Gene and Virgie Riedl's love was born in Bella Vista.
Virgie Riedl was born in Kansas, but her then-husband's job with the railroad required the family to move around quite a bit, never living in one spot for more than two years. She has lived in Missouri twice, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas and then back to Kansas. One distinct memory she has is of living in Big Spring, Texas, and playing golf on a course atop a mesa.
"A famous West Texas sandstorm blew through, and they're notorious for their sandstorms," Virgie Riedl said. "The sand was so dense and strong, everything was blacked out. It seeps everywhere."
Her career was housewife and mother, raising two boys and one girl. She is grandmother to 12 grandchildren and great-grandmother to 12 great-grandchildren. As much as she loved the mother-housewife role, golf has always been a great love. She still plays in the 18-hole women's golf club in Bella Vista. As long as there is no rain, the golf course is where Virgie Riedl can be found. It played a major role in the decision to retire in Bella Vista, as she and her then-husband, A.W. Reese, retired here in the late 1980s.
Gene Riedl hails from Hortonville, Wis., where he was a school administrator for 42 years. His four children -- three boys and one girl -- were raised there as well. Three of his children still live in Wisconsin, with the fourth living in San Diego.
School administration is a challenging career, and one of Gene Riedl's most challenging recollections was the teacher's strike of 1976. The strike was replete with picket lines, internal conflicts and even the Supreme Court. It gained national attention, and finally the dispute was settled by the Supreme Court with the decision favoring school administration. The teachers were protesting the administration's stand to hire new teachers, then fire them if the situation warranted termination. In the end, for the new school year, 100 new teachers were hired. It was an exhausting and draining experience for Gene Riedl.
In 1986, he was selected by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as Wisconsin Principal of the Year, of which he is very proud.
It was at the suggestion of two baseball coaches -- Norm DeBriyn, former Arkansas baseball coach, and Russ Tiedemann -- that Gene Riedl tagged along with them on a vacation to Bella Vista. After visiting and golfing here, he decided it was a perfect retirement spot, moving to the area in 1996.
The Bella Vista club, New Beginnings, was having its first meeting, and several of Gene Riedl's friends persuaded him to attend. Virgie Riedl followed him through the door at that first meeting. Later in the evening, Virgie Riedl suggested Gene Riedl call her if he "ever needed a fourth" for golf, but two days later, Gene Riedl left town for six months. When he returned, he called Virgie Riedl for dinner, and her response was, "How do I know you?" After all, it had been six months.
Dinner became a twosome, and when they bought a new home together, they invited friends over to celebrate. Little did their friends know that they were there to attend a wedding. The couple were married in front of the fireplace of their new home, and have been together for 12 years. The last six months, they've been living at Concordia.
Concordia offers a full range of independent living and assisted living services in a safe, attentive, homelike atmosphere. The facility is committed to serving the greatest generation with honor, respect, faith and integrity.
More information on Concordia is available by calling Linda Woollett at 479-855-3714. A complimentary lunch and a tour of the campus can be scheduled as well.
General News on 09/17/2014