Meet the real Mary Lou . . .
Nurse – Wife – Mother – Educator – Artist
Mary Louise
Mary Louise was the fourth child born into a Mennonite family and baptized in a stream behind Oak Grove Church. She met her love on first base and never let go. While waiting for Bill to return from war, she earned her degree and license to spend a lifetime of nursing those in need. Mary Lou modeled what strong women can achieve by leading, while at the same time, demonstrating a deep commitment to family and community. She was a lifelong learner who responded to the creation of vocational schools by going back to college in order to design and teach the first medical office assistance program in the state. To give herself a break from daily house chores, she took oil painting lessons in the evening.
Donate to the Mennonite Relief that assists people around the world
Meet the real Bill. . .
Soldier – Husband – Father – Postmaster
Bill was an only child adopted by a young couple who could not have their own. He spent his entire life living on South Summit, first in his grandparents’ home, then one built by his parents, and upon marriage, into a new one constructed by his lumber company. When the family grew, he moved them into a home beside his parents. And in retirement, he and his bride moved back into his childhood home. He loved baseball and played on his school’s county championship team. Upon graduation he worked for the family lumber business until becoming a member of the 5th Army in North Africa and Italy. Serving as a company clerk, Sergeant Bill spent a thousand days coordinating medical supply depots in Naples, Piombino, and Leghorn. His commitment to community was an important pillar of his life, including church, service organizations, school board, athletic boosters, the Smithville Historical Society and for 23 years, the town’s postmaster. His advice to his children was always . . . “Do what is right.”
Meet the real Drysten/Trysten/Harp
Irish Lad – Immigrant – Paratrooper – Hero
Although a fictional character, Drysten is a composite of the thousands of youth who were born into legacies of famine, struggles for freedom, and dreams through immigration. Trysten shows us that in spite of the cruelties of life, the horrors of war, and the symptoms of post trauma, redemption is ever present, always possible. The heroism demonstrated by Trysten was not only the battlefields of Europe, but in the losses he faced in love, the daemons he fought with a bottle, and the joy he found in serving his community. His death was not a failure, but rather a triumph.
Donate to the Gary Sinise Foundation that assists our veterans with post war issues and care:
