A classmate, friend, and neighbor has left us. A trooper to the end, in recent days she lost her battle with cancer. She will be missed by all that knew her. I was her classmate from 8th grade through high school graduation. In school, she was good at the few sports then available for girls.
Our senior year, in home economics, we took our Betty Crocker tests to see what would make a good career for each of us. When we shared out results from this test most showed we’d make a good teacher, homemaker, secretary, business owner, etc. but this special classmate’s results showed that she would make a good mechanic.
Right after graduation, she married the love of her life, the boy she had been dating for some time. They first moved away from their hometown area as her husband was in the service, but later they moved back to the family farm, a place they would call home for the rest of their lives. She did what she loved doing, she farmed. She was a true farming partner with her husband. She could be the truck driver or the combine operator. She worked with the hogs, moved cattle and drove the tractor. You name it, she could do it on the farm. She could repair an engine in the shop and then head for her kitchen to bake and decorate the prettiest birthday and wedding cakes. With her husband she liked to square dance, play cards, and join with family in building projects.
Our friendship grew as we lived on farms within a mile of each other. If the drove by our place and saw us outside working, it was common for them to turn in and visit. They would come over to play cards. We’d enjoy telling stories about our high school years together. Our sons were about the same ages, as well as the children of other neighbors who lived close by. Those five boys would ride their bikes, walk, or take their three wheelers to visit each other’s farms. When our boys came up missing, calls would be exchanged and we’d learn our sons were at one of the farms having a great time together.
She was always available to help where needed. We worked together on several class reunions. As many of our mutual friends and neighbors had August birthdays we got together for parties and meals and shared jokes and laughs. Of course, she would bake a birthday cake for the occasion.
She was a one of a kind gal. A strong woman for sure. She never let anything get the best of her. When her husband’s health began to fail, she became the main farmer of their farm. She kept things going. Though the last challenge in her life was a giant one, she kept farming until the very end.
We will miss you Fern Reed!
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