by Jill Funke

Alice Van Raalte often jokes that although she has moved a few times in her life, she never went very far. This Larchwood resident was born about five miles south of Larchwood, moved to a farm 2 miles east of town when she was married, then lived in town for 43 years.

In the 1930’s, she met her husband Bill in church in Lester. She had dated different gentlemen but just knew he was the one. Their courtship took place during the Great Depression, and economic hardship experienced by the couple and their families left little money with which to hold a wedding. Alice says that she and Bill waited a long time before they were finally able to get married. Once they tied the knot, the couple decided that Bill would help his parents with the harvest that year, however, World War II changed their plans. Initially, Bill received his draft notice. Yet when he reported as instructed, a physical revealed that the severe case of varicose veins in his legs would keep him from active duty. While he wasn’t required to fight for his country, he was kept in what they called unlimited service, and the government would not allow him to assume the responsibility for a farm of his own. Bill was a hired hand for his father for five years until his time in unlimited services was over. Then, in 1946 when Bill’s parents moved to town, the couple took over their operation and started farming on their own.

Alice loved life on the farm. Looking back to those days, she remembers having chickens and cows. She also recalls keeping very busy as they didn’t have electricity or running water. This meant they hauled fuel and water on a regular basis wherever it was needed. Along the way, the couple was blessed with their son Allen and their daughter Sharon. Although they would have gladly welcomed more children into their home, Alice says that it was the Lord’s plan for them to only have two. When Allen was 6 years old, the family updated their living conditions to include electricity and running water. At the time, Alice remembers wondering what she would do with the time she used to spending hauling water and performing many tasks by hand. With a laugh, she also remembers a time when both she and a close neighbor became sick at the same time. This left the washing for their husbands to complete. Bill had to transport the water from their porch to the wash house, and wash all of the laundry and hang it to dry. When Alice did the wash, she always made a point to hurry through the loads as she had children in the house by themselves. After Bill and his neighbor had finished the laundry, they decided right away that hanging clothes wasn’t a job that anyone should have to do, and each husband went out and bought their wife a dryer.

In helping Bill farm their half section, Alice remembers doing many tasks including picking corn and pitching manure. Born into a family with ten children, she and her siblings all had to help as their family had a great deal of work to do, which left her ready to work on her own farm. As her children became adults her family grew, with Allen and Sharon each having four children and giving Alice and Bill a total of eight grandchildren. When Bill passed away about five years ago, it was Alice’s family that became her focus. Those grandchildren have now blessed Alice with twenty great-grandchildren and two more on the way. She keeps busy making embroidered block quilts for each of them. In addition, Alice spends her time finding ways to make the community a little better. As the Larchwood Library attracts great numbers of youngsters for their weekly story time sessions, Alice helps library staff by cutting out different paper figures that will be used for the craft of the week. Sometimes, she finds herself cutting as many as four pieces for each child who participates. Alice says that she got started with helping library staff one day when she was in the library, and told staff she could just take projects home and work on them there as long as she wanted. As long as her hands stay limber, she plans to continue helping with story time projects.