TAYLOR/BORTZ
by Mona Taggart

Avis Vera married Kermit Albert Bortz on January 30, 1935. Vows were exchanged in the parlor of the Taylor house. To this union three children were born, Wayne Leroy
(August 13, 1937), Robert (January 25, 1943), who did not survive infancy, and Norma Ann (December 25, 1943).

Avis Vera worked in the Gregory hospital briefly as a nurse's aid before she married Kermit. Kermit farmed with his dad, south of Gregory. "They more than likely met in Gregory at
a dance," believes Wayne.

After the couple were wed, Kermit continued to work side-by-side with his dad and Avis Vera became a homemaker, which included raising chickens, tending a large
garden and milking cows.

The family purchased their chicks from Soper's Hatchery, and in turn, Soper's purchased the eggs from them. "The eggs were sold for grocery money," recalled Wayne.

The family attended the Fairmont Church which was located near their farm.

On February 2, 1954, Avis Vera remarried, Franklin Mills a Hill City native. The couple lived for a time in the Gregory area before moving to Wyoming, where she attended the Powell
Junior College in pursuit of her lifelong goal of becoming a nurse.

" It was in 1966, when the Platte/Winner bridge was completed and opened. Everyone was so excited that they did not have to go clear around to get across the river
or use the ferry," recalled Norma.

The homestead was transferred from Leonard and Blanche to Avis Vera after Blanche passed away in 1972.

Following the death of her mother, Avis Vera made a crucial decision. "Mom returned to South Dakota to operate her farms, which she enjoyed along with playing the piano,
crocheting and reading. She raised sheep, goats and cattle," Norma noted.

She added, "She retired from farming in 1983 and moved to Yankton, where she continued to take piano lessons until her stroke in 1991."

She was a member of the Yankton United Church of Christ, a past Noble Grand of Rebekah Lodge #12, a member of the Keystone #33 OES, the T & T dancers, Merry Twirlers and
the Yankton Senior Citizens.

"She used to dance a lot at Carlock, which was close to where my parents lived," noted Norma.
After her health began to fail, Avis Vera moved to Des Moines, IA, with her daughter Norma. Avis Vera passed away in Des Moines, IA, on March 10, 1994, due to complications
following surgery, at the age of eighty-one.

Kermit passed away in Winner in 2000 at the age of eighty-nine. Wayne continues to reside on the place where his father, Kermit Bortz got his start.

Norma Ann married J. Paul Ahlers in Iowa City, IA, on August 14, 1966. The couple has two children, Christopher Paul and John Jay.

Wayne has five children, Lorraine Lee, August Len, Jack Dean, Teresa Marie and Nila Leah.
Norma inherited the Taylor pioneer farm, which is rented and operated by her brother, Wayne.
A corner was turned at the Taylor pioneer farmstead. The pioneering generation was gone. At times, the home was occupied by family members and neighbors, but
eventually fell into despair. However, its spirit and traditions were carried on by Vera, Bill and Velma.

The house was rented to different people through the years and then sat empty. Consequently, the raccoons took over and left the homestead in a disarray. Norma and her
husband, Paul, have restored the house and made it a home once again, where family members come to revisit their past.
Norma continues to work in Des Moines, IA, as a registered nurse, and her husband, Paul, is a retired lawyer, who worked for Wells Fargo.

Norma and Wayne have a special attachment to the Rosebud: All four grandparents homesteaded during the 1904 land rush, L.E. and Blanche Taylor and August Boortz
and Florence Graves. Great grandparents E.M. Hoff and Joseph Graves were also Rosebud settlers.

When August Boortz received his patent for the land, they had inadvertently forgotten one of the 'O's' in his last name. He was advised to just leave it, instead of going through the
hassle of changing it, so he left it as 'Bortz.' The family adopted the shortened spelling thereafter.
Many more acres were eventually acquired from local Native Americans as L.E. expanded the homestead. The land is now owned by L.E.'s grandchildren, Norma Bortz Ahlers,
Wayne Bortz, Pat Scott Finoff, Marsha Scott Gierre, and Delores Taylor Fisher.

Norma and Wayne hope the home place will stay in the family for years to come. Updating the house and the barn is a step in that direction.

The updated house and barn are readily visible from the road which cuts through Buffalo Butte Gap, five miles north of Dixon.

"Taylor Pioneer Farm - 1904" is emblazoned on the barn loft door. The restoration was guided by Dave Meyerink of D & M Construction of Corsica.