Seniors on the Go

Ninety-three-year-old Bob Heitstuman was born in Uniontown on July 8, 1926. He was raised on the family farm with his two sisters and four brothers. As an elementary school student, he attended Hall Country School and he and his siblings walked the half mile to and from school every day. He went to Colton for high school but because of World War II, there were no sports or extra-curricular activities. Gas rationing put an end to anything but academics. As a fourteen-year-old, Bob's job in harvest every day was to harness and feed the horses that pulled the combines.

He proudly showed an 1880 silver dollar that dons the center of his belt buckle. As a young man he worked off the family farm for a short time for fifty cents a day. On pay day he put all his earnings in the bank except for the one silver dollar to remind him to work hard for what he wanted.

Bob was 17 years old in 1944 when he graduated from high school and tried to enlist. He was too young so he remained at home working the family cattle ranch with his brother. When the Korean Conflict began, Bob was just three months from being too old to enlist, but nevertheless, his number was called and off he went to train at Camp Rogers in California by way of Fort Lewis, Washington. Once his basic training was over, Bob was on a ship headed for Korea. Bob was a member of the 19th Regiment within the 24th Infantry Division.

Being twenty-six years old, he was "an old man" and cast as a leader as so many in his division were just 18 and 19 years old. He recalls one time he was in a medical canvas tent due to being shot so many times in his leg. He had to get penicillin shots every four hours and they were terribly painful. One night he took his trusty little knife and cut a slit through the canvas and disappeared into the night. He finally caught a jeep that was headed in the right direction and got back to camp and retrieved his gun.

As luck would have it, he ran into a medic who noticed his bleeding leg and told him to get back to the medic tent. Bob said NO and this writer never did hear "the rest of the story!" He spent seven more months in Korea and then finished out the war in Japan. His tour of duty lasted two years and he returned to Whitman County via a train ride. The 303 Rifle he used while in the service is on display in the local museum. He shipped it home in pieces.

Settling back to farm life in Uniontown, Bob and his brother Harold ran about 300 head of Hereford cattle. They slowly changed the herd into Black Angus. They would have to drive the herd on horseback from the Uniontown ranch to the summer pasture on Craig Mountain. On one trip a blockade was put up that required them to take the herd several miles out of their way. They were warned not to make the trip for fear of losing many head of cattle. However, they continued and made it to summer pasture without losing any cows or calves.

While keeping an eye on the cattle during the summer, Bob would stay in an old house "that the wind could blow over." His faithful horse would smell him cooking and stick his nose through the window and happily eat anything Bob was cooking. His favorite meal was hotcakes, though he was also known to grab a sack of corn and head off down the road scattering corn behind him.

Across the highway from Heitstuman Road (where Bob lived) was Schultheis Road (where a pretty young nursing student lived) when she wasn't in nurses' training class at Sacred Heart in Spokane. One weekend he asked her to a movie and they began dating. After Ann Schultheis finished nurses' training she worked in Spokane until spring and then they were married in June of 1956. They lived in Clarkston for a year and Bob commuted every day to the ranch while Ann worked at St. Joe's. During her first pregnancy, one of the doctors insisted Ann be checked more closely as he was sure she was carrying twins. Sure enough, she gave birth to twin daughters. Two more daughters were later born to Ann and Bob, completing their family.

After a year in Clarkston, they moved to the ranch where Brian and Stephanie Heitstuman currently live. They spent twenty-five years on the Valentine raising their four daughters, wheat and cattle. Bob and Ann have lived in their present home for the past thirty-eight years. Though semi-retired, Bob continued to work on machinery and in Ann's words "can fix anything or figure out how to do it." He devised an "overhead" that could elevate machinery and move the machinery in different directions to make repairs more accessible.

Bob got involved with rebuilding old cars when he met a friend at a car show. Together they rebuilt his 1929 Speedster. Bob single-handedly built from scratch his "see-the-world" pickup. As a result of his interest in the old cars, Bob and Ann were members of the Crankers' Club for over twenty-five years and enjoyed many a trip with the group.

Bob has shot trap most of his life. As an eight-year-old, he was encouraged by a Dr. Palmer to try his hand at shooting. Bob had neither gun nor shells. Dr. Palmer loaned him both and he shot and hit all but two of the targets. The doctor was very impressed and told Bob he could be a professional if he had the time to give to the sport. He continued shooting throughout his life, mostly at the local gun club and in trap-shooting contests between neighboring teams.

Some of the things Bob has enjoyed outside of work were serving as a volunteer for the Sheriff's Posse and making sausage with his family and friends. He designed a grinder to reduce the workload on his girls. The sausage making was a family affair and each member had their own specialty in the process. Ann remarked this is the first year in decades they haven't made sausage. Bob and Ann also have enjoyed lots of card playing with family and friends over the years. For many years they had a Sunday night card date with Hazen and Jennie Odell and Orleatha Gasseling and Jack Cash. Ann still plays bridge twice a week, while Bob plays with Ann at home and the girls when they come.

The biggest change in the past ninety-three years Bob attributes to the means of transportation: cars, planes, boats, trucks, etc. He says he has enjoyed life and continues to enjoy his three grandsons and two granddaughters. A new great grandson recently joined the family.

Bob and Ann are faith-filled communicants of Holy Rosary Parish in Pomeroy and both have contributed innumerable hours to church activities. They had a late Thanksgiving with family and will have an early Christmas, but they say the best part of both holidays is being with their loved ones.