Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Schoonover, Denk, Zettler
----Source: Tribune Record Gleaner (Loyal, Clark Co., WI) 5/09/1974
Schoonover, Mrs. Allen ‘Sharon’ (Great Mother - 1974)
Mingling with Mary (By Mary Woods)
Mrs. Allen Schoonover enjoys reading a book to two of her children, Viki and Tony.
On Sunday May 12, mothers throughout the country will have their day, a day in which their children come home with flowers and Candy, showing their love for them by doing special things and in any possible, try to prove to her that she is the “Greatest Mom in the World.” This column is dedicated to all the mothers and to see what mothers do all day, this reporter visited the home of a mother in the Loyal area, who not only cares for nine children and a husband, but dedicates much time to the community in many ways - the women, mother, wife, and all other things that mothers are made of… is Mrs. Allen (Sharon) Schoonover.
Born on a farm in the Neillsville area, Sharon is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Denk of Loyal. She moved with her family to the Loyal are at the age of 10 and attended grade school at St. Anthony’s Catholic School, and graduated from Loyal High School in 1954. While in school she participated in many extra-curricular activities, such as band, chorus, forensic, and plays. Sharon states that she has always enjoyed music and much time was dedicated to activities centered around music.
Following her graduation from high school, Sharon worked as a secretary at Clark Electric in Greenwood for two years and later married Allen Schoonover. After their marriage, the couple moved to various parts of the country, including the state of Arizona, but according to her, “I missed everyone too much and so we decided to move back to Loyal in 1967.” Allen worked at the grocery store and later purchased a milk route which he still operates. His patrons are from Loyal, Neillsville, and Granton area, and he hauls to Bletsoe Dairy of Christie.
“Being a mother is a never-ending job, which takes a lot of patience, understanding, and more hours in the day than those provided,” states Sharon, “My day begins at 6:30 a.m., when I get up to see my husband off to work and at 7 the children get up and for one hour the house is in a state of turmoil, and one things that I can be sure of every morning is that one of the children will have to have something sewed.” The Schoonovers have nine children ranging in ages from 16 to 3; Terry, Tami, Jodi, Debi, Lori, Todd, Tony, Viki, and Keli.
As all mothers know, Sharon’s day is hardly started when the kids go off to school. Her day is spent doing the dishes, more than three times, doing the laundry, of which she does two or three loads a day, and just playing the role of mother to the two children who do not attend school yet.
According to Sharon, “Allen says we are lucky to have a family that has had no serious illness or problems. Our kids always stick up for one another in public, but like all kids they have their scrabbles at home.
Allen and I try to treat all the children equally and have rules that they must follow. Once in a while they don’t stick to them, but on the whole, they are very cooprative. We have the policy that they have to let us know when and where they are at all times and they seem to always comply with this rule. Our kids are involved in many school activities and living close to school is very helpful in that case. Very seldom is everyone home at the same time and most of the time, I hardly know who all is in the house – a friend is always with one of the kids.”
“Coming from a large family and being the oldest of 11 children, I had the advantage of watching of watching my mother take care of the children and learned much about raising a family. My mother was a great teacher, and living in the same town as my father and mother, is very enjoyable to all the kids and Allen and me,” sates Sharon.
Besides being a mother, Sharon also gives much to church activities at St. Anthony’s, bowls for Helen’s Style Shop of Loyal, and sings for weddings, and funerals throughout the county. She has recently begun playing guitar which she states is challenging but very enjoyable. Her enjoyment for music is very noticeable and enjoyed by anyone who has had the opportunity to hear her sing with her sister, Diane, and Judy Zettler.
As the day comes to a close, Sharon enjoys sitting down and talking to the kids that are still up. “All the kids come home from school and have a story to fell and once the little kids are in bed, the older ones get their chance to talk. It makes the day come to an end in a peaceful manner and to know what the kids do all day is interesting. Allen and I try to participate in many of the children’s activities and much satisfaction is given when one of the children does well. Our children participate in many school sports and community activities, and most of the time they are pretty good kids and I am very proud of them.”
Sharon Schoonover is perhaps like many other mothers in the community, she has a husband who dedicates his time and concern in raising a family like they have, she has nine children who bring her happiness, and sometimes even sadness, she lives in the community where she can be a part of and give her time and talent, for the fact that she enjoys making people happy.
Mother’s Day, 1974, will come and pass and like all other days in the life of Sharon she will probably have to do the cooking, help with the dishes, and share some time with all the children – but before the day gets in full swing, one thing happens that Sharon finds to be very enjoyable and rewarding – going to church and needing an entire pew to get the whole family in – and it all goes back to being a mother.
