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Lemon Lehman Beck
I remember seeing the black, well cared for Model T ford sedan driving
into the Catlin Church yard on many Sunday mornings. L. L. Beck was
driving with Helen Horst (granddaughter and live-in housekeeper) in
the passenger seat.
My memory wants to date this next event in the years of 1946 to 1947.
Mr. Beck was a tall kind man who was really up in his years. I
remember he always had a large black mole on the side of his face at
the level of his eye socket. I remember it to be perhaps 1.5" to 2" in
diameter. The day came that I was informed that Lemon Beck had a
cancer in his right eye and that he would need to have surgery. We, my
brother Douglas and I, were perhaps 10 and 11 years old at this time.
Following the surgery and following several weeks of recovery at his
home, Mr. Beck returned to
Catlin Church
in his position of leadership. I remember hearing Mr. Beck tell of
how they took his eye out during surgery and how painful the surgery
was. He said that he had no anesthesia during the surgery and that he
could not stand the pain. I believe he indicated that death would be
better than going though that surgery again.
Now after healing and after the insertion of a false glass eye lens,
L. L. Beck seamed to function normally and returned to leading the church
services.
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I now record a rather humorous event that happened during a Sunday
night church service at Catlin. First, the Allen and Edna White
family was sitting on a bench on the right hand (south side) of the
church. The five White sons (Donald, Ivan, Roger, Darwin, and Virgil)
were on the same bench. Lemon Beck had just spoken and was leading
the Sunday night congregation in prayer. During this prayer, several
hyper-active White boys were moving about on the bench having
difficulty sitting still. Darwin and one of the other brothers were
leaning forward mischievously looking under the benches during this
prayer.
During L. L. Beck's prayer he was leaning over the altar, and I am
sure putting sincere emphasis on the prayer. All of a sudden there
was something that fell from the area of the altar and proceeded to
clatter across the hard wood floor toward the floor furnace's hot air
grill. Darwin White was looking under the bench and saw the object
come to rest against the furnace grill. Quick as a wink Darwin grabbed
the object and held it in his hand. The prayer was abbreviated, and
Mr. Beck announced that his glass eye had fallen out. Darwin quickly
reported that he found the errant eye piece and gave it back to Lemon.
If there would have been just a little more momentum in the object, it
would have easily fallen into the basement on the furnace below. I do
not recall the response of the church members that evening except that
there was eventually a sigh of relieve for their beloved L. L. Beck.
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