ABUNDANT GRACE by Carrol Meyers-Dobler
February 2020 (To read previous entries, click here.)
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. —I Corinthians 2:9
Dee Saman was born and raised on a farm in Adams, a small town approximately 100 miles southeast of Mankato and near Austin, MN. She was a tag-a-long member of the family and the only girl. By her own admission, Dee was “spoiled” by her three, much older, big brothers.
The family was very musical. Dee’s mother played the piano, her father played the mouth organ, and each of her three brothers played wind instruments: one played trombone, one played trumpet and one played the clarinet. As Dee grew up, she, too, learned to play both the piano and the clarinet. Evenings were often spent in music with each member playing his/her instrument. Dee’s lifelong love of music started here.
In Adams, where Dee attended public school, classes were dismissed for one hour every day so that the students could attend “Bible School.” Here, a Lutheran teacher, trained and sponsored by the Lutheran Bible Institute based in Minneapolis, introduced the children to beloved bible stories and traditional Christian music. It was in this setting that Dee expanded and cemented her love for music, singing her first solo concert performance at the tender age of seven.
Dee loved Bible School and was convinced early in her childhood that she wanted to attend the Institute with the goal of becoming a missionary. God, however, had other plans for her. While she was accepted by the Institute upon her graduation from high school, the family’s finances were tight. Simply speaking, there was not enough money to meet the tuition requirements.
Instead, Dee turned her attentions to prospective employment possibilities in nearby Austin, quickly landing a position at First Bank. Starting out in the “proof” department where she verified customers’ identities as well as account checks and balances, Dee quickly rose to a teller position.
Dee was well-liked and highly respected for her work. One can imagine that she attracted the attention of more than one young man. Nonetheless, Dee was all business. She loved her job and strove to perform her duties extraordinarily.
In time, one young man, Mr. Joy Larson, a parts manager for the Ford Motor Company, caught her eye. Over the course of two years, their friendship grew and before long, they married. A tiny apartment served as home for the young couple. Joy continued his work at Ford while Dee continued her work at the bank.
For many months following their marriage, life was good, really good, until, without warning, Joy began showing some abnormal symptoms. Something wasn’t right. He was always tired. Night sweats interrupted his sleep. A fever was his constant companion. His lymph nodes were swollen. What was happening? Why couldn’t he shake this?
A visit to the doctor, followed by a battery of tests, resulted in a diagnosis that would devastate the young newlyweds as well as their families. Joy had Hodgkins Lymphoma, a progressive disease for which there was no cure. At a time when the country was bracing for the Korean War, Joy’s diagnosis triggered his immediate and honorable discharge from the Army. Ever so kindly, Joy’s doctors advised the couple to begin to prepare for the eventuality of his inability to work coupled with the requisite of 24-hour care.
That day came too soon.
On his very last day of work, understanding that his total incapacitation was imminent, Joy gifted Dee with a full length fur coat. One can only imagine the love that was in his heart as he paid for that gift, a gift that he hoped would be a final testament to his love for her.
Joy died less than three years after their marriage. Dee, just 23 years old, was now a very young widow.
She was devastated. For a period of time, she was simply unable to work. Her grief was overwhelming. Where was she supposed to go? What was she supposed to do? When she wasn’t weeping, she was praying. When she wasn’t praying, she was weeping.
In time, she returned to the bank. Her superiors as well as her co-workers continued to support her as she moved through the cycles of grief. As always, she was highly respected and valued. Everyone agreed, she was an employee with a bright future. Dee never took advantage of their kindnesses but rather, strove to provide excellence in all of her assignments.
Ever so slowly, she carved out a new life for herself. She shared her little apartment with a girlfriend and began to socialize more with her friends on weekends. Sometimes the girlfriends would gather at a nearby cafe on Friday nights where they would engage in conversation and laughter.
And, yes, ever so cautiously, Dee began to date again.
One evening, she had agreed to a blind date with someone she did not know. Actually, it was to be a double date. The other couple was one of her girlfriends and a handsome gentleman named Roger Saman. Dee was matched up with one of Roger’s friends. While the double date did not go so well, Roger and Dee felt an immediate attraction for one another.
Roger had grown up in Austin and was now working for Leuthold Men’s Clothing as a salesman. It seemed as if Roger understood the young widow’s hesitancy at establishing a new relationship. In fact, he felt no differently, having just returned from his military tour of duty during which he received the proverbial “Dear John” letter from the girl he had hoped to marry.
Dee and Roger began their courtship by walking to work together every morning. Over the course of many months, their love blossomed. Dee remembers feeling very comfortable with him. He was, as she said, a gentleman. He was also a strong Christian.
Three years after Joy’s death, on April 17, 1955, Roger and Dee were married.
When Dee became pregnant with their oldest daughter, Susan, she was reassigned work duties and moved away from her teller position to an office out of the public’s view. Women, in those days, were often asked by their employers to resign when their pregnancy could no longer be hidden—-and in the case of the bank, pregnant women were simply reassigned to less conspicuous positions, away from direct contact with customers.
By that time, Roger was working for Lutheran Brotherhood, an insurance company that, over the course of his career, moved the young couple from Austin to Rochester, followed by yet another move to Bloomington, and, eventually, a final relocation to Mankato. Their second daughter, Sara, was born in 1962 and once their two daughters were both in school, Dee returned to the banking business she loved. She accepted a position with National Citizens Bank in Mankato. (National Citizens Bank would undergo numerous name changes over the years, ultimately becoming Wells Fargo Bank.)
Under the mentorship of George Sugden, President, Dee’s career soared. She credits him with challenging her to achieve all that she was capable of achieving beyond her wildest dreams! At a time when women in the workplace was rare, and women in leadership positions within the workplace was even more rare, Sugden invested in her, believed in her, nurtured her, supported her and rewarded her throughout her 22-year employment.
Dee’s return to the banking business began with her working in new accounts. She quickly advanced to the loan department and was soon named Marketing Officer. Under Sugden’s mentorship, Dee was selected to participate in Norwest Bank’s formal marketing school located in Colorado Springs. The course of study was intensive and Dee enjoyed every bit of it! Upon her return home to Mankato, Dee was assigned responsibility for developing a region-wide marketing plan for the opening of a new bank. Her creative endeavors did not go unnoticed. That year, Dee earned Norwest Bank’s Outstanding Southeast Regional Award.
Representing her employment with the bank now known as Wells Fargo, Dee served on the Hospitality Committee for the Chamber of Commerce, participated in fundraising endeavors for the United Way, and served as President of the Elks Club DOES. In much of her community work, Roger was by her side. Whenever possible, the two of them served as a team.
With her unabiding passion for music, Dee also participated in, and sometimes directed, the Sweet Adelines. She sang in various quartets and was often asked to sing solo for local, statewide and even national events. While active in DOES, she was invited to sing solo at their national convention in Colorado Springs where the audience numbered in the hundreds. Finally, she dedicated considerable time and talent in her church, holding every office available within the Ladies Guild at Christ the King Church and continuing her involvement with various church women groups after she and Roger joined Bethlehem.
One of Dee’s fondest memories was that of being crowned Queen of the annual “Bend on the River” Fourth of July celebration in 1985. “I can still hear my girls hollering,” Dee reflected, “when they announced my name as Queen.” The designation recognized Dee statewide for her personal, professional and community volunteer achievements. Her tenure as Queen meant year-long travel across the state, Roger ever by her side, to various community events. She, of course, reveled in the expectation that she would participate in each community’s celebratory parade, riding, of course, in the back of a fancy convertible! Such was the tradition of the times!
Dee was also awarded the YWCA’s prestigious Leadership Award.
Throughout her career, Roger, always the consummate gentleman, stood at her side, encouraging and supporting her many achievements. His career flourished, as well, and his community involvement was second to none yet he consistently deferred his personal acolytes, choosing instead to give credit to his Dee.
Indeed, God’s abundant grace is ever present in the lives of this stellar couple.
Author’s note: Roger had a successful career in the insurance business and is well known for his community and church activism. He believes in the importance of strengthening his home community through volunteerism and, though not mentioned in the above story, remains particularly proud of his active participation in Life Underwriters.
Dee and Roger, despite the width and breadth of their personal and professional goals, always put God and family first. Whether it was a simple prayer around the dinner table, Sunday school and church every week, choir practice or confirmation, God and family were woven together into the very fabric of their daily lives.
They wouldn’t let me write their story without mentioning the Outlaw Ranch in Custer, South Dakota. The Samans attended this Christian family Bible camp for 12 consecutive years in a row! In fact, Susan and Sara refused family trips to the Rocky Mountains, Disneyland or the beach choosing, instead, to return, to Outlaw Ranch.
“It was the only place the kids ever wanted to go,” exclaimed Dee.
Following high school graduation, both Susan and Sara returned to the camp to serve as counselors.
Today, Dee and Roger are simply enjoying retirement. Susan and Sara live nearby in the Mpls./ St Paul area and visit often. The Samans have four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.