Recipes for Living Emil and Ruth Rinderspacher

Rindy loved Osceola and was an active community supporter through his business, his musical gifts, and his leadership. He was a member of the First Christian Church serving as Trustee, Chairman of the Board, and elder. He sang in the choir for 65 years. He served as President of the Osceola Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and the Iowa Retail Food Dealers Association. He was a cub master, choir director, Little League coach, high school girl's softball coach, and he loved gardening. In 1966, he was honored with the Osceola Community Service Award.

Rindy was known across the state for his amazing singing voice and he shared this extraordinary gift on many occasions including over 3,000 funerals, hundreds of weddings, building dedications, July 4th celebrations, conventions, banquets, and other special events. Always a ham, he loved to perform. He enjoyed musical theater and appeared in local productions as well as productions of the Aeolian Singers in southern Iowa. His singing birthday greetings to family and friends were legendary.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife, Ruth; a daughter Marie Wolfe of Council Bluffs; two sons, Emil and wife Susan Goodner of Iowa City, and Edward and wife Kelli of West Branch; five grandchildren, Douglas Wolfe of Council Bluffs, Donelle and husband Leigh Hale of Independence, Missouri, Mary Rinderspacher, David Goodner, Joe Goodner of Iowa City; four great-grandchildren, Alex Wolfe of Omaha, Nebraska, Vicktoria, Cristopher, and Mitchell Hale of Independence, Missouri; one aunt, Alma Stockdale of White Lake, Michigan; three sisters Helen Rinderspacher of Las Vegas, Nevada, Betty Chalmers of Royal Oak, Michigan, and Beverly Christian of Hazel Park, Michigan; a sister-in-law Dorothy (George) Rinderspacher of Scottsdale, Arizona and many nieces and nephews.

Rindy was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, George and Edward; and two sisters, Dorothy Eldred and Winona Walch.

The funeral service was held July 16, 2005, at Kale Funeral Home in Osceola, with the Rev. Phil Coe officiating. Musical selections during the service were by Belva White, Christian Church Organist, Pennie Gonseth who often accompanied Rindy, Mary and Emil Rinderspacher, and "in his own incomparable voice, Rindy." Interment was at Maple Hill Cemetery in Osceola.

The service, led by Rev. Phil Coe, began with Rindy's recording of, "Without a Song:"

Without a song, the day would never end
Without a song, the road would never bend
When things go wrong, a man ain't got a friend
Without a song.

I'll never know, what makes the rain to fall
I'll never know, what makes the grass so tall
I only know, there ain't no love at all
Without a song.

Rindy had a song and we're so thankful he did! And because he had a song, he had many, many friends. He probably sang for each of your families, at wedding or funeral or worship, and you among many count him a friend because of it. That's because of Rindy's friendly ways. He didn't know a stranger and was known by all.

He had a song that made him one of the friendliest, most gracious men I've met. Could it even be possible to ever say an unkind word, if you always sing it? Rindy seemed to prove you can't because he never did. If you sing, it's impossible to be unkind or hurtful of other in your words. Rindy spoke that universal language of the soul in his music because he was never without a song. And Rindy sang to the glory of God who gave him his talent. Let us sing praise to God for Rindy.

(And so) 0 come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hands are the depths of the earth.

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion. On the willows there
we hung up our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs,
and our tormentors, in mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

Through music and song we are transported to another time and place in our soul, with God and with each other. We can experience spring in the middle of winter and hope when time brings loss. It is a medium to and of God, that will connect us to God's spirit and each other, in ways nothing else can.

To the Jews in exile and away from home, their songs were almost like a sacred rite that their detractors tried to use to ridicule them, but it only served to bring them hope and give them faith. I believe that's what music did for Rindy, and we have been blessed to have been there with him.

So today there is a collective heartbreak in our community and church, but the lilt of his voice in song lifts us to walk with God today and have faith and hope. I've struggled in many ways to speak of Rindy, because there are so many. How can I do them justice?

First as the fun loving husband of Ruth, the father and grandfather I've heard about from his family as they've shared, and also of his extended family in our church, which I've witnessed and felt a part and heard so much of. Rindy was a real spark of life to many. I've heard so many express admiration for him as a respected person and businessman in our community, a well loved community participant whom everyone seems to know and enjoy.

Everybody knew Rindy and with all respect to the Kale family, people who attended services here might not be able to always recall the name of the establishment, would remember that fellow named Rinderspacher who sang — for some 3000 services.
Rindy's life and experience was so full it's difficult to limit to a few. He was a member of our choir for 66 years. His exceptional talent is well known and what words could add to having simply heard him sing? But one of the ways I experienced and enjoyed Rindy might remind you of the fun in knowing him. To me, Rindy was a lovable Chicago Cub fan also. While I am sometimes led to promote my favorite Cardinals team, Rindy would remind me there are Cub fans around, too. We had a friendly and fun rivalry we both enjoyed.

One Sunday morning Rindy had prepared the congregation for a week in advance, to come with Cub hats and signs saying "Go Cubs," and on his cue they put on their hats and held up their sings, while Rindy led them in singing like Harry Carry, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." I loved it and so did Rindy. I enjoyed, as everyone did, joking with Rindy.

I loved to tell him after hearing him sing, "You keep practicing and some day you'll be good." Rindy was always a little anxious that he would sing well, even after countless performances. His last song in church was just two weeks ago when he sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" for which he got a well deserved standing ovation. Everybody loves Rindy and Ruth, and it seems God made the perfect match and mate for them in each other, in size and especially in spirit and love. We're glad they came here years ago and decided to stay in Osceola.

Yes, without a song, for Rindy the day would be too long and without purpose, and seem to droll on into dullness. But he always had a song and we're glad he did. And so that day had to come to an end. But as soon as I heard the tragic news, I thought to myself, "God's angel chorus has a new fine tenor and he's a great one." Yet his songs here will live on and every time we hear them we'll think of him and back to those days when he encouraged our faith and joy, and be strengthened and cause to smile, because he sang his songs for us. SING ON, RINDY. Fill heaven with your beautiful voice and have fun. (I know you will). And remember to keep on practicing and one of these days...forget it. You've made it.

Invocation prayer: O Lord, let our songs erupt in praise in these moments as we celebrate the life of one you have sent our way to walk with us and share his love. We lift to you our memories and our hopes as we ask your presence to comfort us. The richness of life now meets the test of our faith as we commend Rindy's life to you, but we trust, Lord, that you know him well. For it was your Amazing Grace that gave him birth, life, and an amazing gift to sing. And we know that Rindy has used it well and faithfully, that we might know the hope music brings. And so, Lord, soften our grief and lead us to know the promise of eternity, in the Savior Rindy sought to serve and sing his praise to. Enter our searching hearts in the melody of song as we gather here in your presence. Amen.

On behalf of my mom, my sister, and my brother, I want to thank all of you for coming today to honor our Papa. We think he was a very special person. . . one-of-a-kind and he held a special place in all our hearts, and we will miss him greatly.

When we were discussing what we wanted the service to be, to feel like, we all agreed that we didn't want a somber event. We wanted a celebration of his life so that we could laugh and cry and share his life together with you. But how do we say all that we want to say in a short time?

Since his death on Tuesday, we've had a parade of people to the apartment and we've been able to talk about him and share our memories and stories about Rindy. As extended family members have arrived, we've been able to hear more stories about Dad and what he's meant to people. So during this time, I want to share with you a few things that friends and families have shared about Rindy:

He loved music. His singing is legendary and was a huge part of his life. In 1975, Dad gave a concert at the First Christian Church — "Rindy in Concert" featuring 39 songs from his first 36 years of singing. This was a glorious day in Dad's life and he always said the concert was the highlight of his singing career. We had it recorded. "Without a Song," which was the first song we heard today, was the first song he sang at the concert.

He sang for every kind of event imaginable — weddings, funerals, building dedications, band concerts, in church, community theater, the National Anthem, conventions, nursing homes, banquets, wedding anniversaries, and occasionally when Mom was shopping at VonMaur, he'd sit with the piano player and sing. I loved being in the crowd with him at a sporting event during the singing of the National Anthem because everyone in the section would turn their heads to see who had that wonderful voice.

When you were with my dad in Osceola, Des Moines, Iowa City or wherever, it seemed someone always came up to him and recounted that he sang at their wedding or some relative's. Mom remembers his first funeral in 1939 and the rest is history. We always say he's married and buried everyone in Clarke County for over 60 years. He wanted to sing at his own funeral and the last song today will be what he requested.

He couldn't read music but boy could he sing. He appreciated his accompanists through the years more than you would know. For many years it was Amy Ruth Harlan who was the longtime organist at the First Christian Church, and then Carmen Byers. When I became proficient enough, I had the pleasure of accompanying him at weddings, some funerals, and other events. In later years he worked with Belva White and Penny Gonseth. They were very special to him and he wanted them both to share their gifts with us today. Belva accompanied Dad for his last two public performances, which were the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in church on July 3rd then "God Bless America" on the bandstand later that day. Dad told me he got a standing ovation at church after singing the Battle Hymn and he was really tickled. Penny and Dad put together an act and "took their show on the road." He loved their shows and we've asked Penny to play a few of the songs they enjoyed doing together. (PENNY PLAYS)

He loved gardening. His interest in roses began when he was in his 30s and for many years this was his main hobby. He had more than 100 rose bushes which he spent hours tending. He also loved gladiolas. He would plant hundreds of them each year and, of course, give most of them away. He's grown cantaloupes, pumpkins, strawbeines, zinnias, peppers, and tomatoes in big ways. Until last year, he would plant 40 tomato plants each year and a trip home always meant a trip to the tomato garden. Of course, he would give most of the fruit away. In the last few years, he started getting interested in perennial flowers and planted and maintained a beautiful garden outside their apartment building.

He loved kids of all ages. He always had gum and candy for them. His grandkids and great-grandkids knew him by "Papa." Marie, Ed, and I played "trap" with him, and for the next generation he invented the gooselbug, a creature that appeared out of nowhere to tickle the kids. There was Papa's dance where he would come out of the bathroom in his underwear clowning around with shaving creme on his face, and give the kids or adults a dollop on their nose or cheek. Many years ago, he started putting new one dollar bills in birthday cards and Mom's letters. Mom was a prolific letter writer and sometimes Dad would scrawl a greeting and a few lines. He hired a lot of high school boys and young men in the store and taught many of them how to work, how to talk to people, how to be courteous and respectful. For many of them, he served as their surrogate father and mentor. He was always proud of the boys who worked for him.

Dad came from a family that loved to gamble. He especially liked slot machines and video poker. He loved horse racing and more precisely betting on the horses. He made many trips to the Nebraska tracks with his racing buddies and of course he took Ruth with him when he could talk her into it. . .although as a LaFollette she never really liked anything more than a game of chance around the kitchen table. He never was a high stakes gambler at the races, but he loved the thrill, the study, and the camaraderie of the experience and he was pretty lucky. We all learned to read a racing fotm at a very young age. How fitting that his last day was at Prairie Meadows with his best buddy, David.

Card games, dice games, casino trips, are part of the fabric of our family. When Grandma Rindy first taught us kids to play cards, she demonstrated a couple hands of gin rummy and then told us to go get our money. Papa taught Doug, Doni and Mary how to play poker at the age of seven. He said this was an important thing for them to know. When Dad played with the kids, he always lost. Are we surprised? There are a lot of Rindys here today and you can be sure that the game tonight will be Ship, Captain, and Crew or In-Between.

I loved being my dad's accompanist making music with him, we could practice for hours. He would always put his hand on my shoulder when he sang. When my daughter Mary started singing, Dad was ecstatic and of course very proud. Whenever Mom and Dad came to visit, Mary and Dad would always sing together. Playing the piano, when the two of them sang, was a memory I will keep in my heart forever. Mary and Papa were planning on doing a duet at church in the fall, but of course this won't happen. Too bad because they made a dynamite act. In tribute to her Papa, Mary is going to sing one of the songs from his concert. (MARY SINGS)

Christmas was special for Dad. It was a big deal with way too many presents. Marie, Ed and I remember sitting at the top of the steps waiting for Dad to get the 16mm camera and light bank ready. Then we would rush down the steps to see what Santa had left and of course we were blinded by the light. When we were older, he invented the money game. Cleverly prepared, it was a "Let's Make a Deal" sort of experience that became a highlight of Christmas morning as family members made deals with Dad and either took the money or the box, or the wrapped gift. The zonks were legendary and Marie always got the big jar of olives. We laughed until we cried. This is a tradition that lives on in our family.

Certainly all of your family members and many of you in the audience received phone calls with a singing birthday greeting. When the phone rang on our birthdays, we always knew it was Pop telling me how much he loved us by singing Happy Birthday. (MOTHER MACREE)

Our father was kind and generous. He always treated people with respect. Always! He never spoke critically about anyone, ever. I only heard him swear twice in my life. I've never seen him angry of lose his temper. He was all loving. He could talk to anyone about anything. He loved people. He loved talking to people. He worked a crowd like no other person you've ever seen. Mom told me after the visitation that Dad would have loved it. He and Mom have the ability to be at home anywhere with anybody. When you were with Rindy, there was never any doubt that you were loved. When you sat next to him watching TV or talking, he would take your hand and stroke it or he might put his hand on your shoulder. Or his arm around you. And of course, he gave lots of hugs and kisses to the ladies. He was an extraordinary person.

My Dad's partner in all this for 66 years was Ruth. They made a perfect team. They loved each other so much and they were fun to be with. One of the songs he sang at his concert, he intended for her. We thought he could sing it one more time for her.
(EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS.)

Emil's note: The week after Dad's funeral I found a spiral notebook in which Rindy had written 14 pages about his childhood and teen years (quoted here as principles Rindy learned from his parents that helped shape who he became). The parents: Frances and Emil Rinderspacher:

The variety of things my dad was involved in were truly amazing...candy making, wall papering, clowning, flower-making, restaurant operation, waffle making, etc. He should have been a millionaire if he had been a better manager.

I was born in Detroit on July 5, 1918...We moved to a suburb of Detroit, a city called Hazel Park. During my growing up, we lived in many parts of Hazel Park. My dad used to travel around the county seat towns to the county fairs. Sometimes he would lease the grandstand...and we would sell pop, popcorn, candy, etc. Sometimes business would be bad and we didn't make enough money to pay the rent, then we would skip out without paying it.

At an amusement park at the entrance of a bridge over the Detroit River, my dad had a waffle stand. He made a waffle batter in which he had several waffle irons with long handles. He would dip the irons into the batter and then into hot grease. When the waffles were light brown, he would take the irons out of the batter, sprinkle powdered sugar over them and serve them on a napkin to his customers. They were so light and fluffy, truly delicious. He was a terrific baker and could clearly be heard above the noise of the midway with his shout of "Hot Waffles!"

I used to sell candy to the customers but sometimes I. would sit and watch the show instead. One time when Dad was going to leave, he sent my brother George to find me. I was watching the show and it took a lot of coaxing to get me to go. Sometimes at the fairs, my father had a hamburger stand, a popcorn stand, or a waffle stand. He had a great voice for selling his wares and one of his pet sayings was, "Don't you ever get hungry?" And when he said "hungry," his voice would slide up. He talked to people as they passed his stand and made them laugh.

My dad was gifted to make people laugh. One time he was hired to perform at a private club. He dressed as a clown, dressed my brother, George, approximately eight, and me, approximately six, as clowns also. He performed by lifting dumbbells and going through facial tortuous expressions. People applauded and applauded, then my brother and I ran on stage and lifted up the dumbbells and ran off. People would roar! Then he would blow up a large balloon until it popped and pretend that it killed him. George and I would run onstage and dad's leg would come up. We'd push it down, then his hand would raise up. We did this a few times, then Dad would rise and we'd bow to the audiences' applause.

Dad was one of the first persons to make potato chips and candied apples. I wish I had a dollar for every apple I put a stick into. His most popular candy apple was the red taffy, The only trouble was that in damp weather, the red taffy apple would become sticky. Then Dad would roll them in sugar and sell them that way. At Hallowe'en, he'd dip them in orange food color and we would draw a face on them. Quite ingenious. One time in high school my friend, Jack McNally, and I decided to take a short trip to Niagara Falls, New York. Dad didn't have money to give me for spending so I took several hundred candied apples and sold them in Canada on the way.

Dad made other candies, too. I remember the huge bars of chocolate and cocoa butter he used. He had a confectionary store, Bon Ton Sweet Shop, where he sold candies, lunches, ice cream, and knick-knacks. I remember working there, especially in the ice cream parlor where I did my share of eating ice cream. This was in Hazel Park and across from this store was a little lunch box where we had short orders. I fried hamburgers, bacon and eggs. Another restaurant in Hazel Park was owned by my brother George. This was a nice restaurant with a counter and several tables and chairs. My mother and dad both cooked and one of the favorite meals was fish and chips. Dad would sit at the lunch counter and visit with customers also grabbing a bottle of soda and lots of times a plate of food. I don't know how many plates of food he would eat. I believe that is why he gained so much weight.

Another venture my folks were involved in was making flowers and butterflies. My dad got the idea of ordering live mountain laurel with leaves like rose leaves. Our family would make crepe paper roses dipped in wax that looked real. Then we would wire them on the mountain laurel. Our talking point was that the leaves would stay green for months. I would take a bushel of roses and call on various homes. We sold them three for a quarter. I think people bought them because I looked like a homeless urchin and they were sorry for me.

At one county fair he had a stand made of beaver board. It started with 18 pool balls being lifted to a race track and the balls would race around the track, the track would narrow so that one ball would fit and that numbered ball won...People would choose a number and put a nickel on it. A winning number received a box of cherry chocolates. In one day we took in $1,000 in nickels!

Another venture was selling Christmas trees, which he had shipped in from Canada and the western states. He paid 25¢ per tree which he sold on a vacant corner in Detroit. In those days people waited until the last day to buy their tree thinking the price would go down. If they were right, the price of trees would go to rock bottom and I remember on Christmas Day burning several hundred trees that we couldn't sell because of the competition. The following year those merchants didn't buy trees because they remembered their loss the previous year, so the ones who did buy reaped a harvest. Trees to purchase were in short supply and people who waited until the last minute really paid the price! Families were desperate to find a tree and Dad bored holes in a broomstick and stuck loose branches in the holes. He sold this make-shift tree for four or five dollars — a lot of money in those days. Every other year the tree business was good and my dad knew this.

With all this enterprise but a big family, times were pretty tough. I can remember going to the welfare office in Royal Oak with my mother and taking home macaroni, peanut butter, canned goods, oleo and other staple groceries. They were sure appreciated. My dad would never go to the welfare office. He always sent my mother. She loved her kids and later her grandkids! She was always doing without so we could have things.

I have fond memories of a summer spent at a resort on a small island of Lake Orion, Michigan. My father rented a beer garden and I operated a "pitch til you win" stand. Next to my stand was a ballroom. We became good friends with the folks who worked on the island and I introduced my brother George to Dorothy Bradley, whom he later married. At the dances I would sing a couple songs with the band. I became well acquainted with Dan Phillips and his orchestra. Dan offered me $35 a week to sing for him the rest of the summer. That was big money in 1937.

A tragedy happened late in the summer when a fire gutted the ballroom. One of the men in the orchestra ran in to save a trombone, which was the only instrument saved. The city of Lake Orion held a benefit for all the band men so they were able to buy new instruments and were able to play for their livelihood. They planned to go to Florida where they had a winter engagement. They wanted me to go with them but I wanted to finish my senior year in high school.

As he so often does, Mickey Thomas helps relive the past with his weekly "Tales of the Aisles" from the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune. In two parts:

Osceola Icons — Emil and Ruth Rinderpacher		and operated the meat department at the
The little guy with the longest name		Gold Star Market, advertised as Rindy's
in the Osceola telephone directory is known		Groceries and Hallie's Meat. Rindy, Ruth,
to thousands of people as "Rindy." Maybe it		Hallie and Daleth were the only full time
was fate, maybe it was poverty, but Rindy		employees during their first year of
and his wife Ruth came to Osceola on their		business. Ruth remembers working
honeymoon from Detroit, Michigan to visit		evenings sacking sugar, flour, salt, beans,
Ruth's grandparents, LaFolletts and		and other staples that were bought in bulk.
Williamses, but lacking money to leave they
stayed in Osceola. That was 64 years ago.		The Gold Star Market occupied a
		narrow 25x100 foot building. There was an
Rindy found work at Hylton's Food		old pot belly stove, two main aisles where
Market which was at that time on the east		the fresh produce and canned goods were
side of Main Street about a half block north		displayed along the walls, bulk items like
of the northeast corner of the square. In1940,		candy in the center, and the meat
after working a year for Galen Hylton, Rindy		department at the rear. Reserve stocks were
and Ruth started the Gold Star Market at 137		lowered or raised by a rope hoist to and
South Main Street, a location now occupied		from the dirt floored basement.
by the Clarke County State Bank. According
to Marie White's Osceola Business		During World War II Rindy served
Directory, this has been a grocery store		in the United States Navy. Ruth Rindy was
location since 1866. James Reed and John		assisted at the Gold Star during this period
Kimble founded the first grocery store here		by Wayne Shannon, Jack Paschall, Wendell
which operated for 60 years mainly under the		Beeman, and Don Romine. Dan Foster
name of Harrison's Grocery. The Gold Star		handled home food deliveries. During this
Market location was leased from George		period, when Rindy was in service, the
Hogan who had been in the grocery business		Gold Star was damaged by fire. Rindy was
at this location.		granted an emergency leave to return to
		Osceola to plan the business restoration.
Rindy and Ruth and were associated
with Hallie and Daleth Johnson who owned		A 1951 edition of the Osceola
see right column		Sentinel marking Osceola's 100th year

		see next page-left column


centennial shows a youthful Emil and Ruth		hauling the peaches to the Gold Star Super
Rinderspacher pictured with Hallie and		Valu. As the flat bed trailer was making an
Daleth Johnson and long-time employees		illegal "U-turn" at the southeast corner of
Bessie Childers and Virginia Shannon. Other		the square the baskets of peaches slid off
Gold Star market employees who worked in		the trailer spilling all over Main Street.
the 50s included Russell Wetzler, Junior		Police closed the Main Street highway.
Cumpston, Dick Beeman, Eldon Mongar,		The peaches were frantically gathered off
Walt Lamb, Inez Davenport, Gene Nevelin,		the street — selling as fast as they were put
and John Isaacson. In 1952, the Gold Star		back into the baskets. Return trips were
Market began an affiliation with the Super		made to and from the depot with the flat
Valu food distribution organization. The		bed trailer. The rail car load, 390 bushels
business identification became the Gold Star		of peaches were sold — a one day record.
Super Valu. In 1955, Rindy and Ruth bought
the Johnson's investment in the meat		Rindy's Super Valu moved to a new
department.		and larger building location at the
		northwest corner of the Osceola square.
The Gold Star Super Valu ran many		The location historically had been used in
business promotions. Rindy won many state		summers by the Toby Tent Shows.
and national sales promotions including a
state wide grocery store contest promoting		The Grand Opening of the new
Red Rooster coffee. Using a variety of novel		modern store was held September 29, 1960.
promotions, Rindy's peak sales were 2,116		Some of the advertised specials included
pounds of Red Rooster coffee in one month.		chuck roast at 35¢ a pound, 14 ounce bottle
The prize was $1,000 and free tickets to the		of catsup 15¢, and Jell-O for 5¢. The store
Rose Bowl football game at Pasadena,		provided ample parking and featured a
California.		bakery.

The Gold Star Valu sponsored Mrs.		Rindy and Ruth sold their Super
American's appearance in 1950 to Osceola.		Valu store in 1975 to Bruce and Dixie
A refrigerator and 25 baskets of food were		Beeman, thus culminating 35 years in the
presented by Mrs. America to registration		food business in Osceola. Rindy began a
winners at the Osceola park band stand. Mrs.		new career by being elected to three four-
America became tired and went to the		year teims as Clarke County Auditor, Ruth
Rinderspacher's home to rest. For many		entered the aisles of Robinson's as a very
years a sign remained in Rindy's bathroom,		capable buyer and manager of ladies
"Mrs. America sat here."		fashions.

Rindy purchased food promotions by		Emil Rinderspacher is Osceola's
rail car loads that arrived on the tracks behind		most popular vocalist. Rindy has sung at
the Gold Star Super Valu. One year a rail car		nearly 3,000 funerals, beginning 64 years
load of peaches had not arrived by the		ago. He sings at church services, celebra-
advertised sale date. The rail car was located		tions, banquets, dedications, weddings and
at the Osceola train depot. An open flatbed		musical productions locally and state wide.
trailer was rushed to the depot to begin		His voice has mellowed with age.
see right column
		Rindy has headed a variety of local

		see next page-left column


and state organizations. He is a past		Service Award. Rindy and Ruth were
president of the Iowa Retail Food Dealers		honored (in 1966) as Osceola 4th of July
Association, Rotary Club, Chamber of		Parade Marshalls.
Commerce, and recipient of the Community
see right column		see next page-left column
Part 2: Employees remember the Gold Star Market:

Pleasant memories remain with those		napkins were sprayed red. The Red Rooster
who worked at Rindy's Gold Star Market		Coffee float was so heavy that Rindy nearly
which began in 1940, on the east side of the		burned up the transmission on his new 1953
square. Fowler employee Dick Beeman		Pontiac trying to pull the float around the
remembers that the little store had an		square.
amazing sales volume.
		Beeman recalls when the first
The produce department was the		prepared cake mix was shipped to the store.
primary responsibility of Dick Beeman.		Employees were skeptical that it would sell
Because the wooden produce display cases		so the mix was placed on the top shelf. Now
were not refrigerated, the fruit and vegetables		stores feature an entire counter of instant
were iced.		baking mixes. Dick Beeman would go on to
		have a successful career as regional sales
It was also Beeman's responsibility to		manager for Tones Brothers Spices.
make the window price banners for the
week-end specials. The banners were		Dan Foster began working for the
lettered with water colors on white butcher		Gold Star Market during his junior year in
paper and taped to the two front windows of		high school. Dan's responsibility was to put
the store. Promoted items were displayed in		together the orders for home deliveries on
the windows which were decorated with		Saturday mornings. Coming to work at 7:00
crepe paper. Beeman remembers that		a.m. on Saturdays was difficult for Foster
hamburger was promoted at 10¢ a pound.		because he played football on Friday nights.
		Often he would come to work on Saturday
Potatoes came in 100-pound bags.		mornings all skinned up and bruised.
Most were repacked and sold by the peck, a
15-pound sack. Bananas came on the stalk		Dan made home grocery deliveries
and were separated into bunches that hung		using Rindy's Model A Ford. Grocery
from the ceiling. Red Rooster brand coffee		orders were packed in cardboard boxes and
was promoted by the Gold Star Market. The		sacks which were placed on the floor boards,
coffee beans were ground by machine at the		back seat, and the front passenger seat of the
store and sacked into one and three pound		Model A. Foster had explicit orders to get
bags.		cash upon delivery. Rindy's Model A did
		not have good brakes. "This was typical of
A parade float featuring a 12-foot tall		most Model A Fords," Foster said. "You had
Red rooster was constructed for the annual		to plan ahead and gear down a little. The
Fourth of July Parade. Napkins were stuffed		driving experience must have been beneficial
into poultry wire to give the rooster a		for Dan Foster who would become Post
feathery appearance. Beeman remembers		Commander of the Iowa Highway Patrol.
that there were no red napkins so the white
see right column		see next page-left column


In the 50s, John Isaacson, James		Farmers loved to come to the side-
Walker, Lyle and Bob Goodrich were among		walks of Osceola to visit. John Isaacson
the high school boys who worked for		remembers that the same people always
Rindy's Gold Star Super Valu. John		parked in front of the Gold Star. Some
Isaacson remembers waiting until he was 14		customers, preferring to visit, would wait
years of age to be eligible to work at the		until 10 p.m., the advertised closing time,
Gold Star. "I nearly quit the first day		before coming into the store to shop. "We
because I had to sort out rotten potatoes		had to serve the customers before we could
from 100 pound bags of seed potatoes. They		begin closing." One of the closing chores
sure stunk! Walt Lamb assured me, if I		was to bring the fruit and vegetables displays
could make it through that job, I could make		indoors from the sidewalk.
it through anything.
		John Isaacson is a retired manager of
John Isaacson remembers unloading		"The Advertiser" of Osceola.
the watermelon trucks. "We always
managed to drop one melon." Isaacson liked		Foremost in the memories of the
to hand carry Rita Cumpston's grocery order		former employees of the Gold Star Market is
to Dr. Harken's hospital. Rita was Dr.		that Rindy was a great guy to work for.
Harken's cook at his hospital which was a
half block south of the southwest corner of		*********
the square. Rita Cumpston always gave
John Isaacson a taste of her fabulous		Additional memories of Dick Beeman are:
desserts upon delivery. John Isaacson and		Rindy's "magical smile," that he sang
James Walker would often pack the order		professionally with a band in Detroit before
into two sacks so they could both go to the		coming to Osceola. In the 1950s and into the
hospital to savor Rita's desert.		`60s, his was the leading voice in the male
see next column		group called "Fathersingers." Amy Harlan
		was their accompaniest.

Rindy and Ruth were in the grocery business for 35 years. They opened the Gold Star Market in 1940 and Rindy's Super Valu in 1960. Ruth worked full-time in the store while raising her family. Her specialty was the produce department but she worked in all aspects of store operation. After they sold the store, Ruth worked in the Women's department of Robinson's department store.

Ruth was active in the life of her church, her community, and her family. She was a member of the First Christian Church and PEO. She was a great cook, enjoyed reading, loved spending time with her family and friends and was a diehard Hawkeye fan. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a trusted friend. She easily made friends with people of all ages. She was an avid correspondent. In addition to her nuclear family, a large network of extended family and friends regularly received notes, letters, and cards written in her beautiful hand. She loved being a grandmother and wrote in her journal, "I enjoyed everything about being a grandmother. When we get tired and they get spoiled, we can go home and be lonesome."

Ruth and Rindy were partners in every aspect of their life together and were married 65 years before his death in July of 2005. They rejoiced together in family and friends cultivated by a lifelong openness to others and unfailing courtesy and kindness.

She is survived by a daughter, Marie Wolfe of Council Bluffs; two sons, Emil and wife Susan Goodner of Iowa City, and Edward and wife Kelli of West Branch; five grandchildren, Douglas Wolfe of Council Bluffs, Donelle and husband Leigh Hale of Independence, Missouri, Mary Rinderspacher, David Goodner, Joe Goodner of Iowa City; four great-grandchildren, AlexWolfe of Omaha, Nebraska, Vicktoria, Christopher, and Mitchell Hale of Independence, Missouri; two special cousins, Kathryn Mason and Charles Pearcy of Weldon; four sisters-in-law, Helen Rinderspacher and Betty Chalmers of Royal Oak, Michigan, Beverly Christian of Hazel Park, Michigan; Dorothy (George) Rinderspacher of Scottsdale, Arizona, and many nieces and nephews.

I was born September 17, 1920, on the farm of my grandparents, Jonathan N. Williams, and Bertha Tabler Williams on the Mormon Trail, Clarke County, near the town of Weldon, Iowa. The farm was homesteaded by my great grandparents, Jonathan Smith Williams and Louisa Overton Williams.

In 1924 (or 25), my dad and several other men went to Detroit to find work. My mother, brother Clarence (13 months younger than me), and I went to Detroit to join my dad who lived in Hazel Park, Michigan. Dad worked at General Motors in the Chevrolet division for 40 years.

Mother was sick with spinal meningitis (don't know for how long). Her parents had a farm sale in Iowa and came to Michigan to take care of her. She died in November 1929, at the age of 29. We brought her body back to Weldon, Iowa by train. She's buried in Greenbay Cemetery, Clarke County.

Dad returned to Hazel Park. My brother lived with my grandparent Williams until he was 18. He graduated from Osceola High School and joined the Navy in 1938.

Well, Mom, it's wine time! Mom and Dad enjoyed a glass of wine or two every afternoon and it became a tradition in our family that about four o'clock someone would say, "I think it's wine time." Many of you have shared a glass of wine...or two...with them on occasion. The picture of Ruth holding a glass of mimosa, or as Rindy called it, "formosa." But it will do for a toast, so here's to you, Mom.

On behalf of my sister, Marie, and my brother Edward, I want to thank all of you for coming today to honor the life of our mother and your friend, Ruth. It seems such a short time ago we were across the street singing praises to the other half of this dynamic duo - our Papa. As many of you know, Mom suffered a stroke on Thursday, May 18. We decided to bring her to Iowa City to Mercy Hospital and then we took her to my home on Monday the 20th where she died peacefully on Friday morning the 26th at 2:45 A.M.

When she arrived in Iowa City, she was alert and knew us and knew where she was. She was really glad to see us. Her right side was paralyzed and her speech was garbled, although we could make out a few words. Once we got her settled in the Intensive Care Unit, she brightened a bit. I leaned over and kissed her, and said, "I'm so glad you made it here to be with us." She nodded and a tear fell down her cheek.

We brought her to our home on Monday. We had a bed set up in the living room, which has floor to ceiling windows overlooking my back gardens. She got settled in bed and, smiling, said, "What a beautiful day!"

For the first few days, she had long periods of alertness and even though she couldn't communicate with words, she was communicating with facial expressions and eye movements. She still had quite a grip in her left hand. Sometimes she tried to talk and we could make out words like Marie, Doug, Fudgie, NO, and OK.

On Tuesday she was awake for about three hours. Wanda and David (Gorsline), two of the very dearest friends my folks ever had, visited Mom for an hour. I told her that morning they were coming and I could tell she was looking forward to it.

Wednesday afternoon after the Hospice aide bathed and freshened her, she was awake for 45 minutes. I put on Papa's CD and I asked, "Do you recognize this guy singing?" She looked at me and smiled, then laid her head back on the pillow and I sang along to "If you were the only girl in the world." She mouthed the words, and after that she became unresponsive.

Dad's death was so sudden we really weren't able to tell him everything we wanted to tell him. For Mom, Marie, Ed, Kelli, Susan, Mary and I had almost a week to hold her, to stroke her, to tell her over and over how much we loved her and how important she was in our lives and in the lives of others.

On Thursday night before she died, Marie, Ed, Kelli, Susan, Mary and I sat around Mom's bed and reminisced about Mom and Dad and growing up in Osceola. I'm sure many of you came up in our stories. We laughed so hard and we shed a few tears. I am sure Mom was listening and laughing...and crying with us.

I'd like to share a few things we remember about Mom: She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She was her own woman — open, caring, and tolerant. She respected differences among people. She believed women were as good as men and entitled to the same rights and opportunities. She loved to read and was an active supporter of the Library. She also loved the Hawkeyes as did Dad„and she would light candles in the apartment for good luck while she watched the games. Of course Dad would pace and leave the room during a tense moment of action. Mom was always optimistic that the Hawks would prevail (and hope against hope that the Cubs would.

A Great Cook: Food played a central role in our family. Of course, the folks had the grocery stores, but my parents were very hospitable people and Mom always felt that hospitality meant food. So guests in our home ate well and then ate some more as she refilled their plates.

She was a great cook. Ed remembers the homemade donuts and French Fries made in the fryer with the little chef on the side, whose eyes would light up when the grease got hot. We all had our favorite deserts. Mine was lemon meringue pie and she would always bring me one when she visited. Her wacky cake is a family classic. There was the Red cake, the chocolate pie that contained five pounds of butter, oatmeal cookies and the chocolate cocoanut balls at Christmas that were so sweet they made your teeth hurt just looking at them.

She loved popcorn, fried chicken — dark meat mostly, ham, ice cream, and she and Dad in the last several years, became addicted I think, to Cheetos, which we are having for lunch today. She made the best frosting, fancy salads and of course, her gravy was the best. I have recorded her gravy making technique on video and have mastered the technique pretty well. Even though in her last few years it was difficult for her to cook because of her arthritic hands, she always made her way into the kitchen when she visited us and we always asked her to make the gravy.

Community and Church: She loved her community and church and during her long life was active in a variety of organizations. In later years, she loved her work as a hospital volunteer, and was a frequent caller at the nursing home. She always said she was older than most of the residents. She told about going with Dad to the nursing home when he was singing a few songs. Mom was in the audience when one of the residents turned to her and asked what room she lived in.

Our mom was a person of faith and in her writings she speaks of her faith that helped her through the difficult periods of her life. She believed in life after death. She was baptized in this Christian Church in 1939, shortly after she and Dad moved to Osceola and the church became a great part of her life. She requested that her funeral be held here.

Parent: Mom wrote that being a parent was the most wonderful thing that happened in her life. She wanted her children to work hard and be the very best they could be in whatever those chose to do. She wrote, "If they are happy, then we are happy too." She was a great mother. She was active in the lives of her children even while she was working at the store. She was our chauffeur, cheerleader, and friend. But she was also the disciplinarian since Dad was such a soft touch. It was a role, I might add, she didn't enjoy. She and Dad were role models for us. They were loving, hard working, and gave us responsibility at an early age as we worked beside them at home and in the store. She made sure before we left home that we were self-sufficient. She taught us how to do laundry, cook, and clean before we left home.

She always welcomed our friends into our home whether it was in grade school, high school, or college. In our adult years, Mom embraced our spouses and their families as if they were her own.

Deep Sense of Family: Mom was proud of her rural Iowa roots. She spoke fondly of her Weldon family and they were very, very special to her and to us. Some of our most vivid and happy memories of childhood are our times in Weldon. She also loved the Rinderspacher family. She wrote that she was very fortunate to have married into a loving, caring family like the Rinderspachers.

Mom made us all photo albums of our relatives and labeled them all. She thought it was important that we have a sense of where we came from and who the people were that came before us. And let's face it, if you live 85 years and your mind is still sharp as a tack, you know a lot of people.

Good Friend: She was a loyal, faithful friend. She made friends easily and, like Dad, could talk to anyone about anything. She had friends of all ages and she was at home with a wide variety of people. She treasured her friendships very much.

Thoughtful Person: Mom was a very caring, thoughtful person. She never missed a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion. She was the person behind Dad's singing birthday greetings because she kept Dad's birthday list. She kept in touch with people through her prolific letter and card writing. Sometimes it was just a note of cheer to let us know she was thinking about us and that she loved us.

Sense of Humor: Mom had a great sense of humor. She never took herself too seriously and she loved to laugh. I'm a pyromaniac. I love fire and I always have since I was a little boy. My Mom not only supported my habit but encouraged my addiction. Most kids hate to take out the trash. I loved it. Taking out the trash meant a fire because back then we always burned our trash. I wouldn't just burn the trash. I would always configure buildings out of cardboard boxes, light them, and watch these buildings burn. I loved it!

One Thanksgiving when I was home from college, I took out the trash and set up an elaborate cardboard structure pretending it Osceola high school. I lit it and it proceeded to burn. The flames were fanned by a pretty stiff breeze. Then the fire jumped to the dead grass. Soon the grass fire spread to our back pasture. Mom saw this from the house and came running out with some old rugs. I grabbed a rug and we both took our positions along the fire line and started beating at the flames. We knew we needed to control this blaze because it was headed for the barn and chicken house.

We both kept beating the flames for what seemed to be an eternity. But the fire kept growing. All of a sudden, at the same moment. without speaking, we looked at each other and started to laugh. Mom's hair was wild like that woman on the Munsters and she had soot all over her face and her pink store uniform. I must have looked just as ridiculous. We both just howled with laughter. We realized that we were crazy to attempt to put out this fire. She yelled at me to call the fire department. The fire truck soon arrived. Con Smith, a fireman and my dad's assistant manager was first on the scene. Dad pulled in soon after. Someone called him and told him the fire engine was headed to his house and of course, he was freaked out not knowing exactly what was going on. Well, we lost two wooden fences that day, our old barn and a chicken house, but with the insurance money we bought our first color television. And that's the story about how the Rindy's got their first color TV.

It seemed in life Dad sort of called the shots but Ruth always said that if they died together, she wanted to be buried in the same casket, but she wanted to be on top so she could rule the roost for a change and foreverafter. So this morning we buried her urn on top of Dad's vault.

Grandparent: Ruth wrote, "I enjoyed everything about being a grandmother...reading stories, rocking, baby sitting, etc. It's wonderful to have all ages from 30 to 6. When we get tired and they get spoiled, we can go home and be lonesome. Every age is precious to me." She had a special relationship with each of her grand- and great-grandchildren. And now Donnelle, her second grandbaby would like to share some special moments...

Dad: It's hard to think of Ruth without Rindy because they were the perfect couple. They loved each other very much and his death was almost unbearable for her. They would have been married 66 years next September. My daughter Mary and Papa loved to sing together whenever they would visit. I would play for them and Mom would sit in the chair in the piano room and take it all in. She was so proud. Mary had planned to surprise them in church last September with a song saluting their love and life together. Dad died in July and she never got to sing that song. Today Mary will sing that song to her Papa and Grandma. (MARY SINGS "GROW OLD WITH ME.")