This is My Story: Phyllis Schacterle

We can learn a lot from our elders if we just sit down and listen to them.  And so, that is exactly what we did and are going to continue to do.  We are going to learn about their life story and share it with others.  This will be part of a weekly series called "This is My Story".  We hope you enjoy.  Today's story comes from Phyllis Schachterle.

Hi, my name is Phyllis and I reside in the Genesis Place apartments at Grand JiVante. I grew up on a farm in Butler County and I had 5 siblings: Avonelle, Anna Mae, Peggy, JoAnne, and Harold. I went to a country school through 8th grade and yes, I had to walk to school and back home. It was a mile and a half to school each day! Then I took a bus to Dumont my freshman year of high school. Due to the war, it cost too much to keep gas in the bus so I moved in with my grandparents and finished my high school years with them when I was 17.

"...and yes, I had to walk to school and back home. It was a mile and a half to school each day!"

After high school graduation, one of my close friends and I got jobs working in the office at Rath Packing Company. I married my husband, Fredrick, on March 29th, 1946 and we had four children; Jim, Steve, Dave, and Sheryl. We farmed together and we had a good life. I now have 9 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Some things stick out to me more than others. I remember Fredrick and I purchasing our first TV shortly after we were married. I remember that very vividly. I also remember as a kid that we always ate holiday meals together. We weren't able to take any vacations because money was very tight during the war.  Fredrick lost his right arm when he was in his 50's in a farming accident working on the elevator.  It was a blessing that he was left-handed.  I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer around my 50th birthday.  If I had not been having a physical for a surgery, it would have gone undiagnosed. This was a scary time in my life. After Fredrick and I retired, we took several bus trips.  We went to Disney Land, Disney World, and Washington D.C. One of my great memories was building my dream house in Ackley.

I was asked to tell something about myself that no one else knows.  I must not be a very private person because I can't think of anything. I was also asked what is on my bucket list. I would love to see more sites in Iowa.  More of the historical sites and museums.

I hope you enjoyed my story.  Please leave comments as you would like as I will read them.  Do you have any memories of me that you would like to share?