- The document describes the life and legacy of the author's grandfather, Henry Fedeler. It discusses how Henry instilled important values in his large family like faith, strong family bonds, and a strong work ethic. - Henry grew up without religion but found Catholicism later in life, which became a core part of his identity and relationship with his wife. His deep faith was passed down through his family. - Henry had a large, close-knit family and always made time for his many grandchildren despite working hard as a farmer and later a seed salesman to support his growing family. - Hard work was one of Henry's core values that he demonstrated his whole life and instilled in his children

1. Danielle Fedeler
Professor Jacqueline Gruenwald
Cornerstone
9/16/2015
Grandpa
In this day and age becoming old is not a concept we like to think about. Your hair
turning grey, your back starting to hunch, and slowly losing the power to take care of yourself, is
not what most people look forward to. If I have lived half the life as my grandpa had, I will
welcome old age. My grandpa, Henry Fedeler, died at the age of eighty­four, but in my mind he
really did not die at all. I see him all the time through my dad, brothers, uncles, and even the
women in the family. He had many beliefs and values that he passed down to his children and
grandchildren. He believed in hard work, faith, having a strong family together, but he also
valued his sense of adventure, free spirit and many more things. A majority of his free time was
spent in a 1946 Taylorcraft plane. The thrill of the air in that plane can now be seen in some of
his children and grandchildren who still fly the plane today. Despite all the many values and
beliefs that were passed down, the ones that are most visible throughout his family are their faith
in God, having a strong, connected family, and hard work.
In general, faith is apart of everyone’s life in one way or another. For Henry, he grew up
with no religion and nothing to start his faith on, until he met Mary Mctaggart. They met at a
school dance when Mary was a senior in high school. As they continued to date through the
years, Henry joined the United States Air Force and was sent to San Antonio, Texas. There he
met a Catholic priest and realized he needed God in his life to help with his struggles. Deciding

2. to take up Catholicism was simple, but becoming Catholic required time and effort. After many
classes and long sessions with the priest, Henry finally accomplished it. When he returned
home, he surprised Mary with his new faith. On June 21st, 1952, Henry married the love of his
life in a Catholic Church. Henry and Mary’s faith stayed strong through the rest of their lives.
Everyone of their children has a faith and relationship with God, because both of my
grandparents made sure to emphasis on how important it is. My siblings and I would always see
them at the Sacred Heart Church every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. mass. Even though my dad
dragged us out of bed early in the morning and sat us front and center in the very first pew in
Church, the complainings stopped once we hit communion time. As our grandparents passed us,
all six of us kids stretched our hands out and received a high five from both of them.
Occasionally we received multiple high fives when we had aunts and uncles visiting, because
they would be sitting with my grandparents in the same spot they have always sat. Their faith in
God shone bright through the love of their family.
Certainly, the love between Henry and Mary lasted longer than sixty­two years of
marriage that was blessed by their children, and their children’s children. A strong, healthy
family that loved each other very much was the kind of family my grandpa had. He was blessed
with nine healthy children that then blessed him with thirty­two grandchildren, and twenty­eight
and counting great grandchildren. Being one of thirty­two grandchildren, I did not always have
quality time with my grandpa. But during the holidays, I would see my grandpa’s eyes
wandering around our family and could tell by his eyes, he loved each and everyone of us
unconditionally. He saw each individual families and how they loved each other and also
witnessed the families as one. The amount of love that was in a single room was more than a

3. blessing for him. Holidays were not the only time I saw him. I saw him much more than most
of my cousins did, because I only lived 5 miles away from him. My favorite days were the days
my dad brought us kids along to work on grandpa’s farm. I would like to say I was working with
my grandpa on those days, but that would be a lie. My sister and I were inside helping grandma
cook or outside playing with the kittens. Every time my grandpa stopped by the house for
something, he would sit down at the table with my sister and I and eat Fig Newtons with us. The
way he smiled at these little interactions with us made us realize he loved us more than we would
ever know. He worked his entire life to provide us with happiness and always told us that hard
work may not return what you wanted, but will give you what you most need in life.
Unquestionably, Henry bestowed hard work as a valued belief in his family. From day
one, he had to work for all that he had. When Henry was released from his Air Force duties in
1953, he took Mary back to Iowa and started farming on his uncle’s land. Within six years of
working for his uncle and saving any money he could, they bought their first farm north of
Arlington, Iowa. Even though they had bought the land, they were not able to move in until two
years later when the house was finally finished. In the beginning, they had a dairy operation, but
as the years went on, more and more acres were added to the farm, allowing Henry to rely
heavier on the crops. Eventually he strayed away from the dairy operation and headed into beef
cattle instead. Farm work was a constant battle between his head of cattle and mother nature.
He always had to be on his toes, deciding what will happen next. As the farm grew, so did his
family. Henry could not solely rely on farming as an income any more, so became a seed sales
representative from 1980’s to the 1990’s. Working two jobs, supporting his family, and
spending time with them was a juggling act, but somehow he made it work. The stories my

4. father tells of his childhood are not the happiest stories I have heard. My dad has told me he
spent most of his time working on the farm with his siblings and not being able to enjoy the
freedom other kids had. When he tells me these stories, I am left with nothing to say to him.
Even though it was a hard life for him as a child, he would not have it any other way. He was
taught at a young age to work for what you want and not just expect it. My grandpa showed his
family that working for and achieving the things they want most in life will give them a greater
respect for the things they have, rather than having it handed to them.
Being old in this day and age may not be the worst thing in life, if you can look back on
your life and smile. Henry’s life was blessed beyond imagination, and enriched with such
happiness. He had many values he believed in and passed down to his family that were then
passed down to their families. His love for adventure and free spiritedness can be seen
throughout all of his children. Even though he died at age eighty­four, his life still lives on
through his family and beliefs he passed down to them. Faith in God can help you with the
troubles in your life, a strong family shows you all the love you need, and hard work proves that
with it you attain things in life you do not necessarily see coming.