Epilogue
Fran and I have been married, at this writing, for 47 years. We have five children, three girls and two boys: one fewer than the six we originally planned on, but not bad. Kristen, Beth, Matt, Rob, and Molly (in order of age, from oldest to youngest) are, of course, adults by now. The oldest four are married, each to a great spouse. Together, they have given us ten grandchildren. Kristen and her husband Mike Schwartz live in Kansas and Matt and his wife Paulette live in Wisconsin. Beth and her husband David Alexander, Rob and his wife Kim, and Molly all live in Ohio. When we all get together, we number an impressive 21. Fran and I have been proud to watch all five of our kids grow up smart, energetic, responsible and with sound values. When we dreamed, long ago, of having a large family, we could not have asked for a better one than this.
My Zurich job lasted 18 months. When I found myself doing the same things repeatedly I decided it was time to move on. The Chicago Tribune offered me a job, but I wound up accepting a better opportunity in Dayton, Ohio, which in turn led to an even better position there. I thoroughly enjoyed my job as Director of Communication for the white paper group of the Mead Corporation, and Fran and I were very happy raising our kids in Dayton.
But in 1976, the road suddenly forked. My friend Dick Cotterman went ahead and created the ad agency we had once dreamed of, inviting me to join him and a colleague as a full partner. At the same time, my father made me an interesting offer. Seven years earlier he had left the big corporate world to acquire a controlling interest in a small manufacturing business in Sidney; now struggling, the business needed marketing expertise Dad felt I could provide. If he succeeded in his attempt to buy out the other shareholders and I then joined him, he would sell me a twenty five percent interest in the business, which I would eventually take over from him.
As always in my career, I had Fran's full and unconditional support for whatever I chose to do. All my choices had strong positives as well as downside risks. I had an entrepreneurial itch that I was eager to scratch, so I ruled out staying with Mead. And there was something I saw in Dick's partner that warned me away from that choice. After much thought, I decided to go with Dad's offer. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
We moved our family from Dayton to Sidney in 1979 when our oldest was ready for eighth grade. In spite of teenaged dislike of Sidney and the many promises I had made then to never return, I began to discover what a wonderful community it really was. For many reasons, Sidney became a marvelous place to raise our family and to operate a business. Fran and I still have a house in Sidney today, though we also spend part of the year in Vero Beach, Florida, in a house on the water that our whole family loves.
The company I shared with Dad made custom capital equipment for industrial bakers. Over my 30-plus years there, the business grew to be thirty times larger than when I started. It was a most satisfying career. A few years ago I decided to move on and sold it to a major public corporation. It's gratifying that one of our two sons and one of our sons-in-law are still involved in managing the business. Our other son recently left that company to become president of one in the Milwaukee area.
Fran taught in a Catholic school in Niles, Illinois, a public high school in Dayton, and a Catholic high school in Sidney. For many years she was a full-time mom, focused on raising good citizens—a role in which she was a roaring success. In their different ways each of our children is a true credit to the family, something I attribute both to their innate characters and Fran’s superb role model and mothering. She assumed many of the family and household management duties so I could focus on doing my job, advancing my career and building my business. This division of labor might seem a bit old fashioned in today's world, but it was the ideal business model for the “Zielsdorfs, Inc.”
Over the years we have managed to stay in touch with many of the people mentioned in this book. Sadly, too many have since passed away. That long list includes both of my parents and both of Fran's, Dick Cotterman, and my college roommates Tom Franck and Chuck Watson.
Tony Beck, who introduced us, is a Methodist minister in upstate New York. Chuck Eisenstein, who got me excited about Notre Dame, is retired and living in California. Dan Harrigan, of “Harrigan, you rat\!” fame and our best man, has retired in Milwaukee. Steve Huxley, who gave me a glimpse of fraternity life, is a professor at University of San Francisco and also is the Chief Investment Strategist for Asset Dedication. Gary Hosbein, one of the five at Mrs. Shaw's house, is an attorney living in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Fran's roommate and good friend, Janet Darrow, was recently widowed. She lives in New Jersey. Fran’s friend, Bill Dalton, whose car she wrecked, lives in New Hampshire and writes a column for The Andover Townsman.
Fran and I have shared a long and happy marriage. While that didn't happen without effort on both sides, we are both grateful to have found our true soul mates at an early age. That we could cultivate a strong friendship in spite of our youth and the miles that separated us for so long is both special and somewhat remarkable. Perhaps we owe the United States Postal Service a small debt for their role in our romance.
As the years roll on, I am increasingly appreciative of Fran's special kind of courage and grateful that she has been my partner, my friend, and my lover for so long.
Perhaps someday I'll write her a letter and tell her that.