Generations share in family values

CLARINDA, Iowa — Elsie Negley of Clarinda enjoyed a very special June.

Negley, 98, celebrated the birth of her first great-great-grandchild on June 18 and eight days later, on June 26, her 13th great-grandchild was born.

Elise Valencia was born on June 18 to parents Savannah and Erik Valencia of Ogden, Utah, marking the fifth generation of the Negley family. Her great-grandparents are Richard and Janet Negley of Clarinda, and her grandparents are Shari Cowger of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Mark Boggess of Des Moines.

“What Savannah did was take her great-grandmother’s name and rearrange the letters and she came up with Elise,” Richard Negley explained.

Then, on June 26, Timber Negley was born to parents Paul and Dasha Negley of Des Moines. Her grandparents are Marvin and Jean Negley of Clarinda.

Negley said she was naturally excited when she learned of the pending births of the two newest members of her family.

“I was astonished. I was really happy. You are every time you know you are going to have another grandchild,” Negley said.

In August, both of the new arrivals traveled to Clarinda with their parents to see their family.

Negley said family has always been the most important thing to her.

“Our family was important when I was a little girl at home, and that just continued,” Negley explained.

As a child, Negley said her parents instilled a sense of honesty and an understanding of the importance of faith and caring for others that she in turn passed on to her children.

“I think parents have a big obligation to teach their children, and when the children follow, that is a reward for the parents,” Negley said. “If you’re successful, the reward comes back to you through the years through the grandchildren as well.”

Negley said the family dynamic and society as a whole has changed considerably from her childhood when it took three hours by horse to travel the 10 miles between her family’s farm and Clarinda.

“I grew up in a very close society because you didn’t go very far away from home. We only knew our school district. That’s about all. But today we know the world and you are put out in the world today. Society is much larger,” Negley said. “I think it was easier for the children long ago than it is today. The children today know and see too much.”

After graduating from high school, Negley embarked on a career in education that continues to this day.

That fall Negley became a rural school teacher at Pine School in Buchanan Township. She taught at the school for two years and each day made the eight mile roundtrip journey to the school on horseback.

Negley then went on to teach at Sullivan School, Sams School and Swisher School before moving to Clarinda in 1957.

Negley then taught sixth-graders at Lincoln School in Clarinda for four years before moving to McKinley School to serve as a teaching principal.

Even after her retirement from the Clarinda Community School District in 1977, Negley stayed involved with education. She worked for 13 years at the library at the Clarinda Campus of Iowa Western Community College and for over 20 years has taught English to the Japanese employees and their families working at NSK Corporation and NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company in Clarinda.

Looking back on her career, Negley said there were many similarities between being a successful mother and being a successful teacher.

“You want your family to do well and you want your school room to do well,” Negley said.

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