Harry C. “Bud” Crowl Jr. Robert W. Green Stan Grote Marian Hensley

Ted Hoff Ron Mahoney Bob Pettepier

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Never mind his 50-yearReal Estate career, his sixgrandchildren or his actualage (79), Harry Crowl Jr.sounds like a man in his 20s.

Oh sure, he speaks with anair of maturity that suitssomeone in his 70s, but hispreeminent quality is bestdescribed as a youthful out-look, an enthusiasm for thefuture.

“More optimism and com-passion means a betterworld,” Crowl said.

He’s modest, too.“I don’t like the recogni-

tion,” Crowl confessed in aphone interview, though heimmediately noted that he’salmost old enough to qualifyfor The Daily Nonpareil’shypothetical 8 Over 80.

His friendly demeanor andhumble attitude befit Crowl’snickname – “Bud” – whichhas followed him most of hislife.

“The name was pegged bymy two older sisters,” Crowlsaid. And it stuck.

Born in Council Bluffs toMinnie and Harry Crowl Sr.,Bud has spent all but sixyears of his life here. He grad-uated from Abraham LincolnHigh School in 1951, wherehe played basketball and par-ticipated in other sports.

His basketball career con-tinued at Grinnell College,located an hour east of DesMoines. His younger brotherby two years –Dick – followedin his footsteps.

“We’ve been close since dayone,” Bud said. The pair werebusiness partners for half acentury.

Bud and Dick joined theirfather’s Real Estate firm –the Harry C. Crowl Company– in 1957, when Dick gradu-ated from Grinnell and Budfinished his stint in theUnited States Air Force. Budearned a degree in economicsand business from Grinnell in

1955 before joining the AirForce through the ROTC pro-gram at Grinnell.

“It was a natural decisionto join the family business,”Bud said.

The Crowl boys retiredtogether in 2007. Their clientsmade it worth their while.

“It’s all about service andhelping (homeowners) makeone of the biggest purchasesthey’ll ever make in theirlife,” Bud told The Nonpareilin 2007.

A piece of the Crowl nameis still linked to the RealEstate business in town.Bud’s daughter, Amy Crowl-Kinney and her husband,Kurt Kinney, run Crowl Prop-erty Management out of thesame building Bud and Dickcalled home for 50 years.

Bud has three children inall: daughter Kathy, who livesin Arkansas, and sonMatthew, an attorney inChicago.

“And six grandchildren,”Bud exclaimed. “They’re allbrilliant and good-looking,but all of the credit goes toAnne.”

Bud met Anne at Grinnell.They married in September1957.

Retirement hasn’t stoppedthe Crowls from helping oth-ers. In fact, it’s difficult toname an organization or com-mittee in Council Bluffs Budhasn’t been a member of, butamong the groups: Children’sSquare, YMCA, the former

Sertoma Club, Council BluffsSister Cities, Pride Week,Abraham Lincoln HighSchool Hall of Fame commit-tee, Habitat for Humanity,Southwest Iowa Associationof Realtors and New HorizonsPresbyterian Church.

In Leota McManus’ nomi-nation letter, she wrote, Bud“belongs to many organiza-tions and is willing to partici-pate in whatever is needed.”

“You don’t become involvedin something unless you careabout it,” Bud said.

Bud and Anne were hon-ored with a Jason Award in2010 for “their caring, contri-bution and commitment” toChildren’s Square and itsmission. She was president ofthe board in 1983 and was

later employed as director ofvolunteers and alumni. Bud’s“need to reach out and help

others” led him to become amentor through the SpecialFriends program.

The YMCA has its ownspecial place in Bud’s heart.He was instrumental inbringing the Y to its currentlocation, 7 S. Fourth St. Hestill frequents the Y to work-out and visit friends.

“I love physical fitness.Plus, it’s a great place to meetpeople and socialize,” Budclarified.

When he’s not at the Y orcompleting various commit-tee works, you can find Budon a bicycle – he’s partici-pated in RAGBRAI for 20-some years – or shootinghoops with his grandson. Heplayed softball with hischurch for 14 years.

Bud’s also an avid A.L. fan,often seen on the sidelinescheering for Dick Crowl’sgrandchildren.

While Council Bluffs willalways be home, the Crowlsare infected with a bit of wan-

derlust.“Our motto is ‘Have grand-

children, will travel,’” Budsaid. In the Air Force, he wasstationed in Okinawa, Japan.While there, he traveled toChina, Thailand, India andthe Philippines.

The Crowls spend wintersin Naples, Fla., where Anneprefers the weather.

“Give me 6 inches of snowin Council Bluffs, I’m happy,”Bud added.

And, of course, they visittheir children and grandchil-dren in Arkansas andChicago, a balancing act Budlearned from his father, whomade it his mission to sup-port his family while holdingdown the business.

“Dick and I never playedbasketball together until mysenior year at Grinnell. Mydad came to every singlegame,” said a proud son.

As for the future, Bud hasone important goal: To see allof his grandkids graduate.

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File photo

Harry C. “Bud” Crowl Jr. and his wife, Anne, were honoredwith a Jason Award in 2010 for “their caring, contributionand commitment” to Children’s Square and its mission.

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CHAD NATIONCNATION@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

Robert W. Green hasdevoted his life to the service ofhis community.

He would never tell youthat, but it’s true.

In one way or another – forthe last 60 years – Green hasbeen involved in the better-ment of his hometown.

A 1948 graduate of Abra-ham Lincoln High School,Green was drafted into the U.S.Army and served his countryfrom 1951-53 during theKorean War.

After coming home, he mar-ried his wife of more than 57years, Bonnie, and the tworaised a family in CouncilBluffs.

He spent time working forPete’s Feed Co. in CouncilBluffs before moving to ShastaBeverage in Omaha, where heworked as the office managerfor a number of years. Greenalso owned a vending companyuntil 1996.

Throughout raising a family– the Greens have three chil-dren, two daughters and a son– and building a career, Greenalways found time to help oth-ers.

For nearly 60 years, Greenhas been a member of theAmerican Legion Post #2. He isa past commander and stillserves as the chaplain in theHonor Guard. His duties aschaplain include reading abrief prayer before veterans’funerals and presenting theirfamilies with flags. It’s a posi-tion he has held for the last 10years.

“It’s an honor to do it,really,” he said. “It’s an honor toshow the family the respectthat every veteran deserves.”

While every service membercan receive a military funeral,Green said he would like to seethe American Legion allow allservice members into theirranks, not just war veterans.Congress is lobbied every year

to change the rule, but Greensaid it is unlikely to happen.

“I think everyone who puton a uniform and served theircountry should be a member,whether you fought or not,” hesaid. “I feel strongly about theAmerican Legion, but it is adishonor that all veterans arenot allowed to be in the legion.”

Green also became a Masonin 1969. He is the two time pastmaster of the Bluff CityMasonic Lodge #71, and haslong been active, or leading, theMasons’ largest localfundraiser, the pancake feed, toraise money for needy local res-idents around Christmas.

He became involved withthe Masons because his unclewas a past master and hisfather a member.

“The motto of the Masons is,‘It makes good men better,’” hesaid. “It is an organization thatdoes a lot of good for the com-munity.”

Whether it is giving Christ-mas baskets to those in need, ascholarship to a deserving stu-dent or a donation to a worth-while project, Green said theMasons have always steppedforward.

And, the “fun part” ofMasonry, the Shriners, alsohelps in a number of ways.

You may have seen Greenthis month standing outside agrocery store raising money forthe Shriner’s Hospital.

Green said the Masons con-tinue to draw good numbers ata time when service clubs arehaving a hard time recruitingpeople.

“There has been a resur-gence the last several years; weseem to be getting stronger,” hesaid, but the American Legionnumbers continue to wane.

Green said young soldierscoming home don’t necessarilywant to join the Legion.

“They are serving in a muchdifferent war than we servedin. We always knew our enemyand the injuries they are get-

ting now are so much worse,”he said.

“I don’t blame them for notwanting to sit around with abunch of white-haired fools.”

But a new group of Ameri-can Legion Riders continues togrow, Green added.

“They are quite active in ourclub. Maybe they will be thesalvation of the Legion,” hesaid. “It is an organization thatI am very proud of.”

Asked why he thinks that somany fewer people are commit-ting their time to service clubs,Green said people have turnedtheir attention elsewhere.

“The biggest excuse is theydon’t have time. If you want to

you’ll find the time,” he said.“It’s about giving back; I just

think these things are impor-tant.”

Staff photo/Erin Duerr

At 81 years old, Robert W. Green is the chaplain of theAmerican Legion Post #2 Honor Guard. Green served inthe U.S. Army from 1951-53 during the Korean War. As thechaplain, Green is responsible for presenting a folded flagto the family during burial services for veterans.

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TIM ROHWERTROHWER@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

One might say Stan Grote,81, is busier now than ever.

That’s saying a lot sincehe was active on the localpolitical scene for years.

Nevertheless, his usualdaily schedule is still fulltoday serving his community,and thinks others his ageshould do the same.

“I want to emphasizethere are so many things todo,” Grote said.

For two years now, Grotehas participated in a pro-gram called Teammates, aschool mentoring programfounded by former Nebraskafootball coach Tom Osborneand his wife, Nancy, in 1991in an effort to provide sup-port and encouragement toschool-aged youth. The pro-gram has grown to where itis now, pairing mentors andchildren in Iowa schools aswell as Nebraska schools.The goal is to see youth grad-uate from high school andpursue post-secondary edu-cation.

Grote visits with aWoodrow Wilson Junior HighSchool student once a weekto simply talk about a widerange of issues, or as he putit, “just being a friend.”

“I’m the grandfather henever had,” Grote said.

That program needs morevolunteers, he added.

“Just being a friend,everyone can do that.”

Grote’s other communityservice has included Chil-dren’s Square USA, The Cen-ter and the CommunityHealth Center for which he’sbeen its board presidentoverseeing a brand newbuilding to better serve thepublic.

“That new building is onbudget and on schedule,maybe a little bit ahead ofschedule, and we’ll be more

visible.”It is an important facility,

Grote noted.“We provide quality care

regardless of their ability topay and over 50 percent ofour clients have no insur-ance,” he said. “The healthcenter is an unknown secret.”

Grote also keeps busy bybeing active in his church,First Congregational Church,plus he’s a member of theNoon Rotary Club. One willusually see him at Legisla-tive Coffees, whenever theLegislature is in session, aswell as at major RepublicanParty events.

Serving the community,and the country, has alwaysbeen a priority for Grote, asevidenced by his years in gov-ernment service, includingthe Council Bluffs CityCouncil and the Pottawat-tamie County Board ofSupervisors.

Grote served eight years,or two terms, as a supervisorafter being a council memberfor four years.

“I left the county board theday I turned 70.”

There were some seriousissues he and others on thosegoverning bodies had to dealwith, he recalled.

Concerning the City Coun-cil, on which he served from1988 to 1992, Grote said, “Wediscovered we had a $53 mil-lion sewer problem. That wasa lot of money for CouncilBluffs. There was no way wehad $53 million.”

The problem was that thecity had a combined sanitaryand storm sewer system,which caused water tobackup during major storms.

“Now, it is all done,” Grotesaid. “We did a little piecehere and there over time toget it done.”

Later on, casino gamingwas approved.

“That brought in a lot of

jobs, a lot of improvementslike our new Public Library,”Grote said. “Casinos put a lotof money in this town.”

Grote decided not to seeka second council term andwas instead elected to thecounty board.

A major accomplishmentduring his service there wasthe citizen approval and con-struction of a new jail thatcost $20 million.

“I remember a large num-ber of people voted for it,”Grote said.

Having served on both thecouncil and the county board,he said, “There’s always ten-sion because of the two differ-ent clientele they serve. It isjust the nature of the beast.It’s not unusual.”

Prior to his political career,Grote served 30 years in theU.S. Army, retiring as acolonel. Early on, he recalled,his unit was originallyassigned to South Korea dur-ing that country’s conflictwith North Korea in the1950s, but he ended up inJapan.

“I stayed in Japan for 18

years.”Grote described himself as

a professional volunteer andthere is no reason why othershis age can’t do the same.

“Anybody who needs to getout. They need to find some-thing to do. There is alwayssomething to do.”

He urged others to contactthe United Way of the Mid-lands for volunteer opportu-nities.

For two years now, StanGrote, 81, visits with aWoodrow Wilson JuniorHigh School student oncea week as a mentor in theTeammates program.Grote maintains a fulldaily schedule serving hiscommunity and thinksothers his age should dothe same. “I want toemphasize there are somany things to do,” Grotesaid.

Staff photo/Erin Duerr

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MIKE BROWNLEEMBROWNLEE@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

Marian Hensley doesn’t staystill very long.

The list of organizations shevolunteers her time to is longand varied: Cee Bee Ambas-sadors, Chanticleer Theater,Risen Son Christian Village,the Gambler Half-Marathonand the St. Patrick’s Catholicchurch Alter Society.

In her free time, she takesclasses and plays cards – “handand foot” and 10-point pitch areher favorites – at The Center.Oh, and she still works part-time at the Hy-Vee supermar-ket on Madison Avenue.

“I don’t like to sit around,”Hensley said during a shortbreak at Hy-Vee. “I like to staybusy, be involved and helpwhere needed.”

The 77-year-old said sheloves to get out in the commu-nity.With the ambassadors, sheattends a number of grandopenings, ground breakingsand ribbon cuttings.

“We get to see and tour thenew businesses in town, do a lotof fun things,” she said.“They’rea great group.”

She’s an usher at Chanti-cleer Community Theater andhelmed a water station duringthe Gambler. At St. Patrick’s,she helps during dinners, rum-mage sales and more. At RisenSon, she does “odds and ends.”

“They always have some-thing going on, I help out,”Hensley said.

Hensley grew up in Dan-bury, in Woodbury County, andgraduated from DanburyCatholic. She moved to Omaha,enrolled at a business collegeand worked in an office aftergraduation.After a few years inOmaha she moved to CouncilBluffs, and after a few years inan office she stayed home toraise her children – Mike, Pat,Jim and Jon.

She has seven grandchil-dren and a great-grandchilddue this summer.

“I like to spend time with myfamily and friends. My grand-children are just delightful and

interesting, as most grandchil-dren are,” she said.

During free moments, “Ireally enjoy traveling wheneverI get a chance.”

“I also enjoy walking andriding my bicycle on our lovelytrails here in town,” Hensleysaid.

Thirty-three years ago shebegan work at Hy-Vee as acheckout attendant, a positionshe still holds today. She usu-ally works the express lane, anice metaphor for a womanalways doing something.

“I work with a great group ofpeople. I like my hours, I enjoywhat I do,” she said. “Every cus-tomer is someone special, manyhave become my friend over theyears. A lot of them comethrough the express lane everyday, I look forward to seeingthem.”

Hensley said she enjoyswatching the seasons changewithin the store, from Christ-mas to Easter, graduation andweddings to Halloween.

She began her Hy-Veecareer at the now-closed North16th Street store and for a brieftime her son Pat was managerof the store.

“That was cool,” Mariansaid.

After bouncing around thestate in various positions, Pat’sback in Council Bluffs with Hy-Vee management.

At Hy-Vee, she’s earned full-time Employee of the Year hon-ors twice and that same awardfor part-timer in 2008. Cowork-ers vote on the awards.

“It’s an honor,” Hensley said.Mitch Streit, director of the

Hy-Vee on Madison Avenue,gushed when discussing hisseptuagenarian employee.

“She’s just a unique, specialperson,” he said. “Anyone thatknows Marian would agreewith that.”

Streit said whenever he’sout in the community at vari-ous events he spots Hensley.

“I’ll go to events aroundtown, Marian’s always there,”he said.

Streit nominated his

coworker for 7 Over 70 honorsand had to talk Hensley intothe idea.

“I told Mitch I don’t do thatmuch,” Hensley said. “He said,‘Yes, you do.’”

Hensley’s a busy womanwho does much for the CouncilBluffs community. But she’shumble. Sipping on a coffee inthe Hy-Vee dining area, shesaid, “I hope this is a small arti-cle, not a whole page.”

“Honestly, I thought thiswould be it,” she said, referringto a print-out of Streit’s email.

During the interview a Hy-Vee regular – and fellow 7 Over70 honoree – Ron Mahoneystopped by to say, “Hello.”

“You’ve got the best,”Mahoney said about Hensley.“She’s just a great woman.”

Hensley always on the go

Staff photo/Erin Duerr

Marian Hensley beganwork at Hy-Vee as a

checkout attendant 33years ago, a position shestill holds today. The list

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Store Director Mitch Streit, Marian Hensley, Hy-Vee Assistant Vice President (and proud son) Pat Hensley

TIM JOHNSONTJOHNSON@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

Ted Hoff is not your typical septuagenarian.Hoff, 71, is active as a volunteer, cyclist and

grandfather.He is on the fundraising committee for a bust

of Thomas Jefferson for the local high school thatbears the president’s name. He is a member ofthe Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands Board,Boys & Girls Clubs of Council Bluffs Board-H.H.“Red” and Ruth H. Nelson Unit on the CharlesE. Lakin Human Services Campus, Boys & GirlsClubs Nebraska-Iowa Alliance, General DodgeFoundation Board and Historical Society of Pot-tawattamie County Board.

“I like to keep busy,” he said. “I feel CouncilBluffs was so good to me during my 30 years Iwas in practice here, and I felt I really owedsomething to the community.”

Hoff was impressed with Boys & Girls Clubsfrom the time he heard about its mission.

“It just kind of fell into what I wanted toaccomplish with the community,” he said. “Ithink the part that really attracted me to theBoys & Girls Clubs was not just that they wereproviding leadership to the children but the factthey actually have an education program set upto help the students with their academic work.They spend a lot of time with those students sothey can academically do better in school.

“In the past couple years, I’ve also dabbled inpolitics a little bit,” he said. “I’ve made somephone calls and done some things just to helpout. I’ve enjoyed that, too.”

Hoff is a member of the Nishnabotna BikeClub and participates in several long-distancerides each year.

“We do about four or five rides throughout theyear around the country,” he said.

In April, they go on the Nachez Trace fromNashville to Mississippi – a 550-mile jaunt.

“It’ll take us about 10 to 14 days to do that,”he said. “I’ve done (the Bicycle Ride AcrossNebraska) 10 times, and I’ll be going on thatagain.That’s the one thing that keeps me in goodhealth – I condition and train so I can go on bikerides in the area.”

Hoff grew up in Council Bluffs and graduatedfrom Thomas Jefferson in 1958, he said.

“I was in Council Bluffs all my life, except myeducation and my military time,” he said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-med andchemistry at the University of Omaha (now Uni-versity of Nebraska at Omaha) and attendedmedical school at the University of NebraskaMedical Center. He completed a one-year intern-ship at Clarkson Hospital.

“During med school, I’d always had an inter-est in the eye and eye surgery, and I used to godown … to the eye clinic and observe,” Hoff said.

He served in the Air Force for six years after

medical school and was a flight surgeon for twoyears and in ophthalmology for three years. Hecompleted Harvard Basic Sciences in Ophthal-mology at Colby College in 1970 and held a res-idency in ophthalmology at Wilford Hall Hospi-tal from 1969-1972. He returned to his home-town after his discharge from the Air Force to setup his practice.

Hoff worked as a general ophthalmologistand performed eye surgery, cataract surgery,muscle surgery and treated disorders of the eyesuch as glaucoma and medical disorders of theeye, he said. He operated at both Council Bluffshospitals and was president of the AlegentHealth Mercy Hospital staff for two years. Healso served on the Alegent Health Board ofDirectors.

He was in private practice from 1973 to 2000.In 1995, Southwest Iowa EyeCare merged withEye Physicians of Omaha to form Midwest EyeCare. He retired in 2003.

Hoff received the Distinguished Service Cita-tion from Rotary in 2010, was inducted into theThomas Jefferson Hall of Fame in 2009 and wonthe Heritage Award for Medicine in 2008. Healso received the Bridge Life Master Award in2005 and Chanticleer President’s Award in 2000.

He served as chairman of a CentennialRotary Club matching grant program for theDominican Republic and chairman of the YouthExchange Counselor program. The club alsohelped fix up an orphanage, he said.

Hoff was on the Chanticleer Community The-ater Board for seven years and president for twoyears. He was the second president of the boardof directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of CouncilBluffs, succeeding Dick Miller. As a member ofboth the Chanticleer and Boys & Girls Clubsboards, he arranged for club supporters to buyout the house for one performance of “Annie” atthe Chanticleer and sell tickets to raise moneyfor the club.

He was the first president of the Arts Centerat Iowa Western Community College and boardmember for three years. He was president of theLewis Central Booster Club in 1983 and chair-man of the first Las Vegas Night Booster Clubfundraiser in 1984.

There’s a reason Hoff was so involved in thearts.

“When I went through college, it seemed likeI spent so much time with science … I really did-n’t have time to enjoy the arts,” he said. “Thosewere things I kind of developed and cultivatedafter I got out of college.”

He was a member of the Iowa AfterschoolAlliance Board, Heartland Family ServiceSouthwest Iowa Advisory Board and TeamMateMentoring Program. He was a Rotary Leader-ship Institute graduate in March 2009, co-chair-man of the VNA Bike and Walk fundraiser in2006-07, honorary chairman of the Visiting

Nurse Association Red Letter Day in 2007 andmember of the Omaha Bridge Club Board from2002-04.

Hoff and his wife, Polly, have two daughters –

one in Council Bluffs and one in Des Moines –and five grandchildren.

“We spend a lot of time on our grandchildrenand grandchildren’s activities,” he said.

Staff photo/Jon Leu

Ted Hoff, 71, is active as a volunteer, cyclist and grandfather. “I like to keep busy,” hesaid. “I feel Council Bluffs was so good to me during my 30 years I was in practice here,and I felt I really owed something to the community.”

Hoff an active volunteer, cyclist, grandpa

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JON LEUJLEU@NONPAREILONLINE.COM

At 73 and after 55 years inthe construction business inCouncil Bluffs, Ron Mahoney isenjoying a busy and beneficialsemi-retirement.

“I believe that if you enjoyyour work, you should continuedoing what you love,” Mahoneysaid, “just not in situations asstressful as in the past. If youdon’t continue working at yourtrade, you can lose confidenceand may become hesitant totackle a difficult project.”

Difficult projects were thehallmark of the latter years ofMahoney’s work in the con-struction trade. Though nowsemi-retired, he continues totackle projects that make use of– indeed, highlight – his consid-erable skills as a carpenter andcabinet maker.

A native of Council Bluffs,Mahoney graduated from Abra-ham Lincoln High School in

1957 and went to work a weeklater for Leonard Ranch Con-struction as an apprentice car-penter, drawing plans and tak-ing part in the construction ofmany of the high-end homesbeing built in Council Bluffs atthat time. He remained withRanch Construction for thenext 15 years.

In 1969, Mahoney metSuzanne, the woman who wasto become his wife, and the cou-ple married in 1971.

In 1972, the couple decidedto begin their own business,forming Ronald R. MahoneyConstruction. It was a businessand marriage partnership thatendured and grew.

“When I started the busi-ness, a good friend of mine,Charles Jacobs, gave me thebest advice ever: ‘Surroundyourself with competent people,and things will work out.’ Ihave done that all my manyyears in business. We (my subs

and I) compliment each other,”he said. “We are still workingwith some of the same subcon-tractors after all these years inbusiness. The advice was goodand 100 percent true.

“But my best partner is stillSuzanne, who works with me

every day,” Mahoney said. “Shehas been helpful and support-ive over the many years of ourmarriage.”

Mahoney remodeled homes,honed his skills as a true crafts-man building cabinets andbookcases and ventured intocommercial remodeling. By1977, the company had grownto the point that he was able tooversee construction of hisalmost 3,000-square-foot shopthat he still works out of today.

Those who know Mahoneypoint to him as an individualwho took personal pride in giv-ing a day’s work for a day’s payand offering the best prices pos-sible for materials.

As the construction businessgrew and prospered, the couplegrew increasingly active in thecommunity. Mahoney said oneof the highlights of his life camein the 1990s when Tom Whit-son asked him and Suzanne tobecome investors in PeoplesNational Bank, an invitationfor which he remains grateful.

As a couple, Mahoney and

his wife have been at the frontof the line when funding wasneeded for a host of communityprojects. The couple donatedgenerously to the Bayliss Parkrenovation project and to theBayliss Park memorial. Theyhave also been generous intheir support for the New Hori-zon Presbyterian Church.

“We are very pleased withthe way Council Bluffs hasgrown and the player it hasbecome in the metropolitanarea,” he said.

Mahoney has always felt itwas important to give back tothe community in which youlive and which supports you. Tothat end, he has been active inthe Elks Club, Council BluffsHomebuilders, the CouncilBluffs Business Association,and has served on churchboards, the IWCC FoundationBoard, the Council BluffsBuilding Board of Appeals andothers.

Iowa Western CommunityCollege has benefited both fromhis talents as a craftsman and

from his generosity.“We are very proud of Iowa

Western Community College,”Mahoney said. “It is truly anasset to Council Bluffs and allof southwest Iowa.”

That pride was manifestedwhen the IWCC women’s vol-leyball team was crownednational champions. Mahoneypurchased a championship ringfor each of the team members.When the IWCC men’s baseballteam duplicated that feat bywinning a national champi-onship, Mahoney again pur-chased championship rings forthe team members.

One of those who nominatedMahoney for inclusion in thisyear’s 7 Over 70 edition com-mented, “I have heard Ron say,‘Volunteer work is like payingdues for living in the commu-nity. Use it or lose it. When weare blessed to be able to retireor be of retirement age andhave good health, we shouldcontinue to give back and assistothers.’”

Staff photo/Jon Leu

Ron Mahoney, 73, encour-ages others to stay active inthe community after retire-ment.

Mahoney active in the community

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Bob Pettepier may be retired, but heremains active, thank you very much.

The 75-year-old retired teacherand his 73-year-old wife, Eva, live ina comfortable ranch house in a ruralarea not far from the Loess HillsScenic Byway. It’s a little differentfrom the home they had not longafter they married.

The native Missourians met in St.Joseph while Bob was at junior col-lege and Eva was in nursing school.

“We met, married and moved toLeavenworth, Kansas,” Bob said. “Wewere near the prisons, and we had atleast two neighbors who worked asprison guards.”

Bob was a teacher. After eightyears, he decided to take a job inCouncil Bluffs, where the pay andbenefits were better.

“In Kansas, they had almost noretirement system and the pay wasnot so great. I almost doubled mysalary,” he recalled.

“I taught math for 36 years, all atAbraham Lincoln High School,” hesaid, retiring in 1998.

“I liked teaching math, and Ienjoyed the kids,” said Bob. “It wasalways neat. You could be teachingand you’d see their eyes light upbecause they understood.”

Bob never regretted the move toCouncil Bluffs, and his wife said,“Council Bluffs has always felt likehome.”

They have four children: Jeffrey,52; Beth, 51; Douglas, 49, and Todd,“45 this month.”

Doug met his spouse at the Uni-versity of Iowa, but the others mettheir spouses in Council Bluffs.

Jeffrey married Kelly, Beth mar-ried David Porter, Doug marriedMaryellen and Todd married Debora.

During his teaching years, Bobstayed active.

“In the early 1970s, I was presi-dent of the local education associa-tion, and I was president of thesouthwest unit of the Iowa StateEducation Association,” he said.

“In the late ’70s, I became Abra-ham Lincoln High School’s first soft-ball coach. I started the girls’ softballteam, and I told everyone at the timeI was the best softball coach the teamever had,” Bob said. He held the

coaching position from 1977 until1989.

He also started a bowling team forstudents at Abraham Lincoln,Thomas Jefferson and St. Albert highschools.

“The boys team won the statebowling tournament in 1975,” hesaid.

Eva worked full time at JennieEdmundson Hospital in 1969 and1970, then went to work for the Visit-ing Nurses Association for 28 years.

In retirement, the couple volun-teers with the American Cancer Soci-ety.

“Both my father and grandfatherhad cancer,” Bob said. He, too, wasdiagnosed with cancer, one of the raremales to be diagnosed with breastcancer.

His reaction at the time was sim-ply, “No, it can’t be. I discovered thelump, the doctors did a biopsy andthey did a mastectomy,” he said.

Eva said, “I was an RN, and I wasaround quite a few people with can-cer, but it’s never personal until ithits home.”

“It has been nine years since mylast treatment. I’m pretty happy,” hesaid

They also drive for Meals onWheels and will take people to gro-cery stores.

They both were on the board oftrustees for Epworth UnitedMethodist Church and continue to dovolunteer work for the church aswell.

“We stay active and involved withthe church. The church is importantto us,” Bob said. “I’ve been involved inalmost every committee at thatchurch and we’ve been involved since1968. We’ve met a lot of wonderfulpeople.”

The Pettepiers like to travel“wherever the wind blows,” Bob said.

They have 13 grandkids, and “Wetook the whole family to WisconsinDells for a week. That’s 21 people. Wehave a time share,” he said.

Family time has been the best giftretirement could have given them.

“All the cousins get to know eachother. They run in age from 6 to 25years old,” he said.

Now, the grandkids are involved insports, so it’s likely they’ll stayactive.

Pettepier has always stayed busy

Staff photo/Erin Duerr

Bob Pettepier, a 75-year-old retired teacher, stays active with his church, Meals on Wheels andtraveling. He and his wife, Eva, have four children and 13 grandchildren.

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