Emmert Leroy Michael 1922-2013 Rest in Peace

Comments at the funeral service in Germantown, OH February 9,2013 by son-in-law Pat Jonas:

When I think of Emmert, in addition to what others have said, what comes to mind most is Family, Farm and Food.

 

You’ve seen the slide show here at the funeral home with backhoes, dozers, and dirt as well as childhood, Jefferson High School, the Army Air Corps tail gunner training for the B-17 in Kingman Arizona- where he married the woman of his dreams- and remained married for 69 years.  Parenthood, the farm on Liberty-Ellerton Road, more parenthood, the gun club, the hoops basket on the barn, the tennis court, and the boat followed.  

He had a crafty daughter (Polly) who liked to bake and sew and another daughter (Rebecca) who liked to sew, wash cars and mow lawns- and has been my wife since 1969.  Three sons later, Emmert moved them all  to a new farm in Farmersville on Chicken Bristle Road where he died peacefully on Tuesday morning.

All along the way, family was a huge factor in Emmert’s life.  Especially huge in size because his dad Harvey married a Wolf- Nettie to be specific.  The Wolf family seems to make up half of the Jefferson Alumni banquet every year.  Most of you might be related to each other, by the way because of the Wolf Factor.

His wife and kids could all fit into their favorite car- a red Pontiac Catalina.  They liked it so much that Brian has one exactly like it in his barn.  It all worked because Emmert knew and honored one of the secrets of manhood and fatherhood- men are dependent on women.  And didn’t he find the right one to be dependent on, Kathryn Baker, from the Baker farm on Frytown Road in Jefferson Township.

From the Harvey and Nettie Michael farm on Dayton-Farmersville Road to the Emmert and Kathryn Michael farm on Liberty- Ellerton Road to their farm on Chicken Bristle Road they used the land, that Emmert loved, to farm and grow, shoot and mow.  The airstrip in Farmersville on their farm supported the ownership of an airplane that many of you remember.  The heavy equipment fit perfectly for Emmert on his Chicken Bristle playground, where he returned from a series of medical interventions starting at Thanksgiving to relax, be with family and move on to the hereafter, where he is looking for a heavenly backhoe.

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Food was important on the farm, especially bread and ice cream.  Apple butter and peanut brittle were special treats, but the ice cream topped the food hit parade.  He wasn’t really supposed to try to swallow food on his recent return home from Sycamore Hospital, but he wolfed down several dishes of ice cream comfortably last Saturday. God seemed to know and support what Emmert really needed at that moment.   “I’d rather have ice cream than money” his dad Harvey used to say.  And Emmert seemed to follow in his dad’s footsteps when it came to ice cream.

Family, Farm and Food- just a few aspects of the life of Emmert Michael.