MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)

Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 40 – In Book, Page 96

Visit to Seminary at Mequon, Wisconsin, Closing Up Pioneer Park, Fun at Waupun, Wisconsin, Autumn In Wisconsin, Trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming, Overseeing Sammy’s Diabetes Schedule with Trav’s Help, Jeff and Steph in Edmonton for Wedding, Thanksgiving and Christmas at Waupun, Wisconsin, Another Trip to Orlando, Cape Kennedy and Merritt Island, Florida, Tim Accepts Divine Call to Medford, Wisconsin, Spring Time at Pioneer Park, Lake Delton, Wisconsin, Steph and Sammy Lecture About Diabetes, Another Trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming, Fun With All

SEPTEMBER 9, 1998 – LUTHERAN SEMINARY

We took Helen and Carl to the Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin, and walked into the classrooms and grounds where Dick, our son, Tim, and sons-in-law, James Weiland, and Jeffrey Heitsch, had gone to classes and graduated as Pastors. We saw all their graduation pictures on the walls of classrooms. Dick’s Dad graduated in 1928 from the Lutheran Seminary in Wauwatosa (please refer to his graduation picture with old diplomas, etc.) before the one at Mequon was built. However, his picture is in Mequon.

OCTOBER 15 AND 25, 1998

The summer and all its wonderful activities had come to an end. The water pipes at Pioneer Park aren’t deep enough in the ground, so would freeze during the winter. Now we had to close up our park model trailer by October 15th. That means that Dick would drain all the water out of the pipes and put anti-freeze into them. Also, I had to make sure that Bounce sheets would be put into the drawers and other places to keep little varmints out which could make our trailer their home. The refrigerator had to be defrosted and food and other perishables taken out of the trailer.

We went to Sue and Tim’s home in Waupun, and with them went to Winnebago Lutheran High School in Fond du Lac, and watched Chris play a great game of football on the 15th. On the 25th there was another great family get-together at Sue and Tim’s home in Waupun complete with lots of good food, visiting, the guys playing basketball, the children (hey, is one of the “children” our Sue with her long hair flying straight up on one of the pictures?) jumping on the trampoline.

Also on the 25th there are pictures of “Ma”, my mother in the backyard of her home at 1419 North Prospect Street, Watertown, Wisconsin, standing in front of her beautiful big old red maple tree in its leaves in Autumn splendor, and also two of her on her red Moped. Dick and I did not have a winter home to go to now. We had put our condo in Mission, Texas, up for sale, so now we traveled and visited with my mother, our children, spouses, their families, other relatives, and friends. Thank you everyone from the bottom of our hearts. We attended church services with them wherever we went. What would we do without faith in our loving God?

OCTOBER 31, 1998

Dick and I decided to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming, to visit with Steph, Jeff, Travis, Mitch, and Sammy. We stopped to see a stuffed donkey with a man on it, a stuffed buffalo, and a sod house along the way (the sod house reminded us of the thatched roofed mud brick houses in the bush in Africa. Sometimes snakes or lizards would fall down during the church services. One of the newly arrived missionaries from America, Pastor Orlin Wraalstad, was startled when a lizard fell on his lap during a service.) Steph took Trav, Mitch, Sammy, and us along when they went “trick or treating” on Halloween night. She took them to members of the church’s houses. Later they enjoyed their treats, and showed us some of their gymnastics talents – wow!

Steph and Jeff asked us to ”babysit” Travis, Mitchell, and Sammy while they attended a wedding for which Jeff was asked to preach at Edmonton, north of Calgary the weekend of November 11th. Before they left, Steph printed on two yellow 2’x3’ charts (yes, we still have them), with a black marker, EVERYTHING we were to do the three days they would be gone regarding Sammy’s Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. Sammy is so blessed to have such caring parents. Travis and Mitchell, being very caring big brothers watched every move we made, having lived, too, through all the days since Sammy had contracted Diabetes when she was four years old. The children showed off their talents – Travis on the trumpet, Mitchell on the cello, and Sammy her gymnastics at the Cheyenne YMCA. Thankfully, all went well, and we had a very happy and blessed time with the children.

NOVEMBER 26, 1998

More beautiful pictures of our families sitting at Sue and Tim’s dinner table. It looks as though the food has disappeared off the plates. It probably was a Thanksgiving Day celebration, so I think that maybe there WAS a turkey. And there are all the guys dressed in their blaze orange hunting suits. I don’t see a picture of a deer, but no doubt a deer or two were brought home to provide delicious venison for the freezer. As Dad always says, “the Lord will provide”.

DECEMBER 26 AND 29TH, 1998

We again were blessed to attend the Christmas services at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waupun and hear our beloved son, Tim, conduct the Liturgies and hear him and the children of the congregation, including our grandchildren, tell the wondrous story of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. What a beautiful picture of Sue, Tim, and family’s Christmas tree! And again there are lovely wrapped gifts all around it. There are two pictures of the men outside shooting hoops in the dark. On the 29th, we were all at the Best Western Hotel for a family gathering. We swam in the big pool and sat in the Jacuzzi. We also dangled our feet in the Jacuzzi while talking with one another. Tim’s Sue has a positively blissful look on her face – we have the picture to prove it.

JANUARY 13, 1999

This date of the new year found us in Orlando, Florida, with our son, Dick, Wanda, Cary, Kelly, and Chris. Of course, it didn’t take long for the guys to sit at the computer. Chris, being a very boisterous and exuberant fourteen year old showed us some wild gymnastics. As his father once said of him, “Chris bounces off the walls.” We also saw him play in an exciting basketball game at his school on January 14th. Was this the time we visited when you, Kelly, and I were brave enough to swim in the very cold water of your swimming pool – remember?

On the 20th Dick and Wanda took us to Cape Kennedy, the site of the John F. Kennedy Space Center. It lies on the east-central coast of Florida, 10 miles north of Cocoa Beach, Florida. We saw what is worn by the astronauts, space capsules, shuttles, written information, etc. All of it is so awesome! What a blessing to actually be at Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral when we were there in 1953 on our honeymoon). Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, a WELS church, is located on Merritt Island, not too far from Cape Kennedy. The pastor and his wife are very good friends of our son, Dick, and his wife, Wanda. Our son, Tim, had the Divine Call to serve that congregation, but declined it.

We had a great visit with all of them, but again, it was time to leave because —–

TIM ACCEPTED A DIVINE CALL FROM GOD TO IMMANUEL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, MEDFORD, WISCONSIN

Tim was installed as Pastor of Immanuel on FEBRUARY 13, 1999. We have a beautiful picture of the Schleiss and Strong families with Tim, Sue, their family, and us in our album. It is a treasure. There was a delicious and superb dinner after the installation. Also there was a wonderful artistic cross cake, with red roses, saying “Welcome Pastor Mueller And Family”. It was another blessed day for our families and friends!

APRIL 15, 1999 – THE WATER IS TURNED ON AGAIN AT PIONEER PARK

How happy we were when we could again be at our summer park model trailer home! We went there, Dick drained the antifreeze out of the water pipes and turned on the water, I turned on the refrigerator, took out all the Bounce sheets, cleaned, went shopping for groceries, etc. After all our traveling around, it was somewhat of a relief to again have a “base” where we could “hang our hats”.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1999 – STEPHANIE AND FIRST-GRADER, SAMMY, TEACHING ANDERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CHEYENNE, WYOMING, STUDENTS ABOUT JUVENILE DIABETES

What a great picture of Steph and Sammy in the newspaper clipping they sent! They are discussing how Sammy administers her own insulin shots (she gets three shots every day). She is wearing a T-shirt with her face screened onto it. It’s surrounded by teal lettering spelling out “Sammy’s Strollers”. Sammy’s face is repeated almost 20 times on the matching shirts. The shirt was designed for her Anderson Elementary first-grade class to identify them as a team walking to help find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes. The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, of which Stephanie is a Board of Directors member, sponsored a city-wide Walk For A Cure” on May 15, 1999. Stephanie, Jeff, her husband, Travis and Mitch, her brothers, all work hard as a family and become very involved and try to help not only Sammy, but all of those people who are affected by this disease. We all pray that someday a cure for it will be found.

Sammy is a very beautiful active little girl. Her father says she is a “clone” of her mother. She and the others in her family are YMCA members in Cheyenne. They are all very strong swimmers.

Dick and I again made a trip to Cheyenne to visit our loved ones there. They had a beautiful puzzle of a cottage with a stone-paved path leading to it, an old fence, and many beautiful flowers. The puzzle was on a card table in the living room and they were busy putting it together. What fun we had helping put it together! As usual, my husband was a whiz at it, and it did not take long before it was all finished. We also went to the YMCA to watch Sammy do her gymnastics (she had a T-shirt on which had RUN ON INSULIN printed on it). We also watched Travis and Mitch play basketball games. Of course, we attended the church service and heard Jeff preach an inspiring sermon, and Steph play the organ for the hymns and liturgy. It warmed our hearts to be with them.