Greetings
I am Andy Drenkhahn, a Danbury, Iowa, native son, who left Danbury at the age of 17 to join the United States Army. This after having been graduated from Danbury High School, and from having gone to Iowa University in Iowa City for one semester. My wife, Janice and I have a daughter who was graduated from North Carolina University from the school of medicine and who is now a medical doctor practicing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our son, Vance is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in engineering. He served twenty years as a fighter pilot, earned a Masters degree in Business Administration recently, and he retired from the USAF during 2009 to Tucson, Arizona, where he now lives. He is employed by Modem Technical Systems Incorporated as an engineer. Tuscon is the same place where Bob Sexton and Arthur Pierce have retired. My wife and I visited Vance and family during late September, early October this year for two weeks. While we did not know at that time that Bob was retired there, we knew Art had done so. I had seen Art at the Danbury reunion in July, (you took pictures of Art, Della (Sanders) Graveson and me at the reunion). We elected and arranged to visit him at his home on one of the Sunday afternoons we were in Tuscon. Art's wife, Dorothy, who many from Danbury knew, had died recently, leaving him a lonely yet surprisingly seemingly adjusted man. The visit with him was enjoyable, and as it has turned out, most memorable. It is the last one.
Art was special to me because he, Sarah (Durst) Kjoss and I, all three, entered the first grade-no kindergarten in the Joe Granter newly September 1933 built (first to twelfth grade) school. My sister, Viola embarked upon establishing a beauty shop in Danbury, Iowa, and became a senior in Danbury High School the same year. Fortunately, Sarah, Art and I have stayed in touch over the years. Unfortunately, not nearly enough, but in touch. Sarah remains unforgettable. Art is one of those people, due to circumstances, you never forget.
Art died about a month after our visit in Tucson. Didn't know I would miss him as I do. Art was preceded in death by a brother, Earl and a sister, Bonny. His one remaining brother, Harold lives in Tuscon. Art would have been 82 in February; I will be 82 in March 8, and Sarah will be 82 in September 3, 2010. The years pass swiftly.
Seems like every time I would call Art and Dottie, he was either at the races or at an athletic event. He was an avid golfer and a pretty good athlete, having made the first teams in basketball and baseball at DHS.
My real purpose in writing is to let people in Danbury know that we have lost a dear, fine person with Art's passing. Like many of us, Art invested four years of his life in the Army, I am told most of it in Germany. After returning from Germany, he left the US Army and returned to Danbury where he went to work at Barry Motor Company as a bookkeeper. I recall Art as being a whiz at bookkeeping at Danbury High and that he attended business college somewhere along the way. He told me Gerome Kleine, Tuffy Twitchell and he went to California after he left Barry Motor and that he went to work for the Hughes Airline there at that time. Art was fortunate in meeting and marrying Dottie. He suffered a great loss when she died earlier in the past. Those that knew Dottie both loved and admired her.
I remember and will remember Art in many ways. I remember little things like Art stopping in at Fitz Cafe where I worked during a summer vacation when I was attending South Dakota University, probably 1950. We had a fine ice cream, malt, and milk specialty we called a food (I have not in all my life after leaving that happenstance found it being served anywhere I have been). Art would stop in to enjoy and for me to enjoy his company. There are many other things for me to remember. One of his sayings was, "It ain't too serious".
We will seriously miss my old classmate Art. After all is said and done, we can be confident in knowing that Art has made it. I just didn't want Art to get away without leaving some fine memories. Those that knew Art are going to feel the same. I include a picture taken at Art's home in Tucson during that last early November get together.
Love and God Bless,
Andy Drenkhahn