Recipes for Living Bob and Sharon Gebhart

Since Bob and Sharon moved to Osceola in 1989, it is most uncommon not to find them in their usual place at the early Sunday morning worship service, or Bob may be serving as usher. They moved to Osceola from the Churdan/Paton area, where they both grew up.

Bob was born in the Churdan area to Robert & Georgie Gebhart, and has two younger brothers, Jim and Bill. There were six years between each of the boys, which meant 12 years between Bob and his youngest brother. They each had their own friends and recreation and were not as close as some siblings. Now that they are all grown and have their own families, they have gotten together occasionally, but less since the parents are deceased.

Bob remembers Churdan in his younger years as having a population of about 550, and it has now dropped to about 400. It is the familiar story of what has happened to many small towns. There was a time when the railroad went through, farming was the primary industry and farm related businesses flourished. Farm families were larger and children attended schools that were not consolidated. That has all changed. Now 20% of the businesses are gone. The elevator, which used to employ 20 people, is now down to three employees. The school is now Paton/Churdan.

With the "bigger is better" concept went some wonderful advantages. Everyone was not only acquainted with everyone else, but because of marriages between residents, almost everyone was related. This provided an automatic support system for young people. Bob estimates that there must have been 50 to 60 kids in their one/third of the town and everyone parented everyone else's children. If one of them needed mothering, there were plenty of mothers to see to it. If one got into mischief, the news spread all over town and the parents knew it before the child got home. Over the course of years, for a variety of reasons, former residents have moved away and others have come in, but the town has lost some of the closeness that made it special.

Of all the people whose lives touched Bob's he can think of no one that fit the role model better than his dad. He was a truck driver and owned his own trucks. In these days when so much is witnessed and written about "road rage," it is outstanding that Bob could not remember his father ever losing his temper. "He might get disgusted, but never mad." He contributed much to the community by serving on the city council, the volunteer fire department, and was the church treasurer for years. He died of cancer at the age of 53.

Bob and Sharon have known one another since they were together in the 8th grade. Sharon was born in Lena, Iowa, a community she describes as having about six houses. The family then moved to the larger community of Adaza, which had about 15 houses. The name Adaza is said to have originated when a railroad conductor called it "a daisy of a town." Railroads were a significant part of towns in those days and residents often accepted names given by railroad employees.

Sharon's parents were Charlie and Gayle Pack. Her father was hard working, and his recreation time was spent hunting and fishing. Neither of her parents graduated from high school but Sharon would challenge a computer to add a column of numbers faster than her dad. Gayle was ahead of her time because she always had jobs outside the home. She washed dishes, milked cows, was foreman for a detassling crew, and a rural mail carrier who worked her way up to postmistress. She did people's hair although she had no training in the profession. She was always an independent person, which made it heart-wrenching when she had to submit to being cared for in a nursing home.

Sharon's sister, Norma, is 13 years older than she, and Sharon became an aunt by the age of six. Her brother, Charles, was 11 years older. Norma is still living, but Charles died of bone cancer when he was 55. The difference in ages meant that Sharon grew up almost as an only child and she considers that the reason why her report cards said that she was "pretty bossy."

Sharon did, however, have lots of "parents," from the grocer to the next-door neighbor. They were like mentors. Sharon's best friend's mother was also her country school teacher. She invited Sharon to go to Sunday School with them. Because of some disagreement within the church, her parents had quit attending. However, when Sharon began going with her friend, her mother began attending again.

Adaza was a flourishing community when Sharon's family lived there, and her parents were key figures. Her father managed the elevator and lumber yard, her mother the post office and a store in the same building. Those services and a depot comprised the business district. At the present time all that is left is the wooden elevator and a big stone that commemorates the town of Adaza. However, to this day someone continues to write a column of Adaza news for the Churdan paper. When Sharon was in college, her friends looked forward to the coming of that newspaper to read the account of what was happening in Adaza.

All that was said about the community spirit of Churdan could likewise be said of Adaza. A unique feature was that they were very creative in seizing every opportunity for a community get-together. For several years this was a pigeon supper. At that time a farmer had way too many pigeons in his barn so he invited people to come shoot them; the women dressed and cooked them, and everyone went to the school for pigeon pie.

Until the 8th grade, Sharon went to a country school. She attended high school in Churdan, about five miles away. In 1963 or 1964 it became the Churdan Community School of Paton/Churdan. Sharon and Bob graduated together in 1955, in a class of 18 members. They were married in 1957, and celebrated their 40th anniversary July 27, 1997. "It was as hot that day as it was the day we were married. There was no air conditioning at that time, and it was so hot that when the wedding cake was delivered, it slid apart." One of the town's traditions was that when there were several newlyweds, they had their version of a charivari. The brides were put in little red wagons to be pulled down main street with enough noise of one kind and another to attract a considerable crowd to join in a procession. While that was happening, pranksters went to the home to short-sheet and/or pour breakfast cereal in the beds or do something that was not remedied quickly-such as taking all the labels off the cans of food.

There was never a lack of something to do. When TV first appeared, crowds gathered at the restaurant to watch the only available set, but by 1957, many people had their own. There were five or six couples who took turns being hosts; and families would gather on a Sunday evening to have supper and watch TV or play card games. In summertime they sat in the yard, in the winter they were in the house- children and all. "It was bedlam, but it was fun."

Bob went to work with his father in the trucking business and Sharon began her college education at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. In two years she earned a pre-professional degree, which was the last time that degree for teachers was offered.

By age 19 Sharon was married and teaching school. She started at Paton, which was about 12 miles from their home. She taught third grade and her career almost stopped at that point. She loved the children but when grades were handed out and an administrator asked her to change ones of children of school board members, she considered resigning. This was not what she expected teaching to be. For her, grades must be an honest evaluation of the students' work and she wanted no part of anything other than that. She stood her ground and her decision was respected.

Sharon taught for two half-years, during which time she discovered that kindergarten wasn't for her. She wanted to teach children something with more academic meat. To summarize her teaching career: Sharon taught every grade but fourth from kindergarten through eighth at Churdan over a period of30 years, and at Clarke Community Elementary School she served as counselor for 10 years. In Paton/Churdan she also wrote the first Chapter 1 reading program and the first program for talented and gifted children.

During that time she saw both ends of the spectrum- children struggling to read and those for whom reading was no problem. For the casual observer, it might seem that the latter "had it made" but Sharon saw the talented and gifted struggling in other ways. She concluded that everyone has problems, which was her primary motive for going into counseling. From all her observations and experiences, she had come to realize that we often try to force children into molds of expectation. She sees them like flowers for which you can provide soil and water, but they are still going to have their own characteristics. Whether flower or child, each one needs to be cherished for its own beauty and purpose. As important as reading is, there is danger when school systems become so intent upon reading talents that others are missed. Different areas of creativity should be discerned and respected. In all cases, children need adult support.

Valerie was born in 1958, and just as she was starting school, Mike was born, followed by Shelley and Trina. As in all families, each child was unique. Valerie had been such a fussy baby, day and night, that Sharon and Bob weren't sure they wanted another. Mike was not a lot of trouble. As he grew he got into his own share of mischief but, overall, he was a good kid.

Her siblings would call Shelley the manipulative one. She could somehow get the others to do things for her, and they would do them, then turn to one another and say, "She did it again." Before Trina could drive, Shelly would persuade Trina to go out to start the car for her while she finished getting dressed for school. She spent more time in the bathroom than any of the others and Bob and Sharon laugh to remember a morning when Mike's patience had run its course. He went into the bathroom, picked her up bodily and set her down in the hall while he took care of getting himself ready.

Mike sort of grew up on his own because he was only 14 months old when Shelley came along. By the time the fourth baby came, he was sure he needed a brother and did his best to make Trina one. Until she was in high school, Trina thought she was a boy and was the most athletic of the children. She played in every sport except football and many of her closest friends were boys.

All the while the children were getting their education, Sharon was getting hers. By taking night classes and correspondence courses, she finished getting her BA degree when the first child graduated from high school; and finished her MA degree when the youngest graduated from college.

Through these years Bob supported the family by trucking for his dad, and then went into the L.P. gas business, installing furnaces, setting tanks, etc. He went back to driving trucks, again, for a short time for his father, then for Montgomery Ward. In order to get off the road and back with the family, he went back for a short time delivering L.P. gas, then sold fertilizer and chemicals for several years. He went into on-the-road sales about the time they moved to Osceola and he took a job for the Driving Academy at Lamoni, teaching people how to drive semis. That school has closed. He went back to truck driving for Palleton in Osceola until this year, when he is semi-retired.

Bob followed in his father's footsteps in community service. When he was not driving a truck, he served in the Churdan Fire Department for 28 years, during two of which he was Fire Chief. He was in the Reserve Police Force. Small towns had difficulty keeping cops, and Bob worked as a night cop for 25 years off and on. He was in the Sheriffs Reserve for 12 years.

Sharon retired from Clarke Community Schools at the end of the 1998-1999 school years, anticipating a time when she could have more opportunity to see her children and grandchildren. Valerie is employed by Farmers National as a farm management assistant. She is married to Robert Stofer who works in a Frigidaire factory making transmissions for various washing machine companies. They have a daughter, Nicole, who has finished her first year at DMAC. Robert and Valerie live in Jefferson, Iowa.

Michael is being married for the first time in June, 2000. He lives in Texas, working with a company that supplies cabinets for Lowes stores. He makes sure all the branches have a good supply of cabinets, trains the employees in setting them up, displaying and selling them. He will marry Michelle Maples who lives in Denton, Texas. Her work involves sales and installation of elevators and escalators and checking on safety requirements.

Shelley lives in Fort Worth, Texas. Her first job was with a travel agency, but when the children came along, she was not as fortunate as her mother in finding adequate babysitters, so she is an at-home mom. However, she has an accounting job at their United Methodist Church so she is at home during the day and goes to church to do her work at night. This is a very large church and they have just acquired 40 acres of ground, on which they plan to build their own school.

Shelley's husband, Craig Carney was originally from Cedar Falls. He and Michael were college friends, and that is how Craig and Shelley met. Craig oversees new homes that are being built, seven or eight at a time. Craig and Shelley have two boys-Sayer and Shea.

Trina married Tim Rogers, who is an adjuster for American Family Insurance. Trina followed her mother's profession and is a middle school math teacher. They have three girls Hanna, Mattie, and Brenna. They live in Algona, Iowa.

Three years ago, on June 1, Bob had quadruple by-pass surgery. He was at home when he had chest pains. At one time he had been with a volunteer rescue unit so he had an indication of what this was, but the pain eased. When it came back later and went down his arm, he realized that he should pay attention. An interesting aspect of the experience was trying to get word to Sharon who was at school. There was a phone call from the office but she told them she was with a student, to take the name and she would call back later. She received a second call at which time she was given enough information that she knew she must leave.

Bob's and Sharon's children anticipated a big celebration for the 40th anniversary, July 27, 1997. Their plans included renting the Elk's Hall in Jefferson. Bob and Sharon tried to dissuade them because they felt they were between two communities. They had lived all those years in Churdan but by this time had been in Osceola for seven or eight years. It was then that Bob had his heart attack. The family was more determined than ever that they would have a reunion, but by this time the reservations for the hall had been cancelled. The only alternative was to go to a shelter house at Spring Lake, in Greene County, near Jefferson. "It was as hot as the day we got married. We spent the afternoon greeting friends and relatives and sweating a lot."

Presently, Bob is putting in 30 hours a week at the casino. It is all outside work, either driving the shuttle bus or doing valet parking, but he finds it very interesting. He has observed that, until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, those in attendance are predominately retired people. After 5:00 when the work day is over, there are many workers who come out; then the dinner crowd that comes primarily to eat arrives, and from 8:00p.m. on, the true gamblers are there.

In her retirement, Sharon is doing "a little bit of everything." She finds it a strange , sensation, feeling as though she is on an extended summer vacation from school. She does miss the kids and staff. She had an opportunity through the Extension Service to lead some classes in a program called Strengthening the Family. The target audience was fifth grade students and parents. It may be that they will try more such classes in the fall. Sharon is also serving as Facilitator of Lay Ministry at the church and she says she is presently attempting to learn what that means.

Bob and Sharon had a dream of settling in the south near a lake. They are in south Iowa and their home is high enough on a hill in Osceola that when there are no leaves on the trees, they can see Grade Lake. As part of Bob's therapy and for their enjoyment, they daily walk 1 ½ miles in the lake area and on nearby streets. Their home can be identified by the designation on the garage doors. In their previous home they had a tiny garage just big enough for Sharon's car. Bob's had to sit out in the weather. When they bought this one and there was room for both cars, Bob immediately identified the doors as "His" and "Hers."