Vegter-Tschetter Heritage

Moeke & Opa

Memories and Recollections about Opa & Moeke
posted in the 1999 Vegter Reunion Book

Grandpa and Grandma Vegter told of our mother, Jeanette, being kidnapped in Chicago when they had recently immigrated to the United States. Mom was ten years old at the time. How Grandpa and Grandma prayed her home! (Harold De Groot)

Everyone loved to have fun. I have fond memories of visiting Grandpa and Grandma Vegter in Sanborn, Iowa. We had so much fun visiting the cousins in Iowa, too. (Corine Haak Vogel)

Our family visited Grandma and Grandpa Vegter every year in the summer time from 1946 to 1952. We always enjoyed the wonderful hospitality shown us. We loved all our kissing cousins. Breakfast at their house was boiled eggs. No matter how full we were those last three boiled eggs were forced on us. No waste! (Bernie and Jane Teunissen)

I can recall that as children in California, Opa would always give each of us (Bob De Jon, Carol Elgersma Gilman, and myself, Butch Elgersma) a dime very Saturday. We would hang around him on Saturday morning at Aunt Etta's house where Opa and Moeke were living. He would pretend that he had no idea why we were there. Finally the little worn leather coin purse would be taken out of his pocket and he would give each of us a doobletje (coin). However, before we would get our money, he would pinch our finger really tight and his belly would shake with laughter. (Duane Elgersma)

William & Tryntje

I had been going with my girlfriend for quite some time and thought it was time she met my grandparents. After the introduction Grandpa said, "My, what a good looking young girl you have there!" Grandma scolded Grandpa and said, "Shame on you Willem, you know that what's in the heart is the only thing that counts1" Grandpa responded jokingly and with a twinkle in his eye, "Ya, Trintje, but the eye needs something too." (As told to Hank Haak by Harvey De Groot)

Words of wisdom were given to me one fall day, when Grandma Vegter and I were working hard in our "summer kitchen" on a farm in Frankfort, Illinois. We were making applesauce. Grandma sat in her chair with her feet on a footstool, big dishpan on her lap, filled with apples, peeling fast! I had to run to the windmill and carry water to wash the apples, keep the kerosine stove going, stir the pots of applesauce, wash jars and jar lids, put sauce in jars. One jar lid did it! I exploded. I threw the lid against the wall and screamed. Grandma and I never talked much, but we were really one in spirit. This time she spoke up loud and clear. "Gedoelt vindt opver allus," she said. In English it means, "Patience wins over everything." In essence it means that like Job of old, no matter how hard the task or miserable the way, be patient, trust in God to supply the strength.

Visiting in Iowa
Front: Opa & Moeke, Jennie and Lizzie
Back: Leonard & Jeanette De Groot

At Grandma's Funeral
Kate, Lizzie, Grandpa, John, Etta, Bill, Jennie, Janna, Bill, Josie

My most vivid and lasting memory is of Opa and Moeke boarding the train to move from Iowa to California. Mom and I lived with my grandparents, Jake and Lizzie Hop, in Alton, Iowa. Uncle Leonard and Aunt Jeanette De Groot lived in Orange City, Iowa just 3 miles away. Uncle Dick and Aunt Josie Elgersma had lived in California for some time at this point. Uncle George and Aunt Etta decided to follow and Opa and Moeke were going to move to California too. After George and Etta sold their home, Uncle George packed his car (an old Buick I bet) along with Hank and Dick and drove off to Southern California, the promised land. Uncle Leonard and Aunt Jeanette were appointed to get Opa, Moeke and Etta to the train which happened to leave from Alton. They were scheduled to leave at 5:15 p.m. on March 7, 1956. We went to the depot with two cars, one driven by Uncle Leonard and one by cousin Clarence D Groot. My mom, Janice and I went to say goodbye. The train came into the station on time. Aunt Etta boarded with Opa. Now it's time to get Moeke aboard. I loved the lady with all my heart, and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but she wasn't exactly a lightweight and she was definitely not a ballet dancer. The bottom line is she could not negotiate or coordinate her legs to balance on that portable step the conductor sets on the brick walkway, much less make her legs go to the next step into the train car. Finally she is on the portable step. Uncle Leonard is on the train pulling her by the arms and Clarence is literally pushing her behind to get her to move on up. Meantime the train whistle is blowing and the conductor, a highly stressed out black man is shouting, "Whatta we gonna do on da other end? Whatta we gonna do on da otha end?" (She isn't even on the train yet and he's worried about how she's going to get off!!) Meanwhile the train engineer blasts the whistle for the last time. They obviously were serious about keeping their schedule. Moeke, all this time is saying, ""h Heere! Oh Heere! Oh Heere!" (Oh Lord! Oh Lord!) over and over. At last with a mighty push, Moeke stumbles up the 3 steps in the train car, still with Uncle Leonard pulling and Clarence pushing. (Mom's diary says it was like loading a sack of feed.) The train started to move forward picking up speed. Clarence jumped off the moving train, but it was too late for Uncle Leonard. Well, guess what, Aunt Jeanette panicked big time. "Leonard's going to California! Leonard's going to California!!" This was followed by much wailing, crying and tears. Clarence jumped in the car. We tore through Alton and caught up with the train on Highway 33 on the way to Le Mars. By this time, we convinced Aunt Jeanette that Leonard was not going to have to travel all the way to California and she calmed down. As a matter of fact, we saw them in the train and they waved to us as we rode along side on the highway. Uncle Leonard was allowed to leave the train 15 miles later in Le Mars. I never did find out what they did on "da otha end." (Don Vegter)

At Grandma's Funeral