Retirement – Part 1 (1965 - 1966)
In all we had four very happy and fruitful years at Eastview. Bro. Bolender was almost 69 years old and his hearing was so impaired that he felt that it was wise to retire. He had been praying and felt that he had the leading of the Lord, so before the annual business meeting he notified both the local church board and the District Superintendent. We were coming to a real milestone in our lives. Always before there was anticipation, “Where Lord?”, a new congregation, “New adjustments.” I never remember worrying about the size or quality of a parsonage or the salary paid, and only once was I frustrated about a parsonage, and that was because of precious Mother Bolender’s comfort. But the Heavenly Father who had directed down through the years, since June 1918, had gone ahead step by step.
After leaving Owensboro in 1954 difficulties came up about the renting and upkeep of the house my husband purchased there after his father passed away. In almost a miracle the Lord worked a sale of the house. Nothing was urgent about reinvestment, so for a while no effort was made. I had two brothers who had moved back to the county where we had grown up.[1] They became interested in looking for properties for sale. We came up from Tennessee to visit and see. We looked at a property for sale a mile west of the county seat. There was not one thing about the place or the house or premises that I liked, but both my brothers and Mr. Bolender thought it a bargain, so we bought it. It was an old house, originally three rooms, but two bedrooms were being built and almost finished. A bathroom was added.[2] Our good friend and brother in Christ, Paul Bailey of Elizabethtown, came and did the plumbing job. Soon our daughter, her husband, and four growing sons moved from Ashland, Kentucky and the house was filled with activity and fun. We were happy to have them nearer us and knew that the place would be properly cared for, and also that our grandsons had 10 acres on which to explore and play. Our son-in-law soon obtained employment teaching in the elementary school in town. All four boys graduated from high school there and all played instruments in the high school band. They started attending the Pilgrim Holiness Church in town where my brother pastored. As years passed, we were convinced that the purchase of that unimproved tract of land was ordered by the Lord.
Before our farewell service at Eastview and time for us to move, our friends, the Baileys, called to tell us that their neighbor had a small farm for sale. We went to look at it. The people wanted to move into town. They made such a reasonable price that we agreed to buy. The deed called for 12 acres, more or less. We really liked the place, an old house, four rooms, with a long screened-in back porch. Again, no water in the house. This had to be carried by bucket up a hill from a spring, but there was a large barrel at the corner of the house to catch rain water for washing. This took me back to childhood days. We were glad a large capacity cistern had been made at the Eastview Church and pipes laid to the parsonage so the incoming pastor would have water in the house and a bath. They had called the former pastor back and he accepted.
Our new place had a barn with plenty of pasture, two garden spots, and a hay field. Also two strips of woods and a creek. We were happy out in God’s country instead of a stuffy city. Bro. Bolender had kept and moved two cows. I had started working nights at a new rest home. It was small, only 19 patient capacity. I was the only one on duty for third shift, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I never had time to rest. Over half of the patients were able to care for themselves at night but others had to be checked every so often. Others had to be changed like infants or carefully assisted to bathrooms. I also carried my share of janitor work, cleaning the lobby every night. I did the ironing for all of the inmates. The washing was done by day shift workers at a local Laundromat. I liked the work. The pay was very meager, but I was happy to have it. I liked the hours because I was always able to attend church services. Bro. Bolender was equally busy. He built a long living room and bath and front porch. It looked like another place. When our friend, Mr. Bailey, helped him again, we got water in the house.
We now had it more comfortable for our children and grandchildren to visit us. How they loved to visit at Grandpa’s “farm.” They scouted the small woods and waded the creek.
We never had all our children and grandchildren at our home together, so now we began to plan. They consented to be with us for Christmas dinner. Our family now numbered 16. We extended the table and all comfortably seated, enjoyed the best meal I knew how to prepare. We were a happy family and I still believe I was the happiest of them all.
[1] Butler County, Kentucky
[2] Actually the bathroom was added after the Gibbs family moved from Ashland in 1961. This was truly an eventful summer for 4 young boys watching a house being modified to this extent. There was no running water at all when they moved there, only a well with a bucket and an outdoor toilet. A cistern was added to complement the well water for the new plumbing. A septic tank and dry well were also added downhill from the well.
After leaving Owensboro in 1954 difficulties came up about the renting and upkeep of the house my husband purchased there after his father passed away. In almost a miracle the Lord worked a sale of the house. Nothing was urgent about reinvestment, so for a while no effort was made. I had two brothers who had moved back to the county where we had grown up.[1] They became interested in looking for properties for sale. We came up from Tennessee to visit and see. We looked at a property for sale a mile west of the county seat. There was not one thing about the place or the house or premises that I liked, but both my brothers and Mr. Bolender thought it a bargain, so we bought it. It was an old house, originally three rooms, but two bedrooms were being built and almost finished. A bathroom was added.[2] Our good friend and brother in Christ, Paul Bailey of Elizabethtown, came and did the plumbing job. Soon our daughter, her husband, and four growing sons moved from Ashland, Kentucky and the house was filled with activity and fun. We were happy to have them nearer us and knew that the place would be properly cared for, and also that our grandsons had 10 acres on which to explore and play. Our son-in-law soon obtained employment teaching in the elementary school in town. All four boys graduated from high school there and all played instruments in the high school band. They started attending the Pilgrim Holiness Church in town where my brother pastored. As years passed, we were convinced that the purchase of that unimproved tract of land was ordered by the Lord.
Before our farewell service at Eastview and time for us to move, our friends, the Baileys, called to tell us that their neighbor had a small farm for sale. We went to look at it. The people wanted to move into town. They made such a reasonable price that we agreed to buy. The deed called for 12 acres, more or less. We really liked the place, an old house, four rooms, with a long screened-in back porch. Again, no water in the house. This had to be carried by bucket up a hill from a spring, but there was a large barrel at the corner of the house to catch rain water for washing. This took me back to childhood days. We were glad a large capacity cistern had been made at the Eastview Church and pipes laid to the parsonage so the incoming pastor would have water in the house and a bath. They had called the former pastor back and he accepted.
Our new place had a barn with plenty of pasture, two garden spots, and a hay field. Also two strips of woods and a creek. We were happy out in God’s country instead of a stuffy city. Bro. Bolender had kept and moved two cows. I had started working nights at a new rest home. It was small, only 19 patient capacity. I was the only one on duty for third shift, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I never had time to rest. Over half of the patients were able to care for themselves at night but others had to be checked every so often. Others had to be changed like infants or carefully assisted to bathrooms. I also carried my share of janitor work, cleaning the lobby every night. I did the ironing for all of the inmates. The washing was done by day shift workers at a local Laundromat. I liked the work. The pay was very meager, but I was happy to have it. I liked the hours because I was always able to attend church services. Bro. Bolender was equally busy. He built a long living room and bath and front porch. It looked like another place. When our friend, Mr. Bailey, helped him again, we got water in the house.
We now had it more comfortable for our children and grandchildren to visit us. How they loved to visit at Grandpa’s “farm.” They scouted the small woods and waded the creek.
We never had all our children and grandchildren at our home together, so now we began to plan. They consented to be with us for Christmas dinner. Our family now numbered 16. We extended the table and all comfortably seated, enjoyed the best meal I knew how to prepare. We were a happy family and I still believe I was the happiest of them all.
[1] Butler County, Kentucky
[2] Actually the bathroom was added after the Gibbs family moved from Ashland in 1961. This was truly an eventful summer for 4 young boys watching a house being modified to this extent. There was no running water at all when they moved there, only a well with a bucket and an outdoor toilet. A cistern was added to complement the well water for the new plumbing. A septic tank and dry well were also added downhill from the well.
