Additional Images of the Groner Family through the Years

Here are a couple of images from old photos, of the Groner family, to include Grandpa Paul, Grandma Clair, and the kids and their spouses.  

This first one is of Grandpa Paul and Grandma Clair and grandkids.

This next one is of the Groner siblings and their spouses

And this one is of Grandpa and Grandma with the grandkids.

Memories and Thoughts of JP Schwieterman

 Below are some memories and thoughts of JP Schwieterman (Sidney's son), along with some photos and context for the images.

I think these are some to the earliest photos of Uncle Paul, Uncle Hubert, mom (Sidney Reed) and me (JP Schwieterman) on the farm.  I think I was 3 years old….  Pictures help record the good times.  

Uncle Hubert had brought out the baby chicks and I was quite curious about these lil guys.  Hearing Uncle Huberts laugh was golden and made everyone’s day…. Especially mine.   

Uncle Paul always had me working on this or that and I loved it.  I’d follow him where ever he went…   He was my best friend. 

Here we are with his favorite pastime working with his horses.

  

One of my favorite times in life was the summer after High School graduation where I spent a few months with Uncle Paul and Uncle Hubert.  

Making Uncle Paul and Uncle Hubert laugh was a must.  Teasing Uncle Paul and and hearing Uncle Hubert wheeze-laugh was one of my favorite things to do…. Or if Uncle Paul was being “grummly” (Uncle Paul word) I’d tease him; Uncle Hubert would start wheeze-laughing and soon after Uncle Paul would lighten the mood with his laughter and his good natured deemer would return...  It all worked perfectly.  Yes, Those were definitely my favorite times. 

   

This was taken that High School summer of 1992 at Uncle Henry’s farm, if I remember correctly.  It was definitely a special occasion when Henry fired up the ol’ steam engines.  From left to right: Paul Groner, Hubert Groner, JP Schwieterman, Henry Groner

If Uncle Paul wasn’t with the horses, he was with the tractors…. …or…

 

… or with family.  

Uncle Hubert, Clare “Babe” Everdon, Uncle Paul 

Paul Fennewald and Uncle Paul

Benedict and Anna Groner would’ve been proud of their family.  I hope we measure up to them in some way….

I know we’ll see them again some day… 

…and it’ll be a good day. 

Images from Uncle Paul's Funeral

 Some images that captures the day of Uncle Paul's funeral.  Credit to John Wilding for the photos......

Eulogy to Uncle Paul by Elaine Fennewald

 Presented by Elaine at Uncle Paul's funeral:

Elaine Fennewald 11/09/22

TRIBUTE TO PAUL GRONER

Good Morning. I think Uncle Paul ordered this beautiful day, sunshine and blue skies. I

imagined him this morning sitting on his front porch, his faithful dog at his side. But Uncle Paul

is in heaven – his back straight, his legs strong and his hearing perfect and so I best get this

right.

Uncle Paul peacefully made his way to heaven at 2 AM Saturday morning. Heaven sang.

Trumpets sounded. Angels rejoiced. It must have been like Easter morning. What excitement

and happiness for the Groner family as they planned his celebration. Clare Sidney says Uncle

Hubert told him it was time to come home and I know Uncle Hubert was the first one to

welcome him. Can you imagine seeing his sweet sister, Caroline, after 74 years? What a

beautiful reunion. He was only 23 when she died. I was awakened at 1:30 AM on Saturday

morning and started to pray that Uncle Paul would have a peaceful journey to heaven. Clare

Sidney also said she was awakened at 2 AM. The spirit of those we love is stronger and more

powerful than reason can comprehend.

Clare Sidney, JP, Vanessa, Jess and Gavin: Uncle Paul treasured each of you and dearly loved

you. He was always so excited to have you visit any time but especially during the holidays. He

kept your visits a secret and often you were here and gone back to Texas before we knew you

had visited. I really think he didn’t want to share your time here with anyone else and I don’t

blame him.

I don’t think Uncle Paul could have had a better friend and neighbor than Jim Coglin. No matter

what he asked of you, you answered the call and helped him. You are “salt of the earth”.

Thank you so much for always being there.

To my cousin, Bob, you raised a great bunch of boys, young men now. They must make you so

proud. Perhaps with your passing it allowed room for Uncle Paul to be part of their lives and

they to be part of his. Mark, he loved to help you find old horse-drawn equipment. He was

always looking for old farm machinery, fixing it up, painting and selling it. Luke, from the time

that Uncle Hubert died and you came to live with Uncle Paul, you literally never left him and

were always there for him. What a testimony that is! You helped load cattle, took them to

auction, fixed fences, cut wood and two days before his own death, you buried his beloved

draft horse, Barney. You were his “ace in the hole” and he was yours.

Tony, you must have spent a thousand hours over the years repairing tractors, balers, trucks,

cars, and burned out clutches. You were his mechanic 24/7. Thank you for your selfless

service. You made numerous trips in the cold weather feeding his cattle; you cut and baled hay

and the last two summers, transported all your machinery over to his place to put up hay. That

is LOVE.

David, you also were always there for Uncle Paul, mowing grass, loading cattle and driving them

to auction. He called and you came, doing whatever needed to be done. Luke, Tony and

David, you were his safety net.

Frank, you did a lot of plumbing jobs for Uncle Paul and in the dead of winter, you and Tony dug

through frozen ground to repair numerous leaks in the water pipes.

My sister, Donna, often took Uncle Paul his favorite meal of sauerkraut, ribs, mashed potatoes

and of course homemade dessert, usually apple pie. Donna remembers carrying lunch to the

fields for Uncle Paul and Uncle Hubert. Grandma made lard sandwiches sprinkled with sugar,

Grandma’s cookies and a glass jar of hot coffee.

Uncle Paul loved fried chicken and you could always find a box of it in his refrigerator along with

desserts.

Mary, I think you brought him food every week. He loved yours and Ed’s company as much as

the food.

Uncle Paul loved his birthday and early in the summer, he’d start talking about his birthday. He

loved for all of us to come together, not only to celebrate him but to celebrate life, all the

goodness and the blessings. He loved to read his cards and the next week we’d sit at his

kitchen table writing down how many people were at his party.

Sid asked me to tell the story of my brothers, Tony and Frank going to school in Hermann and

catching the bus at the end of our road. One morning they missed the bus, probably hiding out

in the woods. When they got back home, Mom called her Mom, our Grandma Groner, and

asked if the boys, Hubert and Paul, were around. She said they were across the road but would

be back shortly. Mom explained the situation and she said she’d send them over. Well I

imagine it was a pretty quiet trip into Hermann for when Uncle Paul dropped them off he said

“Now boys, don’t let this happen ever again and if it does, you are going to Sister Evodine.” She

must have been a GESTAPO because it never happened again.

And then there is the time that Frank and Tony locked Luci, our precious little sister, in the corn

crib. Well she commenced to screaming and Uncle Paul heard her from the top of the hill

where he was working. You see, our farms adjoined each other. He came and rescued her and

to this day we don’t know the rest of the story.

I remember Mom taking afternoon lunch to Uncle Paul and Uncle Hubert in the field above our

house when they would bale hay. We kids would all tag along so excited. Mom would fix them

sandwiches, cookies and always a glass jar of hot coffee. Uncle Paul drank hot coffee in the

summer time all his life.

For me, Uncle Paul was larger than life. I loved being in his presence, going to his house to

clean, fix dinner and do laundry. I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world. When I got

there he always asked if I had time for a cup of coffee. I loved his stories. He told how his

cousin, Mack Groner, came to live with Grandma and Grandpa and work when he was just 13

years old. Mack’s dad died when he was 8. Apparently Uncle Henry and Mack had a reputation

of raising hell and being rowdy. They got into a fight one Saturday night at a dance hall and

they both got thrown out.

Uncle Paul loved horses. He often hitched his horses to a wagon and took them to church

festivals. One day he came in the house to call the Vet as one of his horse’s hooves was tangled

with barb wire. I told him I could help and I was the horse whisperer, holding the horse while

he clipped the barb wire from the horse’s hoof. He had a special powder he put on his hoof to

clot the blood and then he gave him a shot of antibiotics. I was in awe of what he had done.

He was wise and resourceful.

One afternoon we drove to Bowling Green to see the Amish about shoe-ing his horses. I

thought we were in a corn maze as he had me making so many turns right and left down the

dirt roads. But he took us to the right place, no GPS needed. No one ever told Uncle Paul that

in his 90’s he could no longer crawl through barb wire fences. He was like a jack rabbit

skittering through the fences, his arm and bib tops taking the wear and tear.

With Uncle Paul’s death comes the end of our Groner generation as we know it. But we will

stand on the shoulders of our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles, the Groners.

We share their DNA, their blood runs in our veins and we have within us their values.

I know he had aches and pains but he never complained and he never gave up. He could have

given up when his best friend, his brother Hubert died, but he didn’t. God sent him an angel

named Luke to take care of him for the rest of his life. He could have given up when he fell

from a tree he was trimming, crippling his back, damaging his leg and throwing off his balance,

but he didn’t. He got up every day, put on his black rubber boots, fed and watered his chickens,

fired the furnace, counted his cattle, climbed on his tractor and worked the fields.

Today we celebrate Uncle Paul, all he was and all he gave us. His home was humble, his life

simple and the greatest gifts he left us were his tenacity, his faith in God, his work ethic, his love

of life and the land. His spirit lives on and you will hear it in the gentle whisper of the wind, feel

it in the warmth of sunshine on your cheek, the butterfly that light on your arm a little longer

and the deer that hesitates out in the field.

 Nancy Manning Facebook Post November 5th    (used with permission)

 Rest In Peace Uncle Paul! You were loved by all, a role model to many, and a legacy like no other. One of my best childhood memories is my sister and I ice sledding down the hill from the mailbox to the farmhouse. My parents always took us along for a “visit” to Uncle Paul and Hubert’s house. Loved the snacks that were given prior to us leaving. Summer sausage and cheese, butter & jelly bread, and a bowl of fruit. It was like a meal provided before we could leave and head home. Germans don’t miss a meal! Just sitting around the table with Uncle Paul telling stories always made me smile. 

I always thought it was cool that he was my Godfather, as he was to several others. Because of him being my godfather my parents always invited Uncle Paul and Hubert over for my birthday. That always meant a lot to me. Uncle Paul loved farming, loved the cows and maintained a solid work ethic his entire life. He was a devote Catholic that never missed first Friday mass, Sunday mass, or praying the rosary daily.

 I am so thankful for all the times spent with him growing up and extra thankful my youngest, Jackson took an interest in learning everything there is to know about Uncle Paul and his legacy of life. We have all been blessed by this wonderful man.

Me, Uncle Paul and Jackson. This was his 96th birthday party  It was a great day!

The Groner Family and spouses. Not sure the year. However this pic includes the 9 siblings and 7 spouses.  

Uncle Paul and Uncle Hubert never married or had children.

I believe this is from Uncle Paul’s 90th Birthday. He celebrated his 97th birthday on October 23, 2022.

The Groner Farmhouse and Paul’s dog  

 

Obituary

Obituary  - Paul Groner

Paul B. Groner, 97, of Hermann, MO, passed away Saturday, November 5, 2022 at StoneBridge Hermann.  Paul was born in St. Elizabeth, Missouri on October 23, 1925, the son of the late Paul John & Clara Mary (Evers) Groner.  Paul was a member of St. Paul's Church, Berger, where he was a longtime member of the choir.  He was also a member of the Holy Name Society and a past member and president of the Third Order of St. Francis.  Paul was a farmer most of his life and received an outstanding farmers award.  He also loved working on old machinery and restoring it. 

He is survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces & nephews and friends.  He is preceded in death by his parents, and siblings, Theresa Speckhals, Martha Fennewald, Dorothy Wilding, Ida Fennewald, Henry Groner, Caroline Biggerstaff, George Groner, Hubert Groner and Clare Everdon.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, November 8th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann.

A funeral mass will be held Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul's Church, Berger, Missouri, with Father John Deken officiating. 

Burial will be at St. Paul's Cemetery. Memorials may be given to St. George School.

Passing of an Icon

 The Passing of an Icon

November 5, 2022

"Only the rocks live forever".  As relatives in life go....well, for that matter, also as far as fellow travelers on life's road with whom we share a few passing seconds........ or a lifetime....  Uncle Paul was as "rock".  He always had that "Uncle Paul smile" on his face, and always a positive attitude.  How many times have I sat at the kitchen table in the old farmhouse down at the Groner farmplace, sharing a cup of coffee and possibly something sweet (from his smorgasbord of sweets on the table, which Uncle Paul always loved and always filled the kitchen table top), where his smile and happy attitude slowed life down,which allowed me to truly enjoy the moment for just a bit. 

Digging just a bit deeper into my cluttered box of memories in my mind, my mind's eye can see Uncle Hubert, Grandma Clare, and even Grandpa Paul, with those same smiles and happy attitude. I can see Grandpa drinking coffee (always instant coffee in the Groner house) from a saucer, which he used when the cup was fresh and too hot to drink direct from the cup.  And grandma's cookies....sugar cookies as I recall...perhaps that is were Uncle Paul got his love of sweets... Grandma always had a plate of them on the table at lunchtime.  Lunchtime was not what we now eat at noon...it was a small meal between breakfast and noon dinner, and again between dinner and evening supper.  Back then we called dinner "dinner" and supper "supper".  None of this woke communist stuff of calling dinner "lunch" and supper "dinner".  But I digress........

Sitting here reflecting on the life of Uncle Paul a day after his passing, there are a million and one good memories where  I can recall him with his iconic smile and happy attitude.  People naturally are attracted to generally happy people, and Uncle Paul attracted more than his share.  If you met him once, he was your friend for life.  If each of us, who was infected with his smile and attitude, could infect just 10 others, when we leave this world as he just did, we, like him, would be leaving it a much, much better place.  

One of my favorite lines from a classic movie "Good Old Boys" has the woman friend of Tommy Lee Jones saying "If wealth were measured in friends, you would be the wealthiest person in the whole world", to which Tommy replies "It is, and I am".  Uncle Paul lived...... and died, a rich, rich man.

I am creating this blog page to have a place to share images of happy times, not just centered around the Groner family, but extended just a bit beyond that to include the Berger community and beyond, that somehow touched the Groner family.  Relatives and friends alike.  I guess as we get old, we gravitate back to memories of our youth.  Feel free to share your own memories  here,  if for no other reason, to preserve them for yourself.  If you have photos to share, that is even better.  Info or photos, etc, for sharing can be sent to me via the link on the right  sidebar, and you can also comment on any blog post.

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Here are a few more photos (Thanks to Elise Meyer)