We all want to be remembered. Most of us have a good idea of how we want our loved ones to remember us when we are gone. The best way to tell our stories is in our own words. That's what the PaperBridges.com staff is here for. We are committed to building bridges between generations, using your own words. Your life is unique and your stories need to be shared.
About Legacy Letters and Histories
When Your Words Matter the Most
Your stories need to be shared!
The Paper Bridge staff prioritizes dignity and respect in our work with those individuals and their families dealing with end of life needs. We are committed to showing compassion and offering comfort to those requiring end of life care. We are also trained to listen and provide emotional and spiritual support during life’s final stages.
The Paper Bridge staff looks beyond the process of dying and includes the process of identifying, discussing and documenting people’s lives and what they wish to leave behind as living legacies.
We all want to be remembered. Most of us have a good idea of how we want our loved ones to remember us when we are gone. But do we know they'll remember us the way we want to be remembered? What are you leaving behind as a legacy?
The best way to tell our stories is in our own words. However, despite our best intentions, most of us never find the time to do that. The fact is none of us knows with certainty when we will draw our last breath. Or which story will be the last one we tell.
THE PAPERBRIDGE staff can help you preserve your stories. We are committed to building bridges between generations, using the words of our clients.We can help you compose a legacy letter (also known as an ethical will) in which you pass on your hopes, dreams and beliefs, or a more extensive personal or family history, all within your financial budget and according to your timetable. Your life is unique, and we are committed to making certain that your legacy reflects your experiences, hopes and dreams. Each project is tailored to your specifications.
Working with THE PAPERBRIDGE staff produces more than just a clear, written record of your life experience. Consider the following priceless benefits:
- Composing a legacy of your values provides a sense of peace and purpose.
- Your personal goals will be more clearly defined after building your unique family legacy—forming a link for past, present and future generations.
- You will share in writing emotions that you might not be able to express face-to-face.
- You will have the satisfaction of giving your loved ones the most precious of all gifts, your unique family stories, ensuring that they won't be lost forever.
"There's no such thing as an uninteresting life." - Mark Twain
THE PAPERBRIDGE staff looks forward to helping you preserve your history. We offer these general guidelines to help you decide which service most clearly meets your needs. Each project is unique and we will work with you to come up with a project that satisfies your requirements.
What is a legacy letter?
A legacy letter is a document that preserves in writing information you want to share with loved ones or friends. The most common legacy letter is the ethical will. Ethical wills have grown in popularity since the events of 9/11. An ethical will passes on to heirs your hopes and values in much the same way a legal will distributes possessions. A wonderful compliment to a legal will is the ethical will that ensures your voice will be heard, in your own words.
Legacy letters are not just last testaments, however. They are appropriate at other times in your life as well—the death of a close relative or friend, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings or any other occasion you wish to commemorate.
What is the difference between a legacy letter and a history (also known as memoirs)?
A legacy letter usually focuses on your hopes and values. A history focuses on the events, people and circumstances that have shaped your life. Histories are extremely flexible. They can include your entire life's story, or just portions of it. Histories are almost always more elaborate than legacy letters and take longer to complete.
This is perhaps the ultimate gift you can share with your family—the telling of your story. It's also the most versatile product we offer. We can produce a full-fledged, several hundred pages long, hardbound record of your entire life, or something as short as a legacy letter, briefly detailing the highlights of your life. We can focus on a specific time period, or a specific event. You can have us do all of the work, or you can do some of it yourself as we guide you through the process. It's up to you. Whether you have a specific plan, or just want to brainstorm some ideas, our initial no-obligation consultation is free.
Corporate/organizational histories
The process is similar to a personal or family history. We can also document the history of your small business, school, place of worship, historical society, hospital, museum or library.
How does the process work?
All of our projects begin with a free, no-obligation consultation. We'll discuss your goals for the project, where the information is coming from, how much of it you may have already done, your role in the project and your budget and deadlines. We'll offer some general suggestions in the initial contact and give you time to consider our recommendations.
Should you want to proceed with the project, we'll prepare a free, no-obligation estimate, including cost and time line, for your consideration. If we agree to a mutually satisfactory project plan, we will begin the project with a planning session via e-mail or telephone.
A legacy letter generally involves an initial brief session in order to conduct an interview and fill out a questionnaire, and then transcription, writing, review and rewriting before the document is finished.
A history is usually a five-step process: 1) planning; 2) collecting information/interviews/ transcription; 3) first draft/client review; 4) revisions/final client approval; 5) layout/printing.
How long will it take?
Legacy letters are generally completed within 30 days; histories take longer. Short histories can be completed in a few months, while longer projects can take up to a year.
What does it cost?
Although each project is unique, a basic legacy letter costs between $300 - $400 and a short history around $700. The cost for longer histories is negotiable. Payment plans are available.
Other history services:
- Audio interviews (for oral histories, etc.)
- Family holiday newsletters
- Milestone books/letters: birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, graduations, weddings, and retirements
The Top Ten reasons why THE PAPERBRIDGE staff should write your legacy letter or history:
- We are experienced professionals who are skilled in saving life stories.
- We will help connect you to your ancestors and descendants through your life stories.
- When you hire us, it will get done, within your budget and on time.
- We respect your privacy and will respectfully balance your privacy concerns with your desire to "get the word out" about your life and accomplishments. We treat every conversation with you as private and confidential.
- Our writing is clear, concise and accurate. Your story will be presented in a factual, readable and engaging style.
- We view every project as uniquely interesting, and will work closely with you to ensure that the final product fulfills your expectations.
- Other people, who write their own biographies, spend at least six years to do so. We can finish your project in a fraction of that time.
- Family members are often more open with strangers, especially a skilled interviewer with decades of experience and a reputation for fairness and objectivity.
- We provide the motivation, structure and encouragement to complete your project. We will take facts of your life and turn them into a valued document that will preserve your unique life forever.
- We also embrace what hospice care calls “dignity therapy”—a therapeutic dialogue designed to help terminally ill patients improve their quality of life and put things in perspective for both patient and their family at a very difficult time.
Learning from Our Elders
A vision I have for my work with our elders is to create and share their personal life legacies. To help others with a similar vision birth a society in which the wisdom of elders is honored and taken to heart when individuals, organizations, and nations are faced with making important life decisions.
In my lifetime of nearly 70 years, I believe the wisdom of our elders has been under considered, much less taken seriously in making decisions affecting our nation and organizations. And especially the wisdom of grandmas has largely been ignored.
I wonder how different life of many youth today would be if grandmothers and grandfathers could share their life lessons. Would their values be different?
And I wonder how different our country would be if our leaders (and followers) considered the wisdom of our grandparents in governing our nation. Somehow, I can't imagine that we would be fighting yet another war (this time "on terror") in which leaders have once again sent "young" men (and more women than ever before) to die "to protect our way of life" or "to spread democracy" around the world.
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We no longer have the youthfulness, the vigor we once had. We have lost old loves, passions and friends. As we age, we become more and more estranged and lost from our old self and our old, comfortable loves and fears of our past. We need to pay more attention to this passing of the old and must begin to learn how to welcome and integrate ourselves into our changing lives.
I’ll be the first to say that it’s mind-boggling to realize we are losing who we were and what we have accomplished, that we can even lose those sad, bad memories which previously continued to haunt us. And now, in our later years, we have a new opportunity to reinvent ourselves, to create new passions and desires; and most important, we can find new friends, do new work, and spend more time in sharing with others in our new, emerging later lives.
Now is the time to learn how to give from our present, older, and hopefully, wiser, hearts and souls. We are who we are now, at this moment, new persons who have the priceless opportunity not to die unhappily, dwelling in our past, but to begin again in this new age with new prospects. We need only to have the courage and acquired wisdom to grasp and squeeze every drop of joy, satisfaction, and yes, gratitude, with the last bits of energy and compassion we still have left in us.
What I am telling us is that this is our new, probably greatest opportunity. Look around. What needs to be done? Who around us needs our help, our companionship, our comfort, right now? What can still make you happy, a little more content; what can make you feel like you are accomplishing something that will make a difference to the ones you love, your friends, the homeless, the needy on your block or in your town?
People and causes need us. We have a new opportunity to change our life, change someone else’s life, the opportunity to let go of those old unhappy memories and create new memories for the new you who is still alive and still has the energy and the will to do something new, maybe even revolutionary.
Let’s get going! Let’s let go of those old, faded memories and find some new ones to take their place!
Some brief statements I have recorded from those writing their Living Legacy Letters:
- Make the most of every experience.
- Don’t obsess over right and wrong decisions.
- Stop defending my self-image.
- Go beyond risks.
- Make no decision when in doubt.
- See the possibilities in whatever happens.
- Find the stream of joy.
Sample Questions to Consider When Writing Your Personal/Family History
NOTES:
Some questions will appeal to you while others won’t. Skip around if you like. Start with those that feel most meaningful, easy or fun. This is your personal history. It can be as long or concise as you want it to be.
Helps to Jog the Memory:
- Photo Albums
- Scrap Books
- High School/College Yearbooks
- Old Letters
- Old Records/Tapes/Movies
- Talks with Older Relatives/Friends
Family Roots
- Were your family members (grandparents, parents, other relatives) born in America, or did they emigrate from other countries? If they immigrated, what circumstances brought them to America?
- Were their family members or friends already in the community they moved to?
- Were you born in America? Where?
- Do you have any stories about older family members? Did any of their lives impact your life in any way?
- What was your mother’s name/maiden name? Your father’s name, grandmothers’ and grandfathers’ names? What did you call them?
- Who were you named after? Were you close to that person?
- Did your grandparents live nearby? What were they like? How often did you visit them?
- What did your grandparents have, do that is memorable?
- In what ways is your lifestyle different from the life or life-style your parents had?
- Did your parents/grandparents own a business? What do you remember about their work?
- Birth place, date, time. Were you adopted?
- Places you have lived? Memories about those places?
- Did you ever take part in a family business as a child? If so, what did you learn from the experience?
- What are some special memories of your parents and siblings?
- What memories do you have of family get-togethers?
- Can you remember any of the daydreams you had as you looked out your bedroom window in the house you grew up in?
- Who delivered to your house? A milkman/iceman/etc?
- What does the neighborhood you grew up in look like now compared to what it was like when you were growing up?
- If you could move back into the house now that you grew up in, and if was just the way it was then, would you? Why, or why not? What was your house like?
- Do you have any memories of groups/individuals moving to your town? Did they have any effect on how things were?
- Anyone other than siblings (i.e. relatives/friends) ever live with you for a time?
- What were some of your parents/siblings talents, values, passions, dreams, and fears?
- What were some of their accomplishments?
- What is an incident you’ll never forget involving any member of your family?
- Did you take music lessons? What? How old? Did you like them?
- Did you collect anything when you were a child? Bugs, baseball cards, marbles, figurines? Do you collect anything now?
- What were some of the things you saved money for as a child, or teen? What is something big you remember buying when you were younger?
- Any imaginary friends as a child? Names? What role did they play? Anyone know about them?
- Favorite places to play? Any imaginary places?
- Favorite toys?
- Favorite things to do in the winter, spring, summer, fall?
- What chores were you responsible for?
- Do you remember learning to read/write? What was it like?
- Was schoolwork hard or easy for you?
- What were some of your favorite books as a child? Comics? Movies?
- How much did movies cost?
- How did you get to school? Walk? With friends? By self? On a bus?
- What is your most memorable birthday? Why? Best present you ever received?
- Something you got in trouble for as a child?
- Any hospitalizations when young? How old?
- Who cut your hair?
- Favorite teachers? Why?
- Special projects? Sports?
- Any memorable pranks?
- Fads as a teen/common expressions/popular slang words?
- Did you keep a diary? Anybody ever read it?
- Favorite after-school/ weekend activities/hangouts?
- Where did you go on dates in high school?
- High school buddies? Sweethearts?
- College? Where? How did you choose it? Favorite professors? Most influential?
- Fraternity/sorority/clubs?
- Who was the campus “Big Man,” “Beauty Queen?”
- Did you change much during your college years? Did your parents notice?
- Did you spend any time in the military? Where were you stationed? What was it like? What work did you do? What rank did you achieve?
- What are your best/worst memories from your time in the military?
- After leaving the military did you get together with military buddies and talk about things? What did you share?
- What were some memorable things that happened at you wedding and on your honeymoon? Where did these take place?
- Memories of the day(s) your child(ren) was/were born?
- What were some of the first words your child(ren) spoke?
- What experiences are outstanding in your memory in raising your child(ren)?
- My proudest moments of my child(ren)?
- Why did you name your children what you named them?
- Some special memories spent with family?
- When your child(ren) left the nest, what did it feel like?
- Who were factors in helping you raise your child(ren)?
- Any thoughts about your own children’s weddings?
- What was your first real job?
- What awards and recognitions have you received?
- Do you feel as if you were in the right career? What would have been your dream career?
- What are some memorable things about jobs you’ve had?
- What are some things you have tried to forget about jobs you’ve had?
- What was it like retiring?
- Did any of your classmates/friends become famous?
- Who are your best friends? What do you like about them?
- What are some special memories of times spent with friends?
- What is the most often told story about me?
- Do you have a relative or friend with a disability? What have you gained from knowing him/her?
- Have you ever been on jury duty? What was the case? Did you decide the defendant innocent or guilty? Was it a hard judgment call?
- What have been the personal physical landmarks in your life (i.e. the Shell station, newsstand, etc)?
- Were you ever politically active? When?
- What are some world events you remember best? Did they affect your life in some way?
- How has life or “society” changed through the years?
- What advice would I give to a child/my grandchildren?
- What I know now that I wish I had known while growing up.
- What I would undo if I could.
- A secret you are willing to share.
- Best gift?
- Best trip?
- Best friend?
- Worst/hardest decision you had to make?
- Worst/hardest year?
- Worst/hardest job?
- Most powerful learning experience?
- Favorite keepsake from childhood/adulthood?
- Favorite photographs? Any stories behind them?
- Holidays celebrated other than Christmas, Easter July 4th? How did your family celebrate these holidays?
- Do you remember your first watch/ piece of jewelry?
- First car? Cost? Who paid for it?
- What do you remember about turning 21, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 80, 90, 100? Any other birthdays come to mind?
- What do you think about the name(s) you were given? Would you have preferred a different name? What?
- Were you confirmed/bar/bat mitzvahed? Any memories?
- Baptism.
- Spiritual experiences. Miracles.
- Faith-promoting experiences.
- What special hymn/song do you especially like that tells something about you?
- Is there a TV or movie character that you especially identify with? Who? Why?
- Special blessings.
- Conversion (s) to…
- Church/Temple affiliations.
- What do you see as the main part of the legacy you received?
- What legacy do you want to leave?
Recorded in Atlantic, Iowa, Oct-Nov, 2011
At the ages of 81 and 78, Walt and Esther Severin, residing at Heritage House in Atlantic, Iowa, are writing their family history with help from their oldest daughter, Lorilyn Schultes and youngest daughter, Sherilyn Karamitros. They are doing so in order to share their personal legacies of their lives. Their intentions are to let their family members and others know their thoughts and feelings about the lives they have lived, to honor the relationships that have enriched their lives, and to express their gratitude for allowing them to be part of your life and you a part of theirs.
As we were encouraged to actually record our thoughts and memories, we were reminded of the universal question, “Will anyone remember us when we are gone?” But as we were prompted during the interview to reflect on certain people, places, and times of our lives, we began to realize that there are those who will find us memorable—for various reasons. Therefore, as you read this history, although it doesn’t cover all aspects of our lives, we have tried to cover some of the more important ones and are glad we allowed the fingerprints of our lives to be placed on the following pages.
We are glad we’ve had the opportunity to share with you what we hope our lives, combined and individually, stood for, and the faith we had that was needed to sustain us at times. We committed to doing this because we believed that doing so would give us a sense of peace and realization that our lives did have a purpose that will form a link from the past to the present and into the future generations of our family.
Now, as we try to open up our minds and recall the past years, reflect on our values and life lessons, we want to begin by saying that our family and friends have always been considered our most precious of all gifts.
We would like to begin by sharing what we remember about our family roots. Esther and I will share what we remember and then our daughters, Lorilyn and Sherilyn, will also share what they remember as we go along.
Good memories about special times spent together doing things are the best memories. We would like to take the time to share some of those memories in hopes of encouraging our family and friends to make more time to develop your own good memories.
Esther: As I look back at how our lives began to improve between the time I was a child growing up on the farm and our adult years, I can see that our lives became what I call “more automatic.” What I mean is that I remember when our parents and we kids had to carry water from the well into the house. We had no indoor plumbing, no TV, and no electricity.
Walt: I also remember how, in the late 30’s and 40’s President Roosevelt made it possible for more electricity to be used by farmers by a program that erected telephone lines more rurally. The years before electricity and the low price on crops made it very hard for farmers to make a living. But one of the most memorable things my father did was to go to the State Fair in Chicago by train. I also remember that our family would always get together on birthdays.
During my early school years, I enjoyed making toys and auctioning them off. One of my favorite things to make was a one half size wooden wheel barrow out of scrap. In our spare time my folks liked to do a lot of activities that included church members.
In later years the good memories involved going to Spring Brook State Park near Guthrie Center. This was one of my family’s favorite hangouts. It has trails, a large pond, and a twenty-four foot high diving tower, which is still there today.
Esther: Sunday drives were always a favorite past time for our family. I was the younger of the first set of children of my Dad and birth Mom, Esther. When my Dad married his second wife, Irma, they had three more children, making me the “middle” child. So in total, I had two older brothers, two younger half-brothers, one older sister, and one younger half-sister.
During my younger days I can remember that my brother hit a porcelain cup with the lawn mower and Dad wasn’t happy because it got chipped. However, we kids kind of thought it was funny. I’m not sure it’s a good memory because my brother was spanked because of the incident.
However, another good memory is the free piano lessons the church organist gave me. Even though I didn’t do anything later with the lessons, I did ask my Dad about playing in bars, but he said no.
Yet still another memory that, by some standards, may not be considered “good,” it does bring a smile to my face. My girlfriend’s parents owned a restaurant and she would sneak cigarettes. During our third and fourth grade years we went out and tried them. After that, if I wouldn’t do what she wanted me to, she would say, “I’m going to tell your folks you were smoking.”
The Severin Farmstead—a Century Farm
A somewhat frightening memory I have was when I was watching our hired hands one day bringing the sows into the pens. The sows would charge in very fast. I was standing behind a gate as Dad was yelling for the hired hands to open certain numbered gates to the hog pens and then a certain sow would charge in. The little piglets were squealing so loud, and one particular sow saw me and thought I was doing something to her babies. So she charged at me. Thank God I was well-protected behind the fence or she would have hit me and done who knows what.
A strong memory, that probably has a lot to do with me deciding to pursue mechanical engineering, is watching my Dad use the machine to shoot the silage for feeding the cattle into the bunks. I was really fascinated as to how mechanical things, such as the power takeoff shafts and elevator worked.
RECALLING IMPORTANT EVENTS, ETC.
Walt, Esther, and the girls were asked to recall any other important events and changes in society they had noticed or experienced that may have influenced their lives in some way.
Our life experiences have taught us some things we would like to include in order to help the future generations of our family live their lives so they will be an open book for others to learn and benefit from. We know our lives are far from perfect, but life has taught us a few things. We hope that what we are sharing can help you to secure more happiness for your lives. Not all of what we are sharing can be considered wisdom, but take that which you feel can make your lives better.
Esther: It seems as though something we older folk have earned the right to do is give advice and share life’s lessons. But to a degree it also seems as if the days are nearly gone when the wisdom of the elders were admired and respected. Walt and I place a higher worth on the values of wisdom, knowledge, a good name and a strong faith. And since we value our faith in the Lord, it has given us strength as we’ve aged.
Walt: Esther is right. I believe God wants us to do and say whatever we can to influence those who will come after us and do it in meaningful ways, such as sharing the history of our lives. God wants us to finish well, and this is just one more way we have found to do that. We feel that the greatest legacy we can pass on to you is one of character and faith.
Esther: Again, I want to emphasize the importance of family relationships. Friendships are important, but cherish your relationships with your siblings as well. When family differences arise, patch them up as soon as possible. Don’t let them simmer. They might become over-cooked and can’t be renewed. Seek happiness. Find ways to stay happy and pass it on to others. One thing I would advise you to not do is lock yourself in a vocation that you find tedious, or are always looking at it as “work.” It makes me happy when I hear that someone in the family has acquired an honor or achieved a goal. Enrich your minds with meaningful work, friends, family, and helping the community at large. I know that my family and friends have been a great source of joy and strength for me. My love will always be with you. And by sharing it in this format, you get to keep it and remember it forever.
Having said what I just have, I was also asked, what were some of the major changes I have seen in society over the years? Unfortunately, one of the big changes I’ve seen is in the lives of families. That’s one of the reasons I shared what I did. More and more people are going away from the church, and therefore from God. Kids today also seem to want more money and things and are going further and further astray, developing bad habits. And, yes, I also see less and less respect for the elders. Families are drifting apart and are less willing to settle differences.
Walt: But in our family I feel we have really made the effort to always remain close. The thing that has helped me in times of dealing with heavy emotional things is prayer. I would like to encourage you to stand by your convictions. What I mean is stand up for what you believe in. But at the same time know that everyone is different and their beliefs might be somewhat, or a lot different from yours. Try to keep an open mind. And you may need to put yourself in someone else’s shoes before judging them. Don’t feel you need to be perfect. None of us are. You need to see your own faults first.
Esther: I know I’ve already told my grandchildren, but I want to tell them again, that because of an experience I had with one of them early on, try to be close to your grandparents. The experience I had was seeing my mother as she was dying and I took my granddaughter on a long trip to see her. Shelby was three or four at the time. When we left after visiting my Mom for the good part of a day one time, Shelby looked at me and said, “When you die, grandma, can I have this car?” She said she loved driving with me in my car. Having shared that, I just want to remind you that humor is really “the elixir of life.” Work at cultivating your sense of humor and life may not seem so absurd.
Walt: I have always told my grandkids to leave the drugs and other things that aren’t good for you alone. Go to college and get a good education. Don’t worry about how much you’re going to make. Just be thankful you have a job. And by the way, most of what you learn will most likely be on the job.
As I think about it, one of the most powerful learning experiences that taught me something was while I was fishing in Minnesota at the time 9/11 happened. What I saw happened in the months that followed, and what I’ve observed in the years since has shown me that the U.S has not learned anything. We have always been a warring people and felt we should force our ways on others. I believe if the president had asked the older generation if we should go to war again we would have given a definite “No!” Why? Because we haven’t seen any improvement based on other wars, and especially in this one with the Muslim Taliban. We have always been over-protective of places.
Both Esther and I agree that women should never have been placed on the front lines of war. God didn’t create a woman to have a violent or fighting nature that would make them want to kill. We have raised two very loving daughters and now have granddaughters that we would never want to see having to go to war and be in a position to have to kill someone.
MEMORIES THAT HELP TO BRIDGE GAPS
Lorilyn and Sherilyn feel blessed to have been raised by such loving and caring parents that they would now like to share more of their memories and help to perhaps bridge some of the gaps in people’s memories.
Lorilyn: When I reflect on the clubs and community activities our family was involved in, I remember that our parents were active members of the Commodity Club and traded commodities. The club was a combined group of experienced traders and new traders involved in sharing information regarding trading and investing. The idea was to help each other learn to trade profitably and consistently with reduced risk.
With the knowledge my folks gained, they helped my grandparents raise funds for the rebuilding of Bowman Chapel, which was half way between Audubon and Guthrie Center. The church had been struck by lightning in the late 60’s and burnt to the ground. Dad was on the church board and was able to help them.
Sherilyn: Our folks were involved a lot with us when it came to participating in clubs such as 4H, but at the same time, because of our parents’ and grandparents’ involvement with church, we were always involved in some way with church activities. Because of that I will also remember the Bowman Chapel fire. It was a very emotional time for the family and congregation. The family was involved in helping to rebuild the church. I also participated in the children’s choir, which was made up of about five kids. I can remember when the choir only involved Mark, Mike and me singing for the church service.
Lorilyn: Vacations and holidays were always highlights every year. We spent Fourth of Julys in Exira with our relative Thomas Payne who was a contractor. He built our parents’ house on the farm and also helped build my grandparents’ home in Florida.
I’m not sure why, but I suddenly remember him speaking at a town hall meeting and having a heart attack.
Our folks bought a cabin on Spirit Lake in Okoboji in 1977. Later they had it torn down and Thomas Payne’s son, Robert, who was an architect, designed and built us a new house on the property in 1978-79. I remember it having a real nice open floor plan. During that time, cattlemen all over were doing well financially. It was a good economic time to invest. Dad also decided to buy two more lake front lots on Lake Panorama because a couple of builders had gone bankrupt.
The new house became a great place for our friends and family to get together for weekends and holidays. Dad was an avid fisherman and had a boat. He also taught us how to water ski at a very young age. We enjoyed being at the lake even more because our friends owned businesses at Twin Lakes.
During those years, I also remember the start-up of T-Bone Days and the parade in Audubon. It was during that time that the big Albert the Bull statue was built at the south side of town in the park. Cattlemen were doing a lot of shipping of their cattle to Chicago and I can remember going there to the stockyards.
Sherilyn: My best memory of Spirit Lake is how much Dad loved fishing. He was very good at it. We would accompany Dad at times and one day a storm suddenly came up and began pushing the boat toward the rocks along the shoreline. Dad had me hold on to the large stringer of fish we had caught as he tried to maneuver the boat away from the rocks. But a large wave suddenly rocked the boat causing it to rise and fall in the water. The fish were jumping a lot and managed to pull the stringer out of my hand. Dad just stared, but didn’t say a word. He wasn’t upset with me. He was only concerned for our safety.
I remember the summer I was a waitress at a restaurant near the lake when our new home was being built. The folks couldn’t be there at the time so I was given the responsibility of keeping an eye on the contractors and their crew. I had to be honest about what I saw and told Dad that the workers weren’t showing up when they were supposed to and weren’t working all that hard. That caused some problems between Dad and the contractor.
IN REVIEW
In reviewing what it is that Walt, Esther, Lorilyn and Sherilyn hope for the next generation of their families, it comes down to hoping that those who follow after them will become men and women of compassion, honesty, morality, responsibility, selflessness, loyalty, discipline and sacrifice.
Recommendation by John D. Schirmer
"The three hardest tasks in writing one’s memoir are starting it, continuing it and finishing the job.
My sons wanted me to write my memoir and I was stuck at step one. After some research the name Allen Stark came up as a person who helps others write their memories down to share with others. Mr. Stark was just what I needed. He provided me with the direction to start, contacted people who would contribute, edited the flow of my narrative, and organized my thoughts and segments. With his help I enjoyed writing and seeing my life history emerge in print. All along the way I was urged to expand, clarify, insert, and organize by Mr. Stark and never told what to write or how to write as this was to be MY memoir, not his. Without Allen Stark’s assistance this labor of love would never have been completed. Thank you Allen for all your guidance and encouragement."
The Index from the Personal History of John D. Schirmer
A Lifetime Achievement
[This is an index of chapters included in the Personal History of John D. Schirmer, which ThePaperBridges.com staff helped compile and write.]
I am John D. Schirmer, and this is the story of my life and career. It is also the story of Florida Insurance, Inc., one of the largest health insurance agencies/brokerages in the state of Florida and in the United States.
Foreword
My Dad
My Mother
My Siblings (and Their Families)
Growing up in Northern Illinois
Education
My Brother Mark – Opportunities Still Exist in America
First Employee Job – Working at Admiral TV
My First Car
Married Young and Had Children Young
Our Homes – Marengo Illinois
Working at Chicago Eastern
Early Teaching – Don’t Burn Bridges
My First (New) Car
Wood Burning – To Save Budget
Family Travel – Insurance Conventions and Camping
Bonfires – Our Own Campground
Turning Hobbies into Profit – Cabbage Patch Kids, Magic, Sports Cards
Nathan
Starting My Insurance Sales Career
Bob Moll
Mutual Trust
Starting Florida Insurance – Vince Giancinto
Mick Frease
Our Move to Florida – June 1985
June 1985 – Beginnings of Florida Insurance
Florida Insurance, Inc. – Organizational History
Business Partners vs. Agents
Jim Welvaert
Richard (“Dick”) Koontz
Ed Jordan
Small Group
Pinellas Executives Association (P.E.A.)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
Philosophy – Accept Blame When Warranted
Philosophy – Under Promise/Over Deliver
Philosophy – Don’t Brag or Gloat; Give Others Credit Where Due
Marshall Street
Charles Didier
Philosophy – Lead By Example
Application Kits
Cycle of Insurance – Especially in Small Group Health Insurance
Successful Business Partners
We “Are” The Competition
Pay Bills When Received – Immediately
Small Group Letters and Marriage Mail Inserts
Philosophy – Don’t Cheat or Cut Corners
Marketing Company
Numbers Talk – 10 Business Partners, 10 Leads A Day
Fax Machine
Agent Council – Consolidated Group Trust (C.G.T.)
Florida Insurance Inc. – Group Department
Business Philosophy – Professional
Philosophy – Honesty, Above Board
Philosophy – Productive, Efficient, Default Work
Matt’s Negotiating On 800 N. Belcher
Paul Kaslander
Paul Cindrich
227 to 800 N. Belcher
Josalyn Triplett
Changing a Light Bulb
Suicide Agent – Trey Horst
Bill Askins
Superbowl and Indy 500
Nate’s Stash
Jeromy Colbert – Auto
Helping Others – Mary Rosiak
Going Public
Telemarketing (About 1998)
Legacy Speech
Brian Greenberg and Henry Mahler, Dishing Nate
Threats – Be Very Careful, You May Have To Go Through With One
Philosophy – Don’t Accept Generalizations
Sale of 800 N. Belcher – Move to Four Office Condo Units
Philosophy – Opportunities
Philosophy – Great Job, But
Ed Kawczak
Jerry – BCBSFL Listens to Him and FL INS, Fall Contest 2010
Philosophy – Teachers Learn More Than Their Students
Tony Albano
Burned – Only James Nichols
Nepotism – Compliment
New Port Richey
Cocoa Beach/Debary
Jacksonville Store
Sarasota
Graduated – Modglin, Nichols, Dennison, Goldberg, Albano
Miami – Ron Rogart, Honorio, etc.
Tallahassee – Cathy Nixon
Options
Order Takers
10 Agents, Each Sell 10 Policies A Week
Referrals From Agents
Successful People Do What Failures Refuse To Do
Success vs. Failure
Luck
Specialize
Jacksonville Office
Orlando Office
Mills Cummings
Tampa Office
James Nichols
Divorce – Nancy
Giving Up The Company
Jerry – Make The Idea His
Group Insurance
Philosophy – Comfort Levels
Good Record Keeping – Data
Leads
Florida Insurance – Overall Philosophy
Delegate
Data
Other Data
Orlando Office – When New
Orlando – Initial Office
Jerry – Early
Philosophy – Combination of Many Ideas (Minds)
Philosophy – Life Is A Game, Play It
Philosophy – Personal
Philosophy – Money
Regrets
Prepared
Envy
Arizona Expansion
Privacy – Secure Emails, Shredding
Expenses – Garbage Dumpster
Backup Data
Mike Cuglietta
Jason Monday
Contests
Employees
Crisis
Challenges
Roast
Frugal or Cheap
Prioritize
Motivation – Leveling Out
Grow or Die
Figures Lie and Liars Figure
Budget – Money and Time
Being Prepared
Goals!
No One Is Irreplaceable
Know Your Competition – Don’t Knock It
Webinars
Dialogue
Visionary
Cross Training
Bonus vs. Paid Time Off
Second Sales and Referrals
A Reformed Thief is Still A Thief; Leopards Don’t Change Spots
Keep Doing What You Are Doing and You’ll Get the Same Results
Unilateral Decisions Usually Work for Only One Person
The Total is Made Up of the Individual Numbers
One On Ones
Own What You Sell (Easy for Me to Sell Life Insurance)
Money/Debt
Mobile Phones
Internet Leads
Group Sales Fall, Individual Sales Fall
Business, Not for Everyone
Mentoring
Philosophy – Carrot vs. Stick
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida – Field Advisory Council
Garrett and Brent
Alaska Family Vacation
Can’t Take It With You
Schirmer Family Values – Continuity
Juli
Vacation Planning – Fun
Generations
Limited Growth – Limited Leads
Nathan – Alcohol
Commission Recovery
Vacations
Focus
Philosophy On Philosophy
Retirement
7 People Who Have Had Major Influences In My Life
Conclusion
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