There are two kinds of people in this world—givers and takers. My mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were all givers. That’s what I strive to be, also. I pray that God will continue to bless and grant eternal peace and happiness to them in heaven, where I know they now reside. One day, in the Lord’s own due time, I plan to join them in heavenly glory, where we can rejoice in the loving presence of our heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. That will be a joyful reunion indeed!
I grew up in the small town of Marshall, Missouri, the county seat of rural Saline County. I was born in Marshall at Fitzgibbon Hospital on November 24, 1943.
My parents were Aloysius “Al” Elias Groner (1911-1996) and Dixie Margaret Spohrer (1911-1986). Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and America was deeply involved in World War II. These were the war years, and they would continue until the war finally ended on Armistice Day, May 8, 1945—Victory in Europe Day, also known as V- E Day. Mother and dad were married in Carrollton, Missouri and soon rented a small house on East Jackson Street, just east of South 65 Highway in Marshall.
My earliest memory of my childhood is climbing out of my crib in our rented house to get my brown teddy bear which had fallen out of the crib. Mother later told me that the house was in such poor condition that there were large cracks in the hardwood floors, and there were rats in the basement that sometimes found their way into our living rooms. Not a very pleasant thought. My parents didn’t have much money, and I’m sure they did the best they could. This was during the war and everyone was put on rations. Dad was working on the Chasteen dairy farm on the outskirts of town, along with his father Leo Nicholas Groner (1884-1964) and his six brothers and one sister.
In 1945, when I was only two years old, my dad and mom got a divorce. Soon after that dad joined the Army and was enrolled in the Heating and Refrigeration school, learning a trade that he would work in for the remainder of his life. Later on, after he moved to Topeka, Kansas, he established his own company, Groner’s Refrigeration and Heating—a one-man business— and worked at that until he died in 1996. Dad was always known as a hard worker, and I am grateful for that legacy he left me. All my life I have been a hard worker like my father, and I’ve sought to live up to his good reputation in that respect. I’ve been working since I was 12 years old, and still work every day at my writing, gardening, and volunteer ministry with the Community of Christ church. I continue raising funds every year for Outreach International, CROP Walk for world hunger, and the March of Dimes. These things add meaning to my life and keep me active, both mentally and physically. I plan to continue this way for as long as I am able.
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