Country School Kids – Larry Van Moer – Neighbor kids, church, and extended family
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We have been learning about Larry Van Moer, who was the second of five children born to Marie (Marcotte) and Herbert Van Moer. Larry and his siblings grew up on their family farm north of Amiret.
Larry explained how his parents' managed family discipline.
"I think it was mainly my dad, but Mom was tough, too. You didn't want to fool around because she wouldn't put up with too much. They were good to us, but they were strict."
Larry was often busy with livestock and garden chores or seasonal field work, but his dad also helped him find time for fun activities around the farm.
"My dad liked to play ball. He was on the town team in Amiret and was a pretty good ball player. He bought me a catcher's mitt, so he'd pitch to me. It took me a while to figure that out because he could throw a curve ball. But that was fun. He liked to hunt and when I got older, I'd hunt with him. The pheasants were so thick! We'd go out at noon picking corn and maybe Mom wouldn't quite be ready with lunch. He'd say, 'Let's go get a couple pheasants.' We'd just walk down to the pasture in weeds and shoot two or three pheasants. It was pretty easy. I had his first shotgun that he bought when he was about 14. It was a single-shot that I had for several years."
Larry explained how neighbor kids offered social options beyond hanging with his dad or siblings.
"I went to the same country school with Ken Schultz. Then there were the Bamford's and the Westphals. The Westphals had two boys who were about my age. One was a year younger and one, Wesley, was my age. My 2nd cousin, Joe Van Moer, lived two miles away. Then there were the Bump kids. They lived three miles north of us. There were 13 kids in that family. Mike was my age and then there was Jim Yanno. He was a cousin to them. They lived a couple miles the other way. These relationships expanded as the boys grew older."
Another regular social activity involved the family attending church.
"We attended Holy Redeemer (in Marshall) Sunday mornings. It was pretty early -- 6 o'clock or 7 o'clock. It was the Farmers' Mass."
He recalled a specific church event that had left him anxious.
"When you were going to be confirmed, the bishop was there and the whole class was sitting in front. (Larry chuckled) He asked questions and you were thinking, 'I hope he doesn't call on me!'"
Gatherings with extended family members were regular events for Larry and his siblings.
"My dad had three brothers and they all lived in Marshall. So, a lot of them would come out to the farm on Sunday afternoons. My mother would often have somebody out for Sunday dinner. My mom had a sister, Tracy, and a sister, Luellen, who were from New Ulm and Tracy. Their families would come out for dinner and we'd go over there sometimes. My mom had a brother who had a butcher shop in Winthrop and we'd go there once and a while on a Sunday."
Larry's grandparents were also a regular presence in his life.
"My Grandpa Van Moer died when I was 2 years old, so I never knew him. But my grandma lived in (Marshall) so, she would be at the farm a lot, helping Mom with canning and stuff. She lived on South 5th Street and if things weren't too busy, my folks would go to town on Saturday night and take us kids to the movie. We'd go to the theater and they'd go to Grandma's. Then any one of my other uncles would come over to Grandma's and they'd visit."
He remembered his favorite uncles.
"My Uncle Don was my dad's youngest brother. They were all nice guys, but he was special. And then my Uncle Vic was a year older than my dad, but his laugh just killed you! (Larry chuckled) He drove a beer truck from the time the war was over in '45 until he retired."
Larry also enjoyed spending extended time with some out-of-town cousins.
"My dad had a sister who lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota with a set of twins, Donald and David, who were my age. They'd come sometimes and stay at our farm for a couple weeks. And then in the winter when school vacation was eight to 10 days and I was in 7th and 8th grade, my dad would take me to Granite Falls where I would get on the Greyhound Bus and go to Aberdeen. My aunt would pick me up in Aberdeen and I'd stay a few days. Then she'd take me back to the bus to Granite Falls where my dad would pick me up again. (Larry chuckled) That was a great time for me."
His maternal grandparents lived far away but made regular, long-distance excursions to visit for extended periods.
"My Grandma and Grandpa Marcotte, my mom's parents, ended up in Seattle for years. They kept house for a parish priest and cooked for him. They would come in the summer for a whole month and stay with us on the farm. They were nice people, Grandma and Grandpa. Mom liked that because Grandpa worked in her garden the whole time. He'd keep her garden clean."
Larry began his public school education in the 1st grade at the nearby, District 64 country school.
©2026 William D. Palmer.
Pictured is the Van More farmhouse in 1978, which was about a mile north of Amiret and the site of many gatherings with extended family members.