Otto Stover

Otto Stover

1. When and where were you born?

I was born in 1921, October 5^th, 8 miles northwest of Piedmont, Oklahoma.

I was born on the farm, the fifth child.

I attended school at Racine, District #7, 1 ½ miles south and 1 mile west of my home.

My siblings were:

Emma Stover Allison, (Dec.), Yukon
Herman Stover, (Dec.), Piedmont

Paul Stover, (Dec.), Piedmont

Helen Stover King, El Reno

Raymond Stover, Piedmont

According to Jim…"We moved to our family farm here in 1954. Otto, Paul, and Herman farmed together for several years. We also had a dairy, milked at 6:00 and 6:00. Otto didn’t give his boys a curfew, they just had to be home by 6:00 A.M. We didn’t stay out too late very many times. When his brother, Paul, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he moved in with Otto and lived out the rest of his life there."

2. Tell me about your parents.

My father, Henry Stover, was born in 1889 in Nebraska. My mother was Katherine Wiedemann, also born in Nebraska in 1884. They were married in 1913 in El Reno, Oklahoma.

According to Jim…"Otto’s mother passed away when he was very young. His father lived many years in the Piedmont area."

3. Tell me about your spouse.

My wife was Jean (Little) Stover. We met on a blind date and were married several years later (1946) in El Reno, Oklahoma.

According to Jim…"Otto and Jean moved from the farm on the Reeding road into a home in Cashion in 1976. Jean passed away in 1995 after a long illness, I watched my dad take care of her the way she had always taken care of the rest of us."

4. Tell me about your children, grand-children, great grand-children.

Children:

Mike Stover (Dec.) Wife, Ina

Jim Stover, Wife, Janet

Grand-children:

Amy (Stover) Travis, Husband, Terry

Leah (Stover) Warden, Husband, Gene

Marci (Stover) Jones, Husband, Steve

Jaime Stover, Wife, Misti

Jana (Stover) Trello, Husband, Tom

Jeremy Stover, Wife, Sarah

Great grand-children
Cory Travis, Jody Travis, Maggie Travis

Jaici Stover, Karsyn Stover, Kadence Stover

Micheal Warden, Ben Warden, Ashley Warden

Luke Jones, Tanner Jones.

5. What do you do now for a living? (working, retired)

Retired Farmer, Carpenter

Discuss world problems at Shawnee Mills.

According to Jim…"Otto does spend his mornings in the ‘office’ (Shawnee Mills) bantering with the others about the affairs of state, the affairs of the nation, and the personal lives of all the others gathered around the table. He also has restored many cars, trucks, and tractors…Ask him to show you sometime."

6. Do you consider yourself successful?

Sure do. I had almost 50 years of happy marriage and 2 good sons.

According to Jim…"So does everyone who ever met him. So Do I!"

7. What irritates you?

Telephone Recordings!

8. What has disappointed you?

Nothing important.

According to Jim…"A testament to his faith. You will find Otto in church on Sunday, always have and always will."

9. What has pleased you most?

My family!

According to Jim…"Otto spends most holidays with sister Helen. He then finds the time to come by Jim’s sometime during the day. He eats lunch on Thursdays in Okarche with brother Raymond and wife Darlene. Look at the number of grandkids!"

10. What qualities do you look for in a friend?

Someone I can depend on,

Someone with a good sense of humor,

Someone who doesn’t talk more than I do.

According to Jim…"Apparently, he has found the secret for friendship. Otto has time for his friends. He makes time to visit friends in the nursing homes on a regular basis, and on the phone. I can’t remember the last time I called him and got through on the first ring."

11. Tell me about a time when you were growing up.

Gathering eggs. When I was 11 or 12 years old, it was my job to gather the eggs every night. We didn’t gather eggs in the mornings, but sometimes we were not home in the evenings until after dark. Now, I am sticking my hand into one dark nest after another, and always thinking about snakes. Snakes like eggs you know. That night, I stuck my hand under one old setting hen, (still thinking about snakes), when that old hen pecked my hand. I’M OUT OF HERE! NO MORE EGGS THAT NIGHT.

12. Tell me about the most fun you have had.

Dancing with my wife Jean at the Czech Hall at Yukon, and later at Herman’s ‘Stover Hall’ on the Northwest highway.

13. What else in life would you like to accomplish?

I think I’ve done pretty well.

Done it!

Been There!

Done that!

According to Jim…"Otto and Jean were fortunate enough to be able to travel and see and do some things together that others may not. They were fun and always ready to go on to the next thing on their list."

14. Why do you live in the Cashion area? What influenced you to stay?

Small town atmosphere, and good friends.

Too poor to move!

15. Cashion needs something to survive the next 100 years...what is it?

I like it this way. Less Yankees!

According to Jim…"And we like it this way, too. The people on my list made Cashion to be this way. Way to Go."