The first born child and the only son, Dad was born into a farming family. He was followed a year and a half later by a sister.

My grandfather passed before I was born so details about him are limited. He was short in stature and not necessarily good to his wife and son. His daughter was the favored child. He could be stern and commanding though physically small.

My grandmother was short and stout. She loved her family and was Dad’s support in the family system. In appearance, she could be considered the quintessential grandmother with her plump figure and white hair. She could cuss up a storm and display major anger episodes but not until after her husband had passed. As a widow she was unwise with money and had to seek employment. She never drove a car but she would walk miles to help her family.

Dad’s work ethic was inherited from both his father and mother. He dropped out of school before graduating and went to work. He was a jokester and loved playing pranks on friends and family. He could easily cross the line between what was just fun and what could be emotionally damaging to his targets.

We don’t have details of how he met his first wife but they married when he was 19 and his bride was 16. Within two months of the marriage Dad was drafted for World War II and left for bootcamp. After bootcamp he returned home for a short while and then shipped out for Europe not to return until five years later. As the time deployed stretched to years, he discontinued writing to his parents and his wife. It was unsettling to his wife as she had contracted tuberculosis and was in inpatient treatment for an extended time.

Finally the war ended and he returned home. He secured a place to live where he could care for Viola until she passed two years later. During this time he also trained to become a butcher, a skill he would return to for many years to help supplement the family income.

Single again, he worked and spent his free time fishing. One Sunday evening he attended a church service and turned his life over to God. After that experience he felt led to become a pastor. He identified a Bible college to attend and it was there that he met his second wife, my mother.

The Bible college was excessively rigid with their idea of dating and dress code. Women were not allowed to cut their hair, wear pants, makeup or jewelry. Faculty and students ate together in the dining hall but were segregated by male and female.

It just so happened that my parents were seated so that they could have eye contact during the meals. When the Dean of Students discovered this fact the seating arrangements were changed so they could not see each other.

Dating was limited to one date a week and it was to be chaperoned. In spite of this dating structure my parents became engaged and married within six months.

Dad loved to laugh. He loved people. He cared about those who attended his churches. He was generous to the needy. He was respected. He was a man of integrity. He was a man who got very few breaks in life…..