Opal DEARDORFF of Sheridan, Missouri and Bill FREEMYER of Athelstan, Iowa were married May of 1924 at Grant City, Missouri and came to the Maloy community in 1939 with daughters Eileen and Donna and sons Wesley and Harold.

Bill FREEMYER died in 1982. Opal remains in her home in Clearfield and is active playing bingo with the Methodist Women and American legion Auxiliary. She also likes to go camping with the Arlo STEWART family.

Donna writes, "As my sister and brothers and I were growingup, we never had a lot of money or loads of material things - we had then and still have now something money can't buy -- an abundance of love, sharing and compassion for others in our home."

Married April 29, 1944, Donna and Arlo STEWART moved into their first home, the cottage south of Raymer STEELE'S home, owned by Hugh and Gladys STEELE. A lasting friendship bond was formed by the STEELES and this young couple.

By 1948 the family had moved to Ed GEIGER'S farm near Delphos.

By 1967 Arlo and Donna had almost made the circle complete when they purchased the Cliff ROSEBRAUGH farm on Highway #2 on the county line. They moved there in 1968 from northeast of Mount Ayr. The family was growing up: Dane had graduated from Diagonal in 1963 and David from Mount Ayr with the class of 1964.

Arlo is semi-retired and Donna continues to work as a food and nutrition assistant in Taylor County in a program administered by Iowa State University. She has done this for seven years.

Dan married Lila SWANK of Benton and they have three boys. Rick is a student at Des Moines Area College in Ankeny majoring in ag technology. Rick excelled in the sports of wrestling, track and football in high school. Kevin is a high school freshman and James is a sixth grader at Mount Ayr. Dan and Lila have lived on and farmed the Raymer STEELE farm twelve years. Gladys STEELE CARR and husband Pat are their landlords. Besides his farming interests, Dan loves to hunt coon.

David STEWART married Kay DUNCAN and they farm near Gravity. Their children are Shelly and Jerod, both high school students.

Linda is a cosmetologist. She married Lloyd BURGHER and two children, Lyle and Ticia, were born. They eventually moved to St. Joseph and there she attended St. Joseph Beauty Academy. Linda married Jack DeFREECE and Tara Jo was born to them. They have since moved to the Lee FROST home across from her parents. Linda and sister Amy have a beauty shop at their parent's place and Jack is self-employed.

Amy Ann first married Russell NAILL and Angie, now 19 and Jason, 14, arrived to bless this home. Amy and Jack SMITH were married later and Sheena Marie has been born to them.

SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 Pp. 112-13. 1987.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011