Today was my dad’s birthday and he would have turned 104 today, if he had lived! He died just four days before he would have turned 96, on December 18, 2005. I miss him so much. And at the same time I’m missing my mother so, so much. She lived to be 99 and just died this year on August 25.
This is the youngest picture I have of my dad. I love it!
He was the youngest of seven children, born on a farm near Masonville, which is near Manchester, Iowa. His dad, my grandfather, retired from farming when Dad was 10 years old.
So my dad went from attending a little one room schoolhouse to a big city school.
He was a good student and adjusted well.
He was the only one of his family to graduate from high school. Class of 1928. He attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a year and a half and then came the CRASH! What a disappointment…he was going to become a lawyer!
He dropped out of college and became a chef’s helper 
in a hotel. Later he became a chef, himself!
In 1933 my dad and mother were married. They raised a family of 
four children. I’m the little girl in front. When this picture was taken in about 1944, Dad was no longer a chef. Both Dad and Mother had gone through a life changing experience of believing and accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives. Dad felt called into the ministry. When he talked to Mother about it…she said she knew already! Somehow the Lord had prepared her for this big change!
Des Moines, Iowa was their first church. He pastored the same church twice. In the early 40’s for four years and again in the early 50’s for four years! In between and after he was an evangelist and traveled all over the US and Canada preaching night after night for two week revivals. He was gone from home for weeks and months at a time.
When I was a little girl, as Dad was getting ready to leave on another trip, I remember him telling Mother, when our kids are all grown I’m going to take you around the world! …And he did! They went on several trips to the Orient, England, Italy, Norway, South America and more!
In the late 50’s he worked at the denominational headquarters in Winona Lake, Indiana in the Department of Evangelism and was director of Interracial Evangelism. Later he became a conference superintendent and editor of a ministerial magazine, The Sermon Builder. He was a writer and had 13 books published! St. Frances of Assisi, Julia, Suzanna, Sons of Suzanna, to name a few.
Dad loved to have fun! When our boys were riding their go-cart, Dad had to have a turn too!
They lived on Horn Mountain in Colorado for a few years. Here, Dad is driving his tractor and pulling his grandkids behind in a trailer and wagons!
Dad’s dream of being a college graduate finally came true in his late 60’s. Then when he was 70 years old he graduated with a Master of Arts degree! A dream fulfilled! But he couldn’t have done it without Mother…she encouraged, researched, proof read, typed, etc. He had already earned an honorary doctor’s degree!
Oh, there is so much more I could write about my dad. But I must stop.
I was blessed with a wonderful father and mother. I miss them so…
