Harry, H.K. …..Our Dad.
(This post was part of what was shared at Dad's funeral at New Hope A/G, Urbandale, Iowa on September 8th.)
A Little Bougher History
Harry Kenneth Bougher - Harry, H.K. …..Our Dad.
October 22, 1914 - September 4, 2007
Dad was one of 5 children Thelma, Virgil, Dad, Bea & Dorothy. They are the children of James and Minnie Bougher.
Moving
It must have been a hard life for those Boughers – they moved wherever there was a harvest ready to pick, or a mine that needed miners. From southern Iowa to northern Arkansas they would move. Aunt T told us the story of one move they made in a horse drawn wagon when Dad was just a baby. She said they would stop along the way and sleep out under the wagon. Can you imagine?
Saturday Night Baths
Dad told us how they all would get to take a bath on Saturday night. With a big wash tub in the center of the kitchen, they would bring in water to be heated on the stove and pour the hot water into the tub. The Girls got to go first then Uncle Virgil and Dad would fight for the #4 spot. The only thing that changed from one bath to the next was that they would add more hot water. No one wanted to be taking the last bath!
Dad's Employment
Grandpa (James) Bougher provided the best he could, but it had its affect on Dad (Harry). At 16, Dad left home to be on his own and started work at Grocer’s Wholesale in Des Moines. With his 6th grade education, his smile and his energy, he ended up working at Electrical Engineering and Equipment Company aka 3E, as a Salesman. Later he would become the general office manager and bookkeeper and serve as vice president.
Harry Meets Vera - The Love Story Begins
Dad met mom at church – she was singing. He always said Mom was in a white dress, Mom said it was blue. They double dated with friends – but mom was with the other guy. That’s when Dad put his plan in action – he took the others home first, so he could be with mom. You know the rest of that story.
Dad's Games
Math & bookkeeping was easy for Dad. He had a mind for remembering all kinds of things. On vacations, while driving in the car, he played a memory game with us. We would give him 20 things – (We wrote them down).
1. White Horse
2. Blue Volks Wagon Bug
3. Green Oil Pump and so on ….
3 hours later, we would ask what was number 2 – and he would give us the correct answer. Yes, 10 hours later, number 1 and even the next day number 13!
He also liked to play the “guess how much money is in my pocket” game. He would shake all of his change out into his hand –count to 3 and then you would guess. Guess the right amount and you win the total. (Steve is the only one I remember winning.)
The Next Boughers
Bud came first, Jean, then Steve & I was last.
We were not rich, but Dad & Mom did all they could to provide a great home for us. When I was small, Dad, Bud & Uncle Karl built our house on 2811 Stanton, Steve and Jean may have helped – I just don’t remember. You could reach us, on our party line at Cherry 43990. Stanton was a 3 bedroom ranch house with 1 bathroom.
When Dad finally put a shower in the basement, we all thought we had moved into the Hilton. Now, we had no central air back then, but we did have an attic fan. Our attic fan had a Nutone timer on it – remember Dad worked at 3E. Those timers saved money. In the summer, we all would go to sleep with the windows open and that louvered attic fan on. It would bring all the air in through the windows and blow it up through the attic. But that timer would shut the fan off in just 60 minutes, the louvers would shut with a whomp and then we would all collectively moan. So, Dad would get up, put on his house slippers, clop, clop, clop and reset the timer. (I wonder how many times he thought “I should’ve bought a 2 hour timer”?)
Bougher Concerts - FREE Admission
We had family jam sessions on Sunday afternoons – the neighbors must have loved us! Dad played the sax, Mom sang and played her guitar, Bud & Steve played the trumpet, Jean played the marimba. I made noise with a plastic toy trumpet. We were the original Tijuana Brass – Bougher Version of course. We had “Mansion Over the Hilltop” down. Many of you may remember Mom and Dad playing and singing duets at church. “In the Garden" and "He Whispers Sweet Peace” were two of their favorites. (Most of their songs were about Heaven.)
Obedience was Taught at Home & Away
We were taught the right way to live and the consequences of the wrong way. I remember taking trips to the bathroom during church – these were not bladder problems mind you, I had been disobedient and Dad was going to apply some pressure to the seat of knowledge. (See Proverbs 13:14 for more info.) The switch, the belt, the paddle, the fly swatter – all had “Apply As Needed” written right on the handle at our house.
Wrong Pew - Wrong Time
Later, we were allowed to quietly sit with our buddies in the pew ahead of Mom & Dad, and if you were goofing off during church, Dad would just reach up and thump you on the back of the head. As we grew older, Mom and Dad allowed us to sit over with the other teenagers. Dick, Rick, Rod and Bill were always close by. But I can still hear Dad’s wing tips walking over to our section, when Rod Erickson dropped a glass communion cup and it bounced all the way down to the altar on that tile floor at First A/G. I was in the wrong pew at the wrong time.
God is Our Strength
We knew that no one could make it without God’s help. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 Many of you helped re-enforce the biblical teaching we were already learning at home. To that, all of us are eternally grateful. Mom & Dad taught us that God was our source of strength through every storm and every struggle. And that with God, all things are possible. Phi. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” And they modeled that before us. You folks were the exclamation points.
Dad was the solid rock at our house. We knew that we could ask Dad anything. You might not get what you want, but you could always ask. One of the things he would tell us is, “Its always good to want.”
Dad's Antics
I don’t remember Dad bringing home anything from work but a smile.
That could be because he was always up to something. And Mom was usually the one on the receiving end of one of his stunts. Like the time he climbed up on the washer (in the basement) and while Mom was at the kitchen sink - main floor, he reached up through the dirty clothes shoot, opened the cabinet door and grabbed her leg. I’m sure they heard Mom scream all the way to Hoover High.
Dad's Twisted Words
He made life fun by changing words around. Bail Mox, Shake a Tower, Gair-age and
Ga-nat were just some of his spoonerisms heard over & over. You had to learn his code: a "Spark Plug" was a "Fire Plug" and a "Bugler" was a bug that needed to be swatted. He told us to watch out for bad drivers - "the old man with a hat" - he was the worst kind of driver. Then the day came when he told us "now, I are one."
Sharing the Truth - Jesus is the Only way to Heaven.
Our Dad knew when to be serious. And he knew that there were special times that God was at work. Dad & Mom were both serious about sharing the good news that Jesus is the only way to heaven. They have co-workers in heaven now telling their stories.
Tony heard the Good News
Like Tony - Tony was one of the bosses of the warehouse at 3E. We all knew Tony, he would sit up in the break room and chew his tobacco – when he spit it on the floor of the balcony, it would eventually drip through the old flooring and …. we’ll let’s just say that you didn’t want to be checking under the balcony, when Tony was on break. Tony was one of those rough characters that heard the good news from Dad. I know he was there Tuesday with Bud and Mom to meet Dad.
Heaven is REAL
You may see tears in our eyes today, because we loved our Dad, our Grandpa, and our Great Grandpa. That is because he will be missed. But we know the truth of that old song we played on Sunday afternoons -
“I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop in that bright land where we’ll never grow old”
What a place. No Alzheimer’s! No disease! No tears! Are YOU ready for Heaven?
Jesus said it this way “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2
And to that, we hear the words of the Apostle Paul “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” II Cor. 5:8
Our hearts are filled with joy … because Dad is at peace in the presence of his Lord and Savior.
Our Family Commitment
Church Family, Here is Our Commitment to You:
We will be:
... a Family of Living Epistles.
... a God Fearing, God Believing Family,
... a Family of Faith from Generation to Generation.
Our every Son, and every Daughter will hear the stories of Grandpa Harry and Grandma Vera Mae. Their legacy is forever planted in our hearts.
And we will tell it over and over, ... until the last trumpet sounds.
The Story will Continue
We are the book of the generations of Harry and Vera.
To God be the glory!
The Bougher Family – Generations 2, 3 and 4… so far!
P.S. In every note Grandma sent, she would add at the end:
Jesus is coming Soon!
