That was a fun three days at the biennial Solomon Bear Family Reunion held in Iowa during 11-13 June 2010! There was great fun visiting, tracing genealogy, eating lots, and touring the Bear Cemetery. The 87 attendees came from 11 states and Canada.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
July, 2010

There were joyous sounds floating through the air at the 10th biennial Solomon Bear Family Reunion (SBFR). The sounds were coming from children as they enjoyed the playground equipment at the Ellston Community Center on Saturday and Sunday, 12th and 13th of June 2010. On Friday evening there were looks of amazement and joy near the Tingley Restaurant as two boys were able to sit on the seat of a big John Deere tractor provided by one of the local residents. And the parents were enjoying the children’s delights plus having a fun time talking with parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts. We were very appreciative that so many parents made the effort to bring their children to the SBFR. That is what makes family reunions so fun for many years.

Again, the Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Tingley provided a delicious buffet on Friday evening. As usual, the catered food from Hy-Vee and the supplemental food from Mount Ayr grocery stores satisfied many big appetites. The homemade pies by a local lady were a pleasant surprise.

Upon entering the Ellston Community Center, your eyes were drawn to the 24 ft. long family tree starting with Solomon Bear. He and first wife Sarah E. (Walker), who died, and second wife Amanda Elvina (Duly) Bear were honored for starting the Bear Home Place and Cemetery in Monroe Township a little southeast of Oliver Cemetery. Then your eyes would land on the big boards and follow the Bear lineage from Switzerland in 1558 to Solomon and on to present day. The digital photo albums provided a great pictorial history of the family. But the conventional paper albums of the current families were also viewed and enjoyed.

There was also enough time for the big group photo even though it meant tearing up the room so seven rows of people could be in one photo. Then the individual families were photographed in one corner as the room was returned to original form.

Ted Bear once again used his tractor and trailer to take many to the Bear Cemetery. Considering the nine plus inches of rain the previous week, it was difficult. Ted mows the cemetery and obtains assistance from the Ringgold Pioneer Cemetery Commission. Bryce Bear organizes the SBFR and makes sure everyone has fun with plenty to eat including her delicious biscuits and gravy on Sunday morning.

It was a delight to be able to thank Sharon Becker in person for bringing alive the Ringgold County IAGenWeb which can be viewed on the Internet at ../../../ringgold. This web site makes it a pleasure to read about people, towns, cemeteries, etc., and see related photos. And the Bear family is well represented in her many interesting articles.

Of the 87 Bear family members from 11 states and Canada that attended this tenth reunion all were descendants, related by marriage, or friends of Solomon and Amanda Bear who farmed in Ringgold County for many years. Listed below are the attendees who are descendants of four of their children:

William Franklin Bear*

Glenn Franklin Bear* - Shirley, Ken, and David Chase of Drexel, MO; Donna Ruby of Drexel, MO; Rosemary and Gary Chase of Altus, OK; Don Bear of Mount Ayr, IA; Darlene Bear of Redding, IA; Jodi, Lucas, Jennifer, and Austin Angus of Mount Ayr, IA; Amanda Bohanan of Oskaloosa, IA; Beverly and Charles Peterman of Nevada, MO; Mary Scheib of Grandview, MO; Amy, Stephen, Sydney, Darcy, and Grady Huber of Leawood, KS; Taylor and Gavin Scheib of Belton, MO; Nancy and Mark Eilenberger of Aurora, CO; Cathy Goold and Greg Smith of Belton, MO; Dion Baker of Colo, IA; Julie, Brad, and Elliot Baker of Jefferson, IA; Melissa and Kaylee Baker of Jefferson, IA; Lorrie, Eric, Abby, and Sam Hanson of Nevada, IA; Kenneth Holder of Paton, IA; Lisa Baker of Roland, IA; Jean Schriever of Farmington, MN; Naiim and Flint Sabre of Lakeville, MN; Carolyn Schriever, Lexy Peters, and Tim Peters of Hastings, MN; Valerie, Scott, and Andrew Hardy, and Michael Long of Coin, IA; Christina Long of Huron, SD; Bryce and Ted Bear of Ellston, IA; and Angie and Nixie Pottorff of Des Moines, IA.

Leonard Solomon Bear* - Norma Sandager and Heather Nelligan of Grover Beach, CA.

Theola Mae (Bear) Barbour* - Betty and Roger Wilson, and Vicki Haefele of Broken Arrow, OK; and Andrea and Tate Schafer of Tulsa, OK. Orville Nelson Bear* - Nadine Bales of Pittsburg, CA; Craig Walbridge of Clearfield, UT; Shannon Esch of Vida, OR; Deloris and Ray Bear of Lake St. Louis, MO; Allen Bear of Defiance, MO; Marilyn Bear of Diagonal, IA; Merrell McCullough of Dawson Creek, Canada; Glee Toney of Donna, TX; and Gerald Parmer of Davis City, IA.

Edna Marie (Bear) Stacy* - Janet and Ron Stacy of Florissant, MO.

Gladys Laverne (Bear) Beal* - Ann Rolston, Gladys Israel, and Angela and Cody Rainey of Redding, CA.

Reuben Ugene Bear* - Carmen and John Bear of Half Moon Bay, CA.

Doris Lavon (Bear) Campbell of Indianola, IA; and Janet Proudfoot of New Virginia, IA.

The next reunion will again be held at the Ellston Community Center on the second Saturday of June in 2012. The SBFR officers that are continuing for another term are:

Presidents/Treasurers Bryce and Ted Bear, Vice Presidents Beverly and Charles Peterman, Secretaries/Historians Deloris and Ray Bear, and Historians Janet and Ron Stacy plus Maxine Bear.

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Wagon Wheel, Tingley
Friday Evening, June 12th

	Angela, Cody, Gladys, Ann
Bryce, Nixie, Angie, Ted	Mark, Nancy, Beverly, Charles Mary, Sydney, Taylor, Darcy Gavin, Greg, Cathy, Amy Stephen and Grady
Nadene, Ray, Glee, Craig Shannon, Deloris, Marilyn	Deloris & Allen
	Don, Darlene, Austin, Amanda, Jodi, Jennifer, Lucas

 

Ellston Community Center
Saturday, July 13

Andrew, Christina, Valeria Michael & Scott	Jim & Gloria
Rosemary, Shirley, Gary Ken, Donna, & David	Roger & Betty
Cody
John & Carmen	Janet & Ron
Deloris & Allen	Heather & Norma
Lisa, Lorrie, Sam, Eric, Abby, Brad, Elliot, Julie Kenneth, Dion, Melissa, Kaylee	Ron
Doris & Jan
Carolyn, Lexi, Jean, Flint, Tim, Naiim	Carissa, Don, Colette

Till Next Reunion

Submission by The BEAR Family, July of 2010