Saturday, March 25, 1978 - 48 years ago today

 72º here in La Feria, TX at 9:00 am Wednesday - predicted high of 90º; still dry as a bone!  Click on any photo to enlarge.

Dad, November 1963 at our mobile home in Omaha

My dad, Kermit Lester Miles, was born near Pana, Illinois, on September 6, 1904.  He passed away on Saturday, March 25,1978, in his farm house between Callaway and Oconto, Nebraska.  Dad grew up near Huron, South Dakota, and had come down to Custer County, NE in 1932 or 1933 to pick corn by hand - at one cent per bushel, plus room & board..  He met mom when he went into the Callaway Telephone office to call home and she was the "operator" at the time.

Dad in 1933

By March of 1978 Dad had been on the farm/ranch with an Oconto, NE address, about half-way between Oconto and Callaway, NE 31 years.  In 1947 he had helped move our house and barn some 7 miles from the ranchland out to a road only about a mile off Highway 40 that runs from near Kearney, NE, through Oconto and Callaway northwest to Arnold, NE.  Highway 40 was gravel at the time and the road that ran by our place was dirt, with a smattering of river gravel, I think.

At the start of that move, the landlord, James Cornish, had bought a small wooden chicken house, locating it up the hill a bit from where the house and barn eventually was moved to, and Dad spent many a night staying in the little building.

With four boys in the family and four boys in Jim Cornish's family, we all helped with the work on the farm, especially remember the haying crews and working cattle at "the ranch", the oriignal site of our house and barn.

By 1978 it was determined that PCA (Production Credit Association) was not willing to loan the partnership of Dad and my oldest brother Roger operating money to proceed with their row crop and cattle operation.  I believe the interest rates in the late 1970's were very high and much of agriculture was having trouble, moneywise.   A farm sale date was set for March 27, 1978, to sell the fair-sized cattle herd and farm equipment.  They were still on rented land where Dad lived.

Arial photo of our place in the 1970's

We lived near Clarinda, IA (about 45 miles east of Nebraska City, NE, and I planned on going out for the weekend to help Dad and Roger line up equipment for the sale the following Wednesday.  My younger brother, Darrell, flew in to Omaha from either Ohio or Florida where he was working for Cargill in their Accounting Department and I picked him up at the airport and we drove on out to the home place, surprising Mom & Dad as we had not told them Darrell would be coming.  I can't remember if this was on Friday afternoon or on Saturday morning.  

I recall on Saturday that Dad spent time haying the cattle with the John Deere tractor that had the FarmHand Loader on it.  This was to the west side of the buildings in the photo above.  There had been snow that hadn't melted where the machinery was to be displayed at the sale the next Wednesday and it was pretty muddy and we didn't do much with that.

At photographer's December 1950

1976 - Mom, Dad, Darrell, Louise, Lynn

1974 Dad with grandkids Michelle & Cameron

In the 1960's - back, Roger, Donald, Louise, Darrell,
Lynn.  in front, Dad Kermit & Mom Pearl

Dad & Mom on their front steps in 1978

After supper that evening Dad sat at the living room table and was writing in his diary as he had done for years.  It was after 10:30 pm and Johnny Carson was on TV.  I heard him yell "Mom" or "Pearl" and looked over and he was slumped on the table.  Darrell came out of one of the bedrooms and we got Dad on the floor and the two of us did CPR on Dad as Mom called 911.  We did not get Dad to respond and when the ambulance had driven the 7 miles from Callaway they took him to the Callaway Hospital.  We followed in the car.  The doctor and nurses worked on him for some time, but finally came out and told us that they were unsussful in reviving him.

This was late Saturday night and the farm sale was scheduled for the following Tuesday.  With advertising done over many states, the cattle were beginning their calving, and the necessity to hold it as  scheduled on Tuesday.  Funeral was scheduled for Wednesday, the 28th of March, which is Phyllis' birthday.  She had stayed in Clarinda with our son and daughter, and she got her parent's car and drove out to the home place on Sunday and stayed until after the sale.  There was quite a crowd for the sale, and I recall being out within that crowd when I heard a couple men exclaiming "He just died on Saturday and they are already having his sale!"  I explained to them that the sale hd been scheduled, but Dad's heart attack had not been plannee.  Our son, Cameron was just 12 years old and daughter Michelle was 10 years old at the time.  I think it was Reverand Koelling (sp) came out to the house and visited with Mom & us, and held the funeral.

Dad was 73 years old.

Lynn