ERNY, HARVEY DEWAIN

Harvey Dewain Erny was born on

1922 to Frank C. Erny and Ruth Fern Hardy, in the home of his Aunt and Uncle, Fred and Ora Hardy, four miles east of Mullen, the oldest of three brothers, Charles Walter born May 11, 1925, deceased October 19, 1950 from injuries received when appar-ently a horse fell with him or threw him while rounding up cattle working on the ranch of Reed Hamilton located North of Thedford. Leroy Henry, born 1927, now living in Alden, New York, and Ernest Norman, born 1928 and living in Orchard Park, New York.

Around 1925, Dad was foreman on a ranch on Three Mile Lake, Northeast of Arthur, Nebraska. We moved a few years later to a school section Southwest of Mullen, East of John Boyce's and South of where George VanDuesen lived. My brothers and I attend-ed the VanDuesen School which was origi-nally located about halfway between the VanDuesen's and Sexton's, 16 miles South-west of Mullen.

I recall my first teacher being Iola (James) Hamilton. Other teachers during grade school were Ruth (Mathews) Stoughton, and Miss Louden from Ashley, Nebraska. I attended school with Ida Ona, Norma, Gerry, and Keith VanDeusen, Orfa Sexton, Eunice and Goldie Maire, Eugene and Dallas Collins, Gene and Marvel Boyce, Bob and Paul Garret, Cecil Baldwin, and Curtis Lelachuer. There were just a few others whose names I cannot recall. My brothers and I walked to school, rode horseback, or drove a team of horses. The VanDuesen School was moved up the valley, west of VanDeusen's to be more centrally located for the Boyce and Collins families. A room was added, and the grades were split with two teachers. In 1937- 1938, those from the Maire school were bused to the VanDeusen School. Dad had the busing contract for one year and purchased a 1937 Chevrolet Suburban as a bus. It had seats for about eight. The following year Ralph An-thony had the busing contract. He used a 1937 or 1938 Ford panel truck with bench type seats along the sides. During the years of the bus route we lived on the May's place which was down the valley east of Buck-finch's and South of Joe and Mollie Piel's home. We moved to Northern Arkansas for a short period of time to see if the climate would be more beneficial to our mother's health. While there, our house on the school section burned.

I attended Mullen High School. During this time I stayed with my grandparents, Charles and Louise Erny, when they lived four miles south of Mullen. I walked or rode to school and each Friday evening I rode my horse home. It would be dark before I got halfway home so I had to rely on my horsse to find the way.

Our family also lived part of a school year two miles south of Mullen. During my teen years I worked for Clem and Velma Hall, Berg Gregg and Lloyd Collins. One summer I worked for Bob Mills cutting hay with a F12 Farmall for Cliff Younkin, Ralph Dimmick and Carl Jeffords using a seven foot cut mower.

In 1941 my dad had an auction on the school section and sold everything. He had built a small trailer house. We then moved to Lincoln where he and I attended Lincoln Aeronautical School. The school secured a job for us at Curtiss Wright Airplane Plant in Buffalo, New York which was building P40 fighter planes.

In August 1943, I entered the Air Force until January 1946. I met my wife, Jean Kosakowski while working at Curtiss and we were married August 31, 1946. We lived in a small apartment on Westwood Road in Alden, New York for about 1 1/2 years until we bought a 32 acre farm. The house and barn were very old and neglected. We spent about three years remodeling the house and then sold it and the 115×250 ft. lot, and built a three bedroom ranch house on the other corner of the farm where we have lived ever since. The old wooden barn was torn down a few years later and a 48×62 block barn erected where I raise angus cattle. Since then we have put up a three car garage and a machinery shed.

We have three children – David Joseph born 1948. He has two children, Jeremy Joseph born 1976 and Jamie Elizabeth born 1979. He is divorced from his wife, Fran Torok. Nancy Jean born 1954, married to Daniel Andrew Obrotka and they have two children, Jason Daniel born 1981 and Kelly Jean 1985. And, Barbara Ann, born 1959 and married to Kevin Paul Newman. They have a son Matthew Kevin, born 1984.

Jean worked for Fisher-Price Toys in East Aurora, New York for over fifteen years and is now retired. I worked for thirty years in Aerospace work on parts for high speed jet aircraft and space shuttle. I retired March, 1986. In May 1984 I had quintuple heart by-pass surgery and through the miracle of modern medicine I am here to write this.