My Dad, Wally Moede is pictured at the top. God is so very good to me. God loves to make me weep a lot, as I am in AWE of HIM always! So many blessings have come my way from the Windom Revival this year, they just keep coming. Friday night at the Revival I was blessed to talk with Lyle and Joyce Osland, pictured here on the left, of Windom. Their daughter Lisa is pictured on the right with her grand-babies. Joyce shared with me how their grandson, Brandon who is pictured with my Dad, loved Wally so very much. My Dad was the Transportation Director for the Windom Schools for years, right up until he passed away suddenly at age 64, Easter morning April 19, 1992. Joyce said that Brandon would not get off the bus until he had “Wally time”. Brandon wanted to have his talk with Wally, and Dad would have to tell him that grandma Joyce has his macaroni and cheese ready for him, and then Brandon would run to the house!
One year a Pastor on KDOM radio in Windom said that my Dad was an “Angel for all Children of Windom” Dad was known for his good care of children, making sure they got home safely everyday.
When Dad died suddenly, it was such a shock, it shook Windom to its core. I rushed home from Indiana to be with Mom, Ruth. A couple days after the funeral we got a call at Mom’s house from a Dad that said his little boy was having a very hard time with Wally passing away. The father asked me if we had one of my Dad’s hats we would give his son. My Dad loved to wear different hats, like ball hats.
That afternoon the father and little boy, on crutches, he was handicapped, came walking up the sidewalk and I gave him one of Dad’s hats and you would have thought I just gave him a million dollars, it was to him, the hat of his buddy Wally.
I pray that I walk the walk my Dad did, always in service of others, always with a smile on my face. Dad always put others before him and was never in it for the glory, only for the glory of God.
Dad was a Sgt. in the Marines in WW II, Fireman for years in Windom, head usher for 39 years at ALC, Custodian at the High School, then promoted to Transportation Director. Most of all a Godly husband and father.
Many did not know, but Mom was Dad’s right arm. Mom was the head cook at Winfair School for years but helped Dad in so many ways with the management of the Buses. This was before cell phones, so everyone called the house before calling the school! LOL! Is there school today? Are the buses on time? Little Johnny is not home yet, do you know here he is? etc…..or the days when Mom had to call and wake up a few drivers! LOL! There was one that always slept in! Lol! I remember hearing those calls!
I want to thank Lyle and Joyce Osland and their daughter Lisa Dunkelberger for sharing the picture of my Dad and the story of him and Brandon. God bless you all. Here is the letter I got from Lisa……….This came after the Windom Peacemakers Revival 2017 in November.
Hi Dewey!
My parent’s, Lyle & Joyce Osland recently attended your meetings in Windom. I am their daughter, Lisa Dunkelberger. My parent’s asked me to send this picture of my son, Brandon and your dad. Brandon is now 33 years old, so it’s been a while since this pic was taken on his second day of kindergarten! Your dad was such a wonderful man!
Thank you for ministering to my parent’s and brother, Troy while in Windom. I could tell they were very encouraged. My parent’s wanted me to share some of our story with you.
My older brother, Todd, took his life just before turning 50 in May of 2013. It was a total shock! It was just a few weeks before my daughter’s wedding as well. My brother, Troy who who struggles with depression, was served divorce papers by his wife during this same time, and had to move back to MN and live with my parent’s.
Twenty months ago, my husband, Tim and I had just moved back to MN. We bought a house just four miles from Brandon and his family, near Austin. Our daughter and family live in Rochester. We were living in the basement while Tim was gutting the upstairs. Tim was a contractor for nearly twenty years prior to the recession. My brothers birthday was coming up on May 20, and I had just been telling Tim how I was finally healing after three years. By the grace of God, our whole family was doing so much better. On May 20th at 4 am, I was notified that Tim had passed away from a heart attack while at work! He was 53 and in good health, and a locomotive engineer for Canadian Pacific Railway. I am still living in my basement, but am hopeful to be moved upstairs by Christmas. We miss Todd & Tim terribly, but are thankful that we will see them in heaven someday!
In Christ,
Lisa Dunkelberger
I then emailed back Lisa and thanked her so very much for sharing with me! I asked her a few more questions and she answered back and made my day once again!………..
From Lisa:
I currently live by Austin, MN. Tim and I moved from Rochester MN to Mason City IA for his training with Canadian Pacific in 2011, which took two years. Then we waited another three years for a new contract to see if we could move closer to MN. My husband was on call, so he didn’t want to live more than 30 miles from Mason City initially. We were in the process of buying a house that was half way between Mason City and Austin when the owner decided to take the house off the market at the last minute with no explanation. That house would of been a much bigger remodel project than my current house. We had seen the house by Austin earlier, but it was 60 minutes from Mason City and my husband had to be to the depot 90 min. after being called. One day out of the blue, my husband decided to buy the house by Austin, which was a huge gift to the kids and I. I know with all my heart that the Lord brought me to Austin to be near my son. He went before me and brought me to a safe place. Normally my husband was gone for several days and went down into Illinois. Five months before his passing, a new job was posted that went from Mason City to Waseca Mn. Tim was forced to the job, but it enabled him to be home more than what he had been in several years.We felt like we were on vacation getting to see each other every day! The last day I woke up next to my husband, I told him it felt like a piece of heaven! He had time to work on the house and I got to listen to him singing praise songs while he worked. I witnessed the Lord drawing him closer those last weeks! When the officers came to notify me of his passing, the Lord gave me this beautiful picture of Tim running into the arms of Jesus and then the song by Hillside https://www.youtube.
Thank you again with all my heart Lisa, Joyce and Lyle! We love you all! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thanks to my wife Sharon who came up with the title for this story….Sharing Goodness….There are not enough stories like this being told, thank you to Lyle, Joyce and Lisa who shared with us!
We here at FGGAM, Always want to share the goodness of God with the world.
