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Lawrence Albert Gehling

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Birth	:	9 May 1916 Carroll County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	19 Aug 1982 Humboldt, Humboldt County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery, Gilmore City, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.7332993, -94.4672012
Description	:	Lawrence was born on the family farm near Carroll, Iowa. He was the firstborn son of Henry and Regina Gehling. While still a baby, Lawrence was infected with a strain of the post-war influenza then sweeping the country. For a time his life was despaired of. Unlike several of the neighbor children, however, Lawrence survived the epidemic and was soon taking an active interest in the family farm. It is said that as a five-year-old he once substituted for his father, showing some construction workers the exact site and dimensions of the barn they had been hired to build. Read More	Lawrence was born on the family farm near Carroll, Iowa. He was the firstborn son of Henry and Regina Gehling. While still a baby, Lawrence was infected with a strain of the post-war influenza then sweeping the country. For a time his life was despaired of. Unlike several of the neighbor children, however, Lawrence survived the epidemic and was soon taking an active interest in the family farm. It is said that as a five-year-old he once substituted for his father, showing some construction workers the exact site and dimensions of the barn they had been hired to build. For a time, Lawrence attended a small country school, always making the two-mile trip on horseback. Later, he and his brother, Erwin, attended an academy in town, which was run by Catholic nuns. His studies came to an end after eighth grade. For the next six years he worked alongside his father and brothers on the farm. At age 19, he and two friends, Lawrence Siepker and Eddie Klocke, decided it was time to see the country. The year was 1936, a Depression year, and money was hard to come by. But the trio confidently packed their belongings into an old car and headed west. They reached Kansas just as the wheat harvest was beginning. From there they traveled on to Arizona, rode mules down into the Grand Canyon, then went to the California orchards for a winter of orange picking. Lawrence was back in Iowa in time for spring planting. But his stay on the family farm was short-lived. He soon met a 17-year-old girl from Halbur, Iowa, named Genevieve Reinart. The two were married on Oct. 28, 1937, and after the wedding ceremony went for a short honeymoon to Atlantic, Iowa. On their way home they were run into the ditch by a roadgrader. For the first ten years of their married life, the newlyweds moved from farm to farm across western Iowa. Sometimes Lawrence worked for wages, sometimes he rented the farm outright. His first job on the George Wernimont farm near Auburn, Iowa, paid only $30 a month, but did include three dozen eggs a week, one-half hog a year, the milk from one cow and part of the fruit from a large orchard. The hours were long, usually 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The work was hard - farming with mules, slopping hogs, caring for over 400 head of cattle in the feedlot. After acquiring some livestock and equipment, Lawrence began renting farms on his own, beginning with the Billy Bedford farm northeast of Willey, Iowa, and ending with the Leo Wendl farms near Gilmore City, Iowa. In the fall of 1947, Lawrence and Genevieve quit farming altogether. They sold off all their machinery and bought a house in Gilmore City. Lawrence began hauling limestone. By then his growing family numbered six children (Lois, Richard, Connie, Bonnie, Tom and Charlie). Before the last of his children left home, Lawrence had become a jack-of-all-trades, working at various times as a truck driver, an electrician, a mechanic, a welder, a lathe operator, and a city marshal. In his later years he also ran the gas, water, and sewage departments for the town of Gilmore City. Lawrence was a restless man in many respects. Always a hard worker, he found it difficult to sit back and relax. At home, after a long day at his job, he would invariably go out into his tool shed and work far into the night. His hands were a testament to his lifestyle - large, strong hands, calloused and rough, covered with the nicks and bruises of a lifetime of labor. Much of Lawrence's relaxation came from the animals with which he surrounded himself. He had originally farmed with horses and mules, and always had a family dog around the house. In later life he acquired a couple of saddle horses and a goat. The horses he rode, the goat he hitched to a cart of his own manufacture. The goat cart worked so well, he considered building a small stagecoach to be pulled by six Shetland ponies. The ponies were easy to come by, but the stagecoach never left the drawing board. For a time he gave home to a mischievous pet raccoon, then to a de-scented though still smelly skunk. His last menagerie consisted of seven Siberian Huskies. These he hitched to a dog sled and mushed over the wintry Iowa countryside. In the winter of 1981-82 Lawrence was diagnosed with lung cancer. For six months he fought the cancer with every means available, regularly making the long trip to Iowa City for chemotherapy. But try as he might, this strong man, who had rarely been sick a day in his life, gradually succumbed to the ravages of the disease. Lawrence died surrounded by family on Aug. 19, 1982. He was 66 years old. [Biography contributed by Richard Gehling.]

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Lawrence Albert Gehling's memorial?
Lawrence Albert Gehling's memorial is located at: Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery, Gilmore City, Pocahontas County, USA.
When did Lawrence Albert Gehling death?
Lawrence Albert Gehling death on 19 Aug 1982 in Humboldt, Humboldt County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Lawrence Albert Gehling's memorial?
Latitude: 42.7332993
Longitude: -94.4672012

Family Members:

Parent

Henry Gehling

(1890 - 1958)

Regina T. Reiling Gehling

(1893 - 1975)

Siblings

Erwin H. Gehling

(1918 - 1981)

Children

Donald Leo Gehling

(1941 - 1941)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery
Gilmore City, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7332993, -94.4672012

2. Marble Valley Cemetery
Gilmore City, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7458850, -94.4430150

3. Mount Hope Cemetery
Unique, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7169250, -94.3740570

4. Clinton-Garfield Cemetery
Rolfe, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8055300, -94.5202500

5. Saint Margarets Cemetery
Rolfe, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8164978, -94.5307465

6. Old Rolfe Cemetery
Rolfe, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8403511, -94.4764175

7. Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery
Palmer, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6268997, -94.5205994

8. McKnight Cemetery
Bode, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8635100, -94.4055600

9. Saint Patricks Cemetery
Clare, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5943985, -94.4419022

10. Summit Hill Cemetery
Pocahontas, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7315000, -94.6595000

11. Calvary Cemetery
Pocahontas, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7335000, -94.6597000

12. Our Saviors Cemetery
Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6596985, -94.2956009

13. Lizard Cemetery
Palmer, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5875015, -94.4796982

14. Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery
Palmer, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6176000, -94.5893500

15. Omer-Thorsen Farm Cemetery
Ottosen, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8735742, -94.4085743

16. Palmer Cemetery
Palmer, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6166992, -94.5894012

17. Powhatan Cemetery
Plover, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8557396, -94.5801773

18. Saint Josephs Cemetery
Palmer, Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6342010, -94.6188965

19. Rutland Township Cemetery
Rutland, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7574997, -94.2652969

20. Union Cemetery
Ottosen, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8879128, -94.3792496

21. Union Cemetery
Humboldt, Humboldt County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7407990, -94.2375031

22. Jackson Center Cemetery
Clare, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5783005, -94.3741989

23. Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery
Pocahontas County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5610000, -94.5392000

24. Saint James Cemetery
Clare, Webster County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5691986, -94.3644028