Carole Obrecht's Story 1
Baby Carole
V. Carole Obrecht was born September 9, 1935, as Virginia Carole Kysar during the height of the Great Depression, in a small town called Acton in Marion County, Indiana. Both her parents, Wright Kysar and Evelyn Van Asdol Kysar have gone on to glory. Carole has two brothers, Jeffery Lynn Kysar and Vaughn Lee Kysar.
Early life in Indiana
a long time ago
Before Indiana became a state, Carole’s descendants settled in the early 1800s in what Jennings County is now. She recalls that her ancestors were the first pioneers to work that land. Their resting place is at Coffee Creek Cemetery near Paris Crossing.
Life on the farm
The Great Barn
Growing up as a child during the Great Depression (1929 - 1933), Carole was raised in a family that had one of the largest barns in the county. Agriculture being a way of life for the Kysars, their farm had a large population of cows, hogs and horses. And Carole knew all the animals’ names.
A very beautiful childhood
"Papa" With Baby Carole
At the age of three, she learned how to milk a light brown Jersey cow named Crumpy. With a love for both animals and nature, she would learn many of her skills in caring for animals from her grandfather, who she affectionately called “Papa.”
Her first love for horses
Tiny Carole
When she was a tiny child, Papa would throw her up on an old white Percheron Horse named Maude, and she would ride on that horse all day. She loved the country and was the happiest when she could go out at night and inhale the beauty of the heavens.
Carole's Father
Wright Kysar
When she was 12 years old, Carole’s father, Wright Kysar, showed her how to drive a tractor, and soon she had free range to explore their 500 acres of green land.
Nature's best
Daddy JEFFERY LYNN and MAMMA CAROLE IS ON PRINCE
Her father also loved nature, and taught her the names of trees, plants, birds and insects. The family enjoyed many social events, entertaining relatives and friends. They would often gather for family and neighborhood cookouts. Their farm was also the perfect playground for siblings Jeffery Lynn and Vaughn Lee.
The start of Carole's love for music
Evelyn Van Asdol Kysar Holding Carole
There were no limits to the things she could learn. Her musical background began with her mother, Evelyn Kysar. Carole says, “My mother inspired me to take piano lessons because she had taken several years of piano and organ.” And Carole learned to sing through the voice lessons she took as well.
Music and the farm
Carole with "Cinnamon Lady"
Carole learned to play the piano at the age of seven, from well-known piano teacher Grace Hutchens in Indianapolis, In. She says, “It cost $1 for an hour’s lesson each week playing at her white baby grand!” Additionally, while Carole continued to enjoy farm life, her mother taught her how to recognize “perfect pitch."
Carole's expanding horizons
Arsenal Technical High school 1954
During Carole’s high school years, she wanted to learn French. However, the local high school in Marion County didn’t offer classes in the language. Eager to learn French, Carole persuaded her father to let her attend Indianapolis’s Arsenal Technical High School (ATHSC).
Carole blossoms in school
Arsenal Technical High School
ATHSC was considered in the top 10 of prestigious high schools in the United States in its day. Carole received top grades along with three years of French. She listened to her mother’s advice and took secretarial courses. She graduated receiving a business medal and ranked 13th in a class of 625 students
Carole gives her life to Jesus
BELMONT cHuRCH OF CHRIST
In 1954, at age 18, Carole gave her life to Jesus at the Belmont Church of Christ. Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, she worked in office administration at Brightwood, then Northeast Church of Christ. Despite many challenges in her life, Carole continued giving thanks for those who helped bring her to Christ.