Opal Eunice Gonder

My parents, Ernie Wyatt and Florence Rapp, were married in 1915 and I was born August 28, 1916 near Norton Kansas in a rock house. There was no doctor, my Aunt Stella helped deliver me and my brothers. We moved into a sod house but it was infested with bedbugs from the chickens so Dad, our family and neighbors built a two room frame house with a porch for us to live in and the sod house was torn down. We moved a wash/milk house unto our property about 10 feet from the house. We had a separator that separated the milk from the cream and we churned our own butter from the cream.

We had a stove in which we burned corn cobs for cooking, warming water and heating the house. We had a kitchen table and cabinet, 6 chairs and a rocker. We children slept in one bed. We also had a telephone on a party line. Mother would wash the clothes in a kerosene washing machine with a ringer in the wash house -- an all day job. We had no running water, so the water had to be carried from the windmill to the wash house and into the kitchen to fill the tin wash tub. We had a large barrel to hold the water pumped from the windmill. In the summer we would put watertight containers of butter and milk in the well to keep them cool. We had no electricity and used kerosene lamps for light. We had an outhouse away from the house. I was afraid to go there at night. Mom told me that if someone got me they would let me go as soon as they found out what they had. It was my job to empty the chamber pots which we used on cold nights.

We had a storm cellar away from the house. When we saw a tornado coming we would run for the cellar. Once mom ran back to the house to turn the kerosene lantern off and the wind was too strong for her to return to the cellar. The windmill was blown over and dad thought mom was under the windmill. He ran out during the tornado to find mother and was injured by a flying board. He was laid up for weeks so neighbors helped with his chores and pulled the windmill back up.

We had many chickens, horses, cows and pigs. My mother and I fed the chickens, cleaned the chicken house and collected the eggs. Sometimes the chickens would peck us when we tried to get the eggs. Daddy built boxes for the setting hens so they could sit on their eggs and hatch the chicks. The chickens and their chicks would run free during the day and were put into the chicken house at night for protection. When a hawk flew over, the chicks would get under their mothers wings. When the mother pig had piglets we couldn't get into the pen. I was afraid of them when I had to collect the cobs for the stove. We fed them corn, snakes we killed and slop from the kitchen. In the Fall neighbors would come over to help us slaughter a hog for the meat and lard for soap and cooking. The neighbors would take some of the meat. We would take the calves from the cows so we could get milk. The cows and calves would moo for a day or two when they were separated, very sad. We children would pick the bugs off the potato plants, weed and help mother can.

Dad grew hay, corn, potatoes and wheat. We had a garden for vegetables. He plowed with his prized horses. We eventually got a steam harvester for the crops and a threshing machine for the wheat in the fall.

I was the oldest of two brothers and a sister. We had about 40 cousins. We all had chores, but also had lots of fun. We climbed trees, rode the pony, played with the dogs and had a wonderful time. We walked 1- 1/2 miles to school. Later we rode the pony to school. We had one teacher who taught grades 1 to 8, about 12 children.

Our parents and many aunts and uncles would play cards in the evenings and all of us children would play cards on the floor. We often would all get together for food and fun at different homes. We had dances and church services at the school. We would come in horse-driven wagons. The women would get together to quilt about once a month. The holy rollers would sometimes come to preach and I was frightened by all their yelling.

Mother contracted TB in 1924 and had to come to Denver for treatment. We children had to stay with different family members. I stayed with Grandma Mather. Mother returned to the farm and became pregnant with Doris who was born in 1925. Mother had to return to Denver for treatment when Doris was 2 or 3. Once again we had to be separated and stay with family. Mom had to move from Kansas so we then all moved to Flagler Colorado and dad returned to sell the farm. He later got a job in Denver so we settled in Denver.

OTHER REMEMBRANCES FROM OPAL:

Mother prayed for us when dad was selling the farm. I remember mother gathering us four children together and praying for God to guide and help them in the days ahead. God answered mother’s prayers by providing a nice home for us and a good job for dad. We lived at Virginia and Colorado Boulevard in what was called Cow Town on account of all the dairies.

My father died in my last year of High School, 1933. After graduation I did housework for a couple of years until my mother started a nursery for babies and small children of working mothers. I helped mother until WWII started, and mother started working at Lawery Field.

On November 17, 1942 I started working for Gates Rubber Company and two weeks later I married John Gonder who was in the US Air Force.

We were never blessed with children and I retired from Gates in 1974 after 32 years.

I was always interested in art and after retirement began china painting. I belong to two world china painting organizations and have my own studio where I paint and have classes in china painting. I was thrilled to win the best of show at the Colorado State Fair.

John and I bought a motor home and did a lot of traveling after we retired.

John died in 1983 and I moved to Windsor Gardens where I was a member of the Art Club and entered the art show each April, and have sold many of my paintings in oils, water color, and china.

FROM A CHURCH CLASS OPAL ATTENDED:

Opal started attending McCarroll Memorial Church in when she was about 12 years old. She and her little sister, Doris, then about 4 years old, would walk the mile and 1/2 to Sunday school. Opal and John, her brother Lyle and his wife Helen, her other brother Verlin and his wife Betsy, as well as sister Doris and her husband Bob were all married in the little McCarroll church.

In 1950 Opal’s mother died and Opal went forward to accept Christ as her Savior.

REST IN PEACE OPAL:

Opal died on November 17, 2016. She is survived by:

Niece Sandy Anderson, her daughter Christine Hoskins of San Diego, CA and her son Kenneth Hoskins, of Oceanside, CA

Niece Donna Browning, her husband Tom and daughter Susan Gaultney, of Angle Camp, CA and son Tom Browning Jr. of Valley Springs, CA.

Nephew Bob Wyatt and his daughters Sarah Conor of Bolder, CO and Elizabeth Wyatt of Denver CO.

Niece Sharon Cronk and her sons Paul Siska Jr of Broomfield, CO and Jonathan Siska of Thronton, CO

Niece Penny Bell, her husband Kevin and their daughters Nicole Bell and Mary Bell all of Denver, CO

Brother in law Bob Cassell.