Recipes for Living Mark and Tammy Coffey

Mark and I felt like we were coming home when we moved to Osceola. Both of us had grown up in this area. Mark's parents, Jake and Mary Kay Coffey, farmed near Weldon as Mark was growing up; and they still operate farms in that vicinity with Mark's two younger brothers. He has an older sister, Carla, who lives out of state.

I was born and raised in Humeston. My mother was a banker and my father a barber whose shop was in Chariton. He was diabetic and died at age 62. Mother has now moved to Walnut, Iowa. I have a sister, two years younger than I, who lives in Maine. Debbie and I were in all the same school activities. We played basketball and volleyball, were cheerleaders, and were in band. I played the flute and sax, Debbie the drums. We were also in vocal music and speech. Ours was a strong family unit, very supportive. I treasure the memories of camping and roasting marshmallows over the campfire. Pulling taffy with my Dad was a Christmas ritual. Our lives were full and enjoyable!

Mark and I met while attending Mormon Trail High School in Humeston. He, too, was involved in band and vocal music, and enjoyed sports. After graduation he attended Central College in Pella, where he earned a degree in business management. Just out of college, Mark was hired by Hormel and went to work for them in Ottumwa.

Memories of those years give Mark and me reasons to be happy that we have moved back. Our careers have taken us to a variety of places. We most recently lived in a large city, and we came to realize how fortunate we were to have grown up in a small town environment where we were encircled by caring families, neighbors, and friends, and had the opportunity to be involved in all different sports and activities. We want our children to have that same kind of experience.

After I graduated from high school, I went on to a fashion merchandising college in Omaha. It was a two-year college during which we were given an opportunity to travel to Dallas and tour the Fashion Mart and the facilities of American Airlines. I earned my associate degree and went on to pursue a career in fashion. While I was working in Des Moines, I applied for a job with American Airlines. I went to Dallas for the interview and was hired shortly afterward as a flight attendant.

After my initial training, my first base assignment was Chicago, from where I would fly to Canada, Mexico, and throughout the United States. So, at age 20, I had gone from Humeston to Omaha to Des Moines and was living in downtown Chicago. That was quite a departure for someone who, with the exception of one move, had lived all my growing-up years in the same house. Then Mark and I went on to a life in which we would be living anywhere from six months to four years in the same location.

We learned to become flexible, and to realize that "home" is not defined by material things. From time to time, when Dad called to ask us to come "home," we responded. Sometimes it would mean a five-hour trip but it was always worth the effort. We weren't going back to a house but "home" where our family welcomed us. I was in Chicago and Mark was working in Dallas when we were reunited. We came back "home" to be married in Iowa in 1990, in the presence of our families and many close friends.

I loved my work for the airlines. I did that for 10 years - in Chicago for a year, then transferred to Los Angeles and lived at Manhattan Beach. I would like to be doing it still, except that I am not willing to give up my time of being home with Mark and the children. It was not an easy or glamorous job. While we lived in Atlanta, I commuted to work. My typical day would be to fly to our departure point and sit for two or three hours before the next flight. We might have up to six legs a day that would take us from the east to the west coast, or up and down the west coast.

The work itself was very tiring. We were on our feet 12 hours a day. Our initial and recurrent training included how to deal with emergencies. We were taught CPR (Coronary Pulmonary Resuscitation), decompression evacuation, what to do in case of hijacking, bomb threats, or sabotage. There were a few mechanical problems, but there were several crises. As passengers were deplaning from one trip, I noticed that one man remained in his seat. He did not respond coherently when we spoke to him. Because of the knowledge I had gained through my father's diabetic condition, I suspected that might be the problem and we gave him orange juice. That turned out to be the correct response.

There was a time when I was in charge of the first class cabin area; we had reached 35,000 feet altitude, and the captain lost consciousness. The first officer called for assistance, and I administered oxygen. The pilot began flailing his arms and I had to put the harness on him. We went in for an emergency landing, which turned out okay. It was later determined that the pilot had signs of food poisoning. Out of that experience came a training tape in which I had a part.

Over the years, some of the attendants developed carpel tunnel from pushing the heavy service carts up and down the aisles. In the days before smoking regulations, one of the ladies, who was not a smoker, developed lung cancer from the second-hand smoke. On my very last day we had flown into O'Hare from New York and a random drug test was ordered. I happened to be one tested, which was surprising because I was pregnant and the chances of an airline attendant, an expectant mother, being on drugs was surely remote.

Our first child, Max, was born in 1992. I took time off and returned six months later to a part-time schedule of working six to eight days a month. In January 1995, Sean was born. That was a very trying time in our lives. Sean arrived 6 ½ weeks early, and his respiratory system was not fully developed. He was transported to Mayo Clinic and was in St. Mary's Hospital NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) for two weeks. In November 1995, Mark was transferred to Houston. At that time I resigned from the airlines to stay at home to be with our family.

Mark has been given some challenging responsibilities by Hormel. When the Ottumwa plant closed, Mark was sent to Austin, Minnesota during the outbreak of a strike. We have lived in Atlanta, Georgia, Dallas, Texas, where Mark had been sent to close the plant, Austin, Minnesota, Houston, Texas, and Wichita, Kansas.

Wherever we have lived, Mark has been committed to and involved in community activities. He served on the Board of Deacons in our church in Austin, Minnesota. Additionally, he always finds time to be part of the boys' activities, and has coached them in baseball and basketball. Along the way, Mark always has kept in touch with his family. We made many weekend trips home and those Sundays we always spent at his grandmother's home. We still gather together on Sundays, now being much closer. Family is very important to us, and the boys have enjoyed this.

When Mark was transferred to Kansas, we felt more at home. We were back in the Midwest. We settled in and enjoyed the surroundings. Mark had grown up in the Presbyterian denomination, I in the Baptist; but here we agreed on a Methodist church and immediately became very involved. It was a larger church than we were accustomed to but there were some advantages. There was a wide range of activities for the children and me to choose which we wanted to become involved in. During the four years we were there, I taught the children's Sunday School classes, was on the children's council, and the worship committee. Still I longed for the small town feeling. When we moved here, we visited the Osceola United Methodist and liked what we saw. We immediately transferred our membership.

Zach was born in 1998. In May 2000, we moved to Osceola. Our first thoughts were that we were getting closer to family and friends. In the 15 years that Mark has been with Hormel, this was one of our easiest moves. We felt very comfortable and people made us feel genuinely welcome.

Because of Mark's employment, our life style may seem a little unusual, but there have been advantages. Our family has been very fortunate to develop wonderful friendships wherever we have lived. In each neighborhood we have found that "Grandma" next door, the golf partner, and a true friend. The wife of the pastor in our Presbyterian Church in Austin became very dear to me. It was at the time Sean was born, and she helped me so much to get through that. Each of these persons has touched our lives and we keep in contact with them to this day. When we leave a community, we take with us what they have added to our lives.

Each time we have moved, a priority for us has been to find a church. The church means a great deal to me. It meets a deep need that is satisfied nowhere else. It is where we have an opportunity to come to know one another as we are and not necessarily as people perceive us to be. In Wichita I had been part of a women's Bible study group. The total group of about 90 women broke into small units that shared and became really close. We met for about two hours each week and developed a oneness with a trust that we could share whatever was on our hearts, knowing it would be accepted and kept confidential. Through that experience, I grew so much as a Christian that I wanted to share it with others, and we have formed a similar Bible study here that we call "Roots and Wings." We began with two or three of us. We met in homes with our little ones playing around us. We have grown in numbers to the point that we now meet in the church.

Max is now eight years old and in second grade. His second grade teacher is a former classmate from my years at Mormon Trail. Max is an exceptionally good student. He began early showing his father's traits. When he was four years old, he started competing and loves sports, especially basketball and soccer. He and Sean like to rollerblade together and ride bikes. Zach loves to be right in the middle of whatever his brothers are doing and they get along together very well- most of the time.

Zachary just turned three, and at this stage is just being Zach, learning and growing. He enjoys the time he spends with Grandpa on the farm, riding on the tractor. That is another joy of our being back in Iowa where the family can be a part of the lives of our boys as they grow up. The extended family can add so much to a young person’s life.

Sean is six years old and in kindergarten. The light bulb is flashing for him at that age. He is an eager child, wishing to please Mom and Dad.

Max, Sean, and Zach are each one their own person and unique in their own way. They are all very loving, fun children to be around. We very much enjoy our family time- boating in summer, riding bikes, and Mark and I volunteer to coach their teams. We just hope that what they learn from us will provide a valuable foundation for the rest of their lives.

When Mark and I were in the process of building our home, I used a technique that I learned from a friend who had been in our Wichita Bible study group. On the subflooring I put Bible verses. At the front door I wrote Hebrews 13:2: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

In the children’s bathroom I have written Mark 10:14: When Jesus saw this, he said, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs."

In our master bedroom I wrote 1 John 4:19: We love because he first loved us; and in Mark's bathroom, as he prepares for his day, there is Ps. 118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.