daughter took care of them and my father took over the farm.

Even in his late 60’s the love of the farm brought Grandpa back almost every day. Walking the three miles both ways was his pastime. We always anticipated Grandpa's visit and his bag of candy. Grandpa and Grandma Kiel passed away in the 1940’s.

Kiihn, Jay and Beth (Brandenburg)

(Beth Kiihn)

Jay standing. Left to right: Ezra, Beth and Elijah.

Beth Louise Brandenburg was born in Rochester, MN, the 4th child of Carl Louis and Lillian (Wise) Brandenburg. Carl and Lillian's 3rd child, Charles had been born 5 years before and died shortly after birth. Therefore Beth’s arrival was greatly anticipated and looked forward to.

Lillian’s pregnancy with Beth was difficult. She was in Rochester for almost the entire month prior to Beth’s birth. Lillian reported she had contractures during her entire pregnancy. The doctors wanted to deliver Beth naturally but because of difficulties with her previous delivery, Lillian insisted on a Caesarean section. Afterwards the doctors discovered Lillian had internal adhesions and Beth probably would not have survived a natural birth. At the time Beth was born the family lived on a farm near the lowa-Minnesota border. In 1958 the Brandenburg’s moved to Decorah. Beth was adventuresome and managed to get into all sorts of things. She was somewhat of a “tomboy” and usually sported a "pixie" haircut she had given herself. That was many years before her official beauty school training.

Beth had many friends on the same block that went through school with her. They shared in activities such as: hiking, swimming, tubing down the Upper Iowa River, Girl Scouts, Band, Science Club and Drama Club.

After graduating from Decorah High School. Beth attended Pillsbury Baptist College, Owatonna, MN. Upon completing training in English and Drama, she attended Mankato State University briefly. Through a college friend, Beth met Jay Thomas Kiihn in Dec 1981. They developed a friendship through letters and phone calls and in Jun 1983 Beth, Jay and Beth's mother Lillian took a vacation to Montana. Unbeknownst to Beth, Jay had asked her mother for permission to marry her. The engagement ring was the same ring Beth’s father had used to propose to her mother. The diamond was a gift from a ring that had been Beth’s father's. Jay proposed to Beth in her brother-in-law’s plane at 1,400 feet over the Tongue River east of Miles City, MT.

Jay is the second son of Roger Eugene and Eunice Florence (Merkel) Kiihn.  Jay grew up in Westbrook, MN where his father was a high school Industrial Arts teacher. The family lived on an 80 acre farm west of Westbrook.

Jay and Beth were married 26 May 1984 at Calvary Baptist Church, Decorah. Beth's brother, Rev. Bruce Brandenburg was in the United States on furlough from missionary work in Germany and Austria and officiated at the wedding ceremony. Life-long family friend, Loren Holty escorted the newlyweds from the church to the reception in a horse-drawn carriage.

Shortly after they were married, Jay and Beth moved to Miles City, MT where they lived for about 7 years. They opened their own beauty salon. Initially it was called “Red Carpet Flair Designs"; later they changed the name to Jay Thomas Designs". Their sons Elijah Gustave and Ezra Thomas were born in Miles City. A doctor had informed Jay and Beth they more than likely would never have children. A friend, who was a nutritionist, put both Jay and Beth on a vitamin regime to increase fertility. Six months after beginning the vitamin treatment, they were expecting their first child. Before Elijah and Ezra began school, the family moved back to the Midwest. They lived in Decorah for 3 years where they also had a beauty salon. Beth took beauty school training at Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar, so she could work in the salon with Jay. The opportunity arose for Jay to become an account executive, sales and education, for a beauty supply company based out of Minneapolis, MN. The Kiihn family then moved to, and currently lives in, Fairmont, MN. Fairmont is approximately equal distance between Jay’s hometown of Westbrook and Beth’s hometown of Decorah. The nearness affords them the opportunity to take in family functions more often than when they lived in Montana.

King, Charles and Alma (Sydow)

(Sherry Chadwick)

Charles W. King of Milford, OH, married Alma Gertrud Sydow on 5 Nov 1916. Alma, the youngest daughter of Charles F. and Mary A. (Klein) Sydow, was born 3 Feb 1890 at Conover, IA. After the death of her father in 1902, Francis C. Jones became her legal guardian. Francis was the husband of Alma's sister, Emma. They lived in Little Turkey, IA at the time. Alma and Charles lived in Bonners