Your'e in the Army now!!

The first thing Bruce did when he got home from the service, was get a job(Good Boy!) and of course bought a new car with the money he had sent home while he was away. The second major event was a wedding --he and Pam got married and were ready to start their new life together. They have been blessed with two wonderful daughters, Tonya and Kara. Both the girls are married now and have families of their own. Bruce has always been a people person. He can walk up to a complete stranger and talk to them as if he knew them all his life. I guess he wanted to be a truck driver because his first job was driving a tire repair truck for the Co-op. Of course a lot of his customers were farmers - right up his alley. He can talk farming with the best of them!When he got tired of tires, he drove a beer truck, delivering beer to taverns and stores in the area. I think Uncle Glen had something to do with that job, as he had been driving for the company for a while already. Dean followed along and drove a route hauling beer too.I guess he had to be just like his big brother. Seemed like they were almost joined at the hip, they were always together. Later on, Bruce worked at the Holiday Station pumping gas and selling sporting goods. Of course his love of hunting came in handy here, he knew all about those guns and other stuff!! When the old Eggert building was purchased by the Wild's, he went there and worked. Here he got a taste of management- trying to keep good help on hand and pumping more gas! Always a smile and his chatting to people, keeping up on his customers and their families. All this while, Pam was busy being a Mom and a nurse with that long giant needle that she threatens her father-in-law with. Pretty soon the station was not doing good, so Bruce and Pam decided to try a new adventure.They bought a little bar in the Phillips area called ,"The Big Elk." The old couple, that owned it, were ready to retire so away they went--to Musser Lake. After several weeks of cleaning and updating the kitchen, they were in business. Pam still driving to Medford to work and Bruce(Goose) is now a bartender! They make a good team. When Pam is not at work. she is in the kitchen slinging hamburgers and running her end of the bar. The local people look forward to coming in and relaxing and of course chit-chat over an ice-cold beer!!

Grandpa Bruce & Grandma Pam

Now Bruce and Pam are grandparents. They have four little grandkids that he calls "rug rats!" We all know they have him wrapped around their little fingers. Those short people have a way of sneaking into our hearts and hiding there. Before we know it, they too will be grown up and moving out of Mom and Dad's home to a place of their own. So, Bruce and Pam, take time to see them, hug them, and love them while you can still hold them on your laps--this photo was taken at Christmas, 2008--Grandma Pam holding Kallie and Grandpa Bruce holding Jack, the children of Tonya and Mark Brost.

Dean in his band suit

Hey, Dean where is the horn????

Dean was "Bean"

I guess Bruce picked Bean because it sounds like Dean-who knows. Being one of the oldest boys, Dean was his Dad's shadow. He couldn't wait to drive the tractors. He and Bruce had barn chores as soon as they could carry a pail or push a scraper down the walk. If he was missing, you could usually find him in the machine shed "fixing" something. Dean was the only one of our kids that made it to be on the MHS football team. He also was the only one to be in the high school band. The high light of that was when the band got to go to Green Bay to play at half time for a Packer game. I guess all the time practicing paid off as he sure was happy to get to do that. About this time in Dean's life, he and Bruce were really into naming everything. They named the trucks, tractors and cousins, friends, even the basement bedroom had a name. They called it ,"The Hole". The gang of buddies was the "Jags", and it goes on and on. Never a dull moment, but I wouldn't change a second of it. One time Gramma Emmerich brought a fruit salad to a party- I'm not sure which one of those two came up with the name of "Gamsie Salad". To this day, at every gathering, we have a huge bowl of Gamsie Salad to pass around. When Dean got out of high school, he wanted to join the Army like his Dad and Bruce. I couldn't stand the thought of two of our sons in service. After hearing me cry at night, Dad talked Dean into the National Guard instead--sorry Dean, it was me. It wasn't too much later that Dean met Sue and got married----to be continued---

Dean & Sue Family-November,2008

Of all the boys that wanted to be truck drivers, Dean was the one that did it for a living. He started out working for Enstrom's delivering beer. He drove for Tri-Mart, hauling food to area business places, then he had to learn about plants and flowers so he could drive a flower truck. His next choice was pizza- and today he still goes on his pizza truck and drives down to the southern part of Wisconsin. I may have forgotten some of his trucks, and maybe not in the right order, but you get the idea that truck driving is his thing. A few years ago he and Sue bought a mobile home and parked it in the Ripon area, I believe. They manage to get down there quite often and since Jake's in-laws live in Iola, he and Katie spend lots of weekends there too. Jackie and Santi's family even come up and spend time in the outdoors. It seems the whole family loves to spend quality time with the little boys in the country. That takes me back in time when Jackie, Jake, and Allie were children. Dean had got his certificate to be a sail boat captain!!At first they rented a sail boat each summer for their vacation. Later on , they bought their own boat. Dad and I were invited to go along on a Labor Day weekend trip one year. The kids all had a job to do and Sue was in charge of the food. Dean posted me by a little meter and I was to watch for sandbars and shallow waters. Dad was just to sit in a chair and hang on tight--we weren't going fast--just that he is not fond of the water. Sometimes when I close my eyes I can feel the warm breezes and see all the other sail boats on the water. Thank you, Dean and Sue for those memories! Now life jumps ahead and you have three little grandsons that you so much adore. There is no doubt in my mind- they too will gather special memories as you share your love and precious time with them!!