Gerhard Wilbert Grefe

Gerhard “GW” Grefe, passed away in Peoria, AZ on September 27, 2018 at the age of 91. He was born October 4, 1926 in Steeleville, IL to Henry & Elfrieda Grefe.

GW was drafted to the US Army in February 1945. He was sent to the South Pacific as an infantryman with the rank of Private First Class. He was discharged in November 1946. While serving he earned the Good Conduct, Marksman Rifle, Asiatic Pacific and WWII victory medals.

He met his wife after he was home from the service and they married in February 1949. He worked at International Shoe Factory and owned a gas station in IL. In October 1956 he moved his family to Phoenix, AZ where he worked for Blakely Gas Station, Reynolds Electric, and in 1990 retired from Western Electric/AT&T.

GW lived life to it’s fullest! He loved all of his family and was so proud. He always had a smile on his face and a joke or story to tell. He was kind and generous and a friend to everyone he met. He was dedicated, honest, and hard-working. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling, golf, horseshoes, pinochle, and fixing things. But most of all he loved spending time with his family.

GW is survived by his wife, Evelyn; his daughter, Doris Barr (Keith); granddaughter, Jennifer; grandson, Joseph (Rhiana); and his great-grandchildren, Tanner, Trevor, Dylan and Taylor.

A Memorial Service in GW’s honor will be held on Friday, October 26th at 11:00 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, 18265 North 89th Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85382.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gerhard’s memory to Peace Lutheran Church Endowment Fund or any charity of your choice.

Patriot Guard Honor of GW

GW entered in the United States Army on 16 February 1945. GW was assigned to the 576th Air Service Bomb Squadron. He was deployed to the South Pacific as an infantryman. GW earned the Marksman Qualification with the M1 Rifle. On 11 December 1946, for the convenience of the United States Government, GW was Honorably Discharged. GW received the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon, WWII Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. GW was a proud Veteran of the United States Army Air Force and one of the Greatest Generation.

Once GW returned home, met his wife of 69 years. They have one daughter, two grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. GW lived his life to the fullest. He loves all of his family and was so very proud of them. He always had a smile on his face and a joke or story to tell. GW was kind and generous. A friend to everyone he met. He was dedicated, honest and hard working. In his spare time, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling, golf, horseshoes, pinochle and fixing things. As much as he enjoyed these activities, GW loved spending time with his family even more. America has lost another of The Greatest Generation. The Grefe family has lost their loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.

WWll US Army Air Corp Dedication

THE GREATEST GENERATION

Twenty one gun’s fired in unionism on the days

We laid them in the ground

And to have them each call me their grandson

I was lucky and I’m proud

One left school at only 13

The other Paris Island strong

The greatest generations almost gone

May their legacy live on

They weren’t scared to stand and fight

Helped teach me wrong from right when I was young

They’d give the shirt off their back and half of what they had

Just to help someone

Brokaw got it right

On a news cast one night

And I’ll back his words without hesitation

We owe a lot to those who fought and died

The greatest generation

I watched them work up to their dying days without

A can’t do attitude

Full of love and life and country pride

Well, that’s something, just something that you do

They put their families first

Weren’t scared of hard work

Showed those they loved undying dedication

There’ll never be another group of souls

Like the greatest generation

Neither one would say they’d have been those men without

The women in their lives

Standing by them through thick and thin as they

Also sacrificed

They did their part while they were gone

To keep a house a home

To provide for the needs of a nation

There will never be another group I know

Like the greatest generation

We owe them all so much appreciation

THE GREATEST GENERATION

Bio read by Pastor Al

Gerhard “GW” Grefe, passed away in Peoria, AZ on September 27, 2018 at the age of 91. – one week short of his 92nd birthday. He was born October 4, 1926 in Steeleville, IL. He was the youngest of 4, he had 2 brothers and 1 sister.

Gerhard was raised on a farm in Southern IL. After his Freshman year in high school his father was ill and he had to quit school to stay home and tend to the farm. He completed his GED several years later.

In February 1945 he was drafted into the United States Army. He was sent to the South Pacific as an infantryman with the rank of Private First Class. He was on the ship headed for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He was discharged in November 1946. While serving he earned the Good Conduct, Marksman Rifle, Asiatic Pacific and WWII victory medals.

He met Evelyn at a friends birthday party after he was home from the service. She didn’t like him much at first, but after a few meetings and a date that involved ice cream, he won her over. They eloped in February 1949. In his jobs, he wore many hats. He worked at International Shoe Factory and owned a gas station in IL. In October 1956 he moved his family to Phoenix, AZ where he worked for Blakely Gas Station, Reynolds Electric, and in 1990 retired from Western Electric/AT&T. Although those were his real jobs, he was laid off many times from Reynolds – during those times he did ground work and caddied at a golf course, was a city trash collector, painted for a restoration company, delivered Christmas Trees during the holiday season, and did all kinds of handyman jobs for all kinds of people. He was a jack-of-all-trades and during tough times would do anything that brought in a few dollars to provide for his family.

GW lived life to it’s fullest! He loved all of his family and was so proud. He loved his wife and would do anything for her and always wanted to be sure she was taken care of. He loved his daughter – she was the apple of his eye; and he embraced his son-in-law as the son he never had. His proudest moments were spending time with his grandkids and becoming a great-grandparent – he was so excited each time!! He was known by all the great-grandkids as GG.

He always had a smile on his face and a joke or story to tell. He was kind and generous and a friend to everyone he met. He was dedicated, honest, and hard-working. He loved all kinds of activities, but especially hunting, fishing, bowling, golf, horseshoes, pinochle, and fixing things.

GW is survived by his wife, Evelyn; his daughter, Doris Barr (Keith); granddaughter, Jennifer; grandson, Joseph (Rhiana); and his great-grandchildren, Tanner, Trevor, Dylan and Taylor.

The mold was broken after GW . . . he was unique and unrepeatable. He never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He was loved by all and will be greatly missed!!

Letter from Hiser read by Bob Hiser

Grefe, I believe that everyone should have a special friend. To me you are that person.

You’re always there when I need help. My car repairs, my house roof, helping me paint my house, all the odd jobs we did together.

The fun of fishing - bowling - horseshoes.

There was no job you wouldn’t tackle. You have worked so hard over the years helping your friends.

You’re a man so proud of your family. One who cares and loves his wife. Who has a beautiful daughter who knows how to kick shins.

I just wanted you to know what I feel for you. You’re one of a kind.

Sometimes we wait until it’s to late to say how we feel. I want you to know I am always here for you.

These things I have said come from the heart.

Thanks Grefe for being my friend!

“Hize"

Memories from Keith Barr

Thank you all for coming today to honor and celebrate Grefe’s life.

For anyone that doesn’t already know me, my name is Keith Barr. I was and always will be Grefe’s favorite son-in-law and even though I was technically his son-in-law, I always felt like he treated me like his son.

I’ve known Grefe for over 50 years, but didn’t really get to know him well until I started dating Doris about 45 years ago. I have so many great memories of him that I could write a book, but instead of reading a book I’d like to share some of my favorite memories.

For a year and a half before Doris and I got married, I had a job working at the Western Electric cable plant where Grefe worked. We always rode to work together when we were working the same shift. It never seemed awkward. In fact, I actually looked forward to the time we spent driving back and forth to work. He had lots of stories and conventional wisdom “according to Grefe” that he shared with me. Throughout the years, I’ve heard many of those stories over and over again and every time he told them they were just as funny and interesting as the first time I heard them.

When Doris and I got married, our first house was only a couple of blocks down the street from her parents. Whenever we had car problems Grefe would say “bring your car down to my house and we’ll work on it in the backyard”. A couple of times after we worked on one of the cars Grefe would let me put things back together by myself. But when I was done, I always seemed to have a of couple extra nuts, bolts or springs…..so I threw them over the fence into the ditch behind their house. When Grefe checked my work, he noticed the missing pieces and would ask, where they were. As a result I spent lots of time searching through the ditch until I found the extra pieces. He had a very good eye for mechanical details. And, there’s a family saying – if Grefe’s brother, Harvey couldn’t fix something, then let Grefe try. If he couldn’t fix it, then it couldn’t be fixed. So true!!

The first building project we worked on was a storage/laundry room at our first house. Grefe let me wire some of the electrical outlets and when he tested the breaker switches, sparks few everywhere. He also let me solder some of the copper water pipes together and when he checked them for leaks, you can guess what happened. During the same project when we finished fixing all the electrical and plumbing issues, I ran a nail through a copper pipe on the ceiling as we were installing the drywall and water started spraying everywhere. Grefe was very patient and never seemed to get irritated as he showed me how to fix my mistakes. Sometimes he would say “We should leave it that way…it’s good enough for who we’re doing it for”. That always made me laugh because I was pretty sure he was just kidding.

At our second house Grefe and I were in the attic putting in wiring for some ceiling fans. After we finished the wiring and were working our way out of the attic, I was following Grefe when I stopped to pick up something. When I looked up again, he was gone. Unfortunately, he took a shortcut out of the attic by falling through the ceiling. The amazing thing was that he didn’t get hurt. He landed on both feet between a coffee table, TV stand, couch and ceiling fan. When all the dust settle, he said “I guess Santa Claus decided to come a little early”.

One summer we decided to put a new shingle roof on his house after it was damaged in a storm. Shortly after we started nailing the shingles down he hit his thumb with a hammer. His thumb immediately turned purple as he said “Ouch, I hit the wrong nail.” About 30 minutes later he hit the same thumb and it started to bleed, but he kept on going like nothing happened. About an hour later he hit it again and blood went everywhere. Most people would have quit at that point, but he just put a tissue on it, wrapped it with masking tape and kept going. I’ve never met a person with a higher tolerance for pain then Grefe.

This past summer Doris and I decided to build a wooden fence on the side of their Forest Lakes property. The first thing we had to do was take down the chain link fence and metal posts that Grefe had installed years ago. We had one post that just wouldn’t come out. I tried pulling it out with a chain hooked to my truck. When that didn’t work, I asked one of the neighbors to try using his small backhoe. When that didn’t work, we asked another neighbor with gigantic backhoe to give it a try. Eventually we got it out, but it took a lot of work. When I asked Grefe how he put that post in the ground so far, he said he used a fence post hammer. None of the neighbors could believe that someone was strong enough to do that. If you knew Grefe well, you knew he had a determined attitude and was as strong as an ox.

Grefe taught me a lot about building and fixing things. We roofed many houses, poured and finished many concrete slabs, wired buildings, installed plumbing, built block fences and wooden gates, fixed cars, framed and finished small buildings and planted hundreds of pine trees on their property at Forest Lakes. I am grateful for all the things he taught me and especially grateful for the time we spent together. I feel like the best project we built together was a strong respectful relationship.

Family isn’t always about being genetically related

It’s about the people in your life who want you in theirs

The ones who accept you, for who you are

The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what.

Grefe was that person.

For me, he was The Real Deal.

Memories from Doris Barr

It is an honor to do this for my dad!! By the number of people here, It is obvious there are many who thought he was pretty special.

First – what is his name???

If you’re from southern IL or a Grefe cousin, you call him Gerhard

If you met him after he moved to AZ in 1956 you call him Grefe

If you met him after he moved to Westbrook in 1987 you call him GW

Most of his life, he’s just been Grefe – that’s even what my mom called him!!

The memories I’m about to share are my memories of my dad – some of you will know some of the memories, others won’t. But, all the stories one way or another highlight his character!

Things I remember as a kid . . .

Mom would take me shopping and I would ask for things and she would tell me she didn’t have any money. I would be at the store later with dad and tell him “mom would have bought me that but she didn’t have any money” and he would buy it. When we got home mom would tell dad, “If I wanted her to have it I would have bought it myself” Thanks Dad!! 

My dad went to ALL my softball games. I used to think he went to watch me play but I found out later he watched the boys little league game on the other field. He did watch us too because he would make comments about us “chewing gum and blowing bubbles” while we were on the field. One time he even had to ump the game – that was fun for me since I was the pitcher and my friend was the catcher, but when the game was over he said he’d never do it again!

Dad would drive me and the neighbor kids to school in an old red 54 Chevrolet that we called our little red school bus. He would come home from work in the morning and would be ready to go to bed but if we were there waiting he’d take us, and we could always count on a ride on a rainy day.

I remember when we got a microwave. I think we were the first of our friends to get one because every time someone came over dad showed them just how easy it was to make a cup of coffee and a hot dog!! He was so excited each time!

Then there were vacations – whenever possible I got to bring a friend . . . I’ll never forget the time my parents took Linda and I camping and my dad wanted to take us fishing. Linda and I had the fishing line stuck in trees more than we had it in the water. My dad patiently got the line out of the trees over and over again, and he only took us fishing once!

My dad was also the “fix it” man for everyone – he never said no, not to me, not my mom, not anyone.

In high school I would call my dad from all sorts of places and ask him to come “fix” my car. My car could be in the parking lot at school with a flat tire, it could be parked on the street out of gas – but whatever the situation, he always took care of it!! I do remember one day when he told me that E did not stand for “Full”.

All through my childhood and beyond he fished and hunted everything! His prize hunt was getting drawn for buffalo and getting one – it’s a once in a lifetime draw! The hide is proudly displayed on a wall at Forest Lakes

New Year’s Eve was a tradition with my dads friends,– the adults played pinochle until midnight and the kids played games. The night always finished up with a hot bowl of chili.

My dad and his friend, Hiser were always doing something – fishing, taking something apart, fixing something, bowling or horseshoes, the list went on and on. Dad didn’t even want to move to Westbrook because HIser wouldn’t be just down the street, and where would he put his fishing boat??? Thankfully the friendship endured the move – they were the best of buds!!

Then, there was his big heart and Influence on others – there was a little boy who lived in government housing that was near us.. Not ever sure how they met, but my dads big heart and patience with kids, the little boy would come over and hammer on old boards when my dad was outside working on something – which was most of the time. After a while my dad talked to his mom and she allowed my dad to take her son fishing. I remember a day when the little boy was sitting in our kitchen and looked at a plate on the wall that said “You can’t be poor if you have friends” and he said “I have friends but I’m still poor”. When he was out of school, my parents had moved to Westbrook and one day my dad got a call from this no longer little boy telling him that he was out of school, in the military, and getting married – he wanted to thank my dad for always being good to him. I’m sure to this day that little boy knows he was rich in the friendship and the time he had with my dad.

There was always someone visiting from IL or somewhere – when they were here, it always meant a trip up South Mountain at dusk to see the city lights. He was quite the tour guide and willing to take the visitors wherever they wanted to go – AZ farmland, Cardinals stadium, Sedona, Nogales, and so much more.

His main concern was always for my mom. He wanted to be sure she had what she needed. He would do go out to get her anything she wanted or needed anytime. Like the time he went back to McDonalds because they messed up her order – the only thing is, he forgot to open the garage door before he backed out! His main concern was her!! When she was working, if she was late, he was worried and would pace back and forth in the kitchen watching out the window for her car to come in the driveway. And, on Valentine’s Day he always bought her a nice heart-shaped box of candy, but he would wait until the end of the day and go up to TG&Y and buy it for ½ price!! He truly loved her with all his heart – really, he did!! His line to my mom was “always loved you, always will”!!

As an adult my family grew and my memories include:

The acceptance of a very large extended family – the Barr’s. My dad welcomed the entire family to their cabin in Forest Lakes - there were many Barr family get-togethers there. At each get-together my dad willingly took my nieces and nephews fishing, played horseshoes, and even shot the water-balloon launcher with the group. All of my nieces and nephews still refer to him as Grandpa Grefe.

After I was married, they started going on fancier vacations, they travelled to Europe, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Jordan, Alaska and Hawaii to name a few. But I think his favorite was Germany, seeing where his ancestors were from. The most amazing thing happened in Ommeramagau - they knew the Pastor who had done my grandfathers funeral was a Pastor in the area and when they went into the small church near the Passion Play, there was Pastor Wagner! They reminisced a bit about the IL Germans and then Pastor Wagner invited Pastor Klandrud (who was leading their trip) to help with the next service. What a small world!!!

In 2014 I accompanied my dad on the Honor Flight for WWII Veterans to Washington DC. I can’t even express the pride and gratitude my dad and all of those vets felt – it was an emotional trip for everyone. Many of you here wrote letters to my dad for “mail call” – there was barely a dry eye on the plane when mail call was done and the letters were read! My dad LOVED that trip and was very proud to be a WWII Veteran!

Another thing he was quite proud of was having the distinction of the longest member of the American Legion in Steeleville, IL - as of this year, he had been a member for 70 years!!

If you know him, you know he loved dogs!! He always had a dog and was always willing to dog sit for all of us. But, you may not know just how much he loved dogs. One day visiting at our friend Chris’ cabin, and sitting around talking, my dad very seriously said “if Evelyn goes before me, I’m getting a dog!!!” We laughed then and we still laugh about it!!

My dad always had a joke or story to tell. He was loud – you just had to listen and you could find him. He was strong, like no one else I ever knew. And, he had a crazy high tolerance for pain! My mom had hip surgery and the brochure recommended having satin sheets on the bed when she came home. So the night before she was coming home, I stopped and put the new satin sheets on their bed. Two hours later, I got a call from my dad saying he “busted his head open”. Not know exactly what that meant, I asked him if he called 911 and he said should I? Again, not knowing, I said yes and in the meantime we would head over. When we got there, it looked like a crime scene and it required a trip to the ER, they put 7 staples in his head and he never had a headache or complained of pain!! Turns out he got tangled up in those slippery sheets. We took the sheets off the bed and threw them away!! He had lots of fun with that story and so did others!!

He loved spending time and doing things with his Grandkids! They have great memories of:

• Trips to IL – playing games in the car and grandpa singing On The Road Again over and over

• Spending time at Forest Lakes - Riding on the motorcycle, fishing for crawdads at the pond, building snowmen and sledding.

• My dad would go to school for Grandparents Day and he even wore his Lederhosen to school for them on International Day and for show and tell

• They remember helping Grandpa make a fence out of popsicle sticks to go around Grandmas Christmas tree

• Grandpa enjoyed taking Joseph on fishing and hunting trips . . . he was so proud to be there when Joseph got a deer . . . and he was proud to tell everyone he got it with just one shot!!

• When Jennifer was in college, once a month my parents would go to Tempe and take Jennifer and her roommate Stephanie to lunch, they’d stop at the grocery store to buy a few things, and before they left to go home grandpa would check the oil in Jennifer’s car and fill it with gas!!

• When Jennifer bought her first house, he would go over during the day and mow her grass – she never asked for it, he just did it! And of course while he was there he would go inside to play with the dog!

• As an adult, Joseph went on a trip to Alaska with grandpa and Keith. Grandpa was again proud of Joseph when he caught a Halibut and a King Salmon. Grandpa was beaming with pride and was so excited walking around the boat that Joseph and Keith both thought he was going to fall in the icy water

• Jennifer and Joseph both remember grandpa helping and showing them how to do things. He was always there for them no matter how big or small the request.

Then, I remember well when my dad met Rhiana – he was in the hospital and when she came in she gave my mom a big hug – he was so impressed the way she came in so caring and commented on what a nice girl she was! 

He loved seeing his great-grandkids. He liked to tease and joke with them and He thought it was fun to take them for a ride on his walker or scooter. He always wished he could get on the floor with them to play games, or take them fishing. When it was time to go home after a visit, their hugs for him were the best!

In the past 10 years there were quite a few Grefe family reunions – when the Grefe’s were together it was a lot of fun, and it was very loud!! At 91 and 3 weeks, he was proud to be the Grefe that lived the longest and deemed himself king of the family!!

My dad was rich in friends – he had old friends & new friends. Friends from IL, 36th Avenue, Forest Lakes, Westbrook, Amethyst, Church . . . not to mention friends from his activities – hunting, fishing, golf, horseshoes, bowling, and woodworking.

Most recently, If I called my parents house in the morning and my dad answered, it was always the same – I would say how are you today, and he would reply I’m up and on the right side of grass. I’ll miss that conversation.

I could always count on my dad for encouragement, support, advice, a pat on the back, or a smile! After I was married and had kids, he did the same for all of them!! My dad taught me the importance of family and I think my kids have learned that too! If family needed something, my dad was there. He always told me family is your family and it doesn’t matter what the situation or who it is, if family is in need, you should be there!! He was always there for me and I have always been there for him!!

I’m closing with a clipping I saw in the paper that went like this . . .

I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears,

but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth

and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.

What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.

My Dad’s dash was rich and full of life for 91 years and 51 weeks!! I love him very much and will miss him every day! But I also know I have a new angel watching over me . . . and I know he’s watching over you too!! Love my dad and love his Dash!!

Memories from Evelyn Grefe

There are lots of memories in 70+ years, I’ll share a few.

I met Grefe in December 1946 at a birthday party. My girlfriends brother had just come home from the service and they were celebrating his 21st birthday. Grefe fell in love with the girl with big eyes – me! I didn’t even remember him, it was just a bunch of old guys who had just come home from service. A couple months later he asked to take me home from a dance. I said “you can barely walk, what would make you think you can drive” – my answer – NO. In May we had our first date – a movie and ice cream. Since he was just discharged from the Army, he was respectful, clean cut, polite, kind and fun loving. I had a new friend. The friendship grew to love and in February 1949 we were married.

We went to County and State Fairs and Church Picnics. He always played softball on Sunday afternoon and a few nights a week. Saturday night was dance night – I danced, he drank beer. We went to Springfield for the State Fair on the back of a cattle truck and straw bales were our seats. We always had a group of friends, we had picnics, played games, went to dances, sleigh riding, had good fun, and ate ice cream.

Grefe’s nephew, Robert, was 6 or 7 years old. Grefe was Robert’s buddy until I came along. One day we were all going fishing, not my idea. Robert was carrying a can of worms and he said to me – “are you afraid of worms”? I said no, so he dropped them and said “let’s see you pick them up”! Grefe watched with a smile.

In 1948 we got engaged and planned a wedding for February 1949. Grefe’s dad was diagnosed with cancer, had to have surgery, and was very ill. We thought we couldn’t get married with his dad so sick. Grefe had an idea to elope and keep it a secret. He would stay home and help his folks until his dad was better and then we would tell everyone – I agreed. After a couple months, his dad could do a few of his chores. We had a party and shared our secret with family and friends. We then moved into a 2-room apartment in the upstairs of a farmhouse. Our new married life began, but Grefe still had to help out on Saturday’s to take eggs and cream to town and get groceries. On Sunday’s we took his parents to church, his mom fixed lunch, and then we were off to his softball game. We were just a couple country kids having fun.

A few months later, Grefe’s dads cancer returned, it was terminal. This time his sister, Millie, came to the rescue. She took a leave from work and stayed with them to help out. One of our co-workers said “if you kids make it thru this first year, you will make it for life”. History will prove that to be true. Grefe’s dad passed away and his mom moved to Steeleville, her choice, but she still wasn’t happy. After everyone was settled, Grefe and I went on vacation. Grefe left his mom a note to let her know we would be gone for a week. We were barely out of town and his mom called Millie and said she was having a stroke (she wasn’t) and that Millie needed to find Gerhard. Millie said “I can’t help you, I don’t know where they went. If you die we’ll just have to wait until they get home”. Sister Millie was forever our angel!!

A few years later, on a cold icy Saturday morning (February 5, 1955) Doris was born. The next day Grefe showed up at the hospital. I asked “what are you doing here”? The shoe factory had just gone on strike. It only lasted a couple of days. We went home with baby Doris. Mrs. Beisner came to help – the furnace was in the basement and in those days I wasn’t allowed to go up or down the stairs. In April that year, there was a gas station for sale in Steeleville. Grefe wanted out of the factory so we bought the station. Brother, Harvey, said “don’t do it, you’ll be married to the business”. He was so right! Grefe had not had a day off in 4 months. July 19, 1957 Grefe wanted to do something special for me for my birthday so Robert (now in high school) ran the station for us. Early that evening we got a call saying a drunk had backed over one of the gas pumps and set the station on fire. After some discussion, we sold the station, sold our home, had an auction and sold everything except personal items. We rented a trailer, hooked it up to our 1954 little red and white Chevrolet and left for Arizona. No jobs lined up, but we had faith and hope. We arrived in Arizona in October 1957. We rented a house and Grefe got a job at Blakely Gas Station. One evening, this prissy lady came in and said “where is your tie”? In a few words, Grefe told her he didn’t think the job paid enough to wear a tie. Later he found out that prissy lady was the bosses wife. Nothing was ever said about it.

After about a year at the gas station, Reynolds Metal called. It was dirty and hard work, but the benefits and the pay were good. We bought a red brick house on 36th Avenue. Everyone was young and we all had kids. It was a wonderful neighborhood. We lived there 30 years. We had wonderful friendships that continue today.

Reynolds was losing contracts and had many layoffs. He always worked hard and this was no exception. He mowed grass, packed coolers, delivered Christmas trees, caddied, and worked for a saw shop and a restoration paint company. Then in 1970 Grefe lucked out – the Human Resources man at Western Electric was German and they hit it off. Again, it was hard factory work but the pay was good and so were the benefits. He was 44 and so very lucky! As it turned out, the retirement benefits were great!

In 1973, Grefe shopped the state for some mountain land. He found his piece of heaven, an acre of land in Forest Lakes on the Mogollon Rim. No water or electricity, but lots of pine trees and in the summer it was about 50 degrees cooler than in the valley – perfect! He pulled an old beat-up trailer onto the lot and began to develop the summer home. With his hard work we eventually had water and electricity. In 1979 we added a 20 x 20 room onto the old trailer with the help of family and friends. Sometimes he worked day and night. He would work Friday night at Western Electric, drive 137 miles to Forest Lakes, work up there all day on Saturday and Sunday, drive home Sunday afternoon, sleep a couple hours and go back to work at Western Electric by midnight. No one understands how he had the strength to do all of that. We entertained family and friends there almost every weekend – it truly was a slice of heaven.

In 1987 we moved to a retirement community – Westbrook Village. Retired in 1990, it was time to play again. Westbrook was great – there were 2 pools, a woodshop, stained glass, sewing and lots of other activities. Grefe golfed, bowled, pitched horseshoes and became a very good woodworker. Then one summer day in 2016, he came in the house and said we were moving. I said “where to” and he said, “I don’t know but I can’t do this anymore”. We had a small patch of grass and it was getting too much for him.

Amethyst Gardens was a facility about a mile away for independent or assisted living. We went to check it out. Grefe told the sales rep that he wanted to be on the ground floor, he wanted grass and trees and if they didn’t have that to offer, then we were done talking. The sales rep showed us an apartment that was being renovated – it was on the ground floor, had a nice patio, big trees, and lots of shade – it was perfect. On August 13 family and friends moved us. It’s been great! Grefe played Wii Bowling, pinochle, and participated in other activities – there was even a pool. We didn’t have to work, just eat 3 meals a day and do whatever we wanted. His health continued to get worse and we were so glad we were at Amethyst.

In July 2018 Grefe had a really bad fall. Hospital and doctor visits but no one new why – bruised ribs and contusion of the heart. He already had one heart valve replaced and two were leaking. He was in so much pain that he slept in the chair because he was unable to lie down. With his high tolerance for pain, this was not good. Eventually we had assistance to help get him dressed and shower. We knew his days were numbered and we prayed God would make it quick and easy. Every day he would say to me “I need to kiss you goodnight because I don’t what tomorrow will bring; I always loved you and I always will”. God answered our prayers – not easy for me, but God in his infinite grace does not make mistakes. He speaks and calls whomever at any time and place. Sometimes we don’t understand the things that come to be, but the Lord of Lords, so holy and grand will help us through.

Until we meet again, love you always!

“Mom”