At the time Duane and I moved to the Maloy vicinity in 1956 we had four sons, Larry, Terry, Dale and Richard. Delvin was born in 1957.

One morning in 1956 we received word that Adlai STEVENSON, presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, was to be at the farm where we were tenants for John WARIN. A large crowd arrived and Mr. STEVENSON talked about the Grass Roots of America. Mrs. WARIN served coffee and cookies for his party. While he was talking I went upstairs and was surprised to see a reporter taking pictures of the crowd from my bedroom window. We felta very proud to have met and talked to Mr. STEVENSON. Even thoughhe did not become our president, he did become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Later we moved to the Cleo LYNCH farm and from there moved into Maloy. Duane worked for Ringgold County running the road maintainer. One of the things we remember most about this time was the big snowstorm in 1961. Duane had been out with the maintainer when it started snowing and was coming in to put the snow plow on. Mrs. Irene PARKS was returning from Delphos where she was teaching school and had become stranded in her car. Duane saw her hand waving from the window after almost hitting the car. He brought her in with him and the next morning her car was completely drifted over. After getting home that evening the engineer called from Mount Ayr and asked Duane to try to get to the Cleo LYNCH home east of town where their daughter Joan and neighbor girl were alone without electricity. Duane started that way with the maintainer with Cleo and his dad following in a truck. The maintainer became stuck and they finally go the truck turned around and got back to town. Everything turned out all right, but it was a very frightening time for all of us.

We attended the little community church in Maloy and used to have a nice attendance for the Bible school classes in the summer. Our dog Butch attended church with us. After the service started, he would slip in the door and lie under the back pew.

The people in Maloy were very friendly and helpful. One Halloween our boys had the chicken pox and could not go trick or treating. Several brought their treats to our home and others kept them until the boys were able to got and get them. Halloween was a fun time for all kids in Maloy.

One time I had gone to Mount Ayr and forgotten to turn off the burner under my hot water canner for green beans. I called the telephone switchboard operator, Rose LAMBERT, and asked her to tell the boys to turn it off. She assured me she would take care of it.

I asked our boys what they remembered most about Maloy and all of them mentioned Mrs. Rose STANLEY. She was like a second grandmother to them. Of course we all remember Father CULHANE and his beautiful dogs and Peanut COWELL in the barber shop and his patience with our boys when they were small. He had lots of tales to tell them. Frank CARR'S grocery store and WARIN'S gas station where the men met to try and solve the world's problems also stand out in our Maloy memories.

We live now on a farm west of Sharpsburg, Iowa which we purchased on Friday the 13th in August of 1971. Our boys were our biggest assets onthe farm during their school years. Duane also works as parts manager at Barker Implement in Lenox. Virginia is employed as a therapist at the Health Care Center in Lenox.

Larry and Sharon have a home near Sharpsburg and a welding shop in Lenox. Most of this year Larry has been on the road doing welding in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Sharon is an RN and works at the Veterans Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. They have two daughters, Jackie and Sondra, and three grandchildren.

Terry and Trudy have a farm west of Sharpsburg. Trudy is a teachers' aid in the Bedford school. They have two sons, Douglas and Timothy, who are a great help on the farm, and a daughter Bonnie.

Dale and Tresasa have a home in Lenox and Dale is plant manager of the Sheridan Egg Company. Tereasa also works part time there. They have three sons, James, David and Brady, and a daughter Angela.

Richard and Maureen have a home south of Sharpsburg and Richard is a mechanic at Barker Implement in Lenox. Maureen is an LPN and works at the Lenox Care Center. They have two daughters, Becky and Emily. and a son Chad.

Delvin and Bobbi have a home in Lenox and Delvin runs the tiling machine for the Roscoe Brown Corporation. They have a daughter Nikki and a son Craig.

We think a small farming community was a good place to raise our family.

We congratulate you on Maloy's 100-year celebration in 1987 and we plan to be there.

 SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 Pp. 196-97.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription and Notes by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011