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Celebrity Attends Service

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Written by Keith Saturday, 26 June 2010 12:27

Photo of Andy Finke

Do you remember the Vaseline hand care commercial on TV two winters ago—the one of the snowmobilers in Alaska? Well, the "star" of the group of outdoorsmen was in Cherry Grove yesterday.

Andy Finke, who left the area 22 years ago for Alaska, attended his grandmother's memorial service in Cherry Grove and got re-acquainted with many of his cousins and nephews and nieces.

Andy was the spokesman for the group of snowmobilers in the Vaseline ad. He did it just for fun, but as it turned out it was more than fun as he got paid for his appearance also!

Kodiak Island is his home now, where he drives a truck which carries containers as they come off the ship. Then he delivers the goods contained all over Kodiak Island. Andy says there are only about 100 miles of roads on the island, so he knows them all fairly well!

Andy is the son of John and Bernie Finke of Cherry Grove. Bernie is the daughter of Goldie Hoopman, whose memorial service was held in Cherry Grove yesterday.

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Toyota's Good Fortune

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Written by Keith Monday, 21 June 2010 08:11

The best thing that ever happened to Toyota was the oil spill!

Since the spill in the gulf, have you heard even one word about the problems Toyota owners were having with their cars accelerating spontaneously?

Neither have I.

It's an ill wind that blows no man good.

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Friends from Afar

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Written by Keith Sunday, 20 June 2010 20:22

Photo of Pat, Sheryl, and Lee SloanYesterday, we were pleased to have a visit from my classmate, Sheryl (Moldt) Sloan and Lee. they live in Jefferson, beyond the center of the state, so we seldom get to see them.

They had returned two of their grandkids to their parents during a meeting in Davenport. That gave a perfect excuse for them to go north a few miles to De Witt to visit friends from their winter home in Florida, then east to Cedar Rapids for a visit with us.

Lee and Sheryl are both very active in the Green County Historical Museum, so if you're in the area hit them up for a guided tour! They do a great job!

Our next chance to visit will probably be Sweet Corn Days!

And Lee was correct: the picture did end up on a website!

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Genealogy of the NW Rural Area

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Written by Donna Ihns Friday, 18 June 2010 09:31

Maybe only a genealogist would find this fascinating but yesterday, for just a short time, the long-dispersed threads of the Old Neighborhood, from northwest of Lime Springs, pulled together.

 

The occasion was funeral for Madlyn McDowell Jones at the Chester United Methodist Church.  Madlyn was the widow of Harold Jones and her daughter, Lavonne Jones Nesheim, looking so much like her grandmother Nellie, greeted everyone and the service was a lovely tribute to Madlyn's long and happy life.   Nellie and Grant Jones were neighbors of my grandparents, James W. and Catherine Roberts when they lived on the farm I still own; it's been a century farm since the 1980s.

 

As I sat there, waiting for the service to begin, I was fascinated by the strange feeling that I recognized the head and shoulders of the gentleman just ahead of me; sure enough it was Byron Haven.  He looked so much like his dad Harry it couldn't be anyone else. Then I started making the connections and reckoning backward in time.

 

Byron's line goes from his dad Harry (brother of long-time Howard County Sheriff Percy Haven), to grandpa Herbert (Hub) Haven, to great grandfather Daniel Webster Haven, to gt gt grandfather Daniel Haven.  And seated across the aisle was his cousin Sheryl Ellison, daughter of Lenore Haven Ellison, granddaughter of George Haven, whose line goes to Norman Haven, then another George Haven, and back to the same Daniel Haven (1800-1877).  MORE OLD NEIGHBORS.

 

A bit further down in the pews sat Marcia Eggerich Tibbals, who is married to Richard Tibbals (his line goes Roy Tibbals, Harry Tibbals, Clarence Tibbals, George Tibbals, who was about the first settler in the whole neighborhood).  George Tibbals, coincidentally was the great grandfather of my  husband, Clarence Ihns!

 

Who we really needed to round out the old group was Carol Rembold Greenfield, whose mom, Mabel Johnson Rembold was the daughter of the other good neighbor, John A. Johnson.

 

And who was playing the piano?  Marian HOOPMAN Boyd, from another old LS family, and Phyllis JOHNSON Stevenson (Loren Johnson, Alton Johnson, Loren J. Johnson) was ushering.

 

Somewhere, perched on their respective clouds, one has to think some old timers were looking on and smiling at friendships that last through the years.  It's what makes little towns so special.

 

Alas, as one grows older, details can get confused, but I THINK I have the relationships right.  If anybody can correct or amplify, please do.

 

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A Generation Passes

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Written by Keith Wednesday, 09 June 2010 12:24

Last night (June 8, 2010) Goldie Austin Hoopman passed away at the Harmony Care Center.

Goldie, my mother's sister, was the last of the ten "Austin kids" of Ole and Bertha Austin. They grew up on the farm immediately SW of Saetersdal Church. Goldie was 96 or 97 and lived the longest of any of the Austins.

The first generation produced 19 of us "Austin cousins." And Goldie, herself, leaves about 70 descendants!

She married Orrin Hoopman of Cherry Grove, where they spent a good part of their early married life. The also lived in Lime Springs for a period. Orrin was a blacksmith in Cherry Grove and Goldie ran Goldie's Grocery for a few years in the '40s. It was the store on the west side of main street.

They moved to Austin, where Orrin worked as a welder for Hormel for decades.

Last fall, Goldie sold her home in Austin and moved to Sturgeon Lake, MN, next door to her son Terry and his wife, Kathie. This past winter, she fell and broke a hip or vice versa. As is all to frequently the case, that event proved to be the beginning of the end.

Her daughter, Bernie and John Finke, still live in Cherry Grove. Her other son, Tim and wife Carol, live in River Falls, WI. Their oldest son, Delbert, was killed in the crash of a Pietenpol airplane several years ago. His widow, Ida, lives in Seattle.

I could go on and on, but mostly just wanted to let those who might have know Goldie to know that her life amongst us is over and that she has returned to her family of nine brothers and sisters and her parents. It'll be a happy reunion, I'm certain.

On the bright side, it does open an opportunity for a new Minnesota Cookie Queen! Goldie backed cookies by the dozens of dozens!

Services have not been announced but will probably be June 24 or 25.

Update June 19:

Visitation will be June 24 at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary in Austin from 4 to 7.

A memorial service for Goldie will be June 25 at 1:30 at the United Methodist Church in Cherry Grove.

Her obituary is here: http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/

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