The    

History    

of   

Robert Edgar Hackenberg   

by   

Robert Earl Hackenberg   

Robert Edgar Hackenberg was the second child of Clarence Leroy Hackenberg and Nellie Ellen Franks Hackenberg. He was born 7 May 1918 in Barberton at his home, 1512 Wooster Avenue.^1a At that time of his birth, grandpa was a rubber worker. He and grandma were both twenty-seven.^1a Dads’ parents named him Robert Edgar, but the Health Department incorrectly recorded it. They recorded it only as Robert.^{1 b}As he grew up, dad was a very sickly person.² Then at the age of fourteen, his parents were divorced.³ This event created turmoil for him, and it would shape his thinking the rest of his life.⁴ Should he have a family, he decided, that they would not go through the same problems.⁵

In 1932, dad joined the Boy Scouts. Four years later, he received the Honor Certificate.⁶ The date was 8 February 1936. Five years after this date, dad received from the National Council the Star Scout Award. The date was 26^th June 1941.⁷ I’m very sure dad was a Eagle Scout. Much had elapsed during this time. One of the events was his Baptism. He was baptized at Columbia Congregational Church. The date was 3 June 1934. The Pastor of the church, Rev. Seth A. Drummond, officiated.^{8 a} He also met and married my mother, Mildred Cleary.^{8 b}

It was probably at Columbia Congregational Church, that dad met the lady who was to become my mother. The reason that I say this is because both of them attended the church. It is located at  978 Wooster Road West in Barberton.⁹

Mildred Cleary was the daughter of John Cleary and Elizabeth Rose Staats Cleary. She was born 8 December 1919. Her brother, Howard Earl Cleary, was born 3 December 1920. They always told the kids at school, that they were twins. For five days out of the year they were the same age. Let me give you a brief biography of Mom.

The Autobiography of Mildred Cleary   

Edited and Organized By My Son

Bob Hackenberg

My family lived at 222 Columbus Avenue in Barberton Ohio. It was there, on 8 December 1919, that I was born. At the time of this writing, I live just a hoot and a holler from Columbus Avenue. My home is now located at 1044 West Tuscarawas avenue.

Dr. H. L. Silverman advised my mother to explain to her family, that a new child would soon arrive. When that time came, our house was only heated with a coal stove. There was no furnace, no central heating or electricity. After all, it was 1919. Possibly, there were gas or oil lights.

During that time my brother Bobby was in bed. My sister Marguaritte and my brother John were sent upstairs. Dad needed to be free to help mom with the birth. He thought that it would keep them out of his way. It didn’t.

In the room they were in upstairs, there was a register for heat. Directly below that room is where I was being born. They couldn’t resist looking through the open register. There, they observed the events that were taking place below. Unfortunately for them, their hee hawing aroused my father’s attention to their activities. Dad left mom and flew up the stairs two by two. He proceeded to give Marguaritte and John a good scolding and closed the register. You may wonder why? You see, at the time of my birth sex was a no no. This story was related to me by my sister Marguaritte. She also says that John and she didn’t have to go to school that day. They stood outside and told the children, who were going to school, that they had a baby sister.

At the time of my birth, my father was 38 and mom was 33 years old. Previously, they had three other children. They were Marguaritte, John Allan and Robert Uriah. Marguaritte was born Friday, 2 February 1912. She was 7 at the time of my birth. John Allan was born Sunday, 30 March 1913. He was 6 at the time of my birth. According to my sister, our grandfather, Dr. Alexander Allan Staats, delivered herself and John. Six weeks after John’s birth, grandfather died. Then, the Lord gave us Bobby to love. He was born Tuesday, 23 February 1915. Bobby was 4 at the time of my birth. Then, it was my turn. The occasion occurred at 1: 30 Monday morning, 8 December 1919. I had black hair and blue eyes. Naturally, I was a darling sweet baby. The final child was Howard Earl. He was born Friday, 3 December 1920. This was five days from a year from my birth. When the two of us became school age, we told people, that we were twins. We did so because for five days we were the same age.

Just a note about Bobby, he was retarded. However, that didn’t change our IMMENSE love for him. Unfortunately, we didn’t know how to help him. Today, there is so much help available. When my son Bob came home from Philadelphia one of the things that he did was to watch Bill Kyle for Ralph and Adie Young. He is like Bobby. Billy goes to Weaver School, C. Y. O. and Camp Christopher. If only, those things would have been available for Bobby!!!

I was the fourth child of John Cleary and Elizabeth Rose (Staats) Cleary, a.k.a. Lizzie. My brother John Allan and my sister Marguaritte were given the special privilege of naming me. They named me Mildred. Let me explain why. They had two favorite cousins, several years older than themselves. Their names were Kenneth Allan Staats and Mildred Staats (Coultas) Because I was a girl, they named me after Mildred. If I had been a boy, I would have been named Kenneth Allan. The Allan came from our grandfather, Dr. Alexander Allan Staats. My sister related this story to me.

I was only given the name of Mildred. My sister Marguaritte and I had no middle name. The reason being, our mother wanted us to use our maiden names for our middle initials after marriage. This must have been the fad at the time of my birth.

As a little girl, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Because they did not know much about the disease at the time, my brother Howard watched over me like a hawk, especially at school. As I grew so did my sister. I didn’t have anybody to play with. The neighborhood ladies took me in and taught me to bake and cook. If I’m not mistaken they were Slovak. My son, Bob, says that they taught me very, very well.

Then, the typical question was asked, who did I look like? My father thought, that I looked like his older sister Myrtle. Mom thought, that I looked like the Franklin’s. Of course, they came from her side of the family. She told me, that we were related to THEE Benjamin Franklin.

When I was older, like 12, my mother would ask me do you want your birthday or Christmas present? I always said Christmas. You see, there was no money for extras. Christmas was more important to me. This was when we did get something. It was an article of clothing or shoes or something that we needed.

As I grew to be a beautiful young woman, I met Robert Hackenberg. Bob was the son of Clarence and Nellie Hackenberg. Mr. Hackenberg, at one time, was a fairly well known businessman in Barberton. Slowly, Bob and I became very good friends. Gradually, the relationship grew to be more than friendship. Then, when he was twenty-one and I was twenty, we were married. This beautiful event took place at Columbia Congregational Church. The date was 16 February 1940. Rev. Seth A. Drummond, the church's Pastor, performed the ceremony.

Before proceeding further let me tell you a story that took place before and the day of the wedding. My nephew Marvin H. Miller, Jr. idolized me. He did not want anyone taking his aunt from him. This is what he saw Bob doing. His thinking was not true, but he was only four going on five. Marvin, Jr. did not want to share me with anyone.

About a week before the wedding, Bob and I were at my brother-in-law Marvin’s and my sister’s apartment at 74 1/2 23^rd Street. My nephew Marvin was there being only four going on five. When he and Bob were alone, Marvin Jr. picked up a shoe tree and smacked Bob on the side of the head. Of course, he fell down. For a few minutes, he was unconscious. I forget what they did to Marvin Jr.. But what could they have done, He was only four going on five. Plus, I am his special aunt. Then, on the day of the wedding, Punky (Marvin, Jr.) stole the keys to Bob’s car. After much searching, we found the keys, but Bob was an hour late for our wedding.

As Punky grew up, he and Bob did many things together; one of them was to raise rabbits. The name Punky came from his parents. He was their first child, so they called him their pumpkin. Marvin and Marguaritte abbreviated it to Punky to make it easier to say.

Bob’s mother had a home at 1303 Shannon Avenue located in Barberton Ohio. We moved in there. Ralph and Vivian Shaffer shared the house, until new arrivals made this arrangement to difficult. Although Bud and Vivian are not blood, they are closer than blood. It would not be right to have a family function without inviting them.

As I mentioned above, little bundles arrived. The first was a red headed boy. Bob and I named him Leroy Allan after his grandfather, Clarence Leroy and my grandfather Alexander Allan. My son, Leroy does not like this name. He prefers Lee. Then the Lord gave us another son. He was also a red head. We named him Robert Earl. He was named after his father and his uncle, Howard Earl. Young Robert was not a junior. His father’s name was Robert Edgar. Finally the Lord gave us a daughter. We named her Patricia Joan. She had a tint of red hair, but mostly she was a dirty dish water blonde. After much discussion, my sister and I decided, that the red hair came from our grandmother, Margaret (Maggie) Graham Cleary,

I was afraid, that the Epilepsy, that I had as a child, a young woman and an adult would be passed on to my children. However, my first son did not get it. Unfortunately, my second son did. He was diagnosed with Epilepsy at the age of seven, but we believe that he had it earlier. Why! My daughter, Pat, tells of an account about Bob, when we lived at 1303 Shannon Avenue. The following is that account: She says, “That her dad had just put a toilet in the basement. It was not enclosed. One day she went down there for something and saw Bobby at the toilet with his eyes glazed over. What Patty saw scared her. She didn’t know what to do, so she screamed for Bob and I”. Also, when Bob was a child, he suffered from very high temperatures due to ear infections. I believe that this is how he contracted it, because the disease can come from high temperatures. Finally, my daughter was born without it and she did not get it later.

Then when I was in my forties, I had a hysterectomy. About ten years after that my doctor felt, that I didn’t need my epilepsy medicine. He took me off of it, and I have not had any problems since.¹⁰

After her parents died, Dad and Mom corresponded with Myrtle’s daughter. When they died, I was elected to continue the correspondence. This created a desire to meet her.

So, my sister Marguaritte, my brother John and I flew to Denver in August of 1980. We then took a small plane to Grand Junction Colorado to meet Myrtle and her family for the first time. We had a great seven days with them, and a wonderful time in Denver.

It was possible, that the trip would never have taken place. Myrtle became ill, and she was put in the hospital. Myrtle insisted that we come out even though she was in the hospital. The doctor permitted her to come home under one condition, that she allow her daughters to handle our visit Lenora and Kathleen went out of their way to show us a grand time. Kathleen told me, that I looked like her mother, Myrtle. She also told me, when her parents left Ohio, she was 9 months old. She (Myrtle?) is now in her eighties and living in an assisted care home in Grand Junction. It is similar to Chambrel at Fairlawn. Myrtle is almost blind. She has since passed away. The date was 14 November 1982.

On 16 February 1990, our children, Leroy who was born 23 January 1940, Bob who was born 5 August 1943 and Pat who was born 7 December 1944, along with my sister, had a Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary party for Bob and I. My son, Bob, came in from Philadelphia. Patty came up from Kettering and Leroy came from Barberton. Bob and I once again exchanged vows before the Lord and to each other. The event took place at Columbia United Church of Christ. The Rev. Ralph Young, the minister, conducted the ceremony. I was so pleased, that my sister Marguaritte was again the Matron of Honor. Because Marvin, Sr. had passed away, her son Marvin H. Miller, Jr. took the place of his father as the Best Man. Ironically, Marvin Jr. did his best, as a little boy, to stop the wedding. At this ceremony I was so happy for Myself and Bob, but sad for my sister Marguaritte. Tears were in her eyes. Why? She and Marvin would have celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary, before he died of a heart attack in his back yard.

Dad was born 24 January 1881. He was 78, when he died. This was 14 May 1959. My mother was born 7 May 1886. She was 78, when she died. The date was 3 April 1965.Let me share with you some of the events of my life.

Did I have a nickname? Mostly I was called “shorty” and sometimes I was called “Midgie” The nicknames never stuck, so I was Mildred Cleary. At least until, I met and married Bob Hackenberg. Then I became Mildred Cleary Hackenberg.

What important news event occurred at my birth? Woodrow Wilson was the President at the time. He just settled a major coal strike. Ohio Gov. Cox noted that the strike was hurting his state. However, when President Wilson settled the strike, he called off a parley for coal. The other news was how cheap prices were.

Did I ever fight with my brothers and sisters? I guess, that I did, especially with Howard. The reason being John and Marguaritte was 6-7 years older than us. Howard and I fought as soon as mom and dad left the house. They left the dishes for us to do. Being a year older, I just had a bossy attitude. This attitude caused problems, and it infuriated Howard. Because he would not listen to me, I became mad .The result was, that Howard always told me; that he would kill me. This fighting went on until we entered high school. This is true of most brothers and sisters. We fight with each other, when we are young. Then as we grow we become very close. The year of this writing is 1990. Only my brothers John and Howard and my sister Marguaritte are still alive. John, Howard, Marguaritte and I love each other beyond description. As I was growing up, I don’t think that any one person in my family treated me better than the other.

Did I get an allowance? No! There was no money to hand out to children in those days. I grew up, during the depression years. During this time, money was very scarce. It had to be used for important things. Money was so scarce my parents couldn’t even make the payments on the house. It was of no value to the bank. What would they do with it? They had houses, that they foreclosed on and no one could buy them. One more foreclosure would be of no value to them, so they allowed my parents to make the interest payments. When my younger brother went into the Navy, he paid the house off. It was a two story house with three bedrooms, a bath and a full basement. Can you believe that it only cost $2900.00?

How were we punished? This was done with a razor strap. Ouch! Boy did it hurt. What is a razor strap? That was a strap my father honed (sharpened) his razor on. My father was very strict. We knew when he meant business.

The Tooth Fairy Money was very tight. However, the Tooth Fairy left me probably five or ten cents. I was always thrilled.

What were my favorite games or toys? They were tag, Go Sheepey, Hide and Seek, Hopscotch, Dominoes, Cards, Skating and Playing House with my buggy and dolls. My mom was the one who played cards and Dominoes with us.

Did I ever go sledding, skiing or skating? What sports did I like? I sure did go sledding. When we had a good snow, we would walk up to the top of  Shannon Avenue to about 22^nd Street. From there, we would sled to approximately 16^th Street. To make sure, that there was no problems with traffic; some of the boys would stop cars at 16^th or 17^th Street. Some of them went further than we girls did. I liked to play baseball down by the creek. It is now covered and houses are built on both sides of the street. What skiing I did was with my feet down a little slope or on an icy sidewalk.

What were my accommodations? I shared a room with my sister, Marguaritte. My three brothers (John, Bobby and Howard) had another.

What was there to share? We didn’t have much. As I noted before, these were depression times. We did have card games, a buggy and doll, crayons, scrap paper and the good old Sears and Roebuck Catalogue to get paper dolls and dresses for them. Most of the time, we used our imagination to play and entertain ourselves. We didn’t have the selection of toys that children have today. Life was very plain.

What was an event? We used to roast potatoes, until they were black. They tasted pretty good, but some of them were raw.

What was the naughtiest thing that I ever did? The only thing that comes to mind is this one summer Marvin, my sister’s boyfriend and later her husband, came to our house with his parents to visit. I always thought that his dad looked like a Chinese man. I taught myself a little rhyme. It went like this: Chink-A-Chink-A-Chinaman stole a pig and away he ran. I repeated it several times, but I was never reprimanded for it. Looking back at this, my father should have punished me in some form. This was very rude. I’m sure there were other times that I was naughty. However, they don’t come to mind.

What about high school? I enjoyed going to the high school football games and dances. Neither my brother Howard, nor myself could dance, and we wanted desperately to attend the dances, so we practiced dancing with each other. I must say the dances then were nothing like the dances the teenagers do today.

What was the most important date in my life? That date of course was 16 February 1940. It was then, that I married Bob Hackenberg at Columbia Congregational Church. The minister was Rev. Seth Drummond. 50 years later our children and my sister had a 50^th Anniversary party for Bob and I.

What was the best birthday present that I ever received? I guess that it had to be a little girl. She was born 7 December 1944. Her birthday was just one day before mine. I was so thrilled, that the Lord gave me a healthy baby. She weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces. Bob and I named her Patricia Joan. Previously the Lord had given us two wonderful boys.

Let me tell you the story about the date of her birth. I was in the old Barberton Hospital for her birth. The nurse asked me what day I wanted my daughter born on. Because it was close to midnight, the day could have been the seventh or the eighth. After much thought, I decided to have her birthday dated the seventh. Te reason my birthday is on the eighth, and I wanted my baby girl to have her opwn birthday. I didn’t want two birthdays on the same day.

What was the saddest time in my life? 7 May 1998, my beloved husband of 58 years went home to be with the Lord. It was then, that I needed my children the most. My son Leroy was here in Barberton, so he was available to help me a lot. Bob immediately flew home from Philadelphia, and Patty came up from Kettering to be with me. Then when I was by myself Trouble (the cat) was there to comfort me. About two months before Mom went home to be with the Lord, we had to have Trouble (The Boss) put to sleep.

How about grandchildren and great-grandchildren? The Lord gave my son, Leroy two beautiful daughters to bring up. They are named Kimberly Lynn and Kelly Michelle. Kim grew up, and went to Kent State. She graduated from there and married Scott Collins. The date was 20 April 1991. They were married at Lockwood E. U. B. Rev. Atkins officiated. They have two fine boys. There names are Sean Patrick and Cole Patrick. I never thought that I would live to see great-grandchildren.

Then it was Kelly’s turn. She grew up and graduated from high school. Then she went to Ohio State. After her graduation, she married Harry Stanley Alexander, III. The date was 21 August 1999. Then on 3 September 2004, the Lord gave them a son. His name is Nicholas Stanley. Bob had the blessing to see his two great-grandchildren from Kimmy. Unfortunately, he died before Nicholas' birth. At the present time, Kelly is the assistant Vice-President at her bank. She recently told me that, that bank has merged with J. P. Morgan and Chase.

My daughter Patricia met and married Eugene Raymond Dyrdek. The Lord gave them two children. The first was Denise Aileen and the second was Robert Stanley. Denise is going to Wright State University for Business. She graduated 20 November 2004. Robbie lives out in California. He is a professional skateboarder. His profession has really paid off for him.

My son Bob never married.

What about today? I am 83 years old. My son Bob lives with me. For that, I’m glad. Then my son Leroy checks in on me every once in awhile. Finally, my daughter and her husband come up from Kettering, when they can. Two years have passed, since I originally wrote this.

Returning to Bob, the picture on the left is a picture of he and I at Betty Braman’s home in May of 1936^{11 a}. She was one of my friends. There is a note on the back of the picture that says, “This is the first time, that I had a complete outfit.”

I was very surprised that dad allowed me to go to Betty's with Bob. I say this, because we were not married. Dad was a very strict person.

^11b My son, Bob, says that his dad was very wise to marry such a beautiful young woman as I. There is a picture of me on the immediate bottom right. The ceremony was performed 16 February 1940, at the Columbia Congregational Church. The church’s Pastor, the Rev. Seth Drummond officiated. Marvin and Marguaritte Miller was the Best Man and Matron of Honor.¹² Earlier, I told a story about their son, Marvin H. Miller, Jr., stealing the keys so his favorite Aunt wouldn’t be taken from him.^13a Ironically, Fifty years later he would stand in the place of his father as Best Man. The Pastor of Columbia United Church of Christ remarried Dad and Mom. His name was Rev. Ralph Young. This is the same church with a different name.

Vivian and Ralph “Bud” Shaffer lived with us the first year of our marriage. However, when Vivian became pregnant with Buddy and I with Leroy, there was not enough room. The Shaffer’s moved to Norton. Eventually, they moved to their present home on Vanderhoff Road. Vivian went home to be with her precious Lord Jesus Tuesday 5 August 2003. She was born 21 April 1919. Bud's health is not good.^13b

    ^{At dad's funeral, Aunt Vivian told me that I didn't need to be concerned with she and uncle Bud's status with Jesus. They were both saved and knew if they died today, that they would go to heaven.}

After he married Mildred Cleary, the Lord gave Bob and Mildred three children. They were Leroy, Robert and Patricia.¹⁴

Let me give a little description of them and their families. Leroy Allan was born January 23^rd 1940. He advanced through the grades of the Barberton School System. Then in 1959, he graduated.¹⁵ After graduation, he started to work for B. F. Goodrich. The time was January 1960. Leroy worked for them, until he retired. During this time, he could eat and eat and eat and not put on weight. This could not be said after he was married.

He then joined the National Guard. Leroy went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for training. Then the commanding Colonel notified our father on 17 July 1963 that my brother had been selected as Regimental Commander’s Orderly during the guard inspection. The Colonel’s name was Grat B. Hankins, Infantry Commander. Col. Hankins detailed the significance of the award. He said the following: Winning the award is indicative of your son’s attention to detail, neatness, military knowledge, constructive attitude and outstanding service to his country.¹⁶

While he was in the service, he married Karen Nan Schild. She was born 4 July 1944. My brother had been dating her for awhile. The marriage took place at Moore Memorial Evangelical United Brethern Church. The date for this occasion was 23 May 1964. Rev. Roland R. Reece performed the ceremonies.¹⁷ At the time, Leroy was twenty-three and Karen was nineteen.¹⁸ She lived at 410 Grace Avenue in Akron and Leroy lived at 396 Zeller Avenue in Akron.¹⁹ He was discharged from the National Guard with the rank of Private First Class.^20a

Three years after the marriage, the Lord gave Leroy and Karen a beautiful little girl. They would name her Kimberly Lynn. Kimmy was born 21 May 1967. Today, she is 37. She is married to Scott Patrick Collins. The marriage took place at Lockwood United Methodist Church in Coventry, Ohio. The minister that conducted the ceremonies was Rev. David L. Atkinson. Before the marriage Scott was twenty-five and Kimmy was twenty-three. He worked as a Sales Representative and she as a Registered Nurse.^20b Scott was born 9 September 1965.²¹ The Lord has given them two beautiful boys. Their names are Sean Patrick and Cole Patrick. Sean was born 17 January 1993, and Cole Patrick was born 18 June 1996.²² They live in a beautiful two story home with a lot of land. Scott is the Sales Manager for Time/Warner and Kimmy is a Registered Nurse.²³ She did want to be a doctor, but she graduated from Kent State University with a nursing degree.²⁴

Four years later the Lord gave them another beautiful girl. They named her Kelly Michelle. She was born 7 April 1971. At the present time, Kelly is thirty-three. She is married to Harry Stanley Alexander, III. Harry was born 8 January 1970.²⁵ The date of the marriage was 21 August 1999. On 3 September 2004, the Lord gave Harry and Kelly a baby boy. They named him Nicholas Stanley. This is 25 August 2004.²⁶At the present time Kelly is assistant Vice-President of J. P. Morgan and Chase Bank.

      In 2008, the Lord again blessed Harry and Kelly with a baby girl. They named her Kara Michelle. Kara was born 2 January 2008 at Riverside Methodist Church in Columnbus. This is where her brother, Nicholas, was born.

Unfortunately, Kimmy and Kelly would suffer as a result of their parent’s incompatibility. On 14 July 1978, Leroy and Karen were divorced.²⁷ For the sake of the girls, they did stay friends. My brother did make sure that his girls had a place to live. He signed over his rights to the home to the girls. As of this writing, August 2004, neither have remarried. She is living with a man. Leroy has lived with one girl friend, and she threw him out. He is know living with another woman, Marsha Nelson.²⁷ I worked with her father at the Ohio Brass Company in Barberton, Ohio.²⁸

Today, Leroy lives at 175 2^nd Street, northeast with his girl friend Marsha and her son Earl. He has served as Master of Lodge # 750 of Free and Accepted Masons and as the head of all other organizations in the York Rite Branch of Masons.

On Friday 22 September 2006, my brother, Leroy Allan Hackenberg and Marsha Diana Nelson were united in holy wedlock. The event took place at the same church where my parents were married, only the name had changed to the Columbia United Church of Christ. The Rev. James W. Chapman officiated at the wedding.

Then the Lord gave Bob and Mildred a second son. His name is Robert Earl. Bob was born 5 August 1943. As a little tyke, I always had high fevers from ear infections. I remember vividly, this one day. I  was screaming my ears hurt, they hurt. There was so much pain, and my Mother could do nothing to help. She had tried everything, that she knew. I can only imagine her feeling of helplessness as she leaned over the sofa at 1303 Shannon Avenue telling me she could not help me. Today, I think I can understand it. About two years before Mom went home to be with the Lord, she was laying on the couch crying. Mom knew she was sick and dying, and she didn't want to be a burden. SHE WASN'T!!!  I leaned over the couch and told her, that the Lord Jesus wouldn't forsake us. He would be our comfort, and believe me he was. At the age of seven, I was to be diagnosed with Epilepsy. This comes from high fevers. That and the fact that mom was an epileptic didn’t hurt.

A year and five months after my birth, dad was notified to report to the local board for induction at  9: 30 A. M. on the 3^rd day of May, 1944. He was living at 1303 Shannon Avenue at the time. On 28 April 1944, he was appointed leader to get the men that had been inducted to Fort Harrison Indiana.³¹ His induction would present a little problem for my mother. She had two sons. With dad gone, she would be by herself. Her Brother-in-law and sister solved that problem. My Mother, Brother and I would stay with them.³² The address was 1467 Ettle Drive.³³

As I said earlier, my father was inducted into the service 4 May 1944. He was appointed leader by J. A. Petty to conduct the inductees to Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.³⁴ He and the other inductees received basic training at Fort Benjamin Harrison for a month.³⁵ From there Private Robert E. Hackenberg went to Truax Field, Wisconsin. There, dad went to school from

5 July 1944 to 7 November 1944. He graduated as an Army Air Force Radio Mechanic. The certificate is signed by Brigadier General Vincent J. Neloy.³⁶ Then from 20 November 1944 to

30 December 1944, dad went to school at Chanute Field, Illinois for electronics. The prescribed course in electronics was completed satisfactorily by him. His certificate was signed by Colonel J. H. Davidson. ³⁷ At both of these schools, dad was a private.

While my father was at Chanute Field for electronics, my sister was born. The date was 7 December 1944. Patty was the last of the three children my parents had that was born in the old Barberton Citizens Hospital. There is a story about her birth. It is as follows: Patty was born so close to the time when the day would change to December the eighth, the nurse asked mom if she wanted her date of birth to read the seventh or the eighth. Mom chose the seventh, because she didn’t want two birthdays on the eighth.³⁸

Then dad was sent to Boca Raton Army Airfield in Florida. However, he did not go as a private but a corporal. He went to school there from 12 February to 26 May 1945. Colonel L. H. Rodieck signed his completion certificate. This certificate certified him in Radar Mechanic Bombardment APQ-13 (867).³⁹

With the birth of my sister, dad realized that there were four people dependent upon him. With this being the case, he filed for a Dependency Discharge. This was approved, and he was discharged honorably 10 December 1945 as a Corporal. His discharge papers list him as receiving the following Decorations and Citations: American Theater Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and The World War II Victory Medal. He also was qualified as a Carbine Marksman. ⁴⁰

When dad was discharged, he was in the 243^rd Army Air Force Base Unit. The discharge took place at Patterson Field; Ohio.⁴¹ His length of service was 1 year seven months and six days.⁴² Note: Dad was also an instructor in all of the classes, that he took.⁴³

The picture below is of dad and mom with their three children. The people in the photo are as follows: My father, Cpl. Robert E. Hackenberg, is on the left holding my sister Pat. My brother, Leroy, is in front of dad. My, mother, Mildred Hackenberg is holding her hands over my (Bob Hackenberg) ears. The picture was taken in June of 1945.⁴⁴

Returning to me, I was born in the Old Barberton Hospital. I grew up in Barberton. I went to their schools and graduated from Barberton Senior High School in 1961. That school has since been torn down. A knew one has been built on the corner of Norton Avenue and Barber Road.

Then, I worked for the Ohio Brass Company for some 16 years. In 1969, I took a two week trip to Europe. It was in observance of the Fiftieth Anniversary of The Order of DeMolay. Previously to that, I was the head officer of the local chapter. My title was that of Master Councilor.

It was before this, that I went to a Bill Glass Crusade in Massillon, Ohio. He was a former Cleveland Brown Football Player turned preacher. Brother Glass was preaching the Romans Road of Salvation. There must have been several thousand people in attendance, when he gave the invitation. It seemed like I was the only one in the stadium. The Lord used Brother Glass to tell me, that I was a sinner in need of a savior. After my response, he saw to it, that I was put into a good Fundamental Bible Believing Church, Faith Baptist Church. I left that, and joined Clark Mill Road Baptist Church.

Then in 1983-84, I was laid off. After this, I did odd jobs. In 1986, the Lord moved me to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There I lived for some twelve years.

While in Philadelphia, I was a member of Faith Independent Baptist Church. There, I served the Lord as a Sunday School Teacher and the Church Treasurer. After I resigned as the treasurer, the church split. Then, I became a charter member of Victory Baptist Fellowship Church. It is now defunct.

Before my father died, I was praying about moving back to Ohio. My job prevented me from doing so. Then my boss called me into his office; with what he thought would be bad news. I was to be laid off as a result of restructuring. This was the Lord making it possible for me to move back to Ohio. I needed to get home to take care of my mother. She was all alone.

On my return to Barberton, I immediately joined Clark Mill Road Baptist Church. That was four years ago. If you want Great Bible Preaching and Teaching that is the place to go. I couldn't be happier.

In November of 2002, Clark Mill Road Baptist Church consolidated with Union Missionary Baptist Church. The Lord has really blessed the church with the leadership, teaching and preaching of Pastor W. Joseph Moore. When we first came together, we didn’t have a baptistery. Today, we do. We were not mission minded. Today our church is very mission minded. We are blessed with various missionaries preaching at church. If it is not Missionaries, it is Missionary Candidates. Our music was terrible. It is pretty good today. The Lord has given us some beautiful singing voices. He has allowed us to put a new roof on the church, fellowship hall and the small building. He has given us two successful Vacation Bible Schools of which he has allowed me to be a part. Most important, the Lord has allowed us to remain steadfast to his word, The King James Bible.

Note: I could have found out quite a bit about my ancestors if only I had been interested in genealogy during those 12 years in Philadelphia. You see, my ancestors came from that area.

The third child, that the Lord gave Bob and Mildred was Patricia Joan. She also went to and graduated from the Barberton Schools. Patty was hit by a car on Shannon Avenue, when she was a young girl. The accident practically took place right in front of our house. As time went by, my sister started to go to school. She was in Highland Junior High. Highland was only about five or six blocks from our home. At school Patty did something wrong. At the time, the teachers could whack the students if there was a problem. However, they needed a witness. Our father worked for the school system. Then, he was working at Highland as a janitor. The teacher called upon my father to be that witness. Oh! my sister was embarrassed. Not only was she embarrassed but we knew that if we were part of trouble and punished in school, we would receive additional punishment at home. There was no, My Johnny or Mary wouldn’t cause mischief like there is today.⁴⁵

There was a time my sister caused some mischief, and my brother and I decided to punish her. Somehow our father caught wind of our plans. He dramatically pointed out to my brother and I that he would punish Patty if she needed to be punished. We were told not to touch her. Unfortunately, Patty heard the command that our father gave us. From then on, she took full advantage of it.⁴⁶

After dad was discharged from the Army Air Force, he, my mother, brother myself and my sister lived at 1303 Shannon Avenue in the West Side of Barberton. At that time the West Sidewas just growing up. One of the events that occurred during this time involved me. It regarded a filthy habit that my father had, smoking. The following is the story:

As a young man who idolized his father, I wanted to be just like him. He smoked Camels. Thus, I wanted to do the same. After dad finished a cigarette, he cast aside the butts. I picked them up and imitated him. Mom found out about this. She came to me and pulled me aside and said with emphasis, Son if you want to smoke you can smoke. As I said previously, the West Side was just growing up. I was going to be the star attraction of the neighborhood. Can you imagine how overjoyed, that I was?

With the neighborhood children gathered around, mom gave me a Camel’s cigarette to smoke. This I did thinking how big a man I was. I was doing what my father did. Then mom gave me a second cigarette. The second cigarette didn’t seem to be to attractive, but I smoked it. Then my mother gave me a third one. I told her that I didn’t want it. Her reply, You said that you wanted to smoke, that you will do. I took the cigarette and started to smoke it. Then, I threw it down, ran upstairs and told mom that I was sick From then on I have never smoked cigarettes. This action on my mother’s part could have backfired on her.⁴⁷

One of my parents’ friends here in the West Side was Mr. & Mrs. Tommy Thomas. Mr. Thomas was a fisherman. However, he didn’t like to eat the fish that he caught. Dad and I were the recipients of the fish. They did taste good. My mother made them for us, but she wouldn’t eat them.⁴⁸

The picture at the left was taken in 1946 of Bob and Mildred’s three children, when we lived at 1303 Shannon Avenue. My brother Leroy is in the Navy Uniform. I have the shorts on.

There is a story about this. To me shorts are not an option.I would never be caught dead in them. I forgot about this picture. Fortunately, it was my mother who dressed me in the shorts for this picture. Then my sister Patty is on the left. This picture was taken in 1946. Leroy is five years old. I am two years old and Patty is two months old.⁴⁹

That same year my father’s sister, Betty Jane Hackenberg, married Richard Leroy Wood. The picture at the upper right is of them.

A year later, they gave birth to their first son. Rusty was born 31 December 1947. When he grew up, Rusty loved to go fishing. He did so numerous times, but he didn’t like to eat the fish. Rusty did something that Mr. Thomas did not. He gutted and cleaned the fish and gave them to dad. We had a great fish dinner thanks to Rusty’s labors. My mother stuck to her guns and refused to eat the fish, but she gladly fried them for dad and I.

Years passed and the Lord gave my Aunt Betty and Uncle Richard three other children. They are Ruth Ellen Wood. Ruthie was born 18 February 1951. Let me stop here and say what a joy Leroy, I, Patty, Rusty and Ruthie must have been for Grandma Hackenberg. She didn’t see Terri and Randy, because she died in 1953.⁵⁰ Continuing with the other children, Terri was born 15 May 1955 and Randy was born 12 December 1960. Randy gave us a scare. He was a premature baby. Dad loved his

sister’s children almost as much as his own.

Aunt Betty and Uncle Woody decided to move from their location on 23^rd Street. They moved out to Coventry on Lockwood Road. Because grandma was in ill health both of them insisted that she move with them. The only way grandma would agree is if she could help pay for the house. She did. Her death created a little problem. Because of this action by her, dad had an interest in Aunt Betty and Uncle Woody’s home. He needed to sign his rights to the home away. He did so and Aunt Betty signed her rights away to dad’s house on Shannon Avenue. Everything turned out great. They would not even have thought about fighting over the rights, that they had to each others home.

Years passed and dad became involved in raising rabbits and chickens. He and Harold Krahl did so as a hobby. The two of them owned and co-owned rabbits that they showed. I remember a number of times that dad slew his hobby and we had a good dinner. My sister was fairly squeamish when it came to eating the rabbits or the chicken. I can still see dad cutting the throats of the chickens, plucking their hairs and gutting them. Then, when we ate the rabbits, dad killed, skinned and gutted them.

I have the following article of dad and Mr. Krahl at a rabbit show:

Rabbit Fanciers Hold Show At Local 5 Hall   

Most people think of rabbits in connection with colored eggs and Easter Sunday. To four BFG men raising rabbits is an interesting 365 day a year hobby.

At the Ohio Sweepstakes Rabbit Show, held in local 5 union hall on April 17, 18 and 19 all four men won prizes.

Lee Rowlett, elevator operator in Bldg. 27, won a first prize ribbon and a cash award for his New Zealand Red Rabbit. He was more than happy with his award for he’s only been raising rabbits for four years and showing them two.

A New Zealand White Rabbit owned jointly by Robert Hackenberg, Dept. 5550 and Harold Krahl, Dept. 5010, won a first prize ribbon and a cash award in its division.

A third prize award went to Clarence L. Shaffer, tire builder in Dept. 6533, for his Black (6-8 month old class) Buck.

More than 450 rabbits representing 14 breeds were entered in the show. Mr. Krahl, Secretary of the Akron rabbit club, was active in organizing the sweepstakes, which drew entries from as far as Fort Wayne, Indiana and Rochester, N.Y.

According to Clarence Shaffer raising rabbits is an ideal hobby. “If I ever get tired of my hobby says Clarence, ‘I can always eat it.’ You can’t do that with a bag of golf clubs.”

There is a picture of Clarence L. Shaffer holding his Checkered Blue Rabbit. Dad is in the middle pinch-hitting for Secretary Harold Krahl. Then a picture of Mr. Krahl holding the New Zealand White. It was jointly owned by my dad and himself.

Dad and mom were looking around for another property to buy. They found one at 1054 West Tuscarawas Avenue, so they sold the property at 1303 Shannon and bought it. It was at this residence, in 1966, that my sister was married. It also was at this address that I was living when I went to Europe in 1969.

The day before I was to fly to Boston from Cleveland there was a party held for me at my brother’s home. It was a bon voyage party. Most of my relatives were in attendance. I practically spent all day playing badminton, volleyball and chasing my spry, spoiled and untireable niece around. Perhaps this is the reason my first airplane didn’t bother me.

The next day July 4, 1969, our country’s birthday, I left for Cleveland to fly to Boston. This was to be my first airplane flight, and the first leg of my trip to Europe. When I arrived at the airport in Cleveland, I had my luggage weighed and paid for my tickets. The tickets were stamped and all that was necessary was for the airplane to arrive. It was scheduled to leave at

11: 40 A. M. The airplane didn’t leave until 112: 50 A. M. While I was waiting for the airplane my father, mother, aunt and I went out to the tourist part of the field, where we watched airplanes land and takeoff. That was legal at the time. There was a big loudspeaker announcing all departures, flight numbers and time of flight numbers, so I wasn’t worried about missing my flight.

It was thirty minutes past the time of departure that was listed on my ticket. When the airplane did arrive, I left my parents and aunt. As I was boarding the airplane, I was hoping to get a good seat. I was fortunate to get the seat of my choice, so I chose to sit next to the window. My parents, aunt and I were hoping that we would get a glimpse of each other, when the airplane took off. I seriously doubt that they did. However, I caught a glimpse of them and then it was off to Boston. The flight took one hour and thirty-minutes.⁵⁵

Coming back from Europe, I stayed overnight at Uncle Bill’s and Aunt Edith’s home in Reading and in the morning I boarded a United Airlines flight from Boston to Cleveland. There my father, mother, brother and niece met me. We then left for Barberton. I must say, that it was good to be home. When I arrived home, there was a great big sign in our front yard welcoming me back.

Going back three years, my sister was working at Grant’s in the Magic City Shopping Center. Patty had become a beautiful young woman. At work, she met the man of her dreams. His name is Eugene Raymond Dyrdek. Gene was born in Belaire, Ohio on 12 August 1940. After a period of dating, they were married. This solemn occasion took place at Columbia United Church of Christ. The church’s Pastor, Rev. Ray Seely, officiated.⁵⁶

At the time of the marriage, Gene lived at 6621 Pearl Road in Parma Heights and Patty lived at 1054 West Tuscarawas Avenue in Barberton. They now live at 4308 Fernmont Street in Kettering Ohio. He was twenty-five and she was twenty-one. The picture at the right is of the beautiful woman that Gene married. It is Patty’s High School picture.

Five years later, the Lord gave them the first of two children. They named the baby Denise Aileen. With her last name being Dyrdek, her name spells dad. Denise was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Montgomery County, Dayton, Ohio. I remember dad, mom and I went to down to be with Patty. When I was in the hospital room and I saw her holding Denise, I was speechless I wondered how something as beautiful as Denise came from my sister. Today Denise is a beautiful young woman.

Denise grew up and graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School. She was going to Miami Jacobs College for computers. Then she went to Sinclair Community College for Medical Transcription. Now she is taking Organizational Leadership at Wright State University. She graduated from there 20 November 2004. At the present time, she is working at Derma Pathology of South Central States. This job is a result of her schooling at Sinclair Community College. She lives in Centerville, Ohio. This is not far from her parents or her place of work.

In June of 2006, I helped move her from her apartment in Centerville to a Condominium that she bought. It is located in Dayton, Ohio, and is it beautiful. The Condominium is not far from her place of work or her parents.

Then on 28 June 1974, the Lord gave to Gene and Patty another child. They named him Robert Stanley. They did so in honor of each of Robbie’s grandfathers. Patty’s fathers name was Robert and Gene’s fathers name was Stanley.

As Robbie grew up, it became apparent that he was destined for great things. He became active in some sports, but one specially caught his eye. It was skateboarding. Robby started competing locally but was not good enough. He sought interstate competition. When Rob became the Mid Central State Champion, there were no higher local goals. He needed to move to California. At the age of 15 he did so. There he could devote all of his time to skateboarding. He has done very well since he moved to California. There is a drawback to it. My sister (Patty) doesn’t get to see him like she would like.

Two years after his sister graduated from Kettering Fairmont High Schoo, so did Rob. He had enough credits in his junior year to do this. Rob, his dad and councilors would just have been glad for him to have received his diploma in the mail. However, his mother insisted that he come home and graduate with his class.

Skateboarding has been real good to him, especially financially. It has taken him around the world and given him an income that makes his life very comfortable. My father commented one time that he didn’t think that he would see a millionaire in the family. Robbie has exceeded that amount. With his wealth, I don’t think that he has changed. He has a number of sponsors. One of his sponsors is DC Shoes. Rob sends me shoes and socks from them at no charge. Before he started in the skateboard business Rob told his dad that he would never hold down a 9-5 job. To my knowledge, he hasn’t.

I commented before about the drawback of him being in California. He really tries to make up for it. When he is back in Ohio at Christmas time, Robbie is not the business man. He is just plain Rob Dyrdek, my sister’s son.

Just recently, Robbie was back for a ground breaking ceremony. It was in Kettering. The ground breaking was for a Skate Plaza, that he has designed. It will be solely for skateboarders. I believe Kettering is going to name the Plaza in his honor.

The picture on the bottom left is of Robbie with Hugh Hefner. Rob is the one on the left of Hugh Hefner with the glowing watch.

Going back twenty-five years to 1979, dad retired from the city. He was 62 at the time of his retirement. The reason he retired early was so that my mother would receive his benefits upon his death. Dad was always thinking of his family. I think that this was so because he was a product of a split home. When he was working, dad took out Life Insurance Policies and made my mother the beneficiary. * Today because of his thoughtful planning, she doesn’t need to worry about money. Needless to say the whole family had a retirement party for him.

In 1988, my Aunt Marguaritte, my brother, sister and I began preparing for the big occasion, my parents 50^th Wedding Anniversary. It was a great event. All of my parent’s friends and relatives were present. However there was one sad note. My Uncle Marvin and Aunt Marguaritte would have celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary in the Eighties. Uncle Marvin died suddenly from a heart attack in his back yard before they could.

At the time of the party, I was living in Philadelphia, and I could only arrange to be home for the weekend. There was one thing for sure, I would be there. That is unless the Lord said otherwise. He allowed me to be present. There was little time for me to enjoy myself, but all of the rush was worth it.

I came in on a Friday morning and the ceremony was to take place Saturday at 2: 00 P. M. It was beautiful. My cousin Marvin H. Miller, Jr., along with his mother Marguaritte, stood up with my parents as the Pastor of the church, Rev. Ralph Young united them once more in Holy Matrimony.

Leroy had arranged for a black limousine to pick them up at my Aunt’s. They were to be taken to the Quaker Square Hilton in Akron for their honeymoon. Today is 15 December 2004. I can remember dad hugging me and mom kissing me goodbye. They knew that I had to go back to Philadelphia the next day. It was great being a little part of this celebration.⁶⁰

One of the couples at dad and mom’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary was my Uncle Bud and Aunt Vivian. They were my parents’ best friends. The two of them were not blood relations, but they might as well have been. It would have been unthinkable to not invite them to this affair. After all they were so much a part of our life. In later years, I was to hear my mother numerous times address Aunt Vivian as her sister.

It would not be right to tell this story about my father without including them. The picture at the lower left is of them. It was taken in May of 1994.

The picture at the upper bottom right is of dad and mom just before the Anniversary Party. At the party, dad had his hand in a cast.⁶¹

Six years later my Uncle Woody died. His obituary is recorded on the next page.

Richard L. “Woody” Wood

Richard L. “Woody” Wood, 69, passed away suddenly 14 October 1996. Mr. Wood worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in quality control, and was retired from Lockwood United Methodist Church in Portage Lakes. He was a World War 2 Navy veteran and attended Community Church of Portage Lakes.

He was preceded in death by his father, Russell J. Wood, and is survived by his wife of 50 years Betty (Hackenberg); mother Elsie Wood; brothers Dennis, Arthur and Ronald; sister, Betty; he will also be sadly missed by his 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Woody was a special friend to many whose lives he touched with his smile and warmth. Many were blessed for having known him. “Don’t remember me with tears and sadness; remember me with smiles and gladness.”

Friends may call at the Bacher Funeral Home, 3326 Manchester Road, TODAY from 4 to 9 P. M., where services will be held Thursday at 10 A. M., Dr. Byron Morgan officiating. Internment at Lockwood Cemetery. If desired memorials may be made to the Haven of Rest Ministries or Community Church of Portage Lakes. (Bacher, 644-0024)⁶²

He married Betty Jane Hackenberg 25 October 1946 at my Grandmother Hackenberg’s home. The address was 1170 Wooster Road West. At the time Grandma’s last name was Palmer.

Two years later I received a phone call from my brother telling me that our father had died in bed. At the time, I was at work and living in Philadelphia. Dad died two days before his eightieth birthday. The following is his obituary.

Death Notice

Robert E. Hackenberg, 80, passed away at his residence May 7, 1998. He was born in Barberton, where he was a life resident. Robert was employed by the City of Barberton, retiring 19 years ago. He was a member of Columbia United Church of Christ and also the Barberton Masonic Lodge # 750 F&AM and Jeanette Chapter of O. E. S. #212. He was a veteran of World War 2, serving with the United States Army/Air Force

He is survived by his wife Mildred; sons Leroy of  Barberton, Robert E. of Philadelphia; Pa., daughter, Patricia (Eugene) Dyrdek of Dayton; grandchildren, Kimberly, Kelly, Denise and Rob; great-grandchildren, Sean and Cole; sister, Betty Wood of Barberton.

Funeral services will be Monday at 1: 00 P. M., at Columbia United Church of Christ.(978 Wooster Road West). Pastor David C. Craig officiating.Internment Greenlawn Memorial Park. Calling hours will be Saturday, 2-4 and 7-9 P. M., at the funeral home and also one hour prior to service Monday. Masonic services Saturday, at 7: 30 P. M.. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church. (Hahn, Barberton, 825-2467).⁶³

Two years after that my Aunt Betty went to be home with the Lord she loved so much. The following is her obituary.

“Together Again”/Betty Jane (Nee Hackenberg) Wood.

Betty Jane (Nee Hackenberg) Wood, 71, entered into eternal glory August 31 2000. She was born August 22, 1929, in Barberton, Ohio, and was a member of the Community Church of Portage Lakes. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Richard “Woody” Wood. She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her sons Rusty (Sheryl) Wood, Randy (Kim) Wood; daughters, Ruth (Gary) Olson, Terri (Andy) Pfaff; 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Betty was a special friend to many whose lives she touched with her smile and warmth. Many were blessed for having known her. “Don’t remember me with tears and sadness; remember me with smiles and gladness.” Friends may call at the Bacher Funeral Home, 3326 Manchester Road, TODAY, September 1, 2000, from 4-9 P. M. Funeral services will be held at the Community Church of Portage Lakes on Saturday, September 2, 2000, at 11: 00 A. M., with one hour of visitation prior to the service, Pastor Bill Randall and Pastor Ben Walker officiating Internment at Lockwood Cemetery. If desired memorials may be made to Haven of Rest Ministries or to Community Church of Portage Lakes. Map, directions and guestbook available at www.legacy.com. (Bacher, 644-0024).⁶⁴

Before Uncle Richard, Dad and Aunt Betty passed away the family grew closer. There was a standing date come Thanksgiving. The whole family would gather at my Aunt Betty’s and Uncle Richard’s. They just loved to do for people, and that they did. Both little tykes and adults had a great time. We really looked forward to this time, because we enjoyed being with each other. As we grew up there was grandchildren and great grandchildren that took our place. The love shown to us can never be replaced. Now, I really understand what Aunt Betty meant when she told me that grandma told her and my dad, that they only had each other.

Pictures of Dad’s Family   

The picture of the old car is of dad’s father Clarence and his mother Nellie holding my Uncle Louis. The car was probably a 1912-13 model.

The picture to the right is of my brother, Leroy. To his left is his daughter Kelly and our mother, Mildred. In the forefront is

     Leroy’s daughter Kimmy. The occasion was Kelly's wedding to Harry Stanley

     Alexander, III..

The picture below is dad’s family.

The back row is Kimmy, Denise is holding Cole, Dad, Mom and Scott.

The middle row is Robbie, Leroy holding his grandson Sean. Next to him is his daughter Kelly.

The front row is Bob, my brother-in-law Gene Dyrdek and his wife, my sister Patty.

The picture at the bottom left is my sister Pat’s children. My beautiful niece Denise is on the left and her brother Rob is on the right. Rob is the professional skateboarder. Let me say that all three of my nieces are beautiful.

The picture at the right is of my dad and the sister he loved so dearly, my beloved Aunt Betty. I have never seen a brother and sister as close as they were. It was probably because of what Aunt Betty told me Grandma Hackenberg said. Grandma told them, “They only had each other.”

The picture in the center is the last known picture of my precious parents taken together.

It was taken while I lived in Philadelphia. I have not been able to find out when it was taken. It is not a church picture.

This is a picture of my sweet mother. It was taken at her Church 8 June 2004.

*My father prepared well for the time that the Lord would take him home. He took out many life insurance policies and made my mother, Mildred Cleary Hackenberg the beneficiary. Dad never wanted his wife, if he was able to provide for her, to want for anything. When the Lord called him home dads will stated that all of his earthy goods would go to my mother. As a result, she was left in wonderful financial condition. Mom has lacked for nothing. If she wants something, she needs only ask for it.

Finally, let me relate to you a story my cousin Ruth Ellen Wood Olson has told me. The following is the story:

Remembrances of Ruth Ellen Wood Olson   

I use to love it when he and my mother would argue whether the turkey was big enough for the Thanksgiving meal. He did that, so he would have leftovers.

Also, I can remember him loving my son Greg so much (dad was great for loving his family). He would tell us that Greg was the most ornery kid he ever met. So every time I would have Greg at Mom's, and your Dad would come, he would make Greg do the orneriest things and then he would sit and laugh.

I used to love his hats. One time Greg sat on his hat and your Dad loved him so much he said he couldn't yell at him.

Also, I can remember when my dad died your dad's first comment was how much he was going to miss him and that in all the time he knew dad they never had a harsh word for each other. Your dad was like another dad to me so whenever I think of him I think of love, happiness, joy, fun, kindness and wonderful memories

Remembrances of Terri Lynn Wood Pfaff-His Niece   

I have been thinking about your dad a lot since you sent the e-mail about his story. The first thing that comes to my mind is about his hat. We always looked forward to his visits on Sundays. He always came in and walked straight to the dining room chair and put his hat on it. We all knew that we were not allowed to touch that hat!!! I remember one day that Randy put it on and came walking into the kitchen where everyone was sitting. We were all so shocked. The only thing I’m sure that I’ll think of many more, but my favorite memory is that he was so faithful about that we could do was laugh.

I’m sure that I’ll think of many more, but my favorite memory is that he was so faithful about coming out to see us every Sunday.

Remembrances of Marianne Miller Burroway-His Niece   

When I was small and staying with all of you, I really thought that it was neat that your dad was home all day. At night he would go to work and the next morning there he was again.

I remember having to help skin a rabbit-ugh! He was in the landing by the side door and called me and probably Pat to help. We had to hold the feet while he pulled the skin off. It was still breathing or at least I thought so at the time. I didn’t want to eat rabbit much before then but after that nothing could persuade me to even try a bite.

I remember having to feed the rabbits with you guys. I didn’t mind because it was fun for me. Your dad used to have to really motivate whoever was the feeder of the week. Now I understand why he didn’t mind doing it while you guys never really had that same feeling about it.

Almost every time I saw your dad the last ten or so years and many times before that he would remind me of the time he had some milk chocolate vanilla crèmes and how he asked Bob and Me if we had been eating any of them. I answered “of course not.” He had us smile and well-you know that we had at least one!

I remember Saturday mornings after we had moved here on Wall Road, Gary would get up early to feed the animals. By 8 A. M., your dad was here. They had a cup of coffee, and then they were off to the feed mill in Marshallville. They spent a good part of the morning taking care of his chickens and talking about farming in general. We still have relatives of those 100 chicks that he and Gary bought when we first moved here. I learned how to gut a chicken because of that.

Remembrances of Bob Hackenberg-His Son