Grandma Koehler Newspaper Article and Early Pictures

This picture looks like Darlene through the eyes and side of her face.

I found these articles about Grandma Koehler (Nellie's Mother). On her 96th Birthday, I took her to Flood Park with the Palo Alto Times editor and he took pictures of her to use in this article about the "Swinging Grandmother". Kinda fun to have this information for the Grandkids. She was a very fun Grandma!

Click on the article above and you will be able to read it.

The love of my life

We met at a church dance in Scottsdale, but that isn't where our story begins. While I was at college in Hawaii, Darlene was on her mission in Chile. In writing back and forth during that time, she wrote and said she had found "just the boy for me!" His name was Norm ____. Now, Darlene and I have really never had the same taste in boys, so I dismissed and forgot the whole thing. Then when I was on MY mission Mother wrote to me after going to a wedding reception in Sacramento where Norm was the "Best Man", and said SHE had met "just the boy for me"... and his name was Norm _____. There again, "mothers don't have any idea what their daughters would want in a boy...," and I already had forgotten Darlene's letter, so I dismissed that as well.

About a year went by and I came home from my mission and went to BYU for a semester. At Christmas time Mom, Dad and I went down to stay with Darlene & Bob for a few days. I got a little "antsy" so I checked to see if the Church Institute had any activities going on during the holidays there. I found out about noon that there was a Luau in Scottsdale for all the college age kids that night...but I had nothing to wear. I bought some material and sewed the rest of the day and managed to come up with a dress to wear...sewing myself out the door...arriving at 10:30 pm at the dance. This guy came up and asked me to dance. Right away he said, "You look really familiar". "Oh boy here we go...what a line!" was my only thought. We danced for awhile and found out that he had been on a mission to Chile at the same time as Darlene and Bob and he knew them. That was nice. I also learned that he was now stationed in Monterrey, California in the Army and was home on leave staying with his brother in Phoenix. Mind you, he was in "Boot Camp" and his head was completely shaved, no kidding, and it wasn't the style at all, but he had the most wonderful smile and eyes. I told him that I would be coming home to work at semester and would be in California in January. He took my address & phone number and he said he would write to me and we'd get together sometime in California. That was that.

When I got home that night after the dance, Darlene and Mom wanted to know all about the dance. "Did you have a good time"... "Yes." I said ... "Did you meet anybody new?" ... "Yes. I met someone who knew Darlene and Bob in the missionfield..." "Really, WHO?" Darlene asked. "...a Norm ____" "No KIDDING!" they both said in unison, "THAT'S the ONE!!!" ... "WHAT one??" I asked. "The one I wrote to you about!" they both said in unison. They both looked at each other and couldn't believe they had both written about the same boy. By the same token, I couldn't believe that this was the boy. He was nice and all, but not THE ONE. I was sure of it.

As planned I came home at semester and since I had relatives who lived in Monterrey, Mom and I went up to spend the weekend with them the end of January. I knew some guys who were stationed at Fort Ord so I contacted one of them and he told me the church was having a huge Singles Conference there that weekend. He asked me to go and he came by an hour later to pick me up. We hadn't been there long when I asked him if he knew Norm ____. He said he did and "...there he is right there..." He pointed to a doorway where Norm was leaning. There he was. I was shocked. By then his hair was grown out, and he was quite a different guy all around...HOT! I excused myself and went over to him and asked if he remembered meeting me. He told me that he did, and that he was planning on writing to me that weekend. (Oh yeah...and I remember this guy's got a line for everything...ha) We danced a few dances and had a really good time. I went back to my friend who brought me to the dance and finished out the night with him and he took me back to my cousin's house.

As promised, I received a letter on Monday. Darlene and Bob were coming to town in a couple of weeks and we planned a BBQ in a park near our house and invited Norm down for that weekend. We also contacted the couple where he was the best man to come too. It was such a great weekend. Wonderful actually. As I was setting up everything in the morning, a song came on the radio I never had heard before..."Come Saturday morning......and we will remember long after Saturday's gone". It was so perfect. When he came and we were finishing everything up it was playing again and he seemed to know the words. It was a fun weekend. By Sunday, we went over to Stanford University Chapel and we were holding hands walking around reading sayings on the wall ending up walking back down the center isle, somebody asked us if we were getting married, Norm answered, "No, ...just practicing..."

That was the beginning...A year later all that practicing paid off. We were married in the Mesa Temple and a year after that, Kevin was born...and now you know..."the rest of the story."

Just looking at her innocent face in this picture, brings back a flood of memories from our childhood. There are many words and descriptions I think of when I think of Darlene, but the ones that stand out most in my mind are; without guile, would never intentionally hurt anyone, helpful, scatter-brained, intelligent, knowledgable music teacher, ukelele, sometimes illogical, very loving, forgiving, sees the good in everyone, determined, funny, great pies.

As a child I saw her as a great artist, with a great imagination. She was also a real organizer of closets, putting labels across the rod where we would put skirts - blouses - dresses in certain taped off areas. If she knew we had company coming, she would race to her closet and start cleaning like mad, making sure all her shoes were lined up and everything in her drawers were absolutely perfect. Mom would always get so mad and tell her that the whole house needed vacuum-ing and dishes done etc., but she wouldn't stop until she was sure everything was perfect there.

Darlene loved to read. It was a daily occurance to see her walking the mile to school reading a book the whole way, never once looking up as she walked. It's a miracle she was never hit by a car. I know the Lord had to be watching over her! She was an excellent student. She had many good friends who got together at lunch to study the scriptures. They were also either in the band with her, Acapella Choir, or Honor Choir. I always envied her ability to read music. I never could do that. We were both fortunate to have Larry for our brother. He taught us both to play the Uke which has given us years of musical enjoyment. Mother always made sure that we had the oppotunity to play any instrument we truly wanted to. Darlene chose to play several instruments; accordion, piano, clarinet, and then learned a ton of others while in college majoring in music.

Darlene wasn't afraid to try new things and always seem to learn fast. She took acrobatics and learned how to do a back-bend. I never could, as many times as I tried. She learned to swim, and I still struggle. When she wants to learn something or do something, she will be so determined that absolutely nothing will stop her. I admire that about her. It drove me crazy as a child, but I've come to really appreciate it in her as an adult.

She loves her kids and has perfect faith in them. This is a truism. No matter what, she will stand by them and believe in them and their friends. By doing this faithfully, I believe they wouldn't want to disappoint her in the end. I've watched them, one by one, become all that she had ever hoped for, and more. They all have an enviable closeness together. I love to go wherever they are. When they hug Darlene, anyone can see the love they have for her. She is a precious human being.

In the past, I haven't always understood her but I've always loved her. Like sisters do, from time to time, we have had 'our moments'. Lately however, I look forward to our phone conversations and the laughs we have over silly things...it's really been a special time of my day, our little talks.

As I remember things I will add more about our childhood.