Loeffler
Family History
 |
We grew up on the family farm, which became a centennial farm in 1975. As farm families did, everyone worked as soon as they were able. I remember riding on the hay wagon at a very young age, with dad loading and mom driving the horses. Of course, there was always a garden with weeding and vegetable picking. The most memorable was picking green beans and peas. Planting and digging potatoes was much more fun. An outing would be to go picking sour cherries or blueberries. The grownups would go with Grandpa Wenk to pick huckleberries in the various marshes and we got to sort out the leaves and twigs and bad berries after they came home.
Dad always had a small dairy herd as well as pigs and chickens. The kids fed the chickens and gathered eggs-no one fought for that job. Mom took care of the kids, worked in the garden and did the canning and freezing of the vegetables, cleaned the eggs and traded them for groceries and helped with the farm work as necessary. Of course she cooked the meals. After dinner (now called lunch) we sometimes rested under the big maple trees and watched the clouds go by displaying their various formations.
A "fun" part of farming was threshing time, when the neighborhood farmers got together to thresh wheat and oats. It was usually a hot time of the year. You would hear about the cider jug in the mow, and how a swig could clear out the dust. At noontime there was always a fantastic dinner with either chicken or roast beef and of course some kind of pie. The men always washed up outside the back door with a pitcher and basin and "community towels".
Grandpa Wenk was the "head thresher" he owned the big Baker tractors and the threshing machines. I remember getting in trouble at Uncle Ernie's when I thought I could drive that tractor. Later as combines were coming in, Uncle Erv, Uncle Ernie and Dad worked together with the "small" rig and International tractor. At that time I was old enough to tend the blower which sent the straw to the straw stack in the barnyard. This was the bedding supply for the animals for the rest of the year. Strawstacks disappeared when balers became popular.
Church was an important part of our lives. Rarely was a Sunday missed. Sunday school was always held in what is now the old Zion church with Rev. Breuckner telling the Bible stories, using a flip chart with beautiful art work of the Old and New Testaments. Sunday School teachers would take the various age groups to hear memorized Bible verses and question the class regarding the story. We had nice hard cover books with pictures illustrating the stories. After church the Sunday dinner menu was fresh dressed chicken and noodle soup. Then, the kids were expected to have a nap. Work was not to be on Sunday. In the summer time we might go for a ride. Often we would visit great anuts and uncles, where we would probably be served popcorn and apples. Cousins would sometimes spend the night.
Christmas was fun, we all got packed into the car for the church Christmas program on Christmas eve. Mom always forgot something and had to go back into the house. Quite magically when we got home from church, Santa had been there and left presents and a decorated tree. We didn't quite understand why the living room door was always kept closed a few days before Christmas, but as time went on we figured it out.
Schools were much different. Grades K-8, all of the kids from the neighborhood, about a one mile square, were housed in a one room school, and taught by one teacher. We attended Rogers Corners at Fletcher and Waters Road, the teacher there for many years was Miss Hildegard Fontana. Students were expected to do the janitorial work, i.e. bring in water for the drinking fountain and the wash bowls, clean the blackboards, sweep floors and the outside toilets and porches.
The playground was divided between the "little" kids who had swings, teeter totters and a maypole and the "big" kids who had the east side, where we could play baseball and football. Backdoor-front door was a popular tag type game, as was Red Rover.
After 8th grade we were driven to high school by someone old enough to drive. That high school is no longer there, but is replaced by the School House Apartments. It was very difficult to become involved in the few after school activities that were available due to the transportation problems. After schools consolidated, and busing became available, or you were old enough to drive and fortunate enough to have access to a car, participation in after school activities became a little easier.
On January 31, 1959, Richard Bareis and Arlene were married at what now is Old Zion Lutheran Church, at Rogers Corners. Cheryl Ann Bareis was born Novermber 30, 1961, Diane Kay Bareis was born June 26, 1964, David George Bareis was born July 7, 1967, and Judith Lynn Bareis was born December 10, 1970. Richard was a Jr. High shop teacher and coach, Arlene was doing secretarial work and being a stay at home mom.
Cheryl is a teacher and married to Thomas Quinn, they have 2 sons, Alexander Thomas and Patrick David. Diane is the pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Kaleva. David works with the creation of radio spots in this area. Judy is a special ed teacher and is married to Fernando Hermosillo. They have a daughter Anna Vina and a son Fernando George.