SVM_Sterling-Rock Falls Living_031620

Sterling-Rock Falls

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 440 Sterling, IL 61081 *****ECRWSSEDDM*****

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PUBLICATION • SPRING 2020

Finding their

appy Hplace

more inside ...

Postal Customer

From the customers to the crew to the couple who owns it, there are plenty of people smiling at a restaurant near and Deer to people’s hearts, and it’s no wonder: After 8 decades, the food still hits the spot

Business owner isn’t letting old barns be put out to pasture 145-year-old church offers a little bit of heaven in the heart of the country Artists don’t mind getting painted into a corner at gallery’s new home Where there’s smoke, there’s a new business in Rock Falls

Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), the professional summer theatre of northwestern Illinois, has the shows you will love: hot new shows just leaving Broadway, great American plays, everyone’s “old favorite” musicals, and the best in country, pop, and rock ‘n roll with our new expanded “Concert Series”. Join us for “Christmas in July” with our World Premier of What a Wonderful World.

Timber Lake Playhouse hires the best young theatrical talent from all over the United States, and we regularly bring back talented alumni who have gone on to stellar careers on Broadway, TV and Film. Noted past performers are Tony Winning Actress Jayne Houdyshell, Michael Gross (Family Ties), Jennifer Garner and Saundra Santiago (Miami Vice, Guiding Light, The Sopranos, and Broadway's Evita and more).

Santiago last appeared at TLP in 2016 as Rose in Gypsy.

Located just south of Mount Carroll, Illinois about 10 miles from the Mississippi River, TLP is a short drive from Fulton, Sterling and Rockford, Illinois. The current theatre building opened in 1975 with 371 seats. The building is fully air conditioned, and the fifteen-acre wooded campus is perfect for any other activity you and your guests desire. From picnicking on the deck overlooking beautiful Timber Lake to attending a pre-show activity in our newly acquired rustic barn, TLP is a great destination for a day of fun.

Check out our website at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org for more information about our shows and other activities.

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Inside Contents continued on page 4

Sterling-Rock Falls St er lin g- Ro ck Fa lls

csotover ry

Publisher Don T. Bricker General Manager/Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editors Rusty Schrader & Kathleen Schultz

Finding their Happy place

Page design Rusty Schrader

From the customers to the crew to the couple who owns it, there are plenty of smiles at The Happy Spot in Deer Grove.

Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222 Do you have story ideas for Sterling-Rock Falls Living? Let us know.

Call 815-632-2531 or e-mail news@saukvalley.com

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Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Sterling-Rock Falls Living Magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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More inside Contents continued from page 3

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Watch his smoke Prophetstown man brings a smoke shop to Rock Falls.

Art and work Artists don’t mind getting painted into a corner at Sterling gallery’s new home.

Barn and razed A Rock Falls business helps make sure old barns aren’t put out to pasture

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Finding their

appy Hplace From the customers to the crew to the couple who owns it, there are plenty of people smiling at a restaurant that’s near and Deer to people’s hearts, and it’s no wonder: After 8 decades, the food still hits the spot

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pair of business owners have a lot to be happy about these days – but it wasn’t always that way.

A few months after they bought Arnie’s Happy Spot, they were staring at a pile of charred rubble.

Talk about a trial by fire for a couple who took over what had, in its 80 years, become a landmark on the local restaurant scene and the destination for visitors to the village of Deer Grove, where, on any given night, the number of customers at the restaurant can outnumber the population of this tiny burg.

Continued on page 9

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But Richard “Rick” Lance and his wife, Angie, weren’t about to let the fire have the last word. They rebuilt and reopened, and today the restaurant – now called just The Happy Spot – is back in business.

The restaurant, at 1667 Hoover Road – just off state Route 40, about 8 miles south of Rock Falls – started life in the 1930s as the Happy Spot.

It was bought by Arnie Johnson in 1967, who tacked his name on the front, and then by Larry and Ginny Whitebread in 1999. The Whitebreads sold it to the Lances in April 2018.

During its decades as Deer Grove’s dining hot spot, Arnie’s became known for its fried chicken and was a popular destination for dancing, comedy, bands and other entertainment. But it almost became a memory in the middle of the night on July 23, 2018. That’s when the Lances were awoken by a phone call and told the business they had just bought had been destroyed in a fire.

“The building is metal framed,” Rick said, “and the fire became so hot that it twisted and warped all the steel girders and support beams. It was a complete loss.”

Calling in a private investigator through the business’ insurance company, Lance set out to uncover the cause of the fire. It was discovered that a 3-foot fluorescent light fixture on a vanity mirror in the women’s bathroom short circuited, sparking flames that spread throughout the building.

When Rick and Angie Lance bought Arnie’s Happy Spot, they didn’t know they’d be rebuilding the business from the ground up – literally. Today, the fire that destroyed the restaurant is a memory, one of many captured in photos on the restaurant’s memory wall, shown here behind the Lances. “This place has quite a reputation,” Rick said. “It has a long history, which we wanted to honor. We want to make it our own while respecting where the establishment came from.”

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Like the wall says, “because every picture tells a story …” The memory wall at The Happy Spot tells the restaurant’s story, from its days as Arnie’s to its rise from the ashes, as The Happy Spot.

Continued from page 9

“You could actually see where the wire had arched on the metal,” Lance said. “The investigator said, ‘Right there’s your fire. So you didn’t do it.’ I already knew I didn’t cause it, but I was glad we now had proof.”

Once the investigation was complete, it was time to move on – but that didn’t mean moving on; it meant staying right at home in Deer Grove.

The Lances were no stranger to Arnie’s. Rick had serviced the restaurant with his commercial refrigeration business for nearly 20 years before taking ownership, and as loyal patrons, he and Angie felt a strong connection to the establish-

ment. Their appreciation for the restaurant’s deep history in the village of about 50 people drove their desire to rebuild Deer Grove’s treasured landmark and preserve the destination that was deeply rooted in the surrounding community.

With a background in trades work and construction, taking on a rebuilding project came naturally to Rick. Pooling resources from friends, family and local businesses, such as Cole Construction of Tampico and Brian Wetzell of Professional Electric of Walnut, The Happy Spot was able to hang up the open sign in just under a year. Most of the staff who served under previous ownership returned as the restaurant geared up for business.

“We’re like a family,” Rick said. “They have stuck by our side and we are incredibly thankful.”

Though rebuilding went smoothly, the Lances did worry about how customer would take to the new and improved restaurant.

They needn’t have worried.

When The Happy Spot reopened June 15, 2019, devoted regulars returned in droves, along with new customers craving Arnie’s signature chicken, which is still served today.

“Everyone was afraid that we were going to change the chicken recipe,” Rick said. “But we have not. It is the same exact ingredients since Arnie’s time.”

Photos on page 11, story continued on page 13

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ABOVE: The Happy Spot may have a new building, but some things didn’t change, like the restaurant’s signature chicken recipe. “We pay homage to Arnie by including our menu that reads ‘still serving Arnie’s famous chicken,’” said owner Rick Lance.

LEFT: The pork belly mac and cheese is a customer favorite.

RIGHT: Start the meal off with the onion ring appetizer.

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LEFT: From the barn-like look of the exterior to the rustic interior, The Happy Spot offers an inviting and friendly place for customers to get a bite to eat, grab a drink, play a game of pool or darts, or try their luck on the video gambling machines. BELOW: Meals on wheels anyone? The salad bar at The Happy Spot is set in an old buckboard wagon topped off with some live-edge lumber.

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Continued from page 10

While Arnie’s mouth-watering chicken remains the same, some new home-cooked dishes have been added to the menu, including smoked foods, meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, soups, and breakfast items. The Lances also added a customized catering service, and entertainment has returned, with live acoustic music on select days. The Happy Spot also has an

outdoor patio complete with a full-service bar to host events and entertainment.

“This place has quite a reputation,” Rick said. “It has a long history, which we wanted to honor. So, we pay homage to Arnie by including our menu that reads ‘still serving Arnie’s famous chicken.’ We want to make it our own while respecting where the establishment came from.” n

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• Legal Advocacy • Sexual Assault Counseling • 24-Hour Crisis Intervention • Medical Advocacy • Services available in Spanish • Support Groups ywsauk.org This project was supported by Grant #2017-VA-GX-0048, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Points of view or opinions contained within this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, or the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

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STORY CODY CUTTER PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR STERLING-ROCK FALLS LIVING

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ailure is not an option for Jeton Abduli.

“I don’t like to fail; I’m just not set up for that,” he said.

That attitude comes in handy when you’re running three distinctly different businesses – a car lot, a restaurant, and now, a smoke shop.

Abduli, 32, of Prophetstown, is the owner of Jet’s Smoke Shop, which opened Feb. 1 at 1118 West U.S. Route 30. He also owns JT Motors, a used car dealer at 815 First Ave., and Prophet Family Restaurant at 344 Washington St. in Prophetstown, where he’s worked since he was 12.

Continued on page 15

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Continued from page 14

Operating three businesses can be hard enough, but doing it while breathing life back into a building that sat empty for years can tax even Abduli’s talent for juggling.

“We’re going to have to do a lot of work,” Abduli said of the building that once housed a restaurant and gas station. “It’s going to need a new roof.

It’s already gutted all inside, but there’s patching that needs done.”

Jet’s Smoke Shop is on the east side of a building that was once home to a Norco gas station, and most recently Royal Smoke Shop. The rest of the building housed the Dutch Pantry and later the Friendship House restaurant, which closed several years ago.

He hopes to move JT Motors there by the end of the summer.

Abduli bought the building for $80,000 in August 2018 and the Royal Smoke Shop moved to 107 W. Second St. in November.

Shelly Lynn, 48, of Sterling worked at Royal and talked with Abduli about opening a new smoke shop at the same location.

Photos on pages 16 & 17, story cont’d on page 18

Where there’s smoke, there’s a new smoke shop, and eventually, there’ll be a car lot next door. Jeton “Jet” Abduli bought the building that used to house the Royal Smoke Shop and the Friendship House restaurant, and he’s turning it into a home for two of his three businesses. Jet’s Smoke Shop opened in Feb. 1, and he’s working on getting the rest of the building ready to she can move his auto dealership, JT Motors, there by the end of the summer.

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Jet’s Smoke Shop is on the east side of a building that was once home to a Norco gas station, and most recently Royal Smoke Shop. The rest of the building housed the Dutch Pantry and later the Friendship House restaurant, which closed several years ago.

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If you’re looking for tobacco, Jet’s has it, from a stash of stogies in the store’s humidor (left), to (top right) Swisher Sweets and loose tobacco (center). If you want cigarettes, you can pick them up by the pack, the cartoon, or in bulk, like these boxes of 200 (bottom). You can also pick up some Jet’s swag – koozies, lighters, or T-shirts (below).

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Continued from page 15

“He thought about opening one of his own, and I told him that it can be a pain, but it can be fun,” she said. “He said, ‘If I open my own, will you help me?’ I said that I’d do what I can, but I’m not a pro at it. We just started it up from there.”

Lynn now is manager of the store, which carries bagged tobacco as well as smokes of all shapes, flavors and kinds. Central to the store is its humidor, which holds brands such as Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real, Macaundo Inspirado, Brick House Mighty Mighty Maduro, and Esteli la Gloria Cubana.

The Brick House and Cohiba Red Dot have been popular sellers so far, Lynn said, and she plans to add Drew Estate cigars in the near future.

“It’s pretty interesting, some of the stuff is,” Abduli said. “We’re learning as we’re going.”

Another thing he’s learning is how interested people are in seeing what’s going on at the former Friendship House. Abduli said he and Lynn have heard a lot of customers talk about what’s going on at the old restaurant, and he’s even had to correct some occasional misinformation.

“I don’t want another restaurant, because I already have one,” Abduli said. “The location

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is a prime spot, the parking is what I need. [At JT Motors] there’s just one entrance, and it’s hard to get in and get out.”

The car lot’s current location holds 11 cars, with another seven rotated in on occasion, and the driveway is small, so rolling out his entire stock can cause parking issues. Abduli won’t have to worry about that much longer.

Abduli is from Macedonia and came to America in 2000. He worked under his father, Frank, as a “DJ” – in this case, a “dish jockey” – at Prophet Family Restaurant before taking

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it over 12 years ago. Frank now owns a restaurant in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, not too far from Wisconsin Dells.

Keeping Dad proud is a big thing for Abduli, and he wants to do things the right way, he said.

“I’ve worked since I was 12 years old, worked with my father and started doing dishes,” he said. “I had to make him proud.

There’s no way I was going to fail. I’m happy.

I’ve done well enough in there, and will continue to do good.” n

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Art& An insurance agent has put art and business under one roof in a place where artists don’t mind getting painted into a corner: the new home of his Sterling gallery STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 20

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ometimes two things come together that most people might think of as an unlikely pair – like an art gallery and an insurance office.

But that seemingly disparate duo makes perfect sense to Larry Gaskill. After all, art challenges the mind and he sells peace of mind.

The photographer and business owner runs Larry Gaskill Insurance and the Corner Gallery in the east end of Sterling, in the strip mall spot formerly occupied by Prescott’s TV and satellite at 2522 E. Lincolnway.

It’s a new location for his office/gallery combo, and Gaskill, whose office takes up half the suite, is hoping the new highertraffic home will bring more people to the gallery. “Plus, we hope to get some walk-in traffic from down the way, people curious to see what’s going on,” he said Gaskill sold the office/gallery’s previous home at 202 Fourth Ave. to Rich Koch in December, and moved into the Lincolnway locale shortly after that. He had a third business on Fourth Avenue, too: FrameScapes, which now operates a booth at Twin City Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

Continued on page 21

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Larry Gaskill moved the Corner Gallery and his insurance office, formerly at 202 Fourth Ave., to the former Prescott’s television and satellite location at 2522 E. Lincolnway in Sterling.

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Continued from page 20

The gallery features works in various mediums: painting, photos, jewelry, glassware and more. Pieces range in price from under $50 to over $200.

He plans to expand the gallery’s offerings through exhibits of art for sale throughout the community. Businesses that want to display works would get up to four pieces, and proceeds would go toward advancing the arts in the community.

Gallery coordinator Valerie MORE INFO Butcher has big plans for her Corner Gallery, small space.

2522 E. Lincolnway, Suite E, is The gallery features works open from 1 to

by Valerie and her husband, 5 p.m. Monday Clarence, and by Gaskill and through Friday, Jan Harvey of Oregon, along and from 10 a.m. with other members of the to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Corner Gallery Artists Guild, some of whom also teach classes off premises.

Vallerie was a painter for years, but turned to sculpting when her eyesight began to fade, and the Butchers MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT/MKRABBENHOEFT@SAUKVALLEY.COM recently added glass art to their repertoire. Harvey paints Local artist Douglas Kitto talks about his piece “CARE4HER,” which is on display mostly farm buildings and still life, and Gaskill photoand for sale at The Corner Gallery in Sterling. graphs nature and landscapes from around the world.

The gallery also has special exhibits throughout the year of Latin American art, and works from Whiteside Turn the page to see some of the work County 4-H club members, and Butcher said they’re looking to add more artists to the roster. on display at the Corner Gallery T “I’m very excited with what we’re going to do.” n H

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MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT/MKRABBENHOEFT@SAUKVALLEY.COM

LEFT: The Corner Gallery in Sterling features art in various mediums – paint, photography, glass, jewelry and more. ABOVE: “Coffee Maker,” by Douglas Kitto.

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ABOVE: Here’s a piece that has form and function: “Cat in a Hammock” is made with clockwork precision – and a swinging mouse. The clock is made of fused and slumped glass and comes from Val’s Studio. The pieces at left and right, courtesy of Val’s Studio, are made with fused and slumped glass. TOP: Patrons to the gallery also can find handmade jewelry and stoneware.

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and their d n u o has f ho share s l w arn O tomers w ld barns B d behin with cus eeping o asture e l p l cou fame ion for k t out to p a o c t o l m The n reclai pass ng pu r i i e e b h t ow from

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hen Dan Sutton was learning contractor skills at his father Chet’s side in Whiteside County, he took his advice to heart.

“He told me, ‘Danny, save this lumber. They don’t make it any more,’” the younger Sutton, now 62, said.

That bit of fatherly advice eventually led Dan to open Barn Owls Reclaimed Lumber Co. in Rock Falls 10 years ago.

A two-person operation run by Sutton and his girlfriend, Rhonda Decelles, 55, the company carefully disassembles old barns to get the wood for reuse by builders, artists and others. The company’s office is at 350 Antec Road.

Continued on page 26

LEFT: Dan Sutton stands next to a beam he’s started to remove from a barn in rural Morrison. It’s the 95th barn that Sutton has dismantled since he started reclaiming lumber in 1980.

STORY PHILLIP HARTMAN PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR STERLING-ROCK FALLS LIVING

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Continued from page 25

Sutton’s current project is a barn in rural Morrison.

“I’ve been saving barns for 30some years,” he said. “One of our logos is ‘Save the past, build the future.’”

In some ways, Barn Owls is coming full circle. Dan said his father, Chester Sutton, and uncle Don Sutton were contractors out of Lyndon after World War II. They did a lot of work for the farmers, and now I’m recycling the barns. I’ve been saving barns for 30-some years.

One of our logos is ‘Save the past, build the future,’” Sutton said.

While wood is a the biggest part of what Barn Owls recovers from barns, any materials left in the buildings are fair game.

“All artifacts in these barns that the farmer doesn’t want, we reclaim that. The door hinges, whatever scrap stuff is in there, basically, is ours for the job,” Sutton said.

Photos on page 27, story cont’d on page 28

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Beautiful character LEFT: The lumber customers get at Barn Owls isn’t massproduced, milled and stacked in a big box store; it’s handpicked, honed by time and the elements, and one-of-akind. Each piece has its own character, like this weathered plank, full of splits and cracks, a prominent knot, and peppered with rusty nails – a craggy piece of history that still has some life left in it.

BELOW: Blue, red, gray ... weathered wood, in all its faded glory, awaits its next project.

ABOVE: This lumber, from the 95th building Barn Owls has tackled, is from a barn in Morrison and shows some of the wood’s unique variations.

On the left is red-painted siding and on the right is siding from the same barn that has been weathered to a “gray” or natural finish from years of exposure.

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Continued from page 26

Sutton said he enjoys working on bringing down barns outbuilding at night when the temperature is cooler, which is why he decided to name the business Barn Owls.

The business’ Facebook page features some of the works created from materials found in barns. One photo is of a fall planter made from a reclaimed livestock water tank, and another shows hog feeders turned into planter boxes.

Sutton’s on his 95th barn so far, having just started to disassemble a barn on Morrison’s west side near the intersection of state Route 78 and U.S. Route 30.

He’s willing to travel to work on a barn, working in Carroll, Lee, and Whiteside counties.

“I’ll supply anybody who wants to build anything. I’m trying to supply the lumber.

I’ll go to Ogle – wherever somebody’s got a barn they want me to save and reclaim, I’ll go a good distance,” Sutton said.

Decelles handles the organization and pulls most of the nails (even those can be reclaimed). The work isn’t fast-paced, since Barn Owls’ aim is to disassemble the barn, not demolish it. Some jobs can take anywhere from a month to a year and a half.

Sutton has done some custom work with the wood he recovers, which a lot of contractors don’t want to use.

Photos on page 29 & 30, story cont’d on page 31

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Pulleys, knobs, hooks, hardware – once Barn Owls is hired, anything found during the process can become part of the business’ inventory, and Sutton and his partner, Rhonda Decelles, find more than just lumber when they bring down an old barn. There’s a lot lurking inside those stalwart structures of the family farm: toys, tobacco tins, bottles and more.

No piece is too small – even the square nails they pull from the barn. And with a little luck, courtesy of a horse shoe, they’ll find all the treasures the barns hold inside

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ABOVE: Once a barn is brought down, Sutton organizes the barn wood at his warehouse in Rock Falls. He has sections for red-painted wood, white-painted wood, and gray or unfinished wood.

He also organizes it by size and condition. RIGHT: Joists, beams, siding, doors and more, Barn Owls’ warehouse is full of old barn wood waiting to find a new life. The business also reclaims lumber from the floors of semi truck trailers.

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Continued from page 28

“I’ve done room additions, furniture, and flooring,” Sutton said.

After taking barns apart for a decade, Sutton’s found a variety of unique items. He said the oldest wood he’s found is cedar from a Civil War-era barn near Shabbona.

“The strangest thing is a lot of beautiful character in lumber that the animals chewed on. We call it MORE INFORMATION horse chew or The Barn Owls Recow chew,” Sutclaimed Lumber Comton said. pany’s office is at 350 Even after all Antec Road, Rock Falls. this time, old Hours are by appointment. Text Dan Sutton barns are still at 815-631-5008 to standing and in meet with him. need of removal.

Search for The Barn Sutton will take Owls Reclaimed people for a ride Lumber on Facebook for examples of items and point out made from items recovwhere the barns ered from barns. are.

“When we go for a ride, they say, ‘I’ve never noticed them.’ Barns are out there standing, but they’re too much expense because the farmers don’t have the livestock. They’re falling down,” Sutton said – and when those barns do come down, Barn Owls will be there to pick up the pieces. n

How much wood could a Woodchuck chuck?

Not much – but he can do a pretty good job dragging it.

Sutton’s dog, Woodchuck, enjoys dragging pieces of barn wood up to 8 foot long around the property.

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eeping K the Keeping the faith

faith

Their congregation may be small, but their spirit is strong, and it’s been keeping the congregation coming to a country church in rural Sterling for 145 years, where faith and family come together as one

Our Savior Lutheran Church in rural Sterling was established in 1875, and will celebrate 145 years of worship on April 19.

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Their congregation may be small, but their spirit is strong, and it’s been keeping the congregation coming to a country church in rural Sterling for 145 years, where faith and family come together as one

P

eople’s spiritual paths can take them many places. For the congregation of Our Savior Lutheran Church, it takes them on a road less traveled.

Sitting atop a hill on a quiet stretch of country road between Emerson and Morrison, the church has been a beacon of faith for 145 years, beckoning the faithful – farmers and city folks alike – to God’s humble house, many of whom have had family coming there for generations.

Like many churches, however, the pews aren’t always filled. Age, technology and the demands of a busier life has whittled Our Savior’s congregation down to about 25 regular churchgoers each Sunday – but what a dedicated group they are.

The love for their country church is strong, and they’ll do everything they can to keep it going. That faith and devotion is one of the many things The Rev. Phil Heuser looks forward to every Sunday.

Continued on page 34

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Continued from page 33

“People can really get to know each other well,” Heuser said. “It’s almost like being at a family reunion instead of being at a church meeting. People have gotten to know each other well.”

Our Savior is affiliated with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, which is the secondlargest Lutheran denomination in the United States, behind the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Most Lutherans in the Midwest belong to the LCMS, ELCA or the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Many Lutherans came to Whiteside County after the Civil War and settled on farms between Sterling and Morrison. The closest Lutheran services at that time were in Lyons, Iowa – now the north side of Clinton – and it wasn’t until 1875 when the First German Evangelical Lutheran Church was started on present-day Hazel Road, between Habben and Blue Goose roads, 4 miles west of Emerson.

First German Evangelical Lutheran, which became Our Savior in 1934, was the first such church in the county; it was organized by the Rev. Fritz Lussky from the Lyons congregation, and, nearly 6 hours later, he organized what now is Messiah Lutheran Church in Sterling.

A weathered sign directs people to Our Savior Lutheran Church.

34

Lester Cordes doesn’t remember much German anymore, but there was a time when he didn’t have a choice.

Cordes, 89, was baptized at Our Savior in 1930 and has attended services nearly every Sunday since, save 2 years of service during the Korean War. He attended Hopewell School, which was less than a mile east of the church, and has been witness to more than half of the church’s history.

One of the biggest changes Cordes remembers is when services made the official language transition from German to English. German was phased out entirely by World War II. “At one time it was just all farmers that belonged here,” Cordes said. “It’s where I grew up, and it’s just a special thing for me. Sunday you had to go to church.”

The church had a schoolhouse where Sunday School, catechetical instruction and Ladies Aid programs were held. It was moved in the 1940s and its space now is used by the western part of the church’s cemetery, which is just as old as the church itself.

Cordes makes sure the departed churchgoers aren’t covered in tall grass. He and Arlyn Oetting, 76, tend to nearly 450 stones behind the church – some tall enough to be seen a half-mile away, and some small and ornate, such as the marker for a 2-year-old child who died in 1880.

“My whole family’s buried out here,” Cordes said before cracking a smile. “They’re all waiting for me.”

Oetting first tended to the lawn as a senior in high school in the early 1960s.

“It was a rotary mower, you had to push it; no riding or anything like that,” he said. “All summer long. There’s about 3 acres out there for $200.”

The Rev. Arthur Oetting, Arlyn’s grandfather, was the church’s longest serving pastor, from 1913 to 1953. It was during his pastorate when English services began, the church’s name was changed, a basement was built to replace the nearby school building, and a new pipe organ was dedicated – still in use today.

The original bell tower was nearly twice as tall as the current structure. It could be seen for at least 3 miles in either direction, especially from the Lincoln Highway 2 miles south, and both the Chicago and North Western and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railways further south from a depot in Agnew. A storm toppled the tower in 1922.

Before Heuser was installed as pastor, The Rev. Donald Matthiessen served for 29 years before his death in 2018. Matthiessen’s wife, Rosemarie, played the organ and piano during her husband’s time, and continues to play today.

Modernization continued in the 1960s and 1970s with a new parsonage and interior renovations. In 1967, there were 215 communicant and 300 baptized members.

Oetting and his wife, Betty, were married at the church in 1963 and have been together 57 years.

Continued on page 35

More than 400 grave sites are lined up in the rear of Our Savior Lutheran Church in rural Sterling. It’s as old as the church itself, established in 1875.

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Continued from page 34

“It still has the basic values of what the Lutheran faith is all about,” said Oetting, a retired Sterling fire chief. “We love to come here because of the camaraderie, and just the ‘old timeless’ of it. It’s what I grew up with, and what I’m used to.

“We’ve been very fortunate that, after Pastor Matthiessen passed away, we were able to find Pastor Heuser.

He’s been a godsend to us and has COME WORSHIP kept us afloat and keep us going.”

Our Savior Lutheran Church The decline in membership has 21496 Hazel Road, Sterling reduced the number of special 815-772-4345 events the church holds, but it The Rev. Phil Heuser, pastor is putting together a big one to Services are at 9 a.m. every celebrate its 145th anniversary on Sunday with Bible class at April 19. Further details will be 10 a.m. The church’s 145th made available closer to the celebraanniversary will be April 19. tion date, but one special guest has Call 815-772-4345 for more information. been confirmed. The Rev. Mike Winkleman, who served as Our Savior’s pastor from 1972 to 1975, will preach the sermon. Winkleman was the longtime pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Morrison, a spinoff from Our Savior from 1885.

It’s a small church, so everybody has to pitch in to keep things going, Heuser said.

“The people who are here are very dedicated,” he said. “They’re here Sunday after Sunday, and there’s jobs to do. They aren’t saying, ‘You do that.’

They’re taking on a job themselves, and they put in so much of their time, energy and effort. I think that’s a great thing.” n

The Rev. Phil Heuser has been pastor of Our Savior since 2018. “Pastor Heuser [has] been a godsend to us and has kept us afloat and keep us going,” said church member Arlyn Oetting.

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