Today, this column shall serve as a salute to all the mothers in my life, especially my dear wife Nancy. We have been together for a long time. What an amazing run it has been.
I had grown up the second oldest of 11 kids in the tiny little nondescript town of Wadena, Iowa—think of Wamsutter, Wyoming, as an example. Through my mom’s encouragement, I ended up attending a journalism program at Iowa State. Soon I was working at my first job as a real journalist. A few months earlier, I had been the editor of my high school paper.
Not long after arriving in my new town, my life changed forever. It would be hard for me to forget the first time I saw my future wife.
It was in her hometown of Harlan, a nice-sized thriving farm town in western Iowa. She was a high school senior and I was a brand new sports editor at the local newspaper. Our Editor Dick Gilbert told me that the high school annual staff needed some photos. He handed me a file folder full of black and white prints and sent me over to the high school.
On the fourth floor of the towering old brick Harlan High School, was a room far in the back where the annual staff was getting organized. The photo editor was looking down when I approached her. She looked up and was so glad to get our photos. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. She smiled at me. She was nice, too. Wow.
We chatted for a minute and then I left. On my way back to the office was a thoughtful time for me. Could a guy from a tiny little town ever get a classy girl like that? Alas, I specifically recall that I did not think I could ever be that lucky.
That girl’s name was Nancy Musich.
That was over 60 years ago.
Next week, we will celebrate our 59th wedding anniversary.
Happy Mothers Day
This column is my annual salute to all those mothers out there including, most of all, my devoted wife Nancy. We have four children, 13 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren (plus one more on the way).
Because our first child was born nine months and one week after we were married, this will be the 59th Mothers Day we have celebrated together. We were just 21 and 20 when we celebrated her first one.
This is my salute to all mothers but I am especially partial to those closest to me, especially our newest ones, granddaughters Mallory Haulman Barnett, Mae Haulman Blank, and Alexys Gibbons Sullivan.
My Special Mom
Living during the Great Depression of the 1930s was a difficult time for just about everybody. Some had it worse than others.
My mom, little Betty Brockmeyer, had it tough. She had an unimaginably difficult childhood – and yet in all my memories of her as our mother, she always maintained a sunny disposition.
She was born in 1924. Her childhood was a story of courage and resilience.
She was the daughter of deaf-mute parents who struggled during those depression years. From the time she was five until she was 16, she had to serve as their speaker when her parents needed something. Life was hard for everyone during those days but folks with disabilities especially had it hard.
If you saw the movie CODA about a child living with deaf-mute parents (2022 Best Picture Oscar winner) then you know a little about my mom’s life.
Later she met my dad during World War II, they got married, and started their family.
Her 96-year life story ended July 15, 2020 when she died from ramifications of the COVID epidemic.
My mother-in-law, Nancy’s mother Viola Musich, was a special gal. I loved her and do not think that I have ever told a mother-in-law joke. Viola was just wonderful and she doted on her sons-in-laws, often at the expense of her daughters.
She loved being the matriarch of her large family. She died at the age of 92 in 2011.
A New Matriarch
With my mom gone and Nancy’s mother gone that leaves Nancy as the current matriarch of our big family.
We had a wedding in our yard this past summer and 29 members of our expanded immediate family were there and posed for a photo. Nancy and I got to sit in the front row holding our youngest great grandchild.
A glance at that photo shows the wonder of loving reproduction.
And with that thought in mind, I want to congratulate all our readers, friends, neighbors, relatives, and all of you wonderful gals who are celebrating Mothers Day on this day in 2025.
