Frederick W & Irene M Held

HELD BOHLE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 22:28:39

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Frederick W and Irene M Held
By Irene Bohle Held

Frederick W Held and Irene M Bohle were married June 14, 1940, at the Methodist Church in Oto, Iowa, by Reverend Osborn.

Our first home was a farm near Ayshik,, Iowa. Our first furniture was bought with money I saved from teaching school for $65 and $80 per month. Fred had a cob-burning stove, his Grandmother Young’s old kitchen table, a bed, a herd of Holstein’s cows, and a few pigs. Our first refrigerator was bought at a farm sale during World War II when refrigerators were really hard to find. Frederick was in Class 1A until the draft board found out that we had baby (Doris) Jeanne (1942). Then he was deferred and we moved to a rented farm near Cushing where Beverly Rae (1944) was born.

After four years we had saved enough money to make a down payment on a farm near Lawton, Iowa. There are many happy memories of the Lawton Community-our girls were talented tap dancers and baton twirlers and entertained at community affairs. They also gave tap and baton lessons to many local children.

Jeanne and Beverly both graduated from Lawton High School as salutatorians and both went to Iowa State University and were baton twirlers with the I.S.U. marching band. Jeanne graduated in 1964 with a major in German and Beverly in 1966 with a major in Math. Jeanne taught German at Omaha Westside High School for ten years and Beverly taught at Everly, Iowa; Norfolk, Nebraska; Neligh, Nebraska; and is presently teaching at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jeanne and Beverly traveled to Germany in the summer of 1965 and located some Held and Bohle ancestors.

Beverly married Thomas Johnson of Milford, Iowa, October 28, 1965, and they have one daughter, Jody Jeanne born January 25, 1976. Beverly earned her master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska and Tom, also a graduate of I.S.U., is employed as a farm chemical salesman.

Jeanne married Donald Blackstone of Worthington, Ohio, on December 19, 1970. They have two daughters, Kerri Lynn born January 13, 1977; and Tammi Marie born September 10, 1978. Donald graduated from Indiana Institute of Technology and was employed as a civil engineer for United Parcel Service in Chicago before taking over the family farm in 1979 when Fred retired.

Frederick and I bought a farm near Meriden in Cherokee County in 1966 and moved there in 1968. We farmed fourteen years in Cherokee County and retired to a new house on the farm in 1980. Fred died in 1982 with burial at Fairfield Cemetery near Rock Branch. Due to Fred’s interest in playing checkers, the Meriden-Cleghorn School District has established a traveling memorial plaque in his memory, which is awarded to the checker champion at the end of each school year.