Family history, Ross

Mary Ellen Ross Moreland Quandt biography

March 1992

            I, Mary Ellen Ross Moreland Quandt, was born December 9, 1920, in Cameron Township, Audubon County, Iowa, to Edith Iola Johnson Ross and Samuel J Ross, who were married February 8, 1915.

            On September 16, 1916, George Eugene Ross was born.

            At age 6, I began rural school at Cameron No. 9 -- then known as the Henderson school, We lived 1 3/4 miles from school and often walked both ways, except in inclement weather.

            By May 1933, I had completed the equivalent of eight grades and was ready to enter Audubon High School at the age of 12.

            At that time, transportation was not provided by the school system. Ira Miller and Edwin Anderson lived to the north of us and worked at different times at the AAA (Audubon County Agricultural Association) office in Audubon. I “caught” a ride either to or from town with each of these men. Of course, they didn’t expect any pay for the rides, but my dad would get them a gift (for example, a new shirt) at Christmas and at the end of each school year.

            In high school, I participated in vocal music, drama and declamatory speaking. For a number of years, I took piano lessons from Mabel McNutt. I ate my noon meals and spent a lot of nights in the homes of grandparents Johnson and Ross, both of whom lived near the school.

            At age 16, I finished high school in the class of 1937 with a rural school teaching certificate that would not be valid until I became 18. The year following my graduation, I returned to AHS and took post-graduate work for one year. I took all the commercial courses offered and was then qualified to do office work.

            Since I was still only 17, I did office work in the AAA office and was a feed-and-seed loan clerk at the county courthouse. This was a U.S. government program designed to help farmers who were victims of the Great Depression.

            During high school, a courtship began between myself and Lawrence Duane Moreland, nicknamed “Ted” by his brother Ellis, who was eight years his senior. On June 4, 1939, I became his bride, as we were married at the home of Wilbur and Bessie [Brenton] Moreland in Spirit Lake, Iowa, by a Rev. [Roy H.] Cox.

            Ted was employed at the Coast to Coast store in Audubon, owned by Walter and Edwin Wellendorf. His salary had been $12 per week, but he was afforded a raise to $15 when he married.

            For the first three years of marriage, we lived in a two- to three-room apartment in the upstairs of the home of Ted’s parents, Rose and Amos Moreland, at 507 Tracy Street. I worked part-time at both the Audubon Bakery and the dime store.

            On February 14, 1942, Paul Ross was born at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Carroll, weighing in at 10 1/2 pounds. In June 1942, we rented a small house at 512 First Ave., living there until purchasing a home at 308 Freeman Ave. in early 1944. From April to November 1943, Ted worked for Lytle and Green Construction Co. on the Alcan Highway in Alaska, making very good wages for the time and sending most all of it home.

            In the spring of 1944, Ted enlisted in the U.S. Army (this was during World War II). He took four months’ basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, and on October 22, 1944, he was sent into combat in Italy with the Red Bull Division. On November 4, 1944, David Lawrence was born (also in Carroll hospital) and was not to be seen by his dad until 15 months later. During the following winter, Granddad and Grandmother [Ross] came in from the farm and stayed with me. I gave piano lessons for quite some time during this era.

            On New Year’s Eve 1945, Ted returned safely from Italy and secured a position with Iowa Public Service Co. as a diesel operator at the plant on Market Street [U.S. Highway 71] near the Conoco Station. It long since has been vacated, but the building still stands.

            On December 7, 1946, Alice Mary was born at the home of Oluf and Lucy Winther in west Audubon (Lucy being a midwife) as the clock on the wall struck 6 a.m. Two days prior to her birth, Granddad and Grandmother Ross had moved from the farm to 409 First Avenue, the home where they had been married nearly 32 years earlier.

            About the same time, we acquired the 80 acres of land owned by Joe Farley, located at the corner two miles east of U.S. Highway 71. The next farm to the north was Ellis Moreland’s farm.

            There was no dwelling on the farmstead, so we engaged Hans Aagaard Construction Co. to build a five-room, brick-veneer home at a cost of $12,000. On April 1, 1947, we moved there and began a farming operation. Ted and Ellis worked together for the next 25 years.

            On May 22, 1972, my mother passed away after a five-day illness at the Audubon Hospital at the age of 78.

            Also, early in 1972, Ted began to have symptoms of serious illness. In July at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., he was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. He underwent surgery at that time for removal of the left lung, but the brain tumor was inoperable. During the next five months, his condition deteriorated and on December 27, 1972, he passed away at home. This was his dying wish, and he was able to be cared for at home because Alice Mary and Joan May came from Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the month of December to assist in his care.

            I had a farm sale on February 23, 1973, and remained on the farm, renting the land to nephew Wayne Moreland.

            Along in February 1975, I began to be courted by Harvey Quandt. He had been our minister at First United Methodist Church in Audubon from June 1963 to October 1973. His wife, Ivadell, passed away late in 1974. They had moved to Glenwood to serve the church there. On August 3, 1975, Harvey and I were married by the Rev. Vernon Sorenson at the church in Audubon.

            I was given in marriage by all six of my children. Harvey’s three sons were also present for the occasion. It was a bit of a challenge to put two households together, but having accomplished this, the next five years in the parsonage at Glenwood were very rewarding.

            My dad, Sam Ross, passed away on May 14, 1980, at the Friendship Home, in Audubon, where he had resided for five years. He was 92 years old.

            Upon our retirement in June 1980, we were more than showered with love and appreciation from the congregation of Grace United Methodist Church in Glenwood.

            Two years earlier, Stephen May Construction Co. had built a home for us at 110 Leroy St. in Audubon. Evelyn May very graciously lived in and cared for it as a rental home for those two years.

            There has been much to do in retirement and we have been blessed with good health and resources to allow us to travel extensively. We have been in 48 states, much of Canada, Mexico and, in 1978, a trip to England. In January 1991, the Audubon Chamber of Commerce honored me with their annual community service award. I had been nominated by Alice Mary. It is a very humbling honor and one that carries with it great responsibility.

            At this point in time, I am blessed with 22 direct descendants: three sons, three daughters, seven grandsons and nine granddaughters. I also have three sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, three stepsons, a stepgrandson and two stepgranddaughters.

            This would indicate a wide and varied field of interest on my part. Each one is precious and special. Each one’s problems are my problems and each one’s joys are my joys. My philosophy can be summed up in Wesley’s three rules for Christian Stewardship:

We ought to gain all we can.

We ought to save all we can.

We ought to give all we can.

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July 13, 2000

Words shared aloud at Moreland reunion over Fourth of July holiday, 2000:

“To my family:

I would be very remiss if I did not take this time with all of you and n ot [sic] share some thoughts with you. I won’t waste time on tears..that can be done privately. I have friends who, at times, have said to me. “I got ALL my family together”…my stock answer would be…”I’ll have to DIE to get mine all together”. Well, obviously I’m NOT dead and here you all are. Each of you is very special to me and, given the time, I could say something personal about each one of you…right down to the youngest of the “greats”.

I will only pick on my own kids…I remember Paul for continuing to “farm”, on a toy scale, right up into High School and I have Wayne to verify that fact. Not having the opportunity to be a farmer himself, he has made the yards of their various homes places of beauty. I see David lying on the couch in excruciating pain after having struck brother Paul SO hard that he got a broken hand bone…no other punishment neded [sic]! This was but a forerunner to the physical pain he would encounter throughout his lifetime. Paul had called him “Dovey” one time too many!

I see Alice Mary always the underdog…for example, when the Neumans were here and great athletic events were underway, guess who was always “picked” dead last when sides where chosen? Might have caused lasting psychological effects, but it only seemed to be a proving ground for the fortitude she has demonstrated in her life. Jane Ann and Rosalee had no control over the fact that they were to be born 15 months apart. Of course this makes for competition that will evolve in various ways. As their Mother, I was somewhat distressed, when at about the age of 3, they began biting each other and the forearm seemed to be the inevitable target, resulting in considerable embarrasement [sic] when I had them with me at Circle or club. Thankfully, this phase was not longlived and the competition which occured [sic] during the growing up years has become a loving, supportive relationship.

Mark, also, had nothing to say about being the “baby” of the family. Being the obviously busy mother and the rest of the family thinking it was rather cute, he was allowed to suck his thumb to the age of 5. He had a small pillow which was the companion to the thumb. One day, when there was a fire in the trash burner in the basement--alas! The well seasoned pillow was chucked therein. David could handle it no longer! There was no apparent panic on Mark’s part and he soon cast away the habit as kindergarten drew near.

To you grandkids, who are scattered and raising families: be prepared to whatever your kids might “think” to do and “think” they will! To Pat, Cathy, Steve, Keith and Connie…I say “thank you” for treating me as anything but the typical mother-in-law. You are especially special to me. Remember George Burns reserving the Palladium in London for this 100^th Birthday? He didn’t make that Century mark, but it never hurts to be prepared. You are all invited to my 90^th. It will be held at a place not yet determined.

I have a watchword for those of you in the younger generation…the word in [sic] FAITHFUL. It is a valuable quality for you to cultivate on your life’s jouarney [sic]. Our God is faithful and will always be a source of strength and power for us. When I leave this earth, my highest goal is to have it said of me that I was faithful---faithful to my church, faithful to my family, faithful to your Dad, Ted and by no means least, faithful to Harvey. This family has been most blessed to have had honest, sturdy, God-fearing ancestors--therefore we have an awesome responsibility to uphold those virtues as far as possible in our own lives.”