Sunday, March 21, 2021
It is very difficult to express the loss of my only sibling, my brother. Bob has always been there for me and in many ways, I have lost a piece of myself. There is absolutely nothing we held back from each other, we could talk and discuss any subject and never worried about it going any further than just between the two of us.
My older brother has always been there to help me. A part of me has died along with Bob. Bob's help started very early in our life. He was there to help me learn to walk and talk. I remember him teaching me how to use the outhouse in the winter of 1940. One time when I was three years old and Bob was 7 years old, we were with our Dad at the Chevrolet garage in Woden, Iowa. Dad was talking to John Junker and Bob and I were just hanging out. I don't remember what compelled me to do it, but I hauled off and struck Bob in the stomach so hard he bent over gasping for air. John Junker laughed so loud about what he saw that he almost peed his pants. Dad, of course, got on my case, however, he had a smile on his face.
We moved to Clear Lake, Iowa when I was 3 or 4 years old so I did not go to school in Woden. I believe it is still customary for a parent to accompany their child to their first day in kindergarten. In my case Bob was the one that took me under tow to my first day of school. Clear Lake Community Schools rarely had a snow day. When the snow was deep, you just trudged through it and made it to school. I remember asking Bob to make shorter steps so my short little legs could reach each one of his steps. I think my entire life was like that, following in my big brother's foot steps. As I am sure it is today, everything is a "hand-me-down" when you have an older brother. .The one I remember the most was that beautiful shinny chrome bicycle he had. I couldn't wait to get my hands on that one. One time when he was doing other things and his bike was just sitting there at home, I "borrowed" it. Of course disaster struck, I didn't stop in time and the bike didn't fit under the parallel bars and I put a dent in the front fender. It was small and I hoped he wouldn't see it; fat chance of that. There was hell to pay for putting that dent in his shinny bike's front fender. Bob's first job was delivering papers for the Des Moines Register He got out of bed at 4:00 AM to deliver papers. That's how he earned enough money for the bright shinny new bicycle.
I never had any problems with bully's when I was growing up. If I had any problems with a bully, I just told my brother about it and he took care of it, no more bullying. Bob had a much easier time in grade school and high school than I did. He never brought a book home and never had any home work and still got passing grades. Me, I had to study hard and still got bad grades.
Growing up in Clear Lake, Iowa during World War 2 was a different experience for the Gerdes family. We were almost completely self sufficient. We had one cow, 2 pigs, 250 chickens and 3 acres of garden. Tending the vegetable garden was a family affair. All four of us hoed and pulled weeds and Bob and I both got in on shucking peas, snapping beans, running the cream separator, gathering eggs, putting up hay, staking the cow and harvesting. One thing that Bob and I both got out of was washing dishes. I don't remember where we got it from but we felt that working in the kitchen was for girls.
Bob and I were both brought up as good Lutheran Boys. Confirmation was as big a deal as graduating from High School. Bob and I would try to sit in the balcony at church instead of with our parents who sat in the main sanctuary. One time Bob and I had the giggles in the middle of Pastor Mostrom's sermon. We were chocking trying to keep from laughing but nothing worked. Pastor Mostrom finally stopped his sermon, pointed his finger up to the balcony and said very loudly "You, Gerdes boys, OUT and we left church. Boy was there hell to pay for that when we got home.
Later in life when I was 15 years old and Bob was 19, I had one of my first dates with a girl. I was competing for the girl's attention with a guy that was 18 years old and had his own car. I, of course, didn't even have a drivers license. Again, I went to my older brother for a solution. Bob told Dad that his car was in need of repair and asked Dad for the family car. So that left Bob's '49 Hudson ready for me take a girl on a date. I didn't even know how to shift a manual transmission, so I drove all over Clear Lake that night in first gear. Everything worked out fine but I still lost that girl.
Bob was one of those guys that did not volunteer for military service. He waited until he was drafted. When Bob got out of the Army, I was in the Navy stationed at Great Lakes, so Bob came to Waukegan to visit me because we hadn't seen each other for a long time. I told Bob that I couldn't get off base until after 4:30 PM. Bob said OK, I will go out and see if I can find a job. . . He did and that was at Outboard Marine. Bob spent the rest of his life in the Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor area.
Ronald Gerdes
6147 Clubside Drive
Sarasota, FL 34243-3151
(941) 706-1042
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