FromtheDayWeMetDecember1953

Judy, birth named Judith Ann Haag
daughter of Waldro Rice Webert Haag known as "Buck"
and Jean Jeanette Johnson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin

May 21, 1937 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Lived in Stevens Point and Eau Claire, Wisconsin before moving to Iowa.

Graduated from East High in Sioux City
Attended Morningside College
Married in 1956.
Moved to Fremont, Nebraska Our first home.
Received my PHT and have a diploma dated 1959. PHT (meaning putting hubby through). The seal is a round pinked piece of cotton fabric held in place with a tiny gold safety pin.

UNI (University Northern Iowa) for ESL (English Second Language) Training in during summers of 1975,'76, & '77.

SE Community College classes in Human Relations and Communications
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa classes in Communications.

Effective Leadership Training at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado in 1974. Studied Effective Listening workshops for communications Classes.

Led Effective Listening Workshops for teachers and parents, TET, & PET. Parent Effectiveness training, Teacher Effective Listening, Leadership Effective Listening, LET groups in SE Iowa.

LBI (Lutheran Bible Institute) for several years, and WCC (World Christian Church) training in Pastoral Ministry.
Received Dr. Ministry Degree in Pastoral Care in 1993. Became Reverend Judy Carstens. Now my parents had two ministers in the family and Dad thought it was bad when he had to deal with just one! Dad stayed away from ministers because of some experiences in his very early grade school years of life.

Served in leadership roles in Luther League for youth of Lutheran Church. LLA (Luther League of America) Also, Iowa Luther League Executive Board. 1954-57

Public Speaker for Community and Church organizations.
Began first public speaking at 9 years of age. Father was a unit manager, but the company hearing about this noted me in their National Monthly Newspaper.

At 12 yrs, spoke before an Area Convention in Minneapolis for Stanley Home Products.
At 16 yrs, was key speaker before the Central Regional Convention of this Company. My Father was a Branch Sales Manager.

All my expenses were paid by the Region. For one week I was a part of this Convention at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. I had an hour time slot and was thrilled! What an adventure for a teenager!

Nebraska: Starting in 1962 Served as Trainer for our Sunday School Teachers throughout the state.
Iowa Lutheran Synod: Iowa leadership for various committees as well as Teaching our Teachers their roles in their home parishes, Mission Development and Women.

Chairman of Lutheran Church Women for churches in SE District in the '70's.

Community Organizations:
Women's Club in the area serving as President and Treasurer in Iowa.
Worked with "Fellowship Cup". (Christian Churches in the area support group and Mission to area for the poor and families of the incarcerated.)
Chairmen of Henry County "Fish" Organization. Helping those in need.

Involved With Cursillo in Iowa and Arizona since 1976.
Completed term on State Board for Cursillo's of Arizona. (Secretariat)
Worked teams for many years. Worked the First Methodist Cursillo in Iowa and the First Dutch Reformed. Last count starting in 1976 or 32 years ago.

Worked 13 Iowa Teams and several in (8) Arizona since 1988.

Treasurer for Glendale Adult Center in Arizona 1992-2000.
Chairman committee Finance Committee.

Instructor for Adults learning Computers since 1994 starting at Glendale Adult Center.
Since 2000-2008 (present) at Leisure World Computer Center.

President of various organizations including the Computer Club and Rovers, and
Chair person for numerous committees since retiring to Arizona.

See Childhood Memories of Judy

Follow our Moves with the Travels of:
The Old Desk

Del, birth named Delmar Leroy Carstens
son of John Henry Carstens
and Ella Waltke of Beatrice, Nebraska

March 3, 1931 in Beatrice, Nebraska

Lived in Nebraska before moving to Sioux City, Iowa

Graduated East High Sioux City
Served USMC in Korea 1952-1954
Graduated Midland College, Fremont, Nebraska
1959

Central Lutheran Seminary, Fremont, 1962 This Seminary merged with Maywood to become LSTC (Lutheran School of Theology Chicago) in Chicago, Illinois

University Hospital In Iowa City: Chaplains Training 1967

Missionary to Rocky Boy Indian Mission In Havre, Montana during summer of 1968. Again in 1973.

Studies in Dr. Ministry through LSTC. 1973-1975

Project at Rocky Boy Indian Mission in Havre, Montana 1973.

Leadership roles with youth and with various organizations within communities. Camp counselor for many years at Spirit Lake, Iowa.

President of the local Ministers Associations in Nebraska and Iowa.

Worked on a variety of Committees in the Synod of our church for many years in both Nebraska and Iowa.

Active with "Fish" Organization Henry County Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

"Fellowship Cup" in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Service organizations getting off the ground at that time.

Chairman of the Fellowship Cup.
A community service organization for Fellowship and service.

Served a Prison Ministry & Mental Health Hospital.
Food Pantry for needy. A great Christian fellowship involving all area churches.

Effective Leadership Training at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado in 1974.
Classes:
Effective Listening in communications

Leader in Effective Listening Workshops for teachers and parents.

PET (Parent Effective Training)
TET (Teacher Effective Training)
LET (Leaders Effective Listening Training). Great Teachings on Active Listening for all leadership roles.

Served as speaker on a radio in the area; Wrote Newspaper articles for our local newspapers.

Great writer:
Good listener:
Volunteer in a variety of areas of ministry. Always available during 25 years of service.

During Ministry:
A teacher, trainer, organizer, speaker. Preaching, counseling, meetings & more meetings kept him typing, mimeographing newsletters, Sunday bulletins, annual reports.
Reading, studying, praying, mowing, shoveling snow, repairing cars, painting, working garden, working in woodshop, building birdhouses, rabbit houses & the girls play furniture; watching Saturday cartoons with our children and taking our family canoeing, camping, picnicking, traveling....

See Childhood Memories of Del and Judy

Travel with The Old Desk

Memories of our Wedding Days and Events that followed!

I want to share a special Popular Song from when first we first met.
It continues to have meaning to us today.

Always

I'll be loving you, Always.
With a love that's true, Always.
When the things you've planned,
need a helping hand,
I will understand,
Always....Always...

Day may not be fair, Always.
That's when I'll be there, Always.
Not for just an hour, Not for just a day,
Not for just a year
But Always.

I wanted it as a part of our Wedding Service, however, It was not on the accepted list because it was considered a 'secular number' by the church. We could only use music that was approved by the church much to our great disappointment!

In our day, we did as we were expected with no arguments. There was never arguing with authority! (A bit different today!) The new theory is children have a mind of their own and must learn to develop them through trial and error. As children we Never ever had our own choices which might vary from the norm because we had to follow the rules. I remember Dad and Mom saying, "We don't need a reason, it is just our policy.".

I ordered red roses for my white Bible which I carried. Mother was horrified, and insisted roses should be white because she was still alive! Red roses would indicate mother had died. I didn't understand it then nor do I now, but I carried white roses at my wedding. I couldn't embarrass her!

I wore a white waltz length, strapless wedding gown with a tiny jacket over a taffeta cumberbund and full circular skirt over cremalines which Dad purchased for me. His only daughter should have a wedding gown. Originally, I planned to purchase my own, and my choice had been a practical white suit. Del wore his Navy blue suit and his brothers wore their suits. One was light gray and the other a darker gray. The other guys in our party were ushers. They wore suits of whatever color they owned. Mostly gray but one tweed and another dark blue. Tux were never considered in our day! My attendants were my cousin Sandra Kilde who wore a coral crystalette, and My friend Jackie in cotillion blue. That is right Pink and blue were my colors.

We were happily married in spite of the church and families rules we faithfully followed.

After our wedding, We didn't have to worry about being "Shivereed" as we located in our new home 75 miles from Sioux City in the married students' housing on Midland College Campus, Fremont, Nebraska. Shivereeing was a tradition in those days when friends and family would come to the house and on cue everyone would blow horns or bang on drums made of pots and pans. They would holler and call out until the couple would get up and join them outside. They would then have something to eat and drink. Sometimes the bride was stolen and taken away from her groom as a joke.

Something similar happened the night before our wedding. A traditional Stag party was a night with the guys in the wedding party. All the men in the wedding party including my younger brothers Jon and Gene Allen went to Browns' Lake near Sioux City. Some went swimming. They had a six pack of beer, some pop and a gallon of orange juice. My brothers said they drank the whole gallon of orange juice. The others who wanted shared the 6 pak. (There were 10-12 in all.)

I was sleeping on the floor of our basement room along with my cousins Sandy Kilde, Wendy and Jill and Aunt Betty Deringer and my baby brother, Chuck. My grandparents Ernie and Dorthea Johnson slept in my bedroom. My Aunt Beth Wampole and son Bryce and grandparents Ben and Maude Haag occupied my brothers' dormitory bedroom on the second floor. About 2:30 AM I woke to hear a bunch of guys singing, "The old Grey mare, She ain't what she used to be". It became louder, and closer, and soon entered the back door of our house which led to the basement area which was now dark and quiet with sleeping women. Down the stairs came about a dozen guys having a good time and ready to toast the bride to be. That was me. They woke me up and tried to get me to drink some champagne. I was such a "teetotaler" that I resisted. As you can tell by 1 six pak to share these were not the drinking crowd either.

Not being cooperative, and a bit of disruption of everyone's sleep, time permitted my Aunt Beth who was two stories up to come to my rescue. She stood on the stairs leading to the basement overlooking into the area where this mob of boys stood around me and said, "You're Not going to make an alcoholic out of my niece.!" To that I was showered with champagne having it poured all over my "shortie" pajamas. (I was actually disappointed with Aunt Beth because I was having just as much fun resisting all these guys. That was our Shiveree!

The next morning my Grandfather Ernie Johnson was looking all over the house in every corner repeating, "Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?" Where is who Grandpa? To which he replied, "The old gray mare."

In the morning Del and I attended worship services at our church. In the afternoon Del came over to see me only to find that I had been hidden away by my family so he would not see me again until I came down the aisle. Surprise to him but My aunt Betty kept him company by showing him all my BABY pictures. I am sure he was interested in those early years, however, he has never ceased talking about that incident.

After the ceremony there were numerous pictures while our guests waited (some of them) in the church basement where a group of ladies served our ice cream, cake and nuts with coffee and punch. Entertainment was looking at all the wedding gifts that my girl friends and relatives unwrapped and displayed on long white paper covered tables the length of the basement room. Many guests left before we arrived and mostly our family and closest friends were waiting to help us finish out the evening.

Oh, I must add to that. When we left the front door of the church Del decided to carry me down the steps where he fell with me in arms. It was not too a hard landing. We had each other so we just laughed at our selves. From the church we drove to Jackie's home (my best friend and bridesmaid).
I couldn't get into my luggage as I had locked it for security against any would be pranksters. We waited until Leonard Talpt arrived with my purse with the keys to my luggage. He was our entrusted friend.

We changed into traveling clothes for our trip up the road on our way to Wisconsin for a short "honeymoon". I dressed in a brown silk fitted dress with matching jacket, hosier and heels to match. We then got into our 1951 black Pontiac for our exciting ride up the road only to discover we could go no where. The wheels had been jacked up and put on bricks so we couldn't move. After figuring that one out with everyone standing around laughing and Del repairing the damages, we finally drove away. Now we were being followed as was the custom, and that was fun. Stones had been placed into the hub caps of the car so we made lots of noise along with the tin cans tied to the rear bumper and streamers dragging along behind us. Boss and Slave were written on the windows outside the car. When we arrived at high way 75 going North those following us forced us to turn the opposite direction which took us downtown Sioux City. Everyone following in their own cars (six in all) was honking and flashing lights. We had quite a parade! After passing the main corners of the downtown area, we decided to turn around and go back the other way so just made it through the light before it turned red. We would lose our train now! Surprise! They all followed continuing to hook their horns and going right through the red light. They went through red lights twice! All those waiting at the now green lights just honked and waved too. Now we were on our way. We thought we might make it to the next larger town, Le Mars, in rural Iowa. We began to wonder if our friends would follow us there as it was 25 miles away! Del decided not knowing what they might do that we would just keep going and be sure we would lose our uninvited guests for the remainder of the night. Soon they all stopped beside the road, Flashed their lights, honked their horns waved "goodbye". 12:45 AM. Around 2 AM Del had to have a cup of coffee. I slept on the front seat while he woke up in the restaurant with his coffee.

We have some wonderful friends and have memories that have lasted over 52 years now.

We lost our friends to be with the Lord.
GreatGrandfather Jacob Rice Nov. 22,1857-Feb 12,1959 (101)

Grandfather Ernest Melvin Johnson 1962 (77)
Grandmother Gretje Anna Carstens Oct. 28, 1962 (85)
Grandfather Benjamin George Haag January 27, 1971 (86)
Grandmother Dorthea Augusta Bucholz Johnson May 18, 1972 (85)

Grandmother Maude Elizabeth Rice Haag 12-17-1979 (92)
Father John Henry Carstens June 18, 1976 (71)

Mother Ella Carstens January 6, 1986 (77)
Brother Ronald Carstens April 1986 (49+)
Mother Jean Janette Johnson Haag August 13, 1987 (69)

Friend & Wedding Attendant
Leonard Talpt 1995 (65)

Grandson Matthew Aaron Carstens (Wendy's) August 15, 1995 (4yrs)
Father 'Buck' Waldro Rice Webert Haag August 6,1997 (79)
Brother Kenneth Wayne Carstens 12-9-34 to 4-21-2008 (74)

Friend & Wedding Attendant
Robert McCue September 29, 2008 (74)

Always

Our Honeymoon

Our first stop was the Shady Lane Motel in Worthington, Minnesota. It was 3:15 A.M. The sleepy eyed owner came out and quoted $5.00. Wow! I had always learned you don't accept the first offer so asked if they had anything lower. We got it for $3.
The next day was a wonderful free feeling as we traveled along the highway to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. My grandparents had given us the key to their home which was located in rural Eau Claire overlooking the Chippewa River. 23 acres surrounded their home. We had a resort without fees. It was beautiful, quiet and peaceful. We were alone! We did visit Doc Kirkhoff, our family dentist, and had our teeth checked out. He said it was the first time in 30 years of practice that he served 'honeymooners'. I just had to introduce my new husband! The fee was $4.
I spent several hours that week preparing for a Youth convention in Des Moines the following weekend. St. John's Lutheran Church was the location of our state convention and we were all put up in homes in the area. Del and I were given a room at Browns hotel downtown. This was our first week Anniversary. Everyone sang, "Happy Anniversary".

After the convention several youth and friends from our home church in Sioux City, St. Luke's, left together and traveled train style back to Sioux City.

Now it was time to get to our home in Fremont as college classes began that week. We loaded our gifts and Joan Sabo's college equipment into our car. Bob McCue followed with his car which was also loaded with gifts and belongings, and he arrived about 1 AM. Now we could finally rest and take it easy for the night!

October 2, 1957
Wendy Jo
Fremont, Nebraska

Graduated
Mt. Pleasant High School in
Iowa 1976

Lived in Phoenix
with son Joseph Daniel
born December 7, 1988
15 years until Marriage 2004

Son Matthew Aaron
deceased on August 15, 1995
at 4 years of age.

Our Littlest Angel!

Wendy volunteered for
Head start
when Matthew and Joey
were attending.
She became employed by Head Start
and served there until 2002.

"I'm hiding". Matthew 2004

February 14, 2004
Wedding Day

7547 W. Redfield Rd. Peoria, AZ

(Sister Cindy's Home)

Sister Cindy was Matron of Honor. Her Father was the Minister and Her son the Best Man. The Wedding ceremony and reception was held in Cindy's backyard.