I know he won't say it aloud, but now that Dad has turned 90—he did so on Christmas Eve— he'll aim for 100 just to say he made it. That’s how he is.
What follows is the
last of three installments about my dad’s life. This farmer from east central
South Dakota experienced even more change from 1984 to 2014. These decades
serve as the empty nest years in more ways than one.
For the previous 30 years, click here. For the first three decades of his life, click here.
For the previous 30 years, click here. For the first three decades of his life, click here.
Part III: The Past 30 Years
Senior Citizen: 1984-1994, Decade #7
The Berlin Wall falls in 1989
Life was busy. Dad
and my brother Elliott purchased a four-wheel drive tractor and the large
equipment to go with it. And he kept buying riding lawn mowers for Mom. Those
mechanisms were frequent irritations to my cousin Wilmer Kleinsasser, my Aunt
Mary's son, who was Dad's hired man during these days. The mowers, from Snapper
to Dixon to Lawn-Boy, seemed to always break down.
Come to think of it, I
have never seen my dad mow the yard. And when I see my brother do it now, it
just doesn’t look right. Mowing was woman’s work on our farm. Men were busy
enough with cattle, hogs, and working the land that was owned and rented.
Half-century celebrations
occurred during this decade for my parents: their 50th high school reunion in
1992 and their 50th wedding anniversary in 1994.
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| 50th Wedding Anniversary: A Family Portrait |
Dad bought a cell
phone—in a bag! It came in handy after the CB craze from the 70s was over. Being
22 miles from our main shopping town required a call home to see if the men
needed any parts, for it wasn’t just the mower that would break down. When I
had a car for my last couple years at college, the bag phone traveled with me to
Hillsboro, Kansas, and then I’d mail it home for five bucks.
Thus began the empty nest years with me at college. Dad and Mom, for the 40 years of their married life, had never been alone in the house. Grandma Elizabeth was still alive when they first married, and then came the four kids—spread out over four decades. Farm work and following their grandchildren’s school and church activities kept them busy.
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| the bag phone |
Thus began the empty nest years with me at college. Dad and Mom, for the 40 years of their married life, had never been alone in the house. Grandma Elizabeth was still alive when they first married, and then came the four kids—spread out over four decades. Farm work and following their grandchildren’s school and church activities kept them busy.
Aging Bodies: 1994-2004, Decade #8
Terrorist Attacks in 2001
Old age sets in with
two successful knee replacement surgeries for Dad, but Mom’s health declined
after she had hers. Elliott took over the farm since Dad’s job was to take care
of Mom.
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| with Dad after one of his knee surgeries |
He spent five years of
this decade driving 44 miles round trip to visit her daily while she was in the
nursing home, assisted living, and then back to the nursing home again. He only
missed a couple days in five years due to the weather.
That’s what in sickness and health means, and all of
the nurses and aids at the Huron Nursing Home saw it.
Then our country
changed forever while Dad was eating breakfast the morning of September 11,
2001. He turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit the World
Trade Center.
In April of 2004 with
Mom in the nursing home, they celebrated 60 years of marriage.
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| clockwise: wedding, young married life, 50th anniversary, 60th anniversary |
Alone, but not Lonely: 2004-2014, Decade #9
Independence & Freedom
Life without a wife
began on January 2, 2005 when Stella, my mom, died. Dad had to learn how to
cook and do laundry.
Later that year, Dad
got Dish TV installed—a far cry from the first set in 1957. Seems the news
and religious programming are his hobbies now along with texting on his phone. Yes,
my 90-year-old father texts. And he taught me how to operate the remote when I
got satellite TV after he did.
Area farms disbanded,
so Dad was alone out in the country after my brother and his wife, empty
nesters now too, moved to town. Almost every other neighbor did too. But Dad didn’t
budge. That house he lives in, it’s the site of his birth. His home. And so is
the farm. He’s not moving.
Early in this decade
though, it saddened me to go home—not just because Mom was gone, but there was
no activity with farm equipment and livestock like my childhood years. The men began
to tidy up.
They tore down old buildings on my brother’s place, the farm Dad bought in the early 70s. My nephew Michael, who lives in Colorado, along with his brother-in-law Erik helped dismantle the place and burn down the house. All that remains there is that sheep barn I wrote about in last week’s post. Dad began tearing apart metal and hauling it to town for cash.
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| Dad inside Elliott & Doris' demolished kitchen |
They tore down old buildings on my brother’s place, the farm Dad bought in the early 70s. My nephew Michael, who lives in Colorado, along with his brother-in-law Erik helped dismantle the place and burn down the house. All that remains there is that sheep barn I wrote about in last week’s post. Dad began tearing apart metal and hauling it to town for cash.
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| Dad's scrap metal project |
On the main place
where Dad lives, hog barns have been torn down and the feed lot removed. Just
that 1954 granary, the cow barn that was re-sided in the ‘90s, the Butler
building, the Harvestors, the silos, the grain bins, and dad’s house remain. No
livestock.
Sounds pretty empty,
doesn’t it? But it’s not. Dad’s not alone there anymore. He’s got a new view from
his kitchen window.
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| views of the farm ~ Evelynn & Erik's house in lower right |
His oldest granddaughter
Evelynn and her Pennsylvania-raised husband Erik and their children live just a
stone’s throw away on the same yard. Now there’s the hustle and bustle of farm
equipment, an organized shop in the Butler building, and little kids running
around. They get to grow up where I did.
Yes, the complexion
of the farm is changing once again, and Dad’s around to witness it.
The Golden Years: 2014-present, Decade #10
The Future
My dad, Waldo. A
dreamer. A life-longer learner. A Child of God. His motto: we don’t know what
tomorrow holds, but for those who know Christ, we know who holds our tomorrows.
For that upbringing,
his good health, and vivid memories, I am grateful.
Who are the loved ones in your life that you could talk to about the changes they've seen in their lifetime? What could you do to honor their memories and record it for generations to come?
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| celebrating one of Dad's Christmas Eve birthdays |
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| celebrating again, only on this picture, Dad is 90-years and 1-day old |
Who are the loved ones in your life that you could talk to about the changes they've seen in their lifetime? What could you do to honor their memories and record it for generations to come?
