When Barbara Pingel cares about something, she goes all in. As a supporter of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Barbara writes to Ranch residents as a Hope Notes pen pal, sends boxes of puzzles, makes regular donations, directs Thrivent Choice Dollars® to the Ranch, and prays every day for the children and employees of the Ranch. She has also made arrangements for an estate gift to the Ranch.
Barbara's connection to the Ranch began when she cared for her elderly parents, George and Esther Pingel. They had learned about the Ranch through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and donated for many years.
George and Esther lived with Barbara for several years, and she'd see the letters and annual bottle of honey from the Ranch.
"After Mom and Dad passed away, I read more about it and thought it would be a wonderful thing to support," Barbara said.
Barbara's father was a Lutheran school teacher and taught first in Milwaukee, WI, and later in Marshfield and Clyman, WI. Because his last two calls were in smaller schools, Barbara's dad was often her teacher.
"At one point, my dad was my teacher for three years straight," she said. "And let me tell you...it's not easy to have your own father for a teacher! He was also the principal, the choir director, and the organist. He did whatever needed to be done."
Her mother was a stay-at-home mom while Barbara was little, and Barbara says, "She was always there for us kids when we got home. When my youngest brother was in high school, she went to work at the grade school cafeteria and late at Aunt Nellie's canning factory."
Making a career out of helping
The Ranch has become very dear to Barbara's heart because of her love for children.
"I always said that if I got married, I wanted 12 kids. I never got married so I spoiled the kids I took care of as a nurse on the pediatric ward. And when they got better, I sent them home to their mom and dad!"
Barbara's career as a Registered Nurse took her around the world. She started as a pediatric nurse in her home state of Wisconsin. A couple of years later, Barbara joined the Air Force Nurse Corps and left Wisconsin to serve as head nurse on the pediatric ward of a large army medical center in Denver, CO. In 1981, she joined the Army Corp of Nurses. Her last military posting was in Heidelberg, Germany where she served as head nurse on the pediatric ward and as a supervisor on evenings and nights.
When she left the Army Corps of Nurses in 1988, Barbara moved to Rochester, MN, to be closer to her parents who had moved to Minnesota when they retired.
"For 22 years, I worked in GI post-up, post-op thoracic surgery, and post-op GYN surgery at Mayo Clinic. I spent my last six years working on the Ask Mayo Clinic triage line. While pediatrics always remained my first love, I loved my work at Mayo," Barbara said. "After I retired, I got bored, so I went back to nursing doing home health care at Home Instead Senior Care, and finally retired again in 2016. I was going to be 72 years old, so I decided it was time."
In retirement, Barbara enjoys puzzles, reading, knitting, and traveling.
"When I was stationed in Germany, I met some very dear friends who became my second family. I have been back to see them six or seven times," Barbara said. "I have a brother who is still living so I visit him and his family. But, with COVID, you're so limited. It has put the kibosh on a lot of those trips."
Letters of hope
One of Barbara's favorite Ranch activities is to write letters to kids at the Ranch as a Hope Notes Pen Pal.
"Linda [Medhus, Ranch Senior Engagement Officer] stops by to visit and pick up boxes of puzzles for the kids. One time she asked if I'd consider being a Hope Notes Pen Pal. I thought, 'Why not?' I have the time and I love to write letters."
Deaconess Kelly Bristow matched Barbara with a young resident who needed extra support, gave her the child's first name so she could personalize the card, and then Barbara sent her letter to Deaconess Kelly to give it to the child. She has since written to several young boys and girls on the Minot campus.
"These kids need that friendship—even just a short note," Barbara said. "One of the girls sent me a picture she made last Easter of three crosses and it's still hanging on my refrigerator. Every time I open that refrigerator, I think of that little girl and wonder how she is doing."
"And, just last week I opened my mailbox and saw an envelope that turned out to be a letter from my most recent pen pal. She was getting to the end of her stay at the Ranch, and she asked if I could send her one more letter before she was discharged. Of course, I was so thrilled and I got one off to her right away!"
And when they move on, Barbara prays for them, and all Ranch residents, during her morning prayers and devotions.
"I keep my pen pals in my heart and mind. You just don't know what kind of environment they're going back into. I ask the Lord to send his angels to watch over them. I don't want them to ever forget what I told them, that Jesus loves them and is always with them."
A giving spirit
Barbara's father nurtured her giving spirit early on. When she was a little girl, every Sunday morning she would go to her father's desk where he had laid out a nickel and a dime for her, five cents for the Sunday School collection plate, and 10 cents for the church collection plate.
She took her giving very seriously, and on the Sundays when she sat in a chair next to the organ bench while her dad played, (usually because she wasn't behaving for her mother), she worried about the ushers passing her by with the collection plate.
Barbara said, "If the ushers walked by with the plate and didn't see me sitting there, my tears would roll. Dad couldn't get off the organ bench to help me, but he would assure me that after the service we would take the money downstairs to the collection plate."
When Barbara started babysitting in sixth grade, her father told her that 10 cents of every dollar she made would go to the church.
"I was only making a quarter an hour—not even $5 a week, but 50 cents always went into my church envelope. Tithing was just instilled in me from the time I was a little girl," Barbara said. "When I got older and heart about other charities, I'd send some money to them whenever I had a little extra money."
Barbara said the first two things on her monthly budget these days continue to be the church and her favorite charities. She is quick to point out that she doesn't have a lot of money, but a portion of whatever she has left will go to the Ranch because she cares about the kids.
"I had a mom and dad who loved me. We ate meals together. We had devotions together. I was never hit. I was never cursed out," Barbara said. "We didn't have a lot of money, but I didn't know that. When I see what has happened to the kids at the Ranch, it breaks my heart. I want to help."
This article was originally published in Ranch Voice: Summer 2022.
Read more stories like this and explore other issues of Ranch Voice here.