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My Life Til Now 

Current Day 

 By

 Jack R. Miller

Chapter One: I Was Born

It was early morning, on July 22, 1930 that I entered the world in my parents’ new home at 1515 Green Avenue, Bay City, Michigan.  They had been married in 1929 and built a brand new ranch style two bedroom home.  Dad (Orlo Henry Miller) was a Buick automobile salesman and the stock market crash of 1929 did not help matters, as they struggled to make ends meet and keep Mom (Ruth Kaekel Miller) at home to care for me, the newest addition.  It would turn out that I would be the only child.  Dad had arranged for a building contractor, a Mr. Al Van Dusen, a customer of his, to build the $10,000 home and make monthly mortgage payment of $25!  A large sum in those days.  But it worked, and the home remained theirs until it was sold in 1944. More about that later. When I was a pre-schooler, my best friend was Jack Thompson.  Jack’s parents and mine were good friends, and we lived just blocks from each other.  We each had three wheel bikes and used to ride around the block together quite often.  One day, we decided to ride a little further. Trundling along, we rode for quite a long time, and ended up at the Essexville Cement Plant truck parking lot. It was at least three miles from our neighborhood. We had a great time climbing into the cabs of the trucks and pretending to be truck drivers.  Then we went nonchalantly back home.  Rounding the last corner toward Thompson’s house, we noticed four adults running toward us.  They seemed upset and they were.  That was the same year of the famous Lindbergh kidnapping.  Our parents were certain we had been kidnapped.  Since they were overjoyed to see us safely home, we were undoubtedly saved from much more severe punishments.  I recall a further daring adventure, when we would go into the “woods” in the block behind our home, where there was a large manhole cover over some kind of sewer which was always dry.  We used to climb into it and hide on each other or play some kind of game.  What we did not know did not hurt us, but certainly could have.  An old fashioned hand pump stood at one corner near home, and it was a favorite place to get a cold drink or splash each other. Directly behind us lived the Adams family (not the one from today’s Television show). Mr. Adams was principal of Central High School and his daughter Patricia (Patsy) was a friend.  Memorable to me was the fact that she seemed always to get her way.  I referred to her as a “spoiled brat”.  When I was given a pet rabbit one Easter, and placed a pen in our back yard, I was sure Patsy let the rabbit escape, but I could never prove it. My further childhood memories of Green Avenue, where we lived until 1944, include my days at Woodside Elementary School.  In those days, that included Kindergarten through grade eight.  I recall my entire teacher’s names…kindergarten: Miss Marion (Meisel), first grade: Mrs. Shader, second grade: Miss Meisel (Miss Marion’s sister), third grade: Miss Freel, fourth grade: Miss Bialy, fifth: Miss Young, sixth: Miss Tatro, seventh: Mrs. Lundbom and eighth: Miss Pilditch (who was also my mother’s eighth grade teacher!)  Our school principal was Miss Elizabeth Seebeck (she and Miss Tatro lived together), who indulged me during grades six through eight for my early passion for the movies.  I got the “bug” when my uncle Elwyn (Al) Kaekel, mother’s brother, gave me a toy movie projector when I was around 7 or 8.  The passion for movies has never left me.  But I digress…the growing up years on Green avenue included our dog Pal; with whom my father hunted (he was an avid hunter and fisherman).  I never attained the desire for those sports, although often I would accompany my dad on fishing and hunting trips.  I just could not get the deep interest he had.  Anyway, we enjoyed camping trips together as a family. Usually in a travel trailer or trips to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where Dad shared a hunting cabin with his hunting “buddies” on the Two Hearted River near Newberry, Michigan.  Back at home, hot summer days included cooling off in my Mom’s boiler tub, filled with cool water and brought from the basement to the driveway area.  There’s a photo of me sitting in it about 1937.  My best friend was a boy by the name of Brent Short.  He lived with his grandmother in the next block.  I never met his parents, so I can only assume they were either divorced or dead.  At those ages it was not the kind of conversation young boys had. One day, Brent and I were attempting to feed a squirrel on the side of a tree near Brent’s house.  The squirrel seemed friendly enough, until reaching for whatever it was I was attempting to give him, he bit my hand. I remember it really hurt, and I ran home to have Mom put some “mercurochrome” on it.  That was the remedy back then.  It must have done the trick, as I do not recall any adverse effects. I am told it has been removed from the market, since it contains mercury. My other two friends were girls, Sally and Phyllis Roberts, who lived around the corner.  The four of us would play house, climb the large old apple tree in our back yard and sometimes get into the open “hauling” trailer Dad had, and set it up with boxes, etc. to play camping trailer.  I recall one day, I walked to the corner store to buy a junior sized loaf of bread for 5c, for our sandwiches while “camping”. I had several other friends with whom I played periodically.  Two of them were Eugene and Richard Jacobs, from the next block.  The got me into Boy Scouts for a year, but I never cared much for that and did not pursue it after the first year.  Another friend, whose name escapes me, visited his aunt down the street a little further.  What I do recall is that one day after school; my Mom had a tragic message for me.  I must have been only 7 or 8.  She told me my friend had drowned in a neighbor’s pool back in his own neighborhood.  I recall crying for what seemed like hours. For some reason his death really got to me.  It probably was my first encounter with death.  It sticks with me to this day. As to my grandparents, my mother’s parents were Charles and Louise Kaekel, who I called “Gomy and Gompy” because early on I could not pronounce Grandma and Grandpa.  They live a couple miles away on Third Street.  My mother and her mother were very close and talked on the telephone daily.  My grandfather had been a butcher and operated a butcher shop called the “Banner Food Market” with a partner, Mr. Benjamin Schultz.  At the early age of 48, Charles had a stroke which paralyzed his left side and impaired his speech.  Fortunately he had a very comprehensive insurance policy which provided well for he and my grandmother until their deaths in their 70’s.  He was always the most good natured person I ever knew.  In later years they were able to build a lovely new cottage style ranch home in the Bayside Park subdivision near the Kawkawlin River. My father’s parents were George and Anna Miller, who lived on Franklin Street in Bay City, about  five miles from our home on Green.  “Gompy” Miller operated a trucking business after giving up farming in Estey, Michigan, a small village northwest of Bay City about 35 miles. They retained the farm and leased it, until in their retirement years, built a new house on the property and moved back there to live for several years. 

George and Mary Anna Joynt were married in 1902. Gompy was born in Roberts Landing, St. Clair County in 1872 and Anna was born in East Fairfield, Ontario, Canada in 1868. She was four years older than my grandfather. Until I checked the records, I had never realized she was from Canada.  But actually, I did know that Gompy’s father had come from there, having deserted the German army during World War I and changed his last name from Stoddard to Miller, somewhere along the way.  My Dad also always joked that he was also part Native American and that he graduated from the eighth grade when he was eight years old. The old family joke. We also had a cat, Toby…I recall that he would race from the kitchen area to the living room, to jump up and sit on the top of the console radio next to the fireplace.  That radio was our center of entertainment.  I recall weekends listening to the “Lone Ranger”, ”Green Hornet” and “Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy”.  Sunday night was the scary “Mummers and the little theatre of the air” ghost stories.  Of course, Monday nights were always special when Lux (soap) Radio Theatre would broadcast radio adaptations of MOVIES!  They often used the same stars from the film in the adaptation.  Speaking of movies (which I’ll do a lot of in this story of my life), back at Woodside School and Miss Seebeck and Miss Tatro (it was rumored they were lovers)...I succeeded in getting them to allow me to start my semi-annual movie fund raisers in the school gym.  Along with my partner, Earl Feldman, a Jewish boy with whom I had become fast friends, would get time to go around to each class room and promote our Friday afternoon movies.  One teacher (Mrs. Lundbom) asked one day, “Who are you today? Metro, Goldwyn or Mayer?”  How I enjoyed that!  The gym was also the school’s auditorium with a stage and full size theatre screen and a projection room, which had never been used until I discovered I could haul two portable classroom projectors up the narrow stairs, plug the sound line into the concealed back stage buzzer line in which we connected to speakers on the stage.  We even had someone pull the curtains open at the start of the movie—just like “downtown”.  I will always remember our first showing (even my Mom and grandmother attended that day).  We had a double feature: Mickey Rooney in “The Hoosier Schoolboy” and Joe E. Brown in “Fit for a King”, plus a cartoon and a Mickey Maguire (Mickey Rooney when a child) comedy. I remember being so thrilled to find out we could get “real” full length movies on 16mm film.  After that, we had movies about every quarter and in the summer, as part of the school district’s summer playground program, I convinced the powers that be to continue a weekly series on Wednesdays, all summer long. This went on through my high school years.  The auditorium had a separate outside entrance, with a separate lobby, ticket booth and place for posters.  I was in “heaven” and thus started my lifelong love of the movie business! Earl’s dad owned a local food distributorship, so he could provide the candy at a discount for our candy counter.  During that time also, God was making His first impressions on me, as I began weekly Catechism classes at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Essexville.  It was about a mile walk from our house, on Nebobish Avenue just east of Green.  You’ll note several connections to Nebobish in this story.  After walking home from Woodside School, also about a mile in the other direction, I would grab my books and walk to church for afternoon class with Pastor Donald Dohrman.  He was a very nice young man and he and his wife were good friends of my parents.  In fact, because of their mutual interest in hunting and fishing, God opened the door to win my Dad to Christianity.  Although my grandparents diligently attempted to keep Dad within the church (they were Presbyterian), not until Don Dohrman did the Spirit move him to become a part of worship and study.  As for me, during my teen years, I attended and made friends within the church by joining the “Walther League”, a youth group named for a Pastor by that name.  As most teens seem to do, I was more interested in the after meeting excursions to the local burger or malt shop.  Hmmm, was God telling me something then that I didn’t quite get yet?

Chapter Two: My High School Years

At Central High of Bay City, I got connected to a teacher by the name of Mr. Clare White, who taught Speech and ran the Audio/Visual Department. It had a special room for showing classroom films with its own projection booth.  He in turn, convinced me to be on the Debate team, which I enjoyed for part of my time in High School.  We also had a large auditorium there, with a professional projection booth, where I could operate the “Noon Movie” schedule for lunch hours.  Being a movie fan, I recall one of the big stars in that era was Van Johnson.  I got the idea of sending him an autograph book, which he returned, signed of course.  Did girls in my class get excited over that!  Funny how little incidents like that stick in your memory. Even earlier, before high school, my love for the movies continued, and every Saturday I was given my allowance and permission to take the bus (it stopped on our corner on Green Avenue and Nebobish) downtown to one of several movie theatres.  Two of my favorites were the Roxy and the Center.  They always had two movies and an hour of cartoons and a serial (chapter play), like Captain Marvel or Spy Smasher.  I knew that as soon as I was old enough I would get a job at a movie theatre.  The Michigan law stated that to work there, including evening hours, one had to be 16.  So, at 14, I did the next best thing…I got a job at the drug store adjacent to the Regent Theatre downtown.  My Dad knew the owner and got me the job. There I could work at 14, after school for about 2-3 hours a few days a week.  Why the law permitted that, I do not know.  But, it WAS next to the theatre—it even had an entrance directly into the lobby of the Regent.  But, alas, the job only lasted two weeks.  It was not for me…plus the owner was a slave driver and not very nice.  My Dad agreed, this guy was not a very good employer.  So, I continued my summer movies at the Woodside School and the audio visual position at the high school.  It pacified me until I turned 16 in the summer of 1946.  World War II had just ended and things were looking up for everyone.  I immediately applied for and won a position as “Doorman” at the Regent, part of Michigan’s large Butterfield Theatre chain.  Today the same position is referred to as usher.  The doorman took tickets, cleaned up spilled popcorn in the lobby, changed posters and the letters on the marquee when the movie changed—at the Regent—a first run theatre, that was only once a week.  I loved every minute of it.  So, in my last year of high school, knowing fully that that was the only business I every wanted to be in, I joined the “co-op” program, in which one could take classes half a day and work half a day in the life work one planned on.  That was a “no-brainer” for me.  What fun I had.  The manager entrusted me with more responsibility, such as preparing newspaper ads, etc. Across the street from the Regent, was the “Bay” theatre (now the restored State theatre in 2008). It was also owned by Butterfield, and the manager, Mr. Plett, operated both.  So I got a little office of my own in the upstairs lounge area of the Bay.  It was little larger than a closet, but it had desk, and it was mine!

I almost blew the whole thing however that year.  The ushers in those days, were always young teenage ladies who directed people to their seats.  One of them became my first girlfriend, Marilee.  As teenagers do, we decided the world was against us (I for the life of me, cannot remember why), but we decided, along with another couple who worked there, Blanche and Don,  to run away and start a new life.  How naive! In my first car, a 1936 Plymouth, we got as far as Blanche’s aunt’s home in Kokomo, Indiana, the first day.  Her aunt convinced us how stupid we were (not her words) and sent us two boys home in my car and sent the girls on the bus.  The Plymouth burned oil like mad, and I carried a five gallon pail of used oil in the trunk.  We ran out of oil and money but had a tank-full of gas.  Not that it helped, for the engine threw a rod near Flint and we had to hitch-hike home. I think I finally became an adult after that.  Our parents were frantic (no cell phones in those days), but relieved we were safe.  My ruined car was punishment enough.  Marilee’s parents were less forgiving, and we did not see each other after that.  My boss at the theatre was more understanding than he needed to be.  I had arranged for a friend to fill my shift for the first day two.  Since I got back soon enough, my job was retained and I realized how important that was. Back in 1944, my parents sold the home on Green Avenue, and built a new home in Bayside Park, near where my maternal grandparents had built their new home. (Actually, they built their home after ours).  Because it was wartime, it was difficult to get building materials, but my Dad’s friend and customer, Cyrenus Johnson, a builder, suggested a log cabin type structure exterior and plasterboard wall interior, to a floor plan both my parents liked.  So there we moved and lived until Dad’s semi-retirement in the early 1960’s when they moved to Roscommon, Michigan. I graduated from High School in that winter, the final January class for Central in 1947. 

Chapter Three: My First Years in the Real Movie Business

Part of my education in the business, while still with Butterfield, was to train with the union projectionists in those theatres, which included both the Center and Westown, as well.  Men like Cliff Pfleger, Fred Morse also Ferdinand (Ferd) Staudacher and Walter Richardson, two friends of my grandmother Kaekel, were projectionists who had been there for years.  Since I had been “playing” with projectors for ten years, the training was easy for me. I was required to join the union, and began working as a relief projectionist at all the theatres in town.  Since this was a seven day a week operation, there was always someone who wanted a day off, so my relief work pretty much gave me full time work.  But, my keen desire was to have a theatre of my own.  I wondered if that would ever happen.  But in 1948, two new theatres were built, one in downtown, the Empire, and one in the suburb of Essexville, the Colonial.  In the summer of 1948 the Colonial opened, and I was assigned to be its full time projectionist!  During its construction, my friend Jim Baird and I would go out there after work and climb around in the construction area.  That’s how excited I was!  Jim became a close friend during those years.  He and I became projectionists about the same time. His brother, Tom, was manager of the Center Theatre, and he got Jim interested in the business. Jim was a doorman at the Center for his brother.  He was trained, as I was.  After our nights in our separate theatres, we would meet for a late night snack and later for drinks at a local bar.  Jim started earlier than I, so he had is “own” theatre before me.  His was the Pines Theatre on Columbus Avenue and later at the Roxy. From time to time, we would relieve each other in our separate projection booths. I don’t know how we did that, because we would have to get someone else to fill our regular positions.  But since I recall that, it must have worked somehow.  There were other projectionists in the union who were available part time.  In 1950, Jim and I would take a one week vacation in New York City, flying there from Detroit. We both have pleasant memories of that week, walking down Broadway, seeing the various parts of the city, and even went out to Coney Island amusement park for a day. I have a video

of Jim riding the parachute drop.  I was too chicken to do it!

Meanwhile, back at the Colonial, the theatre struggled its first year, with two partners who had never been in the movie business before. I attempted to help them using the bits of knowledge I had gained with Butterfield, but unfortunately, they ran out of capital and the locals did not patronize the theatre as they had expected.  In the spring of 1949, they closed the theatre.  There went my wonderful job!  I struggled along once again filling in as a relief man, much of the time very disappointed.  But two months later, I got a phone call from our union president, asking me if I wanted to go back to the Colonial.  “What do you mean?”, I said, “it’s closed”.  George Perkins was the president and he told me that a new owner had taken over one partner’s holdings, infused new capital, and they were starting again.  I was a little leery at first, but my exuberance over being back in my “own” theatre, took over and I consented to return.  The theatre remained open until the mid 1960’s.  That new partner was Louis Kempa, who the next year bought out the other original partner, Alfred Hamlin (the first being Tom Arnold—not the celebrity Arnold) and Louis and I began a great friendship.  The nicest man I ever worked for!  I was able to work with him on the things I had learned earlier, and together we formed a type of business partnership as well as deep friendship.  This is not a judgment—his only flaw was that his handshake was like a “dead fish”.  His trademark to me! When he and his wife took their annual vacation to Florida, he trusted me to run the operation, which I did with great pride and joy!  No pun intended! During this time, my Dad’s parents George and Anna Miller came to live with us.  The farm life was good for them, but they couldn’t work the land nor was their health good enough to do much else.  But after awhile, they felt uncomfortable living in the same house, they went back to the farm for a short time. One day, my grandmother took a fall in the kitchen, and broke her hip.  She suffered a week with the pain before finally going to a doctor.  She was put in the hospital and died there.  Gompy Miller stayed with us for some years after that, and finally needed more care than my parents could handle, so he moved to a nursing home in Pinconning, Michigan and he died there.  They were both good hard working people, strictly religious and what we might call “old fashioned”. But they were very loving.  I recall my grandmother’s apple pie being “out of this world”.

Chapter Four: I Join the Army

In early 1951, the Korean War was raging and the federal draft for those men 18 and over was in full swing.  The draft process seemed to be working slowly and many young men my age were just waiting for their number to come up.  We all knew we would be called, but just when?  Putting my life on hold did not seem a good option for me, so rather than just wait it out, I decided I wanted to get my two years required service done with.  There was the opportunity to “volunteer for the draft” and be inducted right away.  I chose that route, and in May of 1951 I was inducted into the U.S. Army, and sent to the post in Battle Creek, Michigan to prepare for basic training.  From Battle Creek, we were shipped to Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, just over the border from Evansville, Indiana.  It was to be a three month grueling training period.  Although tough, it probably was the healthiest time of my life.  I had not been overweight, but was pretty “soft” and this training toughened me up and made me really firm and muscled.  At graduation, before shipping out, my folks came down for the weekend, and had me and several of my buddies over to their hotel room for a place to “hang out” together and have meals.  I recall when we ran across the field from the parade grounds after the ceremony, to meet my parents at the barracks, my mother marveled at how long, far and fast I ran.  That good condition didn’t last too many months.  Half of our platoon was shipped to Korea and combat, while the rest of us were shipped to Austria.  I was most fortunate—we were barracked alphabetically, and the dividing line for shipment was between ME and MI in the alphabet.  A good friend, Chuck Mentel went to Korea while Jack Miller went to Europe.

The two years in Europe were unforgettable, but I did get homesick after awhile.  We went by troop ship from New Jersey to Bremerhaven, Germany.  In New Jersey a few days, we had a weekend pass, and I connected with my first Pastor, Don Dohrman, who had since moved back to his New York roots and became a teacher. From Bremerhaven we were sent by train to Wels, Austria.  The United States Forces in Austria (USFA) had just rotated many soldiers from the various office positions, back to the states, so we were all asked if we could type.  That sometimes was a dangerous, trick question in the Army, but I answered “yes” anyway, and was fortunate to be sent to the office of the Quartermaster.  This was in Salzburg, the city of Mozart.  What a sweet assignment!  It was there, when moved to Camp Truscott, that I met my life long friend Will Caradine and many other good buddies, who I have unfortunately lost contact with.  Will is the only one with whom I have maintained a friendship.  Men like Emmanuel (Manny) Drucker, Jerry Jolly, Donald Blaha, Albert Ocel and others have faded into the past.  The camp was originally an Austrian Air Force base, and the accommodations were luxurious, compared to U.S. Army barracks back home.  Beautiful large windows overlooking fantastic mountain views, hardwood floors, plastered walls.  The exterior of the buildings had large murals painted on them.  Across the parade field was the offices where we worked and the mess hall---more like a Bavarian Inn dining room.  We were spoiled! And that’s when I began to lose my healthy body.  We had three large meals per day and mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks in the office.  In the evening, we visited the snack bar and went to the movies.  Needless to say, I gained lots of weight and did not have much exercise.  In the two years I was there, I had one week of “bivouac”, where we did little more than walk around a guard post.  

Will and I worked in the same office.  I was assistant to Lieutenant Bissonette and later Captain Gelnicht.  Two really nice officers.  We were in what was called “POL”, petroleum, oils and lubricants.  We inventoried those supplies for the entire command, and monitored depots where they were stored.  All manually…no computers then.  It was an important job, but relatively easy.  This was the period of post World War II four-power control of Germany and Austria (U.S., British, French and Russian troops) in divided sections of each country.

Here is a link to my Picasa/Google Photo page: https://picasaweb.google.com/109466566228851164384?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7Vk--J_ueCDA   There is an album labeled "Army Daze" to which I adding vintage black and white photos of those days.

It was there that we met Ernestine (Erni) Henkel and her family.  Erni and several other Austrian girls where secretaries in the office.  It was they who introduced us to the mid-day snack breaks, of rolls, cheese and sausages (not light snacks).  Probably tea to drink. At the holiday times, Erni and her husband Werner,  invited Will and I to dinner. We were able to get turkeys from the Base Commissary and help their meager budget. Werner was retired from the German Army (into which he had been conscripted during World War II).  He spoke no English, but Erni was fluent in English, French, German and Russian. After the war, and a few years after I returned home, Erni, Werner and their three children migrated to the United States and became citizens in Pennsylvania. Werner now spoke fluent English, and when we visited each other, I marveled at being able to understand and converse with him.  Now in 2008, Werner is deceased, the children are scattered and just recently Erni, in her 90’s and legally blind has moved into an assisted living facility in Illinois, near her son Ralf and his family. She has since passed away. Later in my stay in Austria, Erni and I took the train to Vienna to visit her sister and husband, who was the English Ford Dealer there. They lived simply, but elegantly.  On the train, we were questioned by a tough sounding, probably 18-year-old Russian soldier at the checkpoint into the Russian Zone.  I had a “grey pass”, required for me to travel there.  I was a bit shook up when he grumbled something at me.  The pass had no photo of me, and Erni understood that he wanted a photo.  Of course, I also carried a photo ID as an American soldier, so went I presented it, he gruffly said, “Danke”.  German for thanks.  It was a scary moment, and fortunately the only one for me in the whole two years.

During our two years there, Will and I took a two week vacation.  We rode the famous Orient Express from Salzburg to Paris. We spent a few days there (French are not really very friendly) and then took another train to Calais, a ferry across the English channel to Dover and another train to London. Finally, a place where everyone spoke English!  We saw all the sights, enjoyed English tea, a stage show at the famous London Palladium, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and more.  I tried to duplicate the (sweet) English tea when I returned home, but could not until years later when a girl in our office who was from England  explained that all it needed was brown sugar instead of the regular white we normally use here to sweeten drinks. Another memory that seems to stick forever!

I got very homesick, and only once did I telephone home.  It was very expensive ($25 for 3 minutes) at the time, and we had to wait in line for our turn, to get on the phone line on the transatlantic cable.  I took a weekend to cheer myself up, at Predigstuhl, a mountain resort in southern Germany, about two hours from Salzburg.  Army buses would take us there at no cost, and since the Army was operating the facility, our rooms were 25c a night, and the drinks in the bar were ten and twenty cents each. It was a German ski resort and it was not far from Hitler’s “crow’s nest” mansion in Berchtesgaden. We were able to tour that.  I did take a few 16mm home movie scenes there, and other times during the two year stint. 

Early in 1953 my two years were almost completed.  I had received two promotions while there.  First, from Private to Private First Class and then to Corporal.  My immediate superior, Major Kruger asked me if he promoted me to Sergeant, would I re-enlist.  Now really homesick for my family (and the Colonial Theatre!) I politely declined the promotion. I was given the promotion anyway.  I think they thought that it would cause me to reconsider.  It did not.  My job was being transferred to Leghorn (Livorno), Italy where a new large computer system was being installed, and where the new port for shipping to Austria for USFA was to replace the current port of Bremerhaven in Germany.  So, my last month before shipping home, was to go to Italy and train my replacement.  Several of my friends from the Truscott office were also shipped there, and since it was a new operation, we were stationed in a tent city.  That was okay, because it was a tropical climate and the weather was beautiful.  So beautiful, in fact, that the first weekend there, we spent on the beach, where I received the reddest sunburn of my life.  On Monday, I had to wear my starched khakis to work.  Ouch!!  Soon after, I was on board a ship headed for home.  On the way over, our ship had traveled through the North Sea, and I was seasick most of the way.  On the way home, the southern route, through Gibraltar was very smooth.  Now that I was a Sergeant, I could ask for and get a job of my choice for the trip back.  Guess which one I took?  Of course, running the movie projector in the ship’s theatre.  I was on my way back to the work I loved.

Chapter Five:  Back in the Movie Business!

Arriving back in New Jersey, a train took us back to Battle Creek, where Mom and Dad were waiting to pick me up.  My mother almost had a heart attack when she saw me. I had warned her I had gained weight and even sent pictures…but the real thing was a bit different!  She gained her composure as soon as we hugged!  

Back home, friends and family gathered for a reunion. I had saved enough to buy my first new car: a 1953 Buick Special—Dark Green.  Dad took a movie of me washing it—of course, I still have the movie.  But I could not wait to drive over to the Colonial.  My job was still waiting.  Several union projectionists had filled in for me most of the time and another friend Martin Letourneau had been the “regular”.  He had another job as well, and his wife was anxious for him to leave the theatre and spend evenings with his family.  So the transition was a smooth one for both of us. On a sad note, Martin was a very small man and was often ill.  He died at a very young age, leaving his wife and young children.

I had always enjoyed spending personal time with some of the theatre employees after theatre hours, and now there was a whole new group to meet.  Nancy Brabant, Helen Hages and Jerry Johnson were three that became close friends.  Along with Louis Kempa’s nephew, Hubert Gorney, we even decided to produce our own movie.  It was short lived however, because we really just had a few fun Saturday afternoons and soon lost interest.  I still have a few feet of that film on DVD.  Another fun memory for all of us.

Jerry (Johnson) introduced me to several of his friends, and we gathered to drink beer, play cards, etc.  I suppose I was sowing my wild oats at this time, after two years in the service.  We called ourselves the “Beagle Boys” after the Disney characters. We did have some fun times, but most were younger than I, so we did not have a lot in common besides the parties.  But, through Jerry’s girlfriend (and later his wife) Nancy Groulx, I met my dear wife, Elinor Hofmeister.  I began to see (however dimly at first) that God had some plans for me.  Did He ever!  

Another friend from High School re-connected with me. His name was Jack Gittins.  He was electronically inclined—mostly radio, but also the projection room. He and I, along with Jerry, took a three week trip to California in my new 1954 Buick. Lots of pleasant memories.  Since my Dad still sold Buicks, I got a good deal. Heading for California, we visited all the historic landmarks on the way (no freeways then), and in California visited Jerry’s brother who was in the service there. Louis Kempa had been able to get tickets to Paramount Studios for us, and we got a nice tour of the sound stages.  We couldn’t get too close, but did see Bob Hope rehearsing a scene from “The Seven Little Foys” – from a distance! (There is a dance scene from that movie with Hope & James Cagney on YouTube) In June 1955, My Dad and I, along with Carl Bloom and Bob Bloom, his son, took a trip to Alaska.  Dad and Carl had been lifelong friends and hunting buddies, and Bob and I grew up together as friends.  The Blooms lived in Bay City for awhile, but later moved back their home town of Grand Rapids. Carl was a Tobacco salesman.  Our trip to Alaska was a whirlwind one.  All in three weeks’ time, we drove from Bay City to Fairbanks, via Calgary, Canada and return.  This had been a lifelong dream of my Dad’s. We took Dad’s 1955 Buick Roadmaster Demonstrator, packed our clothes and a tent and headed out.  Dad had pre-sold his demo to one of his regular customers, who always trusted Dad’s cars to be well broken-in.  This one would be, for sure! I had a new Revere 16mm movie camera to document the trip, and we looked forward to an exciting three weeks, which was all the time we had off from our jobs. In 1955 the Alaska Highway was all gravel, so the car needed a new paint job when we returned. Planning to save money, we expected to pitch our tent along the highway.  We did not count on giant mosquitoes the first night and it was a miserable camp. We decided from then on, we would find motels (which were still pretty scarce then). One day along the road, we saw two hitchhikers, and coming into closer view, we determined they were girls:  One very tall gal from Vancouver, and her really short friend from London, England. Bob, being an adventurous spirit, said “let’s give them a ride!” This under strong objections from my Dad. Since I believe Bob was at the wheel (we took turns driving), we stopped.  They rode with us for two days, even as my Dad mumbled all the way.  I think that’s why they decided to stay behind after the second day. The one night they were with us as we stopped for a hotel, the manager had two cabins way up a steep hill, and gave us those, while the ladies had a room on the highway level. Those gals were certainly brave to hike the highway, even then.  Today, I doubt that any one, especially two girls, would feel safe, let alone try the arduous Alaska Highway trip.  Shortly after that, the movie camera stopped working.  We drove the rest of the way to Fairbanks without pictures. We pooled some funds and in Fairbanks, found a camera store and purchased another camera for the homeward trip.  The two fathers had planned to do a lot of fishing along the way and in Alaska.  Unfortunately, In June, the lakes are still all frozen over, so no fish were to be had.  Finally, we took a detour to Glacier National Park, and the men caught a nice batch of silver salmon.  All in all, the trip was a great success and remains a standout memory. I first met Elinor around that Alaska trip time.  Then, we did not see each other again until after Christmas that year.  I have often been accused of doing that so I would not have to buy her a Christmas gift.  I don’t know why, but I don’t think that was the reason.  Maybe I was just contemplating my future more seriously.  But that’s something for the next chapter!

Chapter Six: Romance!

The year 1956 became a very memorable year in my life and an exciting one.  I knew I wanted to get to know Elinor a whole lot better, as well as her wonderful family.  It has become a point of amusement for all of us, when I pursued her the way I did.  Elinor was a student at Bay City Junior College plus worked part time at the Johnson Street Bakery, a landmark business not far from my grandparent’s previous home on Third Street.  So in order to spend as much time with her as I could, I was on her parents’ doorstep as often as I could.  My 7pm to 11pm nightly job at the Colonial fit into it, but also at that time, I began working in the office at the Buick Dealership Used Car Department. So I would come to see Elinor whenever time allowed, but often spent more time with her brothers and sisters and her Mom and Dad, Earl and Ella Hofmeister. My Dad would sell me a new Buick each year or less, and with a balloon note on the credit, I would drive it a few months, then place it on the car lot, sell it, take in a trade or two, which I had to drive until the final payout, at which time I could buy another new car. So when I’d call on Elinor, I might be driving anything.  Her Dad was not quite sure he was impressed with that! The big, humorous memory for all of us was milk shake nights.  Mom Hofmeister always had a large container of ice cream on hand, and apparently the usual usage was big bowls for everyone.  Somehow, I started making milk shakes instead, to the point that became the highlight of many a visit.  Elinor always had homework to do for her college classes, so that came first.  Our time together always came later in the evening, usually downstairs in her Dad’s office.  Earl was an excellent cabinet maker and builder.  He had a typewriter in the office, and we often would type “love notes” to each other on that. That happened about two months after we started dating, and one of those was my proposal of marriage.  It took several attempts as I recall, to convince her I was serious.  She finally gave in while we were out one evening.  I had been pretty certain of myself, and had purchased a ring.  I do like to talk, and Elinor recently told friends that when were first together, she often thought “doesn’t he ever shut up?”  She still thinks that often.  Anyway, my persistence worked, so on the night she yes, we drove to my home in Bayside Park and my Dad was still sitting in the living room, while I opened the closet door where the ring was stashed, and gave it to her.  I had a witness, and she couldn’t change her mind!  We then drove back to her house, and got her folks out of bed to tell them.  Her Dad said, “He’s a pretty fast worker, isn’t he?” I think it had really been a short courtship.  It must have been February or March, and we soon set a wedding date of July 21, 1956.  The days seem to fly by, until the wedding day, just the day before my 26th birthday.  Our wedding was a wonderful affair, with over 500 guests and a fairly large wedding party at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Bob Bloom had earlier married his wife Barbara, and they were in our wedding party. The reception was held at the Hampton Township Hall.  Looking back on the expenses, by today’s standards, we’d probably be called “cheap”.  We had a band (no DJ even thought of then) and it cost us $50 for the evening.  The food was all prepared by Elinor’s Mom, Ella and many of her friends.  I cannot find the bill for the beer, but it probably was a bargain too.  At the stroke of midnight, my “Beagle Boys” buddies embarrassed Elinor and I, by dragging me onto the dance floor to give me my “birthday spanking”.  What a night!  Soon after that, we escaped in our new 1956 Buick Special for a honeymoon trip which took us first to my parent’s summer cottage on the south branch of the AuSable River in Roscommon and then a side trip to the Straits of Mackinac and Mackinac Island by ferry.  We were also able to come home to a brand new house!  We had been shopping for a home, and found a nice little two bedroom home at 1860 Morin Drive in southeast Bay City.  It was built by a young couple and 99% completed, when a job change forced them to sell at a very reasonable price, $10,900!  It had a large 100x200 lot, attached one car garage and utility room (no basement).  It was all new and fresh.  We were so thankful to have such a good start on a shoestring budget, with my two jobs at the Colonial Theatre and Garber Buick, where I now worked in the parts department and did the used car bookkeeping as well.  It did seem at times that we could hardly make it, but we did.

We had fun entertaining friends and family in our new home.  But my being away from home so much, wore on Elinor’s senses.  She never complained, but it had to be hard to be home alone so much.  Then, on February 5, 1958 our beautiful daughter, Lynne was born and life changed again!  What a joy to us and our families.  I still had my movie camera, and we could document those early years.  Her young uncles and aunt loved to play with her and tease her.  Then, one winter evening we went to a nearby pond to ice skate with the Hofmeister kids (Larry, John, Gail and Jim—all in school yet).  The pond was not smooth, and I, not being a very good skater to begin with, caught my runner in a bad patch, twisted and broke my ankle in several places.  Someone called an ambulance, and off I was taken to the hospital.  Turned out I had to stay overnight, and the doctor was not satisfied with the way the bones had been “set”, so they gave me some sodium-pen and re-set the bones.  It was such a severe break; I had a full leg cast for 6 weeks and then a walking cast for 6 more. It seemed longer and maybe it was. I have pictures of my standing on crutches in our living room window, while Elinor and Lynne played in the front yard.  Lynne was about 2 years old at the time.   I soon had “cabin fever”, and as soon as possible, I arranged to be back at work at both jobs.  Propping my leg under the desk at the parts office, and getting up the projection room stairs on the seat of my pants. Some projection equipment had to be modified so I could still do the job.  Guess where there is a will, there is always a way!  I had lost my grandfather Charles Kaekel a few months before that, and while I was still in my cast, my grandmother Louise Kaekel passed. I had always been very close to them, so it was a difficult time. They were both in their early seventies. That was considered a pretty good age in the 1950’s.   I recall thinking that if I ever lived to see the year 2000, it would be something special.  We are blessed to be able to live longer healthier lives than our parents or grandparents were.  Of the Hofmeister clan, Larry would marry Patricia Cooper and have two children, Harley and Heather; John would marry Barbara Dinsmore, and they had a daughter, Heidi Joy; Gail would marry Tearle (Terry) Miner and have three children, Michael, Michelle and Metricia; and Jim would marry Mary Ann Hugo and have one son, Brian.  Larry remarried several times, and John three times.  He has three daughters, Heidi, Jennifer and Kailee.

Chapter Seven: Change on the Horizon

I recovered well from my injury, and now other changes were about to occur.  The advent of television was making a big dent in the movie theatre business.   The Colonial had always had a tough time with so much competition in Bay City, but now all the theatres were seeing a decline in patronage.  Finally,  Louis Kempa decided to operate only on weekends.  He had built a restaurant adjacent to the theatre, and it was doing fairly well.  The reduced operation meant less income for me and at the same time, there was a general recession in the country’s economy, and the car business suffered as well.  I was laid off my job at Garber Buick.  So now I had my first experience with unemployment compensation.  We scraped through, but the horizon looked bleak.  Part of receiving the government checks, was a weekly requirement to seek work and bring in a report.  I hunted for the few jobs available, to no avail.  I even considered taking out a loan to buy the theatre from Louis.  Still dreaming.  Elinor knew how much I loved the business, and encouraged me to seek employment with a television station.  That was a bitter pill to swallow, but she pointed out “they DO show movies on TV!”  She was right, of course.  So, I prepared resumes and sent them out to all the Michigan stations.  I received a fairly positive interview with the CBS station in Saginaw.  It was the first outstate UHF station, in the early stages of that frequency.  However, someone else got the position of film editor, which was all I could qualify for.  When I was almost ready to give up, I received a letter, then a call, from Mr. Harold Gross, owner of the well known CBS station in Lansing, the state capitol.  WJIM-TV, channel six, was the first station to go on the air in Michigan outside of the Detroit metropolitan area. That call was most encouraging, so we drove to Lansing for an interview.  I couldn’t believe it…he hired me on the spot!  I must have done something right (there’s that God Plan again). So our big adventure began.  It was not without a few tears.  We had our beautiful little home to leave behind, as well as family and friends, to strike out into the unknown.  We hurriedly drove back to Lansing, after returning home to let everyone know about the change coming up, to find a place to live.  We did, of course, find the lower apartment of a two story house on Michigan Avenue, right behind the Capitol building.  Fortunately, we also found a nice young couple who would rent our Bay City home, for an amount that would cover the monthly mortgage payment.  They were excellent tenants.  Lynne was 3 years old and this was a big new adventure for her as well.  The house on Michigan Avenue was in a mixed ethnic neighborhood and Lynne saw for the first time in her life, a black person.  We had a nice front porch on which to sit and watch the traffic and the people walking by.  One day, Lynne said to us, “Look at all the colorish people!”.  Another fun memory.  Our landlord was a nice man with a strange name, “Ervie Sessions”.  He was very reasonable and I don’t recall any major concerns.  Our next door neighbor in the upstairs apartment beside our house, was Miss Tessa Elliot, a retired school teacher.  She became a dear friend and another “grandma” for Lynne.  Sometimes she would join us for Sunday dinner.  When we finally moved to our new home, we kept in touch and she visited us occasionally until her death.  We still miss her.

In the fall of 1961, we found our home on Pinehurst Drive in DeWitt Township on Lansing’s north end.  The first year at WJIM was sort of a trial period, to be certain  this new career was right for me.  After determining that it looked like a long career opportunity, we began looking for a home, finding the one in which we still live.  Money was still very tight, but with our house in Bay City still with good tenants, paying our mortgage in their monthly rent, we felt confident.  The tenants had hoped to buy that house, but found something more to their liking.  Fortunately, real estate sales were pretty good then, and we found a buyer fairly quickly.  Now we had money to help purchase our new home in Lansing.  Being new to the community, and only a year on the job, the mortgage company wanted a second signature on the loan.  Good friend and my immediate supervisor in the Film Department, Walter Dell, offered to co-sign and thus, we completed the purchase and moved in sometime in September, 1961.

New friends Leonard and Linda Blondy, helped us move into the new house.  Leonard was a director at the station.  They became good friends and when Len got a new better position with WJRT, channel 12 in Flint, we kept in touch.  Tragically, a few years later, Len contracted cancer and died after just a few months of suffering.  I believe it was prostate cancer, or at least related to that part of the disease.  Being Jewish, his funeral lacked the hope that we have as Christians.  However, that part of his faith is a mystery to me, and I can  only hope I may see him again.  Linda remarried a year or two later.  We have lost track of each other, as so often happens today in our mobile society.

While at channel six. Len directed the noon news program and the Martha Dixon show, known first as “The Copper Kettle” and later under her name.  It was primarily a cooking show, but sometimes featured celebrity guests.  I worked as a cameraman on that show, along with “Romper Room”, “Noon News”, “Ranger Jim”  and “Alley Cat and the Mayor”.  In between shows, myself and an assistant edited film programs and commercials for broadcast the next day. We usually worked a day ahead, and on Fridays prepared for three days, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Last minute commercial changes, as new orders came in, were the norm.  It meant re-editing some film reels at the last minute.  Videotape did not come into the picture until about 1966.  Channel Six was often referred to as the training ground, not only for on the air personalities, but those of us behind the scenes as well. Many of the men who worked with me in film, eventually went on to higher paying positions within the station, or moved to other TV markets.  The higher positions usually required engineering training or directorships.  Walter Dell, who I mentioned earlier, was Film Director when I hired in.  I came in on the night shift, primarily editing the Late Show movies, which ran seven days a week.  I also learned to be a camera operator on that shift.  Some of those were trying days for me, because, although I liked taking pictures, those big studio cameras were a challenge.   Our director at the time, had little patience.  He was about 26 years of age or younger, and I was 31.  In his desperation with me when I made a mistake (I made a few), he referred to me as “kid”.  I finally got over being incensed, and learned the position pretty well.

Chapter Eight: The Television Years

The timeline is a bit vague in my memory, but eventually Walter Dell resigned and Mr. Gross was pleased enough with my work, that he promoted me to Film Director.  Annual raises were given at the company Christmas party every year, and mine was included.  Just enough to entice me to continue. There was a slight misgiving for me at that time, because Walter’s resignation was forced.  Early in the morning, after the 7am news in the studio, we all would take a coffee break and chat, and a couple of the engineers and other morning shift employees would often get to playing tricks on each other.  One day, someone found a ladies’ unused sanitary napkin on the hall floor (one can only surmise it fell from someone’s purse or package).  The boys decided to play catch with it.  I was busy editing the next reel of commercials, so I only heard, but did not see it. Suddenly, Martha Dixon and her secretary came around the corner on their way to the studio to begin preparations for that day’s show.  They saw someone’s back as he quickly dropped it into a wall mounted ash tray.  She or her secretary were upset (how different things were in those days) and reported the incident to Mr. Gross.  He was certain that we had some kind of “pervert” working there, so he called each of us into his office to get to the bottom of it.  Since I had not seen anything, that’s all I could tell him when it was my turn.  He threatened to fire the whole crew if the truth was not revealed.  Finally, Jim Jackinchuk (the morning engineer on duty in the control room) and I offered to take a lie detector test, because both of us knew we were telling the truth.  It was a silly game that got too far out of hand.  At that point, Walter came forth and told Mr. Gross the story, but Gross was too angered at that point and asked for Walter’s resignation, which he gave.  It was sad, because he and Walter had been good friends too.  So thus, it was a bittersweet promotion for me. On a lighter note, Martha’s TV show was a highlight every day.  Her cooking is fabulous, and the crew always got to sample the things she did after every show.  I owe my current weight to her, but I can’t ignore my own blame.  She also, as I said earlier, had celebrity guests.  I particularly recall actress Zasu Pitts, and actors Pat Boone, George Montgomery (Dinah Shore’s husband), Chill Wills and Cliff Robertson.  In the summertime, we would haul the cameras outside by the company’s swimming pool to do the show daily, weather permitting.  On the occasion of Zazu Pitts’ appearance, I recall she came up to me to tell me how much she was enjoying the dessert Martha had concocted that day.  Miss Pitts was a comedienne who appeared in many movies in the 30’s and 40’s. It was always a bit more exciting to do the show when celebrities were there.  I suppose that I was especially entranced because of my love of the movies.

That swimming pool was a great place to spend our weekends as a family.  Mr. Gross opened it to all employees after hours and weekends.  There was a snack bar adjacent to the pool house, and he would provide ice cream, drinks and other foods, with  the stipulation that volunteers man the kitchen and clean up afterwards.  That worked for a number of years until volunteerism decreased.  After that, it was usually just opened on holidays (not too many in the warm months), so it was limited in its use. 

Bob and Barbara Bloom moved from Grand Rapids to Jackson, Michigan. He worked for the American Marietta Company (building tiles, supplies).  We connected with them once or twice during those early years.  Our gasoline budget was limited for our big 1958 Buick.   Even trips back to Bay City were limited.  Soon after, Bob was transferred to Florida, and we lost touch for some time.  One day, I got a tragic phone call from my Mom.  She informed me that Bob had committed suicide.  My Dad had always thought Bob was “high-strung”.  I didn’t think so and I still don’t understand what happened. It’s a sad memory indeed.

Videotape started being used in place of film in 1966, but a much more major event took place that year, on January 8.  Our second daughter, Ruth Ellen was born!  Now Lynne had a baby sister to love and care for.  Most memorable about her birth was Elinor’s ride to the hospital with me.  When Lynne was born, Elinor’s labor was lengthy.  Although I had been warned that the “second one” can come quickly, I endeavored to stay within the speed limits as we drove to Sparrow Hospital.  Elinor is a very quiet person, and although she moved a lot in her seat, I was too relaxed to notice.  Well, we did make it to the hospital, but just in the nick of time.  They wheeled her in, and by the time I had registered and went to the delivery room, Ruth was already here!  One more outstanding memory!!

God continued to have plans for me and us as a family.  When we first arrived in Lansing, we searched for a home church, and found Trinity Lutheran on Saginaw and Chestnut streets.  Enrolling Lynne in Sunday school, we had an hour or so before worship time.  There apparently was not an adult class at the time, so we decided to volunteer in the Sunday school.  Teachers are always needed, so that started our life-long love of teaching, leading and sharing God and His Word.  What a blessing that has been for our whole family.  You’ll be reading more about that as this story continues.

My role in broadcast television remained pretty stable through about 1980.  During that time I had several fine assistants in the Film Department.  Some names escape me, but I do recall Dennis Burbach, Bill Shipley, Dennis Smyth and Curt Peterson.  Curt came to us from a background in movie theatres, so we hit it off immediately.  He was working as a projectionist at the Northside Drive-In Theatre, not far from our home.  He eventually became a manager there and eventually left the TV station.  But for a time, I did some part-time extra work, relieving him one or two nights a week or more.  Of course, with my love of the movies, I enjoyed every minute.  I never was really fond of drive-ins, however.  Indoor theatres are my passion.  Also, it took more time away from family at the same time, which was hard for us.  Elinor had found a job with the Red Cross in the blood lab (she loves science related work), so it helped us financially, but probably was also hard to do all we wanted to do and be all we wanted  to be as Christian parents.  God was caring for us, even though sometimes we didn’t realize it or acknowledge it to the best of our ability.  My connection with Curt ended some time later, when the company that operated the drive in decided to run X-Rated films.  I did not wish to be a part of that.  So Curt and I parted amicably and are still friends.  Elinor decided to be a stay at home Mom after Ruth’s birth and did so until she was able to start school.  

We have always loved camping, and travel.  At first, we made a few trips to visit friends, such as Will Caradine in Washington, D.C. and Erni and Werner Henkel in Pennsylvania. Will gave us a tour of Washington.  He was currently a reporter for the Washington Post.

He and his wife and the Henkels had visited us in Bay City before we moved to Lansing. Another time, we borrowed Mom and Dad Hofmeister’s travel trailer (we had to trade cars in order to pull it) for a trip to the state park at Rogers City, Michigan.  What a fun week that was.  I recall especially Lynne’s “Rock Shop”.  She found rocks and shells along the lake shore and in the campground and set up a display on the picnic table. During the time there, Mom and Dad Hofmeister and brother-in-law Larry and wife Pat came up for a cookout with us.  Rogers City is about a two hour drive from Bay City.  We still had the camping “bug”, but weren’t sure what type of unit to buy.  We borrowed a friend’s tent and other paraphernalia to try out tent camping.  This time the camp was at Otsego Lake State Park near Grayling, Michigan.  That was fun to a point.  It rained a lot and that is not conducive to tent camping.  So a tent got crossed off our list.  Next we tried renting a pop-up (or fold-down) tent trailer and traveled to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  Again, it rained a lot, so we ran from the rain to the Atlantic coast and the Outer Banks.  The weather turned very nice there, and aside from a terrifying few moments in the ocean, it was a good camp.  Lynne was in the water and an undertow took her out into deeper waters.  She called for help and there was a lifeguard there to save her. Another memory that will always stick.

Despite the rainy experiences, we determined our first camper to be a pop-up.  It fit our budget and current lifestyle.  I found a brand new “Krown Kamper” for sale at the local Bud Kouts Chevrolet dealer, where we had also recently purchased a new car.  It was a bare bones model, with just the beds.  With suggestions from my father in law, I tackled building benches and a cabinet with a Formica top on it. Elinor helped by preparing some nice orange colored plastic cushions for the top of the benches, which could then be lifted to reach items stored inside.  We had found a used camp stove and a new ice chest, so we were in business.  That was in 1969.  So we began our camping trips around Michigan campgrounds, our parents joining us occasionally and friends Marlyn and Carol Lundgren, whose children were close to our daughter’s ages.  I can’t remember any rainy weather those first trips, but there probably was.  The old saying is, it’s easier to remember the good times and close out the not so good.

One not so good that I won’t forget is the death of my father Orlo Henry Miller, on October 7, 1970.  It was very sudden, but the way he would have wanted it.  Mom and Dad were at the cabin on the Two Hearted River near Newberry, Michigan, when he fell unconscious.  Shortly afterwards, he revived and Mom urged him to get in the car and head for Newberry (he never would see a doctor).  Somehow she convinced him, and she drove toward the hospital.  Just as they arrived, he fell unconscious and died.  It was diagnosed as a coronary occlusion.  We got the call shortly afterwards and Elinor called me at the office.  Our phone operator, Wanda Kerns, wished not to alarm me, but she did.  I rushed home, not really knowing what the emergency was, as my three girls came out to meet me.  We gathered our things together and headed for Roscommon.  Mom was being brought back there from Newberry by a good friend and neighbor, who rushed up there to get her and drive her back to Roscommon.  We arrived at the house before she did, so it was a tearful reunion when she did arrive.  A difficult time, as is any death in the family.  As tough as it was, it would have been much more so without the love and support of my wife and daughters.  Mom came to visit us, but being as resilient and independent as she was, continued  to live her widow’s life by being active with friends.  She was determined to stay in Roscommon.  That would later prove to be a good decision for her new life.  

In 1971, we enjoyed more camping trips to South Dakota and the Badlands.  Later in the summer we visited Copper Harbor in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  As the years flew by, we had wonderful camping trips to Canada, the great western states and the New England states. We both continued to enjoy volunteering at Trinity Lutheran Church.  Now that both girls were in school, Elinor decided to go back to work.  This time is was in accounting at Swift and Company, the meat distributor.  This again was a big boost to our finances as we endeavored to pay off our mortgage and accumulate funds for retirement.  Around that time I began to continue correspondence with my friend Will, who among other things changed his last name!  His name was Willard Caradine Clopton, a last name he disliked.  So he legally dropped Clopton, and became Will Caradine.  He had moved to Cincinnati after more schooling, became a Psychologist.  We have continued our friendship and occasional get-togethers ever since.

With Trinity in downtown Lansing, and we several miles from there, decided to visit the new Hope Lutheran Church in DeWitt.  Our original thought was to have the girls meet new friends that they would not just see on Sundays.  We did transfer our membership there and the girls did meet some new friends.  Lynne, very accomplished with her guitar, played there occasionally, and in at least two weddings.  She also had friends from our neighborhood that belonged to nearby Calvary Baptist Church, who invited her to participate in their youth groups.  This I do believe helped her grow spiritually.  The Lutheran Church did have a tendency to be boring and dogmatic.  However, our young Pastor David Franzmeier and his wife Linda were wonderful people and became close friends, with whom we still keep in touch.  As with any church, there are always a few folks who disagree and cause discontent.  In this case, David and Linda adopted a black child, which in the 70’s was still a bone of contention in our country.  So eventually, David received a call to be a pastor in his home state of Minnesota, and decided to leave.  It was a sad time, but we wished them well.  Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately for us, the new pastor had different problems and we felt we were not growing spiritually and after much prayer, decided to transfer to St. John’s Lutheran Church in St. Johns.  This was a major step, because it was 10 miles to our north.  But we were drawn there by word about the Pastor and his growing church.  We have always been led to be active wherever God leads us, and this was no exception.  I again led an Adult Bible Study and became an Elder.  God blessed me with a class on Sunday morning of about 40 people!  At that time the pastor had taken another call, and for a while we were in a vacancy.  But God always provides, and I point to His Spirit leading me at that particular time, with the large class.  Soon, we had a new pastor, Robert (Bob) Marquardt. He was a great influence on me.  He invited me to preach a couple of Sundays (Elinor always said I never shut up!) and it was challenging, but it certainly helped me grow.  He was also the one who encouraged me to join the Spa.  What better influence than that, physically speaking?  Now I could grow both spiritually and physically. But when he decided to go to law school in his spare time, the congregation rose up and objected.  At least a vocal few of them. Sadly, it eventually led to his leaving the ministry and changing his lifestyle.  He divorced his wife and moved to Colorado.  The same problem that challenged us before, arose again when the new pastor was so different, that eventually we felt we needed a change to continue to grow in our faith. That led to Plymouth Congregational Church in Lansing, much closer to where we made our home.

But, I am ahead of myself.  Much bigger events occurred before that. In late November of 1973, we got a call from my Mom, announcing her engagement and soon marriage to William LeRoy DeWitt, “Roy” to all his friends. What a surprise!  We didn’t even know she had dated him  Roy’s wife had died the previous year, and their announcement also shocked his children (all nine of them!). Roy was a well-known and respected member of the Roscommon community.  He had large holdings in the local bank, a lumber mill and other real estate holdings. The wedding took place on New Year’s weekend and of course we were invited to the celebration.  It was a little awkward for all of us, but it turned out very well in the end.  We were taken into the family, as if we had always been there.  It made this new transition a bit easier.  Mom and Roy would spend the winters in Florida, and summers in Michigan, at the lovely home on Higgins Lake.  Later, they sold Mom’s house and used the money to build a new place on the AuSable River, east of  Grayling.  It was fun for Mom, who loved to cook on her new combination wood and gas range.  We grew to know and love the family, even though we did not see each other that often. Roy was much older than Mom (about 10 years) and their marriage lasted only five years before he passed away.  During their time together, he gave each of his children a large sum of money and included us in that as well.  At his death, he left Mom well provided for financially.  After my father’s death, she had felt distanced from God until she met Roy.  He was of the Catholic faith, and although both a priest and the local Lutheran minister presided at their wedding, she decided to join Roy’s church.   She became very committed from then on.  Again, God working in our lives without us often not realizing it.  He is an awesome God!

After Roy’s death, Mom decided to move to Lansing, where she could be closer to us.  As wonderful as the Dewitt’s were to all of us, they had their own lives and she needed us.  So she purchased a beautiful ranch-style condo in Glens of Whitehills in East Lansing.  She was outgoing and made many new friends.  I believe most if not all of them were widows. They had fun together, and she did her share of driving them around in her new Oldsmobile.  Although my Dad was a Buick man, the Dewitt’s were Oldsmobile drivers.  Naturally, they got her a good deal. 

In 1981, Lynne began her career in social work, after graduating from Michigan State University.  Her first car was a 1975 Camero, but now, like us, she had a smaller more economical VW Rabbit. We had gone from Buicks to Chevrolets to Toyotas!  How times change.

In 1982, I got a boost to my missing the theatre business.  Home video was in its infancy, but with connections through the TV station, we were in the forefront with Betamax, the first home system on the market, and of course I managed to get a player.  Shortly after that Sony came out with Big Screen Projection TV units.  I was able to get a great discount on one of the big 72” coffee table type projector.  Wow! My own home theatre and it looked great. I still have the highly reflective screen, and a new Toshiba projector in line with the digital age.  My beta movie collection grew and grew—got the first home video copy of “Star Wars” from a connection in Hawaii who was a friend of Harrison Ford.  Eventually, beta was replaced by VHS and now DVD.  Now, in 2008, newer and better digital equipment is within reach for many.  But, everything is in the eye of the beholder, and I still love what I have, along with satellite TV reception and my new connection with NCG Cinemas, what more could I ask for? Nothing!

We continued with our jobs, church work and camping travels. In 1977 Swift and Company closed its Lansing office, and Elinor was unemployed for a while, until she went to work in a similar accounting position with Kraft Foods Dairy Group, later Lansing Dairy.  That same year, I moved from the Film Department, enticed by Mr. Gross’ promise of a new computer system, to Traffic Manager. I missed the film and videotape department, but this was a new challenge.  Actually, it was stressful, as I took the job before the computers came in, and several months were a challenge learning a job that would become obsolete as soon as the computer system was installed several months later.  

I had always wanted a motorhome, but it was never in the budget.  Our good friends, Chet and Jean Schwerin, who we met at St. Johns, had a Class C motorhome and camped with us often.  Chet had a friend who had remarried after her first husband’s death, and had inherited a motorhome, which the new couple did not use.  She lived only a few blocks from us.  Needless to say, once we took a look at it, and discussed a reasonable price, we bought it!!  First trip was to surprise Elinor’s sister Gail and husband Terry at a weekend outing in Gaylord that they had invited us to!  We drove into the Holiday Inn where they were staying, and took everyone for a ride (Terry, Gail and their three kids, Mike, Michelle and Tricia).  We got a flat tire on the little jaunt, but found a place to fix it, very quickly.  That was an omen of things to come while we had that unit, but not before we had oodles of enjoyment with it.

Now, we had made the big financial leap to buy the rig, and just a week or so later (it was winter yet), Ruth and her  boyfriend came to us with an announcement.  They told us they were engaged! He never did ask my permission….Ruth did all the talking.  Ruth was just to graduate from High School and Bill Drury Jr. had already finished.  They met while they both worked at Burger King.  We should have suspected something, the way Bill kept coming around almost as much as I did when I was dating Elinor.  The wedding was to take place July 6 and Pastor Marquardt performed the ceremony.  It was a beautiful wedding with a large wedding party and a reception at a hall in Okemos, Michigan, about 20 miles or so away.  My other memory of that night (most of which is recorded on video), was after the pictures, we had to drive hurriedly to the reception, driving Dad Hofmeister’s big Chrysler (I was used to our little Toyota).  I didn’t realize you can go faster than it seems, and on the expressway near WJIM-TV, a policeman was waiting under the overpass.  Yup! I got a ticket, and no explanation was acceptable to him.  Another one of those memory moments.  I don’t think God had anything to do with it, or maybe He did?

Next big event, was the Christmas gift of our first grandson, William Paul Drury III, born on December 18.  He was and continues to be a special blessing to our family.  During the ensuing years, we continued at our respective jobs, enjoying camping trips to National Parks and seeing much of the continental United States.  Bill continued his education with a goal toward being an EMT and firefighter, which he accomplished with the help of Ruth.  They moved to a nice apartment in the Groesbeck area of Lansing, near the border of East Lansing.  About the same time, our pastor Marquardt left St. Johns and was replaced by another strange minister, Pastor Schmidt.  Strange in that he did not seem cut out for the ministry.  Again, we felt being held back, although we did our best, God was again at work in our lives.  I have long since ceased to believe in coincidences.  In the next block from Ruth and Bill’s apartment was Plymouth Congregational Church.  We all decided to visit it one Sunday, and were moved to join there.  It was neat to have our whole family worship together. We became involved as we always have, finding again that God’s Spirit was leading us.  When Pastor Schmidt from St. Johns stopped in to see why we had left, that strange man told us “the Congregational Church is the last place people go before they leave church altogether!” Boy, could he have been further from the truth!  Not only did we get involved, serving on boards and my publishing the monthly newsletter, we attended Pastor Patrick Shelley’s classes in which our Bible knowledge was so enhanced that it has really helped us grow in our faith, for me at least, since catechism in the Lutheran church. For ten years we continued to grow, gain many new friends and had our family with us.

Lynne had moved to the Chicago area to pursue her career, so she was not with us very often.  She and her good friend Lorie Spear had an apartment together and were there until the fall of 1985.  In September of that year, the two of them set out on an adventure by moving to San Francisco.  They were there until September of 1987.  Although they found some work, it was a very financially challenging period for both of them.  A highlight of their time there, at least for us, was our motorhome trip to visit them.  It was the first major trip in our class C rig, and Elinor’s parents went with us.  We stopped in Rocky Mountain National Park, a favorite spot on our other trips west.  It was fun having Mom and Dad along and Earl was a big help when handyman help was needed, such as when we had a plumbing leak and the roof vent came detached.  We visited Lynne and Lorie, and camped in a park just south of the city.  They took us sightseeing and visited a restaurant that had recipes familiar to Ella, such as “bill-min” meatball soup that she often made.  It was a Russian restaurant, and although her parents were German, they came from a province in Russian territory.  So the soup was almost identical to Ella’s recipe.  It was a real highlight for her as well as us. We enjoyed our visit immensely, especially since we had not seen Lynne in a year or more.  So, in 1987 when they decided to return to Chicago, we were glad Lynne would be closer.  It was meant to be, for after returning, some time later her good friend Cheryl Smith was able to get her a position with Anixter Center, an organization working with the developmentally disabled.  She is still there, with more responsibilities and it has helped her gain success in her career.  It does not sound like an easy position, but Lynne has the attitude and temperament to cope with it.

On September 18, 1990, our second grandson, Andrew Ross Drury was born.  He was a big healthy baby and a delight to the family and his big brother, Billy, who would soon have someone to play with and also wrestle and tease.  Guess that’s what all siblings do (at least the boys?) Sadly and quite suddenly, Elinor’s father, Earl, died on November 26, 1990.  He had angina, but seemed to be holding his own.  I noted on our trip west earlier, that it was difficult for him to be in high altitudes, but he never complained.  We were thankful that he had at least been able to hold baby Andrew a few weeks before his heart attack and death.  To lose a parent at any time or circumstance is always very difficult.  His wife, Ella was not in the best of health, but continued living in her home until 1995.

During my last years at WJIM, things were changing also.  Some kooks from ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged Mr. Gross and the station for not supplying enough public service time for programming, and short changing one group over another. I say kooks, because sometimes the organization stands up for the little guy for very good reasons, but this time, they were most likely against Gross because they assumed he was a ruthless millionaire.  I never found him to be that way, and we had a solid friendship, especially noteworthy, because I was basically just another employee of over 100 people. Anyway, this challenge went on for several years, and I was involved in research of our old film and tape records for the court case.  It tired us all out.  I am not certain how all the final details were worked out, but the end result was that Gross sold the station.  I do believe he was just plain tired of the whole thing.  He sold it to a vice-president of CBS and the station did well, with some new people at the helm, but that lasted only a year, when it was sold again to the current owners, Young Broadcasting of New York.  They now own several stations. One of my assistants, Tom Best stayed with the company and is with them yet, as far as I know.  I mention this, because in 1991, the current station manager, Grant Santimore offered me early retirement.  My department worked well with the previous Sales Managers, until Young took over and promoted a young woman by the name of Kim Lantis.  She was a typical “climber” and I would not mar this narrative by going into more detail.  She and I clashed almost daily.  But I am sure it was also due to the pressures of corporate and their operating procedures, which to me seemed much less than ethical.  So I was happy to accept the retirement offer, ending thirty years with the station on June 30, 1991.  A whole new life was to open to me and I believe this too was not a coincidence but another “God moment” in my life.

Chapter Nine: A New Era

Elinor decided to remain at the dairy for the time being, so I became a “house husband”. Although I sometimes call myself a “neatnick”, I was learning a whole new area in keeping the house and laundry and kitchen neat and clean.  

To celebrate my retirement, we decided on another western trip in our motorhome. To date, it was to be the best trip we had taken.  Earlier, omen number two for the class C motorhome had been to repair the upper bed area, because the wood around the frame had rotted.  There had been an unseen leak under the mattress.  But we still loved the unit and it will always be a very pleasant memory.  Omen number three would come at the end of this trip.  The destination was the Grand Tetons National Park.  A spectacular place to visit and spend time enjoying walks and the scenery.  God was with us as we drove home via a steep, curving mountain pass in Montana.  It taxed the engine and we had breathtaking views.  But the little engine held out until we reached Ashland, Wisconsin, a small town on the shores of Lake Superior.  Just about eight hours from home the engine threw a rod.  Luckily, we had a CB, and a passer-by stopped and gave me a ride back into town (we were a couple miles east) and told me of a great trucking service garage.  For a small town, they were great and came out and towed us back to inspect the damage.  Bottom line, I needed a new engine.  What a retirement gift!! On top of that, Elinor was still working, and I was sure she needed to get home before a new engine could be shipped from Chicago and installed.  She now tells me she could have stayed, but I made her go home by Greyhound.  She will never (let me) forget that!! The bus from there to Lansing stopped at every Podunk and criss-crossed Michigan on its way.  In a motorhome you don’t bring a suitcase, but you do have a laundry bag.  That was what Elinor had to use to pack her clothes for home.  We still refer to her experience as a “bag lady”, on the trip that drove all night and when arriving in Lansing, the bus driver would not let her off at our corner near US-27, but took her almost to East Lansing, where she got off near Plymouth Church. It was Sunday morning, and she found a friend just getting out of church to take her home.  A memorable retirement start for me and a silly one for Elinor.

In 1992, our daughter Ruth went back to college part-time to broaden her medical career, worked two part-time jobs and took care of her boys.  How she had time to rest, we will never know.  Along the way, Ruth and Bill purchased their first home in the same Groesbeck area where they had lived in an apartment.  They also bought their first camper, a lot nicer than the one we had.  Bill liked new things and good things.  We, on the other hand, continued to travel and decided the 1975 Class C 18 foot motorhome was getting tired and I wished for a little more space.  We found our second motorhome in Grand Rapids.  I had been looking for a newer Class C, but we found a 28 foot Class-A Fleetwood Flair, at a good price and in nice condition.  It was a 1989 model.  So off we were in new camping adventures.  We had yet to visit Florida again, since a trip in our pop-up to visit my Mom and Roy while they were there.  So another trip to Florida was on the horizon.   Turned out in 1994 we would go to Disney World and that Ruth and Bill and the boys would follow us with their new Fifth Wheel enclosed trailer.  We were joined for a day by Gail and Terry Miner, and visited Cape Canaveral.  

Chapter Ten: More Family Changes

Elinor’s Mom, Ella continued living by herself in their home on Nebobish.  We all stopped over as often as we could, most distant for us in Lansing.  Son Jim, lived the closest, and elected to stop in every day after work.  Also, her sister Marie Schaefer, living nearby also, would check on her in person and by phone often.  However, one night Ella got up to go to the bathroom, and slipped and fell in the hallway.  She broke her arm and her hip. She laid there for some time before someone came to check and found her.  With emphysema and general poor health, she was not a candidate for surgery, so she ended up in a nursing home, albeit a very nice one, the Carriage House of Bay City.  We visited as often as we could, as did the whole family. She lived there until she passed away at the age of 83, on December 29, 1996.

Also in 1995, Lynne and Lorie purchased a condo in a fantastic castle-type building.  In fact, it was called Park Castle.  Although on the third floor with no elevator, we were all healthy enough to climb the stairs.  Even my Mom, Ruth DeWitt, age 88 made the trip up!  The place had an indoor art-deco pool in which the girls swam often, and although Grandma did not, Elinor and I joined them more than once.  

That same year, Grandma Ruth moved again! She had already tried three or four different apartments within Independence Village, the retirement home she had been in for quite some time.  This time, she moved a block away to Abbott Parkside, a senior apartment complex.  She had her own kitchen, cooked her own meals and still was driving her own car.  This move was not a good omen, however.  More about that later.

Another busy part of that year was daughter Ruth and husband Bill’s decision to build their own home in DeWitt.  This community has an outstanding school system and was I believe, one of the primary reasons for building there.  Timing between selling their first home and completing the new one presented a living problem.  This was easily solved, since they had upgraded their camping equipment to a fifth-wheel trailer.  They parked it in our back yard and we hooked up power and water.  The house was completed in time for Christmas.  They sub-contracted the building, and did a lot the work themselves.  

During all that time, we managed to make that trip to Florida in March, visiting the Keys and Everglades.  In late August, we hooked a trailer onto the motorhome with a tractor and other items belonging to brother-in-law Larry, and drove to Parker, Colorado, and a suburb of Denver, to deliver the items.  He had just moved there with his newest wife, Gloria, an airline pilot!  We managed to take a couple days to visit Rocky Mountain National Park again, one of our favorites.

Another trip to California was on the horizon for 1998.  We set out for points west, and toured most of California’s coast and some inland parks.  Along the way, near Silicon Valley, lived my cousin Chuck and his wife Sharon.  Charles Frank Kaekel and Thomas Kaekel are the sons of my uncle Elwyn (Al) and his wife Corinne. Tom and his wife Mary Lou sill live in Bay City.  They have a grown son and daughter.  Al is the uncle (my mother’s only brother) who gave me that toy movie projector.  We enjoyed a few days with Chuck and Sharon, camping at a park nearby.  From there we were headed to the two big National Parks in California, Sequoia and King’s Canyon.  On the way, the Flair sputtered and the transmission died.  We stumbled into Fresno, to the RV dealer for Fleetwood and discovered we’d be homeless for a few days. However, the dealership after being informed we had reservations at Sequoia, kindly gave us a loaner motorhome. It was a smaller Flair, but very nice.  So we were able to continue, returning when the repairs were finished and then continued our trip to Kings Canyon and beyond.  We visited Yosemite, San Francisco again, all the way to Bodega Bay where Alfred Hitchcock filmed his movie, “The Birds”. We drove all the way to the Redwoods, before heading east through Reno, Nevada, vowing to return some day, which we did!  In Montana, we spotted an RV dealer and hearing that one could buy there without paying tax, checked out the inventory.  Nothing was in our price range.  However, our last stop on the return trip was Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground in Mackinaw City, Michigan.  There we spotted a beautiful rig with a for sale sign in the window.  We left a note on the door, and next morning a knock on our door revealed the owner, who actually lived in Mason, very near Lansing.  To make a long story short, we visited the owners when we got home and made the deal!  Now we had two motorhomes. Yikes!  But all was well; we advertised the Flair, parked it at Bill and Ruth’s and sold it before too much time had passed (our budget!) That new motorhome was a 1993 Pace Arrow, 36 feet long, with a separate bedroom and luxurious amenities.  What a dream come true for us.

Chapter 11: More Challenges

Sometimes dream can be tough ones as well.  In retrospect, it could have been much worse.  Although Elinor was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 1999, she had surgery and beat it soundly. But we did have some super times exploring the country that year.  In the Spring we drove west again, this time the southern route. We visited Texas, Arizona and New Mexico and on return, back through Texas seeing Houston, San Antonio and Galveston.

As if that weren’t enough, late summer and fall took us back northwest to the Oregon coast, Vancouver, Banff, Jasper and Glacier Parks.  Looking back, it’s hard to believe we did all that the same year.  But we do have videos to back up all these trips.  Memories always there for us and our beloved family.

I mentioned earlier that our daughter Ruth was working two jobs and going to classes.  It did catch up with her this year and she had to spend a good deal of time on sick leave.  But God does not leave us hanging, and she did recover and we thank Him for that.  His hand is ever present in our life.  Too bad that often it is hindsight that reveals His presence to us. As I grow older, I do see His Spirit moving in my life.  I am sure that my personal relationship with Him as affected my perception and understanding.  Again, I do thank Him.

So now, the new millennium reaches us.  I recall as a youngster thinking “wouldn’t it be great to live to the year 2000?”  Well, here I am and it looks pretty good. But the new millennium also brought more tears.  On February 4, 2000, my mother, Ruth DeWitt went to be with the Lord at the age of 92.  She had struggled with cancer, angina and renal failure. She became ill shortly after moving to Abbott Parkside.  She was in and out of care facilities for a time, until she could move back to Independence Village, where she stayed until her death.  She lived a long and beautiful life and I am blessed to have been her son. Lynne’s friend Lorie lost her mother near that time as well.  A sad time for all of us.

Later that year, we decided that if Billy and Andrew could put up with Grandma and Grandpa for a couple of weeks, we’d do a return trip to Disney World.  It was time for new tires on the RV, but we didn’t know it until we had been on the road about three hours.  The right front blew and I carefully worked us to the side of the road.  We were able to call for help and got repairs made temporarily.  We drove to Fort Wayne, Indiana and found a tire place to mount us new tires and be on our way, only a half day behind schedule.  Further delays did not happen, and we had a great trip.  We did pick up a family of ants on the way home, and had a little program of cleaning and sanitizing which we could have done without.  It’s amazing the boys went with us, since their parents had just installed a new pool in the back yard.  Tough competition for Disney.

My friend, Michael Doyle, a professor emeritus from Michigan State University, wrote a book about Michigan Movie Theatres: A Pictorial History.  (Mike did an alumnus TV Show at WJIM.  That’s how we met).  In 2002, he contacted the owners of the new NCG 18 screen theatre being built in the new Eastwood Towne Center on Lake Lansing Road, and featured it in the book. The owner was looking for “previewers”.  People who would view the new movies before opening day, to be sure they were technically ready to show. Mike suggested me, and I have been with them ever since. It was a volunteer after hours job for free passes and concessions. I even spent a year on the real payroll part time as a projectionist.  So I am still connected to the movie theatre business. Now, in 2008 the movies have gone digital.  No more film, but I still love it. God blesses me

Challenges come in bunches.  I had been having problems walking upright and several doctors told me all I needed to do was exercise.  The pain was in my hamstrings.  So I began a regimen of physical therapy.  It only made the pain worse.  Finally, I found a specialist at MSU and she gave me some tests and an MRI which showed a problem in my spine, diagnosed as spinal stenosis.  I went to a local surgeon and checked out the need for surgery. I decided on a second opinion from the University of Michigan.  Weighing the two opinions, I went with Dr. Kim in Lansing.  

During this same period, Elinor was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She elected for a lumpectomy and chemo/radiation.  We decided that we might as well be “laid up” together, so I checked with my heart doctor, David Strobl of TCI, whom daughter Ruth had recommended (she works now with TCI, the vascular lab at Ingham Medical Hospital).  Since my recent stress tests showed a glitch, he wanted me to have a heart catherization before any surgery.  That was fortunate, because blockages were found and I received two stents.  That was just an overnight.  So early January, I had my back surgery which gave me a whole new life.  I could walk upright with no pain, and am still relatively pain free.  Now it’s arthritis!  So Elinor and I recuperated together, and she has been cancer free since then.  We do praise God and His watchful caring hand over us and those who helped in the healing.  God led us one more time in our walk with Him, to transfer to Redeemer United Methodist in DeWitt.  Ruth and Bill and the boys were worshipping there, and we felt drawn to be with them.  Again, those God moments were upon us.  We wanted to be involved as always, and He led us in yet another direction. We had had training in St. Johns in the Stephen Ministry, an outreach friendship program.  In joining the Outreach Team at Redeemer, Elinor received the inspiration to organize what we now call the “Friendship Ministry”, in which we call on shut-ins from the congregation, plus people with little or no family, living in nearby assisted living facilities.  We have been able to recruit and or keep about 20 volunteer “ministers” for the program.  Part of our leadership includes taking communion to our home bound members on a regular basis.  As with my leading/teaching Bible studies, the rewards are tremendous.

Chapter 12: What Lies Ahead

The year 2006 brought both joy and sadness. We celebrated our 50th Wedding anniversary.  The way the trends in lifestyles, longer life spans, advanced medicine and the like, makes it seem as though 50th anniversaries will be pooh-pooh’d and 75 will be the norm.  We got in just in time.  Our entire family took us on a “mystery” trip to celebrate a week together at a neat cottage on Lake Michigan.  It was a magical time for us all to be together.

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Unfortunately, on October 6, 2006, Mary Ann, Jim Hofmeister’s wife passed away after a lengthy battle with leukemia.  It was again, a difficult time for the family.  God gives and God takes away.  Jim and family are always in our prayers. Jim is Elinor’s young brother and has never been close to many of us.  That is his choice, not ours. I, being an only child, find that hard to understand.

Then, later that same year, another great joy for our family.  Our grandson, William III, found his soul mate while studying at Central Michigan University.  Kristen Gilmore came into our family that fall, as she and Bill began dating.  During 2007, they became engaged and set a May 2008 wedding date.  At this writing, we are anxiously awaiting that time.  In the meantime, however they both graduated, and both began sports medicine goals.  Kristen was able to secure a fine position with Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, where she wrote programs for the new office of Sports Trainers for local school systems.  She is now working with Mason High School.  

So now, as I look at my life and where God has led me, I can only see His hand more clearly each day.  Sometimes it remains a real challenge.  We continued to do RV trips, to southern locales and a final trip to Arizona with friends Marlyn and Carol in 2006.  When we returned, we sold the motorhome.  A reasonable choice in more difficult financial times for the country and ourselves.  My great joy is in leading a weekly Bible study of people our age.  Latest enrollment account is 37 persons.  We are called the Senior Small Group.  Most church small groups are about 10 people maximum.  We have been given a special “dispensation” because we want to stay together.  We tell everyone, “we’re old and set in our ways and we’re not breaking up!”  Because of this, we are too large to meet in homes; we use the multi-purpose room at the church each Wednesday, spend two hours studying and sharing, and then go out to lunch together.  We never have all 37 people there at the same time, but usually have 20-25 each week.  I am so blessed and I give all the glory to God who IS in control.  Now I am also blessed by leading the Adult Bible Class on Sunday mornings, now with 20 on board.  Back at Pilgrim Church in 1944-6, who would have thought where I would be today?  God moments, all of them.

Late 2007, Mike Doyle decided he wanted to do another book about small town theatres. He convinced me to assist. So we are co-authors of a book entitled “Boxoffice Open: Michigan’s Small Town Movie Theatres”. I did all the computer work and graphics and we had it self-published.  It was great fun and a moderate success.

Unfortunately, with all the joy and happiness, must come some sadness as well.  Lynne and her friend Lorie, parted ways after many years as suite-mates.  Sadly, it was not amicable.  And, Ruth and Bill divorced after 24 years of marriage. But Lorie and Bill will always been a part of our extended family, in our hearts.   It has been a difficult year for all concerned, but God is leading us through it, and we still remember He is in control, even though there are some briars in the road.  

Kristen and William III are living in DeWitt, with Bill in the home he and Ruth built, and in the new home rental that Ruth has, also in DeWitt.  They share time with each parent, and visit Kristen’s parents in Rochester, Michigan, her home town. Her parents, Karen and Norm have joined our family for get togethers, and we are so blessed to have a grand growing extended family.   William has been unable to secure a permanent position in his field, with the great downturn in the economy, but is currently working as a substitute teacher in schools in the tri-counties of Ingham, Clinton and Eaton.  His plans are now to expand his education in the nursing field.  The couple has now found a rental home that they can move into after December, 2008.  We are excited for them, and spend precious time together at family meals and holidays.  

I have been so blessed by my loving family and wonderful friends that I cannot say for one minute, that it has been anything but a wonderful life.  As cliché ridden as it might sound, it is my true belief.  As I have reached my seventy-eighth year, I continue to be in good health and love every minute of every day, even when I wake up too early or fall asleep too early in the evening. (I DO stay up later than necessary, but I love it)  I am blessed!

Now, it is 2010 and as I approach my 80th birthday, much has happened to change our lives even more.  We remain in good health and we thank God for that.  But sadness entered our lives, when Bill and Kristen's beautiful wedding was realized, and then shortly after that, they became separated due to what most people call "unreconcilable differences".  Enough said at this time.  

Ruth bought a new home in the Fall of 2009, very near to us on Brook Road, and William is living with her at this time, working for the U.S, Census and a part-time job with Menard's in South Lansing.  With the huge recession in our country, he is one of many unable to find a job in his chosen field.  Andrew has moved out on his own, and is working a full-time job at the Menard's in West Lansing, while attending classes at Lansing Community College.  

Update July 2011

My birthday celebration with the family at a beautiful lake in the north country, was wonderful and full of surprises. Although I turned 80, I feel much younger, especially since that event.  The normal aches and pains of growing older are still there, but tolerable.  This new year has promises and we pray for continued healing in William and Kristen's relationship.  Ruth has what her sister calls a "new squeeze", a very kind gentleman by the name of Robert Templeman, and the two of them seem inseperable.  He is a chef, and a very good one.  We are very happy for them.  My life continues to be filled with many rewards..the most being the blessing of leading two Bible Studies at Redeemer Church.  Wednesdays, the senior group, about 35 strong, meet for study and fellowship and weekly trips to local restaurants after class for lunch.  Sundays, I lead another group of about 20.  What a blessing to have such close, loving Christian friends.  My life is full!

We are so blessed in our family. Ruth and Robert have become a permanent twosome.  They really have been taxed in coping with problems together.  The new home revealed some huge water problems in the finished lower level.  After months of tedious trial and error, a new lift pump was installed by Elinor's brother John Hofmeister, a builder and wonderful family member from Bay City.  That solved the plumbing problem for the kitchen and bath, but problems persisted.  The Spring of 2011 presented unprecedented rainfall in the mid-Michigan area, and the basement flooded from a poor drain system.  Again, John to the rescue, installed a sump pump and complete restoration began.  A final problem in a window well which filled with water at the slightest rain, was cemented shut.  Now the family room, office, kitchen, laundry and bath are completely updated and beautiful.  Regular daily life can actually begin!

Update August 2012

The new year contains joys and sorrows.  Ruth has accepted a position at the Perth Radiology Labs in Perth, Australia, and once all her papers are completed, she and Robert will be leaving near the end of October.  This will be a big change for all of us.  Thank goodness for Skype. On a sorrowful note, William and Kristen are unable to reconcile and the divorce is in progress.  He and brother Andrew are sharing the house on Smith Avenue for now.  That will change in October, when Andrew will move into Ruth's home and share it with our daughter Lynne, who is moving back from Chicago.  That's a one or two year committment, until Ruth's return (her plan is two to four years in Australia). So, all things change.  Elinor and I have been experiencing good health for the most part, but feeling our age in our arthritic bones a bit more.  The July trip to Eagle Lake was a fun one, albeit different.  Robert could only stay three days, as could Andrew and Bill.  So there were just us and our daughters, and Robert's 17 year old son Daniel, who was fun to have with us.  Early August, Elinor and I made a short trip to Alpena to visit new friends Sigrid and Bill McClay, on their beachfront summer home, then on to Mackinaw for a brief visit to our old "haunts" from camping days. So, life goes on.

I continue loving the movies, and my new 93" diagonal screen in my home theatre.  It's great to share it with family and friends. I will continue to update this rambling biography as the spirit moves me!

Update November 2012

Big family changes this month!  Ruth and Robert have moved to Perth, Australia.  She starts a new position on November 5th at the Perth Radiology Clinic, as an ultrasound technician (same thing she did in Lansing, but much better conditions and salary).  They arrived on October 31, after 22 hours total flying time, with a two day layover in Hong Kong. See all the photos on my Picasa Photo Page (link is under picture gallery OR links pages). Robert will be finding a chef's position, find a new apartment and car.  Currently in an apartment furnished by the Clinic, until they can find their own.  The whole family has made changes.  Lynne has moved from Chicago, to care for Ruth's house (planning on two years, but things change).  Andrew is moving into the house as well, and they become joint caretakers. He received his certification as an audio engineer, but being ever resourceful, and since jobs are hard to come by, is pursuing a second education at Lansing Community College as an EMT.  Bill also moved, and is now sharing a house with his boyhood friend Eric Schaar (he bought a house and is sharing a room for Bill).  It appears this biography is continually updating.  Stay tuned!

January 2013

It was a different Christmas this 2012..only five family members to celebrate the day.  Ruth and Robert experienced the holiday 13 hours ahead of us, but we joined each other via Skype while we opened gifts here in Michigan. Shortly after Bill moved in with Eric, it did not work out as planned, so he took us up on our invitation to move in with us until things are able to improve in his disrupted life.  Seems the divorce is still pending due to some errors in the original filing, but that is now re-underway this month, and that will hopefully one hurdle completed.  We are enjoying Bill's stay with us, but know his desire is to get back on his feet financially and emotionally....so we pray that God will lead all of us forward..and He will, because we all have faith in His Will.  We continue to move on with Jesus blessings and the Holy Spirit's guidance.

January 2015

I can hardly believe it's been two years since this page was updated.  Well, here goes! Bill has been able to improve his life very much in the last two years, and in the Fall of 2014 he and his brother Andrew found a very nice rental home with five acres of land in the western suburbs and move there with Bill's little dog, Bentley (with whom we became very attached). Bill's position with MESSA (Michigan Education Association, Medical Insurance wing) has been very good for him and he seems to really enjoying life. Andrew too has had some neat changes in his life. He's now working with friends in a local band, which is his first love in his field of expertise, He keeps busy with that, his work at Menard's and bicycle riding.  During  these years Andrew has met the love of his life, Lauren Rockwell.  They are planning a wedding in 2020.

Ruth and Robert are still in Australia, and although homesick, are making the most of the adventure, by traveling the country during their breaks from work. They plan a visit home in June of 2015.  Ruth keeps her options open for career moves back in  this country, and seems there is often an offer pending. We see each other every weekend  via Skype, so the separation is tolerable.  Elinor and I keep busy with work at Redeemer Church.  She with the Children in the program for youth called "Kingdom Quest" and her own bible classes.     I continue to teach two each week, one on Wednesdays for the Seniors and one on Sunday for all adults. It is very rewarding and God continues to bless us in so many ways.  Lynne is still maintaining Ruth's house here, and is currently managing a co-op housing facility in Okemos. We are blessed to have her nearby.  So, it's just the five of us still, getting together for holidays and birthdays, and general "dinner" gatherings. Healtlhwise we are doing well, I had another surgery this past year, to clear out the scar tissue from my earlier back surgery. My only regret is that Mr, Arthur-Itis seems to visit daily and limits my mobility.  But I thank God that I can maneuver well despite the pain. That's a very brief summary of the last two years.

Well, Ruth and Robert are back in the states, and after a year in Nevada, are now living in Pueblo, Colorado, where Ruth is managing Dr. Lane's office where she still is a Vascular Tech, and Robert is cooking at Colorado University.  We were able to visit them in August/September of 2016, and Lynne and her new partner Stephanie Newlin joined us for a week.  Drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, enjoyed some outdoor hot tubs on the way back to Pueblo, and had many fun outings and special meals.

Update 2017

It is now March 2017 and we are awaiting the birth of Andrew and Lauren's first child on or about April 10.  Stay tuned!

It's now the end of June and our first great-granddaughter has arrived! Scarlett Ophelia Drury was born April 14, 2017 and weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz! A lovely, healthy beautiful child!!  The new little family lives in Ada, Michigan. Below is a Jjune 7 photo of Scarlett and below that the rest of our family on  Christmas 2016..

Although less than an hour away, Great-Grandma and Grandpa don't get to visit very often, but it's early ;) Mommy and Daddy are busy people and have the help of Grandma Bridget and Great Grandparents Paul and Bridget while they pursue their careers. Lauren works primarily from home publishing a community magazine for Holland, MI and will probably also resume yoga instruction as time permits.  Andrew is now in his second year as a traveling "Lighting Designer" for various music groups. Along with local groups, in 2016 he traveled with Fred Hammond's Festival of Praise, for 3 months and this year (2017) with country star Trace Adkins. He loves his work, but regrets not being able to spend time with his family..most tours last all summer.

Update 2018

It's now March of 2018 and we are enjoying precious time with our great granddaughter Scarlett who will be a year old in three weeks! Mommy and Daddy have decided to begin planning for a new home of their own, hopefully building in the Grand Rapids-Hollard area, but in the meantime are staying with Grandma and Grandpa (Bumpy) Rockwell in their Wyoming, Michigan home, while Lauren continues to build her business publishing and Andrew continues his second year with Trace Adkins.  We are blessed to be able to spend at least one day each week with Scarlett, either in their home or ours.  What a precious time we are experiencing!  

Update 2020

Now, here it is January 2020 and we're still here! Each year brings new changes. Started 2019 with another back surgery which was only semi-successful. But then in August had my right knee replaced with great success. Took care of 90% of my back pain. Seems I have been walking "wrong" for almost two years. Slowly things are correcting.  Now, soon to be 90, just need to deal with arthritis and aging. Then, an accident--fell on my new knee and ruptured the quadracept. Not good. Now need to walk with a cane...but doing okay!

Major changes with family...Andrew, Lauren and Scarlett (3 years old in April) have moved to Nashville to be closer to Andrew's work with Trace Adkins and Lauren publishing a "Welcome" magazine for a neighborhood there.  We really do miss that little one, but they do come up for periodic visits

As I add this paragraph, we have experienced our first major snowfall of the winter (January 13) with 8 inches and more on the way.  Nice day to stay inside.

Grandpa Paul has passed on and is sorely missed.  The two Grandma Rockwells remain in Wyoming.  Daughter Lynne still maintains the house for Ruth and Robert here in Dewitt township near our place and Ruth and Robert were still in Pueblo, Colorado. But that has changed too. They have been planning to start a bed and breakfast place next year, but their landlord wanted his house back, and so they made the decision to move their plans up a year and on April 2020 moved to the Nashville area and pursue their dream. Turned out that the plans changed slightly. They found a new home on 3 acres in Franklin, TN and also have found a new idea--called "Hip Camp" where they provide overnight campsites on their property for travelers in RV's.  The website provides site information and bookings. In addition, if so desired, the campers can purchase gourmet meals provided by Chef Robert. Although they have just begun, it is already proving to be a successful endeavor! Plus an added bonus..they are near Lauren, Andrew and Scarlett! She loves to visit Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Robert often. Now 4 years old and a charmer!

It's Spring (April 2021) and flowers and trees are blooming.)  That's the good part. The sad part is that Covid-19 worldwide virus has attacked many people and our country is experiencing many illnesses, a nationwide "stay in place" order and apparently a deep recession as many have lost their jobs and the market is in decline. Fortunately we can stay connected via the internet.. History will be changing for all of us.

Updating January 2022.  Santa Claus brought Elinor and I the covid virus on Christmas Eve! Thankfully, it was mild...Probably the Omicron variant. After a two week quarantine, we are carefully resuming contacts. No one else in the family caught it, although we were reminded that Lauren and Scarlett had a mild case during last summer of 2021. Now all the family that lives in Tennessee are well and surviving a little unusual snowy weather.

We trust God will lead us through all these changes and things will return nearer to normal soon.

I

Update February 2024

Well...I've never been this old before! It's been some time since the last update, so I will collect my thoughts and continue.....not many unusual events have occurred in the last two years. Still leading two Bible classes each week, using my love for using visuals in my classes. I am a big fan of Andy Stanley, and his video lessons are a big part of my classes.  I am blessed to have about 20+ persons in each gathering, and it seems that members respond and share a lot more these days, than back in earlier times. That's a real blessing, as it shows that God continues to work in our lives, and we all become more aware of it! We still have our 2013 Ford Edge (sorry, Dad) and love it.  But, it decided it needed a new timing cover, so it's in the shop and we are driving a loaner, in the name of Ford Escape, with all the new bells and whistles that come with the newer cars. The first taste of Spring (February 9) has arrived with sunshine and temperatures in the 50's! Our family continues to move along..Lynne still in the home on Brook Road, Ruth, Robert, Andrew, Lauren and Scarlett in Franklin, Tennessee. There's a rumor that a new addition to the Drury Franklin family may be happening:) Bill III has a new squeeze...Cyndi Ward and we enjoyed them and her two children, Estelle and James at our family Christmas gathering

memories......

The Rockwell family becomes part of our family.....