When I was little more than a toddler, My sister (Sandra Jantze Bremer) and I were relocated to "Family" in central Iowa for the duration of WW2.
We left a typical suburban city life (Portland Oregon) for a very atypical rural life on a farm..with our paternal Grandparents..
A place without electricity...Paved... streets...outhouses and no indoor plumbing...
Lots and lots of animals, open fields, ponds, tall corn, windmills, silos ....and everywhere...
ADVENTURE.
It was Paradise.
We actually began our first-grade education in a one-room schoolhouse.
We lived with our Grand Parents, Elsie and HB Bremer..along with their two remaining children. My Aunt Lois and her older Brother.Dean Bremer,
my Uncle Dean.
Dean was all of 18 at the time and because of him being needed to help on the farm..wasn't allowed to join the military..both of his older brothers already were serving...Vere Bremer and.. Ivan Maurice Bremer (Our paternal Father).
Uncle Dean took over the job of parenting me...And Aunt Lois became my Sisters mentor for the next 3+ years.
Actually...Aunt Lois was our very first school teacher at Spunky Ridge 1-8 one-room school.. just a mile east of the farm on a dusty, muddy, icy country road.
Like I may have mentioned..It was Paradise.
Uncle Dean met and fell in love with Ruth from Garden Grove Iowa..the nearest town..Which brings me to the title of this message..
Recently Ruth passed on..and all these memories came flooding back to me.
My Uncle Dean loved Ruth...So naturally...So did I.
Deans youngest son, Jerry Bremer who still lives close to that farm tells the story of how..During church services..I would stand up facing backward on the pews and unashamedly flirt with Ruth instead of paying attention to the preacher. Some things never change.
Now for all my Bremer relatives in the Longview, Kelso area, I will post some pictures I recently received our relatives from IOWAY.
Contact me on this Blog, Facebook or debre@teleport.com if you have any questions about the pictures. I will share whatever I know. db :)
A photo of my Mom and Dad when they were first a couple
The whole Family before Mike was born
My Dad and I flew to Iowa for Granddads funeral
l-r Vere, Emily,Granddad,Maurice, Grandma and Dean Bremer
Sis Sandra and Me
Grandma Elsie, Emily and Chip Bremer
Sandy and Me
Emily and Ivan Maurice "Chip" Bremer
Chip and Dean Bremer
Dorothy Leonard Bremer Pugh
Chip and Emily
My Mom Standing left behind her sister Marge Leonard
Siblings Sandy and DeWayne
Chip Bremer with Steve and Joe
L-R Vere, Dean Grandma Elsie(sitting} and Chip Bremer
My Mom and Me
Me and Dean
Chip with Joe and Steve and Jean, Chips 2nd wife.
Mother of Joe and Steve
Sandy and DeWayne at the farm just before
coming back to Oregon.
My Dad
Joe and Steve Bremer, Early 60's
At Kalama
Granddad (Horace Boise Bremer) and uncle Dean
In shadow
The pony was probably Trigger
Sandy and her Dad, I M Bremer.
