Ada, Helen, and the "Hotel California"

Note from Darrell:  This story was told several times by my Mother, Helen Kern Coppock.  I will leave it to the reader to determine your belief or interpretation.  In order to make it more interesting, I've taken the liberty to create an imaginary dialogue in Part 1 between Ada and my Mother.  Even so, that "dialogue" remains true to what was told to me over the years.

PART I:  The Summer of 1943, Le Mars, Iowa

Like all Iowa summers, 1943 was hot and humid.  The world was ravaged by World War II and the Allies were slowly gaining ground on Germany and Japan, but it was long from being over.  The Coppock brothers, Ashton and Clyde, were in the Navy and Army, respectively, a long way from their hometown of Le Mars.

Like most weekday mornings, Helen reported to work as Secretary and Receptionist at the Meares Insurance Agency.  Not only the heat was uncomfortable, but she was six months pregnant with her first child.  The front door opened, and Ada Richards came in to the office to chat.  Ada was politely known as "the town character"; and sometimes as "weird Ada".

Helen:  Good Morning Ada.  How can we help you today?

Ada:  Hi Helen.  Oh nothing to do with insurance, I just wanted to bring you some good news.  

Helen:  Oh, what's that?

Ada:  Well, I had a dream last night, and you'll be glad to know that Clyde will be home in time for the birth of your baby.  

Helen (laughing):  I don't think so, Ada.  With the way the war is going, and since Clyde has only been in the Army since February, I doubt they will let him come home that soon.

Ada:  Oh no, he will be discharged yet this summer.  I feel that it has something to do with his health.  By the way, did Clyde ever apply at the Post Office?

Helen:  No, he is a certified meat cutter by trade.  That is what he is doing in the Army and that is the only job he has had.  Why would you think that?

Ada:  Well, I don't see him cutting meat.  I see him getting a job working with cubicles or small boxes of things.  But I know for sure that he will be here permanently when your first child is born.

Mother put the conversation aside when Ada left, but after telling her boss Mrs. Meares, they both had a good laugh and just let it go.

PART II:  August, 1943, Le Mars, Iowa

My father, Clyde, suffered two minor heart attacks while cutting meat at Fort Lewis in the state of Washington during the summer of 1943 (unbeknownst to my Mother).  After the second one, and being released from the military hospital, he was given a medical discharge from the U. S. Army.  He returned to Le Mars in August, a month before I was born (September 24, 1943).

He took a job with United Wholesalers in Sioux City.  Before becoming a salesman for them, he sold auto parts at their retail store.  He took both small and large parts from bins from behind the counter.  (Remember Ada's comment about post office-like cubicles?)  After the war ended, he had a sales territory with United Wholesalers that included Northwest Iowa auto dealers.

This story gets even weirder 72 years later.

PART III:  April. 2015, The Villages, Florida

At a meeting of The Villages Genealogical Society, a gentleman from California sat down beside me, and we began talking before the start of the meeting.  We exchanged pleasantries, and at one point, Le Mars came up in the conversation.  He was very surprised, and he mentioned that his family had owned a farm just outside of Le Mars for over 100 years.  In fact, he said that he and his nephews visited the farm every two or three years.

His name was Bill Richards, and now you know where this story is going.  When he mentioned his Great-Aunt Ada, my jaw just dropped open.  Knowing that I was too young to actually know Ada, he wondered about my reaction.  I said, "Bill, I have a story to tell you that you aren't gong to believe".  Well, he did believe it, as he told me that his Aunt was definitely known for her eccentric behaviors and that she died in early 1968 at the Camarillo State Mental Hospital in California.  It is rumored that the hospital inspired the lyrics for the Eagles' hit song, "Hotel California," according to Bill.

Later that same summer, Bill Richards and his nephews did go to Le Mars to visit the family farm, and he actually stopped by Mother's condo to visit with her.  She recounted the story the same way she always told it.  He was very grateful to have met someone who knew his Great-Aunt.  Mother died less than a year later.  I hope you've enjoyed this story, one that was told to me many times.

A fitting end to this blog is the last stanza of "Hotel California", intended only for private use.

"Last thing I remember
  I was rushing for the door
  I had to find the passage back
  To the place I was before
"Relax, said the night man
  We are programmed to receive
  You can check out anytime you like
  But you can never leave"

To Ada and Helen, with love....

DAC
7/11/20