Donnie and Mary Anderson

ANDERSON, FUNKHOUSER, BIRD

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/22/2015 at 17:09:24

Monona County, Iowa History
1982

Donnie and Mary Anderson, p 93

Donnie and I met when I was attending High School at Onawa in 1939, and staying with an aunt and uncle, James F. and Amy Simpson. We went together two years and married in January, 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Donnie was inducted into Uncle Sam’s Army, October 28, 1942, and I taught Maple landing School that year. The next three years Don saw service in California, Hawaiian Islands, Palmyra Island, and finally on Guam. I taught the Murphy School 2 years and Soldier No. 5 for a year. Don was discharged in November, 1945, and began to farm working for Orville Johnson, and then farming for Orville’s dad, Pete Johnson. We still farm the Johnson place and Mrs. Johnson is 102 years old. That was one job that has lasted 37 years.

We have 2 sons, Robert and Larry, and 2 daughters, Ann Boekhout and Loretta Hoaas. There are 8 grandchildren now.

Don’s folks were Alva Anderson and Pearl Funkhouser Anderson. He was the youngest of 8 children. They were Floyd, Fern, Howard, Dollie, Beulah, Minnie, Oliver, and Donnie. Alva’s dad brought his family to Whiting, Iowa from Ohio in a covered wagon when Alva was 7 years old.

My parents are Roy Bird of Missouri Valley, and Mrs. Omar Wood of Vancouver, Washington. The Dee Birds, Roy’s folks came to Harrison County with four other families by train from Kentucky when Roy was a small boy.

We bought the home place and moved there in 1962. Then built a new house on the farm in 1978. Now our daughter, Loretta and her daughter, Jennifer, live in the old house making the 5th generation of Don’s family to reside here.