Lessons learned from a father

By Judith Sutherland

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or gather fallen grapes. Leave them for the neighbor, the poor, the foreigner.”

— Leviticus 19:9,10

One of the lessons my dad taught us has stayed with me all these years. With no doubt, his priority was to be a good man to his wife and children, but right up there in his consideration was to be a good neighbor.

I appreciate receiving the nicest letter from a Farm and Dairy reader who grew up from little on up as a neighbor to my dad. James Schweyer remembers my father as a kind young man and a considerate farm neighbor.

Sharing a boundary of two fields, James said my dad approached him and his brother about planting right up to one another’s field line to help keep weeds from being a problem for either. And when a fellow came to spread lime on Dad’s field, he had misunderstood that the open ground was actually separately owned, and spread the entirety of the acreage.

Dad let the neighboring brothers know of the situation, and it was not a problem. James, who had lost his father at a young age, said he appreciated the kindness shown by my grandfather, and my father, as he and his brother kept their family farm going.

It was a letter that moved me to tears, knowing that all these years later, the good spirit of my father lives on in memories of those other than just his family.

One of the things Dad taught us was the importance of being bighearted, not only with friends and neighbors, but even with wildlife. He left a couple of rows of corn stand when completing harvest in the fall, saying the birds and the deer might go hungry without it, and adding it to his grain bin wouldn’t make much difference. Letting wildlife have it might make all the difference through a long winter.

We just returned from a family trip to a quiet and quaint beach in North Carolina, staying in the same home we have enjoyed for a week at a time in various years. One of the locals has told me that they get a bit upset when visitors bring huge buckets to the beach and gather up every shell they can find, not leaving some for others to enjoy discovering.

I believe it is important to walk through this life with an unselfish heart, whether it is in the small or the weighty ways. Leave small footprints, and share a bounty with all.

CANFIELD, Ohio — Edward A. Wilson, 84, went home to be with the Lord May 15, 2023, at his residence. Ed was born on June 1, 1938, in Gilmore, Maryland, the son of the late Argel and Mary (Donald) Wilson.

Ed was a graduate of Boardman High School and worked at General Motors, retiring in 1994. He was a member of Old North Church in Canfield as well as Evangel Baptist, where he served as a deacon.

Ed was also a member of the

Edward Wilson

American Hackney Horse Society, where he served on the board. Ed and his wife Jean were inducted in the American Hackney Hall of Fame in 2021. He was one of the most successful hackney breeders of all times, with more than 25 World Champions not to mention Reserve World Champions.

He is survived by his children, Gary Wilson of Boardman, Teri Ruiz of North Benton, Susie Wilson of Columbiana, Jeanne Less of Canfield, Jay Wilson of Canfield, and

Mark Wilson of Lakeland, Florida; 14 grandchildren; and brother Les Wilson of Richmond.

Edward was preceded in death by his wife, Jean Wilson, whom he married Aug. 17, 1957, and who died June 18, 2015, and his brother, Carl Wilson.

A Celebration of Life was held May 18 at Stark Memorial funeral home, with David Kohout officiating. To view Ed’s obituary or send condolences, visit starkmemorial. com.

Frank J. Zehentbauer

HANOVERTON, Ohio — Frank J. Zehentbauer, 89, died May 16, 2023, at Salem Regional Medical Center.

Frank was born on Dec. 14, 1933, in Hanoverton, son of the late Joseph and Mari (Zettl) Zehentbauer. He was a 1951 graduate of Lisbon High School and in 1952 entered the United States Army, where he served in Europe. He married Patricia Ann (Gause) Zehentbauer in 1959.

Frank started his employment at Summitville Tile. When returning from the military he worked for Charles Gause at Gause Equipment.

Frank and his wife, Pat purchased Gause Equipment in 1965 and continued to operate the business until

People

PLAIN CITY, Ohio — Select Sires has hired Karen Hiltbrand as a marketing coordinator for the beef department. She will be responsible for leading implementation of a domestic marketing plan and development of beef sire directories, print advertisements, websites, videos and tradeshows.

Hiltbrand hails from Seven Mile, Ohio, and is a graduate of Oklahoma State University where she earned bachelor’s degrees in animal science he retired at 80. He purchased his father’s farm in 1976, where he farmed the rest of his life until his passing. Frank was passionate about crops and machinery and worked tirelessly at both. Frank was well known and respected throughout northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania for his knowledge of farming equipment.

Frank was a member of St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church in Hanoverton.

He is survived by five children, Mike Zehentbauer, Robert Zehentbauer, James Zehentbauer, John Zehentbauer, and Patti Kober; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grand- children. Besides his parents, Frank was preceded in death by sister, Mary Gulling; and brother, Paul Zehentbauer. and agriculture communications. Most recently, she graduated from Auburn University with a master’s degree in animal science. Hiltbrand previously worked in a communications role at the American Angus Association. Her experiences range from journalism and graphic design to social media curation and website strategy.

Arrangements were handled by Stark Memorial in Salem. A Mass of Christian Burial was held May 20, at St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church. Burial followed at St. Paul Cemetery in Hanoverton.

If unable to attend the services, you may show your support by joining our complimentary “Hugs from Home” program at starkmemorial.com/hugs-from-home. To view Frank’s obituary, send condolences or order flowers, visit starkmemorial.com.

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PLAIN CITY, Ohio — CowMan- ager honored several Select Sires consultants with awards. Bekah Meller from COBA/Select Sires Inc. was named the 2023 Up and Coming CowManager Specialist of the Year. Meller lives in Kenton, Ohio and joined the COBA team in August 2022 as a genetic and reproductive advisor. She has helped 31 dairies install CowManager’s activity monitoring system and interpret the data to bring more value to their operations.