—Lancaster Farmlni, Saturday. Oct. 12. 1974
38
Mrs. Marlin Hitz
A Busy Farm W*f Wh
Mrs. Marlin Hitz, Annville RDI, is a bubbling, en
thusiastic farmer’s wife who sums up her whole
philosophy of life very simply: “I love people.”
Talking with her about her activities is a
delightful experience because she shares her thoughts so
candidly.
This Lebanon County farmer’s wife is very active in her
church and in Farm Women activities. Although she
keeps current on farm problems and progress she no
longer works the long and busy hours she once did.
She attributes much of her happy attitude and her
ability to be busy outside the home to her “understanding
family and wonderful husband.” And in the course of the
conversation she makes it clear that her role as a farm
wife was something she chose, not something she just got
into.
She was bom and raised a “city girl” in Lebanon, but
she says, “I always wanted to marry a farmer. I knew
what I wanted.” And it’s obvious she looked until she
found just what she wanted. She admits she could never
carry on her busy schedule without the complete un
derstanding and encouragement of her husband.
The best part of living on a farm, according to Mrs. Hitz,
is the “excitement”. “No two days are ever alike. I was
always running for a part, or working in the field or doing
something different.” The bad part about fanning, as
every farm family knows, is that the work is never done.
But Mrs. Hitz says with a laugh, “Life’s too short to worry
■*bout 'sttr all ‘
Part of Mrs. Hitz’s work as a state director for Farm
Women includes making arrangements for the fashion
show which is part of the annual convention at Farm
Show time.
The Hitz’s four children were bom in rapid succession in
five years, so Mrs. Hitz explained that she was too busy
having babies to do much work outside the home. “My
husband never told me I had to work,” she says. But after
her fourth child she made up her mind to help with the
work so they wouldn’t need to have hired help, because, as
she put it, “They were always breaking some piece of
equipment and not telling Marlin about it.” So from then
on she says, “I helped fill silo and helped with the milking.
I helped milk until our oldest came back from the Peace
Corps several years ago ”
Her second child was a daughter, Marlene, now Mrs.
Gordon Sheetz, and Mrs Hitz says Marlene helped care
for the younger children and “could cook when she was
ten.”
Now all three sons are active in the dairy operation.
They are Guy, a graduate of Delaware Valley College m
dairy husbandry, who worked in the Peace Corps in India;
Boyd, 22; and Scott, 19. They all graduated from Armville-
Cleona High School At Dol-Mar Farm they are presently
milking 89 ilolstems There are 110 acres on the home
farm and they rent another farm. According to Mrs. Hitz,
half of the milk is sold through their jugging store, where
by Sally B»ir
Farm Feature Writer
Selling milk from their diary store is part of the daily
work for Mrs. Marlin Hitz.
they also sell skim and chocolate milk and orange juice.
The store is now just a small building at the end of the
driveway, but construction is underway for a much larger
dairy store which will include a limited line of groceries
and a deli case. And most important, they will also sell
dipped ice cream from their new store, something which
Mrs. Hitz says is a rarity in that area of the county now.
All of the products are currently sold in plastic bags,
with the “bottling” being done by someone else. New
equipment for processing the milk will be bought for the
proposed store. Mrs. Hitz says they hope to open the store
by December 1. She has her turn taking care of customers
from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. every day.
The Hitz family loves to travel, and according the Mrs.
Hitz she and her husband have seen all but two of the
United States. They have also traveled to Europe on two
occasions with Farm Women - sponsored tours and spent
their 25th wedding anniversary in Hawaii.
One of the family’s most exciting adventures was
traveling for ten weeks through the west to Alaska, living
out of a tent trailer. Five years ago they took another
extended trip west for eight weeks and traveled by motor
home to Alaska and the Northwest Territory. Mrs. Hitz
says, “Traveling in the motor home was pure luxury
compared with the tent trailer.” One of the best things
about traveling as a family, she adds, is that “you really
leam a lot about each other when confmed in a car or
mobile home.”
Although now the family is beginning to go their seprate
ways with two married children, the Hitz’s continue to
enjoy traveling. They traveled to Kansas City in their
mobile home to the National Future Farmers of America
convention where their son Boyd will receive the
American Farmer degree. They traveled with eleven
people in the mobile home, although to sleep, of course,
they stayed at motels.
It is particularly exciting for Mr. and Mrs. Hitz to return
to Kansas City, because Marlin received an American
Farmer degree himself Mrs. Hitz remembers that trip
well, because her husband wouldn’t go if she couldn’t
accompany him, and she had a three-week old son. Well,
true to form, she got her doctor’s permission and went
along, but they were only allowed to travel 300 miles a
day, she remembers.
They also attended the convention two years ago, and
Mrs. Hitz says, “It’s such an inspiration to the FFA boys
to see the convention.” The biggest difference since her
husband got his American Farmer degree she says is that
“the girls have gotten in!”
Mrs. Hitz has been a very active member of Farm
h *
Er 'oys Traveling
Women Society No. 3, which she joined as soon as she
married a farmer, 25 years ago. She said she looked on it
then as a “night out”. “You also leam from other farm
wives that they share the same trials and tribulations and
frustrations.”
She said, “It was a learning experience, with older
women giving advice to younger women. It was par
ticularly helpful for someone who came from the city.”
She laughs as she relates some of the reasons she
needed advice as a young farm wife. She said she recalls
vividly the first time she tried to make pie dough with
lard. She had great difficulties, and called her mother-in
law who suggested that she try adding a little more flour
and if that didn’t work, “throw it out.” Mrs. Hitz says, “I
threw it out.”
Mrs. Hitz says she did not become very active in her
group until her “children could take care of themselves.”
But since then she has served a five year term as county
president, and two years ago was elected as a director on
the state board. Since then she has been busy, because
part of her duties as a state officer is to attend other
counties’ conventions. About the traveling she says, “I
really enjoy it - it’s fun to have a earful of women and
travel together to meetings. We can talk and really get to
know one another.”
Another aspect of Farm Women which Mrs. Hitz says
she really enjoys is the opportunity to have a “a night out
with the husbands.” She said this was something young
farm couples didn’t have much time for. She added, “The
fellowship was terrific and they are all down-to-earth
people.”
The Hitz family are members of the Campbelltown
United Methodist Church. Mrs. Hitz is currently president
of the Missionary Society and as such is a member of the
Administrative Board. Until a few years ago she served as
a teacher for junior high girls and was a member of the
choir.
The Missionary Society conducts programs at retired
persons homes, has Bible study and assorted other
programs throughout the year. They also sew lap robes,
cancer pads and Christmas stockings for various homes
and hospitals.
Mrs. Hitz says, “I really like to be busy. If I weren’t
doing the things I have now, I would really have to hunt for
something, because I need to be busy.”
She recalls that when Guy returned from the Peace
Corps and began working at home she had a feeling that
“nobody needs me.” She then began working as a
saleswoman for Amway products, and now has four
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Sewing
who says
comes almost second nature to Mrs. Hitz,
she makes almost everything she needs.