A Midwest Roadtrip 2023 - Amery, Wisconsin

Today our road trip took us to Amery, Wisconsin to visit family. We slept in this morning (we got back late after the baseball game last night) and started the day off with a free hotel breakfast. Alison and I normally would m skip this free hotel breakfast, but my grandpa lives for free breakfast - he loves them simply because they are free. So we ate breakfast together before heading out. 

We had a ~90-minute drive to Amery, Wisconsin. Along the way, my grandpa told us many stories about his life and growing up. Among the many things we discussed was his first plane ride. His brother Darrell joined the Navy when he was 16, but after basic training realized he did not want to be in the Navy so he asked his mom to send in his birth certificate so he could get out of the Navy. She thought the Navy might be good for him and wouldn’t help so he got a friend to send in the birth certificate. Darrell ended up getting an honorable discharge, which meant he received veterans' benefits. He used those benefits to learn to fly small prop planes. One day he took my grandpa up in a small two-seater prop plane. My grandpa said he was too young and dumb to realize how dangerous this was, especially since his brother landed the plane in an alfalfa field. We also discussed how my grandpa’s parents probably never flew in a plane (he couldn’t think of a time they would have). It is wild to think about how much technology has changed since their lifetimes. My grandpa told us that his dad used to drive a school bus and in the winter when it was cold and snowy he would sometimes pick the kids up and take them to school in a horse-drawn sleigh. Wild. 

We talked about the death of my great-grandfather, Aeilt. He died of an enlarged heart from breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide while working on heavy machinery and engines throughout the years, especially all of the years he worked on them in small tin sheds during the brutal Iowa winters. My grandpa said my great-grandfather only went to the hospital one time and he didn’t make it out. He died in 1978. 

We talked about my great-grandmother, Opal. She went to school in Mankato, Minnesota for 6 months to get a teaching certificate. Then she taught at a country school with all primary grades in one school house. Eventually, she met Aeilt at a dance or another social event. 

Grandpa told a story he has told me a few times before. His father’s family was Lutheran. They weren’t all that thrilled when Aeilt married a Mormon girl. There was some pressure from his family for him to take his oldest boys (Darrell and Wendell) to the Lutheran church. Opal and Aeilt came to an understanding they would take their boys to the Lutheran church for Easter and Christmas. It so happens that when they attended church one Christmas the congregation was handing out candy and one of the older gentlemen in the congregation made a comment that Aeilt found a way to get his boys to church the week they were giving out candy. That was the last time Aeilt took his family to the Lutheran church, which was fine with my grandma Opal. This is one of many examples we discussed of the Troff stubbornness that seems to run in my family.

Another trait my grandpa says is common with the Troffs is their propensity to tease. My grandpa is a big tease and apparently, his brothers were too. I asked if Aeilt used to tease. My grandpa said most of his life Aeilt was too busy to tease. He worked 7 days a week. He would work all week to noon on Saturdays at the implement shop. Then on Saturday afternoons, he would work at my grandma Opal’s restaurant. Then while my Grandma Opal would take my grandpa to church on Sunday Aeilt would open the restaurant and serve breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Anyway, my grandpa did think of one example of his dad teasing. When Aeilt and Opal lived in the apartment under my grandpa’s house in Eagan my aunt Ardis used to go down and visit her grandparents. Aeilt would pull out a saucer and fill it full of cream and tea. Ardis apparently loved this, but Opal greatly disapproved. 

We drove through Amery and then we stopped to visit my grandpa’s nephew Ricky and his wife Pat. Ricky was one of my grandpa’s favorite nephews. Ricky is my great uncle Wendell’s youngest son. He was very kind and welcomed us into his home with open arms. It was easy to see that he really looks up to my grandpa. Ricky worked as a plumber and the cold winters in this part of the country did a number on his health. He was a little frail. His wife Pat has also had some health issues. Despite their challenges, they have a beautiful home out in the country and they were excited to see us and share stories about their lives and family. 

Next, we visited Lucille. Lucille is the widow of my grandfather’s brother Wendell. Wendell passed away in 2018. Lucille is 93 and is still as sharp of a tack. When my grandpa first called her to tell her we wanted to come visit she was concerned we wanted to stay with her and knew she wasn’t up for that, but since we assured her we would only visit for a short time that was okay. Lucille’s daughter, Sandi was also there along with Sandi’s daughter, Carri, and her husband, Steve. We visited them for a few hours. We told them about our trip and heard about their lives. My grandpa had printed out a few family history fan charts that he brought with us to give to Sandi. She was excited. He also had some old family photos and documents he brought to show her. 

Growing up my grandpa had fish like this hanging in his garage

My grandma Sue and Lucille

By this time it was already midafternoon. We were hungry and drove to a nearby A&W. This was an old-fashioned A&W with table service and truly amazing root beer floats in frozen mugs. Alison and I both went in with pretty low expectations and they easily cleared them. 

After our meal, we had a 3ish-hour drive to Fairmount, Minnesota. Along the way, we drove back past St. Paul and Minneapolis and then through a lot of farm country. My grandma Sue and Alison slept for a good chunk of the drive while my grandpa and I talked. Along the way, we passed the sign along Highway 169 welcoming us to the valley of the Jolly Green Giant. My grandpa told me about how my mom and aunt and uncles used to love that sign when they would drive to Ledyard to visit their grandparents. 

It was a long drive, but we made it to Fairmount and called it a night. It was a fun day visiting with family and hearing lots of stories. The best part of today was seeing my grandpa in his element. He was so happy reliving memories of his life and seeing loved ones that he hasn’t seen for many years.