Tower Living ladies share holiday memories

By Caroline Rosacker

Bobbi Mohning, age 83, Betty Kregel, age 98, and Nancy Gull, age 96, recently gathered in the cozy dining/living area at Tower Living Center in Garnavillo, their home away from home, and shared their delightful memories of Christmas past.  

How we met

The conversation began with how they met their respective husbands. Bobbi Mohning, who grew up in Monona, met her husband locally. "I married my husband, Keith, on Jan. 25, 1959," said Bobbi. "There was a big snowstorm that day. My brother had to plow out the church yard with a big tractor." 

Betty Kregel was born and raised in Chicago. "It was my husband's cousin who came to Chicago to the Gospel Hall Church," Betty explained. "The two of us became good friends, and she asked if I could come visit her in Garnavillo sometime.  I came to visit, and that is when I met my husband, Don, and our relationship started. We were married on Nov. 15, 1947. We started farming three years later."  

Nancy Gull grew up in Wilson, Conn., a suburb of Hartford. "I was in Garnavillo for a Bible conference with three other girls," recalled Nancy, "We stayed with the Elmer Brandt family. The Dale Hyde family had younger members, and we were invited there to socialize. That is when I met my husband-to-be. The only thing I knew was his name and that he was a good singer. He ended up being in the service with a friend of mine from Hartford. We were married on Jan. 27, 1956." 

Christmas traditions of the past

Each woman experienced different holiday traditions. "We always went to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning," Bobbi shared. "My mother, at the last minute on Christmas Eve, before we left for church, would say, 'This house is a mess! Santa will never come! You kids get out of here — I have to clean up!' When we came home Santa had come and all the gifts were there.   Our Christmas tree was kept in the parlor where it was cold. When I got a new doll for Christmas I would take all my dolls to bed with me. I would hang on the other side of my single bed to sleep. Books were also a favorite present. I loved the Bobbsey Twins. I would get one for my birthday and one for Christmas. My mother encouraged me to read it slowly, but I couldn't. I would read through them real fast, so I could see how the mystery ended."

Betty, who lived through the Depression, recollected a simple celebration. "I remember the only present I received was a doll," she shared. "We lived through the Depression and things were tough. I remember my dad reading the Chatterbox books out loud to our family in the evening. We didn’t celebrate much. My father didn't believe in Santa Claus. He worked for the WPA (Works Progress Administration) under Roosevelt. He was an interior decorator by trade, but no one was doing that at the time. He would get a small tree for .25 or .50 cents, and my sister and I would make paper chains and that would be it. We would get our gifts on Christmas day."

All three ladies recalled fixing stings of lights. "If one bulb went out you had to go through the whole string and figure out which light was bad!" they laughed. "We also kept each piece of tinsel and wrapped it on cardboard. We cherished and cared for everything carefully." 

"We saved everything – bread wrappers, waxed paper, tinfoil – if my mom used a new piece of tinfoil I would ask if we were getting company," added Bobbi. 

Nancy Gull's father worked for the railroad. "My parents were young and didn’t have much. I had one brother. My dad would always make something special like a tool box for my brother, and give him a different tool for his birthday and other celebrations," she commented. "I had an uncle who was studying to become a doctor. He and his wife lived in my grandmother's boarding house. She bought me a doll and my mom made a wardrobe for it. I also loved books by Louisa May Alcott. Santa was our milkman. He would arrive on Christmas day with a burlap sack filled with toys and milk. It was a long time before I realized he was fictitious. When kids would question I was sure he was real because I saw him. We didn't get much compared to nowadays. Although, my sister, who came eleven years later, with four bread winners in the house, didn’t go without much."

Christmas dinner

Bobbi remembered the wonderful confectioneries that were served during the holidays. "We would get to sample all the fudge and divinity and other candy and cookies my mom made," she smiled. "It was just our family on Christmas day. We would usually have a roast chicken because we raised them."

There was no special dinner at Betty's house on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. "My father immigrated from Liverpool, England, and my mother from Northern Ireland. I had old country parents. We had fine roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. My mother could mix up a batch of scones and tea and serve it up in a hurry," she proudly shared. "There were five children in the household. I was the oldest. We are all still living, and in our nineties, except for my youngest brother, who will be 90 in March."

Nancy's family shared their Christmas dinner table with those less fortunate. "We went beyond our family at Christmas. It made us more respectful of the elderly when we had others to consider. My dad loved goose and duck but we usually had turkey and five vegetables, because my dad loved them. I had to eat a little of each of my vegetables if I wanted pie."

Outdoor winter activities

The ladies enjoyed a variety of winter activities during their childhoods. "We always went sleigh riding and had snowball fights with the neighbor kids," Bobbi shared. "On Valentine's Day I skated on a patch of ice. I knew I was going to fall and I did. I broke my wrist and was so disappointed and fearful I was going to miss the Valentine's Day party at school. My mother took me to the doctor and he set my broken wrist in plenty of time to make the party at school!" 

Betty recalled big snowstorms in Chicago. "We would sleigh ride and ice skate on an area that was flooded in a nearby park. In the summer we roller-skated," she added. "One time I dislocated my shoulder. It happened when someone was twirling me around by my arms. My father popped it back into place." All three ladies remember rarely, ever going to the doctor. 

Nancy's family embraced the cold Connecticut winters. "I enjoyed ice skating as a child. My family enjoyed downhill skiing and we went sledding too," she commented. "The ski area where my family skied was the location of the Hartford circus fire. There is an unknown victim buried there. It was one of the worst fire disasters in history. It occurred during an afternoon performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. A young girl, among others, lost their lives there. My father and uncles helped during the fire to save lives."

Personal family traditions

The ladies conversed about holiday traditions that they incorporated into their own households. 

Bobbi spoke first, and commented, "The traditions I grew up with followed me into my own household. Attending church was very important and we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was a flurry of activity as we rushed around finishing up farm chores and getting ready for church."  

Betty's Christmas tradition was centered on the birth of Christ. "I would cook a big dinner. Originally it was just our immediate family, but as our extended family got bigger the celebration started to grow."

A chapter from the Bible about the birth of Christ was always read aloud in Nancy's household. "My husband's parents were divorced when he was five. They only got together at Easter," she explained. "I decided something needed to change. I wanted all of the family to be together. We had his mother's side on Christmas day and his father's side on another day close to Christmas. Prior to that my husband never had much closeness to his paternal side. They were very appreciative of being included." 

"Last year, due to Covid-19, we were locked in during Christmas. We all got a lovely quilt, but the celebration was restricted," they commented. 

The ladies collectively agreed. "If you can no longer live at home – the Tower Living Center is a wonderful place to be. The food is delicious, the facility is very clean, and the people that work here are so friendly and kind. It feels like home," they all said with big smiles.