Background

Here is a little background on my mom Dot. Born in Bowling Green, Missouri to Mattie and Howard Darnell in 1926. They were farmers. Howard came to Missouri on the orphan train. He was born in New York. My mom road a horse to school. She says she was always afraid of the amimals. She has 4 younger siblings. Only Dot and Joyce are alive. She grew up and decided to go to school. Secretary school. In a big city, Kansas City. She was not scared anymore. She graduated and made her way to Minnapolis, Minnesota. She met my father Bill. They married and had me and my sister Cathy. She was a pioneer. She worked full time when I turned one year old. She always volunteered somewhere with my sister and I. She lived by example. She joined Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and still goes. She did all of the housework, shopping, care of us kids, she did it all. How I don't know. After we grew up Dot and Bill loved to travel. They went to Europe several times, California several times and Bowling Green once a year. Dot is 85 and Bill is 89 years old. And they are failing. Here is where it gets interesting. I'll talk about it later..