Public Auction

We have been working all year to clean out Leroy's mother's house and get ready for public auction on April 29. The first step in disbursing things was to have a family auction for the heirlooms and other things Mom thought the family might want. That was done on January 28 and we got the things we most wanted there. Two of them were the clock that belonged to Leroy's great-grandfather, Daniel Stauffer, and a small table that belonged to his grandfather, Eli Stauffer. We got quite a few other things but these were two of our top priorities.

After that sale, we could begin preparing for public sale. The family worked together and made some good memories in the process. As far as I know, no one had any bitter feelings. 

We were blessed with perfect weather for the final work day on April 28. I had gotten groceries and had to take the frozen stuff home. After I had it put away I couldn't stand it to stay home and miss all the fun so I went back. The tent had been put up on Thursday and we made use of it to eat lunch.

The furniture was all carried into the garage and living room so it would be easy to move it out on Saturday morning. It was good it was under roof because we had a thunderstorm at 3 a.m.

The family showed up at 6 Saturday morning to move things out and do the final set up before the sale began at 9. We had a cloudy start with a threat of rain but it blew over and the day turned out to be sunny and humid.

The crowd was beginning to arrive at 8. I don't know how many people were there but we needed all the bidders we could get. One auctioneer sold all day from this pile in the shop to the crowd under and around the tent. (There were four rows, some two tables high. This picture shows only half of the pile.) Quilts were also sold by this auctioneer.

While one auctioneer moved the pile in the shop, another sold Grandpa's toy and coin collections to this crowd and the furniture setting in the driveway.

These auctions paused at 1 p.m. while the property was auctioned. Within a half hour we could answer the two big questions of who would buy it and what they would be willing to pay for it. The buyer was Lewis Nolt who lives on the adjoining farm. It will be his retirement home.

Leroy and I both picked out a few items we wanted to buy on the public auction and were happy to snag all of them without breaking the bank. These were my two top picks. The figurines were always on a shelf in the kitchen and whenever I look at them I can see Mom's kitchen.

The other item I wanted was the tobacco sizer. I don't know if Pop ever used this particular one. It was in the back of the shop for many years. But he certainly used one like it when he helped raise tobacco on his father's farm. It will be used as a shelf to display Leroy's little trucks and tractors.

I couldn't quite imagine how it would feel to see all your possessions sold and carried away, leaving only what you can fit into one room. When the sale was over I asked Mom,"How do you feel now?" She just smiled and said, "Well, we knew this day was coming and now it's done." 

That answer was so typical of Mom's attitude toward life. She has gone through some very tough times in her 93 years, since the age of 10 when her mother died and she was shuffled from one home to another until she married at age 19. She could have had a big pity party the rest of her life but she never complained and seldom even talked about the hard times. She accepted what life handed her and made the best of it.

We love you Mom! You have been an inspiration and wonderful example to all of us. Blessings as you begin this new chapter of your life.