EMMET

“Our dad went to Florida to join the Navy,” said Brooks, “so she followed him there. It took her eight years to convince him to marry her. He wanted to be a fighter pilot, and that was all he could think about.

Dad’s father wanted him to farm, and he was so angry when Dave left that he sold the farm, becoming a real estate agent in Estherville.”

Marty and her siblings, therefore, lived in Florida and California.

Marlys’ parents — John and Belle Quastad — were secondgeneration owners of the farm and a large part of Marty’s growing up.

“Every summer we’d spend two to three weeks in Iowa,” said Brooks.

“My mother loved Iowa best, so she made sure that we got to know our cousins and have time to play with them; there were over 20 of us, so we had a ball.

“We played in the corn cribs and in the fields. We got in trouble for knocking down corn stalks. I thought a dredge ditch was a perfect river to go swimming in, and my aunt told me, ‘No, you can’t swim in that, it’s toxic!’

Ole and Martha Quastad, who came from Norway, established the farm in 1900. Their son John built the house, barn, and hog house and married his wife, Belle; these were Marlys’ parents and Marty’s grandparents.

“My Grandma Belle said that my mom would shimmy up the legs of their horses and hop on their back,” said Brooks. “She would grab hold of the mane and hoist herself up when she was 3 or 4 years old.”

John and Belle had an active farm where Marlys and her siblings thrived and, eventually, Marlys’ children would also play there during their summer visits.

“My grandparents had cows and two prized bulls,” said Brooks. “I

See QUASTAD, Page 30C

Marlys (Quastad)

Landmesser stands in front of the grain silo on the farm. The barn where her horses once resided is to the left. Marlys passed away on June 4, 2022, when she was 88.