Pike Township Family Stories
REINER AND CATHERINE ZIERENBERG
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 309-310
By Catherine ZierenbergReiner Zierenberg and Catherine Hudecek were married 18 March 1925. They moved to his parents’ farm near Thompson, Nebraska. Two children were born to them; a daughter, Norma Jean Zierenberg and a son, Gerald Zierenberg.
In 1929 the depression hit everyone, and banks closed their doors. Then the drought came, along with dust storms and millions of grasshoppers. If you did do any planting in early spring, anything green was eaten down to the ground in one day.
We milked a few cows by hand, so we had cream to sell. Chickens supplied us with eggs, along with helping buy some of our groceries. Most of the cream check went towards buying poisoned bran twice a week which we spread around the edge of the alfalfa field to kill any grasshoppers that tried to eat that, too. Alfalfa was a much needed hay crop for the cattle.
We stayed on this farm until February 1941, when we moved to West Liberty,, where Reiner had a job ready for him in a dairy. We lived in this area until we moved near Nichols to the “Healy place,” which was then owned by Mrs. Agnes Foley.
Our daughter, Norma Jean Zierenberg, had married Dale Freyermuth of Atalissa, Iowa, and they were living at Mundelein, Illinois. Dale has worked for Continental Grain company (formerly known as Wayne Feeds Research Farm) for 34 years.
Norma Jean and Dale had four children: Dennis Freyermuth, Jim Freyermuth, LeAnn Freyermuth and Jeri Freyermuth. Dennis and Jim spent their summer vacations with us each year.
In January 1957, our son Gerald Zierenberg, received his discharge from the Navy after seven years of service. He planned to farm with his father. But in September of that year he lost his life in a car accident. This left my husband and his two grandsons to do the summer work. The boys both did a lot of fishing on the Wapsie while we lived on the Foley farm. When each grandson reached his twelfth birthday, Grandpa gave him a heifer calf to raise. Both boys thought one of the highlights of being with us during the summer months was whent they got to do with Grandpa to the Kalona cattle sales. We had a milking parlor, so we were milking 25 Holstein cows, along with the field work and raising 20 to 30 Holstein heifers each year.
We retired, had a closing out farm sale and moved into Nichols, to the former Ralph Schmitt residence on Adams street.
Our grandson, Dennis Freyermuth, lived with us and attended Junior college in Muscatine. Then he enlisted in the Air Force for four years, and Jim Freyermuth enlisted in the Marines for three years. Both boys left that summer to enter their services.
Reiner worked at the Hawkeye Lumber company in Nichols for four years, then retired again to spend more time raising a large garden. We belonged to Pike Grange and the Nichols Christian church. Grandson Jim Freyermuth received his honorable discharge and lived with his parents in Mundelein, Illinois, until his marriage to Wiley Novak.
Dennis Freyermuth received his honorable discharge the following summer. He went back to junior college for one year to review some subjects before enrolling at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, in the College of Architecture. After graduation, he moved back to Mundelein, Illinois, where he had a job offer. He married Carol Curless.
Granddaughter LeAnn Freyermuth married Roger Haak. They have two girls, Carleen Haak and Kellie Haak. They live at Lake Villa, Illinois.
Granddaughter Jeri Freyermuth married Zane Rogers. They have two children, Dennis Reiner Rogers and Catherine Elizabeth Rogers. They also live in Lake Villa, Illinois.
On 1 January 1982, Reiner suffered a stroke, and he passed away 26 February 1982, at the age of 84 years. I sold our residence in Nichols, prior to Dennis’ passing away from cancer. I moved to West Liberty into a senior citizen complex known as Sunnyview Manor.
Return to Family Stories Index Return to Muscatine Co. IAGenWeb, Index Page
Page created December 20, 2010 by Lynn McCleary