Elmo couple starts partnership, new life with Habitat for Humanity work

Elmo residents Dennis and Jan Wolfe may be retired, but they are also proving that the golden years of life don't have to be characterized by inactivity.

To the contrary, their lives together have only just begun. They married May 18, 2008, and in less than a year's time have joined up with Habitat for Humanity to build houses in both Kyrgyzstan and New Zealand.

Although decades have passed since they dated in high school, Dennis and Jan have known each other since they were in second grade. The two grew up in the same town in South Dakota and graduated from South Dakota State University.

They reconnected at their 50th high school reunion. It didn't take long for them to realize that it was not too late to start again.

They moved to Dennis' home on Meadowlark Lane, south of Elmo.

They got connected with Habitat for Humanity through Mike and Trish Rodrique. Dennis had worked with Mike on a construction project for the Lake County Youth Home in Ronan, assisting him with the footings and metal roof. Mike had already done a significant amount of work with Habitat for Humanity and regularly led trips for the organization — about 20 of them so far — with his wife, taking groups to various countries to build houses.

"Mike and Trish were really the impetus behind our going on these trips," Dennis said. "They exemplify the best that America can show the world and the best that you'd want to model your life around."

Dennis and Jan soon found the Rodriques' excitement for their work with Habitat to be contagious and decided to join one of their teams, traveling first to Kyrgyzstan.

"That was wonderful trip, because we really experienced the gratitude of the Kyrgyz people and their appreciation for what we were doing," Jan said. "The houses that we built are very crude, block structures that are almost adobe looking."

The couple worked on two houses while they were there, spending five days on each one.

"The people there were such happy people, who had very little. They were so thankful, and every day they thanked us again," Jan said.

Dennis added that, in one week's time, their group accomplished as much as a regular Kyrgyz crew could accomplish in the better part of a year. Because of that, the Kyrgyz people were enthusiastic to see a crew of 14 Habitat volunteers show up, knowing work would be done quickly.

Despite their age — Dennis is 71 and Jan is 72 — they were each able to make important contributions to the construction and melded well with the rest of the group, becoming close friends with the others after just a couple of weeks of working together.

"I was kind of questioning myself going," Jan said. "I'm 72, and you wonder, 'Will I be taking the place of somebody younger, who is more able to do the work that I'll be doing.' But that's the great thing about it. There is always something for everyone to do. I did everything from mixing cement to putting up a block wall."

The New Zealand trip, Dennis said, was quite a bit different than the Kyrgyzstan trip, because there was more time to get to know the country. Each of the volunteers worked on a house for five days and then took nine days off to caravan around New Zealand as part of an organized trip.

Dennis and Jan decided to work the five days, travel for nine days and then stay and build for an additional five days with the Rodriques. Having worked on two builds with two different groups instead of one, Dennis said he felt like they got the best deal of anyone.

Since his father and uncle ran a retail lumber business in South Dakota, Dennis said he's been swinging a hammer most of his life. With his carpentry skills, he was pleased that his arm lasted longer than most of the volunteers on the trip. In fact, he was even able to keep pace with the young men on the roof.

He and Jan both returned to the Flathead with a greater appreciation of the life they have in the United States. In Kyrgyzstan, they witnessed third-world living conditions and had seen the toll that years of Soviet oppression had taken on the Kyrgyz people. There a three-room, 800-square-foot house built by Habitat volunteers would be home to two families. Instead of bedrooms, these houses had one large room where each family member spread out a bedroll to sleep — not on beds but on the floor.

"Most people have half-built structures that they're trying to live in," Dennis said. "There are usually several families in each home, with no sewer. They're still back in outhouse operations. It's an eye-opener, and it really makes you appreciate what we have here."

Although they won't be taking another trip in the immediate future, both felt strongly that there will be another trip, perhaps as early as next spring.

"We had so much fun," Dennis said. "I don't know how we could pass it up."