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Note: Everett Mollenhauer's Biography, written by his wife Doris Gwinn Mollenhauer for Everett's 80th birthday in 1985 is as follows; Everett John Rudolph Mollenhauer was born November 5, 1905 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Harry John Mollenhauer and Augusta Helen Tuerk Mollenhuaer. Harry and "Gusty" ( as our Grandma Helen was then affectiontely called) were living in St. Paul where Harry had gone to business college, supporting his wife and son by driving a horse-drawn beer wagon. Later he became a teller in a bank. Grandma Helen told, many times, of how, early in the morning, she used to style her handsome husband's moustache with a curling iron before he went to work in the bank. Everett's father, Harry, became ill with tubercolosis while working in the bank so he took his wife and son to Owatonna, Minnesota, while he went to a cattle ranch in Arizona for fresh air and sunshine to cure his lung disease. Everett's brother, Stanley was born in 1907 while they were living near Owatonna, which was where Harry and Helen had been born and raised. Everett's grandfather' William Rudolph Mollenhuaer, was born in 1848 near Hanover, Germany, and brought, by his parents, to the United States when he was about 6 years old ( around 1854). The family first settled near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but later moved to Owatonna, Minnesota, where many of the Mollenhuaers and Tuerks still live. Most of them were farmers. Everett's paternal grandmother, Sarah Harkins, came from Montreal, Canada. Everett's mother's parents were Augusta Molly Miller, whose ancestral home was Austria, and John Luis Tuerk, who was from Prussia, in Germany. Hoping open air would be better for his health, the young couple bought a 160 acre farm 12 miles north of Max, North Dakota. They also leased or rented several quarter sections of land for wild hay, paying about $ 25.00 per year each. and some other land for grazing on which they paid nothing because the owners were unknown. Here, on the family farm, about 20 miles south from Minot, were born ( without a doctor); Harry, Kenneth, Cecil, Gladys, and Elna. Life on the North Dakota farm was very hard. At first Everett's father was strong and spent long hours upgrading the ranch, where they raised flax, barley, wheat, and gradually built up a herd of good-grade beef cattle. In 1916 they built a barn which was so huge that it was by far the biggest thing in sight on the flat, treeless, North Dakota plain. Everett, who was about 11 years old, worked right along with the carpenters and even helped shingle the hip roof, 52 feet above the ground ( that's like a 5-story building). As time went by, Harry, Everett's father, again suffered from tuberculosis and spent much time in bed or sitting in the house, too weak to work. Most of the work fell on Everett and his mother. The weather was fierce; 50 degrees below zero in winter, with blinding blizzards. Everett tells of hauling hay on a sled in winter, when, just at dusk, a pack of large, hungry prairie wolves followed him almost home. Somehow he had frogotten to take his gun on the last trip of the day, so the lone boy was pretty scared, knowing that if one of the horses stumbled and fell in the deep snow, the wolves would attack. By the spring of 1918, it was aparent that Grandpa Harry couldn't stand the fierce North Dakota weather ( which was pretty hard on the rest of the family, too). So he bought a farm in northern Idaho, about 5 miles east from Palouse, Washington. When the family moved west, Everett and Stanley rode in the railroad emigrant boxcar with a North Dakota neighbor, Corwin Fisher. This emigrant boxcar contained all the farm machinery, their 1917 model T Ford touring car, household furniture, four horses, a couple of milch cows, and the dog. The emigrant car was furnished by the railroad at a special price to assist farmers in moveing west. The two kids weren't supposed to be there. Only one adult, to care for the livestock, was allowed to ride. So they constructed a hidey-hole and bed under the inverted wagon box, covered by hay. Corwin brought them food, and when the train was moving, they opened the door and watched the countryside go by. What a week's adventure for the 11 and 13-year-old boys! A big thrill was when they got out of the railroad car in Palouse and saw their first fruit tree, with real apples! They arrived in October, and the following February, 1919 Grandpa Harry died, leaving Grandma Helen and her 7 children alone on the new farm, among strangers. About this time the Fisher family, who had been near neighbors in North Dakota, also moved to Palouse,Washington. Head of this family was George Washington Fisher ( George died about 1915 in North Dakota) and his wife. Clara Isabelle Craft Fisher. On July 14, 1920, their son, George Corwin Fisher, married Augusta Helen Tuerk Mollenhauer. to this union were born, at the family farm, Latah county, Idaho: Delbert, Ruby, and Mildred. Everett started highschool at Palouse, but broke an arm playing basketball and then got whooping cough and pneumonia. By the time he recovered, he'd lost a lot of school and, since it was spring, he went to work for a neighboring farmer. For the next severat years he worked on various farms, living at home between jobs. Baseball, swimming in the Palouse River, fishing and catching crawdads, skating in winter, and hunting and hiking in the nearby Idaho mountains were chief sports for the Mollenhauer boys and their friends. In the fall of 1925, after wheat harvest, Everett and Stanley drove to Yakima with two other young fellows and they all worked in the fruit. After apple harvest, he returned to Palouse and was offered a job by Ray Southworth at the Palouse Motor Company as mechanic. That winter he met and started dating Doris Gwinn, daughter of a local Palouse farmer. Doris's parents, Leonard & Leila James Gwinn farmed a 320 acre farm 1 mile ease of Kamiak Butte. The following summer, 1926, Doris, with her parents, moved to Dayton, Washington, a hundred miles away. so for the next 3 years Everett worked in the garage and almost every other weekend, snowing winters and scorching summers, he drove his car and his Indian motorcycle the long, crooked, gravelled road to see his girl. Doris completed highschool, spent the winter of 1929--30 in Spokane at Business college, and on May 19th, 1930, Everett and Doris were married in the Methodist parsonage at Palouse, with Pete Mclam and the preacher's wife as witnesses. After a week's honeymoon camping at Hayden lake, Idaho, the young couple lived at Mrs. Wilson's boarding house and both worked for the Palouse Motor Company, where Everett was now general manager. In the meantime, Everett's two younger brothers, Harry and Ken, had worked on farms and for the Idaho road department, bought a pair of motorcycles and spent their winters in California. Catching California fever, Everett, Doris and Stanley resigned their jobs at Palouse Motor Company and, the first of November, 1930, the three drove, in Stan's 1929 Model A coupe, to Watsonville, Cafifornia, where brother Harry was teaching guitar. They spent the first night at the ritzy Resetar Hotel, decided they wanted to stay awhile, so rented a furnished 2-bedroom house for $45 per month ( a pretty steep price in those days). Harry and Stan moved in with them. Ken was teaching guitar at Taft, California, but visited them on holidays. As long as they had a house, Everett decided to look for a temporary job. The first palce he applied, the W. W. Bendell Ford garage, hired him as a mechanic, to come to work that same afternoon. Within a month he was promoted to shop foreman at $35 per week, which job he held about five years. Then his doctor told him he had carbon-monoxide poisoning and must get out of the poorly ventilated shop. So he sold new and used cars, first Fords, then Pontiacs. During this time 3 children were born to Everett and Doris: Gale ( 1935); Ray ( 1936); and Diane ( 1938). Meantime the Great Depression had hit the country and cars weren't selling very well. One month Everett's only income was a used car sale with $11.60 his net income. They well remember living on skimpy stew, canned apricots and credit for months at a time. They had bought a 2-bedroom house in a nice subdivision, but the payments were more than they could handle on a car salesman's slim depresion commissions. Everett spent many sleepless nights and developed an ulcer trying to figure out how to provide for his growing family. Borrowing fifty dollars, Everett built a chain-hoist and set up his own auto repair shop called " Everett's Auto Service", in Freedom, a suburb of Watsonville. at first he operated by himself in a 3--stall shop behind a friend's , Francis Hubbard, service station. Later he hired one mechanic, Dick Hobbs, and added another 3 stalls. 1941 brought the war years. Brother Harry went into the Air Force and half -brother, Delbert joined the Navy. Brother Ken worked in a shipyard at Antioch, California, while half-sisters, Ruby and Mildred worked at Boeing airplane factory near Seattle. Grandpa Corwin Fisher worked in a shipyard in Tacoma. For Everett and brother Stan, now a mechanic at the Chevy garage in Watdonville, the rush was on. Because new cars were unavailable, the old cars and trucks had to be repaired and kept running. Many nights mechanics worked until midnight or later, then were up and at 'em again early in the morning. Trucks broke down on the road and customers phoned, in the middle of the night, for help. Prosperity came, but every cent was earned. Gasoline and tire rationing and shortage of help added to the pressure. Navy training planes from the nearby airbase roared directly over Everett's shop and home for hours and hours at a time, making hearing almost impossible. The ulcers and milk diet continued. By the spring of 1943 the family had bought a house in nearby, quiet Corralitos. A horrible shock came one April day in 1945 when their oldest son, Gale, age 9 years and 9 months, was instantly killed in a truck accident. This was a hard blow to take, but life must go on. By summer World War ll was over and Everett was moving ahead with his plan to build a large repair shop and salesroom, where he took on the Hudson dealership, hired a bookkeeper and several workmen and promoted himself from mechanic to general manager and head salesman, wearing a business suit instead of coveralls. The family moved to Watsdonville, back to Freedom, then to La Selva Beach. Ray and Diane graduated from grade school and high school and went on to junior college. Ray joined the Army and was sent to Germany. Diane married Vic Underwood, had baby Lynne, then they, too, went to Germany with the Army, where baby Karen was born. As a youth, Everett had dreamed of being an airplane pilot, so, when he could afford it in 1950 he bought a used 4-seat Stinson, later replaced by a Bellanca. He and Doris had a lot of pleasure from their little red plane, often flying to Dayton, Washington, and McMinnville, Oregon, to visit their parents. A trip to Alaska with 4 other planes was the highlight of their flying days. They also made trips to Utah's Canyonlands; to North Dakota to see the old farm; to North Carolina, where Vic and Diane were stationed with the Green Berets; and to Baja, Mexico, for the fishing; besides local jaunts with their flying club. In later years, Everett was denied a pilot's license because of deabetes, so they bought a trailer-cruiser boat and spent several happy summers cruising the San Jaun Islands, the British Columbia coast, and one summer took a 3-month cruise up the Inside Passage to Juneau and Sitka, Alaska. In 1979 they bought a small motorhome and have since been touring the country in that, once driving up the Alcan Hiway to Anchorage and Mt. McKinley, and then to Kodiak Island to visit granddaughter Lynne and get in some fabulous fishing. During Everett's business years, he was active in his community, being a charter member of the Lions' club; a director of the Y.M.C.A..; director of Chamber of Commerce; president of the Watsonville Automobile Dealers Association; president of the Santa Cruz County Airmen's Association; and member of Odd Fellows lodge. He served on the National Dealers Council for American Motors and was well acquainted with their president, George Romney. Everett's Auto Service won many prizes for number of cars sold, including trips to Sun Valley, Miami, and Honolulu. Meantime, the Hudson dealership had turned into the American Motors Company, so Everett was selling Ramblers and Jeeps. Ray came home from the Army and joined the firm. (He started at the top by painting the roof.) Ray became the proud father of Lori and Tim, bringing the total number of Everett's grandchildren to four. In 1969 Everett retired forever from the automobile business. He had started in the fall of 1925, so that totaled 44 years, from mechanic to new car dealer. He spent 31 of those years at his own business at the corner of Green Valley Roar and Freedom Boulevard. Since retiring, he has had a bout weith cancer, but all is clear for the past 9 years. He keeps interested and busy and doesn't want to get back into the business rat-race. Living on a quiet mountainside overlooking Watsonville and the Monterey Bay, in a pre-cut log house he built himself, he works around the place, keeps all the cars and machines in perfect working order, and goes fishing on Monterey Bay with his pal, Tony Meidl. Duck hunting, moose and deer hunting had their place in past years. Once or twice a year, Everett and Doris drive their motorhome to visit their children, grandchildren, and all their nice relatives and friends in Oregon and Washington, doing some camping, sightseeing and fishing along the way. A welcome visitor to their home is their first great-grandchild, Miss Tenika Marie Mollenhuaer, daughter of Tim and Susan of Salinas and Watsonville. Tenika was born December 23, 1983. And so goes Everett's life: from 1905 to 1985; from a baby to a great-grandfather; from a farm boy to a retired businessman; from horse-and -wagon days, to Model T Ford, to first radio, to seeing, on television, man in space. What's next? Whatever it is, you can be sure Everett will be right in there, taking a lively interest. Everett had a few really sad and hard times during his lifetime. Ray's ( Everett's son) conversations with his dad, " Everett: My Dad went to Santa Barbara to the T.B. clinic to check out his tuberculosis. I took him down to the train station and sent him off. When he returned I met him at the train station, where he said " well son I've come home to die, they can't do anything for me". " When my dad died, they had not been in Idaho long enough to know anybody, not even any neighbors, so there was no one at the funeral, the undertaker and I at 14 years old had to go out in the street and get some accommodating strangers to be pall bearers. On this cold February day, there was no one at the service but Mom and us kids" Everett: " When I was 19, I was playing with my brother Cecil, 11 years old, outside on our Idaho ranch when he keeled over and died. I took him in the house and had to tell my mother her son was dead." Everett: When Gale was killed, was really tough. It was in the afternoon, a Sheriffs officer came in the garage and told me to come with him, that my son was killed in an accident. I had to crawl under the truck and identify his body before they could remove him. I went back to the shop and told my employees. I had to drive home, 12 miles, and tell his mother that our son was dead. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do". Everett:" I had to grow up pretty fast, When we lived in North Dakota when I was about 10 years old my dad was really sick and weak from his T.B. so I had to do most of the work on the farm. It was all man's work, farm repairs, seeding and harvesting crops, hauling grain to town, feeding livestock and so forth. It wasn't all work , my brothers and I had fun in the wide open spaces. I remember when my dad told me to go out and shoot some ducks so we would have a winter supply. He gave me one shotgun shell. I found a flock sitting on a pond and killed 19 ducks. It was cold as hell in the winter, I remember one time I rode a horse out to the mail box to get the mail and by the time I got out there a blizzard hit. It was blowing so bad I couldn't see to get back to the house. I got off the horse, grabbed his tail and he led me to the barn. We had a rope tied between the barn and house and I hand over handed it to the house. Believe it or not it got so cold that if the cows got caught out in the weather for very long their tits would freeze solid. When we moved to Idaho it was a little better, Us kids were older and the winters wern't so rough. After dad died and mom married Corwin , he took over our ranch. Stan and I worked with him until we found outside jobs, we didn't like the thought of him running the show. Stan, Harry, Ken, & I went out on our own as soon as we could. I got a job at the ford garage in Palouse, met your mother, she moved to Dayton. I spent dam near every weekend in Dayton, courting your mother. I remember one morning I hopped on my Indian motorcycle and headed for Dayton down the gravel road. A rock flipped up in the chain and me and the bike skidded down the gravel road and into a ditch. I woke up in the dark, don't know how long I was knocked out. I got to my feet and walked and hitchicked on to Dayton. As far as I know that motorcycle is still laying in the ditch."
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