Ardell Radohl Blome

We certainly feel our mother, Ardell Radohl Blome, should be honored by being in the Plaza of Heroines. Ardell was born and has lived her entire life in the central Iowa area of Hardin County. Ardell was born June 27, 1911 and lived almost her entire life on the farm that was owned by her father and mother, George and Erna (Peglow) Radohl, which has been recognized as a Century Farm.

As she and her sister were growing up, they were expected to help with the outside chores and also with the household chores, such as cooking and cleaning. She learned those skills well, becoming an excellent cook and housekeeper. One of her greatest joys when she was still on the farm was cooking a large family dinner on Sunday. Her idea of following a recipe was to use "a pinch of this or a dash of that, or to kneed it until it feels right". Her house was also known to be one of the best kept in the area.

She attended country school followed by high school at Radcliffe, Iowa. She took the Normal Training program, which was part of the curriculum at that time, and was able to teach school after she graduated from high school. She said that a ruler nearby would always help keep the students' attention. The country school where she taught was near the family farm and was the same school she attended as a child.

Ardell taught school until she married Herbert Blome on June 28, 1936. For a short time after they were married they lived on her husband's home farm, but after a year or so moved back to her father's farm to farm the land. She always liked to work outside and worked right along with her husband in the fields, preparing them for planting the crops and then harvesting. Of course, there were also all of the other outside chores that needed to be done -- caring for the farm animals, and then last but not least, the household chores and cooking.

Ardell learned to sew and became an avid seamstress. She often made her own clothes as well as clothes for her family and draperies for the house.

Ardell always seemed to have an endless amount of energy. She also found time to keep a daily diary, which she has faithfully kept since 1930. She has settled many family "disagreements" with her diary.

The church has always been and continues to be a big part of Ardell's life. She was in her younger years very active with the women's worship circles. The church also served as a social place to meet friends and relatives. Today at 83, Ardell along with her husband, Herb, attend Sunday church services and other church functions. Ardell and her husband instilled in their three children their values of life by setting good examples to follow, which helped them grow to be the individuals that they are today. Their motto was always "If it is worth doing, do it well".

Ardell and Herb are currently living in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and will be celebrating 59 years of marriage in June 1995. They enjoy spending time with their children -- Pat and Herman Richtsmeier of Ames, Iowa; Dennis and Sue Blome of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Jan Harvey of Iowa City, Iowa; along with their three granddaughters and five great grandchildren.

Written by Pat Richtsmeier (daughter), Dennis Blome (son), and Jan Harvey (daughter)
5/9/94