Forum Magazine - Spring 2021

FORU M

Spring 2021 | Protecting families through life insurance since 1894. | Gleaner Life Insurance Society

MAGAZINE

PROTECT YOURSELF:

p. 15

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75 YEARS AGO: Gold Star Gleaners, Part 2

A new member benefit

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Ways to stay healthy financially and in body, mind, and spirit

LAWASSURE

Secure Life Plus

Financial certainty to withstand life’s uncertainties

We purchase insurance thinking we’ll never use it, but we know there are no certainties in life. Secure your loved ones to ensure their financial certainty with Secure Life Plus.

Secure Life Plus features the simplicity of traditional whole life insurance along with a guaranteed insurability option, allowing you to purchase additional coverage without a medical exam. For an affordable rate, you can add a waiver of premium rider, which means you won’t have to continue paying premiums if you become permanently disabled.

With guaranteed level premiums, your payments will never increase, giving you the stability to secure your home, your family and your future.

Product riders • Living Benefit Riders • Guaranteed Insurability Option • Waiver of Premium For more information, visit www.gleanerlife.org or talk to your agent listed on the back of this publication.

www.gleanerlife.org Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NE, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI & WV. Gleaner Life Term Solutions Plus form number ICC17-WL with state-specific variations.

FINANCIAL HEALTH Contents

Spring 2021

Longevity can mean exhausting financial resources. Make your income last as long as you do.

G L E A N E R

"If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

Features 4

L I F E

Get ready for our 60th Biennial

Convention People often joke about starting Looking ahead to getting together at this year’s Gleaner to feel the effects of aging. It may convention at the Belterra Casino Resort. be oddly amusing to discover what BIENNIAL CONVENTION sort realities can bring.

12 of Will yourtime income last as long as you do?

Declining forgetfulness, Livingeyesight, longer creates a need for more retirement income aching difficulty to backs protectand your knees, future finances. climbing stairs or walking on icy 15 LawAssure added member benefits sidewalks.

These are part oftothe Society canwe now physical life members cycle that tryuse tothis free service to create, share and secure legalhoping documents. protect ourselves from, to maintain a high quality of life for BELTERRA CASINO RESORT TO HOST MILESTONE17 The Gold Star Gleaners, as Part 2 60TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION ON OCT. 22-24 long as we reasonably can.

OCTOBER 22-24 F L O R E N C E , 2 0 2 1

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Continuing our tribute to 130 Society members who died in military service during World War II.

The 60th Biennial Convention on Oct. 22-24 will — after ore than a year of missing friends and family — be a ng-awaited reunion. That’s because Gleaner Life exists ot only to provide financial solutions for families; we are amily. Generations of members have grown together, ffered together, enjoyed activities together and, especially convention time, we celebrate together!

The 18-hole championship golf course was designed by Tom Fazio — who designed 10 of the top 100 golf courses in the U.S., according to Golf Digest — and has been ranked by Golfweek magazine as among the top 30 casino golf courses in America.

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There is a similar refrain, though, for as they grow older and mind, and spirit 19people Protect yourself in body, look at their fi nances: "If I knew Pandemic-related effects can beI was unhealthy in more ways goingthan to live long, I would have one.this Here are ideas to help shield yourself. saved more money."

The Belez spa and salon is temporarily closed, but we hope it will be open by October. It’s the place for professional massages, body treatments and facials.

It's no joke to discover the hard way that retirement income doesn't grow on trees. In reality, savings can The Shops at Belterra include merchants GLEANER OFFERS A NEW grow but it requires good planting offering top-name brands along the resort’s promenade. and years of care. You can make BENEFIT FOR MEMBERS Each of the rooms has a large LCD strategic decisions now to increase Laundry and dry cleaning are available, and television, free bottled water and in-room parking is free of charge. your harvest later. It rarely happens coffee maker. on its own. To help you protect Of course, Gleaner guests will be treated to their own The casino is located within a permanently fabulous meals. The Community Engagement Teamyour has financial health, here are a few docked riverboat on a lagoon branching lined up two entertainment acts sure to impress. from the river. concepts to keep in mind.

This year’s diamond anniversary marks a special milestone.

The Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana, is a perfect ace for a reunion. Belterra lives up to its translation, eautiful land,” as one glance at its big white exterior and lling hills shows. The hotel features 608 guestrooms, a bulous golf course, a health club and restaurants. Some of e resort’s features:

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Do you enjoy searching for Gleaner’s wheat stalk?

Protecting

It's hidden in every issue of Forum

yourself

Magazine. Having difficulty finding the wheat stalk in this issue? Look on Page 21 for the answer.

body, mind, and spirit Promoting the health of each member has been a Gleaner priority since the Society’s founding. Over the past year with COVID-19, guarding personal health has created bewildering new health questions:

@GleanerLife

Forum Magazine is made from soy-based ink products and is recyclable.

17 www.gleanerlife.org

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• Individuals who wondered how long to wash their hands in 2020 are wondering in 2021 about different vaccines and new COVID variants.

Make a small impact on conservation by recycling this on to a friend.

publication or passing • Many were forced to trade the mental health it benefits of in-person groups for the mental health risks associated with lockdowns and quarantines.

• Change even came to spiritual health as houses of worship grappled with Forum new building Magazine capacity limits and concerns about communion and singing.

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FORUM

Contents

Spring 2021 / V. 126 / No. 2 Senior Officers Kevin A. Marti, FSA, CLU, ChFC President and CEO

D. Arell Chapman, CRISC, FLMI

Senior Vice President, Chief Operations and Technology Officer

Deborah K. Elliott, SHRM-SCP, SPHR Senior Vice President

Chief Human Resources Officer, and Secretary

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Anthony D. Golden, CLU, ChFC, RICP, FIC Senior Vice President, Sales Todd M. Warner

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Investment Officer

Kaylene S. Armstrong, FLMI

Vice President, Finance, Controller and Treasurer

Barbara Janowski, RN, ALMI, AALU Vice President, Insurance Operations and Chief Underwriter Jaime Linden, FIC

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and Security Manager

Interests

3

6

Annual financial statements

10 Annuity Reinsurance

Officers Assistant Vice President, IT Systems

News & reviews

8

and Community Engagement

Tadd J. Brooket

At a glance Thoughts from the president

Vice President, Member

Upcoming events

32 Korinne’s Korner 34 Benny’s Page

Judy Lawrence, FLMI, ACS

Assistant Vice President, IT Development and Processing

Chuck Monahan, ALMI

Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Dawn Osborn, ALMI, ACS

Assistant Vice President, Underwriting and New Business

16 Gleaner history: Dr. R.B. Cameron National Headquarters

31 50- and 75-year members

5200 West U.S. Highway 223 P.O. Box 1894

Adrian, Michigan 49221-7894

Giving back 22 Arbors in Action

p 517.263.2244 or 800.992.1894 f 517.265.7745

www.gleanerlife.org

forum@gleanerlife.org Hours Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. EST

Board of Directors Terry L. Garner, Chair

Mark A. Wills, Vice Chair

Stephanie R. Andresen | Donna K. Baker |

Russell E. Cunningham | Margaret M.S. Noe | Daniel R. Sutton

Frank Dick, Chairman Emeritus Supreme Arbor Officers Dick Hadden, Supreme Chief Gleaner

Norma Garner, Supreme Vice Chief Gleaner Linda Ruehrmund, Supreme Chaplain Deborah Rydberg, Supreme Conductor

Forum Magazine is produced quarterly at Gleaner’s Home Office by Dustin Everden, Mark Lenz, Chuck Monahan, Julie Tison and Abigail Wright. For questions regarding this publication, please email forum@gleanerlife.org.

Cheryl Jones, Supreme Guard

Thoughts from the president Dear valued Gleaner members: Korinne and I recently heard the following quote during an online sermon given by our former Pastor Adam Hamilton at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Overland Park, Kansas: “Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”

- L. R. Knost As I write this letter near the end of February, the snow is beginning to melt away rapidly as the temperature heads into the 40s in southeast Michigan. The COVID-19 vaccination rate is accelerating, and more vaccines are being developed and approved. I’m thankful that both my parents are still alive and well, and now have been vaccinated!

The friends and family we know and love who have had the COVID-19 virus thankfully had mostly manageable symptoms and fully recovered within a week or two at the most. But many were not so fortunate.

Gleaner has experienced a manageable number of COVID-19 death claims, mostly involving longer-term annuities, and mostly claims from our older members in their 80s or 90s. We have noticed an increase in the number of life insurance claims related to COVID-19 in the last quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. We’ve only had one larger life death claim related to COVID-19 so far, and it was really our only early claim in the first certificate year.

As we reported last time, the Society had an outstanding year in 2020, despite the “opportunities” of both low interest rates and the pandemic. We grew our life new business premiums by 54%, and our annuity new business premiums by 20% over 2019 levels, setting a high bar to climb for 2021!

We did maintain both our A.M. Best and KBRA ratings at “A-” with a stable outlook. We did finish the year with member surplus of $124.9 million, and our current Surplus Ratio of assets for each $100 of liabilities is now a very strong 110.13%! See the full report on our 2020 financial statements on pages 8-9. www.gleanerlife.org

We entered into a second annuity reinsurance transaction with Heritage Life in mid-2020, further reducing our interest rate risk profile. We strengthened our balance sheet by adding $18.6 million to our universal life reserves with 4%-6% guarantees, while formally beginning the process of terminating our frozen defined benefit employee pension plan at an additional cost of $2.5 million. All vested accrued benefits our employees have earned will be honored and paid as required under ERISA and by our own honor. We are, after all, an organization that truly values its employees, members, and agents! See the additional information on our annuity reinsurance amendment adding the 3% guarantee business on pages 10-11.

Lastly, we are still planning to have our 60th Biennial Convention in person celebrating fraternalism on October 22-24 at the beautiful Belterra Resort & Casino in Florence, Indiana. We have four Board Directors we hope our delegates will agree to re-elect for new four-year terms. It’s been our Senior Management team’s pleasure to work with each of them, and our many successes in these difficult times could not have happened without their full support. See the additional information on the upcoming Convention on pages 4-5. We hope to see you there!

Aldous Huxley, the philosopher and author, once said: “Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.”

Our employees have responded to what’s happened to them during the pandemic in amazing ways, adjusting to working from home quickly as required, masking up and social distancing whenever in the office, all the while meeting our agent and member needs at the same high level expected of Gleaner, throughout 2020 and into 2021. We wouldn’t and couldn’t be who we are as an organization without our dedicated employees. On behalf of our thankful members, agents, and Board of Directors, we salute our employees for their exceptional service!

Fraternally, Kevin A. Marti President & CEO

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G L E A N E R

L I F E

BIENNIAL CONVENTION OCTOBER 22-24 F L O R E N C E , 2 0 2 1

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BELTERRA CASINO RESORT TO HOST MILESTONE 60TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION ON OCT. 22-24 The 60th Biennial Convention on Oct. 22-24 will — after more than a year of missing friends and family — be a long-awaited reunion. That’s because Gleaner Life exists not only to provide financial solutions for families; we are a family. Generations of members have grown together, suffered together, enjoyed activities together and, especially at convention time, we celebrate together!

This year’s diamond anniversary marks a special milestone.

The Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana, is a perfect place for a reunion. Belterra lives up to its translation, “beautiful land,” as one glance at its big white exterior and rolling hills shows. The hotel features 608 guestrooms, a fabulous golf course, a health club and restaurants. Some of the resort’s features: Each of the rooms has a large LCD television, free bottled water and in-room coffee maker.

The casino is located within a permanently docked riverboat on a lagoon branching from the river.

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The 18-hole championship golf course was designed by Tom Fazio — who designed 10 of the top 100 golf courses in the U.S., according to Golf Digest — and has been ranked by Golfweek magazine as among the top 30 casino golf courses in America.

The Belez spa and salon is temporarily closed, but we hope it will be open by October. It’s the place for professional massages, body treatments and facials.

The Shops at Belterra include merchants offering top-name brands along the resort’s promenade.

Laundry and dry cleaning are available, and parking is free of charge.

Of course, Gleaner guests will be treated to their own fabulous meals. The Community Engagement Team has lined up two entertainment acts sure to impress.

www.gleanerlife.org

When not enjoying the resort, you may want to visit the surrounding region. The resort is centrally located just north of Kentucky, barely 50 miles southwest of Cincinnati, and less than 120 miles from Indianapolis. If those cities aren’t enough, you can find activities in the rural region around Belterra: If you enjoy history, the town of Vevay just 15 minutes west along the Ohio River has two museums that help describe life and work on the Ohio River during the steamboat and flatboat era. In addition, the old courthouse and the Hoosier Theatre are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Prepare for laughter and mystery with Stuart MacDonald.

His claims to fame include fooling world-renowned magicians Penn & Teller while appearing on their show “Fool Us.” (“Hands down, one of my favorite foolers,” Teller said.) Stuart’s other accomplishments include first place in competitions for both the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and second place in China’s International Performing Arts. He’s traveled worldwide presenting his show and will bring it to Belterra in October.

Belterra is located in Switzerland County, which hosts an annual Swiss Wine Festival.

The surrounding hills are a beautiful area to drive through, and the Visitor Center has a county tour map.

For firearms enthusiasts, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association headquarters are located about 25 miles north of Belterra in Friendship, Indiana.

The headquarters has a museum and education center and visitors are welcome.

About 15 miles west of Vevay, in Jefferson County’s main city of Madison, you can find the Lanthier Winery. It is Madison’s oldest winery and is open Wednesday through Sunday. It features a special each October for all its award-winning wines.

For those who like to drive or hike through state parks, the end of October will be the year’s last chance to visit Clifty Falls State Park, located next to Madison.

56Daze is tuning up for the musical show, a highlight of every convention. The group has been performing across the Midwest for more than 14 years, specializing in highenergy shows for special events. 56Daze plays a wide variety of music, ranging from the 1960s through recent hits. The group has enough material from the ’80s alone to have performed at a downtown Toledo ’80s party.

They also have performed at the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

“We have fun on stage,” the group says, and promises guests will have the same sort of fun. Convention attendees can expect entertainment that “will keep them dancing all night long.” www.gleanerlife.org

Less than 40 miles southeast of Belterra is the Ark Encounter theme park and zoo in Williamston, Kentucky.

Continuing its tradition of making life better wherever it goes, Gleaner Life will assist six charities in Switzerland County. Totes will be hand-filled with items to assist local people. We’re honored to work with these groups, especially now as they carry compassionate care to people suffering through the pandemic.

However you choose to spend your time, the 60th Biennial Convention should be one to remember. We hope to see you there! Registration opens June 1.

Visit www.gleanerlife.org to learn more.

Forum Magazine \ Spring 2021 \

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UPCOMING

EVENTS Family-friendly events return in 2021

Oakwood Resort

Members enjoy Busch Gardens, while anticipating Family Days and the Oakwood Resort and Safari to Kalahari Getaways.

After a year-long break from Society gatherings, Gleaner members were able to again enjoy a family excursion and are looking forward to more!

On March 6, a total of 90 people used Gleaner discounts to visit Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida. The turnout was better than expected following a year of pandemic developments.

“First, the price we got to go in was super fantastic," Gulf Coast Arbor’s Ivelisse Rivera said of the $35 tickets for admission, which normally are about $90. “The ability for each member to purchase eight tickets was great.”

Members split up into small groups to enjoy the rollercoasters, animals, gardens, and other attractions. Guests also received a meal voucher so they could choose the best food option for them. “I think what made this great was that this was a theme park and everyone was free to do whatever they wanted,” Rivera added. Some families had small and teenage kids, “so that was good for them. There was a little something for everyone."

Several more opportunities are coming up soon. Registration is open now for all of them!

Next up June 11-13 is the Oakwood Resort Getaway at Indiana’s premier waterfront resort. A family favorite since 1893 on Lake Wawasee in Syracuse, Indiana, the resort has luxurious rooms and lots to do on 27 acres. Guests can enjoy free kayak, paddle board and bicycle rentals.

The resort has a 1-mile bike route, paved paths for walking or jogging, as well as hiking trails. The resort also features a gift shop, restaurant and bar, fitness center and other amenities. Gleaner members enjoy the discounted rate of $179 per night plus tax for a standard room, or $209 per night plus tax for a deluxe suite. Call Oakwood Resort at 574.457.7100 to register. Use “Gleaner Life Group" for the discount when calling.

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www.gleanerlife.org

Our most popular member get-away is the annual Safari to Kalahari, which is taking place Aug. 2729. The resort in Sandusky, Ohio, is a summer favorite for both its water park as well as Africanthemed amenities. Gleaner packages start at $185 per night (with a two-night minimum stay), which includes four water park passes. Options include a Hut room (2 queen beds with a patio or balcony) or a Desert room (2 queen beds with a full-size sleeper sofa). Other room types may be also be available.

Due to social distancing concerns, two of this year’s Family Day events — the Chicago Riverboat Cruise in July and the Michigan Fall Foliage Railroad Tour — have been canceled. Two outdoor Family Day events are still planned where social distancing can be maintained.

The extremely popular Cedar Point outing is Saturday, July 10, 2021, in Sandusky, Ohio. The package includes admission to the amusement park as well as access to the beach along Lake Erie, parking, and a meal voucher. In addition to being named “Best Amusement Park in the World,” it is the second-oldest amusement park in America.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is the concluding Family Day event, scheduled Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The zoo is ranked seventh-best in the U.S. by Trip Advisor. It contains more than 1,000 animals on 38 acres.

Specialized areas include the Australian Adventure and the African Journey. Visitors can see aquatic creatures such as sharks and rays as well as lions and Tasmanian devils.

Tickets are $15 each. In addition to admission, each ticket includes parking and a complimentary meal voucher. Children up to age 1 are admitted free. The registration deadline is July 17.

Of course, 2021’s big event will be the 60th Biennial Convention at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana. Find more details about that event on pages 4-5 of this issue of Forum. We hope you can join us for this milestone reunion.

Visit www.gleanerlife.org/member-events for details.

This year marks Cedar Point’s 150th anniversary, celebrated with several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and a parade each night with illuminated floats, dancing, and pyrotechnics.

Family Day tickets are $25 each. Children ages 2 and younger are admitted free. The registration deadline is June 12.

www.gleanerlife.org

Forum Magazine \ Spring 2021 \

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Gleaner Life Insurance Society Statements of the Society’s Financial Condition December 31, 2020

Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s financial strength continued to prosper and grow in 2020 despite the challenges to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic for our independent agents and employees. For the third year in a row, we repeated substantial growth in both our life and annuity new business. We also amended our annuity reinsurance treaty with Heritage Life Insurance Co. to include our annuities with 3.0% guarantees (see page 10 for an explanation of our annuity reinsurance agreement). Total premium increased $6.5 million over 2019 (after adjusting for ceded annuity reinsurance premium). First-year life premium including single is up $1.2 million (53.8%), life premium in total is up $1.3 million (16.3%). First-year annuity premium including single is up $8.2 million (19.9%), annuity premium in total is up $5.2 million (10.4%). Much of our increased premium is due to sales of our indexed universal life and indexed annuity products.

The Society’s balance sheet grew even stronger this year, with a high-quality investment portfolio and a historic member surplus position. The Society’s assets are $1.358 billion as of Dec. 31, 2020, a 6.3% increase from 2019. Our accomplishments also include marked improvement in our RBC ratio of 1,004%, compared to 932% last year. These successes were reassuring as interest rates declined and continue to remain historically low.

Gleaner’s stable financial foundation supports our members’ financial and community engagement goals and our future business initiatives.

We experienced a $14.5 million decrease in member benefits paid compared with the previous year (after adjusting for ceded annuity reinsurance). Annuity and life surrenders decreased $13.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively, while life death benefits decreased $1.4 million and annuity death benefits increased $7.9 million.

Gleaner’s investment portfolio continued to perform well in 2020 despite a decline in net investment income from continuing low interest rates. The Society’s diversified investment portfolio is built on prudent policies and practices. Gleaner’s conservative philosophy and professional management provide a sound foundation for our investments.

The Society’s bond portfolio is 97.0 percent investmentgrade quality and represents 91 percent of our investments. We have an overall bond portfolio rating of “A” as of Dec. 31, 2020. Mortgage loans, certificate loans, 8

\ Spring 2021 \ Forum Magazine

cash and short-term investments, stocks, real estate and other invested assets (including derivatives purchased to support our indexed solutions) comprise the remaining portions of our investment portfolio.

As of year-end 2020, we have $23.6 million of preferred and common stock holdings. $23.3 million of preferred stock is held as part of the reinsurance arrangement with Heritage. Our common stock holdings include capital stock requirements ($362,100) for our membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBI).

Gleaner is a member of FHLBI to enhance our liquidity position and have ready access to reliable, low-cost funds.

Our intent is to use our FHLBI membership as liquidity insurance, and we would only ever plan to access funds in an emergency situation.

Also, the Society is proud to report it continues to operate with zero debt!

Gleaner’s 2020 surplus is our highest year-end amount ever recorded at $124.9 million — an $18.7 million increase from year-end 2019. This is our eighth consecutive year with a surplus increase, and our surplus has increased $44.1 million since 2012. The Society’s surplus ratio remains above the average of 25 leading life insurance companies.

We have $110.13 of assets for every $100 of liabilities.

(Independent Comparative Report: Standard Analytical Service Inc.).

Our surplus grew as a result of net income of $38.3 million in 2020, compared with net income of $19.5 million in 2019. The increase in 2020 was due to a combination of factors in addition to our annuity reinsurance treaty (see page 10 for a detailed explanation). The Society has had eight consecutive years of positive net income. Some of the factors that have contributed to our net income achievements in recent years are containment of operating expenses, a disciplined approach to setting credited interest rates and appropriate pricing of new financial solutions in the low interest rate environment. Successful management of our investment portfolio has also resulted in fewer realized losses.

As of December 2020, both of our A.M. Best and KBRA financial strength rating was affirmed at “A- (Excellent)” with a stable outlook. According to A.M. Best, our current rating is assigned to insurance companies that have an excellent ability to meet their ongoing insurance obligations.

A.M. Best is a global full-service credit-rating agency www.gleanerlife.org

dedicated to serving the financial and health care services industries.

The Society has never been stronger than it is today. Our continuing positive results, and our financial strength improvement is attributed to the Society’s management team, our independent agents, dedicated staff and key relationships with our business partners. And of course our success always lies with YOU, our members and your commitment to financial security and community service.

The Society recognizes the importance of helping our members achieve financial security and stability while also supporting our fraternal spirit in the communities in which we live and work. We are focused on maintaining a strong and improving financial position through all types of economic conditions. The Society has committed to protecting our members and maintaining your trust and confidence as we begin our 127th year as your fraternal benefit society! Gleaner will continue to make responsible decisions in the best interests of our valued members and the Society’s long-term financial strength.

Kaylene S. Armstrong, FLMI Vice President, Finance, Controller and Treasurer Todd M. Warner Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Investment Officer

Audits were conducted as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 by Strohm Ballweg, LLP.

Balance Sheets ASSETS

Investments Bonds Stocks (preferred and common) Mortgage loans on real estate Real estate, net of depreciation Cash and short-term investments Certificate loans Derivatives Other invested assets

Invested Assets Accrued investment income & other receivables Other assets Total Assets

LIABILITIES AND SURPLUS

Certificate reserves and contract liabilities Accrued expenses and other liabilities Interest maintenance reserve Asset valuation reserve Total Liabilities Surplus Total Liabilities and Surplus

INCOME

Net premium income: Life Annuities Accident and health Net investment income Other income Total Income EXPENSES

Increase in certificate reserves Member benefits Commissions Other operating expenses Refunds to members Remittance of investment income on funds withheld account Gains released from IMR due to reinsurance Total Expenses

Income from Operations Net realized investment gains (losses)

December 31

2019

$1,219,935,913 23,612,100 11,898,687 1,204,803 32,180,753 33,068,366 3,364,630 15,578,843

$1,111,233,646 2,362,100 3,813,616 1,301,607 94,972,067 31,453,537 665,886 14,908,314

$1,357,884,833

$1,277,561,985

$492,647,539 725,209,499 7,122,191 8,044,054

$848,653,964 308,204,481 8,490,900 6,014,590

1,340,844,095 16,430,744 609,994

1,260,710,773 16,131,711 719,501

1,233,023,283

1,171,363,935

124,861,550

106,198,050

$1,357,884,833

$1,277,561,985

Statements of Operations

Net Income

2020

December 31

2019

$9,676,357 (349,784,516) 5,135 46,625,512 3,564,629

$8,321,081 (225,752,898) 17,275 51,238,773 2,065,129

(378,272,040) 60,841,399 3,709,706 15,831,027 885,385

(288,629,792) 104,684,139 3,430,656 13,362,092 1,158,005

14,124,160 (45,357,572)

801,752 (19,208,341)

(289,912,883)

(164,110,640)

(328,237,935)

(184,401,489)

38,325,052

20,290,849

(10,544)

(823,684)

$38,314,508

$19,467,165

Surplus at December 31, previous year Net income Other surplus adjustments

$106,198,050 38,314,508 (19,651,008)

$94,605,173 19,467,165 (7,874,288)

Surplus at December 31, current year

$124,861,550

$106,198,050

SURPLUS ACCOUNT

Net change in surplus for the year

www.gleanerlife.org

2020

18,663,500

11,592,877

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Annuity reinsurance

December 31, 2020

In past editions of Forum Magazine, we introduced the concept of annuity reinsurance — insurance for insurance companies — to our members and agents. We also described our first arrangement in 2019 with Heritage Life Insurance Company to reinsure $275 million of annuity certificates.

guarantees in each and every annuity certificate reinsured.

The $202,000 of ceding commissions was recorded as income in 2020.

Additionally, Gleaner received a ceding commission of $202,000 from Heritage.

Heritage will also reimburse Gleaner for our administrative expenses related to servicing these certificates.

Gleaner Life Insurance Society’s surplus increased by $42.3 million as a result of the reinsurance agreement.

Management began investigating the potential benefits of annuity reinsurance in early 2019 and actively began to seek out reinsurers that summer. We partnered with a consulting firm (Aon) to assist us in negotiating the best agreement for the Gleaner Life Insurance Society and its members. Ten different insurance companies bid for this block of annuities. Our criteria for the reinsurer we selected included:

As with the first annuity reinsurance agreement, there is no impact to you as a member if you hold one of the annuities included in this treaty.

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Strong financial health

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Solid reputation as a trustworthy partner

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Excellent reinsurance treaty

On Nov. 1, 2019, the Society entered into an annuity reinsurance agreement with Heritage Life Insurance Co., a reinsurance firm with total adjusted capital of $1 billion and domiciled in Arizona. We have developed an excellent working relationship with Heritage.

We are pleased to announce that we have signed a second arrangement with Heritage, effective September 1, 2020, to reinsure an additional $404 million of annuities with 3.0% guarantees.

Under the terms of this agreement, Gleaner liquidated approximately $362 million of investments and realized capital gains of $42.3 million. These funds were transferred to a segregated account under the custody of Gleaner.

Heritage now directs how these funds are invested according to a contractual investment policy agreed upon by both parties. Th is investment policy limits the risk that Heritage can take and prohibits unacceptably high-risk investments. Heritage accepts the risk of investing these assets and guarantees the benefit payments on both the 3.5% and 3.0% annuity blocks. It is important to understand that Gleaner is still ultimately responsible for the

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Your membership in Gleaner remains unchanged.

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Gleaner Life Insurance Society staff will continue to administer your annuity.

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Annuity payments will continue to be paid by Gleaner.

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The terms of your annuity contract are unchanged.

•

Gleaner remains ultimately responsible for your annuity’s performance.

Gleaner is required to account for this annuity reinsurance treaty according to rules established by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). All fraternal life insurance companies must follow NAIC Statutory Accounting Principles (SAP) in addition to laws prescribed by the State of Michigan.

Th is treaty had a material favorable impact on our financial statements. We have included our balance sheets and income statement as of Dec. 31, 2020, with before, and after, transaction presentations in accordance Statutory Accounting Principles (SAP), established by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

The amount of ceded reserves ($404 million) must be recorded as negative premium revenue (per SAP), which is then offset by corresponding decreases in certificate reserves (expense). These entries have no impact on income.

The $42.3 million of realized gains on the sale of investments is reported as a one-time increase to operating income (per SAP).

This large increase in surplus provided management with an opportunity to further strengthen our balance sheet.

We elected to increase reserves on remaining universal life and single premium whole life certificate reserves.

This decreased surplus by $18.6 million.

We also elected to terminate the frozen defined benefit pension plan.

Th is decision decreased surplus by $2.5 million. It is important to note that this decision does not change the benefits due to vested participants in any way.

The benefit of making these strategic decisions reduces future expenses, thereby allowing Gleaner to continue to be competitive from a product rate perspective in this historically low interest rate environment. Your management team continues to seek innovative ways to continually assure the financial strength of Gleaner, for the long-term benefit of all current and future members.

Our annuity reinsurance treaty simply adds another layer of protection for Gleaner on some of our older annuities, many of which feature long-term guarantees well above the credited interest rates available on most of our more recently issued annuity certificates.

We remain proud of our 126-year history of fiscal prudence, conservative investment policies and financial strength. Gleaner Life Insurance Society remains committed to our members and independent agents to uphold the promises in each member’s certificate.

Kaylene S. Armstrong, FLMI Vice President, Finance, Controller and Treasurer Todd M. Warner Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Investment Officer

www.gleanerlife.org

Balance Sheets

December 31

2020

Annuity Reinsurance Initial Transaction

Without Annuity Reinsurance ASSETS Investments Bonds Funds Withheld Stocks (includes GFC and FHLBI) Mortgage loans on real estate Real estate--home office and surrounding real property, net of depreciation Cash and short-term investments Certificate loans Derivatives Other invested assets Invested Assets Accrued investment income and other receivables Other assets Total Assets LIABILITIES AND SURPLUS Certificate reserves and contract liabilities Accrued expenses and other liabilities Interest maintenance reserve Asset valuation reserve Total Liabilities Surplus Total Liabilities and Surplus INCOME Net premium income: Life Annuities A&H Net investment income Other Income Total Income EXPENSES Increase in certificate reserves Member benefits Commissions Insurance operating expenses Remittance of investment income on funds withheld account Gains released from IMR due to reinsurance Refunds to members Total Expenses Income from Operations Net realized investment gains (losses), excluding transfers to IMR Net Income SURPLUS ACCOUNT Surplus at December 31, previous year Net income Other surplus adjustments Net change in surplus for the year Surplus at December 31, current year

www.gleanerlife.org

2020

Balance Sheet Strengthening

Final

(Unaudited)

$1,177,635,913 0 23,612,100 11,898,687

$(361,700,000) 404,000,000

1,204,803 32,140,753 33,068,366 3,364,630 15,578,843

$815,935,913 404,000,000 23,612,100 11,898,687 1,204,803 32,180,753 33,068,366 3,364,630 15,578,843

40,000

1,298,504,095 16,430,744 608,994 $1,315,544,833

42,340,000

-

$42,340,000

-

$878,047,539 318,709,499 7,122,191 8,044,054 1,211,923,283 103,621,550

$(404,000,000) 404,000,000

$18,600,000 2,500,000

42,340,000

21,100,000 (21,100,000)

$492,647,539 725,209,499 7,122,191 8,044,054 1,233,023,283 124,861,550

$1,315,544,833

$42,340,000

-

$1,357,884,833

-

$9,676,357 (349,784,516) 5,135 46,625,512 3,564,629 (289,912,883)

2,500,000

(378,272,040) 60,841,399 3,709,706 15,831,027

$9,676,357 54,215,484 5,135 46,625,512 3,362,629 113,885,117

(404,000,000) 202,000 (403,798,000)

25,727,960 60,841,399 3,709,706 13,169,027

(404,000,000) 162,000

1,340,844,095 16,430,744 609,994 $1,357,884,833

14,124,160 (3,057,572) 885,385 115,400,065

(446,138,000)

2,500,000

14,124,160 (45,357,572) 885,385 (328,237,935)

(1,514,948)

42,340,000

(2,500,000)

38,325,052

(10,544) $(1,525,492)

$42,340,000

$(2,500,000)

(10,544) $38,314,508

42,340,000

(2,500,000) (18,600,000) (21,100,000) $(21,100,000)

$106,198,050 38,314,508 (19,651,008) 18,663,500 $124,861,550

$106,198,050 (1,525,492) (1,051,008) (2,576,500) $103,621,550

(42,300,000)

$

42,340,000 $42,340,000

Forum Magazine \ Spring 2021 \

11

PROTECTING YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH Longevity can mean exhausting financial resources. Make your income last as long as you do.

"If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."

People often joke about starting to feel the effects of aging. It may be oddly amusing to discover what sort of realities time can bring.

Declining eyesight, forgetfulness, aching backs and knees, difficulty climbing stairs or walking on icy sidewalks. These are part of the physical life cycle that we try to protect ourselves from, hoping to maintain a high quality of life for as long as we reasonably can.

There is a similar refrain, though, for people as they grow older and look at their finances: "If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have saved more money."

It's no joke to discover the hard way that retirement income doesn't grow on trees. In reality, savings can grow but it requires good planting and years of care. You can make strategic decisions now to increase your harvest later. It rarely happens on its own. To help you protect your financial health, here are a few concepts to keep in mind.

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\ Spring 2021 \ Forum Magazine

www.gleanerlife.org

The first concept is longevity. Many of us think of the short term, and not without reason. For millennia, the average human had a short lifespan that frequently came to a sudden end. For most of recorded history, the average lifespan was about 30 years. It grew to 40 years in Europe between the 1500s and 1800 — although wars and epidemics caused temporary dips. In the last 200 years, however, life expectancy enjoyed a fairly steady increase. In the U.S. it grew from 41 years in 1868 to 62 years in 1941, and to 68 years in 1958.

Even within the history of Gleaner Life, members now live far longer. When the Society was founded in 1894, it and most other groups limited new life insurance policies to age 50. U.S. lifespan has nearly doubled in the last 150 years.

In 2018, according to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy is 78.7 years.

(For women, it's 81 years; for men, 76.2). The CDC reported in February that it anticipates a decline of one year due to COVID-19, although that figure varies by age, race, geography, and other factors. Similar declines occurred during the 1918-19 flu epidemic and during World War II, but rebounded due to continued gains in health technology.

Looking toward the future, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2060 life expectancy will reach age 85. That would mean that a person in their 30s today could expect on average to live another 20 years after they retired at the traditional age of 65.

The challenge of today's longevity has evolved from "dying too soon" to "outliving your means." Today, according to most retirement experts, your savings at retirement should equal 10 times your annual salary. www.gleanerlife.org

Another concept involves working longer and retiring later. This is made possible in part by the same forces driving longevity gains: more accessible medical care, less physically demanding forms of labor, and the growth of technology to provide life’s other necessities. A person today may still be able to handle the physical demands of many jobs well into their 70s. This allows them to continue earning income longer and waiting until later to start receiving retirement payments. The downsides of this strategy, however, include unpredictable setbacks such as becoming injured or needing to quit work to care for others. In addition to situations that cut short the planned career, workers must weigh the continued expenses associated with working (transportation, clothing, meals, etc.). There also are risks that a person’s job skills may fail to keep up with the competitive demands of the market, or that their job may be replaced by automation or outsourcing.

Very few people have 10 times their annual salary saved — approximately half a million dollars — in reserve. If you’re not among them, you’re not alone. According to the Federal Reserve’s “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019,” the median savings for retirement among all adults was just $60,000.

One fourth of non-retirees reported having no savings for retirement, while fewer than 40% felt their retirement savings were progressing at the necessary level.

Annuities provide one type of solution to protect yourself from running out of income. Annuities are a long-term contract issued by a provider such as Gleaner Life. In exchange for payments made in the present by an individual, the provider promises to make payments in an agreed manner to the Forum Magazine \ Spring 2021 \

13

designated payee (the annuitant). These payments can take many forms, and one option is to elect to have the payments last for as long as the annuitant lives. This option means that the annuity becomes a lifetime source of income that addresses the risk of living “too long.”

There are numerous types of annuities. One of the easiest to understand is the Single Payment Immediate Annuity (SPIA). It involves a buyer purchasing the annuity with a lump sum, which can then begin paying out very quickly. The payments can be structured to last a lifetime, be set up to deliver larger amounts for a specific period, or some combination of the two. One advantage of a SPIA besides its simplicity is its lack of risk. There is no danger for the buyer of missing payments when purchasing the certificate because only one payment is required. And unlike stocks or other investments, an annuitant doesn’t need to base withdrawals upon guesses about how long they will live or what future investment rates will be. The payments can be structured to continue as long as the annuitant lives.

Other annuities can provide similar lifetime payments with a variety of options.

For workers trying to catch up on their retirement savings, one advantage of annuities is that contributions are tax-deferred. The amount you contribute to your annuity is not taxed. Although your earnings will be taxed when you eventually make withdrawals, they are taxed at your future income tax rate which will usually be less after retirement. This type of savings helps workers who already may be maxing out their tax-favored contributions in other types

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\ Spring 2021 \ Forum Magazine

of retirement accounts. Another option for helping fund retirement is life insurance. While life insurance usually is thought of as a means to safeguard our loved ones, its key purpose — protection — can provide individual security to both spouses when each invests in a policy naming the other as beneficiary. The current pandemic offers hundreds of thousands of examples of the uncertainties in predicting when death will come for us, or which spouse will die first. The death of one spouse is tragic enough but, if they are receiving Social Security, the surviving spouse generally loses about half of the couple’s Social Security income. Both spouses insuring each other becomes another way to protect the survivor’s retirement income, especially if they lack sufficient income from other sources.

The final concept is action. Time can be your ally if you’re accumulating resources through annuities or other savings. Time also can be an obstacle if you realize what you’ve saved is being spent too quickly to meet the needs of a longer lifetime.

While the mortality rate remains 100%, today's evolving challenge is different because we live longer than ever. That's something you should plan for as you protect your financial health.

Even after 126 years, Gleaner Life is here to protect you against the two primary financial problems that families face — dying too soon and, now, outliving your resources. Let us help you develop a plan to protect you and your loved ones.

www.gleanerlife.org

GLEANER OFFERS A NEW BENEFIT FOR MEMBERS Create wills, trusts, power of attorneys and more!

LawAssure provides Gleaner members with: Every year, 7 in 10 households face a legal issue, but many don’t seek help fearing lawyers are expensive.

LawAssure is here to help.

The complimentary service can save you hundreds of dollars in attorney’s fees by making personalized legal document creation easy and accessible.

LawAssure guides and supports you every step of the way, so you can create highquality documents to protect your family and assets.

•

Legal document creation Simply choose a service, answer the questions and our system creates a highquality document tailored to your needs.

•

Sharing and collaboration Use our secure workflow to share your documents with someone else (such as a trusted adviser).

•

Secure account space Safely store your documents for editing, or export them to print them off and sign them.

Start using LawAssure today! Visit www.gleanerlife.org/benefits to get started.

Gleaner Life Insurance Society (Gleaner Life) member benefits are non-contractual, subject to specific eligibility requirements, definitions and limitations and may be changed or canceled without notice.

LawAssure document preparation services are independently offered by Epoq, Inc. (Epoq) and are subject to its terms of service and privacy policy. Epoq is an online service that provides certain legal forms and legal information. This service is not available in Louisiana. Epoq is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney’s advice. Gleaner Life and Epoq are independent, unaffiliated companies. Gleaner Life does not provide, is not responsible for, does not assume any liability for and does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or results of any service, advice or documents provided by Epoq. Gleaner Life is not responsible and does not assume liability for any disclosure of personal data or information by Epoq.

www.gleanerlife.org

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

GRAND OLD GLEANER GUARDIAN OF HEALTH One hundred years ago, an Ohio doctor showed how he had originally made house calls.

M

edical experts hold a special position within Gleaner Life Insurance Society. In the Society’s first days, that position might have involved a horse.

An image of Dr. R.B. Cameron in the May 1921 Gleaner Forum. He was showing how he made house calls in the earlier years of his practice. The picture was a cutout from one that originally appeared in the Defiance Crescent newspaper.

The National Gleaner Forum profi led Dr. Robert Bruce “R.B.” Cameron of northwestern Ohio in May 1921 on his 48th anniversary of becoming a physician. Not only did he serve the Society as a medical examiner and the people of Ohio as a state lawmaker, Dr. Cameron served Defiance County as a physician for 63 years.

Cameron was born Dec. 13, 1845, in Bryan Ohio. He was one of seven children. Two of his older brothers served in the U.S. Civil War. Medicine was a family tradition as his uncle, Houston Russell, was a physician in the small community of Evansport, 11 miles east of Bryan. Cameron

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\ Spring 2021 \ Forum Magazine

began studying medicine with his uncle, then attended the University of Michigan for two years, and followed that with medical courses at Starling Medical College in Columbus, Ohio.

Immediately after his graduation in 1873, he began practicing medicine with his uncle.

1920 he has served as County Health Commissioner and it was from this office that he retired. … While living the life of a pioneer physician he fought those almost always fatal epidemics of black smallpox and diphtheria, and on occasion had to act as doctor, undertaker, grave digger and minister.”

Traveling by horseback, “with his set of pill boxes thrown over his horse’s back,” was the easiest way for Dr. Cameron to make house calls on the muddy roads of his early years. The pill box set was historic, used by several physicians before him. The set was pictured when he had his photo taken on his horse, “Cap,” 32 years old at the time but still “spry as a colt,” the story stated.

Dr. Cameron’s own strength was noted in his obituary: “His physical powers were in evidence years ago when, at the age of 85, he suffered a broken collar bone and severe bruises when struck by an automobile but recovered.”

He and his wife, Isabella “Belle” E. (Christy) Cameron, married in 1876. For years before hospitals, she served as nurse to his patients. She also assisted with the Red Cross, the Women's Relief Corps and the Good Templar lodge in Evansport, according to her obituary. Belle Cameron lived to be 96. In addition to a son, Robert Clayton Cameron, who also became a doctor, they had seven other children including one who died in infancy.

Dr. Cameron served patients fi rst in Evansport, then relocated his practice southeast to Jewell, and fi nally in 1915 to Defiance. During this same period, Dr. Cameron was elected to the Ohio legislature, serving in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1912-18 and as head of the legislature’s Public Health Committee.

Cameron is especially remembered for the 1898 smallpox epidemic. Defiance County had 1,882 cases and 20 deaths in 14 months. Vaccine was made by scraping the sores of an infected calf. "The Michigan Alumnus" of Feb. 13, 1937, reported: “Robert B. Cameron, member ’70-’71, retired only a few months ago, at the age of 90, after serving the sick in Defiance County, Ohio, for 63 years. Since

Dr. Cameron went on to live another decade before dying Feb. 22, 1940, after a pair of heart attacks at his home in Defiance. His grandson, Dr. John D. Cameron — who, like his grandfather, would be inducted into the Defiance Hall of Fame — went to check on the old doctor and discovered his death. R.B. Cameron was laid to rest in Evansport. His doctor’s office was moved in 1967 to Auglaize Village, a collection of historical attractions assembled just west of Defiance.

The Defiance city museum inducted Dr. Cameron posthumously into its Hall of Fame in 2014, honoring the lengths to which health providers have gone.

Dr. R.B. Cameron was especially known for his work during the 1898 smallpox epidemic.

The sign shown is believed to be the type he would post during the outbreak. — Auglaize Village photo

www.gleanerlife.org

Part 2: Honoring the Gold Star Gleaners

44 kil th un be ha In H

Continuing a tribute to 130 Society members killed in WWII

45 Sg pr 24 ha inf th lat H go

Ernest and Mildred Sherwood were wrapping presents for their only son’s third Christmas overseas when the Gleaner couple received word that he had been killed in action in France. The same week, Army Air Force radioman William Buckley died trying to bail out of a damaged plane during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands. A few weeks later, on a Navy cruiser off the Philippines, Gleaner members Ralph Hoff and Caroll Moore were both killed in the same explosion.

Although World War II officially ended just over 75 years ago, the world continues to learn more about the sacrifices of the “Greatest Generation” in defeating the forces of fascism. Boxes of old letters are discovered, declassified documents are posted online, and more evidence is located across the globe. Worldwide, the war claimed more than 70 million lives. U.S. deaths were relatively lighter but, for a nation with barely onethird of today’s population, the 418,500 deaths were staggering. The Society did its part by aiding defense efforts and encouraging support for the Allies. It also waived all insurance policy war clauses, paying for each of the 130 members who died in service. These 130 became known as the Gold Star Gleaners.

46 mi Ba su Sm 19 M U.S. soldiers, sailors and air crews faced grueling and deadly challenges throughout World War II. A total of 130 Gleaner Life Insurance Society members died in the war. (National Archives photo 513193)

47 ac Di me an me

48 19 op Sq Fr cra Ar

49 of cit wo Cl Ch Families often received few details from the War Department about the fate of loved ones. As more was learned, the Society published an honor roll in 1949 listing all 130 who died. Continuing a project to mark the 75th anniversary, information was gathered and the first 43 claims were printed in the Winter 2021 issue of Forum Magazine. The next 45 claims are listed here, and the remaining stories will be published this summer.

www.gleanerlife.org

Forum Magazine \ Spring 2021 \

17

44. Frank Wallace, Gary Arbor (IN) Army Sgt. Frank W. “Woody” Wallace was killed in action Sept. 6, 1944, liberating Belgium. He served with Company C of the 60th Infantry Regiment. It fought its way across the River Meuse at Dinant under fire and with heavy casualties the day Wallace was killed. Wallace, 30, had been a benefit member of Gary Arbor for four years at the time of his death. He had been promoted from a private after his enlistment at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He was survived by his wife and beneficiary Andrea Mae (Fox) Wallace.

He is buried at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Clinton, Indiana.

45. Robert Sherwood, Berlin Arbor (MI) “News of the death of their only son, Sgt. Robert F. Sherwood came to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Sherwood as they were wrapping Christmas presents for his third Christmas overseas,” the winter 1944 Forum edition sadly reported. Sgt. Sherwood, 24, was killed in action Sept. 16, 1944, in eastern France. A 1938 graduate of Saranac High School, he had entered the service in 1942 after working on his father’s farm. He originally was a member of the infantry’s amphibious forces, but later wrote to his parents that he was a “communication runner” with the 15th Infantry Regiment’s headquarters. Sherwood took part in the invasions of North Africa and later Sicily, where he was wounded twice, sent back to a North African hospital and received the Purple Heart. He wrote his parents briefly on Sept. 6, 10 days before his death, to say his “shoes are worn out going so fast through southern France.”

46. Albert A. Smith, New Castle Arbor (IN) Army 1st Lt. Albert A. Smith was declared dead while missing Aug. 7, 1944, after the first day of a German counterattack that came to be known as the Battle of Mortain in northwestern France. Smith was serving with the 120th Infantry Regiment, which suffered heavy casualties but helped repulse the five-day assault by German Panzer divisions. In 1940, Smith had taken out a policy in the arbor at New Castle, the city where he later enlisted in January of 1941. His beneficiary was his mother. Smith is memorialized at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-James, France.

47. Joseph A. Olszewski, Omer Arbor (MI) Army Staff Sgt. “Joe” A. Olszewski, 26, was killed in action July 16, 1944, during fighting to liberate St. Lô, France. He was a member of the 9th Infantry Division’s 47th Infantry Regiment. He had grown up as a farm boy and for nine years had been a member of the Omer Arbor of Standish, Michigan. He was survived by his parents-beneficiaries, Joseph and Stella Olszewski. He is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, with a memorial plaque in Evergreen Cemetery in Omer, Michigan.

48. John M. Myers, Clinton Arbor (MI) Army Air Corps Cpl. John M. Myers, 24, died Sept. 24, 1944, as the result of injuries from an airplane crash near Blackmore, England. He was the radio operator and gunner aboard the B-26 medium bomber “Baby Doll III” with the 572nd Bomber Squadron. It was one of six planes ordered flown back to England on an ill-fated ferrying mission from France. Torrential rain and bad visibility in England caused all but one plane to run out of fuel. Five crashed, killing 11 crewmen. Myers had received a Junior Gleaner policy at age 10 with the Clinton Arbor in Ovid, Michigan. He is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Coton, England.

49. Alexander J. Teresko Jr., Mesopotamia Arbor (OH) Army Cpl. Alexander J. Teresko Jr. died of wounds Sept. 25, 1944, about 30 miles south of Metz during the campaign to liberate that French city. Teresko served with the 314th Field Artillery Battalion. He had joined the arbor at age 20 while working on his father’s large dairy farm in Geauga County. He was married prior to enlisting in 1942 at Cleveland. Teresko was 28 when killed by enemy artillery. He is buried at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

50. Billy Jene Gerkin, Watseka Arbor (IL) Army Pfc. Billy “Jene” Gerkin of Hoopston, Illinois, was killed in action Oct. 14, 1944, during the Allies’ encirclement of Aachen, Germany. He was 20 and a member of Company L of the 120th Infantry Regiment in the 30th Division. Gerkin was born June 5, 1924, in Morocco, Indiana. He had joined the Watseka Arbor when he was 12. He is buried at Floral Hill Cemetery in Lovejoy Township, Illinois.

51. Dwight Ollen Grossman, Temple Arbor (MI) Army Technician Five Dwight Grossman served with Company E of the 338th Engineer Regiment. It was helping reopen the deliberately wrecked western Italian port of Leghorn and Cpl. Grossman “was operating a bulldozer when it struck a mine which exploded, causing severe injuries.” He was taken to the hospital but died the next day, Oct. 31, 1944. Grossman, 22. was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lott Grossman.

They had signed him up for a Junior policy eight years before when he began high school in Argos, Indiana. He is buried there.

52. Ralph William Hoff, Malinta Arbor (OH) Navy Spec. 3rd Class Ralph William Hoff, 22, was declared dead while missing Oct. 24, 1944, aboard the light cruiser USS Birmingham. He had been stationed on the ship since enlisting in 1942, participating in the invasion of Sicily and then crossing the equator to join the Pacific Fleet. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the invasion of the Philippines, the cruiser had pulled alongside the aircraft carrier USS Princeton to assist with firefighting after the Princeton was hit by a Japanese bomb. A huge explosion on the Princeton blasted fragments across the Birmingham, killing 229 men on the Birmingham and leaving four crewmen missing. Hoff had joined Malinta Arbor at age 16. He was survived by his parents, William and Christina Hoff of Napoleon, Ohio, plus one brother and one sister.

53. William H. Seegmiller, Temple Arbor (MI) Army Pvt. William H. Seegmiller, 20, was killed in action on the border of Holland and Germany on Nov. 9, 1944. He was serving with the 413th Infantry Regiment at it moved through the German city of Aachen. Seegmiller enlisted in Florida in April of 1943, and is buried in Lakeland, Florida. He had been written for a Junior Gleaner policy at age 10 and was placed with Temple Arbor in Detroit since his family was in the process of moving from Cadillac, Michigan, to Florida. He is buried in Lakeland, Florida.

54. Caroll Edwin Moore, Ruth Arbor (MI) Navy Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Caroll E. Miller was one of two Society shipmates killed on the cruiser USS Birmingham when it was devastated by an explosion aboard the adjacent light carrier USS Princeton. (See also Gold Star No. 52, Ralph W. Hoff ).

The explosion came Oct. 24, 1944, as the Birmingham helped fight fires aboard the Princeton, which had been bombed by a Japanese dive bomber during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. An explosion in the Princeton’s magazine heavily damaged the Birmingham and three other ships alongside. Moore, 26, had joined Ruth Arbor in Oxford, Michigan, on Jan. 1, 1939.

55. Lyle E. Asher, Kankakee Arbor (IL) Army Pfc. Lyle Eugene Asher was killed fighting in Italy with the 350th Infantry Regiment on Oct. 10, 1944. That day it attacked German positions near Monte della Tombe in the Apennine mountains southeast of Bologna. His wife, Mrs. Lorena (Cross) Asher, had originally been informed that her husband was “Missing in Action,” and later received word that he had been killed. He also was survived by their 7-year-old son, Royce Dean Asher. Asher had been written for a Juvenile policy by his father, Charles Asher, and later took out an adult policy. He was born April 24, 1913, in Limestone Township and graduated in 1930 from Kankakee High School. He married in 1936 and was employed by the David Bradley Manufacturing Co. before entering the Army on Feb. 21, 1944.

56. Edward P. Grindrod, Foss Arbor (IL) Army Pvt. Edward Percy Grindrod, 28, was killed in action Oct. 4, 1944, near Palenberg, Germany, as U.S. troops broke through the Germans’ Siegfried Line. He had joined the Army on Dec. 7, 1943, and was sent overseas in July with B Company of the 117th Infantry Regiment. He first saw combat in Belgium and Holland. His wife, LaVelle (Kirby) Grindrod, was notified that her husband was missing, and later that he had died. Grindrod was a 14-year member of the Society and a graduate of Coal City High School. He was married in 1941 and worked at the Elwood Ordnance Plant. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium.

57. Garnet F. Leffers, West Lockport Arbor (IL) Army Pvt. Garnet F. Leffers, 29, died of wounds Sept. 12, 1944, during the American drive to liberate Metz in France. He was serving with the 10th Infantry Regiment. Leffers had joined West Lockport Arbor just before being inducted into the Army.

He was survived by his wife, parents, six sisters and four brothers. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, France. A thank-you letter from his wife, Muriel, to Gleaner Life was published in the Gleaner Forum magazine.

58. William G. Buckley, Arcade Arbor (IL) Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. William Buckley, 27, of Chicago was a plane radio operator with the 61st Airlift Squadron. He served in all the major U.S. European theater invasions including North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy, receiving the Air Medal for gallantry. He was killed in action Sept. 18, 1944, during Operation Market Garden bailing out of the damaged C-47 paratrooper transport “U-Uncle” near Rhenen, Netherlands. He was one of five brothers, four of whom served in the war. Buckley had been a member of the Arcade Arbor for two years when he died at age 27. He had entered the Army in June of 1942. His wife, Adele, was his beneficiary.

He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Avold, France.

59. Clyde Earl Gourley, Galena Arbor (IN) Coast Guard Seaman First Class Clyde Earl Gourley died Nov. 12, 1944, during operations at Leyte Island in the Philippines. He was one of five Coast Guardsmen killed aboard the landing ship LST-66 when it was hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane. He is buried at Hanna Cemetery in Hanna, Indiana. Gourley had been a member of the Galena Arbor in LaPorte, Indiana, for five years. He was 24.

Survivors included parents Ray and Cora Gourley and three brothers.

60. Samuel V. Hartgrove, Lapeer Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Samuel V. Hartgrove was killed in action Dec. 16, 1944, in Germany. Hartgrove, 28, was a member of the 309th Infantry Regiment killed during the First Battle for Kesternich. Hartgrove had been written for a Gleaner policy just two years prior. He was survived by his wife, Gladys; his parents; and a sister. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.

61. James J. Paunoff, Hayes Arbor (OH) Army 2nd Lt. James J. Paunoff died Oct. 25, 144, as a result of injuries sustained when his P-47G fighter crashed near Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina. He was 22. Paunoff was 12 when he became a member of the Hayes Arbor in Fremont, Ohio. He was survived by his father and mother, John and Sophie Paunoff; and wife Esther Marian Paunoff. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.

62. Kenneth Taylor, Courtland Center Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Kenneth Taylor was killed in action Nov. 26, 1944, on Leyte Island in the Philippines. He came from a military family; his only brother was serving at the same time in the Navy in the Pacific, and his father had served in World War I. Taylor became a member of the Courtland Center Arbor from Rockford, Michigan, with a Junior policy at age 14. He was 20 when killed and is buried at the Courtland Township Cemetery.

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63. Donald M. King, Hadley Arbor (MI) Army Pvt. Donald M. King was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart after being killed Oct. 27, 1944, in Italy. He served in the 337th Infantry Regiment, which at the time was fighting off counterattacks by German troops at Monte Castellaro, southeast of Bologna. King originally was deferred from the military draft due to his essential work on the farm in Litchfield, Michigan.

“When the need for more servicemen became acute, Donald answered the call,” reported a notice in Forum.

King took out Gleaner membership with Hadley Arbor 21 months before his death at age 22. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Litchfield, Michigan.

64. Robert S. Seeley, Williamsburg Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Robert S. Seeley of the 413th Infantry Regiment was wounded in action Nov. 27, 1944, near Durwiss, Germany. He was hospitalized in England where he died of wounds Dec. 6, 1944. Seeley’s regiment fought in Holland and aided the Canadian First Army in its drive for the River Maas before its transfer to the American First Army.

Seeley, 22, was a member of the Williamsburg Arbor near Traverse City, Michigan, and had studied to be a teacher. He was survived by his wife, Margaret; and infant son, Bobby. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium.

65. John L. Crocker, Electric Arbor (OH) Army Staff Sgt. John L. Crocker died Nov. 30, 1944, as a result of wounds suffered in action. He was with the 314th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Infantry Division, which on that date was moving into position to liberate the French town of Hagenau. Crocker, 31, had been a member of the Electric Arbor for just over three years. He was survived by his parents, T. Richard and Leah Crocker; three brothers and two sisters. Crocker was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Epinal, France.

66. Robert M. Patton, Temple Arbor (MI) Army Pvt. Robert M. Patton was killed in action Oct. 2, 1944, in northern Italy. He was serving with Company D of the 350th Infantry Regiment in the 88th Division, which that week captured Mount Battaglia and then held off a furious five-day counterattack by German divisions.

Patton, 20, had been a Gleaner member since age 4, taking out a Junior Twenty-Pay Policy through Temple Arbor. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where he was survived by his parents.

67. David Bailey Travis, Chester Arbor (OH) Navy Fireman First Class David Bailey Travis was declared dead while missing Dec. 3, 1944, after a battle in the Philippines. “Bailey,” 30, was serving aboard the newly commissioned destroyer USS Cooper when it engaged Japanese destroyers in Ormoc Bay. The Cooper was struck by a torpedo, split in two by the explosion and sank in less than a minute with the loss of 191 men, more than half its crew. Travis had been a member of the Chester Arbor for nearly five years. He held a Twenty-Pay Endowment. Surviving were his wife, Helen Mae of Mt. Gilead, and two young daughters, Sharon Kay and Nancy Jean. He is memorialized at Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.

68. John E. Seiler, Batavia Center Arbor (MI) Army Pvt. John E. Seiler of Batavia Center Arbor in Branch County, Michigan, was killed “somewhere in France” Nov. 26, 1944. He was with the 377th Infantry Regiment, which at the time had liberated the city of Metz and was assaulting forts beyond it. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Avold, France. He was 23, and left four children. Two girls were being cared for by his parents, Karl and Vera Seiler; and two boys by one of his brothers.

69. John P. Roszman Jr., Delaware Arbor (OH) Army Sgt. John P. Roszman Jr. was killed Jan. 16, 1945, while serving with the 66th Armored Infantry Battalion, part of the 12th Armored Division. At the time it was pushing back the Germans’ Operation Nordwind in the vicinity of Herrlishiem, France. Roszman was 22.

Before entering the service, he was employed at the Universal Cooler Corp. in Marion. He went overseas in September of 1944. He was survived by his wife, Janice; a 1-month old son, Michael; parents, John and Ida; one brother; and one sister. He is buried in Prospect Cemetery in Marion.

70. Marcus T. King, Van Wert Arbor (OH) Staff Sgt. Marcus Theodore “Ted” King was killed Dec. 17, 1944, in action in Germany with the 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. At the time, the units were clearing German forces west of the Roer River. King, 26, had joined Van Wert Arbor three years prior to his death. He was survived by his wife, Mary Helen King; a son, Jerry D. King; parents, Daniel and Minnie King; and one brother and two sisters. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Ohio City, Ohio.

71. Earl L. Legg Jr., Kankakee Arbor (IL) Army Pvt. Earl L. Legg, a medic with the 115th Infantry Regiment, was killed Nov. 28, 1944, during the Rhineland Campaign in Germany.

Legg was giving aid to a wounded officer when an enemy artillery shell landed nearby and killed Legg. He was 31 and had been a member of the Kankakee Arbor for more than four years. He was survived by his wife, Maycel Legg of Chicago; his parents, Earl and Alice Legg of St. Anne, Illinois; and two sisters. Legg is buried at Kankakee Memorial Gardens and Chapel Mausoleum.

72. Kenneth Goldsmith, Ottokee Arbor (OH) Seaman Second Class Kenneth Goldsmith was killed Nov. 20, 1944, in the Pacific. He was aboard the USS Mississinewa, a Navy fleet fuel ship. It was sunk by a Japanese manned suicide torpedo while the Mississinewa was anchored at Ulithi atoll in the Caroline Islands.

Goldsmith is buried at Pettisville Cemetery in Pettisville. He was 19. His father had taken out his first Junior Policy in 1939, and Kenneth later signed up for a Twenty-Pay Policy with a war clause.

73. Lester E. Aiston, Lulu Arbor (MI) Lester Eugene Aiston, 19, died in action Oct. 24, 1944, during the Leyte Gulf landings in the Philippines. He was a Ship’s Cook Third Class aboard the infantry landing craft LCI-65 when it was hit by a suicide aircraft, one of the first of many kamikaze planes that the U.S. Navy would face. Aiston enlisted Jan. 11, 1943. He had been a member of Lulu Arbor for seven years, and had worked for E.S. Holtcamp Trucking Co. He is buried at Lulu Cemetery in Ida, Michigan.

74. William W. Turnbull, Ottokee Arbor (OH) Army Pfc. William W. Turnbull was 19 when he was killed in action Dec. 17, 1944, in Germany. Turnbull had enlisted at Toledo only 15 months before. He had listed himself as an actor when he enlisted. Turnbull is buried near his father in Wauseon Union Cemetery in Wauseon. Turnbull had been a member of Ottokee Arbor for five years, holding a Junior Gleaner Twenty-Pay Policy.

75. Paul Leo Branz, Chatsworth Arbor (IL) Sailor First Class Paul Leo Branz of the U.S. Naval Reserve was killed in combat Dec. 13, 1944, aboard the USS Nashville. The Navy cruiser was assisting with the invasion of Mindoro in the Philippines when it was hit by a kamikaze aircraft. More than 130 sailors were killed. Paul’s father, Ben, had taken out a Junior Gleaner policy for the couple’s son when he was 10. He had been a member with Chatsworth Arbor for nine years when he died at age 19. He is buried in the Chatsworth-Charlotte Cemetery.

76. Harry W. Isham, Wright Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Harry W. Isham was reported missing in December of 1944 in the Pacific, and six months later was determined to have been killed on Dec. 5. Isham was serving in the Army’s 149th Infantry Regiment with the 38th Infantry Division. At the time, the unit was fighting in Leyte in the Philippines. He had entered the Army on Aug. 9, 1942, in Howell. He was 22 when killed and had been a member of the Society for more than 17 years. He was survived by his mother, Mabel Isham; and a sister, Sarah. His body was not recovered. He is remembered at the Wright Cemetery in Iosco and at the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

77. Arthur E. Brown, Plattsville Arbor (IL) Army Technical Sgt. Arthur “Art” E. Brown was killed in action Jan. 30, 1945, in the Philippines. He was with Company E of the 129th Infantry Regiment as the unit fought to retake Clark Field and Fort Stotsenburg on Luzon Island. Brown, 24, had received a Junior Gleaner policy from his father at age 12. He was survived by a wife, Alice; and his parents, Frank and Elva Brown. He is buried at Aux Sable Grove Cemetery in Yorkville, Illinois.

78. William R. Brokate, Melvin Arbor (IL) Army Pvt. William R. Brokate was killed March 3, 1945. He originally had been reported missing. Brokate served with Company C of the 253rd Infantry Regiment.

Company C fought a three-day battle March 3-5 to dislodge German defenders from the sheer rock cliffs and tunnels of a quarry northeast of Bubingen, Germany, one of the last defenses shielding Germany’s Siegfried Line. The company, which lost three-quarters of its troops, received a Presidential Citation. Brokate had been a member of Melvin Arbor for only 20 months, accepting his policy with the war clause. He went overseas Jan. 18, and his last letter home was dated Feb. 22. He was survived by his parents, William and Ann Brokate; four sisters; and three brothers. Brokate was born July 25, 1925, according to his obituaries and was baptized Sept.

13, 1925, although his grave marker at Drummer Township Cemetery in Gibson City, Illinois, lists his date of birth as 1927.

79. Paul W. Valentine, Ottokee Arbor (OH) Army Pfc. Paul William Valentine, 21, of Ottokee Arbor (OH) was killed in action Nov. 15, 1944. He was fighting with Company G of the 19th Infantry Regiment liberating Leyte Island in the Philippines. Co. G was part of the regiment’s 2nd Battalion sent behind Japanese lines Nov. 10-23 to block the Ormoc Road. The road was used to reinforce Japanese “Yamashita Line” strongholds in the jungle-covered mountains. Key to blocking the road was capturing and holding Saddle Hill, which Companies G and E accomplished on Nov. 15, the day Valentine was killed. Although surrounded, the 2nd Battalion kept the enemy supply road closed for a week. That helped U.S. forces break the Yamashita Line, and the battalion was awarded a Presidential Citation. Valentine was born in Morenci, Michigan, and moved at age 13 to Fulton County, Ohio, where he attended Chesterfield schools. Some of Valentine’s training occurred at Fort Brady at Sault Ste. Marie before he was transferred to the University of Illinois, enabling him to take leave and visit his parents, R. Ray and Mary I. Valentine. He also was survived by four brothers, Gerald, Howard, Dale and Lawrence. Valentine is buried in Lyons Cemetery, Ohio.

80. Robert F. Stick, Battle Creek Arbor (MI) Army Pvt. Robert F. “Bud” Stick of Company C of the 291st Infantry Regiment died in action Jan. 21, 1945, during the final days of the Battle of the Bulge. Stick was killed by a sniper at Aldringen, Belgium. A native of Indiana, Stick had moved to Michigan as a child. He had worked at Michigan Carton Co. with his father and uncle. Stick had been insured with the Battle Creek Arbor at age 16. He was 19 when killed. Stick was survived by his parents and one sister. He is buried at Hartford City Cemetery in Hartford City, the home of his maternal grandparents.

81. Lorentz B. Smith, Reserve Arbor (OH) Army Technician Fifth Grade Lorentz Bryan Smith died Feb. 11, 1945, as a result of wounds suffered. He was serving with A Battery of the 387th Coast Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Anti-Aircraft Battalion in the Ninth Army. It was building up along Germany’s Roer River and came under attack from German artillery and a V2 rocket. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands. Smith was 21 and had been a member of Reserve Arbor for three years, joining while a student at Ashtabula, Ohio.

82. Howard W. Lehrbass, Valor Arbor (MI) Army Sgt. Howard Lehrbass was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge. He was part of the 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron’s Troop B trying to block German advances west of St. Vith on Dec. 22, 1944. According to his commanding officer, “Howard was one of a small group who were guarding the troop vehicles a short distance to the rear of the main line. Large groups of the enemy came into the rear of the line and repeatedly attacked the group guarding the vehicles, the means of escape for those ahead. Never has such a small group fought as well as the group that Howard and one other noncommissioned officer, were commanding. In the course of the fierce fighting, he was hit by small arms fire. Despite the immediate medical attention, the wounds proved fatal almost immediately.”

Lehrbass was 28 when killed. He had been a member of the Valor Arbor in Scottville, Michigan, for five years.

He is buried at Riverside Cemetery at Custer, Michigan.

83. Arthur William Westerberg, Yellowhead Arbor (IL) Army Sgt. Arthur William Westerberg, 27, was killed in action Feb. 22, 1945, in the Caraballo Mountains of Luzon during the liberation of the Philippine Islands. He was serving with Company C of the 136th Infantry Regiment. Westerberg was born July 5, 1917, in Grant Park, Illinois. He enlisted in April 1942 in Chicago after working in the paint production industry. His father, Charles Arthur Westerberg, was secretary and a founding member of the arbor. Westerberg was survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister. He is buried at Union Corners Cemetery in Grant Park.

84. Franklin B. Hamann, Yellowhead Arbor (IL) Army Staff Sgt. Franklin B. Hamann died Feb. 27, 1945, in England of wounds suffered Feb. 2 while in action in Germany. Hamann was wounded while serving with the 302nd Infantry, part of Patton’s Third Army that had just crossed into Germany and was fighting for control of the Campholz Woods and Sinz. Hamann, 24, was evacuated to a hospital in England where he died. Earlier, on Oct. 13, he had been wounded, but had returned to duty. He was raised in Grant Park and had joined Yellowhead Arbor July 1, 1939. He was employed at the Lions Metal Works in Chicago Heights before his induction Dec. 14, 1942. He was survived by his wife, the former Esther Marie Hunt of Grant Park. He is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Coton, England.

85. Allen L. Blackman, Lulu Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Allen L. Blackman, 22, of LaSalle, Michigan, was killed in action Nov. 23, 1944, in northwestern France. He served with the 409th Infantry Regiment of the 103rd Infantry Division which, on that date, liberated the town of St. Dié. As a Monroe County youth, he had joined the Lulu Arbor at age 17. His mother, Edna B. Blackman, was presented with his posthumous Bronze Star. He is buried in the Erie Union Cemetery in Erie, Michigan.

86. James H. Jones, Port Huron Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. James Henry Jones, 20, was killed Oct. 6, 1944, near Ancy-sur-Moselle, France. He served with the 10th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Infantry Division. It was part of Gen. Patton’s Third Army that was crossing the Moselle River and starting to liberate Metz. Less than three weeks earlier, Jones had sustained a minor wound but returned to action. He had been a member of Port Huron Arbor for three years, attended Keewahdin schools and worked for the Austin Construction Co. He is buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg City.

87. Stanley Blackburn Jr., Gravel Creek Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Stanley Dunn Blackburn Jr. died Feb. 24, 1945, in Luxembourg after being wounded the day before. He was serving with Company M of the 385th Infantry Regiment, part of General Patton’s Third Army. Blackburn was 20 when he died. He was a 10-year member of Gravel Creek Arbor. He is buried at Westlawn Cemetery in North Branch.

88. Daniel J. Taschner, Sebewaing Arbor (MI) Army Pfc. Daniel J. Taschner was killed in action March 5, 1945, with the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division. On that day it cleared German units blocking a key bridge across the river Rhine at Uerdingen, Germany.

Taschner is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands, a nation the 379th helped to liberate. There also is a memorial in the Blessed Virgin Mary Cemetery in Sebewaing. He was 35 when killed. Taschner had been a member in Sebewaing Arbor for more than 12 years. He was survived by his mother, Catherine, and two sisters.

Look for the final part of our tribute to Gold Star Gleaners in the Summer 2021 issue of Forum Magazine.

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Protecting

yourself body, mind, and spirit

Promoting the health of each member has been a Gleaner priority since the Society’s founding. Over the past year with COVID-19, guarding personal health has created bewildering new health questions: • Individuals who wondered how long to wash their hands in 2020 are wondering in 2021 about different vaccines and new COVID variants.

• Many were forced to trade the mental health benefits of in-person groups for the mental health risks associated with lockdowns and quarantines.

• Change even came to spiritual health as houses of worship grappled with new building capacity limits and concerns about communion and singing.

The pandemic’s U.S. death toll — about half a million in its first year — caused hundreds of millions of individuals to re-evaluate how they protect their own health. Not only has this meant fewer handshakes and football fans, it’s affected the way many of us work, eat, shop, exercise, celebrate, worship, and even grieve. We’ve also seen soaring suicide rates and record deaths due to overdoses as more people suffer. Dangers and disturbances call for genuine steps to protect ourselves. Even as we guard loved ones and those at greater risk, we can’t ignore the importance of also protecting ourselves.

The following are a few tips that may help you take action to protect yourself. Remember, your situation may vary, and anyone can benefit from professional help to meet their specific challenges. For advice specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, you should consult your medical professionals. www.gleanerlife.org

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Your Physical Health

Your Mental Health

The body is often referred to as the most amazing machine you will ever possess. If you take care of it, it will remain capable for many decades of feats limited only by your imagination. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is often tied to conditions causing “deaths of despair” — deaths due to suicide, drug overdoses or alcohol abuse. One study found such deaths rose by nearly 70% between 2009 and 2018. Experts say the situation has grown even worse as the pandemic intensifies isolation, job losses, anxiety and bereavement, plus many survivors’ long-term health impairments. Take active steps to guard your mental health.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7

Watch your weight: A high body mass index (BMI) indicates an increased risk for numerous morbidities that also make COVID much worse. “Obesity is associated with death and disability through its association with diabetes, kidney disease, cancers and then cardiovascular disease, which conveys the highest morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Christos S. Mantzoros, director of the human nutrition unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, told the Heart in Diabetes virtual conference in August 2020. “The same is happening with COVID-19.”

Eat healthy and drink plenty of water: Find ways to eat more vegetables, such as a snack of celery or carrots. Limit your intake of foods high in salt (sodium can elevate blood pressure and increase heart attack risk), sugar and empty carbohydrates (they lead to weight gain) and trans fat (LDL, the “bad cholesterol,” is a heart risk). Dehydration weakens the body, especially as we age. It also worsens our concentration and triggers pangs we may mistake for hunger, causing us to eat unnecessarily.

Step up the exercise: According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise helps manage or prevent many health issues including stroke, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, several types of cancer, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and falls. Becoming stronger helps you sleep better, improves your mood, and provides more energy. If possible, include outdoor activities such as daily walking or bicycling.

Don’t ignore screenings: COVID-19 is not the only health risk. Even during most months of the pandemic, heart disease and cancer have claimed more lives. The American Cancer Society reports a decline in cancer screenings. That could prove costly later as cancer and other diseases are easier to treat if detected early. Ask your physician before canceling appointments.

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Accentuate the positives: Many experts recommend writing out reasons why you are grateful. Researchers have found a strong connection between gratitude and a person’s well-being. One study compared acts of gratitude. It found the greatest benefits came from an assignment to write and personally deliver a letter of thanks to someone who was never given the thanks they deserved. From a single letter, the writers experienced strong gains in happiness that lasted up to a month.

Wish well for other people: Even if you don’t write a letter, mentally wishing the same blessings — peace, joy, love, and freedom from fear or compulsion — for other people as for yourself can increase your well-being.

Wishing well for others, even our enemies, reminds us of our interconnectedness and can ease feelings of isolation.

Get enough sleep: Change can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle. It may be tempting to stay up late to binge watch streaming TV shows or to use social media, but protecting your natural rhythm gives your body’s brain time to repair itself. Sleep deprivation also affects a host of other issues such as overeating.

Make use of help: Seeking help is just as important for improving your mental health as it is for fixing your car.

(If you or someone you know could use help, write down these resources: 1) Call 1.800.273.TALK to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or dial 911 for immediate assistance; 2) Your physician likely knows of good mental health professionals

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in your area who can provide assistance; 3) If you are suffering in a disaster, a free distress helpline can be called at 1.800.985.5990. See more at the National Institute of Mental Health at www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.

Your Spiritual Health Spiritual wellness helps build our values and guides our response to challenges, including pandemics. It gives us a framework for the deeper meanings of this life and what exists beyond it. A spiritual viewpoint should draw us nearer to God and, in the process, nearer to everyone else through compassion, joy, love and forgiveness. “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” — 1 Timothy 4:8 Reading God’s word: God’s word is one way we gain spiritual understanding and direction for healthy daily interactions. It also helps us distinguish between what the world calls virtue but what God regards as vice. Bible study with a devotional or a group (even online) can help us grow deeper in understanding the ways God loves us and each person we meet.

Prayer: Bringing our praise, worries and requests to God is a healthy spiritual habit that believers are urged to continue.

It reminds us that we are not alone, nor are we ultimately in control. In addition, research indicates that prayer and meditation can help reduce stress, high blood pressure, and other negative health conditions.

Worship: Like prayer, regular worship refocuses us on God instead of ourselves. The Bible tells believers to not neglect meeting together, and many churches added online services and other safety measures to continue worship. Studies also show regular church attendance is tied to significantly fewer health problems as well as fewer “deaths of despair.”

Living out your faith: Serving God and others tests our faith, which helps it to grow and gives us a higher purpose than simply serving ourselves. In doing all the good that we can, we exercise spiritual muscles that help measure our own spiritual health.

Nearly a century ago, The National Gleaner Forum printed this list titled “The 16 Rules of Hygiene.” Many of the recommendations given then in 1925 are still offered as good health advice today. (“It should be borne in mind that there is no one-track road to health,” it added. “Every phase of hygiene must be practiced in a rational manner.”)

1. Ventilate every room you occupy.

2. Wear light, loose, and porous clothes.

3. Seek out-of-door occupations and recreation.

4. Make use of “sleeping porches” if you can.

5. Avoid overeating and overweight.

6. Avoid excess of high protein foods, such as meat, flesh foods, eggs; also excess of salt and highly seasoned foods.

7. Eat some hard, some bulky, some raw foods daily.

8. Eat slowly and TASTE your food.

9. Use sufficient water internally and externally.

10. Secure thorough intestinal elimination daily.

11. Stand, sit, and walk erect.

12. Do not allow poisons and infections to enter the body.

13. Keep the teeth, gums, and tongue clean.

14. Work, play, rest, and sleep in moderation.

Did you find the wheat stalk?

In this issue of Forum Magazine, the wheat stalk is hidden on Page 19 Protect yourself image.

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15. Breathe deeply; take deep breathing exercises several times a day.

16. Keep serene and whole-hearted.

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ARBORS IN

ACTION Despite renewed COVID-19 restrictions in some states and emphasis on limiting holiday gatherings, Gleaner Arbors found ways to do a great deal of good throughout the winter. Members assembled gift bags and stockings for Christmas surprises, purchased food for those in need, donated to “front line” providers, and much more.

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Adrian Arbor (MI) purchased, filled and delivered 25 baskets on Veterans Day to veterans at two Adrian nursing homes. Each basket included a variety of snacks, a lap blanket, word search book, cards, a dice game, handkerchief, stress ball, Gleaner items and a special Veterans Day card with a pin attached. The outside of the baskets included a flag design to make them special. The arbor also delivered for Meals on Wheels from the Blissfield Senior Center the week of Nov. 9.

Earlier, the arbor assisted two families with $250 each, using gift certificates to two supermarkets for food items only.

Bay Area Arbor (FL) helped with food and distribution by presenting a $1,000 check to volunteers with the Guadalupe Community Food Bank in Wimauma, Florida. Tom Bollaro of the food pantry accepted the check from arbor president Beverly Hiller at a Dec. 1 presentation. Bollaro expressed his deep appreciation for the gift and stated it would greatly assist their efforts to feed approximately 3,200 families per month during these trying times in the community. Arbor members also provided Christmas presents to 35 children through its Arbor Angels activity. It was changed from an in-person event due to health concerns. Instead, members received names of children through the Mary & Martha Shelter for abused women and children and through the Hillsborough County Parks and Community Recreation Center. On top of this, the arbor donated $1,000 apiece to Southeast Guide Dogs, the Sun City Center Emergency Squad, and My Warriors Place (a retreat center for veterans, law enforcement officers and families of those killed).

Black Swamp Arbor (OH) presented its CVR awards to Luke McCullough (Under 18) and Karen Schlatter (18-65). Both were commended for their caring and giving spirits to the local community. Bill Vance was announced as the Senior Award recipient and was to receive it at a later date as he was avoiding groups due to the pandemic. In addition, the arbor approved a $500 check to a local teacher who is battling cancer and has three children, two of whom have special needs. The arbor also donated $200 apiece to three local 4-H clubs, and donated $100 checks to seven other local non-profit groups.

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Capital Arbor (MI) put together a Giving and Thankful Project for the month of November. The arbor decided to give $1,800 divided among a total of six favorite non-profit organizations. The donations were made in the form of supermarket gift cards, which were delivered as part of a packet that included a Gleaner insert telling about Capital Arbor. Each also contained a personal note written on Gleaner stationery. Among the recipients were Hannah’s House, a facility for homeless new mothers; the Cristo Rey food bank and food pantry; and Endeavor House, a new home for women recovering from addiction that is in need of furnishings.

Caro Arbor (MI) donated $500 to the local VFW to support its Christmas gift-giving program to the families of veterans. The arbor also purchased Girl Scout cookies that it donated to the homeless shelter for veterans. In December, members wrote out cards of appreciation to area day care centers. Gift cards from a local eatery were purchased and enclosed with the letters to be distributed to the day care centers’ workers. The arbor also finalized donations for the rest of the year, hand delivering them to The Good Samaritan Food Pantry Women’s Assault Crisis Shelter, Senior Dining Services, Community Dog Park and Splash Pad.

Chester Arbor (OH) hosted an impact activity for 4-H members that drew 42 participants on Oct. 25. The students, representing both Marion and Morrow counties, spent the cold afternoon learning how to survive in the outdoors.

Speakers covered six areas of interest and taught small groups safety habits, how to build a fire, fish, hunt, use material found in nature to survive, and how to identify safe items to eat as well as dangerous ones. Marilyn Weiler, a Gleaner member and a naturalist, planned the activity with her committee. Participants each received a 4-H cloth bag made

by Gleaner members and filled with donated or purchased items that would be needed for an adventure in the woods.

Members also were encouraged to check out project books and further outdoor projects. The turnout despite worries was encouraging, and involvement of another county’s 4-H members will help plan future activities together.

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Gleaner arbor, and put cold food in Gleaner insulated totes the arbor had ordered from the Home Office. As each family came, volunteers brought food out to their vehicles to facilitate social distancing. Each family was appreciative, and the Christmas box was a successful event.

Glen Arbor (MI) worked on several projects in December including a luncheon for the Clio Police Department, “Pay it Forward” projects at both a local restaurant and a grocery store, distribution of different gift cards for seniors for Christmas with Gleaner promotional items, three fruit baskets that each included a $25 gift card and popcorn tins for people shut in their homes, the purchase of a new car battery for a community member in need, and approval of a $500 gift for a family in need.

Grand Arbor (MI) worked with volunteers to pack Christmas boxes on Dec. 12. Eight members and 10 guests gathered in a church fellowship center for the packing. They put placards on each box to let recipients know the food was from the www.gleanerlife.org

Hawthorne Arbor (IN) finished up its annual project of recognizing a fire department with a donation. This year’s $1,000 recipient was the Shelby Volunteer Fire Department. “We were finally able to present the check now to our recipient for this year,” the arbor reported.

The check would normally have been presented at the arbor’s Thanksgiving dinner to which various groups the arbor supports are invited, but 2020 forced numerous changes. The arbor instead passed out its Thanksgiving poultry to six food pantries and tried to pass out checks separately.

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Heart of Florida Arbor (FL) helped support local teachers. One of its activities was hosting a coffee truck for a breakfast for Kingsford Elementary School students in December. Another activity was sponsoring a catered lunch for teachers at Purcell Elementary School. In addition, the arbor purchased dozens of gift cards for teachers.

Holland Arbor (OH) members had several activities. One involved playing Santa’s elves “to the tear-eyed gentle lady named Vickie Cluckey.

She was very appreciative of the boxes of disposable diapers for her two young ones, ages 7 months and 2 years! A few small gifts for her were included.” The project included more than 10 generous hours of shopping by John Kozlaker’s daughter. Earlier, in November, arbor members Dan Atanacio, Jim Randall and John Kozlaker researched and purchased two propane tanks and heaters to assist Dr. Richard Paat with his weekly community health clinics held in tents in various Toledo-area neighborhoods where they treat families with little or no health insurance.

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Huron Shores Arbor (MI) helped save the local Christmas celebration for the city of Croswell. With all the usual Christmas and holiday parades in the area canceled due to COVID-19, the city asked the arbor to assist in a socially distanced alternative. “We met that challenge,” the arbor reported. Santa took a 2 ½-hour horse-drawn wagon ride through the streets of Croswell, waving to families as they stood on their porches or looked out their windows. Residents were encouraged to decorate their vehicles and, at dark, drive to the fairgrounds to enjoy fireworks.

Immediately after the fireworks, residents participated in a decorated vehicle cruise with 350 vehicles which ended at the city of Croswell’s Christmas tree, where Santa was standing and waving to vehicles as they passed.

Children were able to drop their Christmas letters in Santa’s mailbox while keeping a safe distance away. “It was a beautiful evening enjoyed by all.”

www.gleanerlife.org

Legacy Arbor (MI) wrapped up several Christmas projects on Dec. 16. The arbor purchased 80 new blankets for residents at The Oasis at Adrian Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Adrian. The blankets were tied with ribbons and a card. They were greatly appreciated as nursing home residents were prohibited by state COVID-19 rules from having normal visitation. To help Lenawee County’s homeless, Arbor President Julie Tison also presented Share the Warmth office manager Emma Salazar with 30 pairs of heavy winter gloves — 18 pairs for men and 12 pairs for women — for its guests at the Adrian shelter. Finally, a check for $500 was given to Home Instead for its “Be a Santa to a Senior” program to buy Christmas presents for its shut-in clients.

Arbor members did the shopping and purchases in 2019, but this December a direct cash donation was more practical and safer.

Madison Arbor (MI) held its annual Santa Paws event on Dec. 5, and it was the most successful to date. It raised $310 for the Lenawee Humane Society as 31 people brought their pets to have a photo taken with Santa. A gift basket drawing, which began in 2019, was expanded to feature two gift baskets — one for a dog and one for a cat. Drawing slips were used to pick the winners, and information on the slips also provided the arbor with names of people interested in the arbor’s community service activities and in Gleaner Life solutions. Each person received at least one printed picture of their pet, plus a treat and a photo card with an envelope that included a link to the Madison Arbor’s Facebook page. All photos were posted to the Facebook page so people could view and download them. www.gleanerlife.org

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Maple City Arbor (MI) hosted a free Veterans Day lunch at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian, Michigan. All veterans received a tour of the facility and learned about its Woodworking Warriors program offered to veterans. Every Wednesday, veterans learn woodshop skills and the center provides veterans with opportunities for personal and professional growth. Everyone enjoyed a free lunch from a food truck sponsored by the arbor with doughnuts and cookies as well.

Mid Michigan Arbor (MI) donated $1,500 in gift cards for its Christmas activity to help low-income families as well as families that include children who have disabilities. The cards were given at the Living and Learning School, a school specializing in special needs, as well as the Bangor North Preschool.

In a school-related activity, the arbor donated 30 classroom flags and held a meeting in the parking lot of Beaver Zion Lutheran School. Its principal, Collett Dominowski, showed arbor members the face shields purchased for every student and teacher in the school, as well as cleaning supplies used to disinfect potential COVID-19.

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Mt. Pleasant Arbor (MI) provided several donations in December including $1,000 to a young man who was in a serious car accident and will need multiple surgeries, $400 to Isabella Community Soup Kitchen and $400 to Foster Closet of Isabella County. A different type of donation occurred throughout the month as members including Val Wolters and Cindy Smith traveled to area nursing homes to deliver cookie trays from the arbor.

Oakwood Arbor (OH) reviewed its 2020 activities.

“It is amazing how much we put back into the community thanks to Gleaner,” the arbor reported.

“Gary Frederick told us how pretty the Paulding County Courthouse square looks at night! Mary Shaffer told us how nice the Defiance County Fairgrounds lights look and suggested we send $100 to keep it up.” In addition, John and Bonnie Pier prepared Santa stockings for members. Each consisted of treats, cards, and fruit.

www.gleanerlife.org

Plank Arbor (MI) found an alternative when it was unable to hold its planned holiday dinner for Heart’s Content Adult Care Center this year due to COVID-19. Instead, it decided to help the residents and staff by being secret Santas. Ed Kreh, the center’s owner, gave members ideas of things the residents would like. The arbor also purchased staff workers gift certificates to a local restaurant. The total cost was $320.

Arbor members went to Heart’s Content to deliver the presents, and everyone was very appreciative.

Portage Center Arbor (OH) celebrated 126 years of Gleaner fraternalism by honoring the workers at Bowling Green Manor Nursing Home with treats.

Bill and Eugenia Sherman met with a local small business, Buggy Whip Bakery in Wayne, to safely gift all three shifts of workers with muffins and cookies.

The owner made a total of seven dozen baked goods, individually wrapped and labeled. Four dozen went to the day shift, two dozen to second shift and one dozen for the night shift. Although members couldn’t go into the building, some of the workers came outside for a photo. The arbor’s vice president works at the facility, another member retired from it, and several have used the facility’s rehab services. “And we learned the bakery owner is a Gleaner!”

www.gleanerlife.org

Simply Giving Arbor (MI) staged a fall festival in 2019 for families at Literacy and Beyond. Pandemic restrictions prevented a repeat event for the facility, which supports the education of young mothers who were not able to finish traditional high school.

However, the arbor still was able to have pumpkins delivered to the facility along with arts and crafts supplies for the children.

South Fairfield Arbor (MI) helped bring to life a new variation of “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”: “What to our wondering eyes should appear’ but bright red flashing lights outside our house and footsteps on the porch,” the arbor reported. “It was a fire truck (not needed, fortunately) and Santa with his helper, Sandy Witt, delivering a poinsettia. ‘Oh what fun it was’ for arbor members and fire department members to partner to spread Christmas cheer by delivering 65 poinsettias to local seniors and families who have been isolated due to the pandemic. It made ‘spirits bright’ for both the recipients and volunteers!”

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Vulcaneer Arbor (MI) hosted a free laundromat cleaning day Dec. 10. The arbor worked out social distancing rules and provided quarters, detergent and dryer sheets for the machines. It also gave out gourmet cookies that were bagged and sealed from the local bakery — helping a local business — plus gift cards. Many customers were grateful. One older man sat with tears in his eyes. Another lady was doing laundry for a neighbor who was released from prison early but can’t leave his home because of his electronic tether. She picks up food and helps with laundry. Several people stopped by for free cookies.

Remaining soap and dryer sheets were donated to the Vassar Food Pantry.

White Pine Arbor (MI) delivered gifts to the West Branch assisted living home. Arbor members purchased robes, slippers, nightgowns, puzzles, fuzzy socks, gloves, adult coloring books, pens, crayons and gel pens. They also filled stockings full of candy, chapstick, a big glowing wand and other items. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, members could not go inside but dropped off the gifts at the door. They also bought gift cards, hats and candy for the assisted living home’s workers, and a large fruit basket for all to enjoy.

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Florida Arbor (OH) delivered 83 meals for its Veterans Dinner. Meals were supplied by Hills Restaurant. The American Heritage Girls were divided into 10 groups to deliver the meals. Susie Rudolph supplied addresses for stops. Each veteran received a meal for them and their spouse, a thank-you flyer that also told about Gleaner Life, a bag of cookies and a poem that was read to them by an American Heritage Girl. Before the day was over, several calls and text messages had already arrived from veterans expressing their appreciation for the meal and the visit.

North Baltimore Arbor (OH) members met Dec. 3 at Russ and Jamie Cunningham’s barn to assemble 60 gifts for teachers at North Baltimore Local Schools.

Gift bags were assembled with K-cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, candy, an Amazon gift card, a Gleaner pen, water flavoring and gourmet popcorn. Bags were taken to both the elementary school and middle/high school and given to teachers. Earlier, on Nov. 14, arbor members put together 70 thank-you cards for North Baltimore first responders (EMS, police and volunteer firefighters). Each received a $25 gift card to ChickFil-A. The local manager was unable to provide the discount he had hoped to give, so he provided coupons for 60 free sandwiches. One coupon was added to the gift cards, which were mailed to each first responder.

USA Arbor (MI) celebrated Halloween in downtown Sebewaing with its sail flag. Earlier, the arbor had purchased a large amount of candy. Members stuffed resealable plastic sandwich bags with an assortment of candies, and attached labels reading “Happy Halloween, from the USA Gleaner Arbor.” On Halloween, there were two hay wagons and numerous children. More than 130 candy bags were given. “We heard lots of, ‘Wow, this is all for me?’ and ‘Thanks, Gleaner. You guys are awesome.’ We had a blast doing this and plan to do it again next year.” www.gleanerlife.org

Florida Thomas M. Cogley, Naples Kathy A. Grutsch, Zephyrhills Illinois Joyce M. Arseneau, Beaverville Loretta Fulton, Herscher Alan K. Nowacki, Joliet Amy Vangilder, Kankakee Michigan Tammy L. Bylsma, Newaygo Minnesota Christine Rene Kleinschmidt, Long Prairie Ohio Connie Irene Barstow, Garrettsville Texas Gerald Leslie White, Cedar Hill

California

Michigan

Lucille G. Clark, Donovan Barbara L. Young Funk, Northfield Hazel A. Grega, Diamond Lois M. Kazich, Lemont Sharon K. Kirchner, Kankakee Robert Leclair, Clifton Shirley L. May, Downers Grove

Tim F. Coulter, Lapeer Kathryn I. Denman, Elwell Orpha L. Drone, Suttons Bay Donna J. Grauherr, Saginaw Myron E. Kesterke, Dowagiac Lula Lounsbery, Niles Dorothy L. Martinson, South Boardman William Orvis Jr., Goodrich Alonna J. Ruger, Battle Creek

Indiana

Nebraska

Carolyn E. Zeljak, Fremont

Illinois

Paulette S. Banham, Cedar Lake Barbara J. Davis, Carmel Patricia Hammersley, Lowell William Jay Mains, LaGrange

Rose Ann Rogers, Norfolk

New York

Vickie Valentine, Kirkwood

Ohio

Jerald W. D’Lamater, Fayette Thomas C. Perkins, Bowling Green Vera Mae Reid, Whitehouse

Texas

Mary T. Colter, Gunter www.gleanerlife.org

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Korinne’s Korner As 2021 begins and the pandemic protocols continue, our lifestyles continue to evolve and adapt. Time and creativity have pushed us all in new directions.

I celebrated a birthday in January. Our family typically doesn’t go overboard with gifts, but rather celebrates with cards, phone calls, and FaceTime sessions. However, I received a special and unusual gift from our daughter Marissa and new son-in-law Jay this year — it’s called “Story Worth.” Every Monday, an email is sent to my inbox with a question about my life that our daughter has selected. After my response is submitted, it is sent to her and stored at the website. After a year, my stories are printed into a book with a copy sent to me as well as Marissa. Although I am only six or seven weeks into my project, my responses have made me reflect upon earlier memories in my life that had been pushed to the back of my mind. It warms my heart that my thoughts will be in print for my family to read, laugh with and reflect on for years to come.

It’s rewarding and enjoyable to participate in this activity. However, it makes me wish I had taken more time to question my parents and grandparents about their lives and experiences.

Unfortunately, my loving parents and grandparents have passed away, but their legacies carry on in my heart. I am grateful this birthday gift from our daughter has forced me to take time out of my day and record my thoughts. Our daughter-in-law gave me a journal several years ago requesting I do the same but, as often happens, all my good intentions fell by the wayside during that year, like other New Year's resolutions we may make.

My advice to you is to carve out some time each week and record your life’s journey for your loved ones to treasure.

Pandemic or not, I continue to try new recipes! My choice for this Korner this time — Italian Wedding Soup — has been a WINNER, with family and friends giving it a big thumbs up.

Fraternally yours,

Korinne Marti, wife of President & CEO Kevin Marti

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www.gleanerlife.org

Italian Wedding Soup For the meatballs (the most time consuming part of the recipe): 1/2 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. ground chicken or pork 1 large egg 1 garlic clove, minced 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup Bread crumbs 3 tablespoons Milk 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Pepper 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

For the soup: 1 Medium onion, chopped 1 Carrot, thinly sliced 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 Box frozen spinach, thawed 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup dry acini de pepe pasta or orzo 6-8 cups of chicken broth (eyeball the amount to your liking) 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 Tablespoon olive oil Parmesan cheese for garnish

Combine ingredients for meatballs and shape into 18-20 meatballs. Heat oil over medium heat, and cook meatballs until browned, turning occasionally. Set aside.

Sauté carrots, onion and celery in 1 tablespoon of butter 6-7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add broth and pasta, bring to a boil and cook another 5 minutes. Add meatballs to the soup. Season to tastes and heat on low for another 7-9 minutes. Add spinach and let simmer another 15 minutes on low.

Garnish and serve. Enjoy.

www.gleanerlife.org

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Hi Kids!

Are you ready for warmer days and sunshine? I’m excited to spend more time outside as the weather warms up! What do you like most about spring? One of my favorite springtime activities is flying a kite. Below are two pictures of me enjoying a beautiful spring day, but there are some differences in the photos. Can you look closely and find all 10 of them?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

ANSWER KEY: 1. Sun rays 2. Grass on left 3. Right top flower 4. Kite color change 5. B name tag 6. Grass on right 7. Left cloud 8. Left whiskers 9. Tail flipped 10. Left bottom flower

Have a wonderful spring, Benny, The Benevolent Lion 34

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www.gleanerlife.org

Today he’s programming a robot.

Before you know it, he’ll be coding for a Fortune 500 company. A lot can happen in between. For just $125, you can purchase Gleaner’s Just For Kids® life insurance plan online to provide your children or grandchildren with $10,000 of convertible term life insurance coverage plus future insurability without a medical exam. Learn more and start our online application at www.gleanerlife.org/jfk or talk to your Gleaner agent list on the back of this publication.

www.gleanerlife.org Gleaner Life Insurance Society is domiciled in Adrian, Michigan, and licensed in AZ, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, NE, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI and WV. Certificate form: ICC14-JFK and state-specific variation

Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOLINGBROOK, IL PERMIT NO. 594 5200 West U.S. Highway 223, P.O. Box 1894 Adrian, Michigan 49221-7894

The certainty of Easter Uncertain times give us question marks. Easter reveals God’s answer, when the darkness at the cross was followed by the empty tomb’s victorious exclamation point!

We at Gleaner Life Insurance Society wish each of you the joy and certainty found in that glorious morning. As we discover the many ways God has protected us, may Easter’s fulfilled promise brighten each remaining day ahead.