by jphilo | Nov 12, 2012 | Family
Yesterday was Veteran’s Day, and in my world it went out with more of a whimper than a bang. However our state’s major newspaper, The Des Moines Register, in a moving salute to World War II vets, had the soldiers tell their stories in their own words.
That story, combined with the passing of my husband’s Uncle Harold, a World War 2 pilot last week, was a reminder of how little time remains for our nation to say thank you to the men and women who risked their lives in that great war. Here are the heroes in our family–some still living and some gone in the past few years–I am proud to call my uncles, and for whom I am grateful today.
Harold Walker, Hiram’s story telling uncle, and pilot in the Pacific Theater near the end of the war. He died a little over a week ago.
Marvin Conrad, my piano-playing and very musical uncle. I believe he served in the Navy in World War 2. He died a little over two years ago, only a few months after visiting Washington, DC on one of the Freedom Flights.
Ordel Rogen, my cattle-raising uncle. He served in some branch of the armed forces in World War 2, though I’m not sure of the details. He died several years ago in December.
Leo Hess, who tells harrowing tales of fighting during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2. He celebrated his 90th birthday in August and still lives in his own home.
Jim Hoey is my history-loving uncle. He was also a dedicated friend to my dad during his long struggle with multiple sclerosis. Jim served as a Navy medic in the Korean War. He turned 80 in June and still loves to travel and write letters to his grandkids and great-nephews and nieces.
Dear uncles, our thanks for your service is not enough, but it’s all we have to give. Thank you for fighting for freedom.
Because of you, our shared family histories continue.
Because of your sacrifice, our family is able to reunite in the summer to reminisce about old memories and create new ones.
Because of you, little children play without fear.
Because of you, elderly men and women are cared for and safe.
Because of you, we live in peace.
Because of you, we are who we are.
Because of you, we are blessed.
Because of you.
by jphilo | Nov 9, 2012 | Family
Some people give the impression they will live forever, and my husband’s Uncle Harold Walker was one of them. So when the news arrived on Wednesday that he died of a stroke last weekend, we could hardly believe it.
Not Uncle Harold…
who climbed up and down the mountains in the Idaho panhandle as a boy,
who trained to try out for the Olympic track team in the 1940s,
who as a WW2 pilot saw the Enola Gay take off with an atom bomb in the cargo bay,
who gave the silk parachute that saved his life to his fiance for her wedding dress,
who loved his wife, children, and grandchildren beyond measure,
who, with his bride, spent a year homesteading in Alaska,
who gave selflessly to the students he taught in school and guided in youth groups,
who coached countless youth in basketball and football,
who loved to hike, bow fish, and hunt,
who earned a doctorate in administration,
who served as a church administrator and school superintendent for decades,
who logged in the Idaho woods well into his 70s,
who created, along with his wife and children, a family camp on a mountainside,
who wrote books about his long and storied life,
who helped coach his granddaughter’s basketball team just last year,
and whose life was a testimony of what it means to love God and others.
How can he be dead? This precious man…
who touched our lives by welcoming us into his family circle,
who made us feel as if we’d always been part of it,
who welcomed us, with his wife, into their home last March,
who took us to lunch at Red Lobster, his favorite restaurant,
who a few weeks ago sent an email describing corn harvest during his childhood,
whose bright eyes and smile in the last photo we have of him now move me to tears.
How can we not simultaneously…
weep for our loss,
rejoice to have known him,
thank God for his swift departure,
and imagine with joy his reunion with the Savior he loved so dearly?
by jphilo | Sep 7, 2012 | Family
Hey all you Camp Dorothy fans, here’s an update on Mom’s 84th birthday celebration. It was a great success even though supper at the Outback meant the birthday girl abandoned Wheel of Fortune for the high life with her son, middle daughter, and their spouses.
Pat and Vanna soldiered on bravely in Mom’s absence, but they missed one totally fun party. Mom doesn’t want them to feel bad, so please don’t pass on the following highlights of the evening to them:
- The waiter was one of my bro’s former students. Mom smirked every time the guy called her son Mr. Stratton.
- Mom was so giddy she ordered iced tea rather than her usual water with lemon.
- She was quite pleased with the perks that come with having a son’s former student as your birthday supper waiter – extra attention, extra bread, and samples of secret ingredients for tasting and testing.
- The blooming onion appetizer was a big hit, too.
- Birthday girls get a free ice cream sundae at the Outback Steakhouse.
- Birthday girls can have extra chocolate sauce and Oreo cookie crumbles added to the standard ice cream sundae when the waiter is a former student of her son. This birthday girl did.
- Polite birthday girls share their free ice cream sundae with the other diners at the table. This birthday girl was extremely polite.
After an entertaining, delicious, and exhausting evening out, Mom headed straight for a rest in her red chair. After unwrapping her present, she wasn’t too keen about standing up to pose with the signed and framed poster she received from Chinese artist, Kairong Liu earlier this summer.
But apparently, the blooming onion, the extra bread, and the iced tea gave her the gusto necessary to rise to the occasion. It’s a good thing, too, because the poster’s big. Seated, she was barely visible over the top of it. Standing, both she and the inscription could be seen.
You can see both of them, too. Mom’s the one standing and holding up the picture and wishing she was sitting in the red chair. The inscription is in black, near the bottom and on the right just below the picture and above the printing. It says, “To Mrs. Stratton from Kairong Liu.
I bet neither Pat or Vanna has that combination of letters!
by jphilo | Aug 24, 2012 | Family
Many of you have asked how the man of steel’s recovery from May’s ruptured disk and June’s back surgery is progressing. Obviously, an update is in order, so here goes.
The man of steel:
- Is back to work full time.
- Can now ride in a car for an hour before needing to get out and stretch.
- Puts on his shoes and socks in half the time and half the huffing, puffing, and groaning required before the surgery.
- Mows the lawn again.
- Received an okay from the neuro-surgeon to begin a running program under the guidance of his physical therapists.
- Goes to physical therapy 2 – 3 times a week to build strength, gain flexibility, and work on the above mentioned running program.
- Willingly dons what the physical therapists call “tutu shorts” so he can run on their anti-gravity treadmill.
Having a hard time picturing the man of steel running on a treadmill in tutu shorts? Then take a look at this YouTube video for a better idea.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x99fPa7RSaU[/youtube]
Pretty cool, huh?
Much as I love the idea of Hiram running in tutu shorts in the comfort of our own home, it’s not gonna happen any time soon. Anti-gravity treadmills cost beaucoup bucks, which we don’t have. So I’ll have to come up with a different photo to adorn this year’s Christmas letter.
Which should make the man of steel sleep easier at night, don’t you think?
by jphilo | Aug 17, 2012 | Family
Tomorrow Mom’s oldest living brother, Uncle Leo, turns 90. Not an unusual feat in their long-lived family. What is unusual is that Uncle Leo lives on the Pipestone County farm his parents bought and moved to in the late 1920s, and he’s lived there ever since.
Except for two historic exceptions. The first came after he was crowned Pipestone County Health King* after which he traveled to the Minnesota State Fair to compete in the State Health King competition. He won that competition, too, which qualified him to compete in the national competition at the Chicago World’s Fair, but his father put the kibosh on the trip.
The Vernon and Josephine Hess Family 1941
Front Row: Josephine, Donna, and Vernon
Second Row: Lois, Ruth, Dorothea, Letha
Back Row: Leo, Wayne, Ralph
But, Leo saw the world a few years later during World War 2. He served in the European theater where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was well into his 70s before he finally started talking and shared the horrific things he experienced in Germany.
When the war ended, Leo returned to the farm, where he raised five children, corn, soybeans, milk cows, pigs, and a huge vegetable garden – with the help of his parents. After their health failed in the 70s and 80s and his children grew up and moved away, Leo kept farming. Probably well beyond when he should have turned things over to someone younger. But that’s not easy for most men, especially health kings and soldiers, to do.
So he kept farming until he absolutely couldn’t anymore. But he still lives on the farm. He still loves to read. He still loves to study history and maps. He still recognizes and remembers the names of his nieces and nephews – all 30+ of them. He still cries when he talks about the Battle of the Bulge. He still makes it to family reunions.
And still, when he smiles and the dashing young man he once was peeks past his grin, it’s easy to understand why Uncle Leo was crowned Minnesota State Health King over 70 years ago. It’s easy to see why he’s reached the age of 90 in relatively good health. And it will be a joy for those who love him to wish him a happy birthday and many more on August 18, 2012.
Happy 90th birthday, Uncle Leo. Long live the king!
*I am not making this up. In the 1920s and 1930s, each county’s health nurse went to all the elementary schools to weigh, measure, and otherwise assess the health of all the students. A boy and girl in each county were christened County Health King and Princess. I know this because a few years after Leo’s brush with the royal life, Mom was crowned Pipestone County Health Princess. Which means that the sibs and I are descended from royalty. Next time you see me, feel free to bow or curtsey.
by jphilo | Jul 27, 2012 | Family
I’m not sure how to break this to all you Camp Dorothy fans but the Happy Birthday to Dorothy’s Daughter Camp, scheduled to begin today, has been cancelled. I know, I’m disappointed, too.
No Jeopardy.
No Judge Judy.
No Wheel of Fortune.
No listening to Mom relive the details of my birth while I blow out the birthday candles.
But, I find solace in knowing London and the International Olympic Committee are throwing a great big party in my honor. They’re calling it the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony, but I like to think of it as my personal birthday extravaganza.
Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I know the Olympic Committee isn’t pulling out all the stops just for me, an obscure Iowa woman who wants to celebrate her birthday with a maximum of hoopla. They’re throwing it for me and Dorothy Hamill.
You know Dorothy Hamill.
The American figure skater who won Olympic gold in 1976.
Who happened to be born on July 26, 1956.
So our mothers tell birthing stories that happened only 24 hours apart.
I feel kinda bad that they’re throwing our party on my 56th birthday instead of hers. After all, she’s the Olympic champion. I would have gladly agreed to hold the party a day before my birthday instead of the day after hers. But that pesky Olympic Planning Committee didn’t even consult with me about the date. They probably didn’t check with Dorothy either.
But we birthday girls aren’t going to dwell on that. Instead, we’re going to enjoy all the international attention and thank God for blessing our lives with more goodness than either of us deserve.
Happy birthday to us…and let the games begin!
