There are so many good memories. We started our lives together on April 29, 1956 and then as husband and wife on September 27, 1958 on a farm close to Colome, South Dakota. Louie loved his John Deere tractors, farming, and his cattle. We gradually had three children: Garry, Lucy, and Kathy Lou. He loved to help take care of them as babies after getting over being afraid that they might "break" in his big hands. He guided and loved them always. He played "toys" with them; he took them to and from school, doing all the daddy things. He was there to encourage them and to love them no matter what life had to offer. He loved to surprise them when they were small with a trip to the Dairy Queen.

On February 15, 1961 he lost his dad to bone marrow cancer and being an only child, this was very hard on Louie because they were a close family too. In the fall of 1969, due to health reasons, we had a farm sale and moved to Kearney, Nebraska. This was a huge milestone in our lives but we planned and did it together. That's something else: you never take the farmer out of a man like Louie. His mom was alone so we decided she should come live with us. She eventually came down with congestive heart failure and passed away on October 2, 1991. Louis felt very much alone but with our love and time he gradually became the "ole" Louie again.

Garry, Lucy, and Kathy Lou all went to college and he saw to it that we were there to help them. He always wondered why they were "lucky enough" to live on the second or third floor of a dorm with no elevator and it was always hot those days but he wouldn't have missed the chance to help them for the world. We were also able to go to each of their graduation ceremonies. They have all gone their own ways now: Garry and his family Jacalyn, Jessica, Jennae, Jonathan, and Julianna and stepsons Josh and Jake in Glendale, Arizona; Lucy in Prescott Valley (Keith should soon be there); and Kathy Lou and Brian in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she has gone back to school to get her Ph.D.

Louie was a man who loved to be busy. He had to quit his first job at the Dekalb Seed Corn Plant because of allergies. He then got a job at University of Nebraska at Kearney where he worked for 22 years, retiring on September 10, 1993. He loved John Deere machinery, so rather than being too bored Louis bought a John Deere riding mower and mowed lawns as a part-time job. He stayed home for 9 months getting his "Honey Do List" done and them started looking for part-time employment. On June 13, 1994 he got a job at Coleman Powermate as their part-time town runner and he loved it. He was very much a people person and this was the perfect job for him. He loved to talk and to visit.

He stayed active until his hospitalization. He had emergency surgery on Sunday morning. He came home Wednesday morning. He spent a really good day at home. He talked to all 3 of his "kids" and was even joking around to make me laugh. The Lord then decided Louie's chores were done here on earth and he peacefully passed away in his sleep beside me in bed. We will miss him so very much but we also know he is in heaven, which helps give us peace of mind.

The Lord truly blessed us by giving us Garry and his family Jacalyn, Jessica, Jennae, Jonathan, Julianna, Jake, and Josh; Lucy and Keith; Kathy Lou and Brian.

There will always be a part of me missing. I love you so very much, Babe. It is good-bye for now but I will meet you again in heaven.
 
 

Corn. Alfalfa. Soy beans and hay.

Oil, gas, electricity, and water.

To slaughter. To market.

I
know
where
meat
comes
from
it
comes
from
the
store

Cream and egg money.

The hook and seed.

Clothes sewn for all.

And Western-style suits.

Book 1: farmer. Book 2: grain elevator employee. Book 3: milking machine salesman. Book 4: unemployed. Book 5: trip to Las Vegas where you dream of managing a motel. Book 6: grounds keeper.

Book 1: two children, three years apart. Book 1 (revised): a third child, five years later.

Book 1: encourage children to go to college. Book 2: no money to send children to college.

Postscript: never imagine what will happen to children who attend college.

Language wraps round my throat.

I chew each word.

From cradle to grave. Egregious. Misanthropic.

Confused with philanthropic. Or philanderer.

Men strip off coveralls and boots.

On the plains of Dakota or.

As itâs nearing dusk.

As I close this page.

***
Genealogy. (San Francisco: a+bend press, 1999)

Oh Lord, I just wanted to thank you for giving me such a special Daddy. My Daddy: How would I describe him?
INTEGRITY: I don't ever remember that he did anything wrong, but he must have cuz the Bible says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!" He was quiet, soft-spoken; but he always meant what he said!
KIND: He had an unsurpassed gentleness to animals and people. He got along with everyone and he did not say bad things about anyone.
PATIENCE: Well, he needed lots of patience when dealing with me!
HUMBLE: He would never brag and was not arrogant in any way.
THAT BIG GRIN OF HIS: When he was up to something - OR - when he'd say "Come here, let me show you somethin'!"
ALWAYS THERE: He was always there for all my birthdays, graduations, special events and my wedding day.
-My first toy tractor, John Deere, of course!
-My first toy truck,
-My first toy train,
-My first bicycle,
-My first BB Gun,
-My first car.
ALWAYS THERE and always there to help me fix things; ANYTHING, he was ALWAYS THERE!
So how would I describe my Daddy?
I think this verse describes him very well:
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;"
He was such a wonderful loving Daddy and I am sooo blessed that God gave me my Daddy.
I love you.
***************************************************
Given at the visitation in Kearney, Nebraska on July 21, 2003
 
 

Thursday night on my flight from Phoenix to Denver I took the time to try to sleep. However, about an hour out of Denver I suddenly woke up. I looked around me and everything seemed okay, so I turned to look out the window. What I saw were clouds, big puffy beautiful clouds, and nestled in those clouds was what looked like a figure. As I looked at it more closely I realized that what I was looking was my DAD on his John Deere riding lawn mower. He had on his overalls and a cap. He looked great. You could see that he was having fun mowing the lawns of heaven because he was also wearing his big "Louie" grin. I love you Daddy!

***