It was a cold wintery day (January 7, 1909, to be specific) when Reynold Franklin became the first born of John and Ida Pfeifer Hovel in Jessie, North Dakota. The Sunday following, the Frank J. Pfeifer Family in covered rig with a team of spirited horses, drove from their home east of Cooperstown (now the Lyle Pfeifer place) to Jessie. They got out, the team spooked, and took off
John Hovel spent the entire afternoon chasing horses (which were finally found out near the present farm of Swede Becherl), and the Pfeifers "ohed" and "ahed" about Grandson Number One.
Reynold had a sister, Violet, who died at the age of 18 months, and in 1918, he lost his Mother. Up until then, the Hovel Family had lived in Jessie in the home we now live in, and it was, "Happiness is being a Hovel."
While Punch was growing up in North Dakota with Grandpa and Grandma and scads of uncles and aunts for a family, I, Mary Elizabeth Leonard, was growing up on a small farm just outside Kansas City, Missouri, with Pop, Mom, scads of sisters and three brothers for a family. I went to school across the road (no walking a mile in all kinds of weather for me) then to North Kansas City High (some walking, some interurban riding, and some coming home with Pop or neighbors in car), then to Junior College of Kansas City, and finally Central Missouri State Teachers College. I taught for a while, and in general grew to the stage in life where Mr. Wonderful was past due to show up, and he did - Punch.
We were married in October 1946, and lived in Nebraska and Texas. Punch bought potatoes and watermelons until the fall of 1947, and then he became a grocery salesman for Nash Finch at Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Sometimes he thought, "This is where I came in" and would get a little discouraged. Then came, "We'll go to Jessie and get a cow and you can milk it," to which he would get a big, "NO!" One night, he said, "We'll go to Jessie and get a cow, and I'll milk it." And I agreed. Before the night was over, he was on the phone to C. P. and Vid Dahl (I didn't know it at the time, but also to about 15 others who shared the Jessie line with them) asking about buying the store. Before long we were in Jessie, living in the house Punch was born in, and making like the Merchant of Jessie, and his Postmaster wife. This store was in the Laffan, to Rule, to Dahl, to Hovel building. Unfortunately, the store burned in June of 1961, but we relocated across the street in the building that has been Al's Garage, Tony and Charley's "Station," and Bug's Place.
In March 1949, John Reynold became our pride and joy, and did the usual things that make parents proud and happy. At the University, he did not set the world afire, but he was involved with vocal music, was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, and brought home a wonderful girl, Deborah June Rotenberger of Lisbon. They were married in August 1970, and he was awarded his B. S. degree the following August, with much help and encouragement from Debbie.
It was a cold wintery night (January 20, 1972, to be specific) when Daniel John became the first born of John Reynold and Deborah Rotenberger Hovel at Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Just the other day a Grandma said in my presence "Every Grandma thinks her grandchild is the sweetest, smartest, dearest child in all the world."
My instant response was, ''True, and Grandma Rotenberger and I are so right about it."
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 456