HODGES, NYLE AND GLADYS (BUECHLER)

by Nyle and Gladys Hodges

Entry F194 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Nyle and Gladys Hodges April 10, 1946

Thomas Nyle, was born on April 18, 1922
at Dry Valley, Cherry County, Nebr. He
attended country school with the exception
of one year at Mullen Grade School. He was
a 1939 graduate of Mullen High School. He
worked the home ranch and also worked for
neighbors and friends, helped drive cattle to
Mullen stockyards for railroad shipment to
markets. His parents life and his boyhood is
told in the story elsewhere, under Nan and
Jim Hodges.

Gladys Helen Buechler was born on the
river ranch four and one-half miles east of
Muellen where she lived until 1930 they
moved to their house in town (now Becky
Brown home) where she attended Kindergar-
ten with Violet Mathews, her teacher. The
next year the family moved to the North
ranch where they enjoyed the Box suppers
and Sing Songs, Threshings, Brandings and
attending Virginia school and Sunday School
and Church services, often going in the
wagon. The fall of 1934, the family moved
back to Mullen and she completed grade
school and high school, graduating in 1943.
She went right to Grand Island, lived with her
sister Irene Perrel and family and worked for
the Nielsen & Petersen Transportation Com-
pany for two years. Returned to Mullen and
worked as O.P.A. Clerk in the office with
Shirley Rennick who was charge of issuing
gasoline stamps, etc. When World War II was
over and her job deleted, she worked for John
J. Motel in the drugstore until her marriage
to Nyle Hodges on April 10,1946.

Nyle and Gladys worked for the Johnson
Mercantile Store, ran the Telephone Office
several months, Nyle worked for Peldy
Howarth that spring and summer and back
to the ranch. He worked for Fay James and
they lived on his east place a few months.
Nyle bought some milk cows and they started
rebuilding a little house to live in when the
blizard of 1949 hit in all its fury. John Carr
called for Gladys to help his family with a new
baby girl so after the highway was opened up
once, Nyle took her in the wagon along with
a can of cream to ride in with Uncle John. The
roads closed again and it was two weeks
before she got to go home and then in a
Weasel, who ever got the grocery orders first
that was the direction the Weasel went, well,
Gladys got on the phone and got orders and
they headed north with her sitting on Merle
Yaryan's lap surrounded by boxes of grocer-
ies but she got home. It was quite an
experience. That night they were surprised to
see a single bright light shine in the south
kitchen windows. It was the Weasel, the
driver had gotten lost and followed the
telephone line east. He had Neva Howarth's
father, Mr. Cook with him and Merle Yaryan.
They got into town alright after a scare on a
cliff above the Middle Loup River.

Nyle and Gladys got their little house
finished and moved into by their third
anniversary and 1950, Peggy
Jeanne was born at the home of John and
Jeannette Buechler. Nyle worked for Lee
Boyer that next year or so and in the spring
of 1952, he decided to go into construction
work, sold his cattle and bought a small Alma
mobile home and a new car and worked for
Franke Construction Company about nine
years.

Alan Dwayne was born 1954 at
Grand Island, and soon they had a larger
home; but plenty large enough for Nyla Ruth
who joined the family 1957 at
Imperial, Nebr. They were living at Grant
when Dr. C.R. Watson came to see if Nyle
would take over management of his north
ranch on Whistle-creek. It was a wonderful
place to rear a family, they were there another
nine years. Peggy had graduated from Harri-
son High with a scholarship to Kearney
College, Alan ready for High-school, Nyla
ready for sixth grade. Nyle was Hooker
County Road Maintainer for the next year,
worked for the Coop. a year then he and
Gladys operated Stylerite Cleaners for five
years. Petroleum products tripled during
that time, Nyle invested in a steam carpet
cleaner and drove a school bus, and on May
31, 1975 shut off the boiler at the Dry
Cleaners.

He became manager of the Mullen Coop.
June 1, 1975 and until he retired on June 30,
1984. He has been carrying mail every other
day for Joe Bader. They reside in the Roby
Boyer home on west main street, it was built
in 1903 by Greenberry Cleavenger formerly
owned by Robert Boyer who was a brother to
Nyle's Grandmother Mary Jane Boyer Carr.

Their daughter Peggy married Gregory J.
Swenson they have four children Kerry Ann,
Christa Jo, Gabriel Aaron and Sarah Marie
and they live in Evergreen, Colorado.

Alan married Pam Leach - they have three
children Jennifer Alana, Jeremy Alan, and
Amanda Laree. They live in Grand Junction;
Colorado.

Nyle married Fred Marshall and has one
son Floyd Jason. They have recently moved
to the Newton place and Fred works for
Harry and Doris Coble.