DALE HELGEVOLD FAMILY
Told by Dale

I am originally from Eagle Grove in northern Iowa. Eagle Grove has about 3,800 to 4,000 people, just slightly less than Osceola. My mother, Mary Manley, was from Osceola, the daughter of Leo and Inez Mason Manley. She came from a family of ten children who are well known in this area: Raymond, Cleo O'Neall, Mabel Frizzel, Fern DeVore, G.O. (Glen), Clifford (Punch), Ivan, Virgil, and Floyd (Johnnie). Mother's brothers are Myron and Marion Manley. Marion lives in Creston, retired Police Captain for the city. Myron lives in Osceola and serves on the Board of Supervisors. I have a brother two years older than I, who lives in Council Bluffs, and two half brothers living in California.

I came to southern Iowa in 1992, after taking a job at Camp Dodge. A friend of mine was in the meat department of Fareway in Eagle Grove and was transferred to Osceola. I decided it would be easier to drive to Camp Dodge from Osceola than Eagle Grove, so I moved here. It is interesting to note the differences between north and south Iowa. North Iowa is a lot flatter, and colder in winter. I went back for my class reunion at the end of July, and within the 130 miles, I noted a change. Here were a lot of trees, but in north Iowa there was field after field of corn and beans. All the land there is farm land, and every little town has a grain elevator. Obviously, the land is more productive.

There are differences, also, in life styles. Here it doesn't take much incentive to jump in the car and drive to Des Moines. Up there, we were fairly close to Fort Dodge, but as I was growing up, if we went to Fort Dodge once a year, it was a big deal. The cost of living is lower up there because there aren't as many industries. There are better jobs in the Des Moines area. The biggest employer in Eagle Grove was the grain elevator, and we used to have a trucking company called Umthun Trucking which was started by two brothers, then bought by Decker Trucking from Fort Dodge. They were the largest employer in Eagle Grove. Their terminal was about two blocks from where I grew up and my dad drove for them for about 20 years.

I went all the way through school in Eagle Grove. I played football, baseball, and I wrestled when I was younger; but I cracked a vertebrae in my back so the doctor wouldn't let me wrestle any longer. I am not sure of that diagnosis because I never had any further evidence of it. In addition to those activities, I worked for Fareway.

While I was in high school, 13 days after my 17th birthday, I joined the National Guard. The cracked vertebrae didn't keep me from getting in. I was about as young as it is possible to join — purely by choice. There was no draft or thought of there being one, but when my dad was younger, he and some of our family friends were in the Guard. That probably influenced me.

It is possible I would have made different career choices had circumstances been different, but on June 28, 1982, when I was 11 years old, my mom passed away with breast cancer. My brother and I faced reality pretty early in life. It was really hard at first with Dad driving a truck. He was home every night, but it was not an 8 - 5 job. Sometimes he would leave early in the morning and get home later in the evening than he would have liked . He couldn't do what Mom had done. My grandmother on my dad's side lived in town so she helped us a lot. I learned to cook — I kind of taught myself. I did a lot of hamburger-helper type stuff. My brother and I learned to do laundry, and he had to do the upkeep on the yard because we were the ones who were there most of the time.

If my life had been different, I would surely have gone from high school into college. Instead I waited 16 years. However, I learned a lot from the Guard — technically I learned to be a mechanic, which was my occupation the entire time. On the other hand, I'd probably never have met Lori, and my life would have been completely different.

Lori Burrell, daughter of Merrill and Ann Burrell, and I saw each other at various places in and around Osceola. As we became acquainted, we discovered my mom had graduated with her dad in the class of 1957, here in Osceola. Maxine Woods was her grandmother. She taught rural school and knew my mom and all the Manley family.

Lori and I had lots of things in common and soon began dating. We are both pretty sports oriented. We were on softball teams, but our enjoyment then and has continued ever since is bowling. That is something my dad started with my brother and me a long time ago. My brother and I bowled for the first time in the state tournament at Council Bluffs on February 9, 2008. That was the day my dad passed away from pulmonary fibrosis. He was at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, and we talked to him that morning before we left. We asked if he would rather we would come there. He said, "No, you go bowl and have fun."

Lori's sister-in-law had been sitting with Dad throughout the day, and we had just finished the team event on Saturday, when she called to say we should be heading over that way. We didn't get there in time — we were about an hour late, but Dad's sister was with him I think it was the way he would have liked to go because he was the one who got my brother and me into bowling. He wanted to see us bowl together, and that is what we were doing. Incidentally, we both did rather well in the tournament.

The family Dad left consisted of my brother who drove a semi for a company in Council Bluffs, and me. One of my half-brothers lived in Orange, California. He and another gentleman owned a construction company, building things like man-made waterfalls for golf courses. My other half-brother lived in Irvine and was an engineer with a firm called McCarthy Company. They built a lot of schools in the Los Angeles area. We were disconnected for years, but some time before Dad passed away we started communicating more. Kevin and his family were in Iowa over July 4th last year (2008). His wife is from Manning, Iowa, and they spent part of the day with us. That was the first time I had met their children. Megan was a sophomore this year at U.C. Davis College in California and Sam graduated from high school in June.

Lori is the Special Education Consultant for the Area Education Agency out of Chariton. Their main office is out of Ottumwa but her satellite office is out of Chariton. She serves their middle school and high school, the Corydon middle and high school and the Lineville school district. She doesn't have classroom responsibility, but is in an advisory capacity to the teachers. She also has to stay current with state laws and make sure the schools are complying. It keeps her busy. She has national conferences to attend. She and another consultant went every three or four years so that each one had a chance for out of state travel to these meetings. I have been able to go also. Lori attended a conference in Anaheim in November 2008. I went with her, and one night we went to Kevin's and Linda's house for supper there. We also we met Keith a couple times for dinner We are trying to get a lot more attached.

Our family are Iowa State Cyclone fans, and in September 2008, we had football season tickets. When Iowa State played the University Las Vegas in Las Vegas last September, Lori and I went out to that game and met Kevin and Keith out there. Actually, it is kind of ironic. Today, August 29, 2009, they are both in Iowa. Their grandmother on their mom's side passed away and her funeral was yesterday in Humboldt.

My brother and I continue to bowl. It is a lot of fun to travel to these events and both of us got to bowl in the national tournament last year. I had gone quite a few years but this was my brother's first time to go. Last March it was in Las Vegas. I did rather well, the best I've ever done in a national tournament, so I was pleased. Out of 22,000 people, I got 21st in singles in the classified category. I was on Eagle Grove's team and we got 11th place; in all events I got 52nd or something like that. I didn't do too badly. I bowl one night a week and carry an average of 180.

Lori and I have three children. Damon was born October 25, 1996. In 2009, he is starting 7th grade. LeeAnn was born October 22nd of 1998 — she is starting 5th grade. Landi was born June 28, 2002, which was 20 years to the day when my mom passed away. Landi is starting 2nd grade.

Damon played football, baseball, and presently our entire family has developed a passion for the drag racing he is doing. None of his friends do that, but his interest started from our watching it on TV. He started racing when he was eight years old. It is something I didn't have an opportunity to do when I was a kid. He has done well, loves to do it, and we all have a lot of fun. Our family usually goes on Friday afternoon after school and comes home either Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on how late we are there. We jump in our Winnebago motor home, which has everything we need — air conditioning, microwave, TV, and all. We hook on to the enclosed car trailer, where we keep our golf cart, tools, and such as that. Damon's racer has a 5-horse power motor that has been modified, and those little motors put out about 35 horse power. He can run 8.9 seconds in the 1.78 mile at 75 miles per hour.
We went to Denver this year. First we had to go to Ames, where Lee Ann and Damon bowled in the Iowa games. Both earned gold medals in each of their divisions. We drove all night to Denver, the next morning found a place to park, went to the track to test the motor to see how the car was running or if adjustments needed to be made. We raced Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It was a great time!

We have met and become friends with guys who race in the top fuel races that go 300 miles an hour, so this has Damon interested. These races are on a straight track which used to be a quarter mile and now have dropped back to 1,000 feet. From a dead stop, in about 4 1/2 seconds and until they get to the finish line, they are going 300 to 339 miles per hour. The engines put out between 7- 8,000 horse power in a 500 cubic inch engine, with a "blown" motor. It has an injector and a blower that forces the air into the motor. They have bigger fuel pumps and run on a fuel called nitro-methane. It costs about $35 a gallon, and is very flammable. It is not something to be played with.

LeeAnn bowls and plays softball, but reading and piano are big in her life. She has taken piano lessons four or five years and has played a couple times at church. She enjoys that, but she really likes to read. When kids have to be punished, parents usually take away some of their privileges — television, perhaps. We take LeeAnn's books away from her. Her great-grandmother Maxine's death was difficult for her because they were very close. When Grandma's eyesight was failing, Lee Ann would read the paper to her. She spent so much time at Grandma's house and both of them really enjoyed it.

Her death was a real loss not just to us but to so many. Her funeral and reception were huge! She had three children and probably a dozen or more grandchildren. She taught hundreds of children in her many years of teaching, was very active in church, serving at funeral dinners, so she was widely known. Maxine's potato salad had a reputation of its own. She gave me her secret hamball recipe. A lot of people, who have special recipes, refuse to give them out. "That's mine " She wanted people to know them. She had a tupperware box of all her recipes. We've looked through them and it is amazing what recipes were there. I found ones I use.

Landi is a second grader. She is the wild one of the three. She tried playing T-ball, and is looking forward to playing soccer this fall. She likes to run, so being out on a big field, kicking a ball around is great. Other than that she likes to spend a lot of time with Grandma Ann.

I was in the National Guard for 21 years. I started as what they called a civilian technician. Basically, it is a civil service position similar to that of a postal worker, but we worked at Camp Dodge on the vehicles. The stipulation for a technician to serve in the Guard is to have a job up there as well. I lost my position in the National Guard in June, due to a medical condition. I have arthritis behind a knee cap, so it isn't a serious situation, but I took a medical retirement.

Doing so, I can keep my health benefits, still collect a pension, but I can pursue other employment if I want to. The situation the world is in now, when the opportunity came up to get out, I thought it was best to do that. At this point I can decide what I want to do when I grow up.

The 14th of June of 2009, was my last actual day in the Guard. I did 21 years and could have done longer, but I figured I had served my time and I would let other people get in and do their thing. I don't regret the choice I made to join. It was a good time. I was asked by another unit to go to Afghanistan because of my mechanical skill, at the same time my unit was asked to do security for Homeland Defense at the Airbase in Des Moines and Sioux City. Sixty-six people were selected, but one kid went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) so they needed one person to fill in real quick. They called me and I had to report the next morning to do the paper work. I missed my trip to Afghanistan, which didn't break my heart. Instead I did two years in Sioux City.

This last week I started working for Diamond Trail RVs in Bevington, on 1-35. They have been open since March 2nd. I work in the shop or whatever needs to be done.

Our family continues with all these activities we enjoy very much. I had to take time off when I was activated with the Guard and started college, but Lori has pretty much bowled the whole time. A couple years ago, we started bowling again as a family, which we feel is a real benefit to all of us.

Another venture we are into — Lori and I do catering for wedding receptions. We did one last Saturday for friends of ours. We did a Mexican type for three hundred people. We did one a couple summers ago for friends of ours for 400 or so people. I have discovered, after all those years ago when I first learned, I really enjoy cooking. I actually managed a restaurant before I moved here, and I've been watching for the opportunity to open a restaurant here in Osceola. I'm waiting for the economy to turn around a little bit. I'd like to have a place where people could go for lunch and get in and out in a half hour without having to gulp down their food. Probably on Fridays and Saturdays I'd do prime rib. A lot of places have prime rib but I've done it off and on for different events for 15 years and I haven't had any complaints. I enjoy doing it.

We also enjoyed gardening this year. We actually had two gardens, one in which we had sweet corn, which the wind and racoons took over, but in the other one we had green beans, and the crop was amazing. We planted six hills of each cucumber, zucchini, and tomato, which were the best I've ever seen. We had enough cucumbers to make a lot of pickles.

The title of the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," expresses how I feel. Even though I might have made other choices, I'm extremely pleased with what developed from the ones I made.

Return to main page for Recipes for Living 2009 by Fern Underwood

Last Revised December 1, 2014