Friday, March 29, 2024
Photo by Wayne Hendrickson Walt and Jeanie Wyttenbach with the musical instruments they play as part of the Cabin Fever music group.

Wyttenbachs’ love of music led to ‘Cabin Fever’

Walt and Jeanie Wyttenbach were married at South Zumbro Lutheran church on January 1, 1972 on a cold 20 below zero evening. The wedding was at 8 p.m. as many of their family members and friends milked cows so they had to get the chores done first!

Jeanie started working for Mayo right out of Kasson-Mantorville High School and did this until their oldest of four children was born. Walt was a dairy AI technician for a couple of years traveling all across southeast Minnesota and they started farming in 1973.

The couple lived in Kasson for a year, and then they moved a trailer house on to the home farm where his parents lived. In 1981 they took over the farm and would milk around 60 cows on an average in a stall setup plus young stock. For 12 years Walt and Jeanie would farm and milk cows together, and loved raising their family on the farm.

Jeanie also worked for Dr. Severance’s Dental Office in Kasson for a couple of years. When their youngest son was three years old, it was a very dry year. They contemplated Jeanie going back to work. They prayed about it, as it was a very hard decision, Jeanie loved being a homemaker and farming. She applied for a position at Mayo in Rochester, and in a couple of weeks they called her for an interview, and she was offered a job!

So they trusted that was what she was supposed to do! She worked for 30 years at various positions within Mayo and retired in 2014.

IN 1998 the Wyttenbach’s sold the cows and two years later they had a farm machinery auction. Walt then built a building in Byron and was in partnership for a couple of years with sales and repair of mowers, snow blowers and small engines. In 2001 he started at Greenway Coop delivering LP gas to area residents and he became the LP manager after five years. Later CHS took over the business and he retired in 2017. Walt still works two days each week at the CHS feed store in Kasson.

While the older two children were off at college, Jeanie and the younger two children enjoyed showing horses and were members of SEMSCA (SE MN Saddle Club Association), and took part in shows in southeast Minnesota, making some very special memories.

Jeanie always had a passion for anything to do with horses! They would take their young family out for rides in a homemade two-seater buggy Jeanie had purchased. One summer Sunday morning, the whole family drove the horse and buggy to church. They tied the horse to a parking lot light pole while they attended the service. After the service an usher asked if they knew who brought the horse as it had pulled and broke free from the halter and was just outside the door as if he too might come to church! Of course he had no halter on, so they got a dish towel from the kitchen and used that as a halter to lead the horse back to the buggy and got the halter back on the horse. Just one of many memories with their horses!

Jeanie became interested in making and repurposing furniture with her oldest daughter. They did some remodeling of the dairy barn and then used the barn as a workshop and sales area. Jeanie continued to make and repurpose furniture for a time but does not do that now after they moved to their house in Kasson in 2017.

In 2016 while Walt and Jeanie were playing some music in their living room, Jeanie started having a very bad headache and said she really needed to lie down. It did not improve so they called the hospital, and they were told to come to the emergency room right away. It turned out to be a brain aneurysm. The doctors were able to put in a stent and even though she still had headaches for a couple of months after her life threatening medical issue, she has not suffered any further problems. Jeanie is a real prayer warrior, and prayer certainly paid a big part in healing this dangerous medical situation for her.

Jeanie has played the guitar for years, and would sing songs with her friend Dennis Aarsvold from Kasson at times. When the Zwemke Music Store in Kasson was closing, Jeanie bought a banjo and later a mandolin and taught herself to play these instruments. In 2002 they gathered with a few friends including her son Peter, Dennis Aarsvold, and Aaron Boyum, to play at a “Singspiration” concert at the South Zumbro church. The group enjoyed playing together so much that they formed a bluegrass gospel band called Cabin Fever.

Although there have been some members come and go over the years, Jeanie and Dennis remain as charter members, along with Dennis’s wife Marilyn, Jeanie’s husband Walt, and Joe Bly from Rochester.

That same summer of 2002, Walt and Jeanie attended the Minnesota State Fair, and heard the bluegrass group Monroe Crossing performing at one of the fair stages. She really got excited hearing the bluegrass sound and while she was waiting at the CD stand after the show, she talked to one of the band’s musicians. She told them they lived in southeast Minnesota and played with a small group at times. He said we would like to come down there if you could find a place for us to have a performance, and your band could open for us.

Jeanie said she told him, ”but you’ve never even heard us”! But with Monroe Crossings encouragement, they contacted the Opera House in Mantorville and lined up a show with them. They have played together 17 times at the Mantorville Opera House, and three times at the Holy Family Catholic church in Kasson. It has been a great experience with Monroe Crossing each year playing bluegrass and gospel music and becoming good friends.

Walt was the ticket taker at the shows for several years but when they needed a new bass fiddle player, they convinced Walt to be in the group as he also loves music, and had played the guitar when he was in high school at K-M. He then bought a bass fiddle and has been with the Cabin Fever band for seven years,

On Wednesday evenings each week, Jeanie and Walt will go to Charlie’s restaurant in Rochester, and play in a jam session with some other area musicians.

Walt and Jeanie did a lot of four wheeling for several years and even got over to Wisconsin at times with some friends, but have given up the four wheeling adventures since moving to town. They took part in some camping at Minnesota Bluegrass Festivals while they had their camper. Walt and Jeanie are admittedly “homebodies,” and love spending time around home.

Jeanie reads some mystery and religious books, and Walt prefers to read the newspaper instead. They are Vikings fans and when the game is on, it can get loud at times while they cheer on their team!! They enjoyed attending their four children’s many activities while they were at K-M, and now take in the activities of their 13 grandchildren at K-M events.

Walt was a member of the Mantorville Township board for 24 years until they moved to their house in Kasson. Earlier his father, Warren, was on the board for many years and his son-in-law, Brian, is now on that board. Walt was also a member of the Dodge County Planning and Zoning for 12 years plus the DHIA board. He has been on church councils in various positions.

They attended St. John’s Lutheran in Kasson for many years and the church, along with the memory of Pastor Johnson hold a special place in their hearts. They have now been members at South Zumbro Lutheran for years and this was the church that Jeanie attended while growing up. Their son, Peter is now the pastor at the South Zumbro, and they are so very thankful that he was willing to accept God’s call to that position three years ago.

The Wyttenbach’s really enjoy living in the community they both grew up in. They like being in a small town and a part of a caring community. Many of their family members live in this area, and their home is really a center for their family activities.

 

Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
Dodge County ADvantage
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

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