David Lester Hawbaker:
CLASS OF 1951
Elmore High SchoolClass of 1951
Elmore, MN
Lake Mills High SchoolClass of 1982
Lake mills, IA
Joice High SchoolClass of 1982
Joice, IA
Southwestern Bible CollegeClass of 1957
Waxahachie, TX
David Lester's Story
I was born in the depression to a poor family. My father had only an 8th. grade education and could hardly feed us until he took a job selling Fuller Brushes. I began delivering milk for Ted's Dairy while in the 6th. grade. Ted was in the army and I worked with Harry Hagedorn. I also started ddelivering The Des Moines Register in the 8th. grade. Ted had no boys and treated me as his son. He spoiled me!
In school, I was a trouble maker and a disruption in class. I was mostly a loner and did not participate in class activities.
Upon graduating in 1951, I would only do seasonal work as hunting and fishing controlled my life at that time. My closest associates were Roger Meissner and Jerry Stanton. In 1953, I befriended a young man, Ernie Osberg, who worked for his brother in the bakery in Elmore and we hunted and fished together. When he left for another job, Mr. Larry Osberg talked me into working for him and learning to bake as it would fit my life style as I could go to work in the early morning and have all afternoon to do my hunting and fishing. I worked for him until the end of 1956. At that time I was dating a young woman from Lakota, Juanita Schaefer.
I went to a college in Texas in Jan. of 1957. When I returned in June of 1957, Juanita and I were married. I went back to school in Jan. of 1958. While in Texas an event happened that would change my life forever. Juanita became pregnant with our first child. Becky was born in Nov. of 1958 and I was now faced with furnishing a home for a family.
It was at time that I went back to baking. I took a position at a Piggly Wiggly Supermarket in Mankato. I was able to make enough at baking to supply our family on one income and Juanita was a stay at home mom. I was able to continue my hunting and fishing at that time.
In Sept. of 1962, Juanita was 6 months pregnant with our third child when I was taken to the hospital with a serious illness. I was dignosed with polio and lost all strength in my right side. After the illness was brought under control, they wheeled ...Expand for more
me out to our car and sent me home to be a cripple for life. I could not walk and had to get into our apartment on my hands and knees. All I can do is give God the glory as we believe in the healing power of God, I slowly regained my use of my right side and was able to go back to work on a limited basis after about 4 weeks.
In April of 1963, we undertook a monumental decision. We left Mankato with our three children, Becky, Retha and Robert and moved to Lake Mills, Iowa and started our own business. With no money, we opened a bakery and coffee shop which would supply us with all we needed as our children matured.
In March of 1982,after all of our children had left home, we sold the business and moved to Seattle, WA.
We spent the summer of 1982 working for a constuction firm in Alaska at Bristol Bay and on the North Slope area on the Arctic Ocean. A real change from the plains of Northern Iowa. When we returned from Alaska we took a position with a family who owned several apartment places. We would work our way up the ladder until we were in charge of as many as 550 apartments.
On April 12 of 2006 my back went out due to a birth defect I knew nothing about. I went from what I thought was normal to a wheel chair in about 2 hours. Excruciating pain. This lasted until May 12, when I had surgery to stabilize my spine where the knobs were missing between two of the vertebrae. Upon recovering I decided to retire rather than risk further damage
We stayed with this family until we retired and moved to Kentucky in the late summer of 2006. We are very happy in Kentucky. Our last visit to the Elmore Blue Earth area was in the summer of 2007 where we were in contact with some of my old classmates.
We have fond memories from Iowa. Hot apple pie and cinnamon ice cream at the Boondocks !!
Some we would like to forget. Like the first week-end in January of 1982. 39 degrees below with a 58 mph wind. BRR
I would love to hear from any who would like to contact me. Please use the classmates e-mail to reach me.
Dave Hawbaker
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Register for Free to start a reunion event!
Photos