The following was written in 2005 by Howard Cigelske’s daughter, Roseann. Howard left this world for heaven on Tuesday, June 8, 2008

“Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.” — Josh Billings

This paper presents a life review of a self-sufficient retired farmer, Howard Cigelske, who still spends his days on the 350 acres of a combined dairy and hog farm in Wisconsin consisting of cash crops of corn, oats, wheat, soybean, alfalfa and pasture. In playing out the card game of life, he has passed on his legacy of successful farming to the hands of two of his sons who now manage and operate the farm; while two other children have extended his legacy of the well-regarded community businessman by establishing their own businesses. At the age of 80, Howard is quite active, still involved in some farming issues as well as several regular social affairs. He maintains his intellectual and physical capacity, demonstrating a ‘cultivated’ example of the power of positive thinking.

Childhood

There is something about being in the good ol’ outdoors that invigorates and inspires. As a young child, Howard remembers most how he loved to play outside. Was this any precursor to his future choice as a farmer? Quite likely. Born March 13, 1925, Howard grew up in a farm house near the town of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin (population 14,000). His father’s farming profession was another major influence on him, as he followed in his father’s footsteps. One of his earliest memories was the regular visits to grandma and grandpa’s big house in town with the cousins on Sundays after church. This memory was carried into a tradition during his middle adulthood while he raised his own kids, visiting friends and family.

Howard grew up with one sister and when not playing, worked on the farm throughout his childhood. In his first 3 years of school, he remembers walking the mile from the 1-room school house with the neighbor kids and often they would get picked up by the friendly neighbors driving by. At that time, the 1-room school house had the 8 elementary grades all in one room, and the high school had four grades (9-12) in another room. While the teachers remained flexible between all ages and grades, Howard flexed from school to work, going home to help his dad with chores right after school. He moved to a parochial school for grades 4-9 and after that attended the public high school.

Adolescence

Although the adolescent years are generally considered a turbulent time while seeking independence, Howard had little time to question or be concerned. He was always busy with farm work, or with projects for 4-H and FFA (Future Farmer’s of America). In spite of that, he would carve out some time at noon in school to play baseball or otherwise play football with the neighbor kids in the cow pasture. One of his cherished memories as a teen certainly influenced his future business ability when he made a business deal with his Uncle Wally and the local butcher, to sell chickens for the bingo party. Howard would take a crate of chickens to the school during his Monday night religion class, hand them over to his Uncle Wally who had them butchered in the school’s boiler room, and then return the empty crate to Howard by the end of class. The chickens were then sold at the Tuesday night bingo party.

Young Adulthood

Howard’s teen years blended right in to his young adulthood, where he was expected to help on the farm. He worked just as hard as he played, going out a lot with the boys. As a farm child there was no distinct turning point of moving out of the home, but Howard recalls a precursory event that may be closely related. Howard’s services were requested outside the home at the tender age of about 7. He remembers a neighbor asking his dad’s permission to use his services in leading the horse to pull the hay fork which loaded loose hay into the barn. This type of all-day event required that Howard have dinner with the family he was helping (strangers to him). This was the first time he remembers being ‘away from home’ with people other than relatives. The first paying job came to him in a similar fashion. The manager of the local canning factory properly asked permission of Howard’s father for him to come work at the factory to pitch the pea vines into the pea viner, (machinery that shucked the peas from the pods.) During WWII, he went to school during the day and worked at night at the warehouse in the canning factory earning about 50¢/hour. About this time his father’s health began to fail and as the only son, worked even more to take over the farm and build up a dairy and hog industry, along with chickens and crops. He would often exchange services for ‘custom’ work with the neighbors during harvest. He had some of the newest in farm equipment, so he would use it to do custom work of baling hay and filling their silos. Later on he invested in dispatching trucks to haul for the canning companies as well as manage some rental property.

One day soon after WWII, Howard went to a nearby town with two other young men and stopped in a local bar where they met three young women from the local college at another table. That evening led to life-time friends as couples, one of them to be Howard’s wife, Florence. They married about five years later, both at the age of 27, (May 17, 1952) and he became a father at the age of 29. Becoming a father brought out the utmost pride in him. Howard believes adamantly that one should be committed to the responsibilities involved with parenthood and he felt ready to accept that responsibility. This was the end of going out with the boys, as he dove in to meet the challenges of life and prepared to settle down.

Middle Adulthood

Howard’s joyful memories of his middle adulthood still involved the tradition of Sunday visits with friends (especially one other couple from that table of three with whom they were best friends). Family visits also involved trips to New Glarus, WI to visit his wife’s mother, originally from Switzerland.

Looking back at raising his six children, he can say he is satisfied with the accomplishments of his kids. He sent forth three sons to their professions; one as auto transmission specialist (well-regarded throughout the county) and two working the farm. Of his three daughters, one transitioned to a career in the military, another manages and is expanding her health and fitness club (also a business well-regarded in the community), and the third is expanding her education after many years of innovative small business endeavors and raising a family. The typical transition time for the ‘empty nest’ never truly occurred for Howard. “There was always someone around”, he says. He regrets somewhat neglecting the youngest, but now is involved with helping his children in any way he can. Any concerns he may have had about how his children turned out has evolved to acceptance. He notes, “You can’t change what you can’t change!”

Howard has always been a visionary with foresight into “forward agriculture”. He involved himself in the creation of a cooperative farm fire insurance program and agribusiness associations that focused on advances in production agriculture. He began a productive service of selling farm seed, using his own land as seed testing sites. He was also active as a 4-H leader for a time. In some of the later years he involved himself in the church council and committees, especially the buildings and grounds committee.

Howard’s mother resided upstairs in the same farm house in which he grew up and in which he raised his children. He paid her rent for use of the farm and assisted her with upkeep around the house. Every evening she would have dinner with him and his family. During this time he was quite satisfied; he felt secure and he entertained card games quite regularly, always including his mother. One day, while the last of the children were still at home, his mother came downstairs glassy eyed. Howard and Florence suspected a bad mix of medications. Hind-sight may have prescribed a stroke, but it was unknown at the time. He recognizes that his wife was saddled with the responsibility of her care after that and assisted when he could with her transportation needs. Howard did not subject himself to anger so much as acceptance when he lost her at the age of 92. Howard was 55 at the time. He claims that there was no need for anger. He “doesn’t get angry, only animals get angry.”

A typical day for Howard was milking 30 head of cows twice daily, working the farm during the day and settling in to the evening with his wife in the chair next to him, both reading. Soon after his mother passed, Howard lost his wife to a heart attack. Both were 59 years old and they had been married for 33 years. This was pretty hard for him to take. Suddenly she was no longer sitting next to him in the evenings.

About two years later, all six children received a phone call from Howard, asking permission of his adult children to remarry to a life-long friend from the neighborhood, Juanita, (she was also a widow). Almost 20 years later now, Howard is still extremely grateful for the companionship, and only regrets that he didn’t take more time to talk with Florence in the evenings like he does now with his wife.

Later years

Upon remarriage, Howard moved to a cottage by the lake. In his later years now, at the age of 80, he typically starts his day by occasionally making his own breakfast. He spends some time in the day with paperwork or bills, reading the publications he subscribes to (3 newspapers, 2 farm magazines), or prepares to go out to the farm and is back home by 4:00 pm. A little rest before dinner will pull him through so he can play cards at least two times per week. He makes sure he watches his one show, “Wheel of Fortune”, and the news before retiring for the night. Sundays or Mondays generally pull him into the football or baseball games. Today Howard takes time with his current wife to reminisce over their 20 years of marriage and over their younger days, (remembering that their folks had card parties together) and about the neighbors they both knew (filling in the details of each other’s stories).

Retirement. Howard laughs when he tells of his transition into retirement being not much different than transition into adulthood — quite opaque. Eventually, one son took the dairy, the other took the hogs and he sold the trucking business. He continued to sell farm seed until he was 79 years old and still helps out on the farm when he can.

Health and Dependency. In these later years, Howard struggles most with his breathing, assisted with Oxygen regularly. He recalls the “awful feeling when I can’t get enough air.” His emphysema allows only 30% lung capacity. In his mid-life, Howard experienced nitrogen poisoning from over-exposure to silo gas. He also had open heart surgery, replacing a valve when he was 75 years old. He maintains an active life in spite of medications and ailments.

Howard has been self-sufficient his entire life. Late life has slowed him down a great deal, but his level of activity remains high, even if it is only a half day on the farm. Accepting his limitations, he continues to help his sons on the farm, mostly driving tractor to do field work. He arranges to work only when his sons are available to assist with any of the physical aspects of the work. There is a sense of sadness when he remembers how he used to do plumbing, but now can hardly handle the wrench. This doesn’t stop him from getting up on the roof, now and then, to help out with shingling. His main fear is getting himself into a ‘jam’ so he is very conscientious about doing only what he can and knowing when to “call it quits”.

Review. In looking back, Howard feels his greatest success is his farm and his trucking business. He only regrets that he missed opportunities to capitalize on buying property. This is tied in with a sense of fulfillment in meeting his life purpose, which was to build a successful farm, be married and have children. His family is his cherished memory. He has lived a life with no regrets, and he “couldn’t be happier”.

Preparation for next stage

Howard stresses some concerns for the state of his health in the future and whether he saved enough for retirement. As for how to approach the topic of his demise, he definitely believes it should be talked about. He believes one should make a plan for it, set up trusts, and organize the documentation of one’s affairs, and he made sure his are all complete.

Conclusion

Howard Cigelske is the pinnacle of success, as an accomplished businessman. He sets a powerful and admirable example of the meaning of success. His positive attitude and level-headed sense of responsibility were his tools that laid the foundation for a fulfilling and satisfying life. His exceptional fortitude carries him diligently into late life. He is at the place in life now to reminisce over the pleasures and pains of the past, reap the rewards of his successful business practices, and throw a few card parties, while continuing to stimulate his intellectual repertoire and wisely manage his physical limitations.