Grandma got run over...

Everyone has heard the song they play every year about how Grandma got run over by a reindeer....  Well, believe it or not, Grandma did get run over one year about Christmas time but it wasn't exactly a reindeer... 

Now, to set  the scene, you have to understand that Grandma enjoys her trips in to 'town'.  When it comes to a trip to Wal-Mart, she is pretty dedicated, kind of like the mailman.  There's not much weather that's going to keep her at home when she's got the itch to hit the store.  Now, Iowa winter can be a very unfriendly beast.  There are days that many of us would opt to stay in where it's warm and dry.  Some days traveling out of doors in Iowa is not for the faint of heart.  Well, no one's ever accused Grandma of being 'faint of heart' and this particular day is one example of this very point.

It was a pretty typical winter day in Iowa.  Temperatures were in the single digits, there was a pretty significant breeze...

Grandma, safely makes her trip into 'town'.  As she was traveling home on Hwy 3 however, nearly back to Shell Rock, all of the sudden she noticed something in the road ahead of her.  Before she knew it there was a Christmas tree headed straight for her!!! The car ahead of her was transporting the tree home when it was caught by the wind and blew it straight into Grandma's path! 

It's hard to guess who's story would be the most awkward to tell...the lady who's tree looked like it just got run over by Grandma, or Grandma who just got run over by a Christmas tree.  Grandma definitely learned to keep her eyes peeled for flying Christmas trees and even wrote an editorial advocating safe tree transport during the holiday season! (There is a moral to this story after all!!)

Needless to say, Grandma endured a significant amount of teasing over the whole ordeal.  We are of course very glad that Grandma was not harmed...(I can't say the tree fared quite so well).    Safe to say, however, every year since that time, we have reminded her of the year she took out the Christmas tree.  Mike Gabe, in particular, likes to ask Grandma at every opportunity if she's hit any Christmas tree's lately.  It's pretty much impossible to hear Grandma re-tell this story without cracking up. 

Going into this holiday season don't forget to travel safely and watch for flying trees and don't forget to practice safe tree transporting!

A trip to Wartburg...

I've decided since Grandma hasn't written for a while, I would put an entry in her blog for her! I have lots of shared memories with Grandma Neal and heard many of her good stories and her reminiscing.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of taking Grandma with me to the Wartburg College Choir Alum reunion concert. For Iowa, it was an exceptionally nice afternoon in October. We were very thankful for that!! As we waited for the concert to begin, I got to enjoy Grandma's company and I thought it would be a good bit of history to share on her blog for her.

After Grandma graduated from high school, she began taking classes at Wartburg College in Waverly. Wartburg has grown a great deal in recent years but back in 1939 and 1940 when Grandma was there, it was pretty small and was jokingly referred to as 'Wartburg High' she recalls. Grandma was a member of the Wartburg Choir at that time, directed by Dr. Edwin Liemohn.

At the reunion concert they sang a few of Dr. Liemohn's noteworthy songs. Even though it was 72 years ago, Grandma still remembered the songs well enough to hum along. How awesome.

Since I've been working on the Wartburg campus this month I got to be a part of 'Outfly' at Wartburg this year. Grandma remembers this too from her time at Wartburg. (For those of you not familiar 'Outfly' at Wartburg it is an annual tradition where the student body 'plans' an 'unplanned' day off from school. Other students don't know exactly when it will be until early in the morning on the day of when the word is spread in the hallways of the dorms.) Lots of fun activities go on during this day and Grandma remembers outings to parks and a full day of fun.

I always enjoy hearing Grandma's stories. But, I have to say, that maybe one of the most fascinating things for me is how Grandma always seems to stay so 'up' on the times and technology. When we returned to her apartment after the concert, I had to fix her computer because she was having trouble with Facebook. Now, while this makes Grandma utterly disgusted (when the computer acts up) when I tell my friends and coworkers that my 92 year old grandmother is on Facebook...it shocks them! What is more, she is most frustrated because she can't get her 'YOUTUBE' link to work from her email that plays a video for her through Facebook. Amazing! Luckily it is up and working again and Grandma is back in touch with friends and family (and able to watch her favorite Morman Tabernacle Choir program on YOUTUBE)!

It's getting difficult for Grandma to type for her blog due to the arthritis in her fingers but if anyone would like to contribute a story or a memory with Grandma, please email it to me at trisheesandwich@aol.com. I'm sure she would enjoy reading it too!

the great great grandchildren....and pics of Grandma!

Grandma's family grows...part 3

This blog is one that I am writing to introduce you to all my grandchildren, great grandchildren and GREAT, GREAT Grandchildren. I will start with my first born Granddaughter, Shelley, who is divorced and has one son, Luke Sherburne. Shelley lives in my mobile home on my farm on Butler Center Road near Shell Rock. She lives right across the road from the big old farm house where Carol lives.
Cindy is married to Mike Gabe and they have a daughter, Alysia, and a son, Travis. Mike and Cindy bought our home in Shell Rock when we moved to The Meadows. I am so glad they take such good care of the house where we lived for 30 years and where I have so many happy memories. That is where the grandchildren liked to come and play in our big basement. We also had lots of family gatherings there. The year after Galen died we had a Father’s Day gathering there and everyone came. I hope Trisha puts the picture on of that family gathering! There were 43 relatives there!! We each told what we remembered about Galen! I wish I had written down what everyone said about him. It was all good memories we had of Galen! I wish he could have been there! We all missed him!
Melinda is married to Ray Cagley and they have a boy, Sloan, and a girl, Paiton, and they live in a beautiful farm home close to where Carol lives.I love to go out to their house for family gatherings. We had had our Christmas at their house the last few years and they always have such a beautiful Christmas tree with all the trimmings. We have a lot of fun!!
Trisha is married to Jason Miller and they live in Charles City, Iowa. We always go to their house for Thanksgiving! Trisha and Jason go to a lot of work to have a delicious meal with all the trimmings. Trisha always has a beautiful dining room table setting with all her beautiful dishes. It is the “Highlight” of the year. We all look forward to it!
Next I will tell about Bill’s daughters and their families: Lindsey is married to John Pierce and they have 4 boys: Trevor, Devon. Kyle and Bryson.They live in Hawaii close to where Bill and Dianna live right along the ocean. I loved to visit them whenever I went to Hawaii. I have not been there since 2004, but Lindsey and her family were back to Iowa in 2008 to attend the big family reunion. The only grandson I haven’t seen is Bryson. I hope they all come and see me again some day. I don’t think I will be going to Hawaii again at my age. Lindsey sends lots of good pictures of her family on FACE BOOK and so I keep up with them on the computer. I am so thankful for that!!
Jenny is married to Aaron Jensen and they have a daughter, Kylee, and a son, Mason. They are expecting a baby boy in August! That won’t be long! They also live in Hawaii close to Bill and Dianna.
Erin is married to Will Howe and they have a little boy, Avery. They live in Australia and I am so glad to hear from them often on the computer. I love all the pictures they send too!! I hear Erin is coming back in August to be with Jenny when she has her baby. I know they will all be glad to see her. The last daughter to arrive in the Neal home was Megan. She is not married and lives in Salt Lake City. Bill & Dianna plan to visit her soon on their way to Iowa for my 92nd birthday party in July!

Betty has three grown up children. Leah & Joe are parents of 4 children: Shelby Cole, Rachel Cole, Kyle Cole and Katelyn Cole. They live in
Allison, Iowa. I love to have them come visit me and we usually go to McDonalds for “Happy Meals” (I am not too old for a Happy Meal)
Shelby will be a freshman in High School next year and Rachel is 10 yrs. old, Kyle is 8, and I think Katelyn 6 yrs. old. I hope I have all these ages right! I know it is close anyway. They are such cute little Hawaiian kids!
Matthew is married to Tina. They live in Waterloo and they are expecting a new baby boy in August. I know they will be wonderful parents! Betty lives in Waterloo and works at Community National Bank and I know she will enjoy helping with the new baby! I can’t wait to see the new baby. I’m glad I can still travel around Iowa anyway. Last year I got to go with Bill & Dianna to Nauvoo, Illinois. That was a wonderful trip, we got to see their daughter, Megan, play her cornet in the band in Nauvoo. I hope we take another nice trip in Iowa next month when Bill & Dianna are home to visit!!
Alana is Betty’s youngest daughter. She lives in Hawaii and has a good job there and loves it in Hawaii. I am also glad to see her when she comes home for a visit. Alana is a beautiful Hawaiian looking gal. She was one of the cheerleaders all four years in High School in Waverly, Iowa. I don’t blame her for wanting to live in Hawaii near her Grandma Gamundoy and her other relatives in Hawaii!!

My last two grandchildren I want to tell you about are my two great, great, grandsons. Their parents are Aaron and Alysia Gabe Countryman. They live in the country close to the town of Fairfield in southern Iowa. I don’t get to see them very often, but I am sure they will come to my birthday party in July! The great, great grandsons names are CHASE (who is 2 yrs, old) and Channing (who is 8 months old). They are so cute and so lucky to live out in the country. Chase has his own little John Deere tractor already.. Alysia is a Registered nurse and is working in a Doctor’s office. Aaron is an Insurance Salesman. THIS IS THE LAST OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE blog and I sure hope I did not forget anyone. If I did I am sure I will hear about it. Ha Ha I’m sure you can understand how much I love all my family because as you know, I was an only child and was adopted. I think I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!

Grandma's family grows...part 2

This is Saturday night and I just took a walk outside on this beautiful evening after supper. “The Meadows” where I live is an Assisted Living Home for the elderly. There is also a Care Center connected to the Meadows. My daughter, Carol Soldwisch, has worked here for 30 years as Head of the House Keeping Dept. I see her almost every day and it is so nice to have her close by if I need help. She takes me shopping every week. Betty lives in Waterloo and works in the Community Bank. She is so good to come visit me almost every week and comes to help me often and helps me keep my computer going plus doing lots of other errands for me. Last week she shampooed the carpet in my apartment and it looks so nice now. I am looking for Bill and Dianna to visit me in July. They are planning to leave Hawaii on July 6th. I am looking forward to having a big celebration for my 92nd birthday in July. I love it when all our family gets together for any celebration. We always have such a good time! If anyone reads this and I haven’t seen or heard from you in a long time and you want to talk to me you can find me at “The Meadows”in Shell Rock, Iowa.
My Father was a Methodist Minister in Iowa for many years. My parents were Rev.and Mrs. J.W.Bearse. Dad was a Minister in Walker, Clarence, Brandon, Rowley,Melbourne, Parkersburg and Shell Rock. Remember Lois (Bearse) Neal?

To continue with the second page of my last blog I had just finished telling you about Carol and Bill’s families. Now I will give you a little history on our daughter, Betty. She was born on August 29th, 1950. She was born in the Waverly hospital and was such a little doll. She was such a good baby too!! Her brother, Bill, was born the year before on March 27th, 1949 so I was a busy and happy Mom taking care of two little ones. Carol was always a wonderful help to me except the time she was supposed to be watching Betty and I was washing clothes in the back room and pretty soon I heard someone falling down the stairs. I think Betty hit every step on the way down. It was lucky there was no damage to Betty or the stairs. Another time when Bill and Betty were older they were outside playing and Betty came running in the house yelling that “Bill fell out of the Hay Mow in the barn!” I ran down to the barn and he wasn’t hurt since he fell on a pile of hay. I had to laugh at him because he looked so funny with hay sticking out of his ears, nose and mouth he looked like a scare crow. Needless to say they had been warned that the Hay Mow was a dangerous place and I think they learned their lesson. It seems to take lots of bumps and bruises to grow up. Luckily there were never any broken bones.

To continue my story about Betty I think she was a great addition to our happy family. She was lucky to have an older brother and sister to take her places and do things together. They loved to play school and Carol was always the teacher. Bill said one time he would like to have been the teacher sometime. Betty graduated from High School in 1968. She decided to go to Ellsworth College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.She took a one year business course. Their program at Ellsworth was to go to school for 6 weeks at a time and then work in an office 6 weeks. They did this all year long and by the end of the year Betty had lots of “on the job” training. She got a job in an office in DesMoines right after she graduated from the business course. She had a nice apartment in Des Moines and had two nice room mates. After she had worked in Des Moines a while she decided to see if she could visit her Aunt Dorothy in Hawaii and get a job over there. She asked one of her room mates, Lyn Lupkes ,to go with her. Betty loved it in Hawaii and found a good job over there. We visited her over there several times and then eventually we got a message that she had a Hawaiian boy friend and they were going to get married ! I went over to the wedding and met Frank for the first time. I liked him real well and also enjoyed meeting his folks. ( I forgot to tell you that Dianna gave me her wedding veil to take to Betty for the wedding. I had it on a hanger and carried it thru the air-port and into the airplane and I got lots of attention. The stewardess was very nice about hanging it in a closet so it would look nice when I got to Hawaii.) It was a beautiful church wedding! Betty was a beautiful bride and became the wife of Frank Gamundoy. Galen and I loved to go over and visit Frank and Betty. When their first daughter, Leah, was born we went over to visit and get acqainted with her. She was a doll! We always felt welcome in their home and we also visited Galen’s sister in Hawaii. Betty and Frank were so happy when their son, Matthew, was born. We went over to get acquainted with him!. We always loved to have Betty and Frank come and visit us in Iowa!! I remember one time they came for Christmas and Leah was about 4 yrs. old and she said, “Grandma, where are all the leaves?” She had never seen trees without leaves before. They also loved making snow men and angels in the snow. Betty had another cute little baby girl, Alana, and when Alana was about 5 years old we got a sad call from Betty telling us that Frank wanted a divorce. We were happy that Betty wanted to move back to Iowa and it was so fortunate that there was a nice house available for her to move into. Bill and Dianna were sorry to see them leave Hawaii, but Bill was so glad they would have a nice house in Shell Rock!!. I think Betty and her family have really enjoyed being back in Iowa. Betty had lots of friends and relatives to welcome her back. We really enjoyed having our only grandson living close. Matt loved going out to the farm with his Grandpa Neal. Matt has always been such a help to all of us! He is a very good carpenter and such a help! I will tell you more about all my grandchildren in the next blog. I think Betty and her family have had a very happy life being close to us and to her sister, Carol,and family. Betty was fortunate that she has always been able to have a good job and is so talented. She is so good at interior decorating and has always been so good at decorating. She has helped me decorate my apartment and recently she helped Carol decorate her home. It looks like a new house inside!. Bill will be surprised when he sees his old home place on the farm! (Bill just called me on the phone. He always calls me on the week end to check up on me! Nice to hear his voice!) The next blog I will continue to tell about all the grandchildren and great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren! Stay tuned to hear more about my favorite people, MY FAMILY!

Grandma's family grows...part 1

It is so much fun to remember the bygone days when my family was growing up. In my last blog I told about Carol and Don. They were married in California while Don was in the Navy and after the war was over and Don was out of the Navy they moved back to Iowa with their little daughter, Shelley, who was about 2 yrs. old then. Don found a job at the Carnation Company in Waverly (now known as Nestle). They found a place to rent on an acerage near Waverly. Eventually they found a home in Shell Rock on Barbara Street. Cindy was born on July 8,1969. Now Shelley had a cute little baby sister. I loved to baby-sit my two little granddaughters and when they got older I loved to take them to Sunday School with me. Lila Hall told me one time that it was like I was bringing my two daughters to SS again. Lila remembered when I used to bring Carol & Betty to Sunday School. Lila was my neighbbor for years when we lived out on Butler Center Road. I don’t remember the exact year when Carol and Don were divorced but after that, Carol and the girls continued to live in their nice house in Shell Rock for a while. Later, Carol met a very nice young man, George Soldwisch, and they fell in love & were married in Carol’s home. Several friends and relatives attended their wedding. It was great that George loved Carol’s daughters so much too. He told me one time that they were such nice little girls and so well behaved. At that time Galen and I decided to move to our new house in town and so we asked Carol and George if they wanted to move into our house. Carol has always loved living in the country so they moved into our house and we moved to town. We were very happy in our new home in Shell Rock and Galen used part of the house as his new office. He was selling Butler County Mutual Insurance at the time. We had lived on the farm for 30 years and eventually we lived in our new house for 30 years. We were so happy to hear the news soon after Carol & George were expecting a new daughter. I will never forget the day Melinda was born! George stopped in to tell us we were Grandparents again and he said. “We are going to have so much fun with that new daughter!!” He was so happy! We were also happy to hear the news. Melinda Is now married and has two children of her own. Melinda also has a younger sister, Trisha, who joined her in March of 1980!
We loved having the four sisters visit us whenever Carol needed a baby-sitter. We had a big basement where they loved to play. It lots of toys and a rocking horse & roller skates (and a record player!). I will never forget the time Carol left Trisha at my house while she was shopping and when she got back Trisha and I were playing the piano together and shd didn’t want to go home. Ha Ha Carol told her she couldn’t come to Grama’s house any more if she didn’t want to go home when she came to pick her up! I don’t think Carol meant it. When Melinda & Trisha were in school I used to pick them up on Fridays after school and we would have Chef Boyardee pizza & other goodies for supper (chocolate pudding with whipped cream on top). I loved to have them come and I know they liked it! This is my short story about four of my Granddaughters. Little did I know then that eventually I would have ten Granddaughters and one Grandson. Bill & Dianna had 4 daughters and Betty had two Daughters and one son.

Bill attended UNI in Cedar Falls for 4 years and after he graduated he taught school in Spencer, Iowa. He taught typing and shorthand in high school. At first the only furniture he had was a Grand Piano. That was his most important purchase and it traveled with him all over the US and to Hawaii later on. Bill is a very talented piano and organ player. I really am so glad he practiced the piano and I know he really enjoys playing for church and using his talent to accompany his daughters when they play the flute or cornet. He played the organ when Jenny marched in with her graduation class in High School I was there to watch that & I was so proud of him! Bill taught at Kirkwood Community College after he taught at Spencer. Dianna was also teaching in Cedar Rapids at the time and after they met and fell in love they were married in Dianna’s church in Des Moines. They had a beautiful wedding, lots of music, and lots of friends and relatives to wish them well. We were so happy to meet Dianna’s family too. After their honeymoon they went back to Cedar Falls (where they were living at the time) and after Bill finished his year of teaching there they moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where Bill earned his Doctorate degree in Business at Virginia Tech College. We really enjoyed visiting them when they lived there because we had never been South before. Dianna taught school there while Bill was attending college. After he graduated from there they moved to Logan, Utah, where Bill tauight in the State University there. Not long after they moved there we got the exciting news that they were expecting a baby. I was so happy to take the train out to Logan so I could help Dianna after the baby was born. I arrived in Logan on the 19th of March 1980 and Lindsey was born that night. I think Lindsey was waiting for me to come. She was such a cute baby too with dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was a little doll and still is!! Ha Ha Dianna & Bill had lots of company to come see her and I will never forget all the beautiful quilts they brought, all hand made. I wonder if Lindsey has any of them yet? Two years later Jenny was born and Dianna said she looked like me when she was born. Sorry Jenny! haha Must be I resemble Bill somewhat! Ha Ha Soon after Jenny was born the family moved to Hawaii where Bill taught at Brigham Young University. Erin was born two years later and Grampa & I went over to Hawaii to be there when she was born. Going to Hawaii has been so much fun for us and we love it in Hawaii. We first went there on our 25th Wedding Anniversary to visit Galen’s sister, Dorothy. Bill & Dianna have one more daugter who was the spoiled one! Ha Ha Her name is Megan and she actually told me she was spoiled. She said she got things that the other girls never could have. Is that right Megan? I will tell you all about my granddaughters and their families in future blogs. Next I want to tell you about Betty’s family... (to be continued)

The important people in my life...part1

I have been thinking about what I would write about the important people in my life. This was the last question that Trisha asked me to write about. The more I thought about it, I came to the conclustion, that the people who were really important was family. There were lots of friends that I have met during my life and they were important at that time, but the ones who are the most important to me now...are family! When I married Galen on September 12, 1942, he became the most important person in my life. My parents were still important to me, but I did not depend on them anymore. Galen's parents still lived in the big old farm house where Galen grew up and we lived in the tenant house (where the hired man usually lived) and we were very happy there. We were still living there when our first daughter, Carol Jane, was born in 1944. Carol was my first important relative (remember I was adopted when I was a baby) so Carol was my very first blood relative. She was also my parents first grandchild. Carol was born on Jan 15, 1944 in the Waverly hospital. Carol was a beautiful baby and the love of my life. I spend 10 days in the hospital as that was the normal time new Mothers were required to stay in those days. I had a very good Doctor and lots of good care. I will never forget how excited Galen and I were when we took our new baby home from the hospital. Since Galen's parents lived in the big house next door to us, his Mother offered to keep Carol in their home the first night so I could get some rest. That was a big help because it was a big adjustment for me being a new mother and I think Grandma Neal thought it would be a big help to me if she helped me get the new baby on a schedule. We took over the next day and took Carol to her new home where we learned to become parents. My mother came to spend a few days with us to help with her new granddaughter. I remember at first we thought Carol had her days and nights mixed up so my mom thought we should try keeping her awake more in the day time. I guess this must have worked because she eventually learned to sleep nights. That is just one of the many things she had to learn and Galen and I had to learn to be patient like all new parents do. We moved into the big house when Galen's parents decided to move into town. That was the house that Galen grew up in!! The second most important person in my life was born on December 17, 1947. Robert Ray was welcomed into our home after the usual 10 day stay in the hospital. Carol was a good helper with her new little brother and we loved him very much. However, in spite of all our loving care, he became ill and died 8 weeks later in the hosptial. That was a very sad funeral. His grave is in the Shell Rock cemetery. The third important person in my life was our second son, William Gallen "Bill" Neal, who was born on March 27, 1949. Bill filled the empty spot in our home that Robert Ray had left. He was a wonderful son and brother. Galen's parents enjoyed their grandchildren so much too. When Betty joined our family on August 29 we had one more important member added to our family. Bill and Betty and Carol grew up on the farm together and I know that they are the most important people in my life, even though I had lots of good friends. Galen and I were very fortunate to have such a wonderful family. **************************************************************************************************** Next I want to tell you about my important Grandchildren. It was such a thrill when my first Granddaughter was born on January 14th, 1966. Carol was living in Long Beach, Califonia, with her husband at the time. Don was in the Navy and was away from home much of the time so I told her I would come out and be with her when the baby was born. It was quite an adventure for me to take the plane out to California. Carol met me at the airport and it was quite late in the afternoon. We had supper soon after that and then (believe it or not) Carol started having labor pains and we called the Doctor and he told her to get to the hospital right away. Carol had a friend who took us to the hospital. That was an exciting time for me and I was so glad I was there when Carol's baby daughter, Shelley Rae, was born early the next morning on January 14th. That was a nice birthday present for Carol who had a birthday on January 15th! When I called Grandpa Galen at home about the new baby he was very happy to hear the news. My folks were retired and living in Leisure World in Califonia (close to Long Beach) so several days later we took Shelley out to see her Great Grandparents. Of course they were very happy and excited to see their new GREAT grandaughter, Shelley! Carol and I had such a good time for two weeks taking care of the new baby. I also enjoyed being in California becase the weather in Iowa was below zero most of the time I was gone. I loved being in California where I could wash clothes and hang them out on the line to dry. It was a special time I will never forget!! 

Alysia's interview with Grandma Neal

This is the Interview that Alyisia did in 5th Grade. This is her interview with Grandma Lois Neal:-
--
The meaning of Lois is a lively woman who is intelligent, natural looking, and nice. All these traits fit my Grandma very well! My
Grandma Lois Neal has always been an interesting person, but by doing this interview, I have learned a lot more. I think you will
find this as interesting as I did. So, join me now as we take a quick look at Lois Neal’s life.

My Grandma Lois (Bearse) Neal, also known as Blondie to close friends was born on July 27, 1920, in an Iowa City hospital. Only a few weeks after Grandma’s entrance into the world she was blessed to be adopted by two very loving parents, Rev. James W. Bearse and Rose (Lodge)
Bearse. To this day Grandma feels very lucky to be adopted by such great people. According to her parents they picked her out of several babies.
Grandma Neal was an only child who liked, and still does like to play the piano. Although she liked to play the piano, she was not a big fan of
practicing! Now Grandma wishes that she had spent more time practicing.

When Grandma got older she attended school in Walker, Iowa,and her first teacher was Miss Cherry. Although Miss Cherry was one of her
favorite teachers she also thought her third grade teacher was very beautiful, and dressed very classy; Grandma wanted to be just like her. She always wore high heals and Grandma’s Mother noticed one day that Lois kept walking around home on her tip toes. Lois said she wanted to walk just like Miss VanOstrand!! Just like most kids Grandma had to walk to school every day and then went home for lunch at noon.Although
Lois was a good student who enjoyed school one of her most embarrassing moments happened in kindergarten! I’m sure most of us can relate to this, you go ask the teacher something and instead of calling her by her name you call her MOM. Ever experienced that?

For play. Lois’ favorite toys were roller skates and riding her bicycle. Grandma had best friends from each town they lived in. She still keeps in touch with her friends and usually sends and receives Christmas cards from them,. In the summer Grandma and her friends enjoyed going swimming and in the Winter they liked to go sledding and ice skating. Basically, the same things kids enjoy doing now in Winter and Summer months. Although Grandma enjoyed her friends’ company and playing with dolls and teddy bears, she also had some close companions that
would sneak up from the basement to sleep with her. They were her dogs. Lois always had a dog. They were part of the family! One of her dogs she remembers was a little black dog named Queenie, who was a very good watch dog too! Lois has always loved dogs just like a brother or sister since she didn’t have any brothers of sisters.

Grandma’s teenage years were filled with lots of fun and no worries! Although she had fun, her parents told her she had to set good examples
since she was a Methodist Minister’s daughter. Two very exciting things happened when Grandma was 16, the two things every teenage girl
awaits. The first one was that she got her driver’s license, and the second was that she went on her first date. Her first date was with a boy from her Parkersburg school. His name was Gene and he was the basketball star on their High School team. On their first date they went to the movies. Two years after all these exciting events Grandma had her favorite birthday party. The reason Grandma thought that that
is was such a good party was because her friends threw her a surprise party!

Grandma liked her parents very much. She said she could remember her parents being really good storytellers, especially her father. Her father used to tell her stories about growing up in Cape Cod, Mass. In addition, her Mother used to tell her stories about growing up in
London, England, and then coming to America in a big boat when she was 16 years old. It took a whole month tocross the ocean in those days.

Grandma enjoys doing many things but her hobby is traveling and she has had many opportunities to travel to Hawaii to visit her son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.

an interview with Grandpa Neal

a note from Grandma: I told you on my last blog that I would copy Alysia’s interview with Grandpa. I thought I would send that for you to put on my blog before I answer the last question you sent. Galen must have been about 79 when she interviewed him. This was a project she did in school when she was in 5th Grade. I thought everyone would be interested in what she wrote about Grandpa: (Have you ever met someone who seems to be so intelligent they seem to know the answer to everything? Well, I know one person for sure! This person is my grandpa, Galen Neal. Now, does this seem like a person you’d be interested in getting to know? If so, join me now as we journey through the life of Galen Neal. Grandpa Neal had an ordinary life for a boy growing up in his time. Galen was born on November 11, 1918 (our birthdays are only two days apart) 7:30 p.m. at Waverly Hospital by Dr. Kern. Grandpa was a well-behaved kid that only got into trouble when he teased his brother, Don. This is common in almost every household with more than one child. When Grandpa did get in trouble his Mom would use a narrow board to punish him. During Galen’s school years, he attended Shell Rock Elementary. My Mother went to this same school too. The way to school for Grandpa was two miles, luckily he had the privilege to ride the bus.Grandpa Neal’s first grade teacher was Miss Van Vlack. She later married Lloyd Gibson. She was a memorable teacher along with Miss Sperry and Miss Bowen. Every day Galen would carry his lunch to school and it would it would consist of a sandwich, an orange, soup and cake. For fun a game Grandpa liked to play was a good game of marbles and ride his bike. Not only did Grandpa like playing marbles, he made a hobby of collecting them. Grandpa’s best friend was, and still is Bob Hickle. In the Summer months when Grandpa got a little bit older, he liked to play his cornet in the band. During the Winter, Grandpa enjoyed going bob sledding. During Grandpa’s Neal’s teenage years he thought the best thing was to be able to drive and have more freedom. One of the “not so good”things was that his girl friend moved away. While we are on the subject of girl friends, Galen’s first date was when he was 16 years old. They went to the Junior Senior banquet together. For sports Grandpa enjoyed playing baseball and basket ball.)

What kind of wedding did you and grandpa have?

You will be surprised that I am copying my answer about where we got married and the whole story from an interview that Alysia Gabe Countryman wrote when she was in fifth grade. Can you believe that? I have kept it all these years! For the answer to the question about our marriage I will copy what Alysia wrote! (In future blogs I will copy what she wrote about the interviews she had with her Grandpa Galen Neal and Grandma Lois Neal separately.) She called her story that she wrote about our lives & marriage-- TOGETHER FOREVER—WRITTEN BY ALYSIA GABE IN 5th GRADE Love and marriage for Galen Neal and Lois Bearse began when they meet at the Methodist Church in Shell Rock. Their first date was to a boxing match at Electric Park in Waterloo, Grandpa was 22 at the time and Grandma was 19. Galen drove a 1941 blue Ford. and they double dated with a couple of friends.Grandpa and Grandma dated for two years before Grandpa asked Grandma to marry him. They were engaged for one year and then united in love on September 12, 1942, in Princeton, Missouri. For their honey moon, they went to Boloxi, Miss. Grandpa and Grandma will have been married for 57 years on September 12. Out of all their anniversaries Grandpa says that their 50th was his favorite because, they received a VCR from their children. Grandma says her favorite was their 25th because it was their first trip to visit Grandpa’s sister in Hawaii. GRANDMA LOIS NEAL’S ADDITION This is Grama Neal writing a little addition to what Alysia wrote in out interview with her. To explain why we did not have a church wedding was because Galen had an offer to teach Mathematics at an Air Corps in Biloxi, Miss. He had to be down there to accept the job in two weeks! In Iowa when you got a marriage lisence there was a 6 week wait before you could get married. Remember this was just after Pearl Harbor was bombed and Galen was so excited to be chosen to teach at an Army Air Corps Base in Biloxi. We asked Dorothy (Galen’s sister) and her husband Don Walter to go with us to Princeton. Dorothy was expecting a baby in January so she did not feel like going. Consequently,since Don and Galen were such good friends ( Galen had played in Don’s band for several Summers by then) so Don consented to go with us. When we arrived in Marshalltown it was early in the morning and Don was always so jolly and so much fun that it was a great trip. Don liked to sing so we had entertainment all the way there. We arrived at the court house in Princeton and got our marriage lisence. Galen knew I really wanted to get married in a church so he inquired if there was a Methodist Minister in Princeton. They told him that the Methodist Minister lived right close to the court house (which was quite convenient) so in no time at all we said our wedding vows in the home of the Methodist Minister and the Minister’s wife and Don Walter was our witness. ( War time causes a lot of changes in plans.) We stayed at the Russel Lampson Hotel in Waterloo on our wedding night and the next day was Sunday and they were having a Neal Reunion near Shell Rock that day so we went to the Reunion with Galen’s folks and everyone congratulated us when they heard we were married. We left for Biloxi the next week and Galen could have had the teaching job, but we could not find any place to live down there so we came back through New Orleans and visited Galen’s former room mate at Cornell College and his new bride. It was a wonderful Honeymoon trip anyway!!. We came back to the farm and as I told about in a former blog we decided to move into the tenant house on the farm and I am so glad it turned out that way. It was wonderful that we could be near Galen’s folks while our kids were growing up. They loved their Grandpas & Grandmas. My folks, Grandpa and Grandma Bearse, were living near Charles City at the time. (I forgot to mention that the St. Charles M. Church where my Dad was a minister at the time heard I got married so they had a surprise wedding shower for me. That was a lot of fun since I had lots of good friends in that church.) Galen and I lived happily ever after! Well, most of the time anyway! Ha Ha

What jobs did you and grandpa have? How was working different? What was the pay?

Before I tell you about our jobs I should give you a little summary about our High School and College days. Grandpa graduated from Shell Rock High School in 1936 and there were 36 in his class. After High School he went to college for three years. The first year he attended Wartburg College, the second year he went to UNI and the third year he went to Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. I don’t know why he went to so many different colleges. I guess I never asked him. I do know that Bob Hickle was attending UNI and since they were good friends I think they drove to college his second year. Cornell was a Methodist college and he had a cousin, Betty Rowley, attending college there so that probably was the reason he went there. His plans were to be a teacher eventually. He would have been a good teacher if he had finished his last year of college, but then he also thought about farming and of course was always around in the Summers to help his Dad with the farming. It is too bad he didn’t finish his last year of college, but at that time I think he thought he should stay home and help his Dad. As I explained in one of my other blogs that when the war came along in 1942 and his Dad decided to retire from farming he gave up the idea of teaching. Galen did enjoy reading and studying. After we were married he was nominated to be on the Rural Electric Cooperative Board (they met once a month) and we really enjoyed our “get togethers”with the board members & their wives. Once a year we got to take a free trip to the National Conventions. That was a real treat!! We got to go to St. Louis the first year and that is when we really got acquainted with our friends Edna and Leonard Hauser. They were so much fun!! We kept in touch with them & their family for years Later on Galen was chosen to be on the Butler County Mutual Board and also went to a school to learn the Insurance Business. That was a good business when he got older and hired a farm manager. That turned out to be a very good thing since the farm manager had a lot of good ideas on how to improve the farm. All the years we were farming we were trying to buy the farm. That was not easy since farming is quite a gamble! However it was a good life and at least I could be a stay at home Mom and help with the chores. We did have a hired man some of the time when we had the tenant house on the farm. Bill really enjoyed being in the 4-H Club and took some animals to the Allison County Fair every year. He had lots of fun going to the fair with the Harms twins. Carol was such a help to her DAD. She started running the tractor and cultivating corn before she even had a driver’s lisence. Her Dad said she could cultivate crops better than anyone he could hire. Bill & Betty had a pony to ride called Princess. I wish we could have had enough money to get Bill a nice riding horse when he was older, but he really liked his pony. He could handle the pony and horses can be dangerous. I didn’t worry about the kids riding their pony. We didn’t have a lot of money. but we always took a trip every year and we really enjoyed our trips together. I remember we really had a wonderful trip to the Black Hills one year! Bill always liked to stopat a motel that had a swimming pool. I remember when we went to California one year that was the most important thing was to find a motel with a swimming pool after we crossed the desert.

When I graduated from High School in 1938 my parents wanted me to go to Wartburg college and take a two- year business course. I wanted to work in an office and be a secretary. I really enjoyed my two years at Wartburg and got acquainted with a lot of nice students. I also enjoyed being in the Wartburg Choir. After I graduated from Wartburg my first job was working as a secretary in a Dentist’s office on the 7th floor of Black’s Bldg. in Waterloo. I made $6.00 a week and my room and board.WOW!! I worked there a while and then Galen’s Father told me about a job opening at the REC Office in Allison. I liked that job much better and liked living in Allison. Galen was living at home then so we got to date on the week-ends and he also got a new blue ford!!. I loved working at the REC Office. I learned a lot there and the workers there were all very nice. I found out that working on electric lines is a very dangerous job!. I would not care to be a line-man! My folks lived near Charles City then so my last job I had was working at the Oliver Tractor Works in Charles City in the office & then Galen proposed to me and we went to a jewelry store and he bought me an engagement ring and the rest is history. When we started farming after we were married I had to learn to hunt eggs, raise chickens and 3 kids. It took me a while to learn those jobs, I couldn’t go to college for that job! I have had a very busy and happy life so far and being a Grandma and being with my friends here at the Meadows is a wonderful life! I am so glad I have so many grandchildren and great grandchildren!! I have two wonderful daughters, Carol and Betty and a wonderful son, Bill, to take care of me also!!. I don’t mind getting old as long as I can enjoy my family and friends.

When did you start your family...having kids (and how you picked their names)...

When Grandpa and I were first married and decided to farm we moved into the tenant house next door to the big farm house. We were really fortunate to live next to Grandpa’s parents. They were so good to us and I learned a lot from my Mother-in-law Bessie Neal. She was always there when I needed some advice and was very helpful. I learned a lot about cooking from her and various chores around the farm. She was a good teacher. She also helped me learn to plant a garden and take care of it. My Dad was retired by then and lived in Cedar Falls and he used to like to come out to the farm and help me with the garden. It is always good to have parents around when you need help, even after you are married. We found that out. Grampa was glad to have his Dad around to help with the farming. Galen always got along so well with his Dad and appreciated his help!! We later moved into the big farm house when Galen’s folks moved to town.

We were so happy to find out I was pregnant with my first child in 1944. There was only one baby Doctor in the clinic in Waverly. This was during war time and a lot of the Doctors were called to help over seas. Dr. Hartwig was my Doctor and he was a very good one and very busy!I
In those days we did not find out if we were having a boy or girl until they were born. Carol Jane Neal was born on January 15th 1944!!
We named her Carol because she came close to Christmas so she was kind of like a special Christmas present. She was actually born two weeks after her due date so we were thrilled when she finally arrived. She was born in the evening on Jan. the 15th at the Waverly hospital. In those days it was the rule for the Mother & Baby to spend 10 days in the hospital before they went home. Dr. Hartwig came to the hospital every day to check on us. I could always hear him almost running down the hospital hall because he was such a busy Doctor. I was so fortunate to have Galen’s Mom to help me when we came home. I don’t know what I would have done without her. My Mom also came and stayed with us for about a week to help with her first Granddaughter. My parents were thrilled with their first Grandchild. I was excited to have a new daughter who was my first real relative since I was adopted when I was a baby. Carol has always been a Daddy’s girl. As soon as she was old enough to walk she followed him around and as she got older she used to love to ride on the tractor with him. Carol was a born farmer! She still loves it out in the farm!

Robert Ray was born three years after Carol. He was our only baby with dark hair and brown eyes. We were so happy to have a boy! Galen gave him a nick name right away. He called him Junior and the name stuck, we always called him Junior. We had a hard time finding a formula that would agree with him and the Doctor thought there was a blockage that the food could not get through so we took him to the hospital to have an operation for paloric stenosis. Little did we know that we would get a call from the hospital the next day that even before the operation he was having trouble breathing and wanted us to come to the hospital right away. That was the worst day of my life!. Robert Ray died later that day. What a sad funeral later that week! Robert was named after Galen’s best friend Robert Hickle. I am hoping to see our baby in heaven some day. I look forward to that. I will never forget what Carol (who was about 3 years old then) said to me. She said, “Don’t cry Mommy, you will have another baby some day!” (Robert Ray was born on December 17, 1947 and lived just 8 weeks, but he already had a personality and we loved him so much it took me a long time to be able to go up to the Shell Rock cemetary without crying.

Carol was right! We were so happy when Bill was born on March 27th, l949. He was such a cute baby and was an answer to our prayer!William Galen Neal was named after his Father and we liked the name William. We called him Billy for a long time. Bill was very special because a new baby son was just what we needed to help get over the loss of Robert Ray. Bill has been a wonderful son and brother and Grandson too in our family. When Betty was born inj 1950 that completed our family. We named Betty after Galen’s cousin Betty Rowley!
I think Bill & Betty were so lucky to grow up with their big sister, Carol. She was such a help to me because she seemed to really enjoy having a little sister and brother. Since I was an only child I know how lonesome it is to grow up without any brothers & sisters! I wish I could tell you about all the fun times we have had in our family. We really enjoyed being together and taking trips together through the years. It is always so special when our family and all the grandchildren get together. We have so much fun and so much good food!!

How did you and Grandpa meet? What was dating like at that time? How did he propose?

In my first journal that I wrote about when I first remembered my parents when I was probably 3 years old. I also said that the first place we lived in was in Walker, Iowa. When I was in first grade we moved to Clarence, Iowa. In those days it was typical for Methodist Ministers to move about every 5 years. The District Superintendent and the Bishop in those days decided when and wherethe minister's moved to. They had a conference in September and about 6 weeks after school started they had to move. The reason I mention this is because I wanted you to know I was not happy about having to go to a new school and leave all my friends that I had known for 5 years. I always had my favorite friends that I really missed! When we moved everyone knew me, but I didn't know anyone! We moved to Brandon, Iowa when I was in the fifth grade and then a few years later he moved to Melbourne, Iowa. When I was a sophomore in high school we moved to Parkersburg, Iowa. Believe it or not I found out it was fun to be the "new girl in school" then! Guess why? I was 15 years old then and met some boys I liked and they liked me too. I had my first date when I was 15 with a boy I met at a party at the church soon after we moved. They had a theater in Parkersburg so Gene and I went to a movie together. We double dated a lot with other couples and I found out that meeting new kids my age was a lot of fun. I was in lots of different activities in high school including band, chorus, and Girls Glee Club. When I was a junior we moved to Shell Rock. It was fun by this time to meet new friends and attend all the school activities. I got my drivers license when I was 16 and I remember it cost 50 cents! I remember my dad telling me that I shouldn't drive to Waverly to often because it cost 1 dollar everytime I drove to Waverly and back! I graduated from Shell Rock high school in 1938 and then attended Wartburg College and took a 2 year business course to be a secretary. I had gone with quite a few boys in high school and college, but believe it or not...I had not met my future husband yet. Galen had graduated from high school in 1936 and was attending college. One weekend when I was home from college I met Galen at a youth meeting at the church. Love and marriage begins for Galen Neal and Lois Bearse after we met at that church in Shell Rock. Our first date was to a boxing match at Electric Park in Waterloo! We double dated with Bob Hickle and his girlfriend. That is the one and only boxing match I ever attended. Since we were both going to college we usually would get together on the weekends. We both liked to go to movies and lots of times Galen invited me to come out to his home for Sunday dinners. I loved going out to their place for dinner. We always had such a good time and his mother was a super cook. Usually Galens brother, Donald, was home on the weekend too and sometimes his sister and her family were there too. I really enjoyed being with his family. Galen and I dated for 2 years before he ask me to marry him. He asked me to go with him to a jewelry store in Charles City and we picked out my diamond and a wedding ring. We were married on September 12th 1942. For our honeymoon trip we went to Boloxi, Mississippi and also visited one of Galen's college roommatea and his new bride in New Orleans. We celebrated our 25th anniversary visiting Galens sister and husband in Hawaii. Galen said his favorite anniversary was our 50th because we received a vcr from the children. You all know Galen liked to tease me a lot and you all laughed at his jokes. We had lot a lot of wonderful trips together. Little did I know we would have so many more trips to visit our children and grandchildren in Hawaii. I am so glad we traveled as much as we did when you were young! I have such good memories of the family vacations we took every summer. We had so much fun!

What is a memorable historical event in your life, how did it effect you?

December 7, 1941, “The Bombing of Pearl Harbor” made the biggest impact on my life. At the time I was 21 and working as a secretary in Charles City, Iowa. I was living with my parents at the time and was engaged to be married to to Galen Neal who lived on a farm near Shell Rock, Iowa.

I remember December 7, 1941, was on a Sunday. My parents and I were invited out to some friends for a Sunday dinner and had such a good time visiting. When we came home in the afternoon I turned on the radio and heard the terrible news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese!That evening I went to a youth meeting at the church. This was the a Methodist Church near Charles City where my Father was the Minister. All we could talk about at the meeting was that the terrible news about Pearl Harbor. All the young men at the meeting were worried that they would have to go to war. The girls my age were thinking about their brothers and boy friends who would probably have to go to war.

The next day everyone turned on their radio to hear President Roosevelt declare war. The last lines of his address to the public were these words: “with confidence in our armed forces, with the abounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph so help me God”

Since we didn’t have television yet all our news about the war came from the radio and newspapers. I could not imagine what a terrible day that was in Pearl Harbor. I had never been to Hawaii so I did not even know where it was. Later on I saw the first movie of Pearl Harbor and saw all the ships being destroyed and the horror of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Many years later Galen and I went to Hawaii on our 25th wedding anniversary and we had a tour of Pearl Harbor and stood on the Memorial built above one of the big ships that went down with
all the sailors on it and to this day there is still oil bubbling from the ship under the water. It is awesome! Losing all those ships & men at Pearl Harbor was a big loss for the U.S. The first movie of Pearl Harbor was very good. Everyone should see it!

The reason all this made such an impact on my life was that it was just at the time when I was engaged to be married and Galen was not sure if he would be drafted or not. He had to appear before the draft board and because he had so many allergies and occasionally this caused breathing problems he was exempt for the draft. Galen’s Father wanted to retire and so Galen and I got married and moved to the farm. They needed young men to stay home and farm too. Galen lived on the same farm all his life and had learned farming from his Dad who was honored at one time as a Master Farmer. I was fortunate to become a successful farm wife and Mother of three children. I think you can understand why Pearl Harbor made quite an impact on my life.

How did your parents meet? What are some of your earliest childhood memories?

The earliest I remember my parents is when we were moving into our home in Walker, Iowa. When my parents adopted me I think they were living in Whitten, Iowa. That was one of the first towns where my Dad was a Methodist Minister. We lived in the Methodist Parsonage there. My folks had a wonderful baby sitter for me there. Her name was Martha and of course I was a baby then and I don’t remember her then since I was a baby, but my parents kept in touch with her all through the years. I always called her Aunt Martha. When we moved to Walker I must have been around 3 years old. The first thing I can remember when I moved there was falling down the stairs. Ha Ha I remember Dad saying that he needed to repair those stairs. (luckily he was a good carpenter) Dad also had another church he served in Troy Mills, Iowa. He had two services on Sun. morning, the first one in Walker and then the second one in Troy Mills. That is where we met the Willoughbys. They had 3 girls and one boy. I had so much fun playing with the girls that we spent a lot of time there and one day the told me they had a new little brother. That was the first time I had seen a new little baby. Henry eventually grew up and had a Department Store on main street in
Cedar Falls. I started school in Walker and my teacher’s name was Miss Cherry. I remember every morning we sang this song to Miss Cherry.
“Good Morning to you! Good morning to you! We’re all in our places with sun shiny faces for this is the way to start a new day! I had lots of Uncles and Aunts and Grampas and Gramas in all the different places where we lived in Iowa. One family I remember so well in Walker was the Nelsons (who lived in the country) used to take me out to their place after church. I loved to go out to there because they had a player piano and they would let me pump the peddles on it and play those old piano rolls by ;the hour. I have always loved music!
One day in school a little girl across the aisle from me go very sick and her parents came and got her. She later died of diptheria. My parents had the Doctor come to our house right away and give me a vaccination right away. I remember that so well just like it was yesterday!!
We lived in Walker until I was about 6 years old and then we moved to Clarence.

It seems like I always knew I was adopted. My Mother told me there were 5 babies at the University hospital in Iowa City that were up for adoption and they picked me out. I was always really proud and happy that they picked me out. That made me feel pretty special. I told that story to all my best friends that! They all seemed pretty impressed! I was so fortunate to have such wonderful parents. I was never interested in trying to find out who my real parents were. Rev. James Wilber Bearse & Rose Eleanor (Lodge) Bearse were the only parents I ever knew.
I always has a wonderful home and all the people in the churches where we lived were my extended family. I do not remember how my parents met. I know they met in South Chatham, Massachusetts, where my Dad lived with his parents, Isaac & Rose Bearse. They were married in Massacusetts. I have their wedding picture. They were a good looking couple. My Mother came over from England with her family when she was 16 years old. They moved to Iowa so Dad could go to Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, for four years so Dad could be a Methodist Minister. I remember my Mother telling me that all their furniture came on the train from Mass. They didn’t have Moving Vans then. They took me to Mt Vernon lots of time as I was growing up and as they knew quite a few people there and they wanted everyone to see and meet their daughter, Lois. Dad never made a lot of money as a Minister, but we always had a wonderful home and lots of love for each other. I was a very happy and fortunate child and felt very loved. I know we had lots of good times together!! Of course there were sad times too, but I remember the happy times the most.