Leo and Rose Mary Shoemaker were both born in Franklin County and
     graduated from Ottawa High School in 1940.
       Leo attended a semester at Kansas State College, then went to Wichita
     where he was employed by Boeing Aircraft. He entered the Army Air Force
     in March, 1942.
       They were married in Ottawa in 1943, while he was still in cadet
     training. For two months they lived in Houston, Texas, where he completed
     his training, graduating in January of 1944. Additional training took them 
     to Salt Lake City, Utah, Casper, Wyoming, Pueblo, Colorado and Lincoln,
     Nebraska, from where he left the last of May for Europe as the co-pilot of
     a B-24 bomber.
       While on his first bombing mission over Austria, his aircraft was hit by
     enemy ground fire and he was forced to parachute. He was immediately captured
     and held a prisoner of war until Patton's 3rd Army liberated the prison
     camp in April 1945.
       Rose Mary had returned to the home of her parents in Ottawa, where she
     awaited the birth of their first son, Jim, in February.
       One of the highlights when Leo returned to the United States was staying
     up the last night out so he could see the "Old Girl: in New York harbor,
     an unforgettable sight.
       Following his discharge from the service, Leo was a partner in an airport
     at Ottawa for about a year, then joined the Department of Agriculture Soil
     Conservation Service, in Franklin County in December 1946.
       A second son, Jerry, was born in 1948 at Ottawa. Two months later the
     family moved to Clay Center, when Leo accepted a transfer with the civil
     service.
       While in Clay Center, their other two sons, John and Jeff, were born in
     1950 and 1952 respectively.
       Leo's work with the SCS consisted of technical work, layout out terrace
     lines, dams, drainage ditches, etc. He also spent some time on irrigation
     land leveling planning.
       With boys in the family, they became involved in Boy Scouts. Leo served
     as Webelos Leader and as a Scoutmaster for several years. Rose Mary served
     many years as an active Den Leader, then became involved in training of
     leaders, district and council activities and eventually into some regional
     and national Cub Scout activities. Leo holds the Silver Beaver, Rose Mary
     the Silver Fawn, and is Cub Scout Woodbadge.
       In 1960, the family moved to Medicine Lodge when Leo accepted another
     transfer.
       The four boys are all graduates of Medicine Lodge High School, where they
     were active in sports and music.
       The last few years of Leo's employement with the SCS were spent with the
     Water Shed division, where he was an inspector of dam construction on such
     projects as Lake Arrohead, McAdoo Dam, Lake Coldwater in Comanche County
     and Wild Cat dam in Harper County.
       In December of 1978, Leo retired from the SCS after spending 35 years
     working for the government.
       Jim is a chiropractor in McPherson; Jerry and John have their own roustabout
     service in Mineral Wells, Texas, and Jeff is a member of the Coast Guard,
     stationed in New Orleans.
       The Shoemakers have five grandchildren, Elizabeth, Staci, Stephanie, Debra
     and Brian.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 414 
     Submitted by: Rose Mary Shoemaker