No big city for them; Wellfleet couple have all they need

Frank and Cory Kleist feel right at home in Wellfleet. (Gene O. Morris/McCook Gazette)

WELLFLEET, Neb. -- Pardon me for being so blunt, but Frank and Cory Kleist of Wellfleet, Nebraska (population 76) have some choice words for those of you who live in the big- and mid-sized towns of America.

"You can take city life and shove it," the Kleists say nicely but firmly.

After years of cowboying and truck driving, Frank Kleist's working life came to a shattering stop seven years ago when he was struck by a skid loader, crushing his left leg and breaking his right leg in four places. Although the injuries left Frank with a permanent limp and constant pain, to this day he has not received any disability or worker's compensation payments.

Serenity by the lake. (Gene O. Morris/McCook Gazette)

Is he bitter? Maybe a bit, but Frank and his wife, Cory, have gone forward, choosing to live the simple life in small town America. And that ain't so bad.

Frank and Cory explain why:

"We're small town people. Always have been. Always will be. All that we want and need is right here in Wellfleet."

A house has seen better days. (Gene O. Morris/McCook Gazette)

To make ends meet, Cory has become the couple's main bread-winner, serving as a driver for Tom's Delivery Service out of Grand Island. "It's a good job and Tom's a good guy," she said. It's also a fulfilling job for Cory, who says she enjoys taking needed auto and tractor parts to the people of western Nebraska. The Kleists also do odd jobs to supplement their income, with Cory doing crocheting projects and Frank doing small woodworking jobs.

So what's it like living in Wellfleet? "We love it here," the Kleists say. "We have a house in town, and, every so often, we pull our camper down by Wellfleet Lake for some getaway time with our kids and grandkids."

Their family, now spread out over a wide area, comes for long weekends with their parents and grandparents. The Kleist brood is growing, now including four children, seven grandchildren and one step-grandchild.

The high point of the family weekends is Cory's cooking, Frank says. "You should eat her eggs and bacon, cooked over a camp fire on a griddle I made from a disc," Frank says. "It will melt in your mouth."

Happy? You bet. Content? You bet. Could they make more money living in the city? Probably. But look what they would have to give up. The good life, lived serenely in a tiny town in the middle of America.

There are no longer any stores in Wellfleet, but many folks there do odd jobs, such as fixing hair, cutting timber, tending gardens, crocheting, woodworking and canning vegetables. "If we need store-bought goods, we head to North Platte, McCook or Curtis," Frank and Cory say. "But we don't go overboard with store-bought stuff. We have most of what we need right here in small town America."

When you first drive through Wellfleet, Nebraska, you might get the idea that time has passed them by, leaving junked cars and broken-down houses as relics of a once-bustling village. But, before you mourn for the people of Wellfleet, take a little closer look. When you look into the hearts and souls of the people who live there, you may come away envious -- not contemptuous -- of their style of life.

Because, when you get right down to it, it could be that the people of Wellfleet are closer to having it all together than we city folks do.