Naomi: We were born Church of the Brethren. My dad always called them dunkered church. Well there were those bumps, you know, prayer veils and my dad always called them dunkereds.

Colleen: I married; Vilas was Baptist.

Naomi: No, he was Mennonite.

Colleen: Mennonite, yeah. I had to think! We lived close to the Lord; both of us. Vilas was a good man.

Naomi: I did, but my husband didn’t, but he was a good man. He had good qualities but he always said, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say,” and my children he taught them that way. He wouldn’t stand behind me when I corrected him. He said, “Don’t talk to me like that!” and I says, “Well my dad always stuck behind my mother and corrected the children,” but as I say, he never did.


Colleen: I never thought we had bad times. We lived on the farm and we had everything we wanted. Really and truly, and we went through them but you lived like everybody else. When you have your food on the farm and you really didn’t suffer. We had all the necessities and we really didn’t.

Naomi: My mother always taught me, “Don’t marry a Catholic.” It didn’t matter who I married, just don’t marry a Catholic.

Colleen: I always think people should think before they talk!

Naomi: I don’t know why, but that was the only think she ever taught me. So when I married my husband I think the reason he didn’t go to church much was his – not him, but his friends all were mostly Catholics and wanted him to marry a Catholic. See, that’s why they mistreated me, cause I wasn’t.

Colleen: Oh, they didn’t mistreat you.

Naomi: Colleen, they did! They did! But one of them is just as good as the other. I could have married a Catholic. I could like him. I mean, there’s no difference they are both going to the same place. It’s really good when you marry like a Protestant marrying a Catholic or a Catholic marrying a Protestant because their children, they have a loving family….

Yes, you should marry for love, you are right. You can tell when someone loves you by the shake of their hand and by the embrace that they have. If its a little twist there they will tell you and you shouldn’t have sex before your marriage. That’s wrong, but they can be forgiven for it. They can be forgiven. So, if that happens, I mean, now the world is so bad that people re – the kids to come should know that they shouldn’t have sex before marriage and they are just going sex crazy now. So, it’s alright. I mean there’s nothing wrong (Crying), cause they are just as good as we are and there are so many good ones, just as much as Protestant, but I can’t help it I was taught that way!

Colleen: We lived for the Lord.

Naomi: But my doctor, when I went to him, he told me I had a poor – the reason I acted like I did was because I had a poor childhood, but it wasn’t that it was because they didn’t treat me nice. I couldn’t help myself.

Colleen: I think Naomi had problems.


Naomi: Catholics and Protestants are equal! All we need to do is love. That’s all we need and their mixture together makes a good family.

Colleen: I believe the same. You know what I mean? I have nothing against the Catholics and I’ve been raised with a Catholic, I dealt with the Catholics but some people are…what is it? But, I never was like that. I love everybody.

Naomi: That’s the way with me. I love everybody. I don’t have anything against anybody. I don’t know why that came up.

Colleen: I don’t either.

Naomi: I never wanted to…

Naomi: We were born Church of the Brethren. My dad always called them dunkered church. Well there were those bumps, you know, prayer veils and my dad always called them dunkereds.

Colleen: I married; Vilas was Baptist.

Naomi: No, he was Mennonite.

Colleen: Mennonite, yeah. I had to think! We lived close to the Lord; both of us. Vilas was a good man.

Naomi: I did, but my husband didn’t, but he was a good man. He had good qualities but he always said, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say,” and my children he taught them that way. He wouldn’t stand behind me when I corrected him. He said, “Don’t talk to me like that!” and I says, “Well my dad always stuck behind my mother and corrected the children,” but as I say, he never did.


Colleen: I never thought we had bad times. We lived on the farm and we had everything we wanted. Really and truly, and we went through them but you lived like everybody else. When you have your food on the farm and you really didn’t suffer. We had all the necessities and we really didn’t.

Naomi: My mother always taught me, “Don’t marry a Catholic.” It didn’t matter who I married, just don’t marry a Catholic.

Colleen: I always think people should think before they talk!


Naomi: I don’t know why, but that was the only think she ever taught me. So when I married my husband I think the reason he didn’t go to church much was his – not him, but his friends all were mostly Catholics and wanted him to marry a Catholic. See, that’s why they mistreated me, cause I wasn’t.

Colleen: Oh, they didn’t mistreat you.

Naomi: Colleen, they did! They did! But one of them is just as good as the other. I could have married a Catholic. I could like him. I mean, there’s no difference they are both going to the same place. It’s really good when you marry like a Protestant marrying a Catholic or a Catholic marrying a Protestant because their children, they have a loving family….

Yes, you should marry for love, you are right. You can tell when someone loves you by the shake of their hand and by the embrace that they have. If its a little twist there they will tell you and you shouldn’t have sex before your marriage. That’s wrong, but they can be forgiven for it. They can be forgiven. So, if that happens, I mean, now the world is so bad that people re – the kids to come should know that they shouldn’t have sex before marriage and they are just going sex crazy now. So, it’s alright. I mean there’s nothing wrong (Crying), cause they are just as good as we are and there are so many good ones, just as much as Protestant, but I can’t help it I was taught that way!


Colleen: We lived for the Lord.

Naomi: But my doctor, when I went to him, he told me I had a poor – the reason I acted like I did was because I had a poor childhood, but it wasn’t that it was because they didn’t treat me nice. I couldn’t help myself.

Colleen: I think Naomi had problems.


Naomi: Catholics and Protestants are equal! All we need to do is love. That’s all we need and their mixture together makes a good family.

Colleen: I believe the same. You know what I mean? I have nothing against the Catholics and I’ve been raised with a Catholic, I dealt with the Catholics but some people are…what is it? But, I never was like that. I love everybody.

Naomi: That’s the way with me. I love everybody. I don’t have anything against anybody. I don’t know why that came up.

Colleen: I don’t either.

Naomi: I never wanted to…