Edward Paul Dehning, son of Henry Peter and Ulricka Albertia Christina (Bauers) Dehning was born on June 16, 1896 in his parent's home north of Wabash, Nebraska, on the SW Quarter of Section 13, Elmwood Precinct, in Cass County in Eastern Nebraska. He was the eighth child in a family of eleven children; eight boys and three girls. It is not known what his schooling was, but he probably received some type of formal education for a few years. It is assumed he lived with his parents, helping with the farm work or as a hired laborer in the surrounding neighborhood until the spring of 1917, at the age of 20, he traveled to Deuel County in Western Nebraska with his sister, Lena and husband Otto Brauckmuller after their marriage in the home of her parents on March 15, 1917, and brother Henry, to live on a farm owned by their parents, approximately 9-10 NW of Big Springs. He was interested in baseball which was the main recreation in those days and soon after arriving in the Big Springs area he became acquainted with the Kallsen family, Henry and Anna and their boys, Walter, Herman and Carl and daughter Alma who lived on the NE Quarter of Section32, Township 14, Range 42 West in Deuel County. On Sunday afternoon, he would walk or ride a horse to the games that were played in the Kallsen pasture near their home. It was during those games in the summer of 1917 that he met the 21 year old daughter of Henry and Anna Kallsen, who was born on October 31, 1895 on the place her father homesteaded. (She was one of seven children, four boys and three girls.) She lived with them, helping with the many farm chores and manual labor of those days; such as cooking for hired help, washing clothes by hand, herding cattle, shucking corn, shocking wheat, helping with canning and butchering, etc. until her marriage to Edward Dehning. He was a member of the Emmanuel Evangelical Church of Murdock, Nebraska. It was the first church of the Evangelical Association to be built in Nebraska. He later became a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Big Springs. Alma's limited education she received was by attending school in their parent's home for a few days a week until a school was established near the German Lutheran Church a mile and a half north of where her parents lived. It was in this church (Immanuel Lutheran Church) where she was baptized and received her Christian education, being confirmed on April 17, 1910 by Pastor Potratz. Her confirmation verse was Psalm 26: v 6-8. Edward and Alma courted and were married on June 18, 1919 in the Lutheran Church in Chappell, Nebraska.

They made their first home on a farm owned by his parents in the SE Quarter of Section 2, Township 13 N, Range 43 West (known as the Emil Kracke place) where three sons were born, Mervin (4-30-20), LaVern (8-2-21), and Delmar (12-6-23). Alma's mother, Anna Kallsen, came out from her home in Big Springs to help in the delivery of her grandchildren. On March 1, 1926 after and apparent disagreement with his father, they moved to a farm in the NW Quarter of Section 12, Township 13 N, Range 43 West (known as the Ray Radke place). On September 27, 1927 another son, Marion was born in the home of his mother's parents, Henry and Anna Kallsen, in Big Springs. They lived there until the fall of 1928 when they moved to Almas's sister Laura (Kallsen) Mohr's farm in Garden County, which borders Deuel Country on the north. On June 24, 1930, another son, Orval, was born. A sixth son, Lyle, was born on June 26, 1932. Both  Orval and Lyle were born in the home of their grandparents, Henry and Alma Kallsen in Big Springs, Nebraska. Alma's father passed away in January, 1933. In the distribution of his land and property, she received the SE Quarter of Section 32, Township 14 N, Range 42 West. During that summer they began to move old buildings on her land near the sight of the water well or built them from used lumber in preparation of making this their home. The first buildings were a chicken coop and a granary. In the spring of 1934 they moved from Alma's sister's farm in Garden County. Since there was no house to live in yet, they borrowed a sheepherder's wagon from Ralph Smith, a neighbor, where they cooked their meals. It was too small for all eight of their family to sleep in, so some slept in the chicken coop or granary. After they built a small single-car garage they also used it for cooking and sleeping during the time they were building a 27' X 35' cinder block basement house of simple design and construction. It consisted of three bedrooms, kitchen, living room and small pantry or storage room off the north bedroom. The basement was dug with a team of horses pulling a 2-horse or 4-horse slips. The cement blocks were made on the site using a cement block machine owned by John Heidemann, a neighbor. Their three oldest son, Mervin, LaVern, and Delmar, helped make the cement blocks, shoveled dirt and carried nails, tools, boards and shingles where needed. The house was without running water, bathroom, gas or electricity. Water was carried to the house by hand from the well located a considerable distance from the house. Kerosene lamps and lanterns were used for light. Some years later a 6-volt used wind charger was erected providing electricity for lights. A pot-bellied stove in the living room was used for heat, burning wood, corn cobs and cow chips. The wood cookstove  in the kitchen furnished the heat for the kitchen. Later a kerosene stove was purchased and used for cooking and heat. there was no heat in the bedrooms. The "outhouse" (bathroom) was located some 40-50 yards west of the house. It is remembered that all of the bedrooms had dirt floors for a period of time after the house was built. The south bedroom was the last one to have a wood floor. In August of 1934, their only daughter, Eileen, was born in the farm house her Grandfather Kallsen built in 1892 on the land he homesteaded. The barn was the last building to be built which was constructed in several different sections. The west side was built first. In 1937 or 1938 an old building was moved in and connected to the north side. In 1943  a new addition was added on the east side with stanchions for milking cows.

Settling on their own place after 15 years of moving and renting was not without worries or problems as they continued to endure many hardships associated with the depression years; crop failures due to drought, dust storms, hail storms and grasshoppers. However, they struggled through the years raising a family of seven children, getting by on the very bare necessities of life. To help supplement the  family income, Edward drove a truck for Chuck Robb and worked on the WPA (Works Progress Administration- a federal government employment program during the depression years.) In 1939 a great tragedy fell upon their family when Edward was diagnosed as having cancer. He continued farming with the help of his three oldest sons while doctoring in Omaha until late December of 1941 when they moved into Alma's sister's house (Laura Mohr) in big Springs after his health deteriorated. He became bedfast and required constant care. Mrs. Jessie Johnson, who had training in the field of nursing, helped Alma care for him 24 hours a day. It is remembered the many huge bedsores on various parts of his body requiring him to be turned every few hours and being administered medication for the severe pain he suffered. It is also remembered the County Welfare Office delivering sacks of groceries weekly to the house. Early on Saturday, July 18, 1942 he passed away at the age of 46 years, 1 month and 2 days.

A few weeks after the funeral, Alma returned to the farm (at age 47) to assume the responsibility of making a living and raising her seven children ranging in age from 8 to 21. Living and farming conditions did not improve much and her worries and concerns were enhanced because several sons were of draft age and had already been granted farm deferments due to their father's illness. In October of 1942 her first son, Mervin, was inducted into the Army. The war years continued and after LaVern and Delmar were no longer granted deferments they were drafted into the Army on the same day in August of 1944. She drove them to Chappell to board the bus to Cheyenne/Denver to report for active duty. At this time, she was one of very few war mothers to proudly display a 3 Star Flag in the window of her home representing the number of sons serving in the military service. During those war years, with her three older sons in the service away from home, the struggle to survive continued on the farm with the increased work of planting and harvesting the crops, planting and growing a big garden, setting hens, raising chickens, feeding and milking cows (as many as13 morning and night), canning and baking. It is remembered her and the three youngest children hiring out to shock grain for neighbors to supplement her income.

The war ended on August 15, 1945, but the military draft continued and a fourth son, Marion, was inducted into the U.S. Navy in February, 1946. Although Mervin was discharged in December 1945, three sons were still in the service at the same time until Delmar was discharged in August, 1946 and LaVern in November. For the next two years  she  continued living on the farm with the four youngest children while the older sons, being employed elsewhere, helped with the farming, when possible, on nights and weekends. In the fall of 1948, she moved into Big Springs after her sons purchased the Earl Kahl house and moved it onto a lot at the bottom of the high school hill in the east part of town. At the beginning of the 1957, she lived alone, taking in high school students as boarders from the rural community and remaining active in the Ladies Aid organization of her church. It is remember that she remained faithful to her Lord throughout the many hardships in her life by driving 8 1/2 miles to town, when living on the farm, on Sundays to worship regularly with her children at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Big Springs of which she was an active member since the mid-20's and having all of her seven children baptized and confirmed in the church.

She was also active in the American Legion Auxiliary and several women's clubs including the Happy Hour Club of which she was a Charter Member (along with her mother) when it was organized in 1916. In May of 1960, she retired at the age of 66 and lived her retirement years enjoying her family which had grown considerably in number, traveling to each of their homes for the special occasions of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; such as, baptisms, confirmations, graduations and weddings. She was a faithful letter writer to her children and enjoyed receiving mail daily. In December of 1979, at the age of 84, being unable to care for herself, she moved to Julesburg, Colorado to live with her second oldest son, LaVern and daugher-in-law, Evelyn. She continued to travel frequently to visit her children and grandchildren. One of the most memorable events of her later years was attending the family reunion at Fort Robinson, Nebraska on July 4-5-6- 1975 when 42 of her family attended. Her home in Big Springs, which she had lived in for 41 years, was sold in the summer 1980 and her personal belongings were divided among her seven children and grandchildren., In November of 1980 her estate consisting of the same quarter of land, willed to her by her father, Henry Kallsen, was willed to her seven children. In March of 1983, she entered the Sedgwick County Nursing Home in Julesburg, Colorado where she resided until she entered her heavenly rest on the morning of September 11, 1986.