Bill and Josephine Kuper-Goehring-Speck
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| Josie's parents, Joe and Anna (Hansen) Kuper | Bill and Josephine ca 1980 | Lady standing is believed to be Bill's mother, Lucy Reeser |
Josephine Agnes
Kuper
was born May 13, 1916, to Joseph James and Anna Caroline HANSEN-Kuper,
on the family homestead northwest of Miller, Hand County, SD She graduated from
the eighth grade at Taylor country school south of Seneca. Her parents
eventually made a land swap with a Dodge Alley and the family moved 30 miles
north of Highmore. She married Emil Edward GOEHRING Mar. 23, 1936, at Highmore.
They had three children: Edwin, Joyce and Larry. She and Emil divorced.
William Edward Speck was born to August II and
Lucille REESER Speck Jan. 13, 1903, at Ryan, Delaware County, Iowa, the fourth
of five children. The family moved to Roswell, SD, coming by train ca 1905. The
children were put up in a hotel room while their parents loaded the wagons from
the train, then they moved onto their farm. In 1912, the family, which, besides
Bill,
included August III, Elizabeth,
Mary and Martha,
moved to Buffalo County.
Bill shared with us a story about "the Gullickson guys" who would take him
(when he was little) into a bar with them and give him a nickel to cuss someone
out. "The more I cussed, the more money I made," he said. "Mother didn't know
about that!"
He attended country school through the eighth grade to help out on the farm.
He started working for a man by the name of Fred Menick when he was eleven,
making $10 a month husking corn with a spike sticking out through a glove. He
next worked for a Kip Ingerson for $15 a month.
Josephine met Bill in the barber shop in Highmore when she brought her sons in
for haircuts. Their first date was to a movie and to a dance. They were married
at Interior, Jackson County, SD June 11, 1943, and started their life together
(with her three children) on a farm south of Harold.
They moved their family, which now included five more children: Darrell,
Ella, Karon, Sharon and Judy, to Chamberlain in 1952. Bill worked for the City
of Chamberlain, Delaney Bros. Plumbing & Heating and the Chamberlain Livestock
Sale Barn before retiring in 1976. They purchased a home and moved to Oacoma in
Lyman County in 1965.
Josephine worked at the Knox Creamery and the Rainbow Cafe before beginning
her employment with Community Bailey Hospital in 1958. In 1960, she assumed the
duties as the head of the laundry, retiring in 1995. The family has grown to
over 80 members and is still growing.
Bill passed away
at the
Margatein University Hospital in Florida in
Nov. 22, 1992 while visiting daughters, Karon and Judy, and is buried in
Graceland Cemetery at Oacoma next to their baby, Billy, who passed away at six
months from SIDS. (A rather strange coincidence is that in the Speck plot,
three of the six lots are the graves of three Bill Specks ... Wm.
Edward, Wm. Robert (1950) and Albert Wm. (1997.)
Since her retirement (at 80) she has lived through
surgery on an aneurysm, brain surgery, surgery on a torn retina and surgery for
uterine cancer and still goes strong. Considerably slower, but she is hanging in
there. Josephine moved to Riverview Retirement House Nov. 1, 2003. She keeps
the residents laughing and wins the majority of Bingo games ... that old
competitive spirit of hers ... and on April Fools Day, 2004, entertained
everyone with her face painted, over-sized red and white shoes, clown suit and
red nose.
It should also be mentioned that being the little Norwegian, unfortunately
she is a carrier for Dupuytren's Contracture, a medical malady that causes the
tendons in the hands and feet to contract knot up ... hence the "Contracture")
and draw the fingers down into the palms, which is only treated with surgery. So
far as we know, it has surfaced in about a dozen family members. If you're
reading this and this is happening in your Norwegian family, the earlier it is
treated the better. DC comes down through the Norwegian line, a malady of the
Vikings.
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Back - Anna Hansen Kuper, Christ Hansen. Seated: Ingaborg Hansen, Josephine Kuper Goehring, "Little Emil" Goehring ca 1938, Hansen homestead west of Orient, Faulk Co., SD |
Four generation, l-r: Josie, her father, Joe Kuper, her son, Edwin, and his son, Donn ca 1967 |
Emil Edwin, b. 6 Aug.1937 in auto two miles east of Faulkton, Faulk County; m. Barbara Stallman, b.29 July 1941 in Brule County 4 children: Donn, Sindi, Bill, Casey. Retired. Oacoma, SD. Had name changed legally to Speck in 1978.
Joyce Marie, b. 12 July, 1941 in auto 1 1/2 miles west of Highmore, Hyde County; m. David McCollam. 3 ch: Rhonda, Becky, Esther. Divorced. Rapid City, SD.
Larry Edward, b. 2 Feb 1940 at home near Highmore; m. Karen Zorngiebel, 3 ch: Dan, Dee Dee, Jerry. Divorced. Kansas City, MO. Kept the Goehring name when he enlisted in the US Army at age 17.
Darrell Dean, b. 6 July1944 at home south of Harrold, m. Eva. Oest Buzkowski, divorced. Retired US Army. Married Joyce Rapid City, SD.
Janice Josephine, b.28 Nov 1945 at Miller, Hand County; m. James Norton, 3 ch: Tana, Tad, Rhea, Retired USAF. Texas.
Karon Kay, b.6 July 1948 at Miller, 1 son: Ron. Divorced. North Carolina.
Ella Mae, b.4 Apr 1947 at Wssington Springs, Jerauld County SD. (1) m. Garry Weinberg, 5 ch: Jolonda, Garry Jr., Chad, Dawn, Misty. Divorced. (2) m. Ron Wilcox. Rapid City, SD.
Sharon Lee, b.17 Aug 1949 at Miller; m. Mike Gregor, 2 sons: Michael and Jason. Divorced. Portland, Ore.
William Robert, b. 30 Sept. 1950 - 30 Oct. 1950 at Miller, Hand County, SD. Originally buried in Miller. Removed to Oacoma in 1983.
Judy Lynn, b. 1 Dec 1955 at Chamberlain, Brule County. dau. Amber. m. Charlie Ross. One son: Christopher. Divorced. Married Jeff Kelsey. Florida.
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l-r: Ed, Ella, Larry, Darrell, Joyce, Janice ca 1949
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Bingo Mama | Grandpa with Chad and Dawn Weinberg |
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| Sharon, Karon, Ngaire, Barb, Marilyn, Janice | # 1 horsewoman |
Bill and
Josephine's family photos
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Siblings:
Ethel,
Edna
Lewis,
Clarence,
Harold,
Alfred,
Alice
