Noel Couple Shares Their History
Gary and Anita Gilgen of Noel recently shared stories from their past.
Gary grew up in Southwest City, where he graduated from high school in 1962. After high school he did some roofing and went to college in Tahlequah, Okla., for two years and then to the University of Arkansas for two years. He put himself through school by roofing. After four years he quit school and married Anita in 1967.
Anita was born in western Kansas and lived in Emporia, Kan., until age 16, when her family moved to Southwest City. She and Gary were classmates. She graduated from high school in 1960 and went to cosmetology school. After cosmetology school she started working for a lady in Southwest City, and then she put in her own beauty shop right after she and Gary got married. She worked seven years then sold it, then bought it back and worked another six years.
“I met a lot of good people. That was kind of my getting acquainted with the community. Not only did I fix their hair, but we had a good time too,” she said.
After that, Anita was a housewife for several years.
Gary, after the couple first married, leased some chicken houses and kept books for Diplomat Homes. He bought his first farm in Southwest City in 1969. He pulled mobile homes for about a year and then bought their current farm in Noel in 1971. He sent chickens to the plant at Noel from 1971 to 2014 and retired from the chicken business in 2014. Now the farm is strictly beef cattle.
The couple has had some other business ventures over the years in addition to running the farm. From 1988 to 1992 they moved to Florida and went into the real estate business.
“We were looking for a change, but we did keep the farm,” Anita said. “We still have friends we keep in touch with from Florida.”
After they moved back Gary and his son, who was running the farm, went into the chicken litter business. Then about 2001 they decided to go into the insurance business. Gary and Anita and their son and his wife all went to Springfield and got their schooling to sell insurance. Their son opened an office and they worked with him for a while.
“Mostly our life has been on this farm,” Anita said.
The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in April at River Ranch. They were married in Eureka Springs, Ark., by a justice of the peace. They said the courthouse personnel had to track down the justice of the peace, who had been working in his garden. The man came to the courthouse with dirty pants and a nice jacket on, Anita said.
The Gilgens have traveled some, visiting Austria, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Hawaii and numerous other places in the United States.
They have five children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.