The Walter and Eleanor Gillen Story

Book excerpt: The Walter and Eleanor Gillen story is an account of daily life in a large family raised on a farm in the Midwest during the sixties, and the trials and tribulations that led to their individual success. The youngest of nine children, Walter was born and raised on the family farm 20 miles from Toledo, Ohio. “Walter was 5 years old when his father bought his first car - a 1921 Willy's Overland Aster.” He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and returned to help run the family farm. “After finishing a day of farming, and supper was over, he washed up, changed into clean clothes, and went out for the evening. On his way to town, he picked up friends and cousins along the way to share the evening. He could also be found frequently stopping at a brother or sister’s home for a visit and was often seen with a niece or nephew in his arms.” Eleanor was the eldest of two children, and a city girl from Toledo, Ohio. Her family owned a Hupmobile, but mostly used city transportation. They took the train to visit family in New York every summer. Eleanor was married for two years when her first husband died. After six years, her mother encouraged her to start dating again. She went square dancing with her girlfriends at the Trianon Dance Hall and round dancing at the Odd Fellows Hall where her uncle worked, and where she met Walter in 1946. “Walter was 30 when he married Eleanor and won a longtime bet with Dudley that he wouldn’t marry before age 30. Eleanor was 27.” As a new couple they learned the farming and agriculture business and had nine children between 1947 and 1957. Their third child died the day after her birth. The family went to church on Sunday’s and often spent Sunday afternoons at a different aunt and uncle’s home. Everyone lived on a farm. Walter and his brother Leslie sold the family farm in 1959. Leslie moved to Wauseon, Ohio, and Walter and Eleanor moved to a 180-acre farm on Stony Lake in Brooklyn, Michigan. Walter had a manufacturing job to supplement the farm income. There was time to play after chores were done. Weekends included visits with family and friends, Sunday drives, singing along with Eleanor playing the piano, or games and cards. Walter and Eleanor bought a family restaurant in 1964 where the children worked before or after school when they were old enough. They lost the restaurant in 1970. “Failure. Lost the battle. Do what has to be done and keep your damn mouth shut.” They lost the farm in 1972 and rented an old house in nearby Onsted. The four younger children were still at home. “…everyone still at home spent weeks getting the house ready to live in. Every room had old wallpaper to be removed, up to 13 layers in some rooms.” Research found the house to be an 1830s plantation house and a stop along the Underground Railroad. No one wants to endure or experience hardships, but they are what builds and strengthens character, and enables one to overcome future challenges. “Eleanor had the great privilege of watching her children grow up to be well-adjusted, responsible, and happy adults.”