'Steady as a Rock, The Maynard Surber Story' now in print

Like many American men of his generation, Maynard Surber left his home, farm and family for the fronts of World War II. But Maynard returned intact, with both his work ethic and his sense of purpose firmly entrenched.

His life was an American story of commitment to family, community, country and the land that was the cornerstone of it all.

When he died on July 26, 2012, it was hard for the family to say goodbye, but Connie Surber found the perfect way to remember the special man that was her father-in-law.

“I remembered reading in the paper about a local woman who had her life story written and made into a book written by a local writer," Connie said. "Maynard was such an interesting man, a big reader himself, and everyone loved his stories, so I thought a book about his life would be just the way to honor him.”

She contacted local journalist Pat Lawrence, who wrote "The House That Mary Built" for Mary Wolfe, and convinced her to take on the project.

“First, though, I had to convince Maynard. He was 92 and in poor health, but he finally agreed after the grandchildren got after him,” Connie said.

Only a couple of months into the interviews, Maynard passed away. Lawrence assumed that was it, the project was over.

But losing Maynard just made Connie even more determined to get it done.

Maynard had made tapes in the 1980s of much of his military experience and he kept a lot of the documents and logs from that time. He had an incredible memory and a great eye for detail.

Almost all of the book is in Maynard's own words, from interviews, his tapes, his diaries or quotes from people who knew him.

The Surbers had photographs from Maynard's childhood and some from the war and lots of stories from his sons, Jim Surber and John, Connie's husband.

The Surber family has been on that land since 1797, so there's plenty of history there. After the farm was recognized as a Centennial Farm, Maynard had an engraved stone made for the property, which is on the cover of the book.

He spent most of the war in Europe and he described a lot of French places and specific events. To verify some of them, Lawrence eventually had to speak with the French Embassy.

“The war was, perhaps, the most memorable part of his life, but the wonderful accounts of daily life from decades ago and the relationship between Maynard and his wife, Isabelle, were especially charming to me.”

The final result is "Steady as a Rock, the Maynard Surber Story," published in paperback by Amazon and even available on Kindle, but most importantly, ready in time to be shared at this year's Surber family reunion.

Connie says, “Maynard was always such a presence, and he did so much and knew so much. He was interesting and funny and really was steady as a rock.

"We wanted our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be able to see him the way we did. Plus, getting the book done helped us remember him in so many ways – going through the pictures and picking out which ones to use, going through Isabelle's favorite recipes, sharing each other's favorite memories and writing down just the way we felt.

"It was such a positive way to say goodbye to an amazing man. And now, we have it all in print for the next generations to see.”

Note: Maynard Surber was a retired Army colonel, founding member of the Highland County Fair Board, and member of the Masonic Lodge. He had been a leader in the Union Church of Christ as Elder, Sunday school teacher and chorister for many decades.

(With special thanks to Pat Lawrence – from The HCP.)