Willard Kilzer--A Long Time Friend

Two weeks ago we ate with Willard and Audrey Kilzer  at the Seward Senior Center where we also enjoyed accordion music. I sat next to Willard and we talked about a variety of things during the nearly 2 hours we were together. The next day Willard had a stroke and yesterday he died. We all have good friends that come into our lives at critical times, share our burdens and joys, and move on for various reasons. Willard was my very good friend for over 80 years. We went to Oak Grove country school together, the Garland Congregational Church, Garland HS, were in the same Thrashing Run, Shelled corn together, sawed wood, played on the same baseball and basketball teams, danced with and dated some of the same girls, etc. Willard was like a member of our family. He went with us when we both bought Purebred Polled Herfords, to Tarkio, MO where we bought an Oliver 70, he took me up to Mead, NE to a corn husking job, and went along on some Conservation Tours after I started working for SCS. We would see them occasionally during our Washington years. Moving back home we farmed across the fence from each other and I sought his farming advice. He helped with our farm sale and they went with us to a Farm Progress Show in Iowa in our Motor Home. The four of us also went on a fishing trip to Canada in the Motor Home. We were together for several years in the Seward Presbyterian Church and they provided us with sweet corn  from their garden. Last June Willard was honored at the Garland HS alumni reunion as a member of the 75-year class.  We always looked forward to visiting at the Senior Center.  The day this picture was taken two weeks ago,  we talked about the possibility of attending the  Auction of a 160-acre farm out in our old neighborhood. It will be held at 11:00am this coming Saturday, the same hour as Willard's Memorial Service.