our ideas.
This Sunday they had a
combined Priesthood and Relied Society Meeting on Welfare that was very
interesting and informative. When we got
home we warmed up what was left of the roast beef dinner and Willis and Beverly
said it was very good. We took Willis
and Beverly to visit Sister Wakenight and she was really happy to see us. She gave Willis her favorite grandson,
Jared's phone number and said that she would really appreciate it if they would
call him to see how he is getting along and tell them that they had visited his
grandmother who loves him very much.
Tomorrow Willis and Beverly said they would like to go to the Dutch
Dinner for lunch and to visit the Adamson family who own and run the
restaurant. Terry and Beverly Adamson
have 12 children and those that are home work in the restaurant.
On Monday morning I called
Brenda Druien to invite her to go to the Dutch Diner with us but she wasn't
home. She and Dale live in the country
on the way to the Dutch Diner in Tampico so we stopped and I left her a note
with the invitation to join us. When we
arrived at the diner we got a call from Brend saying that she had found the
note and would be glad to join us and would leave immediately. Terry and
Beverly and the children were really happy to see Willis and Beverly and said
that our dinner would be their treat just as if we were in their home. Brenda came just in time to eat with us and
we had as good visit. Brenda told us of
her assignment by the Mission President to take the Missionaries to Chicago
when they were going to be transferred and then take them to their new field of
labor. Willis thought that was really
asking too much of her and said he would see if he could do anthing about
it. When we got home
about 2:30 they said they would like to take a little "power nap" before going
to Rockford to spend a week with Beverly' brother, John Landgren and his wife,
Janie. We let them take our newest car the 1995 Cutlas Cierra with the
hope that they wouldn't have any trouble driving. Their plan was to take the bus at the Sweeden
House on Wenesday, Septmember 29th at 4:10 A.M. and have John take
them there, so asked us to pick up our car on Tuesday. They left about 5:00 P.M. and thanked us
profusely for a wonderful time. I had to
play with our Quintet for a Teacher's Retirement dinner from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.
so Rickie as happy to go with me as always.
It was a very nice affair at $10.00 a plate. I finally got Rickie to eat in my place at a
table with friends. When we got home we
got our E-Mail from the computer and enjoyed reading Brian and Vinette's weekly
EEE message before
going to bed early.
Tuesday, September 21st
was Victor and Cynthia's Wedding Anniversay so we called the hospital in
Washington D.C. at 6:30 and talked to Cynthia.
She thanked us for our good wishes and said that she would tell Victor. We knew how busy she was so we called the
hospital at 9:00 P.M. and wished him a Happy Anniversary. He said that he appreciated that very
much. He said that Zach was taking his
24 hour Chemotheraphy and wasn't feeling very well and is having a tough
time. In the afternoon I moved our cars
out of our driveway so that the men roofing our neighbors
house could park their truck there to catch the shingles off the roof. Our neighbor Gary Schreiner said that he
appreciated that. We told him that we appreciated all the nice things he did
for us like clearning our drive way and sidewalk with his snow blower in the
winter. Wednesday morning Rickie had the
bright idea that if we went home with Linda Jane and Rachel after the Orchestra
Rehearsal next Monday night and stayed overnight we could pick up our car on
Tuesday without having to drive two cars.
We called Linda Jane and she said that would be great to do that. Willis
called from Rockford to tell us that next Tuesday, the day before they were to
leave there was going to be a Temple Day for the Stake with a bus leaving
Rockford at 9:00 A.M. and returning at 3:00 P.M and asked us to go along with
them. We said that would be great as we
would be at Linda Jane's home in Rockford.
He said he would pick us up in our car at 8:30 A..M.
on Tuesday, the 28th.
On Thursday the 23rd
we called Norma at her daughter, Sally's home in Decorah, Iowa. She said that she is doing alright but is
still uncomfortable and disappointed that they really didn't do anything for
her at the Mayo Clinic except extract one liter of fluid from her abdomen. Then we called Dallas and Margaret Ward in
Idaho because after they got home from their Mission here Dallas had taken a
fall on his motorcycle and injured his leg seriously. The said that they were happy to hear our
voices and gave us the good news that Dallas can now walk on his leg without
limping. That was very good news. She said that they were sorry they didn't get
to see us when we were in Utah. They are
a wonderful couple. Next we called my
sister Kathleen and thanked her for her letter thanking us for coming to visit
her and she told us that her daughter, LaVone's husband, Gary has bone
cancer. Rickie had a painful earache so
asked for a Priesthood Blessing. After
that she was able to go to sleep.
Friday morning we took care of our mail, ate
breakfast and went for a nice walk to the Post Office to mail our bills and
letters. We came home and played `cello
and viola for fun then Rickie called her good friend Connie Cross for an update
on all her children that were her piano students. We called Stan and Dolly and they said that
they had come to visit us as home teachers but hadn't found us home. We told them that we were shopping and taking
care of Norma's cat so offered to drive out to their home to do the Home
Teaching in reverse. We had a very good visit and Stan offered to drive to the
Stake Priesthood meeting in Byron on Sunday at 6:30 A.M.from our home and take
Dale Druien along as usual as I had driven the last time. We had as good talk about alternate medicine
and vitamins and we were amazed at their knowledge of it. They said that their
son, Jeff was having trouble with his back as he sat at a computer most of the
day. He had taken their advice and took
MSM (a sulphur compound) and lost his aching back and was able to work with
more energy. Stan thought that it would
be worth a try to use it for Rickie's arthritis so we said we would do it. When we got home Rickie got a cal from Emma
Padgett offering to take her to the Relief Society dinner at 5:30 and stay for
the Women's broadcast from Salt Lake at 7:00 P.M. She said that she would let
her know as she had a cold and was starting to cough. I gave her some Robitussin cough medicine and
some zinc lozenges and hope that she will be feeling better tomorrow. I told her that she better sleep as long as
she could in the morning as rest is good to help get over a cold. Rickie was able to rest until 10:30 A.M. so
we had breakfast that we called "brunch" at 11:00 A.M. I called Linda Jane and told her that we
wouldn't be coming up to Rockford to go to Church with them as her Mother had a
bad cold. She said that Rebekah also has a cold. Also but
they would come Monday night for Sauk Valley Orchestra Rehearsal. I called the hospital and found that Zack is in a different room and that Brother Dick Hanneman
is taking care of him watching a movie together while Victor and Cynthia are
celebrating their 14th Wedding Anniversary. We went to Normas to take care of her cat
and take in the mail. We put a big
WELCOME HOME sign on her front door and some yellow roses on the table with a
welcome home note. We called ro talk to
Norma at her daughter Sally's home and she said that she is still very
uncomfortable and that her children want her to go to the Chicago University
Hospital to get a second opinion on her condition. We told her that we agreed that a second
opinion would be a good thing. Tom is
going to meet Sally and her Mother at Dubuque and plan to be home about 5:00
P.M. tomorrow. Rickie took some cough
medicine and a zinc lozenge and took a nap from 6:00 P.M. until 10:00 P.M. We had a snack and then both went to bed as
morning comes early for my Priesthood Meeting in Byron.
Rickie was up Sunday morning
at 6:15 to see us off to our meeting and was ready to go to Church when I got
home at 8:40 feeling better. We picked
up Dorothy Mielke and go to Church on time to greet people and put the hymn
numbers on the announcement board and for Rickie to play a prelude on the
piano. She played all the hymns very
well and I conducted the congregational singing. This was testimony meeting and the
testimonies by the members were very interesting an inspiring. After eating lunch at home we took care of
Norma's cat and visited Sister McMunn.
After that we went to visit Shelby, Kevin's daughter, who married Andrew
Lawyer. They were back together again
after being in jail for writing $3000,00 of bad
checks. His parents are taking care of their little baby. Then we parked in front of Norma's home to
wait for her and her son, Tom, to come home.
They arrived at 5:45 P.M. and were very pleased with the WELCOME HOME
sign and the yellow roses. Norma of
course was very tired after their trip so went to bed right away as she felt
better lying down. I helped Tom bring in
all their things from the car. When we got home I called Linda Jane and she
said they were just leaving as they had left the lights on in the car and had
to get help starting it as the battery was discharged.. We had dinner all ready so Rachel and I were
able to get to rehearsal on time. Next
week we are playing a concert at a nursing home at 7:30 P.M.so will have to
leave home at 6:30
When we got home from rehearsal Rickie had our Temple clothes all
packed so we left at 9:30 for Rockford.
Linda Jane and Rachel sang songs all the way to Rockford and Rebekah
joined in on some of them and we all had a good time and arrived without any
problems.
When we got up Tuesday
morning the 28th Rickie wasn't feeling very well but we got ready to
go to the Temple anyway. Linda Jane
served us delicious waffles for breakfast.
Willis and Beverly came to pick us up at 9:00 A.M. When we arrived at the Church to take the bus
they heard that Rickie was dizzy and not feeling well so they thought she shouldn't
ride on the bus. They told us goodbye
very sweetly and said they would miss us.
We drove out car back to Linda Jane's and told her that we had been
advised to go home instead of to the Temple today. When we got home we called
Norma and offered to bring her some food.
She thanked us and thought a ham sancwich would taste good. So we took peaches and potato chips along
with the sandwich. She said that she
really appreciated it as she didn't feel like fixing any food this morning. She
had just finished eating when her minister from the Methodist Church came to
see her so we left them to visit. When
we got home Rickie was feeling a little better but was really worried about
Zach so we called Victor in the hospital.
Zach was sleeping so Victor told us about his school work. He said that he handed out 26 violins to
students and was getting them started He is really excited about it though
he knows it won't be easy getting all of beginners started. Zach woke up and is still having pain and they can't seem to find the
cause of it. Victor thinks he might have
strained a muscle sitting up too long playing nintendo. We hope that's the case and that he will get
over it soon. We called Linda Jane and
thanked her for the bed and breakfast.
She said that she was glad that Mother didn't go to the Temple as it
would have been very difficult for her not feeling well. Willis and Beverly called at 9:00 P.M and
said that they got home at 8:45 and wanted us to know how much they appreciated
everything we did for them making their visit so wonderful. We have a mutual admiration society.
Rickie woke up at 6:00 A.M.
coughing so I gave her some cough medicine and she went back to sleep until
8:30. After breakfast she was feeling
better so we went for a walk. We came
home and played some duets on `cello and viola then I practiced the orchestra
music on viola. We took care of our
accumulated mail and papers. This was Ed
Worhley's 90th birthday so took him a plate of "goodies" and a
friendship card to the Village Inn Care Center.
I read the card to him and he seemed very pleased. Marie Wohrley was our children's piano
teacher and Ed, her brother took care of her when she
became ill before she passed away. Then
we drove over to Norma'a and Tom came out to meet us and give us information
before we went in to see her. He said
that his Mother's condition is not good and that she doesn't know that she only
has about three more months to live. When we went in her daughter, Peggy was
there and they want to keep smiling to provide a positive atmosphere. When the pizza came that they had ordered we
left to get them some Dove Bars for desert.
They enjoyed them and Rickie got Norma to laughing. When we got home we called Mrs. Charlie
Engle, whose husband is the viola player who has lukemia and she said that he
can now have visitors at St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford. We told her that we would go visit him
tomorrow. That will be easy as the 8 Missionaries coming for a District Meeting
at our home at 10:00 A.M. said they will eat breakfast before they come. When we visited Charlie he couldn't talk very
much but was glad I was taking his place in the orchestra. He seemed happy to see us and his wife
thanked us very much for coming. We went
over to Linda Jane's on the way home and Rachel was very happy that we ordered
$15.00 worth of Girl Scout Cookies from her. We managed to eat breakfast and
take our supplements before the Missionaries arrived. When the meeting was over at 11:30 A.M. we
gave them Dove Bars for a treat and took their picture with three cameras. When they left we called the hospital to see
how Zach is doing. Cynthia said that his
stomach pain is about gone but that he isn't doing very well. We called my brother Wesley in Mexico to see
how he was doing after his knee operation.
He said that he is feeling good and can walk with one cane now. His son, Chris, moved to Arizona so now he
thinks he will have to sell his farm or rent it out. Friday morning October 1st we
received a call from Eric in Utah telling us that they a son. He was so large, 9 pounds 6 ouces, that he
was delivered ceasarean section. He sounded so happy and
excited when he said that the baby and Jennifer are doing fine and that they
named him Jacob Bardell Bowman. We went
right out to buy a card, put a check for $100.00 in it and mailed it
as we are sure they are having big expenses to pay. We also got a belated Birthday card for
Wesley and sent him $50.00. He is having
an economic struggle right now but we'll see if he receives what we sent before
sending any more. Then we went to see
Norma and took her a banana stand and some bananas to hang on it. She seemed to be feeling better and was in a
good mood. When we got home Rickie
called her friend, Connie Cross and received the news that our chiropractor,
Dr. McConnahay died this week and his funeral was today. We called Margaret, his wife and she told us
that a blood disease and kidney failure took him. She said she appreciated our call when we
told her that in addition to being the best Chiropractor he was a wonderful man
and we would miss him. Next we called Linda Jane and told her Eric's news that
they named their not so little son Jacob Bardell and that we are now great
grandparents and Rachel and Rebeka are aunts.
Tomorrow, October 2nd is General Conference with the first
meeting at 11:00 A.M
We
really enjoyed General Conference and attended all the meetings Saturday and
Sunday with the inspirational talks and beautiful musical by the Tabernacle
Choir. Doris Jean, Normas
sister, came to spend the weekend with her and will take her to her home on
Wednesday so Tom can take her to the Chicago Hospital for hr appointment there.
We gave her a copy of and article about Dr. Burzinki's cancer clinic in
Houston, Texas. We called Victor and
told him this new cancer treatment using antioplastons that has no side
effects. He said he would ask the
doctors in the hospital if they know anything about it. He said that Zack is getting protein peptides
in his food through the tube that are related to
antioplastons. Willis and Beverly called
and thanked us for the "goodies" we sent along with them and asked for Vincent
Gilbert's address so they could send them the Book of Mormon tapes they
promised them.
Monday
morning Rickie said that she was really hungry for ham so we planned a ham
dinner with all the trimings for Linda
Jane and Rebekah when they arrived to go our concert at the nursing home. We
had dinner on the table when they arrived at 6:00 P.M. and we all enjoyed the
feast. Rickie, Linda Jane and Rebekah
sat right by the violin section of the orchestra. Linda Jane told us afterwards
that at one point Rebekah said, "quiet" then pugt her finger to her lips and
said, "ssssh" to a couple of ladies who were talking. After the concert the
Coventry Village where we played served cookies and punch. We drove back to Dixon and Linda Jane took
her girls home safely. Instead of a
rehearsal on next Monday night there will be a rehearsal at 12:30 with a choir
for the Prism Concert at 2:00 P.M. We'll
have to pick Rachel up in Rockford on Saturday the 16th as Linda
Jane has a Primary Program to conduct Sunday morning.
We
called Victor on Tuesday, October 5th and he said that Zachary is
home and is getting 90 cc's and hour delivered by a
pump through his stomach tube. He said
Zach vomited this morning so he calle the doctor and he thought the valve from
the stomach was closing up again. They
are not having and easy time. Elder
Mallott and Elder Johnson came for dinner at 5:00 P.M and we served them ham,
mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, jello, tossed salad and pie and
ice cream for desert. They said that
they really enjoyed it and I was really amazed that we didn't have any
left-overs though they didn't have any lunch that day. They wanted to know how we met so be played
part of the video tape of our Love Story while they were eating. They left for an appointment to give a
lesson at 6:30 P.M. and we went for a walk then washed the dishes while the
news was on TV. Wednesday morning Norma
called and asked to come over to help Doris Jean pack the car and see them off
to Chicago. We were happy to do that and
had a prayer with them before they left.
They planned to stop on the way and get something to eat. When we got home Rickie called her dear
school friend, Irene Jackson to wish her a Happy Birthday. We played some hymns on `cello and
viola. Rickie plays the melody
beautifully and I play a harmony part.
We are planning to play at some nursing homes. At 5:00 P.M. Rickie went with me the Elks
Club as our Singing Strings Quintet had an engage to play for the KSB Hospital
Breast Canceer Meeting. Our music was
appreciated and we helped load the equipment we used into Louise Sullivan's car
and followed her to Sterling to help unload it.
She thanked us saying that she really appreciated it. We told her that we were glad to do it and
had to come to Sterling anyway to take our music program to Paula Jordan at the
Church Library to be put into the Bulletin for Sunday. When we got home we called Linda Jane be at her home Saturday at 4:00 P.M. to go to the Road
Shows. She was glad that we said we
would bring along her favorite ham soup.
Thursday
morning the 7th, Rickie was awakened by an ear ache so I took her to
a specialist, Dr. Gerber. He took a lot
of wax out of her ears and told her to put a drop of sweet oil in her ears each
morning to keep the wax soft so it would come out by itself. He thought that the problem she was having
with her voice and her loss of taste and smell was connected to nerve damage
caused by a virus something like the Shingles.
He said that there was no cure for it but that it probably wouldn't get any worse which
was some comfort. On the way home we
stoppe at Norma's home to take care of her cat, take in the mail and check her
house. I made the ham soup when we got
home then we called Linda Jane and offered to pick up Rebekah and keep her
until we came up for the Road Shows on Saturday. She said that she would really appreciate
that as she had to play the piano for the Road Show rehearsals and Rebekah has
to be watched constantly as she is on the move all the time and likes to write
on the walls. We told her that we would
be there at 11:00 A.M. Friday with a kettle of ham soup. Next we called Victo at home. He wasn't there so we called the hospital and
he told us that they were having trouble getting Zach's food reglated and were
going to try giving him food for an hour then letting him rest for two hours. We had a little bowl of the ham soup and it
was very good. We then went to bed at
10:30 to watch some of the McGiver Show "Double Trouble" before going to sleep..
We
got to Linda Jane and Ed's home at 11:00 A.M. with our kettle of ham soup and left
with Rebekah about noon. We had a good
trip home and after eating dinner we took Rebekah to the park to play. There were some other little girls there and
she had a great time. Then we gave her a
ride in our stroller around the town and she like
that. After supper we thought she would be tired
but she wanted to play some more before going to bed. We put up the railing on the queen size bed
in Victor's room and all went to bed at 10:30 P.M.
She was up bright and early Saturday morning and enjoyed eating cereal
and scrambled eggs. After that she sang
and original song for us and then danced in the living room to the "Nutcracker
Suite". We didn't imagine that a few years later
she would be dancing in that Ballet with her sister, Rachel. We recorded all of her activities so Linda
Jane could see them later. We took her
to Woodland Wonderland for awhile then stopped at Norma's to take care of her
cat. Rebekah had a great time petting
the cat as she loves animals. She also
pets the Rotwieler dog next door without any fear. We left for Rockford about 3:00 P.M. She drank some orange juice from her bottle
and went to sleep on the way. When we arrived I put her on the couch and
she slept another hour. Linda Jane and
Ed were scraping the paint off their house as they want to repaint it, sell it and
move to a larger home. Linda Jane was grateful for the mashed potatoes we
brought and opened a can of meat and gravy to go with them. She and Rachel had to leave at 5:30 to get
ready for the Roach
Show peformance so left us to feed Rebekah and get her ready to come with us
and Ed at 6:30 for the 7:00 P.M. performance.
Everything went well as planned and Ed took care of Rebekah while I
recorded the Road Shows from each Ward in the Stake. Of course we thought that
the Rockford Ward presentation that Linda Jane played the piano for was the
best. After the Shows were over we stayed awhile to enjoy the refresments of
cake cookies and punch. When we got to
Linda Jane and Ed's we loaded up Rachel's Play Kitchen to clean up for
Rebekah's Christmas. We also took some
other things home as they have to clean out their house to make it look bigger
for a buyer. This is a good place to
include some of their Christmas letter about their proposed move.
We have been pretty stressed lately. In the middle of October we decided to sell
our house so tht e could move to a bigger one. (We really need a bigger house..) What that fateful
decision meant was that we had to paint the outside of our two story house
ourselves, and then repair, plaster, prime and paint the inside also. "The enormity of this job was total shock to
me, and we have worked almost non-stop the past several months to achieve
it. We still have one upstairs room to
finish and several other odd jobs to complete.
We never would have finished the outside before winter set in, nor
completed the inside enough for our open house to show had it not been for the
faithful and diligent help we received from our church home teacher and his
wife. My (Linda's) parents were also
indispensable as baby sitters so that I could work many uninterrupted hours. We have had no offers yet on our house, but
have found a larger one we would like to purchase. Our offer on that house has been accepted, so
now we are in holding pattern until our house sells. Through it all Ed has
continued to work at his job, and then work at home. Rachel as been required to watch Rebekah long
hours while she has been wanting her Mommie.
Rachel continues to progress on her violin ands enjoys playing with the
Sauk Valley Community College Orchestra with her grandfather. She has also started singing in a children's
choir sponsored by our local music club.
We were impressed with the high quality of the choir at their Christmas
concert but more so by the poised and attentive attitude Rachel displayed. She
is 11 years old now and in the 6th grade. She is hoping to go to junior high next year
as opposed to home schooling. I will
miss her terribly. Rebekah just turned 3
last week and is into everything.
Yesterday she got into Rachel's nail polish and decorated the couch, the
floor and the carpet in several colors.
She loves to sing, and delights us by often erupting in a chorus of
"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".
When
the alarm went off at 7:30 Sunday morning October 10th we thought it
was the middle of the night but got up anyway and were able to pick up Dorothy
Mielke at 8:40 and get to Church to do the usual things of putting the hymn
numbers on the board and Rickie playing a piano prelude at 9:20. I asked Bishop Theriot to announce choir
practice today at 12:40 and also next Sunday at 9:00 A.M. to get ready to sing
for our Ward Conference next Sunday. We
were happy to see the Mexican Barrientos family that we have been visiting come
in to Church. We took the parents, Manuel and Francisca into the Sunday School
Missionary class with us. The younger
children didn't want to stay in Primary alone so one of the lady Missionaries,
Sister Emerson stayed with them. The
oldest girl, Becky and the youngest, Claudia went with their parents. After Church they told me that they were glad
they came. I told them that Sister
Adamson had invited us to bring them and the Lady Missionaries to the Dutch
Diner to dinner this week and that I would take them there on the day and time
that they would like to go. They were
very pleased with the invitation and said they would call us. The choir rehearsal after church turned out
very well as the Bishopric and the Relief Society Presidency attended. We went to Norma's after taking Dorothy home
and found that Peggy had just brought her home so we had a good visit. When we got home we called Victor to hear how
Zach was getting along as they were going to bring him home at noon. Victor said that they were going to reduce
his feeding at night so he wouldn't vomite and that tomorrow that he and
Cynthia would both be home to take care of him as it would be Columbus Day, a
Holiday. He seemed to be a little
discouraged so we told him to keep the faith and something good would probably
happen to change
things. He said that he
had a date to play for a wedding today and a professional engagement tomorrow
to play first cornet in a concert tomorrow night. These activities seem to help him to keep
going.
Norma
called us Monday morning at 9:30 to say that she had an appointment with Dr.
LeSage at 1:30. We told her that we
would be glad to take her and asked what she would like for lunch. She said that Chunky Beef Vegetable Soup
sounded good so we took her a couple of cans and heated one up so she could eat
before going to the Doctor. We also took
her a box of Dove Bars to eat anytime she felt like it. She had some fluid drained from her abdomen
and said that she felt better. We got
flu shots while we were there with her. When we brought her home she said that
her stereo wasn't working. She was glad
that I was able to fix it. On the way
home we saw Sister Emma Padgett sitting on her front porch so stopped for a
little visit. She said that she had gone
to Wisconsin over the weekend for her grand daughter's wedding and had a very
enjoyable time. Tuesday morning we went
to Rockford and took care of Rebekah until Linda Jane came home at 6:30. We had
a good time and Linda Jane said she apprecitated our help. Wednesday morning we took care of our bills
and practiced the music for Sunday. In
the evening we went to a Civic Music Concert in the Dixon Theater that was
presented by vocal
sextet called "Western Wind". We sat by
Jim and Sharon Wiltz and thoroughly enjoyed the Concert. They said that they are preparing the "Music
Man" to present in November. We saw Bill
Thompson there and he told us that he had an appointment with the dentist, Dr.
Hey to have his remaining teeth pulled and get full dentures.
We
went to Rockford Thursday morning to pick up Rebekah for the week end. Linda Jane was very grateful so she could
have free time to work on their house to get it ready to sell. We had a good
trip both ways and were glad to have Rebekah because she is such jewel to take
care of. All we have to do is let her
sing and dance and take her to the park to play and give her good food to have
a very pleasant time. She is a little
night owl so doesn't get to sleep until about 10:00 or 10:30 P.M. On Friday she played a long time with her
building blocks and then put on her dance dress to dance to her favorite
"Fiddle Music" recording we have. On Saturday we called Linda Jane and told her
about our early choir practice and Ward Conference. She thought it would be
good to bring her home about 6:00 P.M.
Whe we arrived at Rockford Linda Jane and Ed were still paiting the
house even though it was starting to get dark.
They are really determined to get it done this summer. I told them I would talk to President Nelson
to see if the Elders Quorum could come and help as a work project next
Saturday. She said they would
appreciate that and to pray for good weather also. We arrived home at 8:30 P.M. and got ready
for Sunday before.going to bed.
Sunday
morning Sister Edwards called to ask us to pick up a newly baptized member,
Sister Kampion This
made us five miuntes late but it was alright as the choir members hadn't come
yet and some never came to the rehearsal but we were glad they were there to sing in the
Conference. "All is well that ends
well". In the afternoon we went out to
Stan and Dolly's home so they could home teach us since they have difficulty
finding ius home. We always have a good time and like to hear about their
children and grandchildren. We called
Victor and were happy to hear that Zach is doing better. Monday morning we went to Rockford to take
care of Rebekah and then brought Rachel and Rebekah home with us at 5:00 P.M.
so Rachel and I could go to Sauk Valley Orchestra rehearsal. Rickie took care of Rebekah while we went to
rehearsal then Linda Jane came at 9:00 P.M. to take Rachel home. We kept Rebekah so Linda Jane could continue
working on their house without worrying.
Tuesday we took Rebekah shopping and she loved riding the mechanical
horse at Eagles. We purchased a
recording of "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" and Rebekah learned to sing it so
she can surprise her Mother. She wanted
to hear the recording while she went to sleep.
On Wednesday we took Rebekah shopping again and she saw some cute little
kitten bedroom slippers that fascinated her so we bought them. We also found a video tape of "Santa and the
Thre Bears" that she could hardly wait to watch. Our neighbors Gary and Diana had their
Rotweiler dog, Sara on a leash outside so Rebekah went
right over and petted it. Diana came out
and said that she was fearful as Sara was very unpredictable. So we kept Rebekah away from her.
Thursday we had a fun day taking Rebekah to the park
to go on the swings, the slides and the merrys-go-round. We went to Eagles store again as she wanted
to ride the electric rocking horse again.
When we got home we called Victor and he told us that Cynthia's mother,
Hope, passed away on Tuesday. We called
her husband, Lynn and he said that he had spent the morning with her and about
an hour after he got home the nurse called that she had died soon after he
left. He said that her funeral would be
on Monday and that he appreciated all the cards we had sent them expressing our
love and concern for her. Victor said that Cynthia plans to fly out for the funeral
and come home that same evening. He said that Cynthia had been gone for three
days so he was tired and was considering the Cancer Clinic in Houston, Texas
that we sent him the article about. The
tumor is still two and a half inches square and Zach will only drink water and
has to have shots for his white blood count when he gets the Chemotherapy. We called Brian and Vinette and gave them all
the news. Brian talked me through the
computer E-Mail program to get it working again. Then I was able to get their EEE Weekly
Message. Linda Jane called to ask us to
come to Rockford Friday to take Rachel to her violin lesson and dance class and
stay for "trick of treat" and a Halloween Party for the girls. On Friday we arrived at 11:15 and took
Rebekah along with us to drop off Rachel for her violin lesson. We went shopping for some poster paper for
Linda Jane and then picked up Rachel at 1:50 P.M. We then went to Wal-Mart and
Rachel helped us try to find a wand to go with Rebekah's Fairy Halloween costume. We finally found one at K
Mart. At 3:00 P.M. we took Rachel to her Girl Scout Halloween Party then
shopped for food to take to the Church pot luck dinner and Ward Halloween Party
in the evening. After After the dinner all the children and adults in costume
paraded around the gymnasium. Rachel
wore a witch costume and Rebekah was a little Fairy waving her wand
around. The next thing was the "trunk or
treat" where
the children went from car to car filling their Halloween bag with all kinds
of "goodies". They really had a lot of fun. Linda Jane invited us to stay all night. We thanked her but decided we would drive
home even though it was late. When we
got home Rickie looked for a letter with pictures in it that came
yesterday. When we couldn't find it she
said, "I know the Lord knows where it is so let's have a prayer". Then Rickie went to our bedroom upstairs and
found the letter in the bottom of the waste paper basket. We supposed that Rebekah might have taken it
off the dresser and droppe it there as she likes to hide things. We talked about the good time we had and also
remembered that we should turn our clocks back an hour tomorrow night.
Saturday
morning October 30th, we went back to Rockford to take care of
Rebekah and help out. We picked Rachel up at the College at 11:15 after her
violin class. Linda Jane and Ed got a
lot done with the help of two Elders and two other members who came to
help. We bought ham and rolls and baked
beans to feed everyone. We had taken
candy along to pass out to "trick or treaters" when they came to the door. We got home about 10:00 P.M. to get ready for
Sunday. We got up early and got to
Church taking Dorothy with us in time to make our usual preparations for the
music. The program was put on by the Primary and Donna Portner directed their
singing with recordings for accompaniment.
It turned out very well as the children had learned the songs very well. Monday was repeat performance as we went to
Rockford and brought both Rachel and Rebekah home then took them back to
Rockford after the Orchestra rehearsal.
They liked the food we had prepared and had Halloween candy for
desert. We got home at midnight without
any problem with Linda Jane and Eds gratitude still ringing in our ears. We planned to sleep in in the morning as we
had nothing pressing to do, at least "sleep
until we woke up". Hi!
On Tuesday the 2nd of November we had brunch at 11:00
A.M.instead of breakfast. Then took our white Cutlas Cierra to the garage as the electrical
boxes weren't working so we couldn't use our car phone. The whole cigarettle box had to be replaced
for $40.00. We called Victor and he said
that Cynthia had a good trip and was glad that she went to be with her father
for the funeral. He said that since her
Mother had suffered for years with no hope of recovery "her passing had left
them with a feeling of peace and hope for the life to come". Wednesday was a cold day but we had no
trouble taking Norma to the DeKalb Oasis to meet her sister, Doris Jean. We had lunch together at McDonalds before
they left. Since we were close to Helena
Belnap's home in DeKalb we went to visit her. She greeted us warmly with a hug
and a kiss on the cheek and we had a great visit for an hour before going home. We got home and 4:00 P.M. and I mowed the
lawn to chop up the leaves before raking them.
Linda Jane
called to invite us to come to Rockford Thursday as it was supposed to be a
warmer day, good for painting. So we
went to Rockford early and took care of Rebekah and ran some errands for them. We had to leave at 4:00 P.M. as our Quintet
had an engagement to play from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M at the Holiday Inn in Rock
Falls for the Sterling Chamber of Commerce banquet. Rickie decided to stay home to talk to Brenda
Druien on the phone. When I arrived none
of the quintet members were there and they told me that Louise had cancelled
the engagement. She couldn't notify me
as I was in Rockford. Rickie was
surprised and happy to see me home at 6:10.
I called Louise and she said she was sorry but thought she had let know
before she went out of town to see her daughter.
On
Friday, November 5th we went to Rockford again and brought Rebekah
home even though she had a cold. Linda
Jane had some cough medicine to send with us to give her a
teaspoon full everyfour hours.
She woke up a few times in the night coughing but seemed to feel better
in the morning. After a good breakfast
of cheerios, scrambled eggs and Hawaiian bread she was ready to shopping with
us. A little afternoon she wasn't
feeling very well
and had a little temperature so we took her to Rockford for Linda Jane to take
her to the Clinic for an examination.
The doctor said that her temperature was caused by an ear infection and
wote a prescription for chewable amoxicilin tablets. Linda Jane gave her a tablet as soon as we
got them telling her that it was like candy.
In an hour she was feeling much better We all went to a Leadership Meeting at
the Church as Linda Jane had the
assignment to play the piano for the congregational singing. The the interesting talks were on
Missionary work to encourage members to
give the Missionaries referrals to their friends and neighbors who showed and
interest. We got home at 9:30 P.M. and
got ready to go to Rockford tomorrow for Stake Conference. We arrived at noon just in time for Conferece
and enjoyed the 2 hour meeting with talks by the Mission President and his wife
Sister Bradford and the Stake Presidency.
Linda Jane invited us to dinner and when we arrived it turned out to be
a surprise Birthday dinner and party for Rickie as her Birthday was coming up
on November 9th. I video taped all the
procedings of opening and reading the cards and opening the gifts. Rickie was quite overwhelmed with it
all. Little Rebekah sand the Barney song
spontaneously, "I Love You, You Love Me We're As Happy As
Can Be". Which surprisesd and amazed us all.
We all sang "Happy Birthday to You" when Linda Jane brought in the
Birthday cake lighted up by candles.
Rachel and Rebekah gave their Grandmother a beautiful pin and Linda Jane
and Ed gave her a beautiful Angel Music Box to put on the grand piano. Rickie couldn't keep her jopyous tears back
and gave everybody a big thankful hug.
We hot home about 9:00 P.M. tired but happy.
Rickie
had an appointment with Doctor Petrie a woman chiropractor at 9:45 to have a
full spinal Xray and an adjustment. In
the afternoon we went to Rockford to bring Rachel and Rebekah home as Rachel
and I had to go to the Sauk Valley Orchestra Rehearsal. Rebekah seemed quite well and Rickie took
care of her while we went to rehearsal.
We got home at 9:15 and Rachel washed her hair before we took them back
to Rockford as she had a Violin lesson at 8:00 A.M. and wanted to be ready for
that. We had a good trip both ways and
got home at midnight. On November 9th
I woke Rickie up with a song "Happy Birthday to You, My Darling Wife". We spent a wonderful day together and Rickie
got a clean bill of health from Dr. Petrie's Xray. Our friends, Stan and Dolly and Dale and
Brend met us at a fancy restaurant in Sterling for a Birthday Dinner and a
happy time.
Wednesday
morning Rickie said that she had a feeling that we should drive to Rockford
right away. Of course we left right away
because she often times had an inspiration to do something that always turned
out right. This was no exception as when
we got there we learned that Linda Jane's car had stopped dead on the road from
Rockton. It just happened that her
jogging companion recognized Linda Jane's station wagon on the side of the road
and stopped to see what was the matter. We had called her on the car phone to tell
her that we were at her home so she asked her friend to take Rebekah to
us. Then she called Ed at work and he
came and let her use his
van while he had the station wagon towed home. Then he took the the van back to work and
Linda Jane took our car to pick up Rachel from a lesson and take her to a church
activity. In the afternoon Linda Jane,
Rachel and Rebekah went home with us to stay overnight so Linda Jane could take
one of our cars to use until they got the Station Wagon repaired. In the morning Linda Jane left with the girls
at 7:30 A.M. thankful that she had a car to drive.
Section 59--Brian's Concerts In Wisconsin, Buying Homes, Zach Better, Rickie played `cello in
Quintet for Festival of Trees, Hymns For Today.
Brian called us from Wisconsin and asked us to meet
him at the Deg Music Store in Lake Geneva at noon on Friday the 12th,
our Monthaversary. Doctror Petrie's
husband called us early Friday morning to cancel Rickie's appointment at 9:30
as she had a rash that might be the Shingles. We left at 10:00 A.M. and met
Brian at the Music Store at 11:55 "Well, you're five minutes early" he
said as he gave us as big hug. After he
finished his business there we went to Milwaukee for his concerts with him
driving our car. We got there early so
stopped for a Junior Whopper before his rehearsal at 12:30. His rehearsals with two different Bands went
well and I video taped them and got his suggestions to the directors to improve
the performances. After the rehearsals
we drove to Rockford. Linda Jane wasn't
home so we went to look at the house they want to buy and then went to Ryan's
Buffet for a good meal. We arrived in
Dixon about 7:30 P.M. and Brian called Vinette to talk over their home acquisition. Brian then worked on our computer deleting
some unnecessary files and advertisements to have more room on the hard
drive. It was really good to have him
home. We planned to get up at 7:30 and
leave for Milwaukee at 9:00 A.M.after breakfast. I switched the cars to take the cadillac so Brian could drive it on this trip We called
Linda Jane and Ed and made a date to take them out to a buffet dinner at 6:00
tomorrow. Saturday morning our plans
worked out and we arrived in Milwaukee in time for Brian to give his two Master
Classes starting at 12:30 P.M. We
enjoyed seeing Brian work with the college students there. It was amazing how much they improved in
their playing with Brian's instructions.
After he gave a private lesson to one of the enthusiastic students we
left at 3:45 and got to Linda Jane's home in two hours. We had a great time eating and visiting and
Brian, Linda Jane and Ed exchanged all the details of buying a house project in
Texas and in Rockford. Linda Jane and Ed's counter-offer of $81,900 instead of $90, 500.
Has been accepted and they have a loan approved. They have an offer of
$49,900.00 on their home and will show it through another realtor until
February. They still have some
reqirements to finish on their
home. They think it will take
about two weeks to finish the storm windows, install two new pillars on the
front porch and finish the plastering on the kitchen ceiling. Linda Jane has been taking care of Rebekah
this week so hasn't done any school work.
We offered to take care of her next week.
We got up early Sunday morning November 14th
and left after breakfast with Brian driving our white cutlass Cierra. We had a good visit along the way and arrived
at 11:00 A.M. which gave Brian plenty of time to get ready for a rehearsal and
then his two concerts. We came in the
stage door with him and got a good seat in the balcony. Brian played "The Carnival of Venice" solo
with the University of Wisconsin Symphony Band and got a standing ovation. All the students in the audience holding
their instruments were especially enthusiastic. They were waiting their turn to
play as this was an All State Band Festival.
We heard three Honor Bands play before Brian played a solo with the
University of Wisconsin Wind Ensemble that really went over well. We didn't
stay to hear the other three Honor Bands so got home at 7:00 P.M. We bought some McRib sandwiches to go with a
salad, green beans and French fries that made a delicious dinner. Brian called Vinette and she said that her
father, Dean Parry is feeling better in Arlington, Virginia. She their Realtor thinks they will get the
home they have selected on their terms in Denton, Texas. It is large enough to take care of their
parents if and when needed. She said
that her Mother is already thinking about moving as she is having trouble
seeing. Brian worked on our computer
some more before going to bed.
Monday
morning Brian got up early and raked leaves.
I helped him bag them and we put 17 bags out to the curb to be picked
up. We had soup and salad for lunch and
left for O'Hare Airport at 2:30 P.M. He
wanted us to just drop him off at the entrance to United so we did that at 4:30
and got Rockford at 5:30. We took Rachel
home with us for Orchestra rehearsal then took her home afterwards. We had a good time on our trips and arrived
back home at 12:30 A.M. On Tuesday the 16th we got to Rockford at
2:00 P.M and took care of Rebekah until 7:00 P.M. when it got too dark for
Linda Jane to continue painting. She is
really working hard to get everything done.
On Wednesday we went to Rockford early and helped Linda Jane load boxes
to store at Christi Boyer's home.
Christi is her jogging partner and wants to help. We got home about 7:30
P.M. and called Brian. She said that he got home just fine and that they are
going to put an offer on another house with 5 bedrooms that sounds even better
and is $20,000.00 less in price. We
called Victor and he said that he is making out report cards and that Zach is doing
better. That was really good news for
us.
We didn't go to Rockford on
Thursday. In the morning we did some
shopping and took some bananas to Sister Wakenight. She seemed glad to see us and said that she
heard from her grandson, Jared telling her that Willis Waite had called him and
given him her message and that he was doing fine in Salt Lake City. This was a
day for telephoning as we wanted to check up on Norma, Kathleen, Dorothy and give our music information to Paula Jordan to
put in the Bulletin Sunday. Norma said
that she was more comfortable today.
Kathleen couldn't talk on the phone so we called Dale and he said that
she was losing her voice. Dorothy said
she was getting along
all right and planned to have all her family home for
Thanksgiving. On Friday we stayed home
and called Rickie's sister, Lydia in the Christian Apostolic Nursing Home near
Peoria. She said that she is walking
with a walker and is
getting along fine and would like us to come for a visit soon. In the afternoon I had a Quintet rehearsal to
prepare special music to play at a wedding in the Episcopal Church in Grand
detour tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. On Saturday
Rickie went with me to the wedding and said that it was done beautifully. We also played for the Reception at the the
Rock River Country Club. Rickie visited
with some friends there and said she enjoyed the music above the animated
conversations and laughter. On Sunday
the theme was Thanksgiving so the music and talks all centered aroung
"Gratitude". The message I received is
that our Heavenly Father would like us to have and attitude of gratitude so
that we can be happy.
On Monday we went to
Rockford to take care of Rebekah and bring Rachel home with us for Orchestra
rehearsal. We got along great and Rachel
stayed overnight We took her back to Rockford
early Tuesday morning for her lesson and stayed to take care of Rebekah. We brought them both home with us to go to
the Festival of Trees in the Latin Center in the evening. This was the one time that Rickie played her
`cello in our Singing Strings Quintet and she did very well which was a great
achievement. Rachel took Rebekah around
to see all the beutifully decorated Christmas trees there and also had some
refreshments. They said they were glad
they came because they had such a good time.
We got to bed late about 11:00 P.M. so told them to sleep as long as
they could in the morning. Que
milagro! (What a miracle) Rebekah slept until 9:00 A.M. and Rachel until
10:30 A.M. After breakfast they said
they felt good and would like to go to Woodland Wonderland to climb all the avenues and swing and
slide. There were other girls there and they had wonderful time. When we got home they
were hungry of course so we ate right away then watched a home movie "Singing
in the Rain". Linda Jane came in the evening to pick them
up and arrived home safely at 9:00 P.M.
We thanked her for calling us and also thanked her for letting us take
the girls for such a good time.
Thursday morning we prepared
a ham dinner with all the trimmings for the two Missionaries working in Dixon and
vicinity. They said that it was just
like the Thanksgiving Dinner's they had at home as we had ham, potatoes and
gravy, green beans out of our garden, salad, corn, pickles, jello, pumpkin pie
and ice cream. They showed us a new film
"The Birth of Christ" and had a prayer before leaving. We took the left overs to Linda Jane and family on
Friday the 26th. Their Home
Teacher and good friend, John Zieman was there helping so joined the family for
dinner. After helping to clean up we
took Rebekah home with us. We also took
the ham bone home with us to make Linda Jane's favorite ham soup for
tomorrow. The soup turned out to be
delicious so we took it and Rebekah to Rockford aboout 1:00 on Saturday. We stayed to help out for awhile and got home
at 10:30 P.M.
The theme for Sacrament Meeting November 28th
was "'Tithing" as tithing settlement is coming up pretty soon. I'm going to include here a copy of one of
our "HYMNS FOR TODAY" that Rickie as Music Chairman asked me to compose to put
in the Bulletin every Sunday. "Let Us All Press On", Page 243. This hymn uses symbolic language to inspire
enthusiasm and determination to serve the Lord in whateer calling is received
and to resist any temptation to depart from diligence by "Putting on the whole armor of god,
to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)
"Reverently and Meekly Now". Page 185. This hymn should call forth special reerence
because in singing it we are singing
words the poet imagined as those of the savior Himself in stead of petitioning
Him, He is pleading with us to remember His sacrifice, to be prayerful, and to
be peaceable and foriving toward one another.
He tells us of His love for lus and His hope tht we will choose to
follow Him in obedience.
"Put Your Shoulder To the Wheel", Page 252.
The words of this hymn are an exhortation to do good deeds. It's message will
never be out of date. Every willing worker is needed for the cause of
righteousness, to
carry on the work in the Church.
President David O. McKay said:
"To work is as privilege and to work is a gift and a blessing, to love to work brings success."
"We Are All Enlisted", Page 250. This hymn uses
military terminology to bring out that like soldiers we are committed to serve
with a joyful heart and to be dedicated and endure to the end. We are called upon, as was the Prophet Joseph to "endure it well,
gracefully, not grudgingly."
When the Stake President came to our Ward Conference
and read our Bulletin he thought the addition of "Hymns For
Today" was very appropriate and commendable.
I told him that it was Rickie's idea so he congratulated her. On Monday
November 29th we repeated our Monday's program by picking Rachel an Rebekah up in Rockford bringing them to Dixon for the
Orchestra Rehearsal, giving them some good good and taking them back to
Rockford after rehearsal. We enjoyed the
day and so did they and we got home at 12:30 A.M.
ready for bed. Tuesday we went back to
Rockford to take of Rebekah while Linda Jane took Rachel to her Ballet Class
and taught piano lessons in the student's homes. When she got home she said that their Realtor
was coming at 6:30 to show their home to some prospective buyers so she had to
work to make it more presentable. She
appreciated the help we gave her to get ready.
We left for home about 6:00 P.M.
On Wednesday December 1st
we worked at cleaning our own home as a preparation for Christmas
decorations. We did some shopping for
Norma and cleaned her kitchen as she really isn't able to do any work at this
point in her battle with cancer. On
Thursday at 4:00 P.M. we joined the group going to the "Temple to help the
Youth do Baptisms for the dead and took three enthusiastic boys in our car. On the way home they said that it was really
a wonderful experience and would like to go again. We stopped at McDonalds on the way home and
gave them a treat. They said that they
didn't realize they were so hungry. We
took them to the Church where their parents picked them up. On Friday they started what was called the
"Christmas Walk" as
all the stores were decorated and stayed open for people to come in and see
their displays and shop. Of course the
Christmas carols could be heard through speakers set up on the sidewalks. Santa Claus hadn't come to town yet as that
was to be a very special event nearer Christmas.
Section 60--Johnathon Bowman's Visit.
Johnathon Bowman called us
on Saturday December 4th and said he would like to bring his family
for a visit on Sunday as Monday he had an interview at the Hospital in Peoria
for a Residency position. He just
received his MD degree and is looking for a good place to do his
internship. Of course I told him that we
would be
delighted to have them come and that we would have dinner ready at 5:00 P.M.
when they arrived. Sunday was Fast and Testimony Meeting and we both took the opportunity
to bear our testimonies. When we got
home we prepared a roast beef dinner with all the extras to go with the
roast. When they drove up in their Van
we dashed out to see them and were amazed at how well they were set up to
travel with their little girl about 6 years old and their darling little
triplets about 2 years old. They had
special little foam mattresses for the triplets to sleep on so we brought
them in the house. We had a wonderful
visit and they enjoyed the dinner. We
told Johnaton that we hoped he found a good hospital in our area to serve his
internship. He said that the Peoria
Hospital information was very interesting. After a good breakfast they left for Peoria,
Illinois, Monday mornig and said they would be back about 4:00 P.M. on
Tuesday. We called Linda Jane and
offered to pick up Rachel and Rebekah but she said their car was still getting
repaired so she would bring them to Dixon for Rachel to go to Orchestra
rehearsal and stay overnight. This plan
worked out very well. We had left-overs
from Sunday evening's dinner and we had a good rehearsal for the the upcoming
Christmas Concert.
Tuesday morning we all got
up at 6:30 and Linda Jane left with her girls at 7:00 A.M. I rubbed Rickie's neck and shoulder with
flexall and we went back to bed for an hour after which she felt a little
better. We prepared a casserole and a
picnic lunch to take to White Pines Park when they came at 4:00 P.M. They arrived at 4:15 P.M. and thought it was
great to have a picnic in the Park. We
were sorry that he didn't accept the offer from the Peoria Hospital. He said that they had decided to go to Texas
nearer Mexico. We were very interested
in their Love Story a courship of five and a half weeks before they were
married. We complimented them on the
wonderful way they took care of their little girl and their triplets. They worked together beautifully
accomplishing all tht had to be done. We
were sorry that they had to leave on Wednesday as they were so much fun. They said they would write to us or call on
the phone when they accepted an offer.
After a waffle, scrambled egg and bacon breakfast they packed up and were off with
their precious family in their Van for Johnathon's next interview. We went shopping and mailed Jennie a Piggy
Bank, Zach some Legos and wrapped Rebekah's bithday presents.
On Thursday we called Linda
Jane and she invited us to come to Rachel's Choir Concert at the Mendelssohn
Club on Friday at 1:30 P.M. We put up
some more Christmas decorations and shopped for pork chops for Sunday dinner
for Linda Jane, Ed and the girls as they would be coming for the Sauk Valley
Orchestra Christmas Concert on Sunday.
We really enjoyed Rachel's Choir Concert on Friday When we arrived home we called Cynthia
to wish her a Happy Birthday. She
thanked us and said tht Zach is doing better.
On Saturday we
went to Rockford to help out which was much apreciated by Linda
Jane and Ed. The Theme for Sacrament
Meeting on Sunday was "Forgiveness and Repentance" so we selected appropriate
hymns for the Congregation to sing.
Rickie played the piano and I directed as usual when we don't have a
pianist so Rickie can conduct the hymns as she is Ward Mucic Chairman. Ed got
their car from the garage so they drove two cars so they could leave our and
all go home in their car. They arrived
from Rockford in time to eat with us before going to the Concert at 3:00 P.M. Rachel and I sat together on the first stand
and enjoyed playing the Messiah Music for the College Choir to sing some
numbers. At the end of the Concert we
played Christmas Carols for the audience to sing along. "Joy to the World", "Hark The
Herald Angels Sing", "Angels We have Heard On High", and "Silent Night". We will be notified when orchestra
rehearsals will begin again.
Section
61--Christmas Tree, Rachel's Concerts, Choir and Orchestra,
Rebekah's Birthday Party, December 16h, Jennie's Birthday, December 20th. Christmas.
Monday the 13th,
we went out to a Christmas Tree farm, selected a tree, cut it down and brought
it home and set it up in our very good special stand tht won't tip over. I put the lights on it ready for all the
decorations. On Tuesday we shopped for
Christmas presents and another Birthday present for Rebekah and did some more
decorating. Wednesday morning the 15th
I took Rickie up to the hospital for some swallowing tests that took one and a half
hours. She learned that she could
swallow better by keeping her head lowered instead of back the way most people swallow
pills. When we got home she washed her
hair and I put it up on curlers for her to be ready to go to Rockford for
Rebekah's Birthday Partiy tomorrow afternoon.
We told Linda Jane that we would bring a Birthday Cake. All went as planned and we had a wonderful
time at the Party. Little Rebekah was
really excited to blow out the candles on her cake and had a great time opening
her presents. I video taped all the
activities as usual so we could enjoy seeing this happy little girl again.
We shopped for blouses and
slacks for Linda Jane and Rickie on Friday and then continued decorating for
Christmas. We put most of the ornamets
on our beautiful tree and sat on the couch and admired it with the lights
twinkling on it. It seems like it is
something new every year. Saturday
morning Rickie called Norma and Victor and we were glad to hear that they are
getting along all right. Then we made a
big batch of Rickie's delicious fudge, finished decorating the tree and got ready
for Sunday. The Theme for Sacrament
Meeting Sunday was "The Mission of the Savior" which was very inspirational
especially giving us the true Spirit of Christmas and the assurance that as
God's children we are truly loved and should show our love and gratitude by
word and deed. Monday December 20th,
was Jennie's Birthday. We had already
sent her some presents but we called her to sing "Happy Birthday". Then we finished sending out the rest of our
cards and Christmas letters.
Tuesday morning we went over to see if we could do
anything for Normal. She said that she
was missing her music as her stereo wouldn't work. She was happy that I was able to fix it for
her. We got her some food for lunch and had good visit. She said that Tom is going to pick her up on
the 24th to go to Peggy's home for Christmas. Wednesday the 22nd was our
pot-luck dinner and Christmas
party and program at Church.
We were assigned to bring some desert so took a big batch of
Brownies. We had a very good attendance
and everyone seemed to have good time.
The children
were ecstatic when Santa came with his bag of presents and
"goodies" for each child. The "Ho,Ho, Ho" was done very well by Brother Tim Dunavin in a well
padded Santa suit.
Thursday Linda Jane brought
Rachel and Rebeka and helped her mothe bake Ginger Bread and make Spritz
Cookies. After dinner we wrapped
packages while the children played up in their room and then we read Christmas
stories to them in the living room in front of the lighted Christmas tree. Friday morning, Christmas Eve Day, Ed came to
get ready for our evening program. Linda
Jane supervised the putting together of a Ginger Bread House that had sort of
become a tradition. Rachel and Rebekah
both enjoyed a nice warm bath before our program of musical solos and duets and
the Christmas Story. The girls hung
their Christmas stocking by the fireplace and finally went to bed with the
promise that they could get up early after Santa had come. They wanted to put out a little plate of
cookies and a drink for Santa on a ltttle stand by the
tree. Then of course the stockings had
to be filled with an orange and nuts in the bottom and interesting stocking
stouffers in the top. Rebekah's stocking
had a little doll peeping out. Linda
Jane arranged all the presents around the tree and we sprinkled glittering snow
flakes over all before going to bed. It really looked festive and
inviting. I set the alarm to get up
early enough to set up the camera, empty the cookie plate and the drink and
call upstairs; "Ho, Ho, Santa's been here!"
It wasn't long until the scamper of little feet down the stairs led the
big feet with gleeful shouts when they saw the glistening tree and all the
presents. Then they heard, "Remember, breakfast first before opening the presents". Reluctantly they came to the table and made
short work of their cereal. It took most
of the morning to open all the presents one by one with hugs and thankyou for
each which made it all the more fun.
After our delicious Christmas dinner they had to leave to go to Ed's
folks for their Christmas. Linda Jane wouldn't leave until she had washed the
dishes as usual. We all helped pack the
Christmas presents in their car. Rachel and
Rebekah's eyes were really still shining as they waved goodbye. The rest of our family couldn't come for
Christmas this year so we called them all, including Brent ,
Gary, Diane and Melissa to wish them a Merry, Happy Christmas.
Sunday the 26th
our Sacrament Meeting Theme was "Personal Development and Self Improvement" but
we still sang Christmas Songs. We
invited the Missionaries to come to Dinner at 6:30 and had plenty to serve them
from our Christmas dinner. They said the
food was delicious and that our home was beautiful with all the
decorations. They said that they were looking
forward to starting a New Year. On
Monday morning we went to Norma's to feed the cat and check the house. We found that the spray hose in the sink was
leaking so went to the hardware store to get a replacement that worked just
fine. On Tuesday Tom brought Norma home
and she thanked us for fixing her sink.
We had a little Relative Party in the afternoon as Lynn Zaugg, his wife
Darlene and Lynn's
Mother, Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah came.
We had a good visit and they said that Lee was getting along all right
in the nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease. Linda Jane and Rachel played a musical program that
we all enjoyed. After dinner we told Lee
that we would visit her tomorrow in the Nursing Home which seemed to please
her. Wednesday morning the 29th
we took Norma to the DeKalb Oasis to meet her sister, Doris Jean, like we had
done before. Then we went on to Rockford
taking our left over food and then visited Lee Zaugg in the Nursing Home. She smiled and seemed very pleased when
Rickie reminded her of all the fun they had on the farm when they were young,
especially have their goat pulled a little wagon with one of them in it.
Thursday, the 30th turned out to be a
busy day. We visited Sister McMunn and
her daughter and took bananas to Sister Wakenight when we visited her. The said that they enjoyed
Christmas. Then we called Linda Jane, Victor, Brian, Willis and
Beverly and Lydia to see how they were getting along after Christmas. They all said that they would have happy
memories and we responded that we would be right with them in that. On Friday we went to Rockford to hear
Rachel's beautiful concert and look over the great work that Linda Jane have
done on their home getting it ready for sale. When we got home we had call from
Louise Sullivan telling me that we had an engagement to play at the
Sterling High Rise on January 11th from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. We stayed
up until midnight and watched the New Year come in Time's Square, New York.
Section 62--Herman and
Mary's 50th Anniversary January 1st, $27,000. Loan to Linda Jane and Ed
for Downpayment on Home, Rickie Therapy for Breathing.
On Saturday, January 1st,
we drove down to Princeville for Herman and Mary's 50th Wedding
Anniversary. Mary is Rickie's brother
George's daughter. They brought Rickie's
sister, Lydia from the Nursing Home and we enjoyed a delicious dinner
and a wonderful visit. Sunday the
emphasis was on setting goals for the new year and
being grateful for the blessings we have received. No matter how many trials a person has it
seems that there is someone else who has more so we should always have
something to be thankful for. Brian and
Vinette's gifts for Linda Jane and Ed's family came a little late so we drove
to Rockford to take them for another Christmas celebration. We helped a little on some storm windows. On
the 6th we changed our long distance provider to Gallatin River
Communications. We called Victor and
were happy to hear that Zach has been eating soup On Saturday we went to Rockford and helped
Linda Jane and Ed finish their storm windows.
We stayed overnight and went to Church with them on Sunday. After Church we took them and Ed's Mother to
the Country Buffet as they were having an Open House in the afternoon for
prospective buyers. On Tuesday January 11th
we welcomed Norma home then went to my engagement to play at the Sterling High
Rise with our Quintet from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. Rickie was worried about Zach so we called
Victor and he happily reported that Zach is still doing better. We went to see Norma on Wednesday and she was
very uncomfortable with a bloated extended abdomen. Tomorrow she has an appointment with Dr.
LeSage to syphoned off some of the fluid. She asked us to have a prayer with her which
we felt very good about doing. On Friday
the 14th we went to Rockford to pick up Rachel from her violin
lesson and take her to Girl Scout Activity at 3:00 P.M. Linda Jane said that they needed $22,000.00
right away for a down payment on their new home so we volunteered to loan it to
them. We went to Rockford Sunday
afternoon and really were impressed with new home they were buying. We gave them a Check for a little more
$27,000.00 to take care of some other costs that came up. They were really appreciative to be able to
go ahead and close the deal they had on their New Home.
On Monday the 17th
in snowed about 4 inches so we stayed home and took down the Christmas tree and
some decorations. The City will pick up
the Christmas trees at the curb during January.
On the 21st we took some cookies and fudge to our neighbors,
Gary and Diana Schreiner, next door and the Darin and
Stephanie Longtin across the street as they work together keeping our sidewalks
and driveway clear of snow. We also took cookies to John and Julie Boss and the
Missionaries. This was cookie day
because we came home and baked some more chocolate chip cookies to take to
Linda Jane tomorrow. We had to be there
at 11:15 to go to Rachel's concert at the Mall.
Then we went to Freeport for Bridget's Wedding Reception. Sunday the Theme was "Fasting With a Purpose" so we an easy time selecting appropriae
hymns. Rickie played them
beautifully. Dorothy didn't come with us
as she was visiting her son, Ken, in Michiana Shores. He has a very popular Dance Studio there and
works long hours. On Monday the 24th
I took Rickie up to KSB Hospital to start a week of breathing therapy, as she
has been having trouble getting a deep breath.
Sauk Valley Orchestra rehearsals were scheduled to begin this Monday so
Linda Jane brought Rachel and Rebebah to Dixon to eat at 6:00 P.M. Rachel played the music very well. They left for Rockford at 9:30 P.M. We called Willis and Beverly and they said
that they were doing fine and were looking forward to coming to see us again in
the Fall.
On Wednesday Rickie had her
therapy at 1:00 P.M. with Martha Dredge who she liked very well. Then we took some ham soup and rolls to our
visit with Linda Jane and Rachel and Rebekah.
Ed is still working from 1:00 to 10:P.M.
When we got home at about 7:30 P.M. and were sad to hear that Zach was
back in the hospital with an infection around his stomach tube and has a low
white blood count. Rickie did very well
at her last therapy treatment on Thursday and was scheduled to see Dr. Bednar a
lady neurologist on Friday at 1:00 P.M.
Rickie liked her a lot. Perhaps
getting a clean "bill or health" had something to do with it. In the evening we went to the Lutheran
Special Services Banquet as our quintet was engaged to play for it. As usual Rickie found someone to visit with and
said that she enjoyed the music. Our quintet members think that it is really
nice to have such a loyal supporter. On
Sunday the Theme was "Welfare Preparedness" and we learned a lot about the
importance of having a years supply of food and other
necessities. Stan and Dolly came in the
afternoon as Home Teachers and after our meeting we
ice cream together.
This is a good place to copy
some of Linda Jane and Ed's Christmas Letter.
"This year has seen many changes for our family. We sold our home on Ridge Ave. and moved
cross the river into a new house and a different School District. The house is wonderful: three bedrooms and
TWO bathrooms. My favorite appliance is
the dishwasher. The only dishwasher that
would fit in our old kitchen was me. We
have a large living room with plenty of room for the grand piano with a
fireplace at one end. The basement boats
a large recreation room (now filled with boxes) where we hope one day will
reside a ping pong table. Ed has his
cave down there as well where he hides out in the company of his computer. I repainted the inside of the house with the
help of a friend and have had a fun time decoraing. It looks great and I love it. We have room to breathe. Rachel is attending Harlem Junior High Arts Academy and enjoys it
very much. She gave up ballet and choir this year due to the new time constraints accompanying actual school
hours, but seems content anyway. She is
playing 1st violin in the Rock Valley College Community Orchestra,
and also helped out at the last minute with the Sauk Valley Orchestra Winter concert playing 1st
violin with her grandpa Bowman. She is
accompanying the church choir for our
Christmas program and is also pianist for Young Women. At 12 she is almost as tall as I am, and seems
to be quite
grown up when I look at her in quiet moments.
Rebekah, 4 on December 16th, is a lively litle bug with adorable yet stubborn ways. Her favorite phrase right now is "but I want
to." She employs this rejoinder most frequently when
told not to do something. I believe she
is addicted to warm chocolate milk and enjoys her TV frioends on "Blue Clues"
and "Dragon Tales". Her biggest concern is a dearth of playmates. She is the only girl in a class with six
little boys at Church and all the kids in our neighborhood seem to be at
Daycare. She misses Rachel at home, and
often prays tht her one friend from our old neighborhood will come over
play. Maybe next year we will try preschool in search of
friends. Ed is delighted with his two
and a half car garage which he has filled with his "stuff". I try not bother him
when he is out there. He is still
working at the same place fixing furnaces and machines, but the name of
the company as changed to Gleason Cutting Tools. He works from 1:00 to 10:00
P.M. so Rachel misses seeing him during the week. They often talk on the phone and spend time together on
weekends. Ed and I are both Primary
teachers at Church He
enjoys it very much and has a reputation of being good with special needs of
children. I especially love conducting
the Ward choir. It is a great blessing and creative outlet for me. My Mom and Dad are coming to our home for
Christmas this year and we are looking forward to having a special time
together."
On February the13th we had
snow and sleet but went to Church anyway to hear about "Recognizing the Spirit of God in
or Lives". On Monday the 14th Happy Valentines Day! We heard the sad news that Mary
Dowell, Mikes wife and Concert Master of the Orchestra had an operation
on her foot and will be out for ten weeks.
We had sent Valentines to Jennie and Zach earlier so took Rachel's and
Rebekah's to Rockford. We took also a
Pot Of Gold casserole along to have a little Valentine's Party before going to
Dixon for the rehearsal at
.Sauk Valley College. We all had fun eating and opening
Valentines. We had a good trip both ways
and missed Mary at the rehearsal. Our conductor, Mike Dowell told us that he
was going to write us a letter. I'll
copy it here.
Section
63--Michael Dowell Resigns, Rickie Having Angina Pains, Norma Suffering February 15th. Music Chairman,
Rachel Hughes Popcorn, Norma Passed Away February 27, 2000.
"Dear Friends, It is with
hesitation and after a great amount of thought and prayer that I write this to you. For twelve years I have served as your
conductor with the Sauk Valley Community College Orchestra. Together we have produced many concerts and
enjoyed the thrill of producing fine music.
We have also forged a friendship that has kept me going in trying times.
Many of you have been faithful in your contribution to the orchestra both in
effort and attendance. I can't begin to
express my gratitude to you. I write
this because I can't
express verbally what I can when I really sit and think as I am
now. I want you to know that the twelve
years have passed and I still clearly remember the fist concert. No one except us,
really thought that we could continue to produce such fine music--but we knew we
could. A few years ago, some were
comparing our produtions to the guest performance of the Rockford Symphony at
SVCC. I don't know if we really were on
a par with them, but I know you give the same amount of effort or more and that
is all that mattered to me. It is with a
heavy heart that I tell you that this year will be my last as your
conductor. I would rather be open and
have you hear it from me before rumors get started. I pray that the Orchestra continues if not, I
hope you will all find ways to continue to offer your talents through church
performances, Clinton Symphony, Dubuque Symphony or other performing groups. I
look forward to our Spring Concert and playing for the College Graduation. Of course we will still have a summr
get-together and we'll celebrate our God given talents together. With my best regards. Mike.
On Tuesday the15th
we got up at 6:00 A.M. to get Rachel to Rockford by 8:00 A.M. We got home at
9:00 A.M. and went to visit Norma. She was having a tough time. Peggy was there and her friend Jay Pierson,
who was in her Bible study group was there also They talked about having hospice helf
take care of her next week. We brought her some fudge but she didn't feel like
eating so gave it to Peggy. On Wednesday
Norma didn't feel any better and I gave Rickie for angina pains in her
chest. I think her concern about Norma
helps bring it on. Linda Jane called and
asked us to come up tomorrow the17th.
.So on Thursday we got up early and arrived in Rockford at 9:00
A.M. Ed was working on the closets and
Lina Jane was shopping. Rachel and Rebekah
entertained us putting on a puppet show and then we tune helper for them for
lunch. A storm was predicted by the
weather station so we left about 2:30 and arrived home as it was starting to
snow. On Friday, the 18th
Diana's son, Matt used their snow blower to clean our sidewalks and
driveway. We took him some fudge and he
said it was really good. We took Norma
some soup and she ate some after we had a prayer with her. When we got home we called Victor in the
hospital and he said that Zach still had a temperature. On Saturday our Quinted played for a wedding
at 4:30 at St. John's Church in Sterling.
Rickie went with me and had a good time.
We arrived home at 6:30 and got ready for Sunday. Dorothy called and said that she couldn't go
with us this Sunday. On Sunday the theme
was Missionary work. Bishop Theriot called me to be Music Chairman and asked me
to try to have a special musical number every week. I told him that I would need Rickie's help to
play the piano for most of the special numbers.
She said that would be glad to help out with accompaniments. When we got home we called Brian and he was
happy with the news that Linda Jane and Ed have a buyer for their house.
Mary
called Monday morning the 21st to tell me that orchestra rehearsal
was cancelled for tonight. Linda Jane
was happy as she was working on their old house. We took flowers to Louise Sullivan in the
Sterling Hospital as she was recovering from a colon operation. Then we took a Birthday card and some more
fudge to Norma. Peggy was happy to get
the fudge. Next we popped some popcorn
and took a big bag to Rachel Hughes living at Heritage Square. She loved the popcorn and said she like to
have us visit her because we don't tell her what to do like her daughter
does. She is approaching the 100 year
mark and says she really doesn't want to live past that. When we got home there was a message from
Linda Jane on our answerig machine saying that she would really appreciate our
help tomorrow, Wednesday as she had a friend, Theresa coming to help her work
some more on the house. The next day we
took a roast beef dinner with us and arrived at 9:30 A M. to take care of
Rebekah with Rachl's help. At noon we had
a good dinner and they especially like the potatoes and gravy. After dinner we walked to the park so Rachel
and Rebekah could have fun on all the equipment there. We video taped them on the slides the
merry-go-round and the swings and playing tag.
They were laughing and had a fun time.
We walked back to their home at 3:30 and gave them a dove bar for a
treat as they said they were hungry. We
left for Dixon at 4:30. We took Norma
some yellow roses and a sandwich she liked. Her hearing aid was broken so we
took it to be repaired. On Thursday we
went to Rockford again so Linda Jane and Theresa could continue painting. In the evening we enjoyed going with the
family to Young Women's Achievement Night that Linda Jane was in charge
of. We got home at 9:45 P.M. and called
Norma.and Peggy said that she wasn't doing well at all and that the rest of the
family were coming tomorrow as the hospice nurse said that she would soon
die. We went to see her Friday morning
the 25th and Norma didn't respond and didn't need the hearing aid we
had repaired. Sally and her daughter
Sara came in the afternoon and Tom was to arrive at 7:00 P.M. Saturday the 26th we spent most of
the day at Norma's. In the afternoon we
gathered around her bed and Saundra, her grandaughter sang hymns to her own guitar accompaniment. It was a very emotional time and we felt a
togetherness knowing that our beloved Norma would soon leave us. Sunday February 27th, after Church
we took some
pies and ice cream to the family and Norma passed away at 3:25 P.M. It was so
sad even though it was expected. We
talked about it and the children agreed that since she was suffering so much
and had nothing to look forward to it was a blessing that the Lord took her to
join her husband, Bob.
Monday morning we drove the
red car, our Buick Century, to Rockford to pick up Rachel for orchestra
rehearsal and took some ham sandwiches along for lunch. On the way home our car quit about 17 miles
out of Rockford. I called Linda Jane
from our car phone and she came and took Rickie and Rachel to Dixon. I waited for a wrecker to come that I had
called in Dixon and got to the rehearsal for the last half hour. We thanked Linda Jane for coming to our
rescue and she said that she was glad she could do it. She called when she got
home in Rockford with the girls to say that she had arrived safely. The next day we went to see our car at the
garage and were told that the motor was burned out so we needed a new one and
it would take about a week to get it done.
That was all right as we had our Cutlas Cierra to drive and the Cadillac
stored in our garage. We went to visit
the L'Heureux family and they said that the visitation would be Wednesday at
the Funeral Home from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. and the Funeral would be at 11:00 A.M.
Thursday, March 2nd. We
attended the Visitation for the whole time and talked to
many who had been my students in grade school and Bob's students in high
school. We really felt an outpouring of
sympathy and love for the family. Brian
and Victor had called to express their sympathy as they had been so closely
connected to Bob and Norma through their school years.
Thursday
morning we got up at 7:00 A.M. and I put up Rickie's hair before breakfast. We
were ready to go at 10:00 A.M and Rickie really looked beautiful even though
she was teary eyed. We arrived at the
Methodist Church at 10:10 and Rickie sat with the family while I was one of the
pall bearers. The service was beautiful
with the music and scriptures that were Norma's favorites as chosen by her
family. The hymns were "What a Friend We
Have In Jesus", "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and "God Be
With You `Til We Meet Again". The
scripture was the 23rd Psalm.
At the cemetary everyone was invited to come back to the Church to eat
and visit with the family. The dinner was very good and there was a wonderful
feeling of love and friendship there.
On
Saturday we learned that a new General Motors engine installed would be $2700.00 Since the car
was in good shape otherwise we
authorized the installation as we would have practically a new car. We took a roast beef dinner up to Linda Jane
and helped her pack dishes and things to move to their new Home. After Church on Sunday, our dear friend
Charity Wilson called and said that they named their new born son Logan Loughe
Wilson. He was born on the 3rd
of March and weighed five pounds fourteen ounces and measured eighteen inches
long. On Monday we picked up Rachel
again for rehearsal and had no trouble.
She stayed overnight and we took her back after breakfast at 7:45
A.M. We a good trip and helped out a
littl before going home. When we arrived
we had a message that Charlie Engle, our viola player had died and that the
visitation would be on Saturday at 12:30 before the Funeral.in Rochelle. Mrs.Engle played French Horn
in the Rochelle Summer Band when I conducted it for eight years. She thanked us for being there to support
her. After the funeral we went to
Rockford to hear and record Rachel's violin concert at the College. She played very well and Linda Jane
accompanied her on her solo. Sunday the
theme was "Obedience". It was emphasized
that obedience is the first of of Heaven and "we receive blessings by obedience
to the laws on which they are predicated."
Rickie accompanied Dorothy Forbes singing "How Great Thou Art" for a special
number.
We
mailed our Income Tax on Monday, March 13th that our friend John
Palmer had prepared with a fee of only $45.00.
We made our usual Monday trip to pick up Rachel in Rockford for our
Orchestra rehearsal in the evening. We
stopped on the way home for Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers and a Frosty at Rachel's
request. We had as good rehearsal and
Rachel said that she didn't have to be in Rockford early so would like to sleep
later. She woke up early anyway so we
arrived in Rockford at 8:00 A.M. We
arrived home at 9:00 A.M. which gave us plenty of time to get ready to go to
the Temple with Stan and Dolly at 10:00 A.M.
We had as good visit on the way and did three Endowment Sessions
before leaving for home at 6:30. Stan works as a Sealer in the Temple every
Tuesday and Dolly is a Temple Worker who gets different assignments to do. I finally got Stan to accept $10.00 to help
pay for expenses. Wednesday was Rickie's
day to go to June's Room for a hair cut and permanent. She was very happy with how well the
permanent turned out. We picked up Stan
and Dolly to go to our High Priests Leader, Tim Dunavin for a meeting. The ladies had their own time together while
we had our planning meeting. He said
that he received instructions from the Stake President that all the High
Priests in the ward should have a PPI (Personal Interview) every month so he
gave each of us a list to do. After our
meeting Betsy, Tim's wife had pie and ice cream ready for all of us and we had
a good time socializing before going home.
We went to Morrison Thursday morning
the 16th to express our sympathies to Sister Katerine Wells as her
sister had just passed away. Dorothy
Forbes was there and told us that her exhusband Bud,
had just died and that his funeral would be next Monday morning in
Sterling. Bud was a very good friend of
ours when they were still married and he was the person who so artfully built
our front porch with cement. Rickie
tried to keep them together but they couldn't seem to see eye to eye especially
in spiritual goals since Bud was not a member of the Church and didn't want to
hear about it. It sounds like death is
all around us as on Friday17th we went to Bud Balagna's father's funeral in
Walnut, Illinois at 10:30 A.M. When we
got home we went to Norma's home and found Tom and Sally there trying to sort
out some of Norma's things and wanted Rickie to take her favorite coat. They are listing the house for sale so will
all come and take what they can use and clean out the house to be shown buy a
realtor. They said that it was very
difficult for them to do this but it had to be done. On Saturday we drove to Rocford for Relief
Society Conference. I took care of Rachel and
Rebekah, while Rickie and Linda Jane attended the Conference. They reported that it was very inpirational
and that they enjoyed it. On Monday we
attended Bud Forbes Funeral. Their three
children, Greg, Cindy and Brenda came and said that they would miss their
father. Dorothy was sad also and said
that she is going to take a long awaited trip to Ireland. We picked up Rachel in Rockford at 5:00 P.M.
for Orchestra as usual and had time to go to Eagles to get some food called
"Lunchable" that she needed for Church Party on Tuesday. We had a good rehearsal and Rachel said that
she enjoys playing with me in this orchestra.
We got up at about 6:45 Tuesday morning to arrive in Rockford at 8:30 so
Rachel could get ready for school. We
dropped her off at school then came back and took care of Rebekah until
3:30. We were able to help out moving
things during this time. We arrived home
at about 5:00 P.M. and called Brenda and Dale Druien to invite them come to
dinner tomorrow night as Linda Jane won't need us on Wednesday. They came at 5:30 P.M. and we had a wonderful
visit while eating. They like apple pie
so we served that with ice cream for desert.
Dale is still Ward Mission Leader and Brenda works with him especially
helping the Lady Missionaries so their spare time is all taken up
After
breakfast on Thursday, March 24th, Rickie said she would like to see our
grandchildren today so we went to
Rockford and got in on some of the moving project and I planted some raspberry
plants in the back yard of their new home. In the afternoon I took Rachel to
her Ballet Class while Rickie took care of Rebekah. At 6:15 P.M. we went with the family to
Beloit for the Girls Achievement Program that Linda Jane was in charge of. We got home about 9:30 and felt that we had a
good day. Friday morning Vincent Gilbert
came to tune our two pianos in the living room and did a good job. In the afternoon our Singing Strings Quintet
played for a Hospice Fund Raising Dinner and we were impressed with the
speaker's report of their Service to those in need. In the evening Stan and Dolly came as our
Home Teachers and we enjoyed their visit and served left over apple pie and ice
cream. It seems that for the next few
months our activities continued to be about the same so I'm going to copy some
of our Christmas letter as a resume.
"This
has been very eventful year for us so we
sould like to mention a few things that we are so thankful for.First let us say how thankful we are that
our 10 year old grandson, Zachary, Victor and Cynthia's son, who has been
battling cancer is now in remission. He
is attending school and is doing well.
We are thankful that we can pray for our dear sister Kathleen Criddle
who is paralyzed by the dread Lou Gehrig's Disease.
She is being taken care of by her husband, Dale and son Karl. Dale has asked us to pray that the Lord will
bless her and take away her pain and suffering.
We are thankful that Linda Jane, her husband Ed and daughters, Rachel 12
and Rebeka 3 were able to paint and fix up their home in Rockford to sell it
and buy a larger home in Loves Park where Rachel is now attending a fine school
in 7th grade. Linda Jane has done a super job of home schooling her
for six years so the transition was not difficult. They have redecorated their new home and the
living room is large enough for Alinda Jane's piano recital which was
held June 2nd. Rachel is now
plaing 1st Violin third chair in the Rockford College Community
Orchestra and is also playing with me for the Christmas Concert at Sauk Valley
College. I still play in the Sterling
Singing Strings Quintet for many weddings, receptions, anniversaries etc. We go to the Chicago Temple often with Stan
and Dolly Williams and go to Rockford frequently to visit and take care of
little Rebekah, which is a real joy."
"As
we grow older it seems like many of our dear friends pass away. We won't mention them all but we really miss Norma
L'Heureux who left us on Sunday February 27th, two days past her
birthday from cancer. Rickie had called
her or visited her every day for the past year.
On August 6th Victor and his two children, Jennie and Zachary
came and spent a wonderful week with us.
Then Brian and Vinette came August 13th for a few great days. On October 24th Willis and Beverly
Waite came from Salt LakeCity for a wonderful week's visit. On November 21st we took a 25
hour bus trip to Denton, Texas to accept Brian and Vinette's invitation to
spend Thanksgiving with them. We had a
wonderful, unforgettable time and went with them to the Dallas Temple on Friday after
Thanksgiving. Brian came December 14th
for five days before going to the Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago. We had the joy of going in to hear him play
his solos. From here he left on the 23rd
to join his wife,
Vinette for Christmas with her parents, Dean and Virginia Parry
and their son, Brian P. and his wife Julie. Linda Jane and Ed invited us to
spend Christmas with them in their new home so we had a marvelous time. Brian was here to go to Rebekah's third
Birthday Party on December 16th in the afternoon and Rachel's
Concert that night."
I
could end my account of the year 2000 right here but feel like I should go back
and fill in a few details
that might be of interest.
On June 15th we drove to Rockford and took the bus to O'Hare
Field to fly to Alrlington. The plan was for Victor to meet us at the Reagan
Airport in Washington D.C. at 4:00 P.M.
We boarded the plane at 1:30 and waited for take off. Finally the plane went back to the Gate at
5:30 because the flight had been cancelled.
We got our luggage and went back to Rockford in the bus. We loaded into our car parked there at the
terminal and drove to Linda Jane and Ed's home.
They were very surprised to see us as we were supposed to be in
Arlington before this time. They gave us
some spagetti and we arrived home at 11:00 P.M.
We had called Victor to tell him what had happened and he was very
disappointed. Friday morning we called
Victor and told him that we had decided to drive to Arlington as we had done
many times before. He was happy about
that as he had tickets for the big Army Show Saturday night. We called Stan and Dolly and told them what
had happened and our plans to be gone a week.
They had already offered to check our home while we were gone. We left at 3:30 and drove to Richmond, 390
miles by 10:30. We got a room a Motel 8
for a much-needed rest. We left at 7:30
A.M. and arrived in a thunderstorm at Victor's home in Arlington at 4:30 P.M.
in time for the big show at night. They
said that they were really happy to see us and glad that we had arrived safely
with no trouble. Zachary felt well enough to go to the Army Show. After the show we had and ice cream treat at their house and then went over to Brian P and
Julie's home to sleep.
On
Sunday the 18th we all went to Church at 2:00 P.M. We enjoyed talking to friends there that we
had met before. After the meetings we
all went to Victor and Cynthia's home for dinner and Brent joined us at 5:30
P.M. After dinner we opened Father's Day
Cards and had a good time. On Monday and
Tuesday we went to school with Victor and his students provided the music for
two Award Assemblies. We thanked everyone
for their kind hospitality and said goodbye and left for home at 7:15 A.M. We drove straight through and arrived home in
fourteen and a half hours at about 9:30 happy that we had been able to make the
trip.
Our
Thanksgiving in Texas was different and very enjoyable as we celebrated
Thanksgiving Day at the Bishop's home with two other invited families. Each family brought their favorite food so we
enjoyed a great variety and interesting conversation. Brian and Vinette's home was very spacious and
beautiful and we had our own private bedroom and bathroom. Our trip to the beautiful Dallas Temple in
the welcome rain was very memorable and we each did two Endowment and Sealing
Sessions. The next day Rickie became so
worried about our home that I felt we should leave for home the next day. They
could see the wisdom in that so took us to the bus and bought Rickie's favorite
MacRib sandwiches to eat along the way.
On the way home Rickie started to take off her blouse. She couldn't seem to understand me saying
that she shouldn't expose herself that way so I had a difficult time keeping
her blouse on. When we reached Dixon she
didn't believe we were home so wouldn't get off the bus. The bus driver finally got her off the bus by
telling her that we were in Dixon and that the bus wasn't going on. I didn't
know it at the time but these were the very first visible signs of her
beginning Alzheimer's Disease that finally conquered
her. She didn't realize that anything was wrong and I wanted to keep it that way. When I took her to Dr.
Stinson in Rockford with Dr. Appenheimer's recommendation. Dr. Stinson
told me privately that without any fault of her own
she would become less and less responsible until she eventually would be
totally incapable of doing anything. I'm
writing this for the benefit of anyone who reads this might have a loved one
plagued with this malady. The next
incident was in December at a Quintet rehearsal in a Baptist Church in Sterling
for a wedding to follow. All of a sudden
Rickie got up from her seat near me and walked to the outside door. I was able to catch up with her and asked her
where she was going. She said that she
felt like walking home. She was
satisfied when I assured her that in just a little while I would go with her. She
got along just fine when Brian was here and was very happy that we could go
visit her sister, Lydia in the Christian Apostolic Nursing Home near Peoria
December 19th. Brian took
his euphonium along and played a program of Christian Music in the Activity
Room for all the Residents. Lydia was
happy to see us and thanked Brian very much for his beautiful music. Everyone seemed to enjoy the program and the
nurses invited him to play again when he came for a visit. The next evening we all went to see the
Festival of Lights in the Rockford Park and Rickie really enjoyed that. .
Our New Year, January 1st
200l started out great with a letter from Victor telling us that an MRI
confirmed that Zachary's cancer is gone so he is definitely in Remission. Rickie shed tears of joy and we called them
right away to tell them that we are so thankful and happy for the good
news. We received Brian and Vinette's
e-mail wishing us a very Happy New Year. We called Linda Jane and she was happy
to say "Happy New Year' and that they are all well. We took a big bag of popcorn to Rachel Hughes
in Heritage Square and had a good visit.
She said that she was really happy to see us as it reminded her of all
the piano music she played in our Dixon Music Club, which she is no longer able
to play. We came home and enjoyed
playing some `cello and viola duets.
Rickie loves the deep mellow sound of the `cello. On Wednesday we took ham, rolls and soup up
to Rockford and had a fun day. Thursday
morning we went to our Jewelers to get Rickie's rings made a little bigger as
she hasn't been able to get them on for a few days due to swelling from
arthritis. The
suggested that she could wear them on a gold chain around her neck. She didn't want to do that, so was happy that
they could make them large enough for her to wear. I'm glad that she is sentimental about
precious things.
The
last of January, Beverly Waite's Sister, Shirley died in the Nursing Home in
Salt Lake City and the funeral is to be held in El Paso, Texas so they are
going to be there. Shirley has had Alzheimer's Disease for a number of years and reached the
point where she did not know them. Our
very good friend Ace Ensign is in the hospital in Freeport very ill with
Diabetes. His wife Mary Lou is spending
most of her time there with him. They
have been working in the Chicago Temple for a few years. We were fortunate to be participants in some
of his Sealing Sessions. Of course he
couldn't eat fudge but Mary Lou and their children loved it so we took a nice
big batch every time we visited in the hospital. On the 1st of February he had
three toes amputated and they are hopeful that they won't have to amputate his
right leg. The next day we went to visit
Marian Ciembronowicz in the Rockford Memorial Hospital as she was having the
same problem only had to have one toe amputated. It seems that health problems increase as the
years move on. We accepted Linda Jane's
invitation to go with them to their friends, Ken and Marian Justin for dinner
Saturday Evening. They have a son in the
Mission Field and are happy with the enthusiastic letters they receive from
him. We thanked them for the wonderful
evening and they said that they hoped we could come again. The next meeting will be at Linda Jane and
Ed's home.
On
Monday, February 5th Rickie had an appointment with her doctor in
Dixon, Dr. Appenheimer who was one of my trombone players in the grade school
band for the results of her blood tests.
He said that they were all normal but had made an appointment for her to
go to Dr. Grupta at the KSB Hospital for a Memory Test. She didn't do well on the test and I was not
impressed with this doctor so asked Dr. Appenheimer for to recommend another
doctor for a second opinion. He
recommended Dr. David Stinson in Rockford and called to make an appointment for
her. She was scheduled for 3:00 P.M. on
Thursday at his office 6085 Stratmore Street.
We had to sign a release so all of her medical papers could be sent to Dr.
Stinson from Dr. Appenheimer's office.
On Wednesday the 7th, Willis and Beverly called from Salt
Lake when they got home from the funeral.
They said that they had a beautiful service for her and that they asked
Willis to speak. He said that Shirley's
husband's brother Andy Gonzales was there and told them that he was on a mission
in Mexico City with Elder Bardell Bowman so they had a good visit. I told them about Rickie's appointment with
Dr. Stinson, who is a respected Psychiatrist and they said that he would
probably be very expensive. Then Willis
gave a Rickie a Priesthood Blessing over the telephone that she appreciated
very much.
On
Thursday we kept the appointment with Dr. Stinson and Rickie liked him
immediately and I was impressed with his thorough examination and kindly
manner. He prescribed Exelon telling her that it would help her memory. Then privately in another room he told me
that she was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease as I
have already mentioned and said that she would be happier if she did not know
it. He asked me to call and report how
she was doing on the Xelon before he gave her another appointment. On Friday Rickie went with me to the Rock
Falls Country Club for our Quintet to play for two hours for the Lutheran
Special Services benefit banquet and meeting at 6:15 P.M. We drove through snow and sleet on the way
but it had stopped when we drove home. I gave Rickie the $30.00 I received to
buy something special that she wanted.
Rachel was chosen to play a violin solo at the Mendelssohn Club on
Saturday at 1:30 so we were there with our video camera. Her mother accompanied her on the piano and
they both played beautifully. We took care of the music in our meeting Sunday
morning with Bill Bowman (no relation) singing a special number "Ave Maria"
with a beautiful voice. In the afternoon
we drove to Beloit Ward, where Rockford 3rd Ward is attending to
hear Rachel give a talk in Sacrament Meeting and to hear Linda Jane's
outstanding choir. They hope that
sometime they will be able to attend in Rockford again for the convenience but
Linda Jane likes this situation as the combined Beloit and Rockford Wards give
her a larger choir.
On
Monday we drove to Freeport to visit Ace in the hospital and took fudge to Mary
Lou. Ace was heavily drugged as he was
having a rough painful time. On Tuesday
we visited Marian, now at Fair Haven instead of the hospital and found that she
is suffering from a staff infection in her foot from the toe amputation. Then we went to Linda Jane's home and called
the Freeport hospital from there and Mary Lou told us that Ace is worse
today. We took Rachel to her Orchestra
rehearsal at 6:15 after eating soup that we brought. We got home about 9:00 P.M. On the 14th we went to Rockford to
celebrate Valentine's day with our grandchildren. Rachel had an appointment with the
orthodontic office in the morning. After
that we took them all to McDonald's where they chose to go for a Valentine
Treat. It was raining and sleeting so we
went home at 5:00 P.M. just in time to receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers
from Victor. That is his favorite Greeting, as he knows his Mother just loves it. On Thursday we called Mary Lou at the
Hospital in Freeport and she said that Ace is having tremors from his
amputation. When we
called Marian we happy to hear that she is feeling better.
Friday
we drove to Rockford to take care of Rebekah while Linda Jane took Rachel to
her violin lesson and to a Master Class presented by Rachel Barton, a Concert
Violinist. On Saturday we went to see
Ace Ensign. He seemed better as his
tremors had lessened but his heart was acting up. After Church on Sunday we went to Freeport
again to see Ace and he responded to Rickie and squeezed her hand. Then we went
to Conference in Beloit we Linda Jane, Ed and their
girls. When we got back to Rockford we
enjoyed eating pizza together. Rickie was really worried about Ace so we called
the hospital and got the sad news that Ace had passed away at 6:30 P.M. The next day, Monday, Matt called to tell us
that his father's funeral would be Thursday at 11:A.M. with a visitation from 5:00
to 8:00 P.M. Wednesday. I called Dr.
Stinson and told him that the Xelon didn't seem to be working too well as
Rickie was have fears and told me that when I wasn't home there was as gang of
men wearing black masks that wanted to come in our house. She thought the Lord blessed her because they
went away. He called that a
hallucination and asked me to bring her to his office at 4:00 P.M. Rickie seemed to enjoy her interview with him
again and he raised the prescription of Xelon from one to three mg's. We went to Linda Jane and Ed's for supper and
then took Rachel to her orchestra rehearsal at 6:30 and got home at 8:30.
The
visitation was very well attended so we gave our condolences to the family and
visited with many friends. Mary Lou told
President Nelson that she really appreciated our visiting them so diligently in
the hospital and that Ace seemed to appreciate it right up to the last. Thursday morning Rickie said that she wanted
to get to the Funeral early to tell Ace goodbye so we arrived there at 10:00
A.M. All the family was there and had a
special Family Prayer by the casket.
After that Rickie told Ace goodbye with a kiss on his forehead dropping
some tears in the casket. We left a card
with some money for Mary Lou. The
Funeral was very beautiful with the children and grandchildren taking part in
singing and speaking. When we arrived
home we called Willis and Beverly Waite to tell them about the funeral since
they had worked with Ace in the Church and thought so highly of the whole dedicated
family. They said they were sorry they
couldn't be there but would call Mary Lou.
Friday we went to Rockford
again at Rickie's request and had fun going to the school with their family for
a Chili Supper and Program. Linda Jane
told us that Elinor Stanlis, the director of the Rockford Music Academy had
died and that Saturday they were having a Memorial Concert by all the students
for her at 2:00 P.M. Elinor Stanlis
played in the Rockford Symphony most of the 30 years that I played in it. Her daughter, Margaret Batcher started violin
at age 3 and became a Concert Artist.
She came to play the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Rockford Symphony
and played with the Symphony on the rest of the program. It just happened that she played on the same
stand with me, which was a great pleasure for me. We attended the Memorial
Concert that featured 2 orchestras, 3 quartets and 2 soloists. Of course Rachel participated in an
orchestra. Marti Franz, the person
taking over her position gave very eloquent summary of the service she had
rendered through the years including starting the Suzuki Program. On Sunday Rickie seemed to be feeling pretty
well and played the hymns beautifully.
After Church we visited Sister Wakenight with our usual gift of bananas,
then Ed Worley in the Village Care Center and Connie and Marie Cox our former
neighbors. Then we called Brian to give
him all the news.
On
Monday, February 26, 2001 we went to visit Lydia again. Rickie talked to her about the sealing of
husband and wife for eternity in the Temple and asked her if she would like us
to do that work for her and Walter saying that after it was done they could
accept it or reject it in the Spirit World.
She also told her that the work couldn't be done until a year after she
had gone to meet her husband, Walter.
She thought that would be fine. She
said that she would appreciate Brian playing music for them again when he comes
to visit us in March. We were able to
take her out to McDonalds for a treat before going home. Going to Rockford
every day now is becoming the thing to do not only to take care of Rebekah but
Rickie wants to pack up everything when she is home. When she gets up in the morning she wants to
pack her clothes in the suitcase and leave.
She also wants to take other things in the car, like boxes of jewelry;
favorite quilts and pillows so the trunk is pretty full of her things. Every
night when we come home I unpack the suitcase so she can pack it again in the
morning. She loves to be at Linda Jane
and Ed's home and take care of Rebekah and hear Rachel perform. Now Rachel is jogging with her Mother to get
in shape for track at school. Rachel is
going to specialize in the High Jump.
Rickie likes to go visit Marian and we take Rebekah along with us. Marian is still in Special Care but goes to
Dialysis in wheel chair in a little bus. We went to see Rachel play in the
Young Women's BasketBall tournament in Beloit.
Rickie loves to go to her Grandchildren's activities, which might be a
carry over from our practice of attending all of our children's
performances. Rebekah is getting into
activities now and on Thursday, March 8th we video taped her roller
skating with her Mother. When we visited
Marian we were happy that her foot has healed so she can walk now. On Saturday we enjoyed going to Rachel's Concert
of the College Community Symphony. Linda
Jane had put a roast in the oven so we had a delicious dinner. Afterwards Rickie wiped the dishes for me as
I washed them. Linda Jane said that we
made a good team. After taking care of
our responsibilities in Sterling Sunday we drove to Beloit to join the family
there. Rickie especially like our visit
to the Primary as Rebekah was participating in class there. On Monday we attended a school program in
which Rachel had an important part in am interesting skit. On Tuesday the 13th we helped with
dinner, picked up Rachel from school and took her to her orchestra
rehearsal. When we got home at about
8:00 P.M. Rickie didn't want to get out of the car as she didn't think we lived
there. So I drove around town and pointed out the big sign DIXON over the road
and the Nachusa House Hotel and other familiar things until she really accepted
that we were home in Dixon. In the
morning Rickie said she was lonesome and wanted to take Victor's gifts of couch
pillows and elaborately decorated couch covering along to show Linda Jane.
Brian
came on Saturday the 17th and since I had to play for a wedding at
St. Mary's Church in Sterling, Linda Jane picked up at the Airport and brought
him to Dixon with the girls at 8:00 P.M.
We had a lunch ready and they stayed overnight to go to Church with us
Sunday morning. On Sunday Linda Jane
accompanied Brian on a special number "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked". Bishop thanked them after the meeting and
told them that it added a lot to the Service.
Brian had a student from afar for a lesson at 1:30 P.M. Ed came from Rockford to eat dinner with us
at 5:00 P.M. and take Rachel back to Rockford for school as Linda Jane was
going with us tomorrow to see Lydia and accompany Brian on a Musical Program
for the Nursing Home as promised. Before
going to the Nursing Home in the afternoon we were invited to dinner at Bertie
Keiser's home. Bertie is Rickie's
brother George's daughter and of course Mary Ann's sister who came with her
husband, Herman to help prepare the roast beef dinner we were served. After eating the very delicious dinner and
having a good visit we all wen to the Nursing Home. Lydia was very happy to see us and made sure
that all the residents knew that Brian would come to play for them again at 3:00
P.M. for an hour. Of course they were
delighted that Brian's sister accompanied him on the piano. They played some old favorite songs that
everyone knew and some sacred music including familiar hymns and some classical
music to please everyone. We arrived at home for a little supper and then Linda
Jane drove home with Rebekah. On Tuesday
Brian wanted to go to the Family History Center in Rockford to do research on
some of Rickie's ancestors so we left after breakfast about 9:00 A.M. He was successful and then had an opportunity
to help Ed with Family History on his computer.
While he was doing that we took Rachel to her orchestra rehearsal then
went home with Brian driving the car.
On
Thursday the 22nd we took Brian to the Rockford Airport to start his
trip home and Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah came to bid him goodbye with
hugs. As usual Rickie had tears with her
hug as she always want to keep him home longer. We went to see Dr. Stinson and he gave us a
prescription for four and a half instead of three mg's. Saturday I called Dr. Stinson and told him
that Rickie was having a reaction to the stronger medicine as she felt very
dizzy, drowsy and was sleeping a lot. He
said to go back to the 3 mg's. We
continued our trip every day to Linda and Ed's home in Loves Park, which is a
continuation of Rockford. By the 30th
of March I had the car trunk complete filled with more things that Rickie
wanted to take including boxes of pictures, a box of one hundred hankies and
other things that she thought Linda Jane and the girls would like to see. Saturday and Sunday we went to the General
Conference that was broadcasted from the Salt Lake Tabernacle to the Rockford
Stake Center. President Hinckley
introduced the Loan Plan for returned Missionaries in poorer countries. All the talks by General Authorities were
interesting and inspirational as usual.
We
went to see Rachel in the Track Meet at 4:00 P.M. Wednesday April 4th
and was proud of her as she won the High Jump
event. I was glad that I video taped it so
Ed could see it later since he was working.
The next track meet on Monday 9th, Rachel tied for 1st
place and was 3rd in the 400 meter race which was very good. Her coach was very complimentary. Rebekah is now taking Gymnastics and we video
taped her class on Tuesday the 24th so she and her father could
watch it together. On the 25th we went to the track meet in Freeport
and video taped Rachel coming out 1st place again. Her coach told us that she has great talent
and potential in this event. While we
were in Freeport we visited Mary Lou Ensign and she said that she is doing well
with the help of her family. On
Wednesday, May 2nd our Quintet played for the Cancer Society Benefit
Banquet in Dixon from 6:00 to 7:00 P.M. and Rickie got along just fine. We had a Mother's Day program in Sterling in
the morning and then drove to Beloit for the program there. Rachel sang "That Wonderful Mother of Mine"
with her mother playing the piano and me play and obligato on the violin. Rickie said it was very beautiful as she
thinks Rachel is a "dream". We came home to Loves Park for dinner and Rickie
now likes me to dish up her plate and cut the meat when we have it.
We picked up Willis and
Beverly Waite at the Sweden House bus stop at 5:00 P.M on Saturday the 19th
of May. They had called us that they
were coming in May this year instead of the usual September. At the time we didn't know how fortunate that
was. They were hungry and suggested that
we go to the Pancake House and insisted that it be their treat. We had a great time visiting and making plans
for their week with us. The plan was to
go to Madison, Wisconsin on Monday to visit Orval Erickson, our former Stake
President for our first trip. We drove in the Cadillac to Beloit, Wisconsin for
Ward Conference that was very inspirational.
Linda Jane conducted the Choir and it sounded like Angels were singing
with them. After the Conference, our
Stake President, Jack Ward and his wife, Sharmon took us out to dinner, as they
wanted to visit with Willis and Beverly.
We talked about old times when he was a Bishop when the Ward was meeting
in the Rockford Stake Center and I was the Bishop in Sterling and had a very
good time. Rickie did well and seemed to
really enjoy it. Monday morning we drove
to Madison and took Orval Erickson out to dinner as planned. We all had soup and salad and he told us that
it was really a blessing that his wife could pass away as she was suffering so
much with her illness. He was so happy
to visit with Willis and Beverly as they had worked together when he was Stake
President. It is really a joy to travel
with Willis and Beverly, they are great friends. On the way home they said that they would
like to go to the Winter Quarter's Temple so we planned to go Tuesday morning
and would take cards to do the initiatories, baptisms Endowments for Norma and
Bob.
We
left at 9:00 A.M. after a good breakfast and arrived in Winter Quarters at 3:00
P.M. We went to the Mormon Trail Center
to look over the Historical Displays there, took pictures of the beautiful
Temple and got a room at the Motel Puente.
We enjoyed some good food at the restaurant there then went to the
Temple and 6:00 P.M. and did the planned work for Norma and Bob. I sat across the little aisle from Rickie so
I could help her with her clothing during the Endowment Session. She was very
happy to take Norma L'Heureux's name while I took Robert L. L'Heureux's
name. It was a thrilling experience for
both of us to fulfill this part of our promise to Norma. We had a good rest t our Motel and in the
morning went sight seeing after breakfast even though it was raining. We had planned on taking a side trip to West
Bend to see the Grotto of the Redemption where Rickie worked with the builder,
Father Dobberstein, Catholic Priest.
Rickie told Willis and Beverly the story of how Father Dobberstein
promised the Lord that if he would heal him from his serious illness he would
build a sacred monument to him. We left
Winter Quarters, Nebraska at 1:45 P.M. and since the storm was still raging
decided to skip going to West Bend and arrived home in Dixon at 10:00 P.M. Rickie wasn't feeling very well so we gave
her a Blessing and she was able to sleep.
Even though she is taking Detrol for incontinence I wake her up in the
middle of her sleep to go to the bathroom.
Thursday morning Willis and Beverly said they would like
to go to the Dutch Diner in Tampico to eat and visit the Adamson family as some
of their 12 children are working there.
Beverly gets up in the morning at 4:30 to make different kinds of pies
that the Diner is famous for. Terry has
Multiple Schlerosis and takes care of the cash register since he can't work in
the Steel Mills anymore. We timed the
35-mile trip to get there at noon. The family was surprised to see us and
welcomed us with big hugs. We had a wonderful visit and heard the news of what
all their children were doing. We had a wonderful dinner and Terry wouldn't
take any money at the cash register as he said we were their guests today. Dale and Brenda Druien lived in a farm home
not far from there on the way home so we stopped and had a very enjoyable visit
with them. We told them that we planned to go to the Chicago Temple tomorrow as
Willis and Beverly had some Family names to do the work for and Rickie and I
wanted to be the proxies for Bob and Norma's Temple Sealing for Eternity to
complete our promise to Norma. They said
that they would go with us but had appointments with the Missionaries. We left early Friday morning and arrived at
the Chicago Temple in one hour and fifty minutes. We also did the work for
Norma and Bob's parents and sealed Norma and Bob to them after they were
married for Eternity by a Sealer who had received the Priesthood Authority to
perform that Ordinance. Willis works in
the Jordan River Temple near Salt Lake, as a Sealer doing many Sealing Sessions
every week and Beverly works in the Temple also so the wanted to be in the
Chicago Temple.
Our
Singing Strings Quintet had a date to play from 4:00 to 5:30 P.M. at the Deer
Valley Club on Saturday and Willis and Beverly said they would like to go along
to be with Rickie and listen. The plan
worked out great and they said they enjoyed the music and had a good time. They were especially interested as their son
Jim, majored in violin at BYU and was the Concert
Master of the Orchestra and now is the Concert Master of the Idaho Falls
Symphony and recently was the featured soloist play a Violin Concerto. On Sunday Rickie asked Beverly to take her
place on the piano and also play for our choir I scheduled to sing. She said
that she would be happy to do it.
Everything turned out very well and after Sacrament Meeting we drove to
Beloit to join Linda Jane, Ed and their family for their meetings in the
afternoon. They invited us to come to
their home and surprised me with a Birthday Dinner, as my birthday was tomorrow
The 28th of May. When we go
home Willis and Beverly said that they had really enjoyed the day and thanked
us for a wonderful week and really appreciated our offer to let them take our
white Cutlas Cierra tomorrow for the
week. We planned to follow them to Rockford in our red Buick to go to Loves
Park to accept Linda Jane's invitation to come.
On Monday our plans worked out perfectly and John, Beverly's brother and
his wife Janie welcomed them with open arms as usual. I had the opportunity to help Linda Jane with
some yard work while Rickie enjoyed playing with Rebekah before we went
home. While we were in Rockford on
Tuesday Dr. Stinson's nurse called, since we had given them Linda Jane's number
and gave Rickie an Appointment to see Dr. Stinson on June 4th at
2:00 P.M.
Wednesday
we picked up Brian at 12:30 an hour early and took him to Linda Jane's for
lunch. After that Linda Jane accompanied
him while he practiced his recital pieces.
We arrived home in Dixon at 6:00 P.M. and had soup and salad. After a good visit we went to bed early as
Brian had to leave at 6:00 A.M. to play a recital and give Master Classes at a
Music College. We went back to bed until
8:00 A.M as Rickie seemed tired and then went to Loves Park after breakfast,
which has become our schedule. On
Saturday Willis and Beverly went with us to Linda Jane's Piano Recital held at
the Mendelssohn Club. Beverly thought her students played
very well and was really impressed with Linda Jane' solo at the end of the
Recital which she played to inspire her students. We helped put out the
refreshments of punch and cookies after the Recital. The audience, parents and friends stayed
quite awhile munching and talking.
Willis and Beverly said that they would be leaving next Tuesday so we
said that we would come to tell them goodbye and John's home and pick up our
car.
Brian
went with us to see Dr. Stinson on Monday June 4th, at 2:00
P.M. He talked to Brian about the
University of Michigan a he had attended there.
Dr. Stinson was very interested in some of Brian's report on his
Mother's behavior that he had observed which led him to prescribe Seroquel to
increase every day from mg to 25 mg. with instructions to call if she had any
adverse reaction to the medication. Then
we went to Linda Jane's for a little snack and Brian and Linda Jane played some
music for us before we went home.
Tuesday morning we drove to John Landgren's home to visit and tell
Willis and Beverly "Adios" (Goodbye and God Bless You). It was good that Brian was with us to pick up
our car. They said that it worked
perfectly for them. Wednesday morning
the 6th we went shopping at Wal-Mart as Brian needed a special
electrical cord. We bought some chicken
strips and potato salad to eat before going to Rockford for Brian to take the
bus at the Sweden House to the Airport at 2:00 P.M. He called Vinette to tell her everything was
fine and that he would be arriving on schedule at the Dallas Airport. She said she would be there very happy to
pick him up. Linda Jane picked up Rachel
at school so they could all tell him goodbye before he boarded the bus as they
really think he is fun. Brian called us
in Dixon at 10:00 P.M. to assure us that he had arrived home safely and that he
was happy that he was able to spend time with us.
We had another appointment
with Dr. Stinson on June 21st and he told us to keep going on the
medicine. He took me aside and told me
that many of his patients who had Alzheimer's who were not nearly as far along
as Rickie are in special Alzheimer care units so we should be thinking about
that and make some preparations. I told
him that up to this point I was getting along and feeling good about taking
care of her though we had made the trip to Rockford almost every day since
February except when we had company. In
the late afternoon we went with Linda Jane to hear Rachel play in the Music
Camp Orchestra at the College and video taped the performance getting some nice
close up shots of Rachel. When we
arrived in Loves Park on Friday Rickie was worried that she didn't have any
clothes so Linda Jane went with us to buy a couple of dresses that she
liked. On Saturday morning Rickie went
with me to play for a wedding at the Sacred Heart Church in Sterling before we
drove to Loves Park. When we arrived
Rickie had an upset stomach and vomited so I finally persuaded her to lie down
for a little rest. When we got home
about 8:00 P.M. we called Victor and were happy to hear him say that they were
getting along just fine. Sunday Rickie
wanted to drive to Beloit to hear Linda Jane's Choir sing some special music.
We had a good trip and it was well worth it because the choir sang
beautifully. Linda Jane said that Ed was
home sick in bed. We were sad to hear
that news. When we arrived there he was
out of bed but still not feeling very well.
He said he wanted to get well quickly as they planned to go camping to
the Governor Dodge Park in Wisconsin on Friday the 29th. We went up to help them pack and to see them
off early that morning then drove down to the Nursing Home near Peoria, to
visit Lydia. She said she was feeling
better as she had been able to eat better this week. We got home in time to change our clothes and
go to Aaron Stocks and Jessica's Wedding Reception at the Church. Sometime ago they had come to our home before
they were engaged and asked for our counsel since we seemed to be very much in
love and happy together after all these 58 years. One thing I remember telling them that they
should give 100% to their relationship and marriage and not make it a fifty,
fifty proposition. They were a handsome
couple and were happy to receive our congratulations and our gift of money that
they needed. Linda Jane called Saturday
the 30th and we were happy to hear her say that they were having a
marvelous time camping. We took care of
the Music at Church as usual and in the afternoon visited Sister Wakenight
bringing a little bunch of bananas that she loves. She said that she was feeling better since
she heard from her grandson, Jared telling her that he is doing fine in Salt
Lake City and he misses her and loves her.
On Thursday, July 5th we
picked up Victor and Jennie at the Airport at 9:00 A.M. and had a very good
visit on the way home. Zachary didn't
come this time as he was catching up on some schoolwork. Linda Jane called and we told her that Victor
and Jennie were here and she asked us to meet them at a restaurant in Mineral
Point at noon tomorrow. We had a good
trip there and of course received a big welcome. Rachel wanted Jennie to stay with them as
they planned to go home tomorrow. After
a good dinner we went sight seeing before returning home. On July 9th Linda Jane brought all
the girls to stay overnight with the plan that tomorrow, Tuesday we would all
go to Magic Waters for the day. That night
we prepared a lunch to take along. After
a good breakfast we left for Magic Waters in Rockford. Victor and the girls rode with Linda Jane and
Rickie and I followed them in our car.
Half way there Linda Jane's car broke down so Victor stayed with the car
to wait for a wrecker and I took the rest of the family to Magic Waters. After I dropped them off I returned to wait
with Victor and then take him to Magic Waters when the wrecker came. Linda Jane had called Ed at work and he said
he would go home and wait for the wrecker to bring the car. The plan worked out just fine and we ate our
lunch at Magic Waters and the girls had a wonderful time until we left about
4:00 P.M. Linda Jane prepared some food
and we all enjoyed eating together and talking over the events of the day. We decided that the adage "All's well than
ends well" was true for us today. Jennie
stayed with Rachel and Victor went home with us. The plan for tomorrow was for us to come to
Loves Park and take them all to Dixon to enjoy their favorite play ground
Woodland Wonderland. We enjoyed seeing
them have such a wonderful time. The got
pretty hungry so we took them to McDonalds for a treat. The
next day, Thursday we went to the Movies in the Sterling multiple movie houses.
Linda Jane took Rebekah to see "Cats and Dogs" and the rest of us saw "Dr.
Doolittle" and animal talking show that was very interesting. We had a snack before going to bed. On Friday 13th, that we considered
a lucky day we went to White Pines Park and after hiking on the trails through
the pines gave the girls, Linda Jane and Victor the excitement of the Go Cart
Rides just outside the Park. After that we went home and ate leftovers. The girls still wanted to play so we went to
the Dixon Miniature Golf Course and they had the had a
great time playing while Rickie and I watched.
We rented a movie that the girls wanted to see after supper. We had soup and pizza and popped corn for
them to munch on while they watched the movie before going to bed. In the morning, Saturday the 14th
Rachel went with us to take Victor and Jennie to the Airport and Linda Jane
took Rebekah home. We had a good trip
and thanked Victor and Jennie for coming.
We got back to Loves Park in time for dinner at noon and had a good
afternoon. We got home about 7:30 P.M.
and got ready for Sunday meetings in Sterling and Beloit.
When we arrived at Loves
Park Monday morning the red car wasn't charging so I took it to Midas Muffler
and they fixed by putting in a new alternator and three new belts for
$370.00. It seems that our cars just
won't keep running without repairs. Of
course our red Buick Century has served us well as it was new in 1965 which
makes it about 36 years old and now has high mileage. On Thursday the 19th we went
shopping and got some comfortable shoes that Linda Jane picked out for her
mother as her feet were getting tired.
On Saturday Rickie got pretty tired as we went with Linda Jane, Ed and
the girls on the Parade of Homes so finally we sat in the car for the last
ones.
Section 70--Rickie to
Hospital, Rickie to P.A. Petersen Center for Health, Alzheimer's unit 3rd
Floor, July 27th. August 8th
Rickie Walking In Hall for 2 Hours. I was Permitted to Help Take Care of
My Sweetheart Wife Until She Was Asleep at About 7:30 or 8:00 P.M. Dr. Susan
DeGuide to Be Her Doctor.
Sunday morning Rickie felt
very weak so I dressed her and carried her downstairs and after a little
breakfast drove to Loves Park as she couldn't go to Church. We stayed overnight as Rickie had an
appointment with Dr. Stinson on Monday at 3:00 P.M. Linda Jane went along with us. She told Dr. Stinson that she had
investigated all the Health Care Centers for Alzheimer's and thought that the
P.A. Peterson Center for Health in Rockford was the very best. Dr. Stinson said
that would be his choice also. He
thought that Rickie's weakness might be due to overmedication so he cut down on
the dosages. Rickie said she was feeling
a little better when we go back to Linda Jane's home and said she wanted to go
home. When we arrived home we shared a
McRib sandwich, some ice cream and went to bed early. Rickie was able to go to the bathroom at
midnight. Tuesday morning she felt very
weak again so I dressed her and carried her downstairs. She said that she wasn't hungry but did eat a
little cereal. I called Linda and told
her that I was taking her Mother right to the St. Anthony Hospital Emergency
Room and would be there in an hour. She
was very concerned and said that she would meet us there. When we arrived the doctors took right over
and gave her a battery of tests. Rickie
slept through most of them as soon as her pain in her chest eased. The Doctor's report was that she had
pneumonia, a weak heart beat, had cancer of the liver with only about six
months to live. This news was
devastating to me and I called Victor and Brian to give them the report. Brian immediately sent E-mail to all our
family. The next morning he had to
retract the part about cancer as the doctor came and told me that they had been
mistaken and that Rickie only had an infection in her liver and not
cancer. They had admitted Rickie to the
Hospital and I stayed all night with her.
I thanked the Lord that she didn't have cancer. They took more blood tests at 6:00 A.M.
Wednesday and when they brought food at 8:00 A.M. she ate very little. Linda Jane came with Rachel and Rebekah and
Rachel stayed with her Grandmother while Linda Jane and I went to P.A. Petersen
Center for Health to check it out. We
were impressed with their Alzheimers unit on the third floor so made
arrangements to have her brought there in an ambulance on Friday her projected
date for release from the Hospital. The
nurses in the hospital were very attentive and gave her medication through the
IV for her pneumonia and had her on oxygen.
I stayed with her all the time and by Friday she was well enough to be
released from the Hospital to go to the Petersen Center for Health. I followed the ambulance and they took her on
a gurney to room 305. I signed all the
papers for her admittance and the cost was $141.00 a day, which did not include
extra services or medication. Two CNA's
(Certified Nurses Assistants) came in, took her to the bathroom and put a gown
on her over her garments, which I insisted on, and put her to bed. She couldn't get to sleep so I got on the bed
with my clothes on and she went to sleep on my arm as she was accustomed to
doing. On Saturday morning they came at
7:00 A.M. to dress her and take her to the bathroom. I had brought a suitcase full of clothes for
her and hung them in the closet. Rickie was feeling a little better and was
able to walk to the dining room with my help.
I fed her a little oatmeal with milk and a few spoons of scrambled egg. The nurse brought her medication in
applesauce, as it was very difficult for her to swallow pills. Dr. Stinson had given a list of the
medications to the head nurse, as all the medications were to come from the
Nihan & Martin Pharmacy for the nurse to administer. The pills would have
to be crushed and put in applesauce or pudding as mentioned. The bill of course would come to me at
Linda's address. Linda and Ed asked me to come to their home to sleep as I was
told that I couldn't stay with Rickie overnight anymore. I arranged to come at 7:30 A.M. help take
care of her during the day and leave at 7:30 at night when she was in bed
sleeping. I brought lunch for dinner and supper and got along very well with
Chunky soup in a thermos, some milk, carrots, lettuce and a meat sandwich and a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich eating half for each meal. I mentioned before
that we didn't realize that it was fortunate that Willis and Beverly came in
May instead of September as usual. Now
we see that we couldn't have had them in our home and also Beverly had a
Four-Artery by-pass soon after they got home. So we feel like were really
blessed to have had that time together.
By Wednesday August 8th,
Rickie as over the pneumonia and had gained strength so we walked up and down
the halls for an hour or two after she had her medication and I fed her
breakfast then she would have a nap until about noon. She had to wear disposable briefs and I took
her to the bathroom about every two hours.
In the afternoon we would sit on the couch while I read to her or
watched a Lawrence Welch Program or a musical on the TV. On Wednesday's at 2:00 P.M. Reverent Olson
would bring his guitar and have a Service on the 3rd floor. Rickie seemed to enjoy that as we all sang
familiar hymns with his guitar accompaniment.
Linda Jane brought Rachel and Rebekah over for a visit frequently and
sometimes played music for everyone in the dining room where the piano was
located. I went to Dixon almost every
Friday after I fed Rickie breakfast and she was taking a nap. The CNA's assured me that they would take
care of her. When she asked them where I
was they told her that I would be back very soon. One afternoon in August some of her dear
friends came to see her and recognized them and gave them a hug, Brenda Druien,
Dorothy Forbes, Emma Padgett and Vickie Williams. When they were ready to go she wanted to go
with them. I persuaded her to stay by
saying that we would go a little later.
On August 15th
Dr. Stinson came for 10 minutes and said that Dr. Susan DeGuide would be taking
care of her physical needs and would come to see her. I told him that she was getting more restless
and wanting to go home and that she seemed to accept it when I told her that we
had to stay in the hospital a little longer.
She doesn't know that she is in a Nursing Home. He prescribed Oracel to go along with the
other mediations she is taking. He said that there is no cure for Alzheimers
yet but these medications are supposed to help her to be more comfortable. When Dr. DeGuide came to get acquainted with
Rickie I asked her what the prognosis was and she said that Rickie would
gradually get weaker and would have to be in a wheel chair and not be able to
do anything so I should help her to walk and do things like brush her teeth as
long as she was able. She prescribed
Paxil to calm her down a little. On the
29th Linda Jane came with the news that Rachel's audition won her a
position in the First Violin Section of the Rockford Youth Symphony. She came at 3:30 and waited until her Mother
woke up at 4:00 P.M. to give her the news.
Linda Jane and I were
invited to a meeting with the administration and they said they would like to
try having the nurses and aids take care of Rickie until after breakfast so I
should come about 9:00 A.M. After a few
days they said it wasn't working out, as Rickie wouldn't eat for them so I
should come at 7:30 as before. On Monday
September 24th, Rickie ate all her breakfast and did not sleep all
day as her cousin Gary, his wife Diane and Linda Jane and Rachel and Rebekah
came to visit and had a good time. In
the evening at 7:30 Craig Deets, one of her favorite students, who was now
teaching music in Byron, came for a visit and she was glad to see him even
though she was in bed. She went to sleep
at 8:00 P.M. and I visited with Craig downstairs in the Lobby until 9:00 P.M.
He loves his teaching job and is doing really well in Byron. On Thursday morning after breakfast as we
were walking she said she wanted to go home as a murderer had come into our
room last night she said. Of course she thought that I was there so I told her
that she didn't need to be afraid, as he would not be coming back. On Friday
the 28th, I went to Dixon to check on our home and take care of
business. I took all of the pennies out
of our big storage jar and deposited them in the Bank. They had a machine to count them with and I
was surprised that the amount was $2,526.26.
I loaded up the car with more canned goods and frozen food out of our
freezers for Linda Jane's food storage.
I hope to get the freezers emptied and all the other goods transported
soon. When I got back to Petersen at
4:15 Rickie was very tired. They told me
that she had fallen in the morning but was not hurt. They just don't have enough help to watch
everyone all the time. Rickie seemed
very glad to see me and gave me her usual good morning kiss. After feeding her supper we walked the halls
for awhile and she went right to sleep at 7:30 P.M. Sunday morning we went to the Chapel
downstairs for Services and Rickie asked me where her husband was. I gave her a hug and said, "I'm right here by
you!" "Oh, that's good" she responded.
Stan and Dolly came to visit from 3:30 to 5:00 and brought Rickie some
chocolate cookies that she always enjoyed at their home. She seemed to know them but couldn't talk
very much. They are still going to the
Temple every Tuesday and said that they missed us.
Section
71--Meeting with Head Nurse, Rickie Now Needs Nurses Aids to Help. Rickie Happy to See
Visitors, Brent, Tom L'Heureux.
Stan and Dolly and of Course Linda Jane and Family, Lynn Zaugg Brought His
Mother's Wheel Chair for Rickie.
On Thursday, October 4th
we had another meeting with Dena, the head nurse. She thanked me for having taken care of
Rickie almost complete but she said now since it was difficult for Rickie to
walk she would have to have and aid assist me and also take her to the bath
room every two hours. She said that I
could help and aid put her on the stool at night and dress her for bed then had
to have an aid help me walk her to the bed as they didn't want her to fall. Linda Jane thought this would be a good
plan. Saturday the 6th after
breakfast Rickie had the delusion that this was our home and that all these
other people should leave so we could be alone.
I assured her that they were just visiting and she seemed to accept
that. A nurse's aid helped me walk her to the end of the hall and back to the
couch by the TV. We spent quite a bit of
time there and she would doze with her head on my shoulder. Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah came at 5:00
P.M. The nurse saw that Rickie was
pretty nervous and excited so gave her some Ativan that seemed to help her calm
down. One of the other ladies there was
named Rebekah and she really had as good time with little Rebekah. She was there to heal from knee replacements
and didn't have Alzheimers.
The home provided other
services that were not included in the regular care and had to be paid for
separately. (1) A competent beautician,
Donna comes to a room equipped as a beauty parlor and Rickie liked to have her
hair done every two weeks and was scheduled for a hair cut and permanent on
Tuesday October 9th. A
dentist was available for examination and teeth cleaning and a chiropodist came
to take care of aching feet and trim toenails.
I also bought an air mattress to put on Rickie's bed as was
recommended. Brent came from Washington
D.C. on the 10th and was surprised that his Grandma didn't know him
at first. After he on the couch with her and talked about living in our home
for two years while going to High School she knew him and said that she was so
happy to see him. He spent almost the
whole day with her and said he was very glad that he came to have that
blessing. Tom L'Heureux came at 5:00
P.M. on his way back to Chicago and thanked Rickie for all
that she had done for Norma, his mother.
When I arrived Thursday
morning the 11th, of October, Rickie as still in bed and the nurse
said that she was over medicated so would cut out the Activan. When the CNA's got her up and dressed for
lunch the said it was time for the wheel chair that Lynn Zaugg had brought to
me. It was the one his Mother, Lee, had
used. I was able to get her to eat some
lunch sitting in the wheel chair. Brent
came soon after that and took her for a ride up and down the halls. About 4:00 P.M. we put her on the couch and
she went to sleep with her head on Brent's shoulder until suppertime. She took her medication in pudding and ate
pretty well. She seemed tired so we put
her to bed at 7:00 P.M. and she went right to sleep after we had a prayer. On Friday Brent and I went to Dixon in his
car and loaded it up with our wheat storage, two guitars. two
clarinets, a saxophone and all the things he had accumulated while he lived
with us that he wanted to have. I gave
him the Album that his Grandmother had made of the pictures of his activities
and awards for the two years. He also appreciated getting 5 six hour videotapes
of all his performances and activities.
There were still many things he had stored in the attic that he said he
would get sometime later. Linda Jane had
food ready when we got back from Dixon and after he ate, thanked us and said he
was very glad that he came and left for home.
When I arrived at Petersens at 2:30 Rickie was asleep and woke up at
4:15. On Saturday she didn't sleep at
all in the day and the nurse said that she was probably under-medicated as they
had cut out some of her medication. They
restored some and put her to bed at 6:30.
She was fast asleep at 7:00 P.M.
On Sunday I took her to the Service in the Chapel at 10:30 A.M. in the
wheel chair and she stayed awake for the half-hour. Then she had a little nap until lunchtime at
12:30 P.M. Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and
Rebekah came in the afternoon and we had a little Service all our own with
songs. Prayer and the Sacrament and Rickie seemed to enjoy that. She responds
to her grandchildren's singing and talking very well.
When I arrived Monday
morning Rickie was sleeping in the wheel chair.
They said that they couldn't get her to open her eyes. I said, "Good morning, Rickie my love" and
gave her a good morning kiss. She opened
her eyes and let me feed her cereal, eggs and fruit. I was told that I should no longer transfer
her from the wheel chair for two reasons.
One was that I might drop her and they would be held responsible and the
other was that I might hurt my back. So
I told Martini, one of the CNA's about the new rule and she helped me put her
on the couch that we called the Love Seat.
She slept all morning by me and I finished reading the New Testament. I
have to remind the CNA's to take her to the bathroom when it is time, about
every two hours. There is only one that
won't let me help so she has to find someone else to help her. I carry extra briefs in the wheel chair
pocket, as she is usually wet especially when they go overtime when they are
too busy. They helped me put her to bed
at 6:30, right after supper and she was asleep at 7:30 P.M. The next morning she was in her wheel chair
at the table not eating so we had a repeat performance of yesterday and she ate
well. When the nurse came with her
medication she touched her arm and said, "Last night I had five Service Men, in
uniform, come to see me and they were all my sons." The nurse knew that it as a
hallucination but she said, "That's wonderful".
One time today when help was not available I took Rickie to the bathroom
myself and got along fine. Wednesday the
17th was the day to have her hair done at 9:00 A.M. I sat by her while she was under the drier
and she went to sleep for a half-hour. Dr. Stinson came on Thursday and told
her she looked beautiful with her new hair-do, and increased her Xelon
medication. He said that he was going to
Italy for two weeks and would tell us about it the next time he came. Friday I
got back from Dixon at noon and told Rickie that I missed her. I was surprised that she could say that she
missed me too. I told her that our good
friends Jim and Sharon, Wiltz trimmed all our bushes beautifully. She seemed to know whom I was talking
about. This night was quite different,
as Rickie didn't get to sleep until 10:00 P.M.
I have permission to stay with her until she goes to sleep as one night
when I didn't do that she got out of bed.
On Saturday it was good that
she slept a couple of hours in the morning as we had visitors in the afternoon.
They were Dorothy Forbes, Edna Williams, Katherine Wells, Janet Burkitt and
Dale and Brenda Druien. We had a good
visit in a little activity room near Rickie's room. I took Dale and Brenda aside and told them
how Rickie was progressing so they could tell the rest on the way home. They came together in a Van. We attended the Services in the Chapel on
Sunday and in the afternoon Rickie became quite agitated and wanted to leave
and go home. She kept asking everyone when the train or the bus left. One
understanding nurse told her that the bus would be going tomorrow but not today
and that helped to calm her but she didn't get to sleep until 10:00 P.M.
Monday
morning at 9:00 A.M. I took Rickie to the Beauty Parlor on our 3rd floor for
Donna to give her a permanent. She went
through it okay and everyone one we met said she
looked beautiful. She gets along very
well with all the other residents and the nurses and CNA's love her. Tuesday Rickie had a very good day. She ate well, had an hour nap in the
afternoon. She said she wanted to go to
Brian's house but went to bed at the appointed time 6:30 and was asleep by 7:00
P.M. She didn't know that it was Halloween.
Rachel and Rebekah went "trick or treating" and had a good time. On Thursday Linda Jane brought them over so
their Grandma could see them in their costumes.
Linda Jane took pictures of them with their Grandma. When I went to Dixon Friday, the 2nd
of November I made arrangements with the Preston Schilling Home for the future
and purchased two cemetery lots in the Oakwood Cemetery by some beautiful trees
for $600.00. I got back at 1:30 and
Rickie had a nap sitting with me on the love seat for about an hour. She seemed tired after supper and got to
sleep at 7:45 P.M. On Saturday Rickie
weighed 135 pounds so they started to give her lasix to get rid of the extra
water in her system. Her legs were
really quite puffed and swollen. Monday November 5th, Linda Jane and
Rachel had bad colds so Rachel didn't go to school Monday or Tuesday. On Tuesday the lasix was really working as
Rickie went to the bathroom eight times in the afternoon. Rickie got a lot of birthday cards on
Wednesday from her children and friends.
I showed and read them to her in the evening and she got so excited that
she couldn't go to sleep. At 9:15 she wanted more kisses as many of the cards
sent love and kisses.
On Thursday I took Rachel to
school on my way to Petersen, as she was feeling better. Stan and Dolly came at 2:00 P.M. and brought home
made chocolate cookies that are Rickie's favorite. Rickie wasn't very responsive but they
understood that. I thanked them for
coming and said that I would give Rickie a cookie every day for a treat and
remind her dear friends, Stan and Dolly brought them. Linda Jane came in the afternoon and made
arrangements to have a Birthday Party for Rickie in the dining room with cake
and ice cream for everybody at 2:00 P.M. on the 9th. I asked Linda
Jane to get a corsage for me to give her mother, as it would be difficult for
me to get one. So on Friday the dining room was full of people and we all sang
"Happy Birthday to You Dear Rickie" before Rachel helped her blow out the
candles on the cake. She like the
corsage and Linda Jane brought a bouquet of roses to put on the table. Everyone
seemed to have a good time and really enjoyed the cake and ice cream. The Staff members expressed their
appreciation to Linda Jane for the lovely Party. This was one Friday I didn't go to Dixon.
When I arrived Sunday
morning they gave the news that Rickie had fallen on the scale and I was glad
to hear that she wasn't injured. By
Tuesday the 20th Rickie had lost three pounds which pleased the
nurses. We invited Linda Jane to come to
a Concert by the Valpariso students at 2:00 P.M. They sang mostly Gospel Songs
and Linda Jane like it and Rickie stayed awake and tapped her foot to some of
the numbers. On Wednesday Dr. DeGuide
came and told us that Rickie should have a time in bed every morning with her
feet elevated to help take down the swelling.
Rickie told her that she was trying get people
to help her take care of six children that were coming. She told her not to worry that it would work
out. On Thanksgiving Day Rickie didn't
eat well even though the food was extra good with turkey, dressing, potatoes
and gravy and fruit. He hadn't forgotten
about getting someone to help her take care of children. She didn't sleep during the day so got to
sleep at 7:00 P.M.
Friday morning was the day that Rickie got a shower
before breakfast. A very nice CAN,
Latoya had just brought her to the table all dressed nicely ready for breakfast
when I arrived. About 10:00 A.M. she had
a nap in bed with her feet raised following doctor's orders. In the afternoon she said she wanted to go
home so I took her for a ride in the wheel chair down stairs and around. She got a new room mate and we had to wait
for them to get her to bed so Rickie got to sleep about 8:00 P.M. Rickie' room mate's name is Vivian and her
friends, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson come to see her often and take her laundry home
every week. They belong to the Salvation
Army and believe in doing good deeds.
Mr. Nelson is a retired Band Director from the Rockford Schools and
Linda Jane substituted for him at one time.
He now does house painting inside and out. Whatever clothes the CNA's take off from her
at night goes in her dirty clothes hamper.
When I take Rickie's clothes off getting her ready for bed if they are
not wet or dirty I hang them up to be worn on another day. I take the clothes that need washing home to
Linda Jane and she does the laundry for her Mother. They do laundry at the home
for $8.00 a load, which Linda Jane thinks, is ridiculously expensive. The Nelson's sing with the
Salvation Army Choir when they present a program for the Residents here. They went to Sweden, their native land, for a
week to see relatives and one of their friends took care of Vivian's laundry.
When I got to the dining
room on Sunday November 25th Rickie was again sitting in chair at
the table sleeping. After I fed her a
good breakfast and we had taken her to the bathroom I took her to the Chapel
for Pastor Olson's interesting Service. He gave the same program on the third
floor at 2:30 except that he accompanied the hymns on the classic guitar
instead of a pianist play the accompaniment as was done in the Chapel. When he
attended Augustana College he played String Bass in the orchestra. There he
fell in love with Ann who played the viola in the orchestra and they were
married after graduation. Now she
teaches piano at the Music College and accompanies violin students in the
Recitals. She brought a string quartet to play a program at the Center here and
asked me to fill in for a missing violinist, which I was happy to do. She played viola in the Quartet. Pastor Olson was a guest bass player with the
Rockford Youth Symphony in a concert that Rachel played in so they are both
very active in music. He knows quite a
bit about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as his sister was a
member. She was killed in an airplane
crash in Colorado and he told me that he attended her Mormon Funeral and heard
the whole plan of Salvation. The first
book I gave to read was by President Hinckley. "Standing for
Something". Followed by others including "A Marvelous
Work and a Wonder". His
livelihood is his ministry so it would be difficult for him to change at this
time. Next Sunday he is moving the
Worship Service to the Atrium where there is more room and has asked me to play
a special number "How Great Thou Art" with his guitar accompaniment.
Rickie was named Resident of
the Week on Monday the 26th and I was asked to write a short resume
of her life to put on the bulletin board.
The nurses said they liked the story so I'll copy it here. "Rickie was
born in Kossuth County near West Bend, Iowa on November 9, 1916, the daughter
of Henry and Bertha (Scheppmann) Sauder.
When her kindergarten teacher asked her what her name was she said
"Sweetheart" because that's all they called her at home and she has deserved
that name all of her 86 years. In High
School she played basketball, the piano, and the violin, was a cheerleader and
took the lead in School plays. She had a
radio program in Chicago reading children's stories called "The Voice With a Smile". She also studied drama and piano. She married Bardell Bowman, a naval aviator
on May 12, 1943 in San Francisco and became a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Six days
after they were married, Bardell went overseas for 14 months. After the war they both taught music and had
three children. All three children
became musicians in the Air Force in Washington D.C." This little history was read in the dining
room about 2:00 P.M. and they serve a treat of cake and root beer floats that
had been donated.
Dr.
DeGuide was pleased that Rickie's nap in bed in the morning has been working
out as the swelling has gone down in her legs and she has lost ten pounds. After Sunday's Service Pastor Olson said that
people liked the musical number so much that he would like me to play a hymn
every Sunday. I accepted the invitation
and asked him to select a hymn that would go with the subject of his
sermon. He said that he would call to
give me the hymn for next Sunday, December 9th. Every day is quite similar except that Rickie
is getting more tired and sleeping more in the daytime. Now she is not able to
brush her teeth and it is difficult for me to do it for her as she bites down
on the toothbrush. She is now talking so
softly that it is difficult for me to understand her with my hearing aids. On
December 6th we went to the Christmas Tree Lighting Program and it
was very impressive with talks and music and we sang some Christmas
carols. Linda Jane brought Rachel and
Rebekah and we had a good time. On
Sunday we played "What a Friend We Have In
Jesus". Rickie went to sleep in her
wheel chair during the Sermon. On
weekdays they have an activity period in the afternoon with different kinds of
games including Bingo and then put a movie on the TV but Rickie doesn't seem
much interested in those things.
Sometimes they have a "make up session" where the activity people apply
make up such as rouge, powder and lipstick to the ladies and the men get a
shave with an electric razor. For a
dental examination of 10 minutes I had to write a check for $20.00 in advance
to get the appointment then $35.00 to have Rickie's teeth cleaned by a
technician. When she had a foot
examination and her toe nails trimmed I received a bill from the
chiropodist. They usually dress Rickie
in slacks and blouse and sometimes a sweater if it seems cool. On Sunday they usually dress her in one of
her pretty dresses and she likes that.
A
Swedish Choir presented a very interesting program at 3:30 December 16th
and the Nelson's sang in that. Rickie
seemed to enjoy that and stayed awake.
They served refreshments after the concert of cookies and punch. The cookies were good but not as good as the
chocolate chips that Stan and Dolly brought.
Tuesday the 18th was time for Rickie to have her hair done
and she went to sleep as her hair was drying as usual. We got her to bed at
6:30 before her room mate but she couldn't get to sleep very soon, as she
wanted more kisses. Brian and Vinette
had given me a Gift Certificate for the best Hearing Aids I could buy. I had ordered the Senso Digital Hearing Aids
that cost about $4,000.00 and on Wednesday the 19th I drove down to
Sterling to pick them up. They
programmed them for optimal hearing and I was so happy that I could hear my
Sweetheart talk and also the TV without turning up the volume louder than other
people liked it. Linda Jane and Rebekah
stayed with Rickie while I made the trip to Sterling. I got back at 1:30 and Linda Jane had been
able to feed her Mother just fine.
I
read Christmas Cards to Rickie on Thursday the 20th that we had
received from family and friends and then went to the dining room for a treat
of Swedish pancakes, which were very thin but tasted good with maple
syrup. The next day we went to a
Christmas party in the Atrium and Santa gave out presents that were donated by
the Staff. Rickie received two presents
from the head nurse, Dina Anderson. One
was a pretty locket necklace and the other was a box of Whitman's
Chocolates. We thanked her very much for
her kindness. On Saturday the 22nd
we went to a piano program in the Atrium and were really surprised and happy to
see Linda Jane walk in with Vinette at 2:30.
After the program we went up to our room and had a very nice visit. They looked over all the Christmas cards and
were surprised that we had received so many.
Sunday morning Rickie slept in chapel after our special musical number
"Angels We Have Heard on High" At 1:30 Brian came and we took Mother to our
Church. We lifted her out of the wheel
chair to put her in the front seat then put her back in it when we got to
Church. Our friends there were very glad
to see her and she responded quite well. Dr. Horsley thanked us for bringing
her and thought we were pretty brave to do it.
After a wonderful Sacrament Meeting we took Rickie back to Peterson and
Brian sat on the love seat with his Mother and had a good visit.
Section 74--Christmas
Program in Dining Room, Brian, Vinette, Linda Jane and Family. Home to Linda Jane's For
Christmas. Visitors, Gary and
Melissa, And Victor. Trip to Dixon.
On Christmas Eve Day, Rickie
slept most of the morning after I fed her breakfast and took her to the
bathroom. Our family, Linda Jane, Ed,
Rachel, Rebekah, Brian and Vinette came at 2:00 P.M. and gave a beautiful Music
Program in the dining room for all of the Residents who felt like being there. Then Brian and Vinette stayed to visit until
suppertime at 5:30. On Christmas morning when I arrived, the food carts were
there but nobody was working so I found Rickie's tray with her name on it and
fed her breakfast of cereal, eggs and toast.
The nurse administered her medication and after taking her to the
bathroom I took her to Linda Jane and Ed's home for Christmas. Brian helped me take her in the house and she
was happy to see the beautiful Christmas tree with Rachel and Rebekah dancing
around it. We all had a wonderful time opening
presents and I showed Brian and Vinette my new hearing aids and thanked them
for such a wonderful present. They were
happy to hear that they were working very well.
Linda Jane served a delicious Christmas Dinner and Rickie ate pretty
well and enjoyed being with the family as she has been asking to go home. Brian helped me take Mother back to Peterson
at 5:00 P.M. so she could be there for her medication and evening meal. I took
Brian back to Linda Jane's and got back to feed Rickie and get her ready for
bed. I was always glad to get either
Latoya or Sam to help at bedtime as they would help me walk her to the bed
after I got her dressed for bed, instead of putting her in the wheel
chair. That was the only walking she was
able to do. On Wednesday Rickie slept
most of the morning and in the afternoon her cousin, Gary, his daughter,
Melissa, Brian, Vinette and Linda Jane came about 5:00 P.M and had a good visit
before supper. Linda Jane said that
Victor was coming about 9:00 P.M. and that she would bring him over to see us
tomorrow. Rickie was so excited that she
didn't get to sleep until about 9:40.
Linda
Jane brought Victor over as promised about 9:00 A.M. and he spent the day with
us. Victor sat on the couch with her and
she was so contented that she fell asleep for an hour. During this time Victor told me all about his
school work and the teaching system he was using. He said that his students played very well in
their Christmas Concerts so he was happy about that. He said that Jennie is doing really well on
the French horn in band and that she is excelling in gymnastics also. Zachary is well and getting along better in
school. Cynthia is still working and
enjoys it. I ordered a dinner for Victor
to eat with his Mother while I fed her and he was happy about that. In the afternoon there was a party for Elvira
to celebrate her 106th Birthday.
Her family came and brought balloons, cup cakes and different kinds of
soft drinks so a good time was had by all.
Victor and I supported Mother to take her for a short walk before a ride
downstairs in the wheel chair. Julie and Tim came with their children and
brought cards, candy and nuts from Julie's family, the Adamsons with loving
Christmas Greetings. Rickie responded to
the children enthusiasm.
Victor,
Brian, Vinette and I went to Dixon on Friday. Brian and Vinette cleaned house
while Victor picked out 13 violins to take home for students to use and other
instruments and equipment that he could use, as I no longer needed these
things. I still had 5 violins, trumpet,
trombone, clarinet, accordion, 2 `cellos after giving one to Ed. We also took a lot of food out of the two
large freezers in the garage. I went
right over to Peterson's and found that they had taken very good care of Rickie
as they promised. Victor, Brian and
Vinette came over at 3:30 P.M. as they planned to leave for home tomorrow. The
next morning they all came over at 9:00 A.M. to say goodbye and took a lot of
pictures. I was so happy that they came
as Rickie really smiled and gave them all big hugs with some tears. We attended the New Year's Eve Party on the
31st in the dining room with hats and whistles and cake and grape
juice. We then watch a circus on TV for
a little while before supper. I had to realize that this year is ending and
tomorrow I'll be writing 2002. I've
received letters from family and friends talking about our situation and it
would probably be appropriate to quote some of them here.
Section
75--Letters From Brian, Linda Jane and Our Christmas Letter,
Victor's Letter, and Keith's Letter.
A letter from Brian dated
November 21, 200l follows: Dear Father, As I sit in my
airline seat on the way to Washington, D.C. to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday
with our son, Brian and Juli and also with Vinette's parents I am taking this
opportunity to write you a little note on my palm pilot. It will be a nice time to be together with
family. One of the hardest things about
moving to Texas has been being further away from family than in Pennsylvania. At an event I can't help but reflect on many
memories and thoughts that have been flooding me recently. First of all, I have so many feelings and
emotions about what you and mother are going through right now. I know that it must be a heavy burden and
trial for you both. Being so far away
has been very difficult, as I have not been able to help with this
situation. Please let me know if there
is anything I can do at any time. As I
am listening to the earphones on the flight playing some great music, one
selection is the overture to the Messiah.
It brings back memories of the times when we went to see you sing tenor
with the Methodist Church choir conducted by Norma L'Heureux so long ago. I also remember sitting in front of the
Magnavox record player with my euphonium playing along with the recording we
had of the complete Messiah. I would
play the bass line from the conducting score for the entire work. I still remember when you brought the
Magnavox home at 30l Galena Avenue and we played the Tennessee Ernie Ford
sacred tunes and polkas that Grandma Sauder liked so much. I also remember the Messiah performances that
we did down in the colonies those times with all of our family. I also remembered the early days when you
taught private lessons at Miller Music Store and one day when Victor and I came
down to see you and you took us to the Blackhawk Café and we had hot roast beef
sandwiches with potatoes and gravy. I
remember also every holiday season you used to take us to the Dixon Theater to
see the White Christmas movie. There are
so many memories of great things that I can't recount them all in this little
note but wanted to tell you how much I love you and treasure all that you have
given me all my life. I remember getting
lessons from you where at times I would not be very good at taking your
corrections, but appreciate your patience and continuance in working with
me. I feel that all of my success ion
the music area I really owe to you, l not only in the talent you gave me at birth
but in the wonderful example of musicality I always had when I was with
you. I never hear a violin that I don't
see you in my mind playing. When I think of the ideal of the music teacher and
band director, I can always see you as the dedicated ideal. It really goes beyond that, father. The greatest gift that you have given to me
is our example of dedication, integrity, hard work, and optimistic faith. You always see the best in everyone and
everything, you are always willing and so fast to forgive and help. When I was dating Vinette she expressed some
of those qualities when she told me "your dad is really amazing. Sit is impossible to build a wall around
yourself and keep him out. If you start
building the wall, before you know it he is already right beside you handing
you the bricks and helping you with whatever you need." It is this quality of
your being--an all-encompassing love for others and tolerance of their faults
that has always inspired me. These qualities, which you have always exemplified,
are a living example of the qualities the Savior desires that we all have. I just hope and pray that I can develop even
a small fraction of these qualities that seem so natural in you. If I do have any of them it is due to our
teachings and example. Now that you have
this amazing trial of strength and patience in taking care of mother, every day
I think of you and wish I were there to help and at least give you un fuerte abrazo. We
could shed as tear or two and just bask in the time of being together. At this time of Thanksgiving, I want so much
to thank you, father for all that you have done for me and mostly for being who you are. I look
forward to being with you at Christmas time.
Please give Mother a big hug from me and tell her that I lover her very
much. Take courage and heart Dad. It has always been your trait to make the
best of any situation no matter how difficult it may be. It is also so wonderful to have the knowledge
and testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the gift of eternal life and
eternal family ties. No matter how
difficult things are now and how much we lose each other as we are losing
mother now, we will have the eternities together and this time will seem as a
faint passing moment, providing we are faithful to the end. You have always
taught me, Dad, the importance of persevering to the end. I think that is the key to your success. Not only have you had all of these wonderful
qualities mentioned above, but also you have maintained them in the face of
adversity. You have the patience and
long-suffering of Job, the courage of Daniel, the strength of Samson, the
Wisdom of Solomon and the love of the Savior.
Every two weeks I renew Mom's name on the Dallas Temple prayer rolls and
this last week added you name for the extra help that I am sure that you could
use in coping with Mom's illness. Every
time Vinette mentions that she has a good husband, I can only point the reason
for any good that I have in that regard was learned from watching my
father. I believe that you deserve the
#1 prize as the world's best husband.
Your love for Mom has always been evident in our home and this has been
a guiding example for me as a husband and father. I thank you, my wife thanks you and my son
thanks you too. I wish that I could be with you this Thanksgiving time but will
be thinking of you and Mom. I love you
both so very much. Happy
Thanksgiving 200l. Your loving son, Brian.
Next
I'll included some of Linda Jane and Ed's Christmas
letter. Dear loved ones. "We are grateful for this opportunity to
connect with you and catch up with our family news. This is our second year in our new house and
we still are very happy with it. Thanks
so much to all of you who sent Christmas greetings to my Dad, Bardell Bowman.
(His mail is forwarded from Dixon to our home.)
In February of this year, my Mom's Alzheimer's Disease
became more apparent, and soon dad stated to bring her over to our house every
day from Dixon. Finally in July, she
contracted pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. From there, after much soul searching Dad
decided that she needed the extra care provided by a nursing home. We transferred her from the hospital to the
P.A. Petersen Center for Health only 5 minutes from our home. Dad has been staying with us and spending his
entire day with her from early morning until she goes to sleep. Most days she knows who we are, but she seems
to be getting weaker, and does not realize she is in as home. Dad is everything to her, and she is so
grateful that he is there almost all of her waking hours. Ed is still repairing machines and furnaces
at Gleaon Cutting Tools, and in these troubled times we are grateful that he
still has his good job. He recently
received more responsibility in Church, serving on the welfare committee and in
the Elders Quorum Presidency. He is
enjoying these opportunities for spiritual growth. I am teaching piano students and directing
the Church choir. I have a new
responsibility working with the 14-15 year old girls as Mia Maid Advisor. I am thrilled about this opportunity and have
enjoyed it greatly so far. Rachel is in
8th grade and loves public school.
Her teachers love her too, as she is a straight A
student. This year she is playing 1st
violin in the Rockford Youth Symphony Orchestra and enjoys it very much. She seems to fit in well wherever she goes
and has a close circle of friends.
Rebekah is just turning 5 December 16th and is adorable. She loves to sing, dance and is especially
talented in "being
cute". She has a repertoire of about 6 songs
on the piano and enjoys her swim class.
We were blessed to have both my brother Brian and his wife Vinette here
for Christmas, and my other brother, Victor, came the day after Christmas. We had a wonderful visit and my brothers
spent comforting hours visiting with Mom and dad at the Nursing Home. Mom was able to enjoy Christmas day at our
home and did very well although it was tiring for her. In light of recent tragedies, we are reminded
of just how fragile and precious life is, and the importance of spending time
with our families. We miss you, and wish
the best for you and yours in the coming year. Please write us, drop in, or
call anytime. Love, Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel, Rebekah, Bardell
(Bob) and Rickie."
Now
here is a little letter from us. "Dear
Loved Ones, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Pospero Ano
Nuevo y Felicidad" We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous Happy
New Year! As you know Rockford has
become our dwelling place since July 2001.
My Sweetheart wife, Rickie is at the P.A. Peterson Center for Health in
the Alzheimer's unit. I spend every day
with her from about 7:30 A.M. until she gets to sleep sometime after 7:00
P.M. Then I go to Linda Jane and Ed's
home in Loves Park (about 5 minutes away) to spend the night. They are wonderful and a great support. When we first came Rickie would walk up and
down the halls with me for a couple of hours.
Now she is weaker and has to spend her time in a wheelchair, on the
couch or in her bed. She seems to be
contented most of the time and smiles and talks, but so softly that it is
difficult to understand her. The nurses
comment about her beauty and sweetness so she is loved and well taken care of
here. I feed her all her meals and get
her dressed for bed as she isn't able to do anything for herself. Our dear friends, Stan and Dolly Williams
check the inside of our home in Dixon every few days and our neighbors keep
watch on the outside. I go to Dixon every
two or three weeks to check everything, take care of needed repairs, start the
Cadillac in the garage and take care of business. I took Rickie to Church a few times when she
could still stand, but now we attend a gospel service in the Chapel here on
Sunday and Wednesday afternoon on the third floor. Pastor Olson has me play a hymn on the violin
for special music every Sunday with him accompanying me on the classic guitar
on which he is very accomplished. I am
able to attend programs and Church functions in the evening while Rickie is
sleeping. One enjoyable program was the
Rockford Ward's dinner and program for grandparents. Included in the musical program was the
presentation of "The Master's Hand" the story of auctioning off an old violin
in which an old man came up and played the old violin and raise its value
immensely. I was the old man and played
"How Great Thou Art!" I've enjoyed
attending my granddaughter, Rachel's concerts playing in the 1st
violin section of the Rockford Youth Symphony.
Our children, Victor, Brian and Linda Jane are all busy and happy and
continue to bring us joy by their love and caring. As for me, there is no place I would be other
than with my beloved wife. We look
forward to that great Eternal Life through the atonement of our Savor Jesus
Christ when we will again be in the prime of life with our families forever, an
almost incomprehensible blessing. We
join with you in the true Spirit of Christmas giving thanks for the birth and
life of our Savior, Jesus Christ who died for us that we might live. Love, Bardell (Bob) and Rickie.
Here
is a letter from our son Victor. "My Dear Earthly Parents.
Over the years I have grown in appreciate more and more the many fine
qualities which you have developed to a high degree during your daily efforts
to emulate the Savior. I have always
been amazed at your strength and endurance, your perseverance when faced with
any challenge, moral or physical. You
never give up, and in all your trials I have never heard a complaint or
disparaging remark. You have born the
sorrows this life has dealt you with patience, and enjoyed the successes with
quiet humility. You have the strength and confidence to be truly gentle, kind
and cheerful. Your lives have been spent in selfless service to others, often
at the expense of our own interests. In
fact, I have rarely seen you do anything when it wasn't for the immediate
benefit of someone else. Your power to
succeed so well as emissaries of our Heavenly Father stems from your purity and
righteousness, which shine as ever-bright beacons, filling all within your
influence with the light of truth. Many
have benefited from the wisdom of your advice and counsel. Your uncommon intelligence, coupled with your
desire to serve the Lord has guided your decisions, ensuring that they were
correct and appropriate. As your son, I
recall the times we've spent with fondness and joy. Your are the best
friends a person could have. You have always been interested in all of my
activities. I especially remember the
fishing trips when I was small, the trips to Mexico, the slingshots, sipping postum
at the kitchen table, the many pets, the trips to Chicago for lessons with Mr.
Herseth, the hours of midnight oil we spent poring over homework when I was in
High School, working together in the South Central School gymnasium on the "Double High C in 37 Weeks" trumpet course,
all of the wonderful Christmases, and mot lately, practicing the violin
together. These and many others are
times that I will always cherish. Love
and caring are the hallmarks of your character.
It has been said that love is not measured by how much you love, but
rather by how much you are loved. All
those who have known you love you, and I will love you forever. Victor Bardell Bowman.
To
end the year 200l I'm going to copy my brother Keith's
letter written October 19th. "My dear brother Bob, I have been wanting to write you a letter of love, support and
appreciation. We have been thinking
about you and want to support and help you in this time of great trial in your
life. You were always a great friend and
teacher throughout my life and I have come to realize how much I have learned
from your example and teaching. When we
were growing up together you could always meet any challenge with eagerness and
a desire to take it on and do it the best you knew how. I remember when we were required to hoe weeds
eight hour a day that we not only hoed more weeds than was expected but found
time for everything else. You found time
to take us swimming and teach us to perfect our diving by running down to the
old Cardon Hole. You also taught us how
to do the Johnny Weismueller crawl. On the same day you would come home and
find time to practice your violin. Not only this but you found time to go to Old Man Fowler's home
to read his enchanting books. When we
were watering with a pitcher and an old hand pump you would double your share
and not rest in between but practice walking on your hands or have competition
in jumping or have a game of marbles or tops which you were very good at. I remember when you were sent out to spade up
around the trees on the flat to mix the straw and make mulch around the trees.
I was there with you and you told me that you were going to do two rows to the
men's one. You did that and a little
more. Even after that strenuous day you
would come home and practice your violin and read to improve your mind. What was important to me when I was too small
to spade around the trees you included me and made me feel I was part of your work. When we were
watering on the flat and the stream was slow you could not just stand around
and wait for the rows to get done. You
would make a pile of sand for a seat and another pile against a tree for a
stand and you would practice all of the available time on your violin in
between helping me change the water or helping me repair any washed out
ditches. You even found time to teach me
how to throw the shovel so that it would slice through the head of a snake and
stand up in the sand. When we had to walk to the farm to work you didn't just
walk to the farm on the road you would walk on the railroad track and practice
balancing on the rail. You achieved your
goal of walking the five miles to the farm on the rail. That was not enough,
you even walked all of the way with your lunch kit balanced on your head. That was just getting to the farm to work.
After working all day we had to walk home.
All this sounds like very hard work but I remember that those days were
days of eagerness and joy in living and doing our part in the family activities
and work. The rest of my life I have
enjoyed my work and been happy in what ever I was asked to do for this
friendship and love and training I will be forever grateful to you. I am sure that in this, the greatest
challenge and trial of your life that you will do all that you can and a little
bit more and even find time to play your violin that you love and also improve
your mind and share your love and wisdom with your family and grandchildren and
do what ever else you are called on to do. Our prayers, love and support are
with you and we want you to know of our gratitude and appreciation. Love, Keith and Naoma.
Dr. DeGuide came to see Rickie to help us start the
New Year right. We greeted her with
"Happy New Year! She was happy to see
that because of her recommendation that Rickie have a nap in bed every day the
swelling in her legs and gone down and she had lost weight from 135 to 122
pounds, but she was sorry to see as a result that Rickie had developed a
vicious looking sore on her left heel.
She called it a "pressure tumor".
She had the nurse put on a special ointment with a bandage with instructions
that it should be changed every three days.
Also she was to sleep with a little pillow under her left leg to raise
the heel off the bed. Further
instructions were that she should wear a special soft sock and a bedroom
slipper instead of a shoe on that foot.
I was diligent in making sure that we carried out these
instructions. By Thursday the 23rd
Rickie's heel was a lot better. She
enjoyed the pie and ice cream that they served as a snack in the dining room at
2:00. Then we sat on the couch, our love
seat and she went to sleep for an hour.
I continued reading the History of the Church and finished the 4th
Volume. It seems that I have ample time
to read while she is sleeping and have finished ready all the Standard
Works. On Sunday Rickie was dressed in
her beautiful blue dress that Linda Jane picked out for her when we went
shopping, and she stayed awake all during the Church Service. The special musical number we played this
Sunday was "Just As I Am". Pastor Olson thanked me and complimented me
and said that the residents really enjoyed it. I told him that was mostly
because of his beautiful accompaniment on the guitar.
The
nurses are doing a good job administering her medication in the morning after
breakfast and right after the evening meal.
In the morning she takes (1) Furosemide, a direretic, (2) Multvitamins
pill (all are crushed and put in applesauce or pudding) (3) Exelong, for
confusion, (4) Isosorbide, for the heart, (5)O Zestril, for blood pressure, (6)
Synthroid, for thyroid, (7) Tylenol, for pain, and (8) Serzone, for
calming. In the evening she takes five
medications. (1) Resperdal, for calming, and also Serzone, (3) Exelon and
Tylenol again and (5) Paxil an antidepressant.
These medications are sent on the doctor's orders from Nihan &
Martin Pharmacy automatically so the nurses have them always available. All I have to do is pay the bill at the end
of the Month, which is discounted because of my Teacher's Choice Insurance that
provides CoPay. Instead of $70.00 for a medication the charge is $12.00. About $120.00 a month is a lot better than
paying $700.00.
We
had a delightful visit from Estella Johnson who accompanied so many of my
students at solo and ensemble District and State Contests. Now at age 82 she plays music on the piano at
all the nursing homes in the area that the Residents love. She is gone from home all day and loves doing
it because her husband passed away years ago and all her children are married
so she lives alone. She plays all the
old familiar songs and hymns without music. We had good visit talking about the
old happy times and Rickie knew her and joined in some and gave her a big hug
when she left. We received word that
Maurine, Donn's wife passed away and that the funeral was beautiful. We received a letter from Donn that was so
full praise and gratitude for Maurine that I'll copy some of it for you to
read.
"No
one is perfect in this life but Maurine was the most fun loving, enthusiastic,
joyful, perfect companion and sweetheart ever.
Yet she was serious, full of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and in our
Heavenly Father. It was her unwavering
faith and testimony and consistency in family prayer that brought the spirit of
the Lord into our home. She was the
spiritual leader and I loved her for keeping me on track. When we were sealed together in the Mesa
Temple by President Harry L. Payne, the 26th of April 1946, I
received the greatest blessing of my life.
A dream fulfilled! Our 55 years
together were filled with happiness and joy.
She was always a joy to her children and to me. The children agree with me that she was a
perfect mother. She was always looking
for the best in life, the best books, and poems and always took the extra time
to write in her journal. She has left us
a priceless legacy. Her service to
others was continuous, unselfish and filled with love for those she
served. My Mother and Dad loved Maurine
as their own daughter. Dad admired her
positive, happy disposition, her spunk and determination to do the right things. She always went the extra mile in her service
in school as a teacher and in all her Church callings. Throughout her illness she never complained
about her back aching or of all the ailments connected with it. Maurine is truly one the GREAT ONES!" I agree with Donn completely and say the same
about my Sweetheart Wife.
We
were always grateful and enjoyed visits from our friends from our Sterling
Ward. On Sunday afternoon February 10th,
Bishop Theriot, his wife Wendy and their children came to visit us and we had a
good time talking about good times we had in the past and getting all the news
of what is going on now in the Ward.
They are certainly wonderful family.
While Rickie was enjoying Wendy and her children's enthusiasm Bishop
Theriot asked how we were getting along so we stepped out of the room for me to
bring up to date on Rickie's condition.
Brian came to visit us in May and gave Vinette a full report when he
returned home. She wrote quite an accurate account in the May Euphonium Estate
Examiner. I'll copy some of it
here. "Brian spent Sunday through
Thursday in Rockford, Illinois visiting his parents, sister and family. She arrived on Sunday afternoon just in time
for the dual Mother's Day and 59th Anniversary party held at the
Peterson Center for his mother and father.
Linda Jane had baked two chocolate cakes appropriately inscribed for the
occasions and upon their arrival at the Home the festivities began. Dad Bowman played the violin for his wife
with two lovely selections, "I LOVE You Truly" and "When Your Hair Has Turned
to Silver". Rebekah favored the
audience with her recital piece the "Clock Tower" and Dad Bowman and Rachel
played several violin duets, which were very nice. Brian played a few selections with Linda Jane
at the piano. Father was busy as usual
passing out the cake and generally keeping everything on track. An added feature was the arrival of Harold
and Belva Sauder from Minnesota. They
were passing through after visiting Aunt Lydia in Peoria and stopped by for a
visit in the afternoon, so they were there for the program. They reported that Aunt Lydia was doing well
and that Henrietta had also been there to visit her mother on Mother's
Day. On Monday Brian got up to go with
Dad Bowman to first drop off Rachel at her school at 7:30 A.M. and then go over
to the Peterson Center so he could take the car home and come back after some
practice. Dad Bowman has a pretty solid
schedule every day arriving at the Center at 7:45 A.M. when Mother Bowman is
already dressed by the staff and ready for breakfast. He feeds her breakfast then Mother goes to
the bathroom and is down for a nap for about two hours, upon which time she is
up in her wheel chair for lunch and the afternoon activities. About 5:30 dinner is served and then he helps
get her into bed and stays there until she falls asleep about 7:30 or after
before going to Linda and Ed's home. It is a real dedication of love in taking
such constant and good care of her.
Monday was a special program at the Center with tables down in the main
room all around the outside of the room.
Each table represented a different country and had food samples from
that country to eat and other things representing different cultures to see. Brian and his parents went down and sampled all
the different kinds of food and had a good time. Tuesday was a repeat of Monday with the
exception that only one country was represented and that was Germany. A young exchange student spoke and showed
slides and sang a German song. She had a
very fine voice and is studying to be a professional singer. That evening, Brian and his Dad went out to
find a place to eat together and found the Texas Grill. This was a sort of steak house where you
cooked your own steak. Both Dad and
Brian decided not to indulge in the cooking activity and ordered the special of
the day that was sirloin tips that were already prepared. The salad bar was very good and the chicken
noodle soup was excellent. It was a very
nice meal and a good time. Of course
they were able to return to Linda and Ed's home for some cake and milk for
desert. On Wednesday afternoon Brian
left the Home to help transport Rachel to a Conference Track Meet. Rachel won first place in the Conference
Championship in the high jump clearing four feet ten inches. She was hoping to clear five feet but maybe
next year. The closest competitor to her
only made four feet six inches so she did very, very well. That night Brian and his Dad planned to drive
to Dixon to check on the home place.
Unfortunately they got a late start due to some car trouble with the
battery connection in Dad's car.
Fortunately another car was available and Ed was able to clean the
battery terminals and get the car back in operation. They were able to arrange to have some
repairs done on the house even though it was late. Brian brought back some frozen jam, corn and
rhubarb to be a special treat for the Texas Bowmans. They arrived back in Rockford at midnight
after a successful trip. Thursday
morning Brian spent visiting with his parents at the Home and then Linda and
Rebekah took him to the airport bus to start his trip back to Texas. Mother
Bowman continues to lose a little ground with her illness. She doesn't talk very loudly and usually you
cannot understand much of her conversation.
If she recognizes anything it is difficult to tell if she does. She is still eating OK but is not
mobile. She spends almost all of her
time in the wheel chair, on the couch or in bed. She only walks from the bathroom to the bed
at night with two people assisting her.
Dad is not to take care of her alone now. Her hair looks lovely and she occasionally
will rhythmically squeeze your hand as you are holding hers. She sleeps a lot
of the time and closes her eyes to rest often.
She still will give kisses and seems to be fairly content. Brian was so glad to be able to spend some
time with them. Father Bowman does a
tremendous job of taking care of her and is always aware of her every
need. He certainly is an example of
complete love and dedication".
Brian
taught at the Southern Methodist University Campus in Dallas from June 10th
to the 15th. He was the
specialist for the low brass students and coached a medium mixed brass
ensemble, a brass choir and a tuba and euphonium choir. He played a concert with the faculty brass
ensemble Friday night and on Tuesday June 11th, he played a recital
at 10:00 A.M. so really had a very busy week.
The next week he worked with those students who went to the
International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina and also
with those students preparing for auditions for the Marine Band. He had many students working towards these
goals and gave a lot of extra lessons in addition to preparing himself to perform
with the Symphonia Ensemble at the ITEC.
On Friday the 14th Vinette accompanied him to Austin, Texas
for the All-State Solo Competition where he judged the euphonium solos from all
over the State. When they returned home
they had to get ready for their many Church duties on Sunday. It sounds like they never have a dull moment.
Linda
Jane isn't idle either as she has been taking Rachel and
Rebekah around to all their lessons and teaching 35 piano students. She loves her callings as Church Choir
Director; Music Director ad teacher of the Young Women
ages 14 to 15. Rachel, now age 14,
returned to Ballet this year and performed very well in the Nutcracker Ballet
"en Pointe". She continues to accompany
the church choir on piano and plays in the 1st violin section of the
Rockford Area Youth Symphony. Early
morning seminary classes have proved to be challenge, but she is managing
it. "Our precocious Rebekah, who just
turned 6, loves to go to Kindergarten.
Her teacher says that she is a natural leader and also works
independently very well. At home she is constantly making little
"projects". Her smorgasbord of extra
activities includes piano, violin, dance and gymnastics. My Dad is still staying with us so he can be
with Mom every day at the Nursing Home.
His boundless patience and love is a great example to all of us. Ed is still working at Gleason Cutting
Tools. He is enjoying his calling in the
Church Young Men's Organization, and just finished remodeling a room in the
basement for our food storage. With all
these activities they still take the time to bring Mother and I joy in the
Nursing Home with their visits.
I received a letter from Glenn Schwendimann telling
me that his wife, Helen now had to be in Nursing Home because of ravages of
Alzheimers and that she seemed to still know him when he visited her almost
every afternoon. He
that it was quite a coincidence that both of us now were "in the same boat' so
to speak. Helen passed away in
April of 2002 and their children were all there for the beautiful funeral and
to help Glenn. His Parkinson's
Disease was taking its toll so now he had to be in a Care Facility.
Linda
Jane brought me a letter that she received from Kenneth Hull who was one of our
favorite Missionaries who worked in the Sterling, Dixon Area. I will copy some
of it here to bring out some events that happened in the early days of the
Sterling Branch of the Church. "Dear
Linda Jane, I am writing to you to provide someone through whom I might pay
honor and respect to your Father, Bardell and your Mother, Rickie. I was a Missionary in 1954 and 55 in Sterling
and Dixon. At that time you were like
your Rebekah whom you describe in your Christmas letter as being sweet, showing
early talent and especially talented at "being cute". With your older brothers you were the darling
of your family and I could add the darling of the Sterling Branch that was
organized by the Northern States Mission by President Smoot. We had baptized several families and the
branch was organized largely around the strength of your parents. Ualifi (Wallace) Tawalii was its first Branch
President with your father as First Counselor.
I was a Missionary there for about 18 months. (I have often wondered
what happened with the Padgett family that was baptized at that time.) We loved your father and mother. We loved their music and even went to the
Band Concerts conducted by your father in the Dixon High School. Your folks have always been esteemed in the
community. Your family was so gracious
to me and the rest of the missionaries who at one time numbered eight. I enjoyed many wonderful meals at your family
table. I still remember advice of your
special mother concerning maintaining congenial companion relationships. I loved hearing your father's stories of
Mexico, and admired his testimony. I
took great strength from his and your mother's love of the Gospel and love of
everyone about them. A story of intrigue
was that your family loaned us a bed when we were setting up our apartment in
the small Tawalii home on the outskirts of Sterling. My companion and I had received as transfer
to Keokuk, Iowa near Nauvoo. We tied your family bed on the top of our car to
return it to your family. On the way the
mattress became loose and dropped off the car. When we noticed it and returned
to get it someone had picked it up. I
was truly embarrassed but your folks wouldn't take any money for the loss. At this time I was feeling especially
ill. I remember ignoring your mother's
advice to go to a doctor. After lying
nearly unconscious for a day or so, that delayed our leaving your town, I was
hospitalized with a spinal disease from which I was unconscious for two full
weeks and not expected to live. Through
the fasting, prayers and faith of the good people of our family, the Branch and
the Mission, I was healed. Your family
was especially gracious to me and to my mother who came from Utah fearing my
demise. I spent several weeks in the
hospital, went to Chicago to the Mission Home and to a specialist there. Then miraculously I returned to my Missionary
work traveling to Keokuk. Before leaving
for home we established the Nauvoo Branch. I rehearse these things in order to
express honor, love and appreciation to your family for those faith building
days of mine. It has been a joy
communicating with your folks these many years since my wonderful days in Dixon
and Sterling. I thoroughly appreciated a
visit from your folks to my school where I was teaching in Ogden, Utah several
years later. Please give your brothers
my regards. I have watched with interest
the varied activities of your family. You and your brother's schooling and excelling in military music. I add my faith and prayers for your mother
and or your father at this trying time in their lives. I esteem your folks and your family, as one
of the more prized associations of my life.
I felt it timely to express these feelings in this letter. I indeed admire our folks as a polished
`Christian couple and cherish them as dear friends. Sincerely, Kenneth Hull." Kenneth's charming wife's name is Ramona
and we have enjoyed their Christmas letter every year.
After Brian's wonderful visit in May I took my
violin to the Home and practiced while Rickie was sleeping using my practice
mute so it couldn't be heard outside of the room. I hid the violin in the closest behind a suitcase
and the clothes so I wouldn't have to carry it back and forth every day. On Friday the 24th of May I went
to Dixon and threw out all the faded flowers, banked the money out of our safe
in the basement, and got a Power of Attorney from Wayne Badger, one of my
former students. It is really nice that most of or needs can be taken care of
by my former students who have come back to live in Dixon after getting their
education. On the 26th I took
Rickie to Chapel and she stayed awake to hear us play one of her favorite
hymns, "What a Friend We Have In Jesus". In our hymnbook the music is set to different
words with the title of "Israel, Israel, God is Calling". Rickie often played that hymn as a prelude to
Sacrament Meeting. In the afternoon
Harold Brook's family brought cake and ice cream to celebrate his
Birthday. We joined right in singing
"Happy Birthday, dear Harold" and enjoyed the refreshments. When I got home on May 28th Linda
Jane had baked a chocolate cake and they all greeted me with "Happy Birthday" I
was surprised and we had a good time.
Linda
Jane, Ed and Rachel went to Nauvoo May 30th, to work at the Open
House of the Nauvoo Temple. Julie
Adamson Depue offered to take care of Rebekah, which was a blessing. Julie brought Rebekah and her four children
over to visit us at 4:00 P.M. and Rickie loved having the children there. After working all day and evening at the
Nauvoo Temple the family drove home arriving at 2:30 A.M. The next day they said they were tired but
happy because it was such a wonderful experience. On June 6th Rickie had a good
day. She ate all her meals. I practiced violin while she had her nap in
the A.M. and read to her on the couch in the P.M. In the evening I got her dressed for bed as
usual while she sat on the stool in the bathroom. No one came to help so I walked her to the
bed along and she did very well and was asleep at 8:00 P.M. She always liked to have a prayer and a
goodnight kiss and really doesn't know that I don't stay all night with
her. I gave our white Cutlass Cierra to
Linda Jane and Ed as they needed another car and I didn't need it.
When
I went to Dixon on June 14th I was glad to see that our good
carpenter, Guy Eckles, had finished putting a new roof on the garage and
replaced the decayed boards on the "People Porch" at the side of the house. He
is a very good reliable workman. ; On
June 19th Linda Jane and Rebekah came for a visit at 11:00 A.M. and
before they left Tom L'Heureux came and we had a good visit. In the afternoon Rickie seemed to have a cold
and was coughing. The next day her cough
seemed a little worse so I asked the nurse if she could give here something for
her cold and cough. She said that she
would have to get an order from the doctor to do that. On Friday, 21st Rickie's breathing
became a little raspy so I insisted that the nurse call Dr. DeGuide. She finally came at 6:00 P.M. She said that Rickie had pneumonia with a
temperature of 100 degrees and ordered her to be taken to the Emergency Room at
Rockford Memorial Hospital as soon as possible.
I followed the ambulance to the Emergency Room and two doctors examined
her. By this time she had 104 temperature with
pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
That said that both were life threatening and they immediately started
treatment with antibiotics and oxygen.
There wasn't a room available in the hospital so she had to stay in the
Emergency Room all night. I stayed until
10:00 P.M. and got back in the morning at 6:30 A.M. She was breathing easier and they moved her
to Room C425 and continued antibiotics through IV and an oxygen mask. I was able to feed her a little
breakfast. About 9:30 Linda Jane and the
girls came on Sunday and sang some songs for their mother and grandmother. Rickie enjoyed that and appreciated having
them come. The doctor in the hospital ordered that Rickie should be given
liquids and puréed food. On Monday 24th
the doctor came and thought she was doing better and could back to the home as
soon as her temperature was normal and her oxygen stabilized. On Tuesday her temperature was 100 degrees. By 1:45 they still had brought her any lunch
so I fed her some soup out of my lunch.
The finally brought her dinner at 2:30 so I sent it back and asked them
to bring her evening meal at the scheduled time. They assured me that they would do that and
were sorry for the "slip up". On Wednesday her temperature was down and
they took off the oxygen mask and her breathing measured 94 so the doctor said
she could go back to Peterson Home at 3:30 with no medication change. She ate a good portion of the puréed food,
which didn't look very good to me. The
sore on her heel got worse in the hospital and they gave us a boot with a hole
for the heel for her to wear in bed. At
3:30 they put her on a stretcher and took her back to the Home in an ambulance
the way they had brought her to the Emergency Room. The Staff welcomed us back and said they had
missed us. I had to register all over
again because of her stay in the hospital.
They served her puréed food by the hospital doctor's ordered and I asked
them to get it changed back to regular menu if the could. Dr. DeGuide was kind enough to do that and
made sure that she was getting the right medication. When I arrived home I learned that Linda Jane
was starting to paint the outside of their home so I suggested that they get it
sided and I would be glad to pay for it.
I was happy that they accepted my offer.
On Saturday the 29th Rickie felt well enough to be taken in
the wheel chair down to the Atrium for a harmonica concert. Since I learned to play the harmonic when I
was in Grade School the concert was very interesting. He played different kinds of music on four
different kinds of harmonicas.
When
Rickie was put back on regular food she choked a little one evening meal so the
nurse make an appointment for her to have a swallowing test by a specialist on
Monday, July 8th. As a result
of this test she was put back on puréed food.
As it turned out this was a good thing as it was easier for her to
eat. She seemed tired after supper so we
got her to bed before her roommate at 6:30 and she was sound asleep by 6:50,
which was the earliest she had gone to sleep at night. On Tuesday Ed dropped me off at the Home so
he could use the red car because the white one was in the garage getting
repairs. Then he picked me up at 7:30 at
night as Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah were in a rehearsal for the performance
of the musical "South Pacific". Emma Lou
Mullenix came at about 1:00 P.M. with two box lunches to eat with me. She was the director of the Montessori School
where Linda Jane taught Music and French.
Her husband, Richard, played the organ to accompany the congregational
singing in Stake Conference that I conducted but now was here on the 2nd
floor recovering from a heart attack. In
a week or two she said that she would be taking care of him at home so would
have to give up her School position. On
Friday we got the Olds Cutlass Cierra back in perfect condition they said with
a bill for $721.23. Rickie is now
getting a nap about 9:30 A.M. except on Sundays and by wearing the boot her
left heal is practically healed up. I'm happy to say. On Sunday the 14th our special
music was "Abide With Me" and Rickie hummed
along. In the afternoon Dr. Brent
Horsley came to visit us about 1:30 P.M.
He is a heart surgeon and gave us our physical examinations when we went
to Mexico City on a Mission in 1984. He
also served as Stake President very capable for a number of years when I was
serving on the High Council so we were honored and happy with his visit. Rickie was very pleased with the beautiful
bouquet of flowers he brought. After he
said goodbye Rickie had a little nap as planned on Sundays. I was just giving her a little ride in the
wheel chair down the hall when our dear friends Stan and Dolly got off the
elevator. We went to our room and had
good visit and ate delicious chocolate cookies that they brought. They reported that all is well at our home in
Dixon. We really appreciate kindness in
checking it every few days. The are still going to the Chicago Temple every Tuesday and
said that they missed us. When we don't have visitors or a special program
downstairs in the Atrium (small auditorium with a piano) our days are pretty
much the same. On Tuesday, July 30th Rickie spent the day in bed as
heart beat was slow and irregular and her blood pressure was fluctuating. Craig Deets and his son Austin came for a
little visit at 10:00 A.M. and in her presence told son how he enjoyed taking
piano lessons from Mrs. Bowman. Austin is taking piano lessons from his father
so he was impressed. Linda Jane came
with Rebekah at 11:00 A.M. and after we had a special prayer with and for
Mother Linda Jane took all her dirty clothes, and some not so dirty, home to
wash. On Wednesday Rickie stayed in bed
again for high blood pressure. They
brought her tray to her room at noon and I was able to get her to eat some of
the food. On Thursday Rickie was at the
breakfast table at 7:40 feeling better as her blood pressure was normal
today. Rickie had her hair done after
breakfast today as Donna, the hairdresser didn't come on Wednesday her usual
day. It is quite remarkable how thing
turn out as Wednesday Rickie wasn't feeling well enough to have her hair
done. Craig was concerned about her so
came to see how she was getting along today and was happy to see her up and
having her hair beautified. On Friday
August 2nd Rickie was still feeling well and ate a good breakfast
and had her regular nap at 9:30 A.M. In
the afternoon we went to the Atrium for a concert by a Youth Church Camp
Choir. We were surprised and happy to
see Carol Wreckmeir accompany them on the piano. She and her husband, Warren were in our Dixon Music Club. We had a little visit with her and she said
that Warren is still playing clarinet and saxophone in a Dance band and that
their daughter is teaching instrumental music and loving it. Dr. DeGuide came and examined Rickie at 4:30
P.M. and gave me the good news that she is doing fine now.
Sunday,
August 11th was a good day as Rickie ate all her breakfast and
stayed awake in Chapel. Our special
music hymn today was "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling". Rickie ate a good lunch then had a nap or a
couple of hours. Tim Dunavin and his
wife Betsy came at 5:25 and sat in the dining room by us and visited while I
fed Rickie. He said that he is still the
High Priest Group Leader and this is the third time that he has had that
calling. I told him that the reason for that was that he did it so well.
Rickie
was really happy to see Brian and Vinette walk in at about 2:00 P.M. on
Thursday and so was I. They stayed and
visited until dinnertime at 5:30 P.M.
She ate about half of her food, which was good, because the servings are
so large according to State regulations.
Despite the excitement of the afternoon she got to sleep about
7:30. Friday morning before breakfast is
when they give her a shower and this morning the CNA "goofed" because she
washed her hair when she had just had it done by Donna this week I complained
and she apologized. Brian and Vinette came for another nice visit and Brian
noticed that his Mother was wearing the golden euphonium pin that he gave her.
I told him that she wants to wear it everyday.
They left at 5:30 P.M. again. On
Sunday Victor and his son Zachary came to Chapel and Pastor Olson welcomed them
saying that he was glad to see them as I had told him many good things about
them. Victor said that he was glad that
he was there to hear us play "Beautiful Savior" as I had told him on the phone
some time ago that I was playing a hymn every Sunday. We were glad they stayed until noon so we
could hear all their family news. Rickie
fell asleep half way through the evening meal and I thought it was because the
nurse gave her the medication before the meal instead of after.
Rachel's Birthday was August
19th but she wanted to have her Grandmother for the party so planned
to have a musical program and refreshments in the dining room at 1:00 P.M. when
most of the Residents were still there.
Jennie played a French solo and a duet with her father, Victor; Rebekah
played a little piano solo and sang a song; Linda Jane and Rachel played some
beautiful music and I played "How Great Thou Art" on the violin. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and the Birthday
cake and ice cream for desert. Then they
went for a continuation the party as Rachel ad invited her girl friends to come
to her home for a party at 3:00 P.M. They had a wonderful time. Victor came
with me on Wednesday and was happy to see his Mother eat a good breakfast.
Victor took her for a little ride in the wheel chair and we put her in bed for
her nap at 9:30. While she was sleeping
I took Victor back to join the family getting ready to go to the Water Park which
seems to be one of their favorite activities when they are together. Of course they had a marvelous time.
When
I arrived at Rickie's room Thursday morning the 22nd Rickie was
still in bed. It seems they were short
on help this day. They finally got her
up at 8:00 and still had tie to eat breakfast.
Rickie was in bed but not asleep when Victor, Jennie and Zackary came to
say goodbye at 9:30 A.M. I told them
that we really loved having them here and hope they had a good trip home and
could come again. Julie came in the
afternoon with her four little children and Rickie seemed glad to see
them. Julie's husband, Tim, is working
at Wal-Mart in a management position so Julie brings the children alone, which
is quite amazing. Caitlin is 8, Nicholas is 4, Sarah is 3, and Hannah is 6
months. When they said goodbye Rickie asked me, "When do we leave?" "It won't be too long now," I assured
her. On Saturday afternoon we were surprised
to see Tim and Betsy Dunavin here so soon again. They brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers
with a nice note to Rickie telling her that she was really missed in the
Ward. Sunday Rickie was at the table at
7:30 and ate a good breakfast. We went
to Chapel at 10:30 A.M. and our Musical number "All Hail the Power of Jesus
Name". About 1:00 P.M. Julie came again
with her children and brought Rebekah along also as she was staying with them
to play for the afternoon. When they
left Rickie had a little nap and was wide-awake for Stan and Dolly's visit at
5:00 P.M. This time they brought some
chocolates that Rickie dearly loves. I
inquired about their children and grandchildren and they said that they were
all getting along fine. Monday,
September 2nd, was such a beautiful day that I took Rickie for a
ride in the wheel chair outside all around the building. She seemed to enjoy that very much. After eating a good supper we got her to bed
at 6:45 and she went right to sleep after a prayer and a goodnight kiss as
usual.
Tuesday afternoon at 2:30, the YMCA Men's Chorus
gave a very interesting concert in the Atrium.
They sang old familiar love songs and the leader sang "Oh Johnny, How
You Can Love" imitating a ladies voice by using his very good high falsetto.
Gary,
Rickie's cousin and his wife Diane came for a visit at 12:15 just as Rickie was
about through eating. We went to
Rickie's room to hear all about what was going on in their busy lives. When they were ready to leave at 1:10 I took
Rickie in the wheel chair downstairs to see them off. She waved and three kisses. Rickie had her hair done that morning right
after breakfast. Gary told her that she
looked beautiful and Diane agreed with him.
This visit was really good for her as she ate a good evening meal. No help was available after waiting in the
bathroom so I walked Rickie to her bed alone again and she did fine. Her heel as healed so I didn't have to put
the boot on her for the night. Friday I
went to Dixon early and spread a gallon of roof sealer on the flat roof above
the new room where there was a leak.
Then I cut down all the volunteer trees in the Rose Garden and carried
them out to the curb to be taken away.
The City disposal wouldn't pick them up because they were too big so I
hired Brad's Tree Service to haul them away.
I got back at 12:15 and fed Rickie her dinner. She had been asking where I was and the nurse
told her "Oh your husband will be back soon" and that seemed to satisfy her.
Sunday
morning the 8th, Rickie was at the breakfast table at 7:30 and ate
very well. I took her for a little ride
in the wheel chair then to the bathroom before going to Chapel. Pastor Olson accompanied me on the beautiful
hymn "I Need Thee Every Hour". Pastor
Olson gave the same service in the dining room on the 3rd floor, as
there were some residents who couldn't go to Chapel so we attended that too and
sang the hymns to his guitar accompaniment.
After that I read to Rickie while we sat on the couch until suppertime
during which she dozed with her head on my shoulder. She was still able to get to sleep at 7:30
P.M. On Wednesday the 11th I
took Rickie for another ride out in the sunshine and she enjoyed it so much
that on Thursday I signed up to take her on a bus ride to Curran's Apple
Orchard for as treat of doughnuts and apple cider. The bus had a place for the
ones in wheel chairs so there was no problem.
The light gray siding on the house and the garage is finished and it
looks beautiful.
We
try to attend all the musical programs brought the Atrium in the Center
here. The next one was by a pianist,
Vickie Carlson. Rickie liked it
especially when she held her little baby on her lap. After that a member of the Staff took care of
her baby for her. On Sunday I played
"Just As I Am". Pastor Olson always asks me to
announce the name of the hymn and make some comment about so I always try to
give a little Gospel Message. So far it
has been appreciated. After the Service
I took Rickie for another little ride out in the sunshine before mealtime. The
doctor has the Staff give Rickie a vitamin fortified drink called Ensure twice
a day, that is an extra charge like the
medication. She has gained two pounds on
it so now weighs 127 pounds. They didn't
watch Rickie closely enough when they left her in wheel chair and she leaned
over too far and fell out of the chair and bumped her head. That gave her a
black eye. By Tuesday the 24th
of September the swelling on her forehead had gone down and her black eye was
much better. In the afternoon there was
another birthday party with cake and punch for a treat. I fed Rickie some as we sat on the
couch. On Friday the 27th
they didn't get Rickie up until 8:00 A.M. so they have her a
bath after breakfast.
In the afternoon Brian
called to tell us that his son and wife, Juli just
been made them grandparents and they named their little girl Anna Bell Lee
Bowman. So she was born at 10:05
September 29, 2002 and is strong and healthy.
On Sunday our hymn was "Nearer My God To Thee"
that is one of Rickie's favorites. In
the afternoon Stan and Dolly came at 4:15 and we were glad to see them and hear
that our home is fine and hear all the news of their family and the Sterling
Ward members. We asked to tell everyone "hello" for us.
This visit they brought Rickie some "Little Debbie Cookies" so we all
ate one before they left for home. After
this eventful day Rickie was able to get to sleep at 7:00 P.M. so I got home in
time to do the dishes. I asked Rickie to
save them for me so I would feel like I'm helping out a little bit. Usually in
the evening it takes me a little while to take care of the mail because all the
sweepstakes organizations seem to have my name.
For several months I was sending in a $5.00 donation to those that I
thought were worthy like "The Cancer Society",
" Missing Children", "North Shore
Animal League", "Diabetes Research
Fund", "Alzheimer Society", but recently have stopped sending those donations.
Rickie was at the breakfast
table at about 7:43 as usual and ate all her breakfast at 8:00 and was ready to
have her hair done at 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday the 2nd of October.
After this she took her usual morning nap.
After lunch we sat on the couch and I read the Book of Mormon to her and
she talked a lot but so softly that it was difficult for me to understand her.
We got her to bed early at 6:25 and she was soon asleep. I joined the family at the Harlem High School
to hear Rachel sing in the choir program for HomeComing. She looked like she was enjoying it and I
told her after the concert that I really enjoyed it. On Saturday the 5th we received
word from the doctor that now that Rickie's heel was well she shouldn't have a
nap in the morning in bed. It just goes
to show "That there is nothing as constant as change". So since she was used to a nap she slept
sitting on the couch with her head on my shoulder. This proves the adage, "There's more than one
way to skin a cat".
On
Sunday, as usual, after breakfast and a bathroom stop we went to Chapel. The hymn we played this time was "Rock of
Ages". Then I took Rickie for a little
wheel chair ride before lunch. She ate
very well and the ensure that she as been taking has
increased her weight to 130 pounds. I
asked the nurse to report to Dr. DeGuide to see if it would be all right to cut
out the ensure drink. Linda Jane Ed and Rachel and Rebekah came at 4:00 P.M and
had a little service with hymns, prayer, the Sacrament and resume by Linda Jane
of some of the General Conference talks that she took notes on. Rickie seemed to be quite attentive and
especially like hearing the girls sing.
On Wednesday, October 9th, we enjoyed the Silver Bells Choir
program at 2:30 in the Atrium. One number featured a yodeler who was quite
spectacular. Rickie went to sleep in the
wheel chair before it was over and stayed asleep when I took her back up to the
3rd floor. She woke up and
ate a good dinner at 5:30 P.M. She
finally got to sleep about 8:00 P.M.
Thursday morning, since her nap had been cancelled I took her to the
activity, which this morning was "Looking Good" The women had their hair combed
and make up put on their faces and the men got a shave with an electric
razor. In the afternoon the activity was
to catch and throw the ball. The activity director stood in the center of the
participants seated in a circle and would throw a big plastic ball to a person
and try to have them catch it and throw it back. Of course some of them
couldn't do it. Rickie wasn't interested
at first but soon was cooperating and throwing the ball back very well. After that they put a Musical Movie on the TV
to watch until suppertime. Of course
some of the residents watch and others just go to sleep.
On
Sunday the 19th we went to Chapel as usual and for the Special Music
I played, "Blest Be the Tie That Binds" to go with Pastor Olson's sermon. Linda Jane, Ed, and the girls came about 3:00
P.M. and we had a good time. Rickie ate
less today and went to sleep about 7:00 P.M.
I was asked to bring large size briefs to make the bathroom times easier
as Rickie had gained weight. On Sunday
the 27th of October we played "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and some
visitors told me it was beautiful.
Rickie was asleep on the couch with me when Linda Jane and family came
at 2:30 but woke up when she heard those little voices greeting her with a
hug. She had a very good time as
usual. On the 31st the Staff
hosted a Halloween Party in the dining room in the afternoon, some of them
wearing costumes. They served cookies,
popcorn and a soft drink. We chose root beer and had a good time. After Rickie was asleep about 7:00 P.M. I went to the Church
for the Ward Halloween Party likes last year. It was a happy me for everyone.
They had a parade all around the Cultural Hall to show off the costumes like
last year. This year Bishop Miller, who
is very tall, came as Big Bird and all the kids were in awe.
On
November 5th I took the Olds Cutlass, that
I had given Linda Jane and Ed, to Wal-Mart and got new tires for the winter
while Rickie was being taken care of in an Activity. I got back in time to feed her lunch and
spend the rest of the day with her. I
talked to the head nurse about having Rickie's naptime in bed reinstated as she
was getting along so well with it and seemed to be more content and eat better.
She agreed and my request was granted.
Linda Jane planned a Birthday Party for her Mother for the afternoon of
Saturday November 9th, which the Staff approved of because she would
bring refreshments for everyone. That morning
Rickie ate a good breakfast and had a nap so was ready for the party at
2:30. Linda Jane served cup cakes and
root beer floats that were easy for everyone to eat. Victor had a large beautiful bouquet of
flowers delivered that we put on the table for everyone to see. Many came and congratulated Rickie on her 86th
Birthday. We certainly didn't know that
this would be her last one on this earth.
On Sunday Rickie had her nap in the afternoon at 1:30 and during that
time I went to see and hear Rachel play in the Rockford Youth Symphony
Concert. I enjoyed it and was very proud
of Rachel. I left at Intermission time
to be back when Rickie woke up from her nap.
After a good evening meal she was ready for bed at 6:30. I got home in time for Family Home Evening
Sunday night instead of Monday night. We all enjoyed it very much.
On
Monday the 11th the Salvation Army presented a program at 1:30 in
the Atrium and had a good attendance from all three floors. After the program they distributed gifts and
Rickie received a banana, a pair of socks and their magazine. On Sunday the 17th Rickie had a
nap in the afternoon as we went to Chapel in the morning at 10:30. We played the Thanksgiving hymn "Now Thank
Thee All Our God". On Saturday Rickie
had a very good day smiling and talking and eating well. We got her to bed at 6:10 and I was able to
go to the Church for a Thanksgiving potluck dinner and program. I enjoyed visiting with a lot of friends and
President and Sister Nelson asked me to tell them how Rickie was getting
along. I told them that she was getting
the very best care possible and seemed to be more content this year-end. Rickie seemed to enjoy Chapel more this
Sunday as we played "Amazing Grace" and I gave a message about the great love
and grace of our Savior in giving his life for us that we might be resurrected
and see our loved ones and friends again by living the Gospel he has given us.
Pastor
Olson scheduled a special Thanksgiving Program for 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday the
27th and asked me to play
"Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One By One", with his
accompaniment on the guitar. It turned
out to be a wonderful program that everyone enjoyed with refreshments afterwards. On Thursday Rickie ate all of her
Thanksgiving dinner. Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah
came at 1:20 and gave us all a beautiful Musical Program in the dining room
that was a climax to our Thanksgiving.
On Sunday, December 1st we started the Christmas Season by
playing "Angels We Have Heard On High" in the Chapel
Service.
While Rickie was sleeping
Saturday afternoon December 7th I went to see the performance of the
"Nutcracker Suite Ballet" in which Rachel had an important part. She danced beautifully and she was happy when
we complimented her. She said she loved
it and was looking forward to doing the other scheduled performances. I wanted to see it again so after Rickie was
asleep Sunday night I went to see the last performance. It was even more thrilling than the Saturday
afternoon performance. We took pictures
afterwards and I ordered professional videotape of the performance for $30.00
so we could all see it later again.
Rickie
had a two hour nap Friday morning the 13th so was all ready for the
visitors who came about 3:30. There were
so many that we went to the Activity room that was near Rickie's room to have
chairs for everyone. She seemed to know
all of them, Dorothy Forbes, Brenda Druien, Emma Padgett, Sue Hodge and Diane,
Dorothy's daughter. We had a very good
visit and Rickie gave them all a hug when they left. We played another Christmas song on Sunday
"The First Noel" that Rickie always played so well on the piano. On Monday we were very happy to greet Dr.
Horsley and his wife DeAnn. They were
all smiles and brought Rickie a beautiful poinsettia plant. On Wednesday the 18th Rickie was
given a permanent by Donn in the beauty parlor and looked beautiful when I took
her to hear our Church Primary children sing Christmas Carols in the Atrium led
by Sister Nelson. The children looked
very neat, smiled and sang beautifully.
Brian called to say that he would come to see us on the 18th,
as he had to be in Chicago for the annual Band Master's Clinics. On that Friday morning, while Rickie was
taking her nap I went to help Linda Jane with a few things then got back before
Rickie woke up for lunch. Brian came a
3:15 and we had a good visit until 5:45 when I had to take Rickie to
diner. He said that tomorrow he was
Lydia's Funeral in Princeton as she had just passed away. This was the first news we had of it. Brian
dropped me off at the home Saturday morning and drove our car to the
Funeral. When he returned he picked me
up at about 7:00 P.M. to go to the Church Christmas Party for a fun time,
especially for the children.
Sunday
morning Rickie was sleepier than usual but did eat some breakfast and we went
to Chapel. We played "What Child Is
This" and Rickie fell asleep during the Service so seemed more awake for
lunch. She had a two-hour nap after
that. Stan and Dolly came at about 4:00
P.M. and brought Rickie some Russell Stover Chocolates that are her
favorites. We had a good visit until
about 5:20. As usual I found a CNA to
help me take her to the bathroom before diner.
They are supposed to take the responsibility to take her every two hours
but it doesn't seem to work that way all the time. On Monday the 23rd
of December Brian came in the afternoon for a final visit before going home and
said that he had printed out our address labels on the computer and that Linda
Jane had printed out 100 copies of our Christmas letter that I had written so l
could work on sending them out tonight.
At 6:00 P.M. all the family came over and then took Brian to board the
bus for the airport at 6:40. Rickie shed
tears as Brian said goodbye. Christmas
was very different this year, as Rickie couldn't leave the home. After Rickie ate a good breakfast and was
taken to the bathroom she had a nap and during this time I went home to share
in the joy and excitement of opening all the presents on Christmas
morning. After this the all went to Ed's
sister Debbie's home to spend the day with all of Ed's family in the area. They said later that they had a very good
time. I went back to the home before Rickie woke up from her nap.
On
Thursday the 26th we had some very welcome visitors. Jim and Sharon Wiltz and their daughters,
Joni and Marcia came at 12:30 just as Rickie finished eating and we had a very
interesting and fun time hearing about all their activities and
accomplishments. We thanked Jim again
for trimming our bushes around the house.
Victor, Henrietta, and Cousin Vera came at 3:00 P.M and Victor stayed
after the rest left at 4:00 P.M. until Linda Jane came at 5:00. Victor sat on the couch with his Mother and
talked to her. She seemed quite contented and fell asleep on his shoulder. Victor came again the next day Friday, as he
wanted to spend as much time as he could with Mother in his short visit
here. On Saturday the family went to a
Movie and afterwards Victor, Jennie and Rachel came at 5:00 P.M. and visited
until dinnertime. Victor came to Chapel
Sunday morning, December 29th and held his Mother's hand while I
played "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" with Pastor
Olson. After the Service Victor enjoyed
sitting on the couch with mother again while she slept. We had a good visit and he told me all about
his teaching problems and successes. He
stayed until Rickie was asleep in bed then we went home to Linda Jane and Ed's
together. Monday the 30th
Linda Jane and Ed took Victor and Jennie to the airport at 4:00 A.M as they had
an early flight. While Rickie was taking
her nap I played through my program for January 11th and prepared a
little story or joke to introduce each familiar number. Rickie seemed tired after the evening meal so
we got her to bed early and I left at 7:00 P.M. to go with the family to Ken
and Marilyn Judson's home for dinner and games afterward. Ken was very interested in my experiences
flying fighter planes off the Makin Island Carrier so I promised to bring him
my Official Scrap Book with pictures and descriptions of the action in the
South Pacific.
We had a big New Year's Party with treats in the
dining room at 2:00 P.M. Rickie wore a
hat and blew a whistle and smiled and laughed.
She didn't sleep in the afternoon so went to sleep half way through the
evening meal so again got to bed early.
At home I watch an amazing Circus on TV with the family, but we didn't
stay up until midnight.
January 1, 2003 was
uneventful as we had the New Years Party the day before. Rickie seemed to be feeling pretty good as
she ate well all her meals and had a good nap.
On Friday the 3rd I took the red Buick Century to get new
brakes at Midas Muffler while Rickie was sleeping. They loaned me a car to drive the rest of the
day. When I went to pick it up they had
also put in a ball joint in the right wheel and the total bill was
$584.26. I was glad to get it all fixed
as on Saturday I planned to drive to Dixon to attend Sister Wakenights Funeral
as a last visit on this earth. The family was pleased with the Funeral at the
Funeral Home and thanked me for coming.
I didn't go to the cemetery so I could get back to feed Rickie at noon.
On
Sunday the 5th of January we still played a Christmas song, "With
Wond'ring Awe the Wisemen Saw". In the afternoon we had visitors at 3:30 just
as Rickie woke up from her nap. Sally, Norma's daughter, her husband Don and
their daughter, Sarah came and we had a good time talking about old times.
Sally told Rickie how much she appreciated her loving care of her mother while
she was so ill with cancer. Rickie
smiled and gave her a hug. Rickie went
to sleep half way through her breakfast on Friday December 10th but
felt a lot better after her nap. I was
able to go through my program for tomorrow in the Atrium at 2:00 P.M. for all
the Residents. When I got home that
night I got the video camera and the tripod ready as Linda Jane said she would
come and record the program.
Saturday
the 11th dawned bright and cold and I was glad that Rickie ate and
rested well. She stayed awake for the
whole program at 2:00 P.M. I set up the
camera for Linda Jane at about 1:40 and Residents and visitors were already
filling up the Atrium (Auditorium). Of
course I can't give you the sound of the music here but will try to remember
the introduction I gave for each number.
"Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen!. It's very cold outside but nice and warm in
here so let's have a happy time. I
invite you to sing along with all the songs I play for you today which will
make it more enjoyable for me also. I'm
sure that all of you have loved someone very much so for the first song let's
do "I Love You Truly". I would like to
dedicate it to my Sweetheart wife, Rickie and to one your love. You certainly sang very well and I'm sure you
meant it. Now I would like to tell you
about a couple that loved each other so much that they said, "With Someone Like You a pal that's good and true I'd like to leave it all
behind and go and find a place that's known to God alone--that we can call our
own." You really knew that song. Thank you very much. So this couple, Henry
and Emma found their "little nest in the West". As the years went by they noticed that they
were forgetting things so they decided to write it down. So Henry said, "Emma I would like a nice dish of ice
cream. Write it down. On the ice cream I would like chocolate
syrup. Write it down. On the chocolate
syrup I would like some whipped cream.
Write it down. On the whipped
cream I would like a nice red cherry.
Write it down." "Okay", said Emma
and off she went. She came back about 20
minutes later with a nice plate with two eggs, two slices of bacon and some
hashed brown potatoes. "Emma", he said.
"I thought I told you to write it down."
"What's wrong?" she asked. The response was "You forgot the toast." (Ha! Ha!)
"That's all right Emma. "When
Your Hair Has turned to Silver I Will Love You Still
the Same". I played each song in a
singable key once then repeated it and octave higher and they still sang very
well. The story goes on as one day Henry
was sitting by the table in the kitchen and Emma was at the sink. Henry said: "Emma what are we going to have
for dinner today?" He didn't hear
anything so he moved his chair a little closer to the sink and repeated: "Emma
what are we going to have for dinner today?''
He still didn't hear anything, so he move a
little closer and repeated "EMMA WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE FOR DINER
TODAY?" Henry was a little frustrated at
this time so he got up and tugged on EMI's apron and said: "Emma, I've asked you three times what we are
going to have for dinner today." She
replied, "Henry I've answered you three times."
So you can see that they were getting a little hard of hearing. I can identify with that as I'm wearing
hearing aids. How about you? Then Henry said, "That's all right Emma,
"When I Grow Too Old To Dream, I'll Still Have You To
Remember". After this song I told them
Henry and Emma were sitting on their porch watching the beautiful Sunset. Henry was feeling a little romantic. He put
his hand on Emma's knee and said, "Emma I'm proud of you". "I'm tired of you too, Henry but I love you
so "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" because we really do have a happy home." Then I told them that I had a happy home
when I was growing up but it wasn't "Out West", but down in Mexico in the State
of Chihuahua, where the people loved to sing and dance. "I will play one of their lively dance tunes
"Jesusita En Chihuahua" to see if it makes you feel like dancing. When you see Chihuahua written you would
probably pronounce it Chi-hooa- hooa. As I played the piece I saw many tapping
their feet in rhythm and some clapping so they had fun. Then I told them a
short story of how we came to be here as follows. I left Mexico to attend the University of
Utah and Brigham Young University and graduated with a degree to teach
music. At that time I was going to be
drafted so I volunteered for Naval Service.
I became a Naval Aviator and on May 12, 1943 Rickie, sitting over here,
became my beautiful bride. I was sent
overseas six days later for 14 months.
After 6 months training I went overseas as a fighter pilot on a
carrier. When we stopped on Guam on the
way to the South Pacific near Japan I received the thrilling news that we had a
little son and we named him Victor Bardell Bowman. After the atomic bomb was dropped I returned
to my Sweetheart Wife and our little son and started teaching music in
schools. We had two more beautiful
children, Brian and Linda Jane. We
finally wound up teaching music in Dixon, Illinois for 30 years, and during
this time I played first violin in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. So Rockford sort of became our second
home. Little did we realize that it
would be Rickie's permanent home when we got older. Now she is here receiving excellent care from
the Staff and I'm able to spend every day with her.
One consolation of growing
old is that all the things we wanted when we were young and couldn't
have we no longer want. (Some heads nodded in agreement) I told them the story of a young man in
Ireland who was captivated by the beauty and charm of lovely lass named Colleen
and her really wanted her to become his bride.
Since he was an Irish Tenor he decided to woo her with a song so sang to
her "My Wild Irish Rose"
(Every song I mentioned we would enjoy playing and singing). He thought Colleen was quite impressed with
this song so he sang ever more sentimentally "When Irish Eyes Are
Smiling". Now to really impress her he
said, "Colleen my father is getting pretty old and feeble and when he passes
away I will inherit a Million Dollars.
Wow! That really impressed her and what do you think happened? The very next week his charming Colleen was
his Stepmother. (She didn't let any
grass grow under her feet.) So now
instead of singing "Your Are My Sunshine", he sang "You Were My Sunshine". He made some resolutions from this experience
and turned his frown into a smile. There
is a scientific reason for doing this as it takes 63 muscles to frown and only
13 to smile. Let's sing "Smile Awhile and Give Your Face a Rest". Now let's sing about a boy who was smiling
happily. "Oh Danny Boy".
Now since we are starting a New Year do you
think you should make a resolution to counsel our children on how to raise your
grandchildren? After all you are all
experienced as you learned childcare from the bottom up did you not? Well maybe it would be better to just enjoy
our grandchildren when they come to visit.
As one mother told me "If I'd known my grandchildren
were that much fun I would have had them first". (Ha! Ha!.) By the way if you
saw something that was spoiled yet really fresh what do you think it would
be? You are right a grandchild but it
must be one of our friends's because we wouldn't spoil our own. So let's sing
to those friends "Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot and Never Brought To Mind".
As
I look back over the past year I'm thankful that my darling wife could be in
this Home to receive such good care and I'm sure some of you feel the same way
so let's sing "Bless This House O Lord I Pray".
I want to thank the Staff that are so dedicated
here in taking care of everyone and they even provide good entertainment like
putting favorite musicals on the TV.
Most of you have probably seen the "Sound of Music" and know the song
Edelweiss" so let's sing that for fun. We learned that Edelweiss is a beautiful
white flower that blooms on the mountain side and that reminds of the beautiful
flowers growing on the Rocky Mountains in the Spring
so let's sing "When It's Springtime in the Mountains I'll Be Coming Back to
You". We have God to thank for the
beauty around us so let's praise Him by singing one of your favorite hymns "How
Great Thou Art"
After singing this beautiful hymn we should feel
that there is really no trial we cannot face if we accept the Grace that our
Savior Jesus Christ offers us by following His example and keeping His
commandments. So let's close our program by singing another one of your
favorite hymns: "Amazing Grace". Thank
you very much for being here I appreciate your help and hope you have enjoyed
this time as much as I have."
Linda
Jane did very well taping the program and said that she thought that everyone
enjoyed it and had a good time. I made
copies of the tape to send to Victor and Brian and our families in Mexico and
Utah and Idaho and to some dear friends and was glad that they enjoyed watching
it and getting the favorable reaction of the audience. As a sample I'll copy some of Brian's letter
written in February.
Dear Dad,
I
want to tell you how much I enjoyed watching the videotape of your program at
the Peterson Home. I really admired the
energy of your playing and talking-narrating-and storytelling. It was interesting to hear everyone singing
along with most of the songs.
Congratulations on such a great job, and thank you very much for sending
us a copy of the tape.
I am writing this on a plane from Dallas to Salt
Lake City on my way to Missoula, Montana for some solo performances and
teaching. I change planes in Salt Lake
City and arrive in Missoula about 11:40 P.M.
I have concerts on Monday and Tuesday and will return on Wednesday to
Texas.
Watching
the tape certainly brought many memories to mind and also brought to
remembrance how life changes. I was
talking to Vinette about how lucky we were to have both sets of parents for
such a long time. We appreciate all the
wonderful times and memories. Now we are in a different stage and time in life. We are quite a ways away from any family and
in some ways feeling very isolated.
There is certainly enough work to do and no lack of activities to fill
our days. We understand how you and Mom
felt being so far away from family. We
were sort of spoiled I think being able to "go home" to Dixon or to the Parry's. Now while we can still visit it is a
different stage. We however treasure
those memories of arriving at midnight in Dixon and you having a great meal
prepared which we ate and talked until the wee hours. Thank you for those wonderful times!
One
of your sayings that has always stayed with me is "there is nothing more
constant than change!" We can certainly
see that in our lives through what has happened to Mom and by what has happened
now to Vinette's parents. It makes me wonder a little what path to take for the
remainder of our time with Mother. As
you may have noticed, we seem to fill almost all the available time with work
of one sort or another. I am wondering
how best to plan the next years and maybe retirement. We have only one son and now one grandchild
and they are quite a ways from us. We
get to see them (at least I do) a few times a year. Brian P. has already talked with me about
Annabelle coming to visit with us in the summer. Some of his fondest memories of growing up
were his summers visiting his grandparents in Dixon. I don't think we could even come close to
providing the great times of Dixon, but maybe we could do something similar.
I
also wonder about what lies ahead in Church work. Being in the Bishopric of a Singles Ward is a
little different than a regular Ward.
The Bishop believes in doing everything on Sunday, which makes for a
long day but saves time during the week, which I don't have. Vinette has the feeling that maybe she will
be released fairly soon as Relief Society President in the Lake Cities 1st
Ward. Actually the calling that I have
enjoyed the most in the past 10 years has been working in the Temple. I had to be released from that calling when
called into the Bishopric, but I do miss it.
I am sure that we will have it again in the future. In looking at the future we have been
wondering about Missionary Service. I
think in looking back on your retirement years, you time in Mexico as
Missionaries was a good, good time. I
have always had an interest in family history and temple work, but there are
needs in many areas. I am looking forward to my trip to Tonga next month to see
how life is there. Maybe there is
something we could do with music in missionary work.
Vinette's
parents are really a concern and a worry for us. They are still feel
independent in thought so it would be hard to move them anywhere. I guess we will just have to wait for some
changes there. In the meantime Brian P.
is bearing the brunt of the work for them.
I certainly do admire the way you have been able to cope with Mom's
illness and make the right decisions even when very difficult. Please let us know if we can do anything to
help at any time.
While
I was in Missoula I played three concerts with the University Band, gave two clinics
with the high school bands (15 each day) that came for the Festival and also
did some work with the middle schools in Missoula. I gave two Master Class Workshops for the
tuba and euphonium students from the middle schools and played in a concert with
their middle school All-City Band and Jazz Band. The University of Montana Band was there and
I ended the Concert playing the Carnival of Venice with the one finger encore.
It brought back memories of those days in Dixon when you would have all the Bands
playing at the Spring Concert. Before
the last number I spoke to the audience (mostly parents) and told them that I
was the son of a great grade school band director and have a great appreciation
for the work that is being done with their children. It brought back many memories and as g rat
deal of pride in the chance I had to grow up watching you do such wonderful
work.
Well
we are starting the descent into the Dallas, Fort Worth Airport so I will have
to stop writing. I am using my little
palm-pilot and keyboard and will sync it with my computer when I get home and
print it out to mail it to you. I love
you Dad and we are constantly sending our best wishes and prayers your
direction. Thanks again for your wonderful example. Love, Brian and Vinette.
The
Program that Brian sent me from Missoula had printed on the outside: FINALE
CONCERT featuring Dr. Brian Bowman, Tuesday, February 25, 2003 at 7:30 P.M. in
the Sentinel High School gymnasium. On the inside, along with the music to be
played was a resume of Brian's Musical Credits that I will copy here.
"Dr.
Brian Bowman enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, clinician, recording
artist, educator, and administrator. Dr.
Bowman has held the principal euphonium position, in addition to being a
featured soloist, in each of the bands he has been associated with: The
University of Michigan Symphony Band, The united States Navy Band, The United
States Bicentennial Band, The United States Air force Band, and the River City
Brass Band in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He is currently Professor of euphonium the University of North Texas.
Characterized by a virtuosic technique and a warm,
rich, velvet tone, Brian Bowman's playing has thrilled audiences for more than
as quarter of a century. His superb
musicianship and dedication to fine brass playing have made him one of the
foremost euphonium soloists in the world today.
His history of euphonium "firsts" is impressive: First euphonium recital
in New York's Carnegie Recital Hall, first euphoniumist to serve as president
of the T.U.B.A (Tubist Universal Brotherhood Association), first euphonium tour
in Japan, first Guest Euphonium Artist-Falcone International Euphonium
Competition, first Euphonium Master Class at the Paris Conservatory Superior of
Music, Master Teacher at the first Deutsche Tubaforum workshop to include
euphonium, tenor horn, and baritone in Hammelburg, Germany.
He
is in demand as a guest soloist with high school, university, municipal, and professional
ensembles. He has performed as a soloist
in al 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, Norway, Finland, Germany,
Belgium, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Taiwan,
and the People's Republic of China. He
has appeared as a tenor tubist with the National Symphony, the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony and the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
In
addition to his live performances, Dr. Bowman can be heard on over 35 service
band recordings and his six solo albums.
He has appeared a featured soloist on Iowa Public Television with the
Karl King Fort Dodge Municipal Band and has performed with the New Sousa Band
on the Wolftrap PBS television special.
Missoula
County Public Schools and the University of Montana are delighted to welcome
Brian Bowman to Missoula, to Montana, and to our Annual Finale Festival. We thank him for the time he has spent
With our students and are
pleased to feature him on this concert."
All
during January Rickie has been getting along pretty well with her
schedule. Now on Monday the 27th,
she was up late about 8:15 but ate a good breakfast. She had a nap from 10:15 until 12:15 and ate
well at lunch. In the afternoon we sat
on the couch together and she napped for about an hour. She didn't eat much at supper as she had
difficulty opening her mouth. We put her to bed at about 6:45 and she promptly
went to sleep. When I got home I
received a call from my sister Dorothy in Salt Lake City saying that she
appreciated getting the tape and like all the songs I played. She also gave me the news that our brother
Keith needs a hip replacement and since he doesn't have any insurance the ward
has offered to pay for it.
On
Tuesday the 28th, after I fed her good lunch she looked up at me and
smiling said, "I love you!" That was as
real thrill that I will always treasure.
On Wednesday afternoon we went to a special meeting in the Chapel called
"Praise" and Pastor Olson said that he and his wife had watched the tape and
thought it was very animated and great or the residents and visitors. On Sunday, February 2nd Rickie was
dressed at 8:10 but ate a good breakfast and I took her to Chapel at 10:30 as
usual. We played "Love Divine" which is
"In Humility, Our
Savior" in our hymn book. Pastor Olson thanked me and said it was
beautiful. Rickie had a nap from 1:30 to
4:00 and I finished reading volume 6 of Church History. Linda Jane came for a good visit at about
4:30 and Rickie seemed more alert than usual.
On Monday I drove home in the snow after a good day and listened to
Rachel practicing "Meditation" from Thais with her mother's accompaniment and I
complimented them on how beautiful in sounded.
As I've mentioned before that was one of our favorite pieces to play in
Church. Rachel played well even though she came home from school at 11:00
A.M. As she was feeling sick she didn't
go to school the next day. On this day,
Tuesday the 4th of February the YMCA Men's Chorus came again sang
many old familiar romantic songs with accordion accompaniment at 2:30. Rickie seemed to enjoy it.
On
Saturday February 8th Rickie had a good day starting at 7:30 A.M.
with a nap in the afternoon while I went to Rachel's Concert at the Mendelssohn
Club. She played "Meditation" from Thais
very well accompanied by her Mother and she also played the piano for her
friend Sarah's flute solo. Then the
whole family went to Strandquist Motors and put a downpayment on a Chryler Town
and Country 1998 Van that they had chosen after examining many others. They were thrilled with so we paid the
balance and it has proven to be just what they needed. On the 9th we had our usual Sunday
with Rickie taking a nap for a couple of hours.
She woke up at 3:15 and after we took her to the bathroom was ready for
our visitors, Stan and Dolly who came at 4:00 P.M. They brought two dozen cookies and Rickie ate
one while sitting on the couch. They
told us about the Youth Temple trip that week and that they had done one
hundred baptisms for the dead. We had a
good visit until dinnertime and I took Rickie in the wheel chair to the
elevator to wave goodbye after giving them a hug. On the 10th Ed took the Olds
Cutlas to the garage for a tune up and to have the cruise control fixed since
they now had the Van to drive. I
followed him in our red Buick to bring him back home. The next morning Ed had to go to work early
so Linda Jane and I took Rachel to school early then picked up car all fixed
for $350.00. I arrived at Peterson in time to feed Rickie her breakfast.
February
11th I received word that my dear sister, Kathleen had finally been
conquered by her Lou
Gehrings Disease on February
9th, so I bought a card and sent it to Dale and his family with
$100.00 Special Delivery to arrive there before the Funeral which most of my
brothers and sisters were going to attend. I
purchased Valentine Cards for Linda Jane, Rachel, Rebekah and my Sweetheart
wife and put some money in them for a little treat on Friday the 14th. On Valentine's Day Linda
Jane and Rebekah came with a beautiful bouquet of roses and two boxes of her
Mother's favorite chocolates.
They thanked us for their Valentine Greetings. Rickie also received a big bouquet of flowers
sent by Victor. We put the flowers on a
table in the dining room for the Valentine Party at 2:00 P.M. We were served apple pie and chocolate. Then we sat on the couch and Rickie went to
sleep while I was reading to her the beginning of Volume 7 of Church
History. When she woke up I read her
Valentine to her again and she held it until dinnertime. She ate about half of her food, which was
pretty good, as I said before the servings are pretty large. She was pretty tired after such a busy day so
was fast asleep by 7:00 P.M. I always get home in time for family scripture
reading of the "Book of Mormon" and family prayer about 9:30 or 10:00 P.M.
depending on when Ed gets home from work.
Saturday
the 15th I called Dale Criddle and he said that Kathleen's Funeral
on February 15th was beautiful with her brothers and sister singing
a special song for her and paying tribute to her wonderful life. All their family was there and there was a
feeling that Kathleen was now in the Lord's hands free from her pain and
suffering. He said that my brother Donn
had a beautiful, gracious lady with him named Nancy Marie Iacoi, and that they
seemed to be happy together. Rickie was
at the breakfast table at 7:50 so I gave her a little ride up and down the
halls until breakfast was served at 8:00 A.M.
She looked beautiful in her purple dress and we went to Chapel at 10:30
as usual and we played
"Day by Day". After Chapel
we went to room 218 to play for Joe McKellen at his wife's request. I played "Amazing Grace", "How Great Thou
Art", and "I
Love You Truly". He was in bed and cried
and Mrs. McKellen was so grateful and thanked me profusely for the music. Rickie ate well at lunch and had an afternoon
nap. I usually sit by her and read while she is sleeping. I sent my brothers in Mexico, Keith, Maurice
and Wesley to help pay for their expenses of going to Kathleen's funeral since
I couldn't go. I received a note back saying that they appreciated the help and
were sorry that I couldn't be there with them.
I
took Rachel to School on Wednesday the 19th at 7:10 and arrived at
the dining room at 7:38. Rickie wasn't
up yet as they were a little short handed this morning. They got her dressed in time to eat breakfast
and after that she had her hair done.
Then of course was taken to the bathroom before her nap at 10:15 this
morning. She always receives compliments
on how beautiful she looks when she gets her hair done. When I arrived at the dining room after
taking Rachel to School on Friday the 21st at 7:40 Rickie was
already at the table ready to eat breakfast.
She seems to be doing well with the puréed food as this morning before
breakfast she weighed 130 pounds and after lunch weighed 132 pounds. I wasn't able to get someone to take her to
the bathroom on schedule in the afternoon so had to take wet clothes home for
Linda Jane to launder.
Every
morning I wake up early enough to do my "5 Rites Exercises" before I eat
breakfast which seems to help me to feel better. On Saturday the 22nd I woke up a
little earlier at 5:50 so took a longer bath. Rickie was still in bed when I
arrived at 7:30. We got her to the table
at 8:00 and she ate nearly all her breakfast.
She had her nap in the morning and in the afternoon we went to the
Atrium for a musical program. She fell
asleep in the wheel chair before the concert was over and wouldn't wake up for
dinner so got to bed at 6:10. I was worried but the nurses thought she was just
tired. Every night when I get home I
take care of my mail including the bills and any business that has to be done
and then write some in my journal. I'm
always happy to wash the dishes if I get home in time and help out in any way I
can like taking the girls to their dance classes when they have them in the
evening while Linda Jane is teaching piano lessons. In February I assembled all my Income Tax
Information to take to John Palmer in Dixon to prepare. He is really an expert and says we will get a
refund of all we have had deducted this year because of the big bill at the
Peterson Center for Health and the medical expense. On Thursday the 26th
something new was started as Shirley, a new CNA used the electric lift machine
to take Rickie to the
-bathroom alone. She told
me that it worked just fine. This was the kind of machine that Dale bought to
lift and transport Kathleen after his hernia operation.
We were happy to have a
visit by one of my former cornet players in the grade school band, Gary
Boyd. He majored in music at Northern
Illinois University and taught Instrumental Music in the Oregon Schools. His
wife is an accomplished flute player and they play in Summer Bands
together. Now he told us that he has a
new job helping band directors with their fund raising
by presenting to them various sales projects.
He said it is working out fine and he is happy with it. It is always a joy to see my former students
being successful. On Friday the 28th
of February I drove to Dixon after taking Rachel to School and feeding Rickie
breakfast. I took the Income Tax
Information to John Palmer, started the Cadillac in the garage, got the e-mail
off the computer, bought three books of stamps at the Post Office, cashed a
check for $100.00 and got back in time to take Rickie to the table for lunch
after her nap. The next day, Saturday, I
took Rickie to a musical program at 2:00 P.M. played by two accordion
players. Rickie liked it as they played
quite a few polkas. After the evening meal Shirley told me that she was getting
Verna to help her put Rickie to bed so I could just sit in the hall until it
was done. I didn't object because I didn't want to "make waves" so to
speak. It's a big help to Rickie that I
have a pleasant relationship with everyone.
On Sunday, March 2nd Rickie ate all of her breakfast and
after we took her to the bathroom at 10:00 A.M. we went to Chapel. Our special number this morning was "He
Leadeth Me". Rickie ate about two thirds
of her lunch and we put her bed at 1:30 for a nap. While she was sleeping I went to the Atrium
at Pastor Olsons's request and played "Onward Christian Soldiers" for the
Installation of the Barnabas new members.
The people in this organization make regular visits to the
Residents. When I got
home at 7:30 P.M. I called my brother Maurice in Mexico to thank him for
his nice letter and found out that Keith and Naoma had such bad colds that
Keith's hip operation was postponed.
Here is some of the letter Maurice wrote.
Well, hello my brother Bob!
What
a neat surprise to receive that beautiful card from you! And there was a big surprise in it--a
check! Thanks, that was sweet of you,
but you needn't have done that. Maybe we
could have it as a start toward a possible future trip to Illinois. We had hoped so much that you would be able
to come to Kathleen's funeral, and we really missed you. But we understand perfectly why it was pretty
much of impossibility, all things considered.
Thanks for "them pretty words" in your card. It sounds like you've been given a pretty
good update on the funeral and the related goings-on. We think of you and pray for you both
daily. We get some news about you in
Brian and Vinette's weekly newsletter, but still wonder how you are getting
along, really. We sent you a Christmas
card but it came back. I guess we should
have sent it to Linda's address. We still keep pretty busy, and are enjoying
our calling in the Temple very much. The
Church has a very effective way of providing work and activities for people of
all ages, which is a blessing in the lives of all of us. This weekend is Stake Conference and I have
the opportunity, as usual, to direct the Stake Choir. We're working on 5 numbers. One of which is the Lawrence Lyon arrangement
of "Oh, How Lovely was the Morning" in which Nellie will sing the first part as
a solo. We have a children's chorus
helping us with "I Am a Child of god."
We still haven't had the chance to hear and see the tape you made of
your presentation in the Rest Home, but hopefully we'll get to enjoy it
soon. That was such a neat service you
did. I'm sure it was appreciated
lots. I hope you and dear Rickie have a
good day. We love you. Maurice and Nellie.
Wednesday,
March 5th we went to the special Ash Wednesday Service at 10:30 A.M.
as Pastor Olson had asked me to play "The Old Rugged Cross". Rickie didn't get a nap but slept about an
hour in the afternoon sitting on the couch.
This was not Shirley's week taking care of Rickie so I dressed her for
bed and then Sam helped me walk her to bed from the bathroom at 6:30. She was sound asleep at 7:00. It is a great blessing that she sleeps
through the night as some of the ladies on 3rd floor wake up and
wants to walk around. Rachel has early
morning Seminary now at 6:00 A.M. so Linda Jane takes her to Church for that
and then to School from there. She had a
late dance rehearsal on Thursday so I picked her up and 9: 00 P.M. She hadn't eaten so we stopped at Wendy's on
the way home for her favorite frosty and Jr. bacon
cheeseburger. We got home at 9:25 in
time for scripture reading and prayer.
March
the 8th was a typical Saturday.
Rickie finished her breakfast at 8:20, had a nap at 10:00 after a
bathroom stop. She ate about two thirds
of her lunch and one half at night. We enjoyed a musical program at 2:00 P.M.
by a very talented young lady, Chris Burgess.
She played the guitar to accompany her singing; played the dulcimer, the
autoharp, the banjo and the piano. Rickie seemed contented and we got her to
bed at 6:45. We had prayer and goodnight kisses, as usual, before she went to
sleep. When I go home I took care of the
mail and paid the bills, as usual. The cost at Petersen was raised this year to
$151.00 a day so I have a special checking account with my investment company
Waddell and Reed to pay that bill which was $4,848.00 this month.
Section 88--Monthaversary,
Rickie to Dentist, March 15, Marcella Smith, Ed's Mother Operation, March 16th,
Linda Jane Played Piano for Pastor Olson's Service. Rachel RAYSO Concert, March 17th
St. Patrick's Day Party, March 21st, Spring, President Nelson Visit
Marian Ciembronowicz With Us For Broken Hip, Room 204, President Brent Horsley
and wife DeAnn Visit.
Wednesday,
March 12, our Monthaversary, was quite different as Pastor Olson had a Service
at 10:30 in the Chapel and then repeated it at 2:00 P.M. in the dining room on
the 3rd floor. We attended
both of them so Rickie had her nap sitting on the couch with me. I read to her and she promptly goes to
sleep. As I entered the gate at home I
tripped on dog leash and tore a hole in the knee of my nice slacks. Linda Jane said she would mend it and was
glad that I was not hurt. Thursday
evening I took Rachel a snack at the dance studio at 7:30 then picked her up at
9:10. She is a busy girl. Tomorrow she has a violin lesson at 2:30 then
a track meet in Sterling at 5:00 P.M.
Linda Jane will take her to these activities. On Friday the 14th, Rickie had her
teeth cleaned by a Dental Technician at 10:30 so didn't get her nap until the
afternoon. Linda Jane and Rachel got
home from the track meet at about 8:30 P.M.
They were tired but happy as Rachel had won the High Jump Event.
On
Saturday I got a card for Ed's mother, Marcella Smith, and put some money it to
help pay for her operation. She came
through the operation very well and expressed her appreciation. Rickie ate well on this day and had her usual
nap and we attended a vocal musical program at 2:00 P.M. presented by a
charming couple. On Sunday Linda Jane came to play the piano for the Service at
Pastor Olson's request, as the regular pianist was ill. Our special musical number this morning was
"He's Got the Whole World In His Hands". Pastor Olson thanked Linda Jane for her
service in playing the hymns so well.
Rickie ate all her lunch and while she was napping in the afternoon I
went to Rachel's Rockford Youth Symphony Orchestra Concert. The featured soloist was Shawn Moore who
played Tschaikowsky's "Violin Concerto" very well and she was only 15 years
old. I got back in time to feed Rickie
her evening meal. They keep a record of
what percentage of the meal each Resident eats and tonight for Rickie it was
100%, which pleased the nurse.
Monday
March 17th was St. Patricks Day with a party scheduled for the
afternoon. After eating all her breakfast Rickie had her usual nap and I
continued my reading program starting the last book in the Harvard
Classics. The list of books that I've
read is too long starting with the Standard Works, "Marvelous Work and a Wonder" "Church History" "Work and the Glory" that I won't write it
here. At the party they served cookies
and ice cream. One of the Staff thought
that Rickie shouldn't eat a cookie because it wasn't puréed so I told her I
would mash it up in the ice cream and that was okay. She wasn't very hungry for dinner so ate only
about half of it. After that, Judy
helped me put her on the toilet and when I had her dressed for bed helped me
take her to bed in the wheel chair as can no longer stand or walk. On Tuesday afternoon everyone was brought
into the dining room for a sing-a-long with and enthusiastic lady about 70
years old playing the piano. Rickie
seemed to enjoy that as many of the songs she used to play. Judy was again assigned to take care of
Rickie and she was very cooperative and welcomed my help. We got her to bed after dinner at 6:15, as
she seemed tired. When I got home I went
to pick up Rachel from her Ballet Class and stopped at Wendy's as she was
"starved" Hi!
The
first day of spring, Friday 21st there was no school for students
but parents had to go for a conference with teachers of their children. President Nelson came about 3:30 P.M. and we
had a good visit then went with him down to see Marian Ciembronowicz in room
204 as she had a broken hip from a fall trying to get into a car. She was happy to see us and said that she was
getting good care. The next day
President Horsley and his wife came and we visited Marian again with them. They wanted to know how our sons were doing
so I told that Victor is doing a great job teaching Instrumental Music in the
Arlington Schools and is demand to play for weddings and with professional
music groups. Then they read the program
with Brian's Credits that I copied above and were amazed. I told them that this fulfilled the promise
in Rickie's Patriarchal Blessing that said she "would be honored by her
children and by the world because of her children. After the evening meal I was happy to have
Judy help me to put Rickie to bed at about 6:30 again.
Section 89---Ward Meeting Time Changed to Afternoon,
Visitors: Stan and Dolly, Tim and Betty, Julie Depue, Visiting teacher,
Memorial for Elinor Stanlis, March 30th, April 4th
Russian Music Concert Mendelssohn Club, "Barrage" Violin Program at the
Coronado Theater, Vivian Youngman, Rickie's Room Mate 90 Years Old, Donn and
Nancy's Wedding April 17th, Pastor Olson's Classic Quartet Program.
On Sunday March 23rd, I was able to go to
our Sacrament Meeting as the time has been changed from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00
P.M. I was asked to give the opening
prayer and enjoyed singing in the choir.
Rickie was still sleeping when I got back at 3:30. Judy came with Verna and got her up at 4:00
P.M. Stan and Dolly came for a visit at 4:10 and brought a chocolate treat for
Rickie. We thanked them and had a good
visit. Rickie always gives them a hug when they leave. Judy thought that Rickie's bedroom slippers
were getting a little shabby and not doing her justice so Monday morning while
she was sleeping I went to Wall-Mart and found a beautiful pair on sale for
$2.00 down from $9.00. Rickie ate most
of her lunch and then dozed on the couch as I read to her. Judy was really pleased with the new bedroom
slippers when we put Rickie to bed at about 6:20. I picked Rachel up from Ballet at 8:30 and
she enjoyed her usual treat on the way home.
Tim
and Betty Dunavin came for a half-hour visit at 3:00 P.M. on Tuesday as Betty
had an eye appointment. Tim said that
his job in Rockford was terminated for lack of business so now he is looking
for a computer job closer to home. Today
Quinetta was assigned to take care of Rickie and she got another aid to help
her take her to the bathroom and to bed.
The next day she was under Judy's care.
I was happy about that. After she
is in bed I have been rubbing a little moisturizing cream on her face and she
likes that. Thursday afternoon Julie
Depue came as a Visiting teacher from the Relief Society with a pretty colored
companion named Latorina Finley. Judy
sat on the couch with Rickie while they visited. They both had a baby sitter for their
children.
On
Friday, Margaret gave Rickie her shower using the machine and said she would
put her in bed for her nap and take good care of her while I went to
Dixon. She was very pleasant and
attractive and said that she was happy that she had lost 100 pounds. I had a successful trip to Dixon and brought
a neat Music File Cabinet that the Band had given me as a present at a Spring
Concert. It just fit by Linda Jane's
piano and will help her to keep the music organized that she is using. I got back in time to feed Rickie her lunch.
Saturday morning I took the Buick to Midas Muffler shop to get new belts and
they loaned me a car to drive while they did the work. When I called to see if
it was ready they said that a motor mount was broken so they were fixing that
also. They are very good at checking things so the car will be in good running
condition when they are through with it.
When I picked up the car the bill was $255.75. Rickie all of her dinner and Judy helped me
get her to bed at 6:30 P.M.
Our
special musical number on Sunday the 30th,
was "Beautiful Savior". After lunch
while Rickie was sleeping, Ed picked me up to attend a Benefit Concert honoring
Elinor Stanlis who had just passed away.
As I've mentioned she started the Rockford Music Academy with the Suzuki
System of teaching in addition to playing in the Rockford Symphony. The Concert featured her daughter, Margaret
Batcher and ChoLiang Lin, both Concert Violinists who each played solos and a
duet that was very beautifully done.
Talks were giving credit to Elinor and praising her artistic
accomplishments. I was happy that I
could be there as we had worked together in the Rockford Symphony for many
years. I got back to the Home at 5:40 to
feed Rickie and told her about the Concert even though she didn't seem to
understand it. Monday, March 31st was a good day for Rickie. A new male aid, named Eric was assigned to
take care of Rickie. He looked like a
rugged football star and was an expert in Martial Arts. He was so big and
strong that he preferred to transfer Rickie from her wheel chair to the couch
or to the stool in the bathroom by himself.
The only problem was that they kept him so busy that I had to wait for
him to come around and sometimes go find him.
He wanted me to dress Rickie for bed, as was listed on her schedule
before helping me take her from the bathroom to bed so we got along very well.
On Thursday I couldn't find him on the 3rd floor at Rickie's
scheduled time to go to the bathroom so I had to take wet slacks home again to
launder.
I
took Rachel to school at 7:00 A.M. on Friday and found Rickie still in bed at
7:30. They finally got her up and
dressed at 8:00 A.M. and she ate all her breakfast and had a nap at 10:00
A.M. She also dozed on the couch in the
afternoon when I read to her but still got to sleep at 7:00 P.M. I drove from the Home to the Mendelssohn Club
and saved a seat for Linda Jane and Rachel to hear a Russian Music
Concert. It was interesting and we all
enjoyed it. On Saturday Rickie was taken
care of by a very efficient aid sent from the first floor to help out. In the evening, after Rickie was asleep,
Linda Jane, Rachel and I went to the famous violin dance program called
"Barrage" in the Coronado Theater. The
ticket bill was $75.00 and I bought a tape of the program for $20.00 and an
album of the music they played for $25.00 for Rachel to practice. Later this spectacular program was shown on
TV. Sunday morning Rickie seemed to be
feeling good so we went to Chapel at 10:30 and I played "Great Is Thy
Faithfulness" for special music. Rickie
ate most of her lunch and then had a nap.
I went to the Church in the afternoon while Rickie was sleeping and
heard a wonderful Session of General Conference broadcast from Salt Lake City.
I told Rickie about it as I was feeding her the evening meal even though she
didn't understand it she seemed to like to hear me talking about it.
On
Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 we enjoyed a Concert of Gospel Songs by a talented
couple. On Wednesday the 9th
Rickie had her hair done and we attended the double Chapel Service that Pastor
Olson gave. He passes out copies of the
words to the hymns so everyone can join him in singing for the Service on the 3rd
floor. Saturday the 12th was
Rickie's room mate, Vivian Youngman's 90th birthday so her friends,
the Nelson's, who are doing her laundry brought a
birthday cake and soft drinks for a party.
Everyone seems to like Birthday Parties.
On Sunday afternoon Pastor Olson brought a Classic Guitar Quartet that
he plays in to play a concert for everyone that could come to the Atrium. They had a unique sound that I've never heard
before that was very enjoyable. The YMCA
Men's Chorus came again on Tuesday afternoon and after their fine program one
of the men greeted me with; "Hello, Mr. Bowman, I'm Ralph Pullin, do you
remember me? "French
horn?" I asked. "Yes!" he said, "I played in the
Rochelle Summer Band when you conducted it and had a great time." It's nice to be remembered. All our days are
quite similar now so I'll try to not repeat too much.
We
received an E-mail wedding announcement as follows: "The children of Nancy Marie Iacol and Donn
S. Bowman are pleased to announce the marriage of their parents Saturday the 19th
of April 2003 at 9:45 A.M. in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They are very happy and will be given a
reception at the Church after the wedding Ceremony. The plan is that they will fly to Kona,
Hawaii for a wonderful week of honeymooning.
Easter Sunday Rickie had
Stephanie to care for her who really was good at adhering to her schedule. I usually wore a white shirt and a necktie
and dress slacks to Chapel but since today was special I wore my blue suit to
play "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" which blended in
with Pastor Olson's message on Easter.
In the afternoon while Rickie was taking her nap I went to Church and
sang bass in the Choir that Linda Jane conducts so beautifully. Rachel does really well accompanying the
choir on the piano. I was glad that I got back before Rickie was up from her
nap so she really did not know that I was gone for awhile. Rickie had her hair
done Wednesday morning so didn't get a nap and in the afternoon there was a Birthday
party for Margie Bachman who was 77 years old on this day so Rickie took a
little nap sitting on the couch with me. She ate all her dinner even though she
had cake at 2:00 P.M. She was sounding
asleep by 7:00 P.M. On Thursday Rickie wasn't feeling so well as at dinner she
took a few bites of food, her medication and then closed her eyes and her mouth
until bedtime.
Friday morning the same
thing happened. She seemed to be asleep
at the breakfast table and only ate a few bites and her medication in applesauce. Her breathing was so labored that the nurse
called Dr. DeGuide and she ordered and ambulance to take her to the Emergency
Room. I followed the ambulance and was
there for her X-Ray, Catscan and blood tests.
The doctor said that she had congestive heart failure with a pulse of 30
to 38. Linda Jane came and stayed
until she had to pick up Rachel at school.
They moved Rickie to room 836 in the hospital and put her on oxygen and
IV's. I stayed with her all night and
she seemed to rest easier with the medication they gave her in the IV and
finally went to sleep and slept the rest of the night. The next morning Linda Jane came at 10:00
A.M. for our counsel with a Hospice representative. She talked to Dr.Chocair to
ask them to keep Rickie in the hospital until Monday so Hospice could make
arrangements to take care of her in the nursing home. They moved her to larger room 1008 in the
Hospital. We got word to Brian that his
Mother was in the hospital and he said he would be there at noon on Sunday. Saturday night she was somewhat sedated so I
left late to get a little rest, change clothes and bring my lunch for
tomorrow. I arrive at 7:30 A.M on Sunday
and found Rickie resting comfortably and her pulse was up to 45 instead of
30. Brian came at 11:30 and Linda Jane
got him some lunch from the cafeteria so we ate together since I had my
lunch. Linda Jane took Brian home at
about 1:30 for a little nap since he hadn't slept Saturday night. The nurses said they would take good care of
her during the night so I went home to prepare for tomorrow. On Monday Brian went with me to take Rachel
to school then we arrived to the hospital at 7:30. We gave Rickie a little
water with a tooth washing sponge, as her lips were very dry. Rickie smiled and tried to talk when Brian
held her hand. At 11:00 A.M. Monday the
28th they took her back to the Peterson Home to the first
floor. The room was very small for two
people so Brian and I arranged a private room, number 13, for her on the same
floor that was really nice. Brian had to
take the bus at 3:00 to go to the airport for his flight home. We were so
grateful that he had been able to come and see his Mother. I'll copy some of the letter he wrote on the
plane
Dear Father,
I
am so grateful that I had the opportunity to see you and Mother this weekend.
I'm grateful that Mother is doing a little better and that she has a nice room
in the Peterson Center. I am sure that
it will be much better for you and Mother there now.
As
I mentioned, coming back to Illinois really brings a flood of memories to me as
I remember all the wonderful times growing up with in Dixon and also the many
times returning since leaving home for college.
I appreciate so much having all these memories of all the wonderful
things that you and Mother have done for me and all the family. Now as we enter this new situation with
Mother, we can just trust in the Lord and put her in His hands working to try
and understand His will and desires for her and for us, then having the courage
to follow. Rest assured that we are
constantly praying for you and Mom in every way. It was wonderful to see Mother and have the
chance to hold her hand, give her some water, touch her forehead and see her
smile, and feel her squeeze my hand. I
can add this time to all the wonderful memories from the past.
I
remember when I had Mononucleosis and for a short while they though I had
something possibly more serious and Mom didn't want me even to walk to the
bathroom and tried to carry me piggyback!
I remember the heavy drive through a blinding snowstorm to get to the
UPS station in Chicago to find my first Besson Euphonium in order to have it in
time for a concert with the Dixon High School Concert Band. I remember the many trips into Chicago and
Evanston for private lessons with men from the Chicago Symphony. I remember all those grade school band
contests and the little black suitcase that Mother carried that had "all
solutions" in it. I remember the dinners
for the grade school teachers at our home and the music club dinners, and the
dinners for us after the prom in High School.
I remember before hanging clothes out on the clothesline we had to wash
the line with a wet cloth first. I
remember making everything just right for dinner with the tables set to a "t". I remember cleaning from top to bottom to
make everything spick and span. I
remember having our hair combed with wave set to make sure that it always
looked good. I remember that we were
always to have clean clothes and our shoes shined. I remember the many trips to
see us at summer youth music at the University of Illinois, then later t the
Interlochen Music Camp, and then the many trips to the University of Michigan
for band concerts and football games. I
remember when I was in the language training Mission, Mother bringing me the
Yamaha Euphonium in the soft case that she had made for me, jumping out of the
car and pressing it into my hands as she was afraid that she wasn't supposed to
see me or spend much time with me, but we did spend some time together. I still have some clothes with the nametags
that Mom sewed in for me. I remember the
chaps that she made for Christmas sewed long ago and the great effort always
made for the Christmas Holidays. I
remember how she would always take care of me when I was sick and bring a tray
of food up with the little elephant on it.
I remember how she became a mother tigress when in the 4th
grade I had a problem with a comment made by my teacher Miss Scott and how she
stormed over to school and "set her straight".
I will always remember her compassion for children and what a great
grandma she is to our son as well as to all her grandchildren. How she had the capacity to drop everything
and pay attention their needs and make them feel important and happy. I remember her tears whenever we would leave
her to go away and how much she loves us.
These and a thousand other memories are forever in my soul and will
never be forgotten.
I
am so thankful for the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the Gospel
Plan which will allow us to be together for the eternities and not only have
all the wonderful memories and experiences that we have had on this earth, but
continue to make more memories and progress forever. As I looked at Mother this weekend and saw
the struggle that she is having with a well worn physical body...well worn out in
the service of her family and fellow men, I feel so happy that I had the
opportunity to come to this earth and have her and you bring me here. I am
grateful for her many sacrifices in my behalf.
The only way I can repay you and Mother is to try to live a life worthy
of returning to our Father in Heaven by doing what you both taught me all my
life. Dad, you are my ultimate "role
model". The Savior told his disciples,
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
So I will try and live also up to all that you and Mom have taught me
both by precept and by your example. I
love you both with all my heart. I am
sure that this time ahead is not easy for you but Vinette and I will be praying
for you at least twice a day and always keeping you in our thoughts. I am so proud of you, father. When the nurse came in and saw me she said
that there was no doubt who I was, as I looked so much
like you. I just hope I can have as many
of your wonderful qualities as well as your appearance. I love you! Your son,
Brian.
Rickie was sleeping Tuesday
morning the 29th,when I arrived. Her pulse was up to 45 her temperature was
100. She opened her eyes once
today. Dr. DeGuide came in the afternoon
and said that the Alzheimers disease was shutting down body functions so she
probably had less than a week to live. Pastor Olson came and asked if there was
anything he could do for us. Also the
Hospice nurse came to examine her condition.
I told her what Dr. DeGuide said and she agreed and said that I should
alert the Funeral Home. Wednesday morning, April 30th, Rickie's
temperature was 102 and her pulse was still 45 but she didn't open her eyes at
all. In the evening she seemed to be resting a little more peacefully. Bill
Stocks came for a visit at 3:00 P.M. and offered a prayer for her. I stayed with her all night and put cold
cloths on her forehead that brought the temperature down to 100. At about 2:00 A.M. she became a little
restless and started breathing heavier.
Thursday
May 1st I made a quick trip home at 6:00 A.M. and back. At 7:00 A.M. her temperature was 103 and she
started breathing with a raspy sound showing congestion. Linda Jane and Rachel came at 10:00 A.M. and
sang to Rickie with Linda Jane playing the guitar. I kept putting cold cloths on her head, held
her hand and kissed her warm trembling lips.
The hospice nurse gave her a little morphine that calmed down her
breathing. The nurses and aids from the 3rd floor came down to see
her and tell her they loved her and would miss her. They thought it was so
beautiful that her daughter and granddaughter were singing hymns so beautifully
to her making it a lovely, spiritual time, and said they would always remember
it. Rickie seemed to be at peace and at
1:40 just stopped breathing. The Hospice nurse said, "She's gone". "Yes" I said, "Right to her Heavenly Father
and her Savior. "Goodbye for now, my
Sweetheart Wife," I whispered, as I gently kissed her delicate cold lips that
were so warm before.
While
Linda Jane, Rachel and I were packing up all of Mother's things the Nurse
called the Preston Schilling Home in Dixon that I had made arrangements with
and they said that they would come to take her to Dixon at 5:30 P.M. I called Victor and Brian and Brian sent the
following E-mail to everyone.
Dear ones,
Early this afternoon, Fredericka Bowman, Mother, passed away while
in the company of her beloved husband, and while her daughter and granddaughter
were at her bedside singing her favorite hymns. Funeral arrangements are
being made in the next 24 hours and I will try to let you all know. Love,
Brian.
I
called Bishop Theriot and asked if he would conduct the Funeral when we
arranged the program and if he could do it on next Tuesday, May 6th
so everyone that wanted to come from a distance could be there. He said that would be fine. The Funeral Director said that 10:00 A.M.
Tuesday would be fine so Brian sent out the word. My brother, Maurice happened to be in El
Paso, Texas. Victor called him so that
he could tell everyone the sad news and the Funeral plans. Also that I would like his
wife, Nellie to sing solo on the program if they could come to the Funeral. Linda Jane and I worked on a program and I
called those we wanted to participate to get their acceptance. Willis and Beverly Waite said that they would
come from Salt Lake City and would be glad to honor Rickie by speaking and
singing her favorite duet, "In the Garden".
On
Friday, May 2nd, Ed took me to Dixon in their new Van for a meeting
at the Funeral Home. We made the final arrangements to have a visitation on
Monday the 5th, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M for everyone and at 5:00 P.M.
just for our family. I gave them the
program to print and the obituary to put in the Dixon, Sterling and Rockford
Newspapers. The estimated cost was about
$ 6,000.00. Linda Jane and I went
shopping to buy a special journal for people to write their memories of Rickie
when they came to the Visitation if they wanted to. Then we took Rachel and Rebekah to the
Belvidere High School Auditorium to perform in the "Nutcracker Suite Ballet" at
2:15. We watch the performance and it
was excellent Rachel and Rebekah danced beautifully. I went home to Dixon about 4:30 to get ready
for Brian and Vinette's arrival. On
Sunday they went with me to Church in Sterling. Bill Stocks, a councilor in the
Bishopric, conducted the Sacrament Meeting and told about stopping at the
Peterson Home on his way home from O'Hare Airport (He is and airline pilot) He
said he was glad that he could give her Priesthood Blessing. This was Fast and Testimony Meeting so I bore
my testimony and also thanked everyone for their help. All the testimonies that were given had so
much praise for Rickie that it was almost like a eulogy at a funeral. We had 9 at our home for the evening meal and
Brian and Vinette did all the work.
I was so happy that on
Monday three brothers, Donn, Keith and Maurice and their wives came. I understood why Wesley and his wife Mary
couldn't come. I was surprised and happy
that Keith and Naoma came as he had written me this letter on April 30th. My Dear Brother Bob, We are here in Holbrook
getting worked on by our Son Sam. We
received the report of Rickie's condition from Brian. I felt the nee to write to you to express my
concern, love and support for you in this time of trial and heartbreak. I tried to imagine my sweetheart and
companion in similar condition and how I would feel so I could know a little of
what you are going through at this time.
Our hearts go out to you and we want you to know that we love you and
wish to share your great load of pain and compassion. You have been so wonderfully devoted and
attentive for this long time waiting for this inevitable decline. It still does not take away the feelings of
pain and futility at not being able to do anything to avoid it
We plan to be home in Dublan
by Saturday but I don't see how we can possibly go to be with you. We don't feel able to drive and we depend on
one of our daughters to drive us here in the U.S. Claudia will drive us as far as Pomerene
where she lives then Naoma will drive to Mary's in rodeo N.M. Then drive us
down to Dublan from there thus breaking up the trip to short drives over less
traveled roads. One of the hardest
things for me to accept is the limitation imposed upon me by the loss of my
eyesight, hearing and the pain in my hips.
I am scheduled for a hip replacement operation the last of May here in
Flagstaff, Arizona and hope that it will help me regain some mobility and lessen
the pain in my hip. If the operation and
recovery are successful then we plan to do the other hip in the late fall. Sam has been working on my eyesight trying to
get my body to restore some of the lost sight but we have not seen any results
as yet.
We are still working in the
Temple and I have done a lot of Sealings as the Lord has blessed me so that I
can still read the names of the persons to be sealed. Also I am able to give Patriarchal Blessings
and type them up to be delivered the same day.
We are very thankful that the Lord has permitted me enough sight to
fulfill my callings in the Church and the temple. I am sorry to burden you with my troubles but
it is by way of explanation of why we will are not able to come to be with you
t this special time. We will be with you
in our thoughts and in the feelings of our hearts. Please accept our love and support and give
our love to all of your family. We have
been so close as brothers that I feel disappointed at
not being able to be with you at this time.
Recibe de tu hermano un abrazo fuerte de amor y
comprension. Las
lagrimas humedecen mis ojos al escribirte y me corazon rebosa de amor y
compasion. Love,
Keith and Naoma.
I went to the Funeral Home
for a final check and the funeral Director, Randy Hull was very cooperative and
reported that everything was ready for the visitation tonight and the funeral
tomorrow. Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and
Rebekah came for the evening meal that Brian and Vinette prepared for everyone
and we all went over to the Funeral Home for our family visit at 5:00 P.M. I asked Victor to offer a prayer for us,
which he did beautifully. Brian has
accepted the responsibility of giving a dedicatory prayer at the grave sight
tomorrow. The home was filled to
overflowing with friends and loved ones coming to pay their respects and love
to Rickie and to visit with all of us.
Many wrote loving memories in the little journal we provided for them
and many left a donation for the Memorial Fund established for the Alzheimer's
Unit of the Peterson Center for Health.
I was thankful that my
prayers for a beautiful day were answered and our family all arrived at the
Funeral Home at 9:30 A.M. Brian and
Linda Jane played beautiful prelude music until 10:00 A.M. Ed set up the video camera to record the
Service. The two rooms were packed with
many flowers in the front of the rooms around the beautiful casket that Brian
helped me select. The program couldn't
have been any more beautiful. Everyone
did their part so well that the Spirit of Love could be felt. On the front of the program was imprinted a
beautiful field of flowers and the words; "I will dwell in the house of the lord
forever." On the inside was printed
Rickie's favorite scripture, the 23rd Psalm that she used to recite
sometimes to help her go to sleep.
The Lord is my Shepherd: I
shall not want. He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for `Thou art with me; Thy
rod and Thy staff they comfort me; Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodnes and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". The
Pallbearers were: Victor Bowman, Brian Bowman, Eric Bowman, Brent Bowman, Brian
P. Bowman, Edward Smith and my brother Maurice Bowman.
Bishop Bart Theriot of the
Sterling Ward conducted the Funeral giving a welcome to all and an introduction
to the program which proceeded at follows:
(1) Nellie
Bowman, accompanied by Linda Jane sang:"Somewhere My Love" very
beautifully. (2) Stan Williams offered a very meaningful prayer. (3) Grandson,
Brian P. Bowman dressed in his white Navy uniform gave a sentimental talk
recalling many memories of activities he enjoyed with his Grandmother. (4)
Grandson, Brent Bowman gave a talk of gratitude for all the wonderful things
his grandmother did for him during the last two years of High School in Dixon
living with us. (5) Willis Waite gave a
beautiful talk that can really be appreciated by listening to the video of the
Service. Then he and Beverly sang Rickie's favorite duet: "In the Garden". With Beverly playing the piano. My brother Keith told them
afterwards that it was worth the trip if only to hear them. (6) Linda Jane and
Rachel blended beautifully on the beautiful, expressive song "My God and I"
with Brian P. accompanying them on the classic guitar. (7) Brian gave a wonderful talk of comfort
couched in the Gospel and of his Mother's great faith. (8) Violin solo by Bardell Bowman: "I Love You Truly" My heart was in it and I
just had to blow her a kiss at the end.
(9) Victor Bowman brought out very touching memories of his Mother. (10) Victor and Brian, accompanied by Linda
Jane played "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked". Willis told them afterwards that he had never
heard it rendered so beautifully. (11)
Closing prayer by Rickie's dear friend, Brenda Druien. Then Bishop invited everyone to dinner and
fellowship at the Church in Sterling immediately after the cemetery proceedings.
At the cemetery Maurice
arranged to have us all have copies of "Secret Prayer" in Spanish "Secreta
Oracion" to sing as this was Mother's favorite hymn in Spanish and we had
taught it to the Sterling Ward Choir and sang it in Sacrament meeting. Then Brian played "Amazing Grace" three times
each time in a higher key that was very thrilling. Victor then played "Taps" on his trumpet in
the distance and the service was closed with Brian's very expressive prayer
dedicating Mother's grave until the time of resurrection. We all went to the Church ate the delicious
food prepared by the Relief Society Sisters under Sister Brenda Druien's
direction and had a wonderful visit with all our friends. So much love was
expressed that I hope Rickie was permitted to hear it
The Obituary was printed on
the back of the program and I will copy it here. Fredericka "Rickie" Bertha Bowman, 86, of Dixon died Thursday,
May 1, 2003 at P.A. Peterson Center for Health, in Rockford, Illinois. She
worked for the U.S. Government in Seattle, Washington as an accountant during
WW II, was the private secretary and treasurer for the
famous Grotto of Redemption in West Bend, Iowa, taught vocal music for two
years in Dixon and at one time had over 60 piano students who all loved
her. Rickie was born in Kossuth County
near West Bend, Iowa on November 9, 1916, the daughter of Henry and Bertha
(Scheppmann) Sauder. She married
Bardell Robinson Bowman on May 12, 1943 in San Francisco, California. Rickie was a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, active in the Sterling Ward.
When Rickie's kindergarten teacher asked her what
her name was, she said "Sweetheart" because that's all they called her at home
and she deserved that name all of her 86 years.
In High School she played basketball, the piano, the violin, was a
cheerleader and took the lead in school plays.
She had a radio program in Chicago reading stories to children called:
"The Voice With Smile". She studied Piano and drama.
Six days after Rickie and
Bardell were married, Bardell, a naval aviator, went overseas for 14 months.
After the war they both taught music and they had three children. All three children became musicians in the
Air force in Washington D. C. Survivors
include her husband of Dixon, two sons, Victor B. (Cynthia) Bowman, Arlington,
Virginia; Brian (Vinette) Bowman, Denton, Texas; a daughter, Linda Jane
(Edward) Smith, Loves Park, Illinois: seven grandchildren and two great
grandchildren. Rickie was preceded in
death by her parents; three brothers, Edward, Elmer and George Sauder; and a
sister, Lydia Meyers.
Funeral services will be
10:00 A. M. Tuesday, May 6, 2003 at the Preston-Schilling Funeral Home, Dixon
with Bishop Bart Theriot of the Sterling Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints officiating. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery, Dixon. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.
Monday at the funeral home. A memorial
has been established to P.A. Peterson center for Health, Alzheimer's Unit at
1311 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, Illinois, 61107.
I received so many beautiful
cards and letters that I couldn't list them here but Victor brought a note from
his father in law, Lynn Hilton and his new wife Nancy that I'll copy. "Would
you be kind enough to pass this message on to your Father, as well as
considering these condolences for you also. We have known for months of the declining
health of dear Rickie. We have memories
of her when she was so vivacious, outgoing, friendly and spontaneous. She was the best hostess and entertainer in
town. Lynn says that he will never
forget the visit he made to Rickie and Bardell at Christmas time. The house was full of glorious music, love
and cheer, all within the bounds of the gospel.
We pray that the comfort of the Lord will be with you and Bardell at
this time. Considering her physical
condition at the time of her death, no doubt her passing is considered as a
blessing. A great compliment to Rickie
is that her children are all professionally trained musicians, highly talented
and respected by all who know them. We
extend our love and blessings to all of the family at this time of grief. Especially to you and
Bardell. Faithfully,
Lynn and Nancy.
On Wednesday the 7th
Brian and Vinette packed a big lunch in the cooler chest for seven of us to
take on our
trip to Nauvoo. We made the trip in
three hours just in time to do a Temple Session before eating our lunch by the
side of the Mississippi River. Then we
enjoyed looking at all the monuments and a film in the Visitor's Center. Then
we drove to Carthage and took the whole tour of the jail given by an
enthusiastic Missionary Couple assigned there.
We got home from Carthage in 2 hours and 40 minutes and Vinette and
Brian had supper ready for us. They are
amazing efficient and thoughtful.
Thursday morning I made two duplicate recordings of Rickie's beautiful
Funeral for Maurice to take to Dorothy, since they were going to Salt Lake
City, and one to take to Wesley and Mary in Mexico. As everyone except Brian and Vinette left we
expressed our gratitude for them being here.
They said that they were so happy that they didn't miss coming and
thanked us, especially Brian and Vinette for taking care of them so well. Brian and I then did yard work while making
more duplicate recordings and Vinette was really working hard doing the laundry
so we could make all the beds. We put 8
bundles of trash and limbs and 5 bags of leaves out to the curb to be picked
up. Then Brian and I went to Moore
Monument in Sterling to pick out a headstone and give them the inscription to
put on it. We found a very attractive
rose colored stone large enough to put Fredericka Bertha Bowman with "Rickie"
below it and a grand piano pictured above it and my full name and nick name
"Bob" with a violin above it. Our children's names to be put in a line below two
hearts joined with two rings. The lady
printed it out on the computer and it looked very artistic and beautiful. Of course Rickie's date of death was below
her birth date. I asked the Lady if she
wanted to guess my death date and put it on right away but she laughed and said
she wouldn't dare do that. When we got
home we showed the print out to Vinette and she thought it was just right.
Friday we got up at 6:00
A.M. so Brian and Vinette could get an early start for home. Vinette insisted that all the beds should be
made with the clean bedding she laundered.
Then we packed up all the flowers some in my car to take to Peterson and
the rest in their car. After breakfast
we locked up the house and all left at 8:00 A.M. I took some beautiful flowers and the
Memorial Donations to the Peterson Home and they were very happily
surprised. Some more donations came in
later making the total over $300.00.
Brian took a tape of his Mother's Funeral for them and one for their
son, Brian P. I sent one to Victor and
to Willis and Beverly, and brought one for Linda Jane. I kept getting requests from close friends so
sent to Ralph and Lucy Laycock, Dallas and Margaret Ward, Dale Criddle, Estelle
Johnson, Pastor Olson and Gary Boyd.
Brian called Saturday to
tell us that they had a good trip making the 900 miles in fourteen and a
half-hour getting home at 10:30 Friday night.
I thanked them again for all the wonderful work they did taking care of
our family for three days. We went to
the violin recital for younger students at the College and Rebekah played her
solo "I'm a Little Teapot" perfectly with her mother's piano accompaniment.
Then we took Ed's mother and the family out to dinner to celebrate and had a
good time. After that we stopped at a
neat bicycle shop and helped Rachel pick out a new bike for an advanced
Birthday present. The one she chose was
on sale for $200.00. We also got needed
accessories, gloves, a helmet and a water bottle, which made her very happy.
Linda Jane and Ed said that
they would like me to continue living with them instead of going to Dixon to
live our big house alone. I accepted the
invitation for a while as I enjoy helping with the family activities and
especially of my grandchildren. I'll
copy some of their Christmas letter that tells about some of the things going
on.
Dear Loved Ones,
It has been a very eventful
year for our family. My mother passed
away the first of May from congestive heart disease in conjunction with
Alzheimer's. Rachel went with me to the
nursing home that day, and together we sang to her for several hours until her
passing. It was a very tender and
spiritual experience. Dad continues to
stay with us, for which we are very grateful.
He is a great blessing to our family, helping out in every way
imaginable. His example of continuous
loving service is an inspiration to us all.
This summer Rachel attended
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan.
From that experience she received the opportunity to join the
International Touring Orchestra, that will spend three
weeks in Europe next summer. They will
play a fabulous program with advanced repertoire including "The
Pines of Rome" and "The Firebird Suite".
(Two of her favorites.) She returned to Home schooling her sophomore
year and is concentrating heavily on the performing arts. She still plays 1st violin in the
Rockford Area Youth Symphony Orchestra, accompanies the Ward Choir, and has
continued to play the harp that she started at Camp. Both she and Rebekah were in the Nutcracker
Ballet this December. Rachel danced the
Dew Drop Fairy solo and was demi soloist in Snow, and was one of the three
Flutes. Rebekah was the most adorable
mouse in the house and as beautiful little angel.
Both girls were ecstatic this summer with the
addition of a large swimming pool in our back yard. Rebekah loves to swim and has a swimming
class twice a week and wants to be a swimming "demonstrator" when she grows
up. Rebekah is also busy with first
grade, violin and piano lessons and of course ballet. She is extremely curious an sensitive little
girl, often surprising us with her insightful comments
This fall I decided to have
the rug in the living room cleaned to remove the dog odor. Little did I know the series of events this
decision would put into action. While
trying to decide whether to clean the dining room rug as well, someone (maybe
it was me) made the comment that we had always disliked the carpet in the
dining room. So we decided to pull it
out. Luckily, there was a beautiful
hardwood floor underneath, which of course then had to be sanded and
refinished. But before that could
happen, we noticed that the linoleum in the kitchen (all these rooms are connected in a straight
line) was now floating about half an inch above the floor due to the absence of
the carpet so we decided to install tile.
We had in fact gone looking at tile a month ago and had found a lovely
sample. So I put off the rug man and the
hardwood floor man and engaged someone to put down the tile. Of course that necessitated the removal of
the old flooring including the sub-floor, or the refrigerator would not fit
back under the cabinets. After many days
of moving appliances and furniture back and forth, we finally managed to have
all the floors completed, including the carpet in the living room. It is interesting to see what a different
color it is now! " I
can say that everything was very well done.
Sunday, May 11th was Mother's Day so I
offered a prayer for the emptiness I felt in not having my sweetheart Wife, the
Mother of our children, and gave Linda Jane a Mother's Day card with some money
for a treat and sang in her choir a beautiful number "To Mother". I mailed the 65 "Thank You Cards I had
finished and mailed them at Petersen as I went there to leave a Funeral tape
for Pastor Olson that he wanted. We had
a delicious dinner then read scriptures and had family prayer as usual.
The Zieman family has been very helpful and Rachel
accompanies Sarah on her flute solos so we accepted their invitation to attend
Sarah's High School Band Concert. The
concert was great and we had an opportunity to congratulate the Band Director
afterwards. Linda Jane said that he played the euphonium and when she
introduced me as a retired Band Director he asked her if I knew Brian
Bowman. "Yes" she said, "Brian is his son." He said that they had a great respect for him
and felt like "genuflecting" when they passed his portrait he had in his Band
room. John Zieman's car quit so Ed sold
him their blue van as they no longer needed it, and they could cancel the
insurance and license on it.
On Wednesday May 14th
Pastor Olson had a Memorial Service for Rickie at the Peterson Home in the
Chapel at 10:00 A.M. and asked Linda Jane to sing. She sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" with
her own guitar accompaniment that her Mother loved when she sang it in
Sacrament Meeting in Dixon. We video
taped the program as usual and gave Pastor Olson a copy as he requested. Many attended and expressed their love for
Rickie to us after the Service.
Ed didn't have to work on Saturday the 17th
so we bought a new rot-tiller and prepared two garden spots for tomatoes and
beans. We all worked and Linda Jane
planted many flowers between the garage and the path leading to the back
yard. For all this hard work we ordered
Chinese food and enjoyed eating together in the "new dining room". The next week Linda Jane and I planted many
tomato plants, 4 rows of string beans and many flowers. Rachel and her friend, Kim Wright, planted
tomatoes and flowers in her little garden by the garage.
Gary Boyd came for a visit on Friday May 30th. We had dinner at Mary's Garden then visited
while we toured the Sinnissippi Gardens.
His wife Judi, is teaching General Music in the
Sycamore Schools and is enjoying it. He
thanked me very much for the Funeral tape and said it was wonderful to see it
since he couldn't be there.
Linda Jane and Ed took me to
O'Hare Airport early Sunday, June 1st to fly to Arlington to visit
Victor and his family. They dropped me
off at U.S. Airways so they could get home in time for Church. I boarded the plane at 8:30 Victor and
Cynthia picked me up at the Reagan Airport in time to drive home to pick up
Jennie and Zach and get to Church at 12:50 just in time for the 1:00 P.M.
Sacrament Meeting which was very inspirational.
We arrived back home at about 4:30 and Victor called Brent to remind him
to come for a turkey dinner at 5:30. He
came at 5:00 and brought a Father's Day Card for his father and one for me
also. Cynthia had planned this little
Father's Day Party and Jennie and Zachary especially had a good time giving
their cards to their father and having him read them out loud. Then we had ice cream and raspberries for
desert. Brent said he would like to pick me up next Saturday morning to show me
his home as he has purchased a condominium.
At Church I was happy to see Brian P. and Juli there with my little
great granddaughter, Annabelle Lee there.
She's a beautiful baby.
On Monday I got up early to
go with Victor to take Cynthia to the Airport to fly to Florida at 6:30 A.M.
Then we took Zach and Jennie to their school and I spent the day with Victor at
McKinley School. He did a wonderful job
teaching and had very good rapport with his students. We took food from the cafeteria to eat in the
Teachers Lounge. There was quite a
gathering there so we had a good visit and I heard how much they appreciated
Victor's work there. We arrived home at 4:00 P.M. in time to take Jennie to her
Gymnastic Class at 4:30. Victor prepared
a good supper of macaroni and cheese and green beans that Zach liked and we
took him to his Boy Scout meeting at 7:00 P.M.
This shows that they have a pretty full schedule just like Linda Jane
and Ed's family. We repeated the same schedule on Tuesday except that Victor
taught at Tuckahoe School. Victor took
me over to Brian and Juli's home about 5:00 P.M. for a Birthday dinner for
Brian P. and Brent as they were both born on June 4th. Brent in 1971 and Brian P. in 1973. Brian P. is an accomplished Chef due to the
practice he had on his Mission. He served chicken, stirfry, green beans,
rutabaga and ice cream. We had as great
time reminiscing about all the activities they had in Dixon with us in the
summers. Brian and Vinette called about
10:00 P.M. to sing Happy Birthday to them.
They had a different version singing to the tune of the "Volga Boatmen" "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday. Pain and sorrow and
despair. People
dying everywhere. Happy Birthday".
On Wednesday Victor had a
Band Concert at Tuckahoe School for students and did a superb job of conducting
and announcing the numbers. In the
evening he presented the same Concert for parents and the public that was very
well received. When we arrived home
about 9:00 P.M. Cynthia had taken a taxi from the airport as planned and was
home with Jennie and Zach. On Friday all
of Victors students were on a field trip so he used
that time to make final preparations to test out the third grade students for
instruments next year. I went with
Victor to take Jennie to Gymnastics and Zach to swimming at Fort Meyers. I
enjoyed Victor's special pancakes Saturday morning and was ready when Brent
came to pick me up at 10:30. He fist
took me to his Mother's home in Leesburg and Kay and her husband Ralph greeted
me warmly. The young son, Ronnie was especially glad to see Brent. They prepared a nice meal for us. After eating and visiting, Ronnie and his
mother play some piano duets for us. A
string trio came to practice to be ready to play a special number in Kay's
piano recital at 3:00. P.M. I was glad that I got to hear them as Brent
wanted to leave at 2:45 in order to have time to show me his home since he had
a party that evening. I complimented him
on all the work he has done to make his condominium convenient and
beautiful. He is doing very well
economically doing computer work for the Government. We arrived back at Victor and Cynthia's home
at 4:30 and I thanked Brent very much for such an enjoyable day. After a delicious Mexican dinner we watched a
movie "The Emperor's Club" that was interesting bringing out the value of
honesty and integrity. Then we had a
treat of ice cream before going to bed. I thanked Cynthia and Jennie and Zach
for the great visit they gave me as in the morning early Victor was going to
take me to the Reagan Airport for my trip home scheduled to leave at 8:30. Everything worked out as planned and as
Victor dropped me off I told him that he was doing great with his teaching and
his family and to keep up the good work.
He said that he was very happy that I could spend this week with
them.
I had a good flight and
because of the time change arrived at O'Hare Airport at 9:50 A.M. We arrived home, had lunch and got to choir
practice at 1:15 P.M. Before leaving for Church I called Victor to thank him
again and assure him that I had arrived safely.
Linda Jane received compliments on the choir number, as it was
beautiful. After a delicious evening
meal they wanted a report of my visit.
Rachel was especially interested to hear all about Jennie so after
family scripture reading and prayer it was 11:30 P.M., a little past our
bedtime. The next week activities
continued as usual and it seemed almost like I hadn't been gone for a week. Our dear friend, Marian Ciembronowicz, passed
away and the funeral was scheduled for Wednesday 18th at 10:30. Willis called to tell me that he had been
asked to speak so they were coming to the Midway Airport on Tuesday the 17th. He was happy that I offered to pick him and
Beverly up at 5:30 on that day. I told
him that I had been asked by the family to give the dedicatory prayer at the
gravesite. Ed took me in their new
Van. We left at 3:00 P.M. and arrived on
time despite the road construction.
Willis and Beverly were glad to see us and were so grateful to be picked
up and especially in such a nice, comfortable Van. We arrived home in two hours, at 8:00 P.M and
Linda Jane was outside to meet us. She showed Willis and Beverly their garden
and all their flowers and they were impressed and very complimentary. I loaned them the red Buick to drive while
they were here.
Linda Jane and I went to the
Funeral early Wednesday morning as Linda Jane was asked to play an organ
prelude for 15 minutes before starting time. I took the video recorder and
asked, Adam, her son if he would like me to record the service for him and he
said he would really appreciate that.
President Nelson conducted the funeral and it was beautiful. Willis gave a very inspiring and comforting
talk. When I dedicated the grave at the
Cemetery some of the things that Brian had spoken in his prayer for Mother came
to my mind and were expressed.
Afterwards President Horsley told me that it was very appropriate and a
comfort to the family.
Section
96--Brian Festival at Normal Wednesday June 18th. Thursday to Dixon and Dutch Diner, Brian to Bloomington Airport
Friday, Willis and Beverly to Nauvoo Saturday June 20th, Temple,
Beverly's Farm Home.
From the cemetery Linda Jane
and I drove to Normal to hear Brian play in a Festival there. We stopped at
Arby's for a sandwich and Brian offered to drive home in the rain. Linda Jane
had gone through a full emotional day so was glad for the reprieve. On the way home we listened to a CD of the
Tabernacle Choir that Brian thought was marvelous and we agreed. We arrived home in two and half-hours at 8:30
and had a good evening. Tomorrow, Brian, Willis, Beverly and I plan to go to
Dixon in the Red Buick to see Rickie's headstone and bring the Cadillac back
for us to drive.
Following the plan Brian drove us to Dixon in
the Buick on Thursday morning. I hooked
up the charger to the Cadillac battery and we went to the Dutch Diner to visit
the Adamson Family and eat their delicious food. Moore Monument told us that the headstone was
in production and wasn't quite finished yet.
Of course Terry, Beverly and the children were delighted to welcome us,
especially Willis and Beverly and treated us as guests. Brian did very well on conversation with Willis
and Beverly. They were interested in his
activities and asked lots of questions.
Of course they were happy to hear that Brian and Vinette are Temple
Workers in the Dallas Temple. We arrived
back home in Loves Park at 5:00 P.M. having enjoyed the day immensely. We planned to leave at 1:30 P.M. tomorrow to
take Brian to Bloomington as his ticket was from there to Washington D.C.
Before leaving on Friday at
1:30 as planned we were served a delicious steak dinner. Brian drove and Linda Jane and I listened to
a recording of his Brass Band that sounded really good. We arrived at 4:15 and Brian was able to get
an earlier flight at 4:45 so got home at 7:10 P.M. He took a recording of Marian's Funeral to
listen to at home. Linda Jane drove home very well. On Saturday, June 21st, Willis,
Beverly and I left at 7:15 A.M to drive to Nauvoo, as they wanted to go through
the Nauvoo Temple. We arrived in time to
go through the noon Session and spent time afterwards admiring the beautiful
rooms in the Temple. We stopped at
Beverly Adamson's FarmHouse that she rents out to members who want to stay in
Nauvoo over night. The home is open and
is nicely furnished and has 10 beds for quite a large group. The rules are that
when you stay there you replace anything you eat out of the refrigerator and
wash your bedding and remake the bed. I think the cost is $10.00 you send to
Beverly either before or after you stay at the house. Rachel was in Nauvoo for a Youth Conference
but we didn't see her while we were there.
Willis and Beverly plan to leave next Tuesday the 24th and we
will take them to the Van Gelder bus that goes to the Midway Airport.
On Sunday, June 22nd,
Sister Clint brought Rachel home from Youth Conference at noon and we left for
choir practice at 1:00 P.M. The Choir,
conducted by Linda Jane sang "In the Upper Room" in Sacrament Meeting very
beautifully. We had a good lunch of chicken and potato salad when we got home
Ed wasn't feeling very well as he had an ear infection so we had scripture
reading and prayer earlier at 8:00 P.M.
Victor, Jennie, and Zach are coming for a visit so we plan to pick them
up tomorrow at Midway Airport at 12:30.
On Monday, Linda Jane and I left at about 10:20 and met them at the
baggage terminal at 12:30 P.M. Linda
Jane drove home very well and we had a good visit on the way. When we got home Linda Jane took Rachel and
Jennie to a special movie and Victor and I cooked dinner and finished baking
the chocolate chip cookies that Linda Jane prepared before she left. Victor, Rebekah, Zach and I ate together
while the girls were in the movie and Ed was at work. We had steak, baked potatoes and salad that
tasted very good. Linda Jane and the
girls got home about 8:00 P.M. and ate leftovers. They said that the movie we as great. Then we
made plans for tomorrow. The Youth of
the Church in Arlington were to travel by bus to Kirtland, Ohio for a Youth
Conference on Wednesday, June 25th so Ed and Linda Jane planned to
take Jennie and Rachel to meet them there. After the Conference the girls would
go with the group to Arlington on the bus.
Victor and Zachary would fly home on June 29th and Ed, Linda
Jane, Rebekah and I would drive to Arlington on July 1st to bring
Rachel home. I wrote this schedule down
as a reminder.
On Tuesday the 24th,
I took Willis and Beverly to board the Van Gelder bus for Midway Airport at
6:50. They thanked me for the use of the
car and said that they had a wonderful time except that they missed Rickie's
delightful company. After eating
delicious waffles for breakfast, that Linda Jane prepared we
all went miniature golfing and go carting, except Ed, who had to go to
work. In the afternoon the girls went
swimming and we boys took our turn going to a movie, "Fantasy". When we all got home we had chicken and sweet
corn on the cob for supper. According
to plan, Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and Jennie left for Kirtland Ohio at 3:00
A.M. The rest of us had a leisurely day,
playing games and eating. Zachary's
favorite activity was video games. Ed
and Linda Jane got home at midnight.
They were tired but happy because they had a good trip and made sure the
girls were accepted. Victor and I took
the children to the Discovery Center to have fun while Linda Jane was teaching
piano lessons away from home. On Friday,
the 27th I went with Victor to Dixon for his Class Reunion. It was held at Lloyd Bollman's farm hideaway
in a grove of beautiful tress. I saw and
visited with many of my former grade school band students. Lloyd played the trumpet and now is teaching
at Lincoln School in Dixon. Andy Chinoth
was another trumpet player. Doug Stuart
played the French horn, Charles Santee, the trombone and Larry Hagen, now a police officer played the cornet. Of course they were all happy to see Victor
and they all had a great time getting an account of each other's activities
since graduation. We took the Van so we could bring my computer table and
computer back to Loves Park for me to use in my room. On Saturday Victor had a Class dinner at the
Country Club. I didn't go to that with
him but got the Cadillac started with the help of Darin Longtin, my
accommodating neighbor across the street. He had purchased a new module for the
spark. I paid him for it and a little
extra, which he took reluctantly. I
waited for Victor at the Country Club and we arrived home at 10:00 P.M. He said that he had as marvelous time and was
very happy that he came to this Reunion.
Victor enjoyed singing in Choir on Sunday under Linda Jane's direction
and had a good time visiting with many old friends and acquaintances after
Church. After a very good lunch we left
for Midway Airport at 4:30 with Ed driving the Van. We arrived at 6:30 in plenty of time for
their flight at 7:50. This was goodbye for only a short time, as we would be
leaving for Arlington on Tuesday as already mentioned. I took Rebekah to her swimming lesson on
Monday, June 30th, and she did very well on the crawl stroke, the
breaststroke, the backstroke, and jumped into the pool from the side. Linda
Jane took the dogs to the kennel and taught piano lessons. Ed worked outside, helped clean the house and
pack for the trip tomorrow.
We left for Arlington in the
Van at 7:45 with Ed driving and Linda Jane sitting by him in the front seat
ready to take a turn driving. Rebekah
was sleeping on the back seat and I was comfortable on the middle seat. We made
the trip in 14 hours with one and half-hours spent in 4 stops. We had a very pleasant trip arriving at 10:45
P.M. our time. It was 11:45 P.M. their time but Victor, Rachel and Jennie were
up waiting to welcome us. Linda Jane, Ed
and Rebekah slept in the basement, Rachel continued to sleep in Jennie's room
and I slept in the computer room so we woke up pretty well rested in the
morning. After breakfast I went with
Victor to take Zach to his swimming class at the military base as I had done
before on my visit and he did fine. When
we returned home everyone was ready to go to the fabulous Zoo in the Van. Cynthia stayed home to prepare dinner for our
return at 4:00 P.M. We were all hungry
and made short work of the delicious, chicken, potatoes, peas, rolls and ice
cream for desert.
On Thursday July 3rd,
we all went to the Torpedo Center that had been converted into an art center
where we could see the artists working in many rooms. It was a fantastic
experience. Then we went to a very fancy
French Restaurant that served a cheese and meat dip that was very good. The cost was $260.00 plus tip. Linda Jane paid half as she said I had
already paid amply for their trip. When
we arrived home they showed a James Bond Movie to end the enjoyable day. On the 4th of July we went to the
Church for an 8:00 A.M. pancake sausage, orange juice and melon breakfast
followed by a patriotic program. In the
afternoon the ladies went swimming and the men went to the movie theater to see
"Terminator 3". In the evening we
enjoyed watching the 4th of July celebration that Brian P. worked as
sound engineer. Later we complimented him on the clarity of the sound. Saturday, after a good breakfast I stayed
home with Zach while the rest of the family went to the aquarium in
Baltimore. When they came home they said
it was fantastic. At 2:00 P.M., I went
with Brian P. visit Vinette's parents, Dean and Virginia Parry in the Assisted
Living Facility. Brian P. and his wife
Juli help take care of them and report to Vinette and Brian regularly on how
they are gettting along. Brent came to
eat supper with us at 6:00 P.M. and Victor went to play his trumpet for a
wedding at 7:00 P.M. Cynthia's bedtime
is 9:30 as she gets up early to swim laps in the High School pool. We all followed her lead, as we wanted to
leave in the morning at 2:00 A.M. before breakfast. Hi! We thanked Victor and Cynthia for their
wonderful hospitality giving us such a wonderful time. Victor said that he would be up to see us
off.
Surprise! We left on time and had a very good trip
home. When we arrived in Rockford we saw
that there had been a very severe storm leaving trees down every where. When we
got home Sister Clint were there taking care of the cats and said that there
were 60,000 homes without electricity and ours was one of them. We lighted some candles and were glad to be
home anyway. I was thankful that only
one branch was out of our trees and that our lights came on about midnight
waking me up.
In the morning the busy
summer continued with Linda Jane taking Rachel and her friend Sarah Zieman to
the Church parking lot at 10:15 and then taking a load to Girls Camp at Galena,
Illinois. I took Rebekah to her swimming
class at 10:10 and bought her some cookies after class as usual because she
claims that swimming really makes her hungry.
Linda Jane arrived home at 3:00 P.M. and arranged to have Hannah, one of
Rebekah's close friends, come over to play for awhile. We spent most of the evening taking care of
our week's mail.
Rebekah very diligently
practiced her violin and piano lessons early Wednesday morning so she could
have three of her little friends come over to play. Linda Jane made a little car out of a
cardboard box for the girls that had wheels, headlights and a steering wheel
and a strap to put over the shoulder to hold it up to their waist so they could
drive around the rooms. They really had a lot of fun with that. She also made chocolate chip cookies for them
that they really liked with a glass of milk for a snack. Thursday, July 10th was Rebekah's
Gymnastic Class. I stayed with her while
Linda Jane shopped for groceries. The
next morning Linda Jane helped Rebekah ride her little bicycle after teaching a
piano student at 9:30 A.M. We had Linda
Jane's special, delicious waffles for lunch before Ed went to work at
12:45. (He gets home about 9:30 or 10:00
P.M. when he leaves at that time. Sometimes he has to go to work early in the
morning then gets home earlier.) At 1:45
P.M. Linda Jane left to pick up Rachel and some of the girls at the Galena
Camp. Ed got home early from work at
5:30 so was here for Rachel's home coming.
She said they had a marvelous time at Camp.
I received the EEE
(Euphonium Estate Examiner) from Brian and Vinette that shows they have been
very busy also. It related that one of
Brian's Master Degree students, Elena Hansen played an outstanding recital on
the 1st of July and then they had to rush home to pack for their
planned trip to Lafayette, Indiana the next morning. They arrived on Thursday and stayed at the
Homewood Suites. I'll now copy some of
their letter. "This was a really lovely
hotel and we enjoyed walking around the area until dinner. BL (Brian) then left for his outdoor
rehearsal. Vinette explored a little
more of the area until rain clouds sent her home. Bl's rehearsal was deluged and they had to
move to a new site. She came home tired
and weary. Friday the physical trainer had
everyone up and out to the exercise room.
After they got cleaned up, Judy Naillon arrived. She and Vinette talked about the situation
with their parents, and continued it over dinner at the Golden Corral. Dean Naillon's family and friends arrived
early that evening and everyone went to the Concert at the Town Square. It was a lovely evening despite thunderstorms
earlier in the day. The music was good,
the soloist was amazing and the fireworks were exciting. They managed to get
back to the hotel and then had to part as the Naillon group returned to St.
John, Indiana. Saturday the physical
trainer got everyone to the exercise room before breakfast. The group then packed and got ready to
go. Just a few moments before departure,
Vinette discovered shat she had lost her contact. Everyone searched but the
tiny item could not be found. She was
most upset. Finally all hope had to be
abandoned and the group left for Dixon, Ill. and the old homestead. When they arrived that
afternoon Brian mowed the lawn and got out the bicycle built for 2 out since
the plan was to take it back to Texas. There is always so much to do and
see and so little time. The nostalgia
has to be dealt with and bedtime is generally quite late. Sunday they arose and went to sacrament
meeting in the Sterling Ward. They then
came home to pack the car and get it around the corner before the holiday
parade blocked off the street in front of the homestead. They saw a little of the parade while they
were finishing the packing and then headed off for Texas. It was so late when they left that they
didn't get to Oklahoma until 11:00 P.M.
They thought of driving on but BL had to do all the driving because of
the contact loss so stopped in Vinita, Oklahoma. The next day they found an orchard where they
picked a bushel of peaches. About 3:30
P.M they pulled into the estate driveway having had a delightful trip.
As the Bowmans pulled into
the driveway on Monday July 7th, BL noticed a hose coming out of the
garage. He wondered where that had come
from and then he and Vinette headed for the front door. There they found a note
from their Home Teacher saying "everything is under control". Neither of these items boded well and when
the Bowmans opened the door they found a real surprise. All of the carpeting in the house was gone, the
furniture and household goods were all over the place and 25 industrial fans
and 7 dehumidifiers were running. The
sound reminded them of the Termninix commercial where wind is used as a
deterrent to termites. During their absence, the hot water hose on the washing
machine had broken and the whole house was flooded. Early Sunday morning a neighbor noticed water
pouring out under the front door and garage doors. He told the next door neighbor who through
great persistence managed to get the fire department to come and break into the
house. The fire chief found a note
with BP's phone number and called him in Arlington. He went on the web and found the phone
numbers of the church buildings in Denton and began phoning. He finally got a counselor in the Stake
Presidency who called the Bowman's Home Teacher. Within half an hour there were 35 people at
the estate with 10 wet/dry vacuums and mops trying to get rid of the mess. The home teacher found the home insurance
policy and called the claim service.
They sent Servepro out and they took up the carpet after determining
that it had non'removable furniture stains.
So thorough had the church group been that the Servepro people had to do
no water extraction. What a blessing it
was to have the kind ward members jump on the problem more than 24 hours before
the Bowmans returned! Things could have
been worse. Also the problem was
discovered on the first Sunday of the month when no extra meetings are held so
most of the men wee home. It was hot,
messy work and the Bowmans are deeply indebted to these kind souls and to BP
who managed to alert them to the problem.
The drying process continued
through Friday afternoon when the walls measured an acceptable dampness
reading. The fans and dehumidifiers were
then pulled out (ah, wonderful quiet!)
All carpeting and baseboards have been removed. The furniture was mostly OK except for
anything with composite board. This
included record cabinets and a computer desk.
The bad news is that the vinyl flooring needs to remove and the bath
room and kitchen cabinet bases are made of composite board and also need to be
replaced. The Bowmans believe that in 20
years they will have the place put back together. Fortunately, they have lots of free time so
they can work on the project without interruption. The ward members continue to help. Vinette did the laundry at a sister's home on
Saturday while BL cleaned out the garage. (There is another blessing!) The home teacher checks on them every few
days. The new arrangement of furniture is interesting. The piano is in the kitchen and the chest of
drawers is in the bathroom but here may be some merit in these arrangements.
Thing are stacked on top of other things so finding necessary items is like a
treasure hunt. The vacuums were emptied
into the shower. (Another plus). They were also emptied in the yard and so far
24 cents has been found in the grass, which will help defray loss
expenses. The tomatoes were watered as
water went through the walls to the outside.
The gardner points out that there is always a silver lining." This account shows that trials and
tribulations can come to anyone and that Brian and Vinette are meeting theirs
with a positive attitude: "It could have
been worse."
"Dean and Virginia Parry are
adjusting to life in their new quarters.
Dean is having a particularly difficult time accepting staff helps and
Virginia is still having to provide much of his care. Brian P. has conferenced with the
administrative staff at Brighton Gardens and they are suggesting that dean move
to an area with a higher staff to resident ratio. This would mean that he would be on a
different floor than Virginia. His
daughters are afraid this would upset him even more. The are
trying to wait a while and see if he settles in but the situation seems to be
becoming more critical rather than less critical. Medication has been tried to
lessen Dean's anxiety but it seems to result in increasing his concerns. Virginia will continue giving it to him to
see if it will work when used for a continuous period because the outbursts
have been very upsetting to her. It is a very difficult situation for all
concerned." As I mentioned, Brian P. is
keeping his parents updated on his grandparent's situation and they appreciate
that.
After receiving the news of
this tragic happening I received an E-mail from my brother Donn telling about a
very happy experience that he and his wife Nancy enjoyed in July. "First we were on a ten day tour of American
and Church History sites, sponsored by Good News Travels (Tess Nelson one of
the directors lives in our ward.) Second
we drove from Cleveland, Ohio (where the tour ended) to New London,
Connecticut, a ten-hour drive, 596 miles, to visit Nancy's family. The following is an itinerary of our tour.
July3rd: A visit to the Washington, D.C. Temple and visitor center, tour of
Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korea Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial, and the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial. July 4th: Tour of the Arlington Cemetery and a special wreath laying ceremony for
the Unknown Soldier,
Mount Vernon, and the evening program on the Capital lawn, with a
Symphony Orchestra, special stars, including Dolly Parton.
July 5: Tour of Gettesburg, etc., Lancaster, Amish
country, Philadelphia-Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
July 6: New York City, Battery Park, the Statue of
Liberty, Ellis Island, United Nations and Ground Zero.
July 7: Boston LDS temple, Lexington, Concord and
the Boston Commons, The Freedom trail.
July 8: Topsfield, Massachusetts, West Lebanon, New
Hampshire, Sharon, Tunbridge and Rutland Vermont.
July 9: South Bainbridge, (Afton, New York). Colesville, Harmony, and Johnson City.
July 10: Ithaca and the Peter Whitmer Home in
Fayette, N. Y. Grandin Building, Erie Canal, Martin
Harris farm, Alvin Smith Grave, Sacred Grove, Palmyra Temple, and the Hill
Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra.
July 11: Mendon, and Victor, Niagara Falls for Maid
of the Mist ferry and IMAX
Theater.
July 12: Kirtland, Ohio Stone Quarry, Kirtland
Temple, Newel K Whitney Store, Etc.
July 13: Hiram and John Johnson farm, Cleveland
Airport, Depart for home. (We drove to New London.
It
is impossible to describe our feelings as we visited these sacred sites and
felt the spirit there. Places that we
have heard about all of our lives came to life and we relived the stories and
experiences that happened there. Niagara
Falls is what they say "Awesome". The
Pageant was tremendous, even though it poured down rain throughout the entire
performance. The actors performed just
as well as if the weather had been perfect.
The special effects were spectacular and the message inspirational. I took my video camera and shot 5 cassettes
full, so we have plenty to remember.
The
next ten days were spent with Nancy's daughters and their families. What beautiful girls. The treated us like royalty and we enjoyed
every minute of our stay. They
generously got us a room in the old light House Inn, a beautiful quaint
hotel. The beauty of the region, the
beaches and the sailboats, the settings of their homes and surroundings amazed
me. It was a complete contrast to our
desert. The food was great. I appreciate the planning and preparation it
took to have a big banquet for us every night topped off with the awesome
lobster and steak dinner on Sunday.
Nancy Jo, the youngest, took us back with her to her New York
apartment. She took off work for two
day's and showed us a great time in New York City. The life long dream of
seeing the world's most unique city from the top of the Empire State Building,
the subway experience, the dining in unique restaurants, riding in taxicabs and
walking on the busy streets filled with people, the sights and sounds of the
hustle and bustle of New York more than filled our expectations. Nancy Jo
bought us $l00 tickets, just three rows back from the stage to a live musical
on stage, "Man
de La Mancha", in a beautiful theater.
To be able to see the actors so close that we could see their facial
expressions and feel their emotions was so special. Yes, we had an awesome
experience, but there is no place like home, and Nancy and I are still
"enamorados" after three months. Love, Donn and Nancy.
Section 100
--Started to Write "My Life History", July 2003, Ed and Linda Jane Refinanced Home 15
Years Instead of 30. Stake Picnic At
Crape Park, Freeport, Broadcast of Pioneer Memorial Program, Linda Jane Played
Piano Music for Brent Ward's Wedding Reception, Temple Trip July 26th,
Dolly Williams Starting Alzheimer' Disease, Sunday 27th, Hymn With
Pastor Olson, Choir With Linda Jane.
On Tuesday, July 15th
Ed went to work at 8:00 A.M. and Linda Jane had some errands so I prepared
breakfast for Rebekah of 3 poached eggs, a slice of toast and a little bowl of
cereal. She ate it all then played in
her room and I wrote the start of this History starting with Section I "The
Preschool Years. I took Rachel to her
Ballet Class at 4:10 that lasted for an hour and a half and then took her back
again for her Jazz Dance Class at 8:00 P.M.
We got home at 9:30 and had family scripture reading and prayer before
going to bed. On Wednesday both Rachel
and Rebekah did well on their violin lessons and in the afternoon I went with
Linda Jane and Ed to refinance their home.
The got a mortgage for 15 years instead of 30 for not much more a month.
It seems like every day is filled with activities. Thursday the 17th I took Rebekah
to Gymnastics and video taped her as she did the balance beam, the trampoline
and cartwheels very well. She had a treat of cookies and a sprite but it didn't
ruin her dinner. Ed called and said that
the white car he drove to work would not shift hears so I picked him up at 4:00
P.M., since went to work early. In the
evening I took Rachel to her dance classes again. Ed is a good mechanic and found out that the
car had a bad switch so replaced it on Friday and the car worked fine.
We
all went to the Stake Picnic at Crape Park in Freeport on Saturday the 19th.
Our assignment for food to take was 2 pounds of potato salad so I got some that
was extra good at Highland Grocery. We
arrived early to see all of our friends and I helped put the hamburgers on the
grill. We had as great time visiting and
eating. We left at 4:00 P.M. and stopped
at Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat to eat on the way home. When we got home I talked to Linda Jane and
Ed about letting me establish a College School Fund for Rachel and Rebekah as
the cost is going higher every year it seems and I wanted to do something now
before something happened to me. They
accepted my offer and said that they would really appreciate it. We had our usual family scripture reading and
family prayer. I offered to take Rebekah
to her swim class on Monday morning. She loves it and thinks swimming is the
greatest. She saw girl on TV swimming
with dolphins and said that she would like to do that some day. Sunday morning
early Ed was called in to work to fix a special machine and the rest of us
attended Church. The choir under Linda
Jane's direction sang beautifully as usual.
In the evening I went to the Stake Center to hear the broadcast of the
"Pioneer Memorial Program" from Salt Lake City with President Hinckley
conducting. The Tabernacle Choir and the
Tabernacle Orchestra provided the music and Crawford Gates conducted two hymns
that he arranged with a violin solo added.
The guest artist was from the National Symphony, Jennie Oaks, and the
daughter of Elder Dallin Oaks. This was particularly interesting to me as her
sister Sharmon Oaks Ward also plays the violin and played in our quartet for
the Messiah one year. Her husband, Jack
Ward is our Stake President. Also I
heard the recording of a program in the Tabernacle where both Jennie and Brian
were featured soloists that was excellent.
On
Wednesday the 23rd Rebekah and I went along with Linda Jane to take
Rachel to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. Linda Jane drove the Van all the 286 miles in
4 hours and 45 minutes. We stayed until
Rachel got settled in her cabin, had her audition and a little lunch. I read
some of Rickie's letters of May 1945 when she was in West Bend waiting for our
baby to come and I was in California waiting to go overseas on a Carrier. Her letters were such an out-pouring of love
and praise that I was thrilled all over again.
Thursday Rachel called to tell her Mother her audition placed her in the
1st violin section of the top orchestra and that she was making
friends and getting along just fine. On
Friday Linda Jane played piano for Brent Ward's Wedding Reception from 7:00 to
9:00 and I took Rebekah to see one of her favorite movies in the
afternoon. Then we had supper and Linda
Jane came home at 9:00 P.M. and Ed at 9:30 and we talked over plans for
tomorrow. Since it was Stake Temple day
I planned to go and help the Sterling Youth with baptisms. I went to the Temple
at noon with Brother Fuller as planned and insisted that he take $10.00 to help
with driving expense. I did one
Endowment Session then worked in the baptistery with the Sterling Ward members,
which they really appreciated. We did 348 baptisms. We arrived home about 10:00
P.M. and Brother Fuller said he would like me to ride with him on the next
Stake Day. I told him that I would enjoy
that. When I got home I told Linda Jane
that Stan Williams had told me that Dolly is getting very forgetful just like
Rickie started out so it is getting more difficult for her to go to the Temple.
I
granted Pastor Olson's request to play "My Faith Looks Up
To Thee" on Sunday morning the 27th. Many came up and greeted me afterwards and
said they had missed me playing for them. Linda Jane had Choir practiced at
1:15 to prepare to sing in the Sacrament Meeting starting at 2:00 P.M. Rachel
played the piano for the Choir very well.
Brother Nelson was conducting the meeting and said the choir singing
really adds to the spirituality of the meeting.
Thursday, July 31st
I drove to Dixon to get some Jewelry pictures letters and things and spent two
hours trimming and cleaning out our rose gardens. I had four bundles of trash and my neighbor,
Gary, came over and said I could put the trash with his as they had already
picked up on my street. I accepted his
offer and thanked him very much. It's
great to have such accommodating neighbors.
When I got home I read a letter from Rachel saying that she was having a
wonderful time and was looking forward to our coming Sunday morning to hear her
concerts and take her home. We planned to leave at 7:00 A.M. Saturday morning
and stay in the Quality Inn Motel in Muskegon near the camp so we could be
there early Sunday morning. Friday we
packed a big lunch and got every thing packed including swimming suits. I got to bed at 1:30 A.M and woke up at 3:30
A.M when Ed came home after working on an important machine that was
"down". Instead of leaving at 7:00
Saturday morning we left at 9:00. We
arrived at Muskegon at about 4:00 P.M and went to the beach of Lake Michigan
where Rebekah played in the waves for an hour.
She loves the water. Then we wen
to the Motel and ate some of our delicious lunch. Rebekah could hardly wait until we finished
lunch to go swimming in the Motel pool. The water was nice and warm so we had a
great time for an hour and a half. Our
room had a queen-sized bed for Linda Jane and Rebekah and a couch that made
into a bed for me. We watched children's
program on TV before going to sleep.
Sunday
morning we packed our things in the Van and arrived at Rachel's cabin at 9:00
A.M., the earliest time allowed. She was
very glad to see us, especially her mother.
We enjoyed her group harp concert at 10:30 A.M. and her Orchestra
Concert at 1:30 in the afternoon. Two of
their numbers that I had played in the Rockford Symphony were "Adagio For Strings" and "Pines of Rome" and they were played very
well. Rebekah told Rachel about the fun
she had at the beach so Rachel wanted to stop there on the way home. We did that and they frolicked in the waves
for an hour until it started to rain at 4:00 P.M. We enjoyed eating at a Chinese restaurant
before driving home. We arrived home at
10:00 P.M and Ed was there to help us unload everything. Then we had a special prayer of thanks for
our safe trip home. Rachel said that she
had a wonderful time at Camp but was now glad to be home. She said that she auditioned for the
International Touring Orchestra that will spend three weeks in Europe next
summer and hope that she would be selected to go and could raise the money
needed. I told her that if she were
selected to go I would pay for it as a present and a reward for her good
work. She was elated and gave me a big
hug. Rachel enjoyed playing the harp so
much at camp that hoped she could take lessons.
So we went to Randee's Music Store and the harp teacher Nanette Felix
was enthusiastic about teaching her. We rented a harp for $300.00 with an added
guarantee of $104.00, and brought it home for Rachel to practice. A lesson time
was arranged for Monday mornings at 10:15 at $30.00 per hour lesson to start
August 11th. She really enjoyed her harp lesson and when she got
home received notice in the mail that she was accepted in the 1st
violin section of the International Touring Orchestra, so she was a very happy
girl.
The next day, Tuesday August
12 was Linda Jane and Ed's Wedding Anniversary so I gave them a card with some
money in it for a treat and they decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. I took Rachel and Rebekah to their dance
classes. They will both audition for the
"Nutcracker Ballet" again this year. The harp came apart so Linda Jane took it
back on Thursday and was happy that they replaced it with a better one with no
extra charge. Brian called to give us the
sad news that Vinette's father Dean Parry passed away and that the funeral
would be held on Friday. Linda Jane went
with to B. Sanfield's florist shop and we sent flowers for $88.73. Later Brian and Vinette said they were the
most beautiful they received and very much appreciated. I also got a dozen carnations and put $20.00
in card for Rachel's Birthday coming up.
Linda Jane baked a cake and decorated it in the shape of a harp that was
beautiful. Three girl friends came for
her party and Linda Jane serve them a delicious chicken dinner. After dinner, Rachel opened the presents from
her friends, Sarah, Caitlin and Kim that was a lot of fun for them. Then they went to the neat park by the river
for an hour. When they came home they
played games and watched movies. They
got up late the next morning and said that they stayed up until 2:00 A.M. Linda Jane served them
waffles and sausages at about 10:30 A.M.
I ate as waffle at 11:30 for my dinner that was very good. Ed took the girls to Belvidere in the
afternoon for a "corn boil" for fun. By
this time I had written My History up to December 1945 when I started teaching
in Schaller, Iowa. Ed offered to put it
on a disk and print it out for me as a safety measure against losing it on the
computer. I was happy about that.
On
Wednesday August 20th, Brother Fuller picked me up to go to the
Temple. We stopped at the Church to pick
up Brother Bystrum. Since he was bigger, I sat in the back seat so he could
have more room in the front. We had a good trip with interesting conversation
and arrived at 9:50. I hurried and was
happy to make it to the 10:00 A.M. Session.
I had tamale out of the vendor in the cafeteria, since they weren't
serving anything today. Then I did three
more Sessions before we went home. We
arrived at 9:00 P.M after a very enjoyable day.
Rachel
has been asking for Home Schooling again So after much
deliberation and pleading by Rachel they decided they would grant her request
with the condition that she would be very cooperative and that Ed would handle
the mathematics, Rachel could take French, Biology and Tennis at the Home
Schooling Organization held at a Church on Tuesdays. On Thursday I went along to shop for new
clothes for Rachel to meet the dress cod requirements for the Home Schooling
Class that consisted mostly of khaki colored slacks and modest blouses. On Friday we purchased a large Amana
refrigerator with the freezing compartment in the bottom and it will be
delivered next week. On Saturday we were
still in the improvement mood so went to Zonco's and purchased a super swimming
pool 25 X 13 feet, with all the accessories and instructions for setting it up
in the back yard. Sunday morning at
10:30 I played "Beautiful Savior" with Pastor Olson for the Service at the Peterson
Home and in the afternoon had choir rehearsal at 1:15 P.M and Sacrament Meeting
at 2:00. John Boss,
our dear friend from Dixon, as the High Council Speaker gave us an inspiring
message. We had a good visit after the meeting and he said that he and his
family are all well and getting along fine.
We all went with Rebekah for
her first day of school to get acquainted with her program and picking her up
after school procedure. Then we started
leveling the ground in the back yard where we would put the swimming pool. The temperature was 97 so it was easy to work
up a sweat. This was a short day for
Rebekah at school as we were told to pick her up at 10:45 I took Rachel to her
dance class at 4:15 then Linda Jane and I went to Menards and bought plastic to
put under the swimming pool, tomorrow, we hope.
I picked up Rachel at 8:30 at the end of her dance rehearsal and we were
ready for scripture reading and prayer when we got home. On Wednesday the 27th
Ed got excused from his job to work on the swimming pool. About 1:30 P.M. Linda Jane and I took time out to go to the
Dancer's Boutique to get new dance shoes for Rachel and Rebekah. Then we helped Ed put down a 2 inch bed of
lime sand for a base, compacted it down, put the plastic cover over it and
miracles happen because we had the pool set up by 9:00 P.M. It will take all night for it to fill with
water from the garden hose. Needless to say that we were all tired but happy with the feeling
of accomplishment. On Thursday
Rebekah didn't have school because the school staff went on strike for a raise
in pay. To compliment the pool we went
shopping and purchased a yard table with an umbrella and chairs and a portable
swing. I took Rachel and Rebekah to
their dance classes at 4:00 P.M., while Ed made a base for the pump and filter
for the pool. Rebekah class only lasted for an hour so I waited and brought her
home. Linda Jane took her along to teach
3 piano students in one family. Ed added
the chemicals to the pool according to the instructions. When the girls got
home they had a dip in the pool. Hooray!
It was short because the water was still cold. We purchased a heater but it will take awhile
to get that connected up. In the
meantime the summer sun will warm up the pool.
On Friday Linda Jane and I installed edging around the pool about 2 feet
out and filled the space with pea gravel that looks really neat. We installed the ladder that straddles the
poolside and Rachel and Rebekah climbed in easily and had a ball. Rebekah loved
riding on her inflated toys. On
Saturday, Ed figured out how to attach the ladder firmly so it would be
safe. He has the name of "fix-it man" as
he seems to be able to figure out how to fix everything. In the afternoon Linda Jane and I attended
Kimberly Horsly and Matthew Allen's wedding ceremony in a beautiful setting in
the Anderson Gardens. President Jack
Ward ably conducted a professional harpist provided beautiful music and the
wedding. Ed decided not to go to the
Wedding Reception at the Cliff Breakers so Rachel went in his place at 6:30
P.M. We had interesting speeches, jokes
and slow food service. We were finally
served chicken steak, vegetables and wedding cake. We watched them go through the cake cutting
ceremony. The music started and the
couple danced together then with their parents.
The floor was opened up to all and Linda Jane and I danced once before
going home. It was really quite and
elegant affair and we complimented Brother and Sister Horsley. We told Ed all about it when we got home and
Rachel said she had a great time, but doesn't want to go through that for a
long time.
September 1st was Labor Day, a
Holiday so Rachel invited 5 of her girl friends for a pool party that included
a picnic. Linda Jane baked brownies and
Ed cooked hamburgers and brats and hot dogs on the grill outside. Pop and potato chips rounded out the menu and
it was so good that a swarm of bees came to join us and we had to move inside
to finish eating. On Tuesday I went with
Ed to take a sample of the pool water to be tested. They said that it was just
right. While we were there we bought and
automatic pool cleaner called "Polaris".
It is propelled electrically around the pool dragging a net along the
bottom to pick up and trash that might be there especially leaves. Ed thinks it works great and will save him a
lot of work cleaning the pool. On
Tuesdays Linda Jane takes Rachel to French class and tennis and 9:00 A. M. and
I take her to biology at 1:00. Later, I took Rachel and Rebekah to their dance
classes at 3:45 and brought Rebekah home at 5:00 P.M. After supper I picked up Rachel at 8:30 and
stopped at Wendy's on the way home because she was "starved". "Thank you
Grandpa!" is her favorite words and I like to hear them. In the meantime Linda Jane was teaching a lot
of piano students. Our days always end
with family scripture reading and family prayer and Rebekah takes her turn
right along with the rest of us.
Linda
Jane teaches the M.I.A. Maid class on Wednesday in Mutual and sometimes takes
treats. On September 3rd she
took cup cakes. I went along and attend
a Scout Court of Honor that reminded me of Brent's Court of Honor when he
received his Eagle Award. My glass
lenses were so badly scratched that I went to Lenscrafter in the Mechesney Park
Mall and got completely new glasses for $329.43 with a coupon for $100.00
off. Rachel and Rebekah had a busy day
on Saturday as they had their Auditions for the "Nutcracker Ballet" then had
friends over to go swimming in the pool.
Sunday, September 7th I played "Sweet Hour of Prayer" with Pastor Olson
at Peterson Center then left to hear the broadcast of the Regional Conference
that was especially good for parents.
Linda Jane had recorded the championship tennis match that Andy Roddick
won getting a million-dollar prize. The
runner-up was awarded five hundred thousand dollars. That is quite amazing and difficult for me to
see them winning that much money for winning at tennis. On Monday, though it pained me to pay that
much, I purchased the New Balance shoes for $100.00 that Brian recommended for
my ailing feet and hope they will be worth it. The Young Women and Young Men
put on a dinner and program for the Ward and Linda Jane was in charge of the
program. The dinner was very good and
the program was excellent with Linda Jane doing all the accompaniments except
Rachel playing piano for Sarah's flute solo.
Rachel also played a piano duet with Stephanie Ward and a piano duet
with her mother. Rachel's instrumental
quartet of flute, violin, `cello and piano played very well. The Young Women's
chorus sang enthusiastically. President
Nelson asked me how I was getting along as he also has trouble with his legs
and feet. I told him that they were getting progressively weaker, as he already
knew and he offered to give me a Blessing with the Bishop in his office next
Sunday after Church.
We
picked up Rachel's new ballet shoes for $52.50 on Thursday morning. Then I took Rebekah to her Ballet Class at
3:45. I brought her home at 5:30 and
after eating we all went to Rebekah's school for an Outdoor-Patriotic Program
and to meet her teacher, Mrs. Guthrie and see the school. They passed out ice cream bars to the
students so the girls were happy about that.
Rebekah is now taking a group music theory class at 9:35 on Saturday
morning and a group violin playing class right afterwards finishing at about
11:15 a big Baptist church downtown. I
take her to these classes as Linda Jane is teaching piano lessons at home. On Sunday I played "Blessed Assurance" with
Pastor Olson and went to our meetings in the afternoon. As promised Bro Doug Nelson, with the help of
Bishop Miller and Ed gave me a beautiful Blessing. Afterwards Brother Nelson told me that on a
recumbent bicycle helps him and thought it would be good for me to give it a
try as it increases circulation in the legs.
So Monday morning we went to Sears and ordered a Nordic Track in hopes
that the whole family would use it.
Wednesday morning, September 17, Linda Jane, Rachel and I drove to the
cemetery in Dixon and took pictures of Mother's beautiful headstone and had a
prayer together. We did some yard work and trimming before going home. Linda Jane noticed some poison Sumac in the
raspberry patch so I decided to have it all cleaned out and the tree taken out
by the woodpile and the entire old fence taken away. I called Brad Tree Service and he said he
would take care of the tree but someone else would have to do the raspberry
patch. .
Rebekah
had outgrown her little violin so we bought her a quarter size
second hand for $90.00 and it sounded a lot better than the smaller one. We took the bow to Tom Asher to have it
rehaired. I sent Brad Tree Service
$200.00 for the tree removal and clean up.
On Wednesday the 24th I went to Dixon and contracted with Guy
Eckles, my faithful carpenter and handy man to take off the broken window
shutters on the front of the house and fix the leak in the back room and make
repairs as needed. He said he had a
friend who does landscaping who could clean out the raspberry patch and take
away all the old limbs and debris in the back yard. I told him to go ahead and send me the
bill. I took the Cadillac to the garage
to have the heating and air conditioning and brakes checked and asked them to
call me when they had an estimate to put it in perfect shape again. They called me in Rockford and said that the
car needed a new blower for the climate control and a new master cylinder for
the brakes and the cost would be about $432.00.
I told them to go ahead and do the work.
Thursday
the 25th we got the Nordic Track recumbent exercise bike and I
helped Ed put it together. It worked fine and they left it in the corner of the
living room for everyone to use. I took
Rachel and Rebekah to their ballet class at 4:00 and brought Rebekah home at
5:00, as her class is only an hour. I took Rachel her favorite subway spicy
Italian sandwich and a raspberry drink at 6:45 when she had a few minutes
between classes. I took the Ensign to
read and brought her home at 9:30 when she finished the extra "Nutcracker
Ballet" rehearsal. Both Rachel and
Rebekah did well in their auditions and were accepted in the Ballet with
special parts to dance. We had scripture
reading and prayer without Ed at 10:00 P.M., as he wasn't home yet. On Saturday
I took Rebekah to her 2 classes as usual and then after lunch went with Ed to
get a cover for the pool and the need supplies to winterize the pool. In the
afternoon Pastor Olson called to ask me to play "Faith of Our Fathers" as his
sermon was going to be on "Love" and wanted me to announce the hymn. In the evening Linda Jane and Rachel went to
the Grand Opera "Lucia de Lammermore" with the Rockford Symphony playing the
music. They said that they really
enjoyed it. Sunday morning when I
announced the name of our Special Musical Number I told them that was that if
we all had the "Faith of our Fathers" mankind would be free, as we would love
both friend and foe. I stayed for the Service and told Pastor Olson that his
Sermon was beautiful. He thanked me for
my participation. Linda Jane had choir practice at 1:15 as usual but the choir
did not sing in Sacrament Meeting as the program was given by the Primary
Children and was very well done and inspiring.
I conducted the hymn in Priesthood meeting as usual. John Zieman, our home teacher, came for his
monthly visit and ate dinner with us. He is almost like one of the family as he
and his wife helped Linda Jane and Ed a lot in their moving
Monday
I took Rebekah to her swim class at 6:45 while Linda Jane went to teach some
piano students. We got home about the
same time and had a little planning session for the rest of the busy week. Thursday morning, October 2nd,
Rachel and I helped Ed winterize the pool by draining it to a certain level,
adding the recommended chemicals, putting the large inflated plastic pillows on
the pool to hold the cover up above the level of the pool so the rain and snow
would not accumulate. In the afternoon I
took Rachel and Rebekah to their usual dance classes and rehearsals and we had
scripture reading and prayer at 10:00 P.M. again. Saturday, October 4th was really
eventful. Linda Jane took Rebekah to her Saturday violin classes while I took
Rachel to the General Conference broadcast and Ed did some work for his
Mother. He also brought home a big
wooden swing set that a friend who was moving out of town sold him for $270.00
for our back yard. It is getting quite full now. We all enjoyed the afternoon Conference
Session with wonderful, inspirational talks and beautiful music by the
Tabernacle Choir. In the evening Linda
Jane dropped Rachel and me off at the Coronado Theater for a Symphony Orchestra
concert featuring a famous Jazz violinist.
It was quite "an eye opener" and we told Linda Jane that we really
enjoyed it when she picked us up at about 10:00 P.M. We got home at 10:20 and had family prayer
before going to bed.
Pastor
Olson welcomed me Sunday morning saying that he was glad that I could come to
play and asked me to announce the hymn for the Special Music. I announced that the hymn that Pastor Olson
had chosen for today was "Jesus Loves Me This I Know " Because the Bible tells
me so and Jesus said; "Greater love hath no man than this that he give his life
for his friends." He also said, "Ye are
my friends". He gave his life to atone
for our sins that we might be resurrected and have Eternal Life when we obey
His commandments and be able to live with Him, our Heavenly Father and our
loved ones forever, an almost incomprehensible gift. After playing this beautiful hymn I went to
the Stake Center and enjoyed the General Conference broadcast from Salt Lake
City. It was a great day and we ended it
with family scripture reading and prayer as usual.
I took Rebekah to School
Monday morning at 8:35 and Rachel to her harp lesson at 10:00. At about 11:30 we met Ed and Linda Jane at
Family Motors where Ed had picked out a Dodge Dakota pick up truck that would
be perfect for him to drive to work and haul things when necessary. The right front door didn't work but they
said they would fix that so we put $100.down payment on it with a contract to
pay the balance when we picked it up tomorrow.
Rebekah had a special art class after school so I picked her up at
4:10. After supper I took her to her
swim class at 7:00 P.M. and signed her up for the next term, as she really
loves to swim.
I went with Ed to take
Rachel to the doctor for a sore throat examination Tuesday morning in his new
pickup truck. Then we got a load of
fireplace wood from the same place he got the swing set. The pickup was leaking antifreeze so we took
it back to Family Motors and they replaced the water pump. I took Rachel to her
Biology class a 1:00 P.M. and she felt well enough to go to her dance rehearsal
in the evening. Rachel has been promoted
to play in "Measure Five" that rehearses for an hour on Wednesdays at 5:00
P.M. This group
of 5 violins, 2 `cellos and a viola rehearse an advanced repertoire to play at
Concerts. On Wednesday evening Linda
Jane is rehearsing the Youth on the music for the Ward Road Show that she is in
charge of so the activities never cease it seems. The Road Shows of all the Wards in the Stake
were performed at the Stake Center Saturday evening October18th and I thought
the performance of Rockford 1st Ward, that Linda Jane
directed was the best. Of course I
might have been a little prejudiced. The
shows were not judged, as they were when Rickie and I were Stake Road Show
Directors, which was probably a good thing.
Victor
called on Tuesday the 21st with the good news that Eric and Jennifer
have a little daughter who would be his granddaughter and my great
granddaughter. They named her Camille
Elizabeth Bowman and of course they told Victor that she is beautiful and that
their little son Jacob Bardell is really excited to have a little sister. I
sent them a card with a present in it to help with expenses and get something
for their precious little bundle from heaven.
On Thursday Ed's mother was taken to the hospital to treat a blood clot
so we had a special prayer for her when we had family prayer. Friday is violin lesson day with Rachel's
lesson at 1:00 P.M. and Rebekah's after school, at 3:30. During Rachel's lesson, Linda Jane and I, instead
of staying, went shopping to get ready for Halloween. After Rebekah's lesson I went along with
Linda Jane to Roscoe to give some of the Wright family their piano
lessons. When we got home we took a
casserole dinner that Linda Jane had prepared to a family whose mother was in
the hospital. On Saturday morning I took
Rebekah to her music theory and group violin class as usual as Linda Jane
teaches piano most of the day. Sunday
morning I played Pastor Olson's favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art" for his
Service at the Petersen Home and he said that he really appreciated it. In the afternoon I attended our Church
Services as usual and Linda Jane's choir sang especially well. I told Brother Fuller that I would be able to
go to the Temple with him on October 29th. He was pleased and said he would come for me
at 9:00 A.M. For our family scripture
reading we started a very interesting book "Stories from the Scriptures" as we
had finished the Book of Mormon. My trip
to the Temple with Brother Fuller was very enjoyable, as I was able to do three
Endowment Sessions and one Sealing Session. We arrived about 8:00 P.M. a
two-hour trip.
The
Men finished putting the tile down in the kitchen about noon and will come
tomorrow to apply the grout. Linda Jane
and Ed have worked really hard moving appliances out of the kitchen so the men
could do the whole floor. Next the floor
will be sanded and refinished in the dining room and the rug cleaned in the
living room. A big project but it will
be beautiful when it is all done, as mentioned before. Friday October 31st,"Happy Halloween! Stan called to tell me that the furnace
wasn't working. I thanked him and told
him I would drive to Dixon and ask our furnace man to check it out. When I arrived in Dixon I went to Worley
Heating Company and contracted to have the furnace put in operation. I got home at noon in time to take Rachel to
her violin lesson at 1:00 P.M. I went to
Rebekah's School Halloween Party at 2:30 and then we took her to her violin
lesson at 3:30. In the evening we went
to the Church Halloween Party like last year, with the parade of costumes and
the "trunk trick or treat" that was so much fun for the young people.
Linda
Jane took Rachel to a professional Defense Class for actors at Rockford College
while I took Rebekah to her Violin Classes.
At 1:00 P.M I took the girls to a special rehearsal of the Nutcracker
Ballet while Linda Jane and Ed worked to get the dining room ready to be worked
on next week. Linda Jane and I sang in the Stake Choir, under the direction of
Sister Price, for the Stake Conference, which reminded me of the years that I
was the Stake Music Director followed by Linda Jane. We were invited to Ken and Marilyn Judson's
home for dinner that night and I took my Naval Carrier ScrapBook and left it
for Ken to read, as he was so anxious to do.
Linda Jane took a salad and a fruit desert to go with the delicious meal
they prepared.
They
finished sanding and refinishing the dining room floor on November the 5th
so we had to go around to the side door to get into the kitchen and go through
Rachel's room to get to the bathroom and my room as it had to dry
overnight. It really looked
beautiful. Rachel was scheduled to
attend the first rehearsal of the International Touring Orchestra at Blue Lake
Music Camp November 9th, from 9:00 A.M to 12:00 and after a 15-minute
break until 4:00 P.M. In order to be
there that early we left on the 8th and got a motel 12 miles from
the Camp. Rachel and Rebekah really enjoyed the pool and the hot tub at the
Motel. After that we ate some of the
delicious lunch that Linda Jane had prepared to take along and then watch
"Harry Potter" on TV until bedtime at 10:00 P.M. The next morning we left the
Motel at 8:00 A.M. to arrive there at the appointed time of 8:30. Rachel sat at the 3rd stand in the
first violin section and did very well as she had practice the music at
home. We enjoyed listening to the
rehearsal during the day with time out to walk through the forest with
Rebekah. We stopped at Kentucky Fried
Chicken on the way home for a special treat.
We had purchased a little VCR, TV combination to have in the car so
Rachel and Rebekah watched "The Ten Commandments" most of the way home. We
arrived home at about 9:00 P.M. and Ed was happy to see us home safe.
A workman from Al's Carpet
came to do the carpet edges on Wednesday and I helped Linda Jane sand the
moldings and varnish them for Ed to put back in the dining room. Friday morning
Ed put most of the moldings in place in the dining room as Linda Jane had
painted the edges where the molding was before so that it really looked
nice. On Saturday the 15th
Rachel was scheduled to be in two places at the same time. Nutcracker
Ballet at 12:30 and a Duet Recital at the Mendelssohn Club at 1:30. So Linda Jane arranged with the program
director to have Rachel and Stephanie Ward play their duet first on the program
and then she would take Rachel to the rehearsal a little late. On Saturday Rebekah didn't have a violin
class so we all worked on the yard in the morning. Ed put up the new swing set with a tower and
Linda Jane and I raked leaves and put them out to the curb to be picked
up. The plan to solve the Rachel's
conflict worked out fine. I took Rebekah
to the Nutcracker Ballet rehearsal at 12:30 and then got back home in time to
go with Linda Jane and Rachel to the Duet Recital. Ed picked Rebekah up at
1:00, as she had rehearsed her Angel part by then, and came to the Recital in
time to hear Rachel play her duet with Stephanie. Then we dropped Rachel off at her rehearsal,
which lasted until 5:00 P.M. Rebekah
stayed there, as she had to do the mouse routine. I picked them up at 5:00 P.M. and they were
really tired when we got home. It was
really a long day for everyone but we still had family scripture reading and
prayer.
Section 108--First Ward
Services to Switch to 10:00 A.M.
On November 23rd, Rachel's RAYSO Concert 3:00 P.M., Fireside Chat In
the Evening, Trip to Dixon Wednesday November 19th, Wednesday 26
Special Thanksgiving Program at Peterson Home, Thanksgiving with Linda Jane and
Ed, Rachel and Rebekah With Ed's Family, Ed and Linda Jane's Birthdays, Adding
a Christmas Story to Scripture Reading Every Night.
November 16th was
the last Sunday our Ward would meet in the afternoon as next Sunday we would be
changed to the mornings with Sacrament Meeting starting at 10:00 A.M. This was good for Rachel as she had Symphony
Orchestra rehearsal at 1:00 P.M. I had
to give Pastor Olson the sad news that I wouldn't be able to play our Special
Music with him until another change was made.
The Rockford Area Youth Symphony presented a Concert about 3:00 P.M.
that was really quite marvelous. Pastor Olson was invited to play string bass
with the orchestra as a guest player.
The first trumpet player in the Rockford Symphony was the Guest
Artist. He played the "Trumpet Concerto
in Eb Major" by Franz J. Haydn that Victor plays, so we were very familiar with
that. Rachel did very well. We were all
hungry so we stopped at an Italian Restaurant about 5:30. The servings were so generous that we took a
lot of food home. Rachel then went to a
Fireside Chat for the youth. She got
home in time for scripture reading and prayer.
It was a long day but didn't seem long to her because she enjoyed it so
much.
I
went to Dixon on Wednesday November 9th to take care of things. I paid the furnace for $52.00, called Stan
and he said he had started the furnace pump so everything was working
fine. The Cadillac in the garage started
easily. I picked up the 3rd class mail and stopped at the cemetery to
see Rickie's beautiful headstone and have a special prayer. I dropped by Randee's Music store to pick up
some Music for Linda Jane and then picked up Rebekah at school at 3:00
P.M. I took Rachel to "Measure 5" violin
rehearsal at 5:00 P.M. then to Church for basketball practice at 6:30 before
the Young Women's meeting. It sounds
like a busy day and it was. Also the
living room rug and couch were cleaned so now all the projects are completed
and the house looks beautiful as mentioned before, but we still lack a new rug
to put under a new table and chairs that Linda Jane and Ed haven't found yet,
to make the dining room complete. Friday
morning after taking Rebekah to school I went with Linda Jane and Ed to four different
rug stores and finally brought one home with a beautiful floral pattern that
matches the furniture and the new curtains so they had made a really good
choice. After a little lunch Ed went to
work and I took Rachel to her violin lesson at 1:00 P.M. while Linda Jane was
teaching piano students. We picked up Rebekah after school and took here to her
violin lesson at 3:30. Then Linda Jane
went to teach piano at the Wright home in Rosco as she does every Friday. Instead of going along this time I took
Rebekah to play with her friend, Veronica Solis at 5:00 P.M. then picked her up
at 7:30. We all thought the new rug in
the dining room was beautiful. We were
glad that Ed got home in time for scripture reading and prayer this night at
9:45 to end the eventful day.
We
all went to Church Sunday morning the 23rd and I enjoyed singing in
Linda Jane's choir. After Church Ed and
I took Rachel to play in her RAYSO concert at the Mall and I recorded it for
Linda Jane as she had to stay at the Church to help with a dinner and program. In the evening we played some of the program
before our scripture reading and prayer and Linda Jane appreciated that. On Wednesday the 26th of November
Pastor Olson and I played "We Gather Together" at a special Thanksgiving
Service at Peterson at 2:00 P.M. and received many compliments, and was asked to play at the Tree Lighting program at 7:00 P.M.
December 4th. I went with
Linda Jane to pick out frames for some beautiful tapestry pictures she wants to
mount on the dining room walls.
On
Thanksgiving Day we all went to Ed's family's gathering at Laura and Jim's home
at 1:30 P.M. and had a wonderful time visiting and eating delicious food
smorgasbord style. We got home about
9:30 and were thankful for a wonderful day.
Saturday the 29th as Ed's Birthday and the 30th is
Linda Jane's so I gave them each a card with some money and requested that they
choose their own presents and perhaps have a night out together. They did that and while they were gone Rachel
put up some Christmas decorations now that Thanksgiving was over. On Monday I followed the schedule, exercise
and breakfast, taking Rebekah to school at 8:40, Rachel to her harp lesson at
10:00 A.M., shopping and writing in "My History" in the afternoon, having
something to eat, taking Rebekah to Swim Class at 7:00 P.M, music practice and
family scripture reading and prayer. Now
Linda Jane is adding a Christmas story before going to bed while we look at the
beautiful Christmas decorations that Linda Jane and Rachel have put up so
artistically. Also I got the tickets for
the Nutcracker Ballet performance that's coming up soon.
On Thursday December 4th,
(the date that Rickie and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple for Eternity)
I took the girls to their dance classes and rehearsal at 4:00 P.M. Then I took Rebekah to make up a swimming
class that she had missed at 5:30 and got home in time to get to the Christmas
Tree Lighting Program at 6:45. I played three numbers with piano accompaniment
and the audience was invited to sing along: "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", "Deck The Halls
With Boughs of Holly", and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Then I went to pick up Rachel at 9:00 P.M.
and waited for the rehearsal to end at 9:45.
On Friday Linda Jane and I took Rebekah to school and went into her
class as she was invited to play the violin for her teacher and
classmates. She played "Long, Long
Ago"; "I'm a
Little Teapot" and "Jingle Bells", and everybody clapped making her happy and
us proud of her for doing so well. After
picking up Rebekah at school at 3:05 P.M. and taking her home I took Rachel to
big Amcore Bank down town to play a concert with her "Measure 5"
organization. They played some classical
music and Christmas carols and were applauded enthusiastically for their
excellent performance.
Linda
Jane had a party in her Biology Class at 1:00 P.M to which I always take
her. She had a dance class at 5:45 and I
picked her up at 8:45. On the way home I
was blinded by a car with it's bright lights on and
hit the curb blowing out 2 tires. I had
it towed to Wal-mart to get two new tires and Ed picked us up and bought us
home. He will drop me off at Wal-mart in
the morning at 7:00 A.M. to get the car.
The total cost was $96.45 so it could have been worse. Friday, December 12th was the first
performance of the "Nutcracker Suite Ballet" with a rehearsal in the
afternoon. I took Rachel early at 4:45
and Linda Jane brought Rebekah at 5:30.
We had tickets for the Saturday performance but I decided to see this
one also so got a Senior Citizen ticket for $8.00. It started at 7:30 and we got home at 10:00
P.M. Rachel and Rebekah danced
beautifully in their roles. I took
Rachel and Rebekah to Belvidere for the "Warm Up" on Sunday after Sacrament
meeting as Linda Jane had to teach the Young Women's class until 1:00 P.M. Ed's sisters and his mother came for the
performance at 2:00 P.M. They presented
a pre-show of very young dancers before the performance that was very
interesting. This was the best
performance ever so Rachel and Rebekah had the "joy of accomplishment".
Monday
morning the whole family went out to a Christmas Tree Farm to select one and
bring it home. I went to Dixon to check our home, start the Cadillac, buy some
Christmas paper to print my Christmas letter on and play with our Sterling
Singing Strings Quintet at a Nursing Home we had played a program for over a
year ago. Louise asked me to announce
the numbers and maybe tell a story or two like I had done before. Afterwards they asked me where I had gotten
all those great jokes and stories as I used the same material I used in my Solo
Program at the Peterson Home on January the 11th that I have already
written about. I brought a feather
comforter home for Ed, which he appreciated.
They said that they were really cold getting their tree but they brought
home a beauty, the largest one they've ever had.
December
16th, Rebekah's Birthday so she had a little party in her class at
2:15. I went with Linda Jane to take the
cup cakes and cookies that she had baked for that occasion. Rebekah had fun helping her mother pass out
the "goodies" to her classmates and then they all stood up and sang, "Happy
Birthday to You". The party was
continued in the evening with candles on a beautiful cake and presents to open.
She had a really Happy 7th Birthday.
In the evening, December 17th Linda Jane took her Young
Women's Class to sing a program of Christmas music at a Nursing Home. The Residents really happy to hear them and I
enjoyed recording it. I've been writing
on "My History" in all my spare time and am now up to the year 1996 when
Kathleen and Dale hosted our Reunion in Yellowstone Park that was such a
wonderful time together. On Thursday the
18th, Ed printed out my Christmas letter on his computer and printer
so I will get them in the mail as soon as possible. I miss my Sweetheart Wife's help and support
but mostly I just miss her, especially at this Christmas time. Here is the beginning of my Christmas letter.
Dear Loved Ones,
"This
will be the first Christmas that my Sweetheart wife, Rickie will not be by my
side since 1947 but I'm sure that she will be sending her loving Christmas
Greetings to you right along with mine."
The rest of the letter tells about all the happenings in the year that I
have already written about. I received a
poem from my brother Donn when his sweet wife, Maurine passed away that could
be her words to us this Christmas so I'll copy it here.
CHRISTMAS
IN HEAVEN
I
see the countless Christmas trees, around the world below,
With tiny lights like Heaven's star, reflecting in the snow.
The
sight is so spectacular; please wipe away your tears,
For I am sharing Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I
hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,
But
the sounds of music can't compare with the Christmas choir here
I
have not words to tell you the joy their voices bring,
It's
far beyond description to hear the Angels sing.
I
know how much you miss me; I see the pain within your heart.
But
I am not so far away. We really aren't
apart,
So
be happy for me loved ones, you know I hold you dear,
And
be glad for I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I
send you each a special gift from my heavenly home above
I
send you each a memory of my undying love.
After
all, "Love" is the gift more precious than pure gold.
It
was always most important in the stories Jesus told.
Please
love and keep each other like my Father said to do,
For
I can't count the blessings or love He has for you.
So
have a Merry Christmas and wipe away your tears,
For I
am sharing Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
Rickie and I always had such a wonderful time
getting ready for Christmas so now to help fill the void a little I've turned
to Brian's spiritual talk for comfort that he gave at his Mother's Funeral on
May 6th this year. I'm going
to copy it here for you to read.
"What a privilege it is to be here today and share with you some of the
feelings of my heart. Life does not
begin with birth, nor does it end with death as a modern day apostle Elder
Russell M. Nelson reminds us, "Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit
children with our Father in Heaven.
There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to earth and
obtaining a physical body. Knowingly we
wanted the risks of mortality, which would allow the exercise of free agency
and accountability. "This
life (was to become) a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God."
(Alma 12:24.) But we regarded the
returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip, just as we do
now. Before embarking on any journey, we
like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly
home requires passage through--and not around--the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. (See 2 Cor. 6:9.) As seedlings of god, we barely blossom on
earth, we fully flower in heaven.
Scriptures
teach that death is essential to happiness: "Now behold, it was not expedient
that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy
the great plan of happiness." (Alma
42:8.) Our limited perspective would be
enlarged if we could witness the reunion on the other side of the veil, when
doors of death open to those returning home.
I am sure that Mother has been welcomed by all of her family and loved
ones who have preceded her in this journey. Such was the vision of the psalmist
who wrote, "precious
in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints." (Ps. 116:15.)
Physical
and spiritual trials provide continuing challenges in life. For the last few years Mother has been at the
twilight of her life enduring long and difficult days. And Father, you know well the meaning of that
divine injunction to "endure to the end." You always would tell me this saying,
"The race is not to the swift or the strong but to he that endureth to the
end". The Savior of the world repeatedly
asked that we pattern our lives after His.
So we must endure trials--as did He.
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered." (Heb. 5:8.)
No
matter what, we mourn for those loved and lost.
Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love. It is a natural response in complete accord
with divine commandment where we are told:
"Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the
loss of them that die." (D&C 42:45.)
Moreover, we can't fully appreciate joyful reunions later without
tearful separations now. `The only way
to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life. Mortality, temporary as it is, is terminated by
the doors of death. Questions then come
to searching minds of those left behind.
"Where is my loved one now?"
"What happens after death"?"
While many questions cannot be fully answered with knowledge available to
us now, I can answer with the doctrine my Mother taught me.
The
first station in post mortal life is named paradise. Alma wrote: "Concerning the state of the soul
between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been
made know unto me...that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed
from this mortal body...are taken home to that God who gave them life. "The spirits of those who are righteous are
received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest,
a state of peace." (Alma 40:11-12.)
Many
believe that nothing is as permanent as death.
Not so! The grip of physical
death is temporary. It began with the
fall of Adam: it ended with the atonement of Jesus the Christ. The waiting period in paradise is temporary,
too. It ends with the resurrection. From the scriptures we learn that the
"paradise of god must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave
deliver up the body of the righteous, and the spirit and body is restored to
itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are
living souls." (2 Ne. 9:13.)
We are consoled by the knowledge that the very laws
that could not allow my Mother's well worn body to survive here are the same
eternal laws which the lord will employ at the time of the Resurrection, when
that body "shall
be restored to (its) proper and perfect frame." (Alma 40:23.) The Lord who created us in the first place
surely has power to do it again. The
same necessary elements now in our bodies will still be available -at His
command. The same unique genetic code
now in our bodies will still be available to format new ones then. The miracle of the resurrection, wondrous as
it will be, is marvelously matched by the miracle of our creation in the first
place.
Our
resurrection will not be an end but a new beginning. It will prepare us for judgment by the Lord,
who said, "As I
have been lifted up (upon the cross) by men even so should men be lifted up by
the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works." (3 Ne. 27:14.) Even before we approach that threshold of the
eternal court of justice, we know who will personally preside: "The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of
Israel; and he employeth no servant there, and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God
is his name. "And whoso knocketh, to him
will he open." (2 Ne. 9:41-42.)
After judgment comes the possibility of eternal life--the kind of
life that our Heavenly Father lives.
His celestial realm has been compared with the glory of the sun. (1 Cor.
15:41; D&C 76:96.) It is available
to all who prepare for it, the requirements of which have been clearly
revealed: "Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
hope, and as love of God and of all men.
Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ,
and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Ne. 31:20 see also John 17:3.) The only length of life that seems to satisfy
the longings of the human heart is life everlasting. Loving relationships continue beyond the
doors of death and judgment. Family ties
endure because of sealings in the Temple.
Their importance cannot be overstated.
As
we were preparing for this day, the director asked my father if he would like
to have Mother's rings for keepsake. His
reply was, "no, of course not, we are still married!" Such is the case with the everlasting
covenant of eternal marriage as performed and sealed by the priesthood
authority in the Holy temple of the lord.
And how comforting and wonderful it is to look forward
to the future of an eternity as a loving family through those sacred and holy
ordinances and covenants.
Meanwhile,
we who tarry here have a few precious moments remaining "to prepare to meet
God." (Alma 34:32) Today we have a
little more time to bless others--time to be kinder, more compassionate, quicker
to thank and slower to scold, more generous in sharing, more gracious in
caring. Then when our turn comes to pass
t through the doors of death, we can say, as did Paul: "The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished
my course, and I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:6-7.) The Lord said, "Fear not even unto death; for
in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full." (D&C 101:36.) He bestowed upon us this gift: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid." (John 14:27.)
Bear
Testimony of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, the Plan of Salvation, and Love.
Express gratitude for parents, wife, family Gospel plan, temple marriage and
eternal family bonds. (Job 14.) "For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that
He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth...in my flesh shall I see God."
I
wish that I could comfort my brother Keith and his family as on Saturday 20th
I received an E-Mail saying that my brother is very sick with an infection in
his hip operation incision. I called
their home in Mexico and talked to his son, Keith LaRae who gave me the good
news that he is doing better and that the doctor says that as soon as the
infection is gone and the incision healed he can have the other hip taken care
of in a different hospital to make sure he didn't get another infection. I sent his daughter Mary, a check to help pay
for his next operation along with the assurance that we would be praying for
him and his faithful loving wife, Naoma who is taking very good care of him
with the help of her children and a dedicated doctor.
Finally
Linda Jane and Ed found the dining room table and chairs that they loved on
December 23rd and a good mattress for Rachel's bed, delivered on the
24th just in time for Christmas, which made us all happy. Linda Jane prepared a
wonderful ham dinner, with all the extras, for Ed's Mother, his sister Marcia
and family so there were ten of us around the new table sitting in the 10 new
comfortable chairs. After dinner we had
a neat musical program of Christmas Music.
Linda Jane and Rachel sang duets; Linda Jane sand "Ave Maria' and then
played a medley of Christmas songs.
Rachel played her violin with her mother's accompaniment very
beautifully. Rebekah wasn't feeling very
well but finally sang,
"Love one another" very sweetly.
Marcella, Ed's Mother asked me to play "How Great Thou Art" on the
violin like I did on the program "The Master's Hand" as she said she couldn't
keep the tears back when she heard it.
Of course I was glad to play for her, and went on to play "I'm Dreaming
of a White Christmas" since we didn't have any snow yet.
On Christmas morning we started opening presents
about 9:00 A.M. and had a wonderful time all morning. Rachel and Rebekah really enjoyed holding up
all the new clothes they received and other presents. There were three shirts for me from Linda
Jane and Ed and a neat pen from Rachel.
I gave Linda Jane a beautiful card padded with money for their presents
and a record of expenditures for the year that I had given them. We spent a fun afternoon at Ed's sister,
Debbie's home with the whole family.
When we got home we watched a tape of "The Lord of the Rings, Two Towers"
and prayer at midnight. It was a very
full enjoyable day. Many memories of my
sweetheart flooded me during the day remembering the joys at Christmas and
other times with our children and grandchildren. I received a letter from our grandson; Brian
P. talking about some of these memories that we all have so I'll copy some of
it here.
The clock read 4:21 A.M. on
the morning of the 4th of February 2003 when I peeked over my pillow
at the glowing red of the digital clock.
I had been awakened by someone calling my name. Not in reality, but in a dream. One of my great interests of late in my life
has been interior design. The preceding
evening my wife Juli and I had been watching a show on the Home and garden
network called "Design on a Dime". The
bedroom that the designers had created was very similar to my Aunt Linda's
childhood room in my grandma and Grandpa Bowman's home in Dixon, Illinois. I had been explaining the room to my wife;
how it was all done in purple and white, how feminine it was, and how it always
seemed like a special room to me when I had spent summers in the house as a
child. I also told her about "the boys
room". Although it has since been
redecorated, I can still see in my mind's eye a picture of that room. The deep red carpet. The white bunk beds with
red knobs, and the ladder that led up to the top bunk. The two dressers, one stocked with "Grandma
Clothes"--from which Grandma seemed to pull clothing for me and my cousins for
every occasion which magically fit, and the other with small drawers that I
could store cinnamon gum and letters from my parents in. The low buffet--with doors on either end and
long, slim drawers in the middle--that held toys from a bygone era that hold my
fascination even today. Long after most
of the bits of brightly colored plastic of my other youthful playthings have
faded into oblivion. The matching red
wood hinged plantation shutters, and the brightly colored print of the curtains
that one gave me a very odd dream, images of which still haunt me. The little red chair sitting just under the
window the faux-stained-glass light fixture in the middle of the room, with
circus animals and cages, and a glowing light globe on a dimmer so I could still
have it on as a night light, and because my cousin Eric "Yiked to Yook at the Yight." Last, but not least, there was the
bookcase. Small and tall, it held many
of the books that were unique to Grandma's house; many I read so many times
that even now, nearing the age of 30, I can quote them verbatim. It was only in a recent conversation with my
father that I learned that none of the furniture had originally matched. It was all bought or found relatively
inexpensively, then lovingly painted, stickered, and placed in the
bedroom. If the purpose of good
interior design is to provide comfort and interest, surely my Grandparents were
masters of the craft. But they added
something no commercial designer ever could. One special added element that
even New York's finest designers of North Carolina's finest furniture craftsmen
cannot duplicate. Something
that took years of time to create.
Something that cannot be purchased. They added memories. Memories of my grandmother kneeling with me
by the side of the lower bunk, having a special "ghost prayer" with me because
I was having troubles with nightmares, and feeling the comfort of knowing that
I was safe from evil in Grandma's and Grandpa's house because God watched over
it. Memories of lying on the bottom
bunk, tormenting my cousin Brent by poking the mattress above me. Memories of laying
in bed, reading, or listening to cassette tapes on Grandpa's "boom box", which
became a permanent fixture in the room during my stays there in later
years. Waking up to
the sounds of the piano downstairs, as my Grandmother taught lessons in the
living room. Waking
up to the excitement of Christmas morning, with snow on the ground and frost on
the windows (and Grandpa with the movie camera). Listening to Grandma
read the story "Camera Eyes" from the Reader's Digest treasury, about a
detective with a photographic memory, and wondering where Montevideo was. Listening to her read the
article on Lightning from the encyclopedia Britannica to calm me during the
frighteningly violent cloudbursts that brought temporary relief from the
languid summer heat of the Illinois plains.
In my dream, I was not a child again. I was who I am
today. The circumstances were similar to
actuality. My parents, my wife, my
daughter and I had just been on a trip with my Grandparents, and arrived back
at their house. My grandmother, although
physically functional, was incognizant of who we were, as Alzheimer's had
robbed her of that several years ago. I
was back, standing alone in that same room, looking around and mentally noting
everything so that I could correct the errors I had made in my description of
the room to my wife the previous evening during the design show. Someone called my name, and it seemed it was
time to go. I awoke with a start to the
reality of my surroundings, and the realization that I had been dreaming, but
for an instant, I felt that same comfort, love, and safety that I used to feel
in the bedroom. I lay, savoring the
dream for one fleeting, precious moment, my body wrapped in sheets and
blankets, but my soul wrapped in a memory."
It is wonderful to have beautiful memories and I
trust they will never leave me. The day after Christmas the stores are usually
crowded with people exchanging things they got for Christmas. This day Linda Jane and I were part of the
throng with the purpose of changing my three beautiful shirts from a large to a
medium size.
When we got home I made
preparations to go a trip to Salt Lake City as I had accepted Victor's
invitation to accompany him there to Visit Eric, Juli, his little grandson
Jacob Bardell and his new little granddaughter, Camille Elizabeth. The plan was for me to fly to Denver Airport
and then go together on the same flight to Salt Lake City. Saturday morning the 27th I got up
at 3:00 A.M. to bathe, wash my hair and be ready to leave at 4:00 A.M. for the
O'Hare Airport. Ed drove the Van and
dropped me off at United Airlines at 5:15.
I had no trouble getting boarding passes for both flights and getting
through Security. I had a good flight
and Victor met me at the arrival gate in Denver. On the plane young man kindly exchanged seats
with me so I could sit by Victor. We had
a very good visit on the way and Eric picked us up on time as we looked out on
a winter fairyland of ice and snow. He looked great and seemed very happy to
see us. The roads had been cleared of
the 2 feet of snow so Eric had no trouble driving to his home in Farmington to
see his beautiful family. Jen looked
radiant and welcomed us warmly. Jacob
was excited and when Eric said, "This is your great grandpa Bardell
Bowman." He said, "My name is Bardell
too" and Eric said, "My name is also Bardell".
Then Victor said, "My name is Bardell too so that so how many Bardells
is that?" Then little Jacob answered, "That's 4 Bardells" He is a pretty smart
little fellow. I can think that Mother
up in Heaven is pleased that the name she chose has been carried on for 4
generations.
Jen and the children had
eaten so Eric took Victor and me to a restaurant to eat. We were interested in all the improvements
Eric had made on their home and when we got back we saw how beautifully he had
fixed up the basement and other rooms and complimented him on it. He said that
he had been working, as a construction handy man for some time so didn't have
to hire someone else to do his or her work.
Eric planned to get me to my Sister Dorothy's home at 6:00 P.M. Because
of the snow we made it at 6:30. Dorothy said that she had dinner ready for us
so we sat around her kitchen table with a view of the snow covered trees out
her picture window and ate a delicious dinner while we visited and made plans
for the rest of our three day trip. I will just write it as it happened. After hearing all of Dorothy's news about her
children we went to bed at about 10:00 P.M
Sunday morning I went through my exercises and we
ate a good breakfast about 8:30. Then we
listened to the Tabernacle Choir broadcast and I read some of Randall Rayle's
interesting book on Natural Health.
Dorothy said that she would send one.
Dorothy was a little worried about driving in the snow but we went to
Sacrament Meeting anyway at 10:30 and she got along just fine driving. I talked to people I knew after the
meeting. My cousin, Effie Dean Rich,
came at 2:30 and we visited until 5:00 P.M. about all her family and memories
of Jacob Lake when I worked there in the summers. Then I went with Eric and Victor and little
Jacob Bardell to see the beautiful lights on Temple Square and to visit Lynn
and Nancy Hilton who had an apartment in the same building as President
Hinckley. They are going on another
Mission in a couple of months. Donn and
his wife, Nancy will be here next week to go into the MTC preparatory to their
Mission in Bolivia. It is quite a
coincidence that two in our family membership have just recently married. Lynn
Hilton's Nancy is Jewish and Donn's Nancy is Italian. Both couples say they are very happy and
greatly blessed to have found each other.
I got back to Dorothy's at 9:20 and we watched to news before going to
bed.
Monday morning Dorothy
served a delicious breakfast of grapefruit fried eggs and toast. She tried to get Claudette on the phone to
invite her over for a visit but her area had a power outage so she couldn't
make a connection. Dale and his son Karl
came at 10:30 and we had a good visit until Victor came at 11:00. Willis and Beverly came at 11:30 and we all
went to the Chuckarama Restaurant for a banquet. Dorothy insisted on paying the bill of $44.50
for the 7 of us. Dale took Dorothy home on their way back to Downey and the
rest of us went to visit Glenn Schwendimann in the Nursing Home. He was lying on the bed when we arrived but
got into his wheel chair and we had a good visit. He said he was so surprised and happy to see
us. Willis and Beverly then took us to
Dorothy's home and we reluctantly told her "Adios". I thanked Dorothy for her wonderful
hospitality and told her that I would keep praying for her to be able to keep
walking and she said that she would do the same for me as we were praying for
Keith's welfare. Victor was able to
drive back to Farmington through the snow without any trouble. We had a fun evening with little Jacob doing
some acrobatic stunts with is father.
Eric had the basement set up great for Victor and I
to sleep. I slept on the couch that
pulled out to make a bed and Victor slept on an air mattress on the floor.
The next morning, Tuesday
the 30th, Eric took Jen to the bus to go down town to work and then
dressed the children, fed them and us and we left for
the Airport at 7:30 A.M. I left a check
for $200.00 in a thank you letter on the table where they would find it
later. Eric dropped us off at the
airport and we had no difficulty getting our boarding passes. Now we were going
on different planes as I had a direct flight to Chicago while Victor had a stop
along the way. On my flight there were 7
Missionaries going to Germany so we had a good visit. I arrived at O'Hare at
12:40 and was happy to see Linda Jane and Ed waiting for me. Ed drove to Woodstock
to leave the copier to get repaired and went through the famous Opera House
while we were there. On the way home I
told them all about my great visit and how darling my two little great
grandchildren are. We arrived home at 3:30 and I was happy to get welcome home
hugs from Rachel and Rebekah. Rachel
went to a Young Women "Sleep Over Party" in the
evening. She will probably report
tomorrow that the party was great but they didn't get much sleep because as
they say, "History repeats itself."
Linda Jane and Ed invited
the Solis and Zieman Families over for New Years Eve Mexican Dinner. The food was delicious and afterwards we
played a new game based on "The Lord of the Rings". Everyone had a good time and we didn't wait
until midnight to welcome in the New Year, as we all planned to start the New
Year by watching the Rose Bowl Parade. The day dawned bright and clear and
after a leisurely breakfast we enjoyed the spectacular parade and remembered
when Victor and Brian marched with the Michigan Band in the Parade as I've
written about when it happened. We were
sorry that the Michigan football team lost the game this year. Ed took Rachel to a youth New Year's party
and the Nelson home and I wrote about Rickie's 80th Birthday Party
in this History.
We got 2 inches of snow on
January the 5th instead of the 10 inches predicted. Rachel seems to have more work to do than she
can handle so has decided to give up the harp for a while. So Linda Jane and I took the harp back and
received the $300.00 deposit for the return of the harp and put it in Rachel's
Savings Account. Linda Jane had already talked to Nanette; Rachel's teacher and
she understood the situation and said that she could start again anytime. Rachel still has Ballet at 6:30 and a Jazz
Dance Class from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M. on Tuesdays, and another class on
Thursdays. Rebekah has Ballet from 4:00
to 5:00 on Thursdays and Swimming on Monday and Tuesday evenings plus their
violin lessons on Friday and piano lessons with their Mother during the week so
they are pretty busy. Rachel has her two
home schooling classes the same as last semester and "Measure 5" violin
performance group from 5:00 to 6:00 on Wednesdays before Young Women's
Meeting. I am available to take them
whenever Linda Jane has piano lessons to teach.
On January 8th
after much research and trial Linda Jane and Ed decided on the king size
mattress that would give them better rest and help Ed's aching back, the famous
Swedish Tempurpedic that doesn't bounce.
On Tuesday January 13th I was called to work in the Sterling
Family History Center on Wednesday's from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. especially to
help the Spanish speaking people research their genealogy, put it on the computer
and get the names temple ready that have the required information. Stan Williams and Brenda Druien will be there
to help me learn all that is required to carry on this work. I have told many when as Bishop of the Ward I
gave them a calling: "Whom the Lord
calls he qualifies." I am anxious to do
my part in getting qualified. So on
Wednesday the 9th I drove to Sterling and Stan helped me record all
the family genealogy I had. Then he
showed me how to put it on a floppy dish to save it. Also I took a Family File disk 4 to put on my
computer at home. Ed is very expert on
computers so came to my room to help me install the program. We couldn't do it, as there already was a
Family File 5 installed. Brian had put
this on the computer when he was in Dixon and had all the genealogy on there
that our family has including the work that has been done. Actually there are about 6 thousand names
recorded from both my father and my mother's ancestors. So Ed helped me copy all this on to a floppy
disk to take to the Sterling Family History Center to put it on the computer
there so I can learn how to use the Temple Ready to get cards for those that
are qualified. Elvira Molar Garcia was
coming to get started on her Family File with my help with the promise that I
could ask Stan or Brenda for help when needed.
I practiced using the Family File at home to be better prepared.
The next Wednesday January
21st Elvira came and she spoke a little English and understood a lot
but I spoke Spanish to her and she appreciated that. She had as very good memory and we recorded
her parents, their children and her grandparents and Children with all the
dates she could remember. She has been
here in Sterling for 2 years and went to High School and took a computer class
so could handle it pretty well with the hunt and peck system of typing. She was born in the Church and her parents
and some of her family had been through the Temple in Mexico but she didn't
have the information to record so is going to try to get more information. She was fascinated with the work and
enthusiastic to finally get enough information recorded to qualify family
members who are deceased for the Temple ordinances to be done for them.
Stan helped me go through a
hundred names on my family file starting with Rickie's sister, Lydia Sauder
Meyers and put those qualified on a Temple Ready Disk after making corrections
the computer asked for. We also printed the names out so I have a list of those
qualified and which ordinances can be done for them. Brenda took the Temple Ready Disk to the
Temple and brought back the cards ready to do the work for them. I sent the cards for Lydia and her husband
Walter Meyers to Brian and Vinette so they could do the work for them. Brian called and said that they really
appreciated getting the cards to take to the Temple and would be happy to do
the work for them including Marriage for Eternity. Brenda offered to let our Ward Youth do the
Baptisms for all the rest of the Cards she brought back. On the 21st Bishop Theriot came to
the Family History Center and He and Stan set me apart as a Family History
Consultant which I'm sure will help me learn what I need to know quicker. It just so happens that Wednesday is an ideal
time because the only lesson Rachel has that day is "Measure 5" at 5:00 P.M.
and I get home at 4:30 in time to take her to that while Linda Jane is teaching.
Rebekah doesn't have any music or dance lessons on that day. They must have been inspired to pick that day
for me to work without ever asking me what day would be best.
Rachel and Rebekah both
played very well in the Solo Recital at the College with Linda Jane's expert
accompaniment on Saturday the 25th of January. I recorded their numbers so we can hear them
again later. The new Stake Center
Dedication program will be tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. and Linda Jane and I will sing
in the Stake Choir conducted by Sister Price.
We will attend the rehearsal at 2:00 P.M. We attend our regular Ward services in the
morning on Sunday. Then came home for a quick lunch before
going to the Stake Center Dedication. It was quite a thrill to sing in
the large Stake Choir. President Paul
Newman a Counselor in the Stake Presidency conducted the Service. The talks were very good with President
Horsley giving a history of the growth of the Stake, followed by President
Nelson giving and inspired talk. Stake
President Jack Ward offered a beautiful prayer dedicating the Stake Center for
all the Church Services and activities to be held there.
Tuesday, January 27th was a little
different as I took Rebekah to school at 8:35 in the snow. She loves to play in the snow. I took her to her swim class after dropping
Rachel off at 6:00 P.M for her Ballet Class.
She wanted to be there even though she wasn't feeling well. Linda Jane came to the pool about 6:45 to
stay with Rebekah while I went back to pick up Rachel after her class. Linda Jane took Rebekah shopping for boots
and shoes after her class and we all got home about 8:00 P.M. Rebekah
enthusiastically displayed her new boots and shoes and wanted to go right out
in the snow with her new boots. Linda
Jane told her she could wear them to school tomorrow and that satisfied
her. Ed came home a little earlier at
9:30 P.M. so we had our scripture reading and prayer together. On Wednesday no one came to the Family
History Center so I called Stan and he said that he had left a message on our
answering machine canceling the meeting for the day because of the heavy
snowfall so I drove home early with the resolve to check the answering machine
every morning.
We kept the lesson schedule
on Friday, the 30th even though it was the coldest day of the year
with a temperature of 9 below zero.
Saturday evening it was a little warmer and we attended a meeting at the
New Stake Center for all Endowed Members in the Stake. It was a very inspiring meeting and
afterwards I visited with quite a few friends from the Sterling Ward: Matt and
Joyce Howze, Dale and Brenda Druien, Donna Portner, Catherine Wells and Kevin
and Angela Gladhill. Wednesday was a
good day at the Family History Center and I practiced doing some research on
the Internet. I also took my Income Tax
information to our expert taxman, John Palmer to prepare. I go home in time to take Rachel to her
"Measure 5" rehearsal and then to Church for basketball and Young Women's
program. I stayed to watch "New
Beginnings" program.
Rachel started her driver's
training program with the "Drive Right Company" on Monday, February 9th
at 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. I offered to pay
for the cost and she will be able to drive the white Cutlass when she gets her
license. In the meantime she will a have
student permit to drive and can practice driving with an adult. She is quite excited about it. Her classes will be on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday at the same time for 6 weeks. Our
next event was a delightful Valentine Party with loving Valentines all
around. Rebekah was really excited with
the Hawaiian music tape; leis and a grass skirt and immediately put them on and
danced for us. It was so good that I
videotaped it so she can see it later.
On Sunday the 15th we
enjoyed going to Church and the choir sang beautifully as usual. In the evening Rachel helped Ed thread a
phone line from the basement through the furnace vent and he hooked up my
computer to the Internet with his and Rachel's computer so now I can receive
and send E-mail and do family Research at home.
Perhaps I can find some of the dates missing on Rickie's ancestors so we
can do the work for them. I worked with
Elvira in the Family History Center recording some new information she had
received. She had to go to work at 2:00
P.M. and didn't have transportation so I took her home and went home
early. I wrote in "My History" before
taking Rachel to her "Measure 5" rehearsal and am getting close to being up to
date. Linda Jane loaned the piccolo I
gave her to Sarah Zieman and it needed repair so told Linda Jane to have it
done and I would be glad to pay for it.
The bill was only $160.00 and we surprised that the instrument was
appraised as Db Haines Flute valued at $3,200.00.
I took Rebekah to her School
Fair Friday at 5:15 after picking up Rachel from her Drive Right class at 5:00
P.M. as Linda Jane was teaching piano at the Wright family home in Roscoe. There was food; lot's of Games and a cake
walk so we had a great time. It was a
fund-raiser for the school so we had to buy tickets for 25 cents each to use.
The games cost from 2 to 4 tickets to play once. A slice of pizza was 6 tickets and one round
on the cakewalk was 4 tickets. In a
couple of hours we spent $14.00 but I felt it was in a good cause and Rebekah
was running from game to game and like the cotton candy especially. The chips she won in the games she used to
buy little gifts in the prize room so she didn't go home empty handed. Rachel like the gifts Rebekah gave her.
Saturday night the 21st
Ed and Linda Jane went to a banquet that company was sponsoring. Linda Jane curled her hair and wore her black
sequined long dress that her Mother had purchased for her at Bergners a few
years ago and looked beautiful. When
they came home Ed said that they had a wonderful time and that Linda Jane was
the most beautiful woman there. Rachel
took pictures of them both smiling in front of the new curtains in the dining
room. The choir sang for sacrament
meeting and Jim McElhaney sang part of the 3rd verse as a solo and
did very well. Sister Eliason sang the
last part of the 3rd verse, which made the number quite
impressive. President Nelson invited me
to attend the Singles, 30 and over, dinner and meeting at their home at home at
5:30 Jim was to be the speaker so I accepted the invitation and had a wonderful
time. Sister Nelson set the tables
beautifully and served tossed salad toast and delicious spaghetti. For desert she served brownies and ice
cream. Jim led a discussion on "Service"
and had us take turns reading supporting scriptures that were very interesting.
Brian called on Tuesday and
said that he would send me a copy of his talk at Mother's Funeral and Brian
P.'s dream of Memories of Grandma Bowman as Attachments to an E-mail letter to
see if I could get them on my computer. Also a copy in the
mail as I had requested. On Wednesday the 25th of February I
left at 8:30 A.M. to have time to pick up my Income Tax from John Palmer and
mail it and get the Cadillac started and get the third class mail as
usual. It worked out fine and I arrived
in Sterling 15 minutes early. Stan and
Brenda both came but Elvira called to say that she couldn't come this week but
would come next week. So I worked on
getting more names ready to take to the Temple to get cards to do the work. I started at the top of the alphabetical list
to find those that the computer listed as `Qualified" and clicked on them to
put them on the Temple List. Before I
had done 100 so this time I selected 150.
Then I had to check each one for accuracy of information before they
could be put on a disk to take to the Temple.
This took a lot of time, as there could be no abbreviations of States
etc. By 3:00 I was only half done so
Brenda said she would continue since she had to stay later for an appointment I
called her later to thank her and she said that she had stayed. Until 5:00 P.M.
and got all the names that were accepted on a disk to take to the Temple to get
cards. I thanked her profusely for her
very diligent work. When I got home I
took Rachel to her "Measure 5" rehearsal then on the way home we went to Wal-mart
and bought some beautiful butterfly sheets for her new mattress. When we got home Linda Jane had purchased a
beautiful cabinet for Rachel's videotapes so I gave that to her as present
also.
Friday evening I recorded
the spectacular Ward Talent Show.
Rebekah was first on the program and came on stage in her Angel Costume
and sang very sweetly "Mary Did You Know" accompanied very beautifully by
Rachel. Rachel sang a beautiful solo
"Only Hope" playing her own accompaniment.
Linda Jane accompanied Jennifer Garner singing "I Enjoy Being a Girl";
played the piano for Sister Bair on flute and Jim McElhaney on electric bass on
a very difficult beautiful number, and played in a flute choir of 6
people. Of course there were any other
enjoyable numbers including dances, and a skit put on by the Garner family
"I'll Love You Forever". Linda Jane
gave that story to mother one Christmas and she loved to read it to the
children. Bishop Miller played a boogie-woogie piano number and surprised
everyone because it was not known that he could play the piano. The program ended with Jim McElhaney playing
2 Jazz numbers on the Electric Keyboard.
I recorded the whole program and will make a copy for Jim as he said he
would really like to have one.
This is Saturday the 28th of February and
I'm up to date writing "My History " and haven't decided how much more to
write. I took Rebekah to her Music
Theory and Violin Classes this morning at 9:15.
Pastor Olson has asked me to join him in playing "How Great Thou Art" at
his special Service for Barnabas members in the Atrium at the Petersen Home
tomorrow, Sunday at 3:00 P.M. In the
evening I took Rachel to the Stake Center to hear a Christian Music Concert by
Alex Boye. He is a young African raised
in England, a return Missionary with a great voice on a concert tour of Stakes
in this area. We both enjoyed the
program very much. He wove gospel
principles into his enthusiastic announcements of his songs that were very
interesting and beneficial, especially for the youth. Tomorrow, Sunday afternoon at 4:00 he will
present a fireside chat for everyone but especially for the youth so Rachel and
I will be going to that for another inspirational experience.
Today Karen and Keith
Padgett will have a birthday as they were born on Leap Year. However their mother did let them celebrate
every year while they were growing up.
Rickie and I were happy to be a part of those years ago. The choir sang very well in Sacrament meeting
this morning after Linda Jane rehearsed us very well. I took Rachel to Orchestra rehearsal at 1:45
and planned to pick her up at 3:45 to go to the Fireside Chat after I played at
the Peterson Home Barnabas Program starting at 3:00 P.M. I finished playing at 3:35 so didn't get to
pick up Rachel until 3:50. We still
arrived in time for the Fireside Chat as they started 5 minutes late. The program was very good and Brother Boye
sang a beautiful song to the end his program. (The meeting started and ended
with a hymn and a prayer.) When we got home Brother John Zieman was here as a
home teacher and he ate some spaghetti with us.
Rebekah is very happy as she has a little friend here to play with. President Nelson called and invited me to go
with them to the Temple on March 12th at 5:15. I will drive over to their home, as it would
be out of the way for them to come over here to pick me up. Ed and Linda set up
the portable bed in the living room for Rebekah and her little friend, Cassie
to sleep on. We had family scripture
reading, Nephi Chapter 13, and Rebekah read better in her turn and offered a
nice prayer before going off to slumberland.
In her prayer she said "Bless Grandpa so that he can get his computer
work done so he can spend more time with the family". When I took her to school this Monday morning
I told her that her prayer would be answered today.
Section 114--Conclusion of
"My Life History" With Report on Family Members.
"This is the day"--March 1,
2004 when I will finish writing "My Life History" by writing a brief account of
my future activities and those of my immediate family. First the Missionaries: My youngest brother Maurice is serving as
President of the Oaxaca Temple, Mexico and his wife, Nellie is
serving as Matron. Donn and his wife,
Nancy, are serving a Temple Missionaries in Bolivia. My sister, Dorothy in Salt Lake City, reports
that she is feeling better. Dale and
Karl are coping with the loss of Kathleen and say that they will be all right
with the help of their family. Wesley
and Mary are keeping busy in Colonia Dublan, Mexico despite Wesley's sight and
hearing problems. Keith and Naoma have
been blessed with visits from all their children to help with Keith's illness
due to a serious infection from his hip operation and report that he is feeling
better and getting stronger and may not need the other hip replaced. Victor and Cynthia are happy working and
taking care of their children, Jennie and Zachary who doing well now that his
cancer is in complete remission. Brian
and Vinette are getting the carpet in their home to complete the renovation
after the tragic water damage of their home.
I appreciate their weekly EEE communication, which tells of their many
activities. Last week Brian played Brass
Instrument Recital with the faculty members of the University that Vinette attended
and said it was very well received and
two of Brian's female students played a beautiful recital. She was asked the question, "How many
euphonium recitals have you attended?" and she responded "after careful thought
that it was within the countable infinite range." This week Brian has a solo
performance scheduled in Oklahoma and will soon start his worldwide summer
concert tours with a trip to Japan, accompanied by Vinette. Next he will go to Spain and other places. It
is quite remarkable how he keeps "going and going". The first of July he plans to drive to Dixon
to pick up some things and take me back to Texas to visit and hear his July 4th
Concert. Linda Jane, Rachel and Rebekah
have been coping with colds with a bad cough but are now better and Rachel is
catching up with the Seminary she has missed and her school studies. On April 25th she has another
rehearsal at the Blue Lake Music Camp with the International Youth Touring
Symphony Orchestra, then again in June to go on the three-week tour of
Europe. Then play some Concerts in the
United States. I am enjoying hearing
about all the activities of my family and like getting involved as much as
possible.
Linda Jane, Ed, Rachel and
Rebekah want me to continue living with them, which is a joy for me. Now with my calling as a Family History
Consultant for the Spanish-speaking people in the Sterling Ward my future will
be dedicated to genealogy and Temple work as much as possible. Most of the Temple work has been done on my
side of the family so I will be concentrating on Research for Rickie's
family. I feel sure that she is taking
the Gospel to them "over there". It is a
joyful feeling that we will be working together on this project to give her
family members the opportunity to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be one
happy family for Eternity.