Part 1: A Love Story That Built Our Farm
From the Heart of Kim Hayes, with special thanks to Alison Murrell
As we celebrate the month of love, I want to share a very special love story that laid the foundation for what would become Alpha and Omega Farm. When college student Alison Murrell first shared her personal connection to our farm, I was moved to tears. She remembered sitting at the top of our farmhouse stairs years ago, watching her extended family pack up what she thought were the final memories of her great-grandparents' friends' home. Little did she know then that she would return to find new life breathed into these cherished spaces.
This month, I want to share the beginning of our story - a tale that proves true love can build more than just a family; it can build a legacy.
It all started with Erwin and Eleanor Reynolds, whose playful courtship began with a splash of water and grew into decades of devotion that would shape this very land. Their story reminds us that sometimes the most profound love stories start with laughter, just like theirs did at Eleanor's family farmhouse window.
Alison writes:
“The land that Alpha and Omega is built on has a history that is deeply connected to family, community, and fun. Previous owners of the property the home stands on, Erwin and Eleanor Reynolds, spent their early years of retirement building their dream home in the country on the property. According to their daughter Carol, the couple had married in their early twenties. They first met when Eleanor was standing near an open window in her family's farmhouse, and her father and Erwin were discussing his employment just outside the window. Seeing Eleanor in the window, her father told Erwin, “If you can throw a pail of water on that girl standing in the window, you got the job.” Erwin did just that, filling a pail of water and sloshing it onto Eleanor - who gasped in surprise. He was hired on the spot for simply following directions. The couple married a few years later. During World War II, Erwin took over Eleanor's family farm completely and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. The couple had four children, David, Thomas, Marnell, and Carol. After the war, the couple moved to Princeton, Minnesota, and lived in town. Erwin began working for Westman Silo Company, building grain silos across the Midwest, while Eleanor worked as a nurse at the nearby hospital.
When the couple neared retirement, they purchased land just outside of Princeton and sold their home in town. They developed plans to build a house, which Erwin would build himself, with the help of his brothers Rodger and Gerald. After its completion, “the farm” as it was referred to by their family became the hub for community. Carol remembers, “They had a beautiful yard with big trees behind the house and so other family members would come with their motorhomes and spend a couple weeks there over the summer.” Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family reunion celebrations were held there, along with church picnics.
The joy of living out in the country with their horses and chickens lasted for several years, until Erwin and Eleanor moved into a retirement home shortly before they passed away. Eleanor passed away in March of 2008, and Erwin passed away later that December. The family kept the property for a few years, renting it out to another family. The house and property aged, with little maintenance and was eventually sold.
Little did the family know, selling the home would create an opportunity for life to return to the property.”
As we celebrate Valentine's Day this month, I can't help but think about how Erwin and Eleanor's love story mirrors what we try to create at Alpha and Omega Farm - a place where families gather, laughter flows as freely as that pail of water once did, and where community comes together to create lasting memories. Their legacy of love continues to inspire us every day!
Today, I see echoes of Erwin and Eleanor's love story - in the careful craftsmanship of the house Erwin built, in the warmth of community they fostered, and in the way their spirit of hospitality lives on in every pizza we serve and every gathering we host. Love stories like theirs remind us that when you build something with love, it lasts forever.
Next Month: Join us as we explore how this property transformed from a family home into a gathering place for the community; and the unexpected ways that even a pandemic couldn't stop people from coming together.
