Herbert "Herb" Lenz

January 2019

Why did I choose to write my memoirs? There is really nothing extraordinary about my life. It is my desire to share with my family something more than just a monetary inheritance. I want to share my testimony about the many blessings I have been given by the amazing grace of God throughout my entire life. It was not because of anything I did or did not do, but only because I believed in Jesus and accepted him as my Lord and savior. Also, I tell my life story to illustrate the vast improvements that have been made in all of our lives by God's grace through science and technology.

I was born December 9, 1928 on a farm in Butler County Kansas, the third son of Arthur and Ada Lenz. My brothers were Lee and Marvin. The doctor came to the home for my delivery, which was the common practice in those days. I was baptized at one month of age in the local Bloomington Methodist Church. In addition to the church, the Bloomington community included a general store and an elementary school.

Our home had no electric power until about 1936. Heat was supplied by wood-burning stoves. We had no running water in the house. We had two wells with hand pumps. The bathroom contained a sink and a tub, which drained to a cesspool. Water was carried in from the well in buckets and heated on the kitchen stove. The “toilet” was an outhouse in the back yard. Lighting was supplied by gasoline lamps in the house and a lantern in the barn. We had an icebox on the covered back porch, and later got a propane refrigerator. The clothes washer, powered by a gasoline engine, was located in the backyard shed. Water was heated over a wood fire in a large cast iron kettle. Clean clothes were hung on the clothesline to dry.

In the early 1930's I was too young to realize that the country was going through the depression. Our family was blessed to have most of our food provided by the farm. We had cattle, pigs and chickens. We also had a large vegetable garden. Dad grew a year's supply of potatoes and stored them in the storm cellar. Mom canned green beans and corn from the field. Dad grew hay and grains to feed the livestock. Of course, the farm also provided income from the sale of wheat, calves, and young pigs. As I grew older, I came to appreciate Dad's expertise as a farmer. There was never a time when we had to do without the necessities. In retrospect, I don't know how my parents got everything done, and did it so well. To say that it was hard work would be a gross understatement. They were truly a blessing.

I think it was about 1936 when an addition to our 2-story house was built, in preparation for the birth of my sister, Mary Ruth, on July 3, 1937. Having a sister was a new and exciting experience for me. As we grew up together, we formed a bond that lasted for the rest of her life. She liked to tag along when we played outside, and tried to do whatever we boys did. Of course that didn't always work out well, but I don't remember a time when I resented her or considered her a bother. We liked to wade in the creek that ran thru the farm. It was too shallow for swimming, but the neighbors let us swim in their “swimming hole”.

My parents were not overly strict, but good behavior was simply expected. Fighting in the house was not allowed, even in play. We were told in no uncertain terms to take it outside. When we misbehaved, Dad would always say “ I think you'd shame yourself”. I don't remember ever being punished physically, although I probably got spanked at least a few times.

Our social life centered mostly around church and school. I was blessed to have parents who were strong Christians, and active church members. We attended church nearly every Sunday, weather permitting. It was there that I came to know Jesus, and accepted him as my savior at my confirmation. It just seemed to happen naturally. I didn't need a “conversion”. There was not much entertainment available in that farming community, so we found ways to entertain ourselves, like making and shooting sling shots,.

Sometimes we visited neighbors. My Uncle Irving, Aunt Meta, and their daughters Treva and Dorothy lived nearby, and we always enjoyed visiting them. We also enjoyed PTA meetings.

Farming was very confining, so we seldom had time for trips or activities not close to home. My brothers and I each had assigned chores to do. Mine was feeding and watering the chickens, and gathering eggs. During the summer we helped in the fields with plowing, planting, harvesting, etc. The tractor was used for plowing and cultivating. Corn was picked by hand and tossed into a horse-drawn wagon. Dad hired a combine to harvest the wheat. We mowed and stacked alfalfa and prairie hay. Sometimes we were hired by a neighbor to help at the going wage of $5 a day. I got a .22 caliber rifle when I was about 16, and enjoyed hunting rabbits in my spare time.

My mother had been a school teacher when she was single, and she took an active interest in our education. She also encouraged us to learn to play musical instruments. I took piano lessons from a neighbor lady for a short time one summer, but didn't pursue it beyond that. Instead, I played the cornet in the school orchestra. I liked it, and continued to play in the high school band. My brothers both went out for high school football, but Marvin suffered a broken leg in practice before his first season got under way. After that, my parents allowed Lee to continue, but said no more football for Marvin or for me. We attended Augusta High School, which was 16 miles from our home. In my junior year, I was selected to attend the Boys State program, sponsored by the American Legion. That was a good experience.

When I graduated from high school in 1946, WW II had officially ended, but the draft continued. I wanted to go to college, but didn't want to risk being drafted at an inconvenient time. Also I suspected that college expenses would be a strain on the family budget, although my parents didn't say so. Considering that and the fact that the GI bill was going to expire in the fall, I decided that I should enlist and get my service done before entering college. The Army had the shortest enlistment period, 18 months. Since I was not yet 18 years old, I needed my parents' consent. They were not an easy sell, but finally agreed. I enlisted in October, before the GI bill expired.

After basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, I was sent home for a short leave, and then to San Francisco to set sail for Korea. We boarded a victory ship, which was one of the smaller troop ships, and on the second day at sea, the water got rough. Most of us got sea sick, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Fortunately, it only lasted a day or two, and then the water got smoother and we recovered. The rest of the trip was boring, but uneventful.

We disembarked at Inchon, and I was assigned to a Military Police company near-by. Since combat had ended, our mission was occupation duty. We stood guard at warehouses and other U.S. locations, in 6-hour shifts with 12 hours off. Occasionally we got more time off, usually on week ends. The weather there was very similar to Kansas weather. Some of our posts had little or no protection from the weather. The duty was unpleasant and boring, to put it mildly. The Koreans had what appeared to be a primitive life style in comparison to the U.S., and there was not much entertainment to be found during our time off. Morale in our unit was not very good. We didn't stop to think about how fortunate we were to have avoided combat duty. One day when I was on guard at the Red Cross location, another soldier walked up to me and asked to borrow their jeep. He said that he wanted to deliver beer to the buddies in the area. Against my better judgment, I said OK. Long story short, he had lied to me, and he got us both in trouble. He stole Army clothing from a warehouse, and was on his way to sell it on the black market when another guard spotted and reported him. I got off relatively easy with a reduction in rank and forfeiture of a month's pay. I learned valuable lessons from that experience, to be careful what you believe, and never go against your better judgment. Shortly after that, I was transferred to a headquarters unit for duty as a clerk-typist. My high school typing class paid off. I think the Lord had a hand in turning a bad experience into a good one, even though I didn't deserve it. The rest of my tour of duty there was pleasant, and I attained the rank of tech 4. My return trip to the US was on a larger ship, with no problems. I was discharged in the spring of 1948, and returned home. Even though I am a veteran, I don't consider myself to be in the same league with those who served in combat.

I had put most of my Army pay in the bank, and had more than enough to buy my first car, a 1930 Model A ford coupe. It needed a little fixing up, which I had plenty of time to do before starting college in the fall. I enrolled at Wichita University, which was not yet a “state” university. I was on a limited budget, so I shared a rented room with a friend named Clinton Hamilton. I decided to major in industrial engineering, which seemed to fit my interests and goals. It proved to be a good choice. As a veteran, I was eligible to join the Air Force ROTC advanced program with pay, so I took advantage of that. I was not invited to join a fraternity, which was fine with me, as I had no desire to. Instead, I joined the Independent Students Association (ISA) which was a co-ed group open to all with no invitation required, and no initiation. It was there that I met and became acquainted with Pearl Cox. We had a lot in common. She was born on a farm in southwestern Kansas, into a loving Christian family. She was the youngest of nine siblings. We were attracted to each other, started dating, and soon fell in love. Pearl had started college about the time I enlisted in the Army, so she was two years ahead of me there. As her graduation time grew near in early 1951, I didn't want to risk losing her and so, on Valentine's Day I proposed and she said yes, What a huge blessing that was.

We were married on July 22, 1951, in the First Methodist Church in Wichita. We were not members there, but needed lots of space for the families. My brother Marvin was my best man. The reception was held in our second-story apartment. For our honeymoon, we chose a cottage on the lake at the McDuffee Resort in Grove, Oklahoma. The rent was very affordable at $4.50 per day. One of the many things that I loved about Pearl was that she did not have expensive tastes. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

After Pearl graduated. she became our breadwinner until I graduated in 1953. She got a job at Beechcraft. Since she didn't have a car, she got into a carpool with fellow employees. Meanwhile, I got a part-time job with the WU Research Foundation. 1953 was quite an eventful year for us, to say the least. After I graduated, I got my first full-time job at O.A. Sutton, maker of Vornado fans and air conditioners. Unfortunately, my relationship with my supervisor was not good, so after about two months, I decided to find another job. The best one I could find was at Boeing. I was concerned about the risk of a layoff, but decided to go with Boeing until I could find something better. If anyone had told me then that I would have that job for 40 years without being laid off, I would never have believed it. We bought our first house about that time at 2807 E 22nd St, with the help of Pearl's brother Van, who was a real estate agent. Pearl quit her job to prepare for the birth of our first child, David, who arrived on September 22. Suddenly, we were parents and loving every minute of it.

My job at Boeing was in the Industrial Engineering Department, which was a good fit for me. I formed good relations with my supervisor and co-workers. The employee benefits included health insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacations, a retirement plan, and a voluntary investment plan (VIP). My deposits in the VIP were matched by the company up to 5% of my pay. There were several funds to choose from, and I chose the guaranteed income fund, which was the least risky. Interest rates were a lot higher then. As I recall, it paid about 6%, subject to change once each year. I took full advantage of that, and my account grew very well. I soon decided to forget about looking for a better job.

The early years of our married life were happy ones, and I soon realized how blessed I was to have such a loving and talented wife. Pearl's major in college was home economics, and she was an excellent cook as well as an excellent seamstress. She enjoyed doing both. Our second child, Mark, was born July 1, 1955, and David was happy to have a younger brother. In 1956, we moved to 2944 S Millwood St and transferred our church membership from University Methodist to Mt. Olivet Methodist. We attended church regularly, and I enjoyed singing in the choir.

In December 1959, we were shocked when my father died in his sleep of a heart attack, at age 70. My mother then leased the farm to a neighbor farmer named Gerald Brown. Mom soon moved in with us, as Lee lived in Texas, Marvin lived in Missouri, and Mary lived in Junction City. My precious Pearl rose to the occasion and gave Mom the support she needed. After a while, Mom found a job as a house mother at the Institute of Logopedics, which provided education, training, and housing for children with special needs. The job worked out well for her.

On November 5, 1960, we were blessed with the birth of our third child, Donna. We were all pleased to have a baby girl in the family, especially Pearl. In 1965, we needed a larger house, so we moved to 438 S. Winterset, into a house with a full basement and a 2-car garage on a large lot. David and Mark were in Boy Scouts then, and our neighbors had two boys about the same age who told them about Troop 704 sponsored by Westwood Presbyterian Church. They camped in teepees, which really appealed to our boys. Long story short, we transferred to Westwood. I soon got involved in the scouting program, and enjoyed camping with them.

Not long after that, I decided to quit smoking. I wasn't ready to go cold turkey, so I got a pipe and stopped inhaling smoke. Then a little later, I got a bad case of the flu, and was too sick to even think about smoking for a day or two. When I started to recover, I decided to see how much longer I could go without smoking, and never lit the pipe again. Then I started jogging to get in shape, and it felt great. I'm pretty sure that God had a hand in that.

In the next few years, our whole family got involved in scouting, as Donna joined the Girl Scouts and Pearl served as a leader. It was great to be involved as David and Mark earned their merit badges and advanced to the rank of Eagle. I was honored to serve as scoutmaster for three years. I am so grateful to the Boy Scouts of America for providing such a wonderful program, and to the leaders of Troop 704 for their excellent service. But I am so sad to see what is happening to the BSA now. I don't understand why.

In 1973, Pearl was diagnosed with diabetes. She took it very seriously, because she had seen its effects first hand in her father. She followed the doctor's instructions faithfully for insulin injections, monitoring blood sugar, and diet restrictions. She controlled it very well, and was able to avoid any significant change in her life style for many years. I was very grateful for her determination and diligence.

In December 1975, we were saddened by the death of my mother when she lost her battle with cancer. I was named executor of her estate. That involved the sale of the farm, which was accomplished in May of 1976. I was very grateful for my inheritance from that.

After Donna left home for Sterling College in 1978, Pearl and I began to travel more on our vacations. In October 1980 we went on a bus trip with Horizon Tours to the “enchanting east”. We saw beautiful fall foliage in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, with many interesting stops along the way, Then on to Washington DC, New York City, and Niagara Falls. It was a great new experience for us. We also took some road trips on our own to places like New Orleans.

By 1982, as we focused more on the church, something seemed to be missing at Westwood. We had many friends there, but the sermons were boring. There was not much enthusiasm in the worship services, or any other time for that matter. The Bible was not really being preached, We decided to go “church shopping”. We visited several without finding what we were looking for until we found Asbury UM Church. We knew right away that it was for us. Pastor Jerry Vogt preached the Bible and did it very well. We joined the Homebuilders SS class, taught by Paul Miller, an excellent teacher. Everyone was genuinely friendly.

In 1983, we became dissatisfied with our house. The laundry was in the basement, and the unpaved street was dusty. We decided it was time to make another move. We discussed it with Pearl's brother Van, who was a real estate agent, and he suggested we build a new house just the way we wanted it. We liked that idea, so Van put us in touch with an architect and a contractor, and he found a lot in a good location at 7814 W Prestwick St. near Maple and Ridge. We started construction in September, and made

the move in January 1984. We were totally satisfied with it. We were so thankful for Van's help.

I think it was about that time when Pearl got a part-time job as sewing instructor at Midwest Sewing Center. We didn't need the income, but she needed an activity that she enjoyed. After a few years, she was trained on the Passap knitting machine, and took on the added duty as a knitting instructor. She bought a machine for her own use, and it became another hobby for her. She enjoyed sewing and knitting, and made a lot of clothes, including a sport coat and some sweaters for me. She also enjoyed doing crafts. She joined a group that rented a store and sold their products.

Our families were very important to us. In the summer of 1984, My brother Marvin and his wife Norma hosted a Lenz family reunion at their farm near Bolivar, MO. About forty people attended. Everyone loved it, and it was decided that we would do it again every two years, with a different couple or person in charge of planning and choosing a location each time. For several years, we met at the Methodist Camp Horizon near Arkansas City KS, where cousin Dorothy and her husband Joe Graham were managers. After they retired, we went to various other places, I think the last reunion was in 2008.

The Cox family always got together on the Saturday before memorial day each year at Pearl's parents' farm. Everyone brought food, and we enjoyed a big noon meal together. With such a big family, that was a lot of people and a lot of food. That was the only time we saw some of them, because the farm was west of Liberal, which was a five hour drive from Wichita. Also, some families lived in other states.

I retired from Boeing at the end of 1993, and began enjoying the freedom to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I had time to do projects in and around the house and yard, and we did more traveling. I found myself busier than I had expected to be, and it was great.

In 1995, Harold and Elizabeth Akins invited us to join a travel group named Air Capital Active People (ACAP). They planned trips in conjunction with Horizon Tours, exclusively for ACAP members. They had monthly lunch meetings for information and fellowship. We soon made new friends, and thoroughly enjoyed traveling with them. During the next ten years we went on 14 bus trips, plus cruises to the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.

Not long after I retired, Mark offered to give me his old personal computer, after he had upgraded to a newer model. I knew absolutely nothing about a PC, except that it was totally different than the one I had worked with at Boeing, and I was not interested in it.

But he persuaded me to give it a try. He patiently trained me in using it, and I decided that it might be worth having after all. Of course it was much simpler then than the one I'm using now to write this. Over the years, I became more and more “hooked” on it, and now I can't imagine my life without it. I am totally dependent on it for things like investment management, banking, bill paying, information, communication by email, Facebook, and more.

In 2004, Pearl was hospitalized with an infection that required treatment with a very strong antibiotic. A side effect of the drug was permanent damage to the nerves in her inner ears, which impaired her balance. When she recovered, she had to use a walker. That limited her activities, but she managed quite well, and got a stationary bicycle to keep in shape. But in 2008 she fell and broke her arm. That prevented use of the walker, at least until the arm healed. I'm not sure now, but I think that's when we got the wheel chair. After that, her general health began to gradually decline. I had to take over more and more of the cooking and housekeeping. We were able to go to a restaurant occasionally and to the beauty shop once a week for quite some time. After our 80th birthdays came and went, I began to wonder how much longer my good health would last. I recalled that my father had died from a heart attack in his sleep without warning at age 70, my mother died from cancer at age 74. my brother Lee died in his sleep at age 70 the same as our father, my brother Marvin had high blood pressure and a heart valve replacement, and later died at 76, and my sister Mary had a liver transplant and later died at 67. As I considered that, my prayer was that I would be able to be there for Pearl for the rest of her life, and I thank God for answering that prayer.

As Pearl became more and more dependent on me, we discussed how to prepare for the likely prospect that the time would come when she required skilled nursing care. We put her name on the waiting list at Presbyterian Manor. However, she made it clear that she would not consider leaving home until it was absolutely necessary. During the next few years, she became weaker, and fell several times. Each time I had to call for help to get her up, but thankfully she was not injured.

In March 2012, Pearl became quite ill and was hospitalized for ten days. We then had to face the fact that she was simply too weak to function at home. When she was released, she was taken directly to Presbyterian Manor. She seemed to accept the situation, but after dinner I got a call saying that she was crying and wanted me to come and take her home. I rushed back and tried to console her, but she kept saying “I want to go home”. I had to convince her that there was no way I could give her the care she needed at home, and the Manor was where she needed to be. We had no other choice. She finally stopped crying, and before I left I assured her that I would be back the next morning and stay with her as long as she wanted. That was absolutely the hardest thing I ever had to do,

and the worst experience of my life. The next morning, she was over her crying spell and started settling in to her new “home”, much to my relief. In the following days and weeks, she and I were very grateful for frequent visits from Mark and Barb. Ginger & Joe, and Sage & Aaron. Sunday chapel services also helped with her adjustment. At Christmas time that year, Donna & Chris came, as did David. Vanessa, and Jessica. Jessica and Vanessa performed a violin and piano concert in the chapel, which was very much appreciated by everyone.

Pearl received excellent care at the Manor, and responded to therapy for a while, but was not able to regain much strength. Within her first year there, her strength gradually declined. She also developed dementia, asking the same questions repeatedly, and suffering some loss of short-term memory. By the fall of 2013, she became less talkative and then stopped talking altogether. Her attitude was serene, but she seemed to be off in her own little world. I sensed that she was slipping away, but there was nothing I could do about it. What a helpless feeling that was! Then on December 8, her system simply shut down, and she passed away peacefully. We had purchased lots and made arrangements at Resthaven, so that part was easy. Pastor Dennis Wallace took charge of the funeral arrangements at Asbury, and everything went well. I was very grateful for that.

As I adjusted to life as a widower, my friends at Asbury Church became like a second family to me. I was very grateful for their support, especially the Homebuilders class and the Tuesday Bible study group. It's great to be involved in activities there.

Now I can hardly believe that I am 90 and still able to live independently, mow the lawn, and do almost anything else I want to do (within limits of course). I was diagnosed with an irregular heart beat in 2014, so I do things slower than I used to and take frequent breaks, but as long as I take my 4 prescription meds every day, I'm good to go. I have much to be thankful for, especially my son and daughter-in-law Mark and Barb living nearby, also my granddaughter Sage with her husband Aaron and their two sons. I’m grateful for my good neighbors, Facebook for keeping in touch with family & friends, financial security, and most of all the amazing grace of God. Only God knows what the future holds for me, but I am confident that He will continue to bless me for as long as I live, and I will continue to praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

A visitation for Herb will be held Tuesday, August 22, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Asbury Church, 2801 W. 15th St. N., Wichita, KS 67203, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ResthavenMortuary-Cemetery.com for the Lenz family.