The Galvan Family Story

The story of the Galvan family in Valley Junction begins with Crespin Galvan and Amilia “Emily” Valdez Galvan – a couple whose roots stretched from Texas to Des Moines, but whose hearts were firmly on the Southside. Crespin, born in 1921, was known as a “junk man”, buying and selling old cars, always with a knack for spotting potential in what others had given up on. Emily, born in 1919, carried herself with quiet strength and the kind of steadiness that could hold a large family together.

Noise, Work and Love Under One Roof

Together, they raised eleven children: Chris, Gregory, Raymond, Albert “Butch”, Richard, Raul “Blackie”, Celestino, Jerry, Linda, Gloria, Carmela, and others whose lives were cut short far too young. Theirs was a house of noise, laughter, hard work, and the unshakeable rhythm of family.

Jerry, born in March 1952, grew up surrounded by this energy. He studied auto body and fender work at Des Moines Tech, and though he would go on to make a career in a body shop, his first real “business deal” was paying off a car he wrecked – his father’s car. Every week, Crespin would show up at Jerry’s job to collect payment. One day, Jerry, half-joking, asked, “Dad, just how much do I owe you?” His father never gave him a straight answer – but the ritual of those visits was as much about connection as it was bout the debt.

Life Built on Love, Family and Valley Junction

Jerry’s life took a turn one night at a Mexican dance at the VFW in Ankeny. He was just 16, she was 17, Diana Garcia. Jerry had all the dance moves, but nerves got the better of him when he spilled his drink on her. “If you take your dress off, I’ll get it dry cleaned,” he blurted. It was a ridiculous timing, but they laughed about it for years. They married in 1968, two kids trying to make a life with more love than money. Diana had lived in Valley Junction with her parents, Augustine and Celia Garcia. The newlyweds lived in an apartment on the east side of Des Moines. But the Garcia’s wanted their daugther’s new family close. So, Jerry and Diana moved to her parents’ home in 1970 because they had a child and they didn’t have a lot of money.

They first lived across the railroad tracks in a two-bedroom home built by Augustine Garcia himself, next to his mother’s house. There was no running water, they carried it in from outside. By 1971, with their growing family – Tammy in 1968 and Jerry “Mijo” in 1971 – they moved into a two-bedroom, two-story house on 2nd Street. Jerry still lives there to this day. With a big heart and more love to give, the Galvan’s adopted their granddaughters, Victoria and Jasmine.

Diana worked hard, earning her GED, and eventually spending 29 years at Target. Jerry was a man of all trades! He worked in the body shop by trade, could fix or build about anything. They bonded with neighbors – Janet and Gordon Woolseym the Stelers – and Jerry spent time with the “10th Street boys”, Carl Lamar, Douglas May, Darrell Long, David Howelton, Tonta and David, and Alfred, while Diana found comfort in the company of her sister Lola.

Sundays were sacred. Nearly every week, they’d gather at the Garcia home for a feast – chicken, mashed potatoes, enchiladas, rice, beans, pork chops, chili, tortillas, and chicken mole. The air would be filled with laughter, teasing, and the smell of food that carried stories from one generation to the next. Actually, passed through the neighborhood like love letters, changing slightly with each cook’s touch, until one day they discovered their ‘special family recipe’ was actually borrowed from Alonzo “Blue Jay” Page’s BBQ joint. It didn’t matter. Once it was on the Galvan table, it was theirs.

The Galvan children grew up and started families of their own. Mijo and Samantha followed their parents’ path by having six children, blending families with two boys, Austin and Mason, and four daughters, Victoria, Jasmine, Jaelynn, and Thea. So far, they have given them three grandchildren. Jasmine has two girls, Luna and Diana. Austin has a daughter, Harper. Tammy and Mike Pingel have three children, Nicholas, Lindy and Tasha.

Life wasn’t always easy while Tammy and Mijo were growing up – there were tight budgets, hard work, and loss – but Jerry and Diana built a home where joy was made from togetherness, where meals were shared, and where love was steady. Even after Diana’s passing in 2014, the spirit remains, carried forward by their children, grandchildren, and the stories told around the table – stories that begin, always with Valley Junction.

The Heard Family Story 

L.C. Heard Sr. and wife Margaret Heard were from Centreville, Alabama. L.C. had a good relationship with his Uncle Donald in Orlabor, Ankeny, Iowa. His uncle convinced him that there would be greater opportunity in the Midwest. He was sure to find a job that paid more than his current job as a logger in a timber mill in Centreville. It was an all black community, so everyone worked together to make progress. With the Great Migration’s promise of making a better life for his family, in 1952 L.C. Sr. left his wife and seven children, Jessie, Yvonne, Minnie, Janice, Overlie, L.C. Jr., and Charles, for Ankeny. As he looked for a place to bring his family from Alabama, he would attend church and garden.

The next year, January of 1953, L.C. Sr. brought this family up from Alabama to live with him in Ankeny. Mrs. Heard was expecting a child at this time, and in February, Barbara Heard was the first child born in Iowa. He joined Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church where his uncle preached love of God and family and the power of prayer. L.C. Sr.’s gifts of strong faith and service made him fit for the role of deacon. Quickly, he became a senior deacon in the church.

Planting Roots in West Des Moines

Faith manifested itself in L.C. Sr. successfully finding employment, L.C. Sr. landed a job at Eagle Iron Works. It was hard laborious and hot work. He poured iron into casts for lids to cover manhole and over the sewer systems. The factory was on 2nd Street in Des Moines. Since L.C. Sr. did not own car, he was always beholden on someone else to provide transportation to and from work. Mrs. Heard worked in the home caring for their growing family. The Heards lived in Ankeny for 3 years.

To ease the burden of transportation, L.C. Sr. continued to look for work or housing closer together. They found a house at 412 Lincoln Street, West Des Moines across the railroad tracks in 1956. The Foundry that was located across the railroad had openings for masonry. It was perfect being two blocks away from their new home. L.C. Sr. took a job making stone bricks and walking back and forth to work. The happy family continued to grow as two other children were born there 4 years apart. They were Will and Jerry Heard.

A Home of Love and Legacy

The Heard family now numbered twelve under one roof, parents and ten children. Family was always important. It was the family that brought them up from Alabama and supported them. L.C. and Margaret loved all of their children, even their firstborn Annie B., who died at three months old from pneumonia. Their ten children never met her, but they shared the story of her life and love with them. The family referenced her as an angel they all looked towards.

The Heards’ strong family values were observable in their daily life. “Stay in school to reach your goals,” and “do the best that you can do.” Half of their ten children graduated from Valley High School. Two of them left a legacy. Overlie was a well-known basketball player, and Jerry was a band leader. Another family value was a love of community.

Continued Family Traditions

“Treat your neighbors as you wanted to be treated” was a family value that the Heards lived by in every community from Centreville, Ankeny, West Des Moines, and all over the country now. In their new neighborhood, L.C. and Margaret would garden. They fit in well with the communal neighbors. One neighbor shared her apples and pear trees with the families. Another Mexican neighbor who raised goats shared their goat’s milk. The Heards could not afford milk from the store and often bought powdered milk. The Heard garden quickly became a community garden. It was open to all. There was easy access from the alley in the back. Blessed with plentiful crops the community harvested collard, mustard, and turnip greens, green beans, beans, and lettuce. While L.C. Sr. worked, Margaret and the children tended to the garden, plowing and planting seeds and seedlings. Barbara, their ninth child, remembers plowing the garden. She also recalled the benefit of community sharing. The Perz family next door on the left used to have a sweet delicacy they called ponds. They were like pastry jelly rolls. The rolls may have been hand-made or purchased, but Barbara just remembered the sweet and tasty goodness of sharing.

There are great memories of family gatherings, Thanksgiving, family reunions, Christmas, celebrations, and parties. The most memorable memory was created when families came to visit from afar, Alabama, Illinois, and near Iowa. At the end of the visits, Uncle Donald would have everyone form a circle, hand in hand as they pray for one another’s health, blessings, and a safe journey back home. That is a Heard family tradition. The family reunions, values, and circle of prayer continues today.