The two needed to get back immediately, the sheriff told him: Karen was dead and Bonnie was missing. But then what happened? His ex-wife, his eighth wife Kami, said Brucetried to have her killed, too. He thought everything would be fine and dandy because the two boys knew what they were getting and Connie would get a pecan orchard too.. Bruce pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and at his sentencing, his lawyer tried to argue that he had simply been all talk. Investigators focus on one of Bonnies stepsons, Bruce Harkey, as the mastermind behind the plot to kill Bonnie Harkey.April 24, 2015. In San Saba 237 years later, March 25 dawned as an unremarkable Sunday. They were blowing through that money. With about $20,000 left, and almost no other income to speak of, Bruce had grown nervous. The more we tried to convince her to get away from him, the more she would say it was not the Christian thing to do. Whether Bonnie was the instigator or not, it is true that those years were unstable for Bruce. (He did. Afterward, one San Saban whod witnessed all the proceedings expressed his towns pleasure in the outcome. Connie, who had married after college and moved to Fort Worth, adopted an eight-month-old in 1984, a baby that she and her husband named Carl Pressley. The jury deliberated for about an hour Tuesday, and Bruce Harkey received an automatic sentence of life in prison.
Bruce Harkey convicted of murder-for-hire plot in pecan farming family There was no sign of a struggle, except for a broken fingernail on Karens right hand. Left: The entrance to the Harkey homestead off U.S. 190. IE 11 is not supported. Still, in 1957, O.B. As volunteers combed the property, chief deputy Bill Price returned to the sheriffs office to work the phones. If I waste my time and energy hating the people that have claimed I did, Im takin away time from loving my wife and my children. Bonnies caretaker, a fifty-year-old redhead named Karen Johnson, was sprawled facedown just inside the front door, atop the floral doormat.
Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Bonnie Chapman's House Burns Down - TMZ But both those possibilities were excluded when the bloodhound, using a scent swab from her pillow, followed her trail down the driveway almost to the road, indicating shed likely left in a vehicle. How many years does it take for a pecan tree to bear? U.S. Highway 190 and Texas State Highway 16 intersect on the eastern side of town. Her reading glasses were resting on the floor beside her head, and she was cool to the touch. King, 26, has confessed to murder for the death of Johnson and faces up to 45 years in prison. Over generations, a family feud was brought on by a lust for land. Native pecan trees already dotted the property, including one that theSan Saba Newswould later proclaim to be among the most beautiful and symmetric pecan trees in the county, but O.B., as he was known, planted the familys first orchard in 1926, installing a grove of 1,200 trees and naming it the Home Place Orchard. Handsome, with sandy-brown hair, Bruce busied himself with a slate of extracurricular activitiesSpanish club, student council, Future Farmers of Americaand soon figured out how to charm girls with his mischievous smile. And then there was cotton root rot, the most pernicious of diseases, which could kill a tree from the inside. 1:20 Cold Justice Kelly Siegler Meets with . One of Bruce Harkeys attorneys, Richard Davis, said their testimony was not credible, and he said no evidence linked Bruce Harkey to the killings. Bonnies arrival, however, when Bruce was eleven, made the future uncertain. (The official cause of death was aspiration asphyxiation.) Show more listings Save search She was 85. The judge disagreed, sending Bruce to federal prison for five years. kxan.com 'Pecan Queen's' grandson gets life in prison for her death | KXAN.com Though he appeared physically diminished since his sentencing, his self-regard was intact. Harkeyville is north of U.S. Highway 190 two miles west of San Saba in central San Saba County. To comfort her, the sheriff handed her a cup of water, and her lawyer whispered, You are making out better than anyone else in this, by far. She received 45 years. How much is a full grown pecan tree worth? He was already resentful of decisions Spinks had been makingthis was the last straw. The autopsy reports she may have been buried alive. Our world has changed, and many people in it have become motivated by greed and grown up with a sense of entitlement, she wrote in theNews & Staron April 5. He was always saying, Bonnie killed my son, she needs to suffer the way my son did, he told me. (They have been breeding for perfection and believe now they have a strain that gives Turkeydom about everything that is to be desired in a turkey, theNewsgushed in 1932.)
Luxury Houses for Sale in Roncq, Hauts De France, France Theres an epic tale of greed and betrayal in the heart of Texas. How much can you make off one pecan tree? Bonnie was laidto rest next to Riley in the city cemetery on the afternoon of April 1exactly 42 years after Eric Harkeys birth. No, I never did like her, never did get along with her, he acknowledged. They didnt care if they were in public or not. Bonnie Harkey was still living on the farm, and her guardian believed she deserved more than the $44,000 the brothers were offering from the sale of the land, McAfee said. Leave them blank to get signed up. Bonnie, who grew up in a farming family during the Depressionher father planted cotton, corn, and wheathad always longed for a grander life. The fourteen-day-old infant was buried in the city cemetery the next day; two of Bruces wedding ushers were among the pallbearers, and Riley helped Bruce pick out the gray granite headstone. She never responded. According to Bruce, Bonnie issued an ultimatum shortly thereafter. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy.
Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Suffers Devastating Loss The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. Bruce claimed hed been framed in the federal case, but many around town distrusted him, suspecting something was amiss in the Harkey family. Nobody else did that after the seventies., Perhaps it was Rileys work ethic and stature that first caught the attention of Bonnie Sawyer Compton. On days when Millican was in the groves, Bruce would park his silver F-150 in a neighboring field and scrutinize from afar. It didnt help that Bonnie was showing signs of dementia. These nuts have a praline-flavored coating, making them a crunchy, but no less sweet, alternative to the thick, chewy praline burger. Proud of his planning, Riley trumpeted what he had done around town. The matriarch of the family, Bonnie Harkey aka The Pecan Queen, was murdered. After reconstructing Bonnies movements that morning, the search team was stumped. That weekend turned out to be when the murders happened. Those close to Bonnie say she was afraid of Bruce and other family members. But those who knew Bonnie best say members of her family just couldnt wait for her to die. Find contact info for Bonnie Sharkey - phone number, address, email. https://medium.com/crime-seen/tommy-lee-the-pecan-tree-405a00df9dbf, Tommy Lee Jones Owns a 3,000-Acre Cattle Ranch in Texas. Pressley and King have both pleaded guilty to murder charges and await sentencing, according to the San Saba County District Clerks office. The he denies any wrongdoing comes as no surprise to investigators. It didnt matter that Carl had signed away his rightsBonnie still had a life estate in the property. Connie N Harkey (1948 - 1991) Born April 19, 1948 Death January 1991 Summary Connie N Harkey was born on April 19, 1948, and died at age 42 years old in January 1991. For Bruce, the following decades would turn into a blur of shifting relationships and jobs. A few hours after Carls confession, news reached Bruce that the investigation was tightening around him. After Sunday school, the two women attended the ten-thirty service, sitting as usual in the sixth row and listening to Pastor Crosbys sermon from Acts, about the stoning of Stephen. He did odd jobs, helped out around the farm, and went into town to buy groceries for Bonnie, who had started to grow feeble. Bruce and John, however, with their inheritance in sight, had already begun some wrangling over the property. Bonnie, her white puff of hair always freshly coiffed, was a fixture of San Sabas social scene, known for never missing a Sunday school class or a meeting of the garden club. Recounting the scary incident, Bonnie shared that she and her . He sat right on that chair by the door and talked about it one day for a long time, about how he had it all fixed and there wouldnt be any problems, Oliver told me recently. Bruce had taken in two of Jennifers granddaughters, and his money from the wheat field sale was going rapidly. Hed planned to smother Bonnie with a pillow at naptime and then sneak out, but when Karen spotted him as she answered the door, he panicked, tackling her in a bear hug and throwing her to the floor, where he suffocated her beneath his body weight. Theyd take a mouthful of food and spit it out, or theyd talk about her, giggle all the time, act rude. Were trying to figure out who Tommy Lee Jones plays in the movie, he quipped, if he doesnt play himself.. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. I guess with any big estate worth any value, if youve got a bunch of people involved, theres going to be fuss..
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Where was Bonnie? I cant tell you how many hundreds of miles my grandfather and I walked in that Harkeyville Orchard, said Bruce recently. PeopleFinders is the best people search for finding people and public records. An old holiday photo of Bonnie and her grandson Carl Pressley.
Bonnie Louise Harkey 1947-2017 - Ancestry It's not clear if that agreement could be legally enforced. Bonnie Chapman, the 24-year-old daughter of Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman is going through another unbearable family tragedy.. Less than five years after the death of her mother and Dog's . March 25 isknown as Pecan Day, marking the date in 1775 when George Washington planted 25 pecan trees at his home in Mount Vernon. Lived To 94 Bonnie Sharkey. Bruce was Bonnies step-son. What had happened to Karen? The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the familys history. Harkey was arrested and charged with solicitation of murder.. Two hours later, a blubbering Carl finally admitted hed killed Bonnie and left her body in a creek near the RV. Who is Sherlocks Sponsor Alfredo on Elementary? Soon a court had appointed Spinks as the permanent guardian of Bonnies estate and her longtime friend Betty Ann as the guardian of her person. . So, Bruce Harkey asked Pressley to kill everybody at the house, McAfee said. It was assumed by many that the ambulance was for Bonnie Harkey, the matriarch. John Wilkerson, an investigator with the San Saba County Sheriffs Office.He asked me to forgive him, made comments about burning in hell for the actions that he did.. The paramedics who arrived five minutes later quickly determined she was dead. He told me, Im the brokest millionaire in San Saba County, because he had the property he couldnt touch., Bruces financial problems were real: he had filed for bankruptcy in 1998 to discharge $176,256 worth of debts, and he owed more than $100,000 in back child support to Kami. April 24, 2015. He was released in December 2007, and after a brief stint in an Austin halfway house,Bruce returned to San Saba for good. Back in San Saba, meanwhile, Bonnie and Riley had become grandparents again. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Harkey was, recalled family friend Donna Bush, "one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew." You get rid of that kid or Im going back to Waco, he claims she told Riley. Sheriff Allen Brown was already out on patrol when the 911 call came in. One major source of tension was their blended family. Finally, when their daughter was four, Kami worked up the courage to walk out. How many acres do you need for a pecan orchard? San Saba offers something for everyone. She was curled into the fetal position and buried under a thick layer of leaves, mud caked into her white curls. Despite the chaos, Bonnie remained lucid about some things. The investigation into the murder of Bonnie Harkey and her caretaker broadens as lawmen look for a motive in the familys history.April 24, 2015. Why don t pecan trees produce every year? Allen, I just got a phone call from my wife saying thatshejust got a phone call about you coming to arrest me, my brother, and her. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. I thought Bruce was my best friend. But Bruce Harkey tells a different story. No detail in his orchards escaped him. View the profiles of people named Bonnie Harkey. And where was Bonnie? Autopsy reports indicate Bonnie Harkey may have been buried alive. Press ESC to cancel. Preview. Also known as Bonnie Manus | Bonnie Harkey. But they werent real tears.. He said he would kill me and they would never implicate him, Kami told KXAN. It was very true. What's the average lifespan of a pecan tree? I think part of their attitude goes back to being a Harkey, said Teresa Cook, Bonnies niece. While Bruce had never harbored warm feelings for Carl, the younger man sought desperately to impress his uncle. Bonnie Harkey was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after Johnsons body was found at Harkeys home. He covered her lifeless body with fistfuls of leaves and mud. At least 1 dead, 5 injured in Massachusetts house party shooting, 2-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers player drowns after falling into pool, Tornado strikes Virginia coast, leaving behind trail of damage, AI-generated music growing exponentially, sparking debate. That summer the couple left San Saba and moved to Lubbock,where, like his siblings, Bruce enrolled at Texas Tech. But he dont care about anybody but himself.. After Connie had her mothers drivers license revoked, in 2009, Bonnies condition only worsened. When he returned to San Saba for high school, Bruce moved in with his grandparents in town rather than live with Riley and Bonnie. I want to stay here as long as I can.. Get rid of Bonnie this weekend, Carl said Bruce told him. Though pecan trees can grow with little to no help, they are famously temperamental when it comes to producing high-quality nuts, and Riley made himself an expertlearning how to graft buds onto a seedling, trim back branches, and fertilize with zinc. But his father resisted any overtures, preferring to run the farm himself, with Bonnie at his side. Local columnist Lindy Lieban Schulz voiced the collective unease. Investigators say the motive behind Bruce Harkeys solicitation of Bonnie Harkeys murder was greed. Who else is involved in this?, Carl paused for a moment and looked down. Pressley and his girlfriend, Lillian King, face charges in San Saba and Leon counties. An agent for Hollywood movie star Tommy Lee Jones made a tentative unsigned offer of $574,000 for the family-owned orchard back in May 2011, Burnet County District Attorney Sonny McAfee said. Bonnie let the baby die because he was a threat to her, because he was the firstborn male heir to Harkey Farms, he told me. *With an incidental appearance by Tommy Lee Jones. According to one newspaper account, Riley and Israel Harkey, two brothers from Arkansas, drove the first wagon train into the county while serving as Indian scouts for the Republic of Texas; they became so enamored of the loamy soil in the San Saba River Valley that they returned in 1855 with their parents and six other siblings. Except there was one wrinkle. Riley had his own way of doing things, recalled Winston Millican, a great-great-grandson of Edmund Risiens who maintains his own pecan orchards in San Saba. new . There was plenty of space for her to do so: the orchard closest to the house stretched almost to the river. Today, the land and orchard are owned by the Millican family, and six generations have worked in the pecan business. How many pecan trees do you need to produce pecans. Bonnie Harkey, 85 was reported missing on March 26, 2012, after the body of her housekeeper was found at the pecan matriarch's home. While his grandmother was still alive, Pressley sold the rights to his share for about $70,000 to Bruce Harkey and his brother, the district attorney said. We must not let death steal the memories of her joy in life! Pastor Crosby exhorted the crowd. The sergeant did his best to reassure him: Your grandmothers forgiven you for everything else.. The Harkey brothers lined up the lucrative deal to sell the orchard to the movie stars agent.
New twist in San Saba murder-for-hire By 1884, the town had four churches, two schools, a sawmill and a gristmill, a bank, a paper, and a population of 800. But that didnt mean he was responsible for her murder. An autopsy would reveal that she had been hit over the head and drowned in the shallow water. and his only child, 32-year-old Riley, together with Rileys two sonsten-year-old John and five-year-old Bruceplanted another 1,500 trees, in a grove that came to be known as the Harkeyville Orchard. She aint going to forgive me, Carl told Wilkerson through tears. Bonnie Louise Harkey Birth 26 Aug 1947 - Iredell, North Carolina Death 2017 - Mocksville, Davie, North Carolina, USA Mother Lucille Virgina Thompson Father David Lee Harkey Quick access Family tree 314 New search Bonnie Louise Harkey family tree Family tree Explore more family trees Parents David Lee Harkey 1911 - 1990 Lucille Virgina Thompson (I just wish the old bitch was dead, he told Les Dawson, a justice of the peace, at the courthouse. He tried to have me killed. The Harkeys were one of the first families to settle the area, before pecans were an industry. Information from: Austin American-Statesman, https://www.statesman.com. Bruce Harkey would not confess to anything hes done wrong, said Wilkerson. But to Bruces dismay, Bonnie effortlessly took on the role of family matriarch. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. Bruce and I just kind of confined ourselves upstairs and made it into a little apartment, recalled Jennifer. Karens eleven-year-old son, who had found her and called 911, stood on the front porch clutching a cordless phone. There was testimony during the trial that Bruce Harkey told Pressley to kill everybody at Bonnie Harkeys house, McAfee said.
Queen of the County, Part 4 - NBC News Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. (John by this time had settled outside Fort Worth and had three children of his own.) As investigators search for Bonnie Harkey, they learn more about her troubled relationship with her 28 year old grandson, Carl Pressley. Who owns the largest pecan orchard in the world? John joined with Bruce in court to try to remove Connie as guardian; they failed, but then Connie died suddenly, in March 2011 at age 62, after a bout with pneumonia. The famously craggy-faced movie star had been buying up property near his hometown since 1981, slowly amassing a 5,050-acre ranch in the eastern part of San Saba County. Like Bruce, Carl had a rap sheet, which included charges for trespassing and domestic violencein 2005 hed allegedly tried to run over his stepfather with a tractorand he also had an eye for pecans: after realizing that a truckful of nuts could net him several thousand dollars, hed begun filching them from Bonnies barn. He sped down U.S. 190 in his white truck, passing neatly tended rows of pecan trees and the cattle auction barn, then crossed the San Saba River and rumbled down the caliche road to the two-story house. Some of those secrets still haunt some of the people involved., Just outside of San Saba sits the small town of Harkeyville, named for the Harkey family and its generations of pecan farming.
Dog the Bounty Hunter's Daughter Bonnie Chapman's House Burns Down Wearing his thin, light-blue coveralls, Riley dispensed tips on everything from soil drainage and fertilization techniques to how many grazing sheep to allow in the groves and how to stave off pecan scab, a type of fungus that looks like a horticultural syphilis. House in Tourcoing, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. There, he hit her over the head with a dead tree branch and pushed her face into the ankle-deep water until she stopped struggling. Certified twitter advocate. The Harkeys had that reputationthat there was always some trouble brewing after Riley died. The gravestone for Bruces firstborn, Eric Harkey, in the San Saba City Cemetery. We support the Constitution, Smaller Govt, and Individual Liberty. Her ex-husband, a traveling salesman, had left her for another woman, and Bonnie had moved from Ocee to the city with their daughter, fourteen-year-old Connie. A day earlier, San Saba residents had attended a funeral service for Karen; now they crowded into First Baptist for Bonnies. In a heartbreaking letter to the Texas Department of Public Safety to contest the revocation of her license, she wrote, in shaky cursive: I really dont know what caused someone to report that I am incapable of operating an automobile. If Riley represented security, Bonnie, for her part, embodied the kind of feminine presence that was missing from the Harkey household. I try to be careful when driving. For almost three years after her death, the house remained exactly as Bonnie left it. Family members have fought a long battle in court over who would inherit those lands after the death of Bonnie Harkey. He knew the house well; since the early sixties, generations of San Sabans had attended the church suppers and cookouts hosted there by Bonnie Harkey, the familys matriarch. Premature loss of nuts For many years, lack of pollination causes the greatest loss of nuts. As a boy, Carl had suffered from ADHD and often butted heads with his mother; as a young man, hed developed a love for motorcycles and meth, which had worn his bottom teeth down to little yellow stubs. I was in the backseat, and I leaned forward and said, So, do we call you Mom now or what? he said. House in Roubaix, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. Bonnie Harkey owned the pecan farm and had willed 94 acres of it to a grandson, Carl Wade Pressley. Carl started crying at this point, Lillian later recalled. He paused, then gave a heavy sigh. House in Roubaix, Hauts-de-France, France Contact. But Bruce, now a convicted felon, had trouble finding work. McAfee said he thought jurors were swayed by testimony from several witnesses who said Bruce Harkey had told them that he would be out of town one weekend. Bruce could con you into doing anything he wanted you to do, he said mournfully in his prison whites. Who is the leading producer in pecans in the united states? I made my way down U.S. 190, passing Harkey Pecan Farms and its rows of trees. One of those girls was Judi Bishop, one year older and from Goldthwaite, a town 22 miles north. A devout reader ofBetter Homes and Gardensshe stored all her back issues neatly in the laundry roomBonnie also put her stamp on the house, turning a closet into a bathroom, adding on an extra bedroom, and building a sunporch that could comfortably seat up to 27 people. Texas Monthly Is Nominated for Two 2023 Media Awards by the James Beard Foundation. During a good year, the Harkey Pecan Farm outside San Saba, the self-proclaimed Pecan Capital of the World, can produce about $100,000 worth of pecans. Brown wondered if Karen had died of natural causes and if Bonnie, confused upon discovering her body, had simply wandered off. Thats when hed settled on Carl. The Johnsons and the Harkeys became great friends, going out to dinner and traveling to gospel concerts in Marble Falls and Burnet. Bonnie quit her job at the telephone company, and she and Connie moved into the Harkey house. In one anecdote he liked to tell, she made her feelings clear one afternoon when the family was in her new desert rose Thunderbird. (In one, Carl, around eight years old, sits next to Santa in a red cap, while Bonnie sits on Santas lap in a Christmas sweater.) His late father left the family estate in Bonnies control, but Bruce was set to inherit a large portion of the estate upon his stepmothers death. Professional coffee lover. He grew controlling in his marriage, abusing Kami verbally and then, after she gave birth to their daughter in 1998, physically. Some possessions were salvaged . Bruce had grown brazen with his declarations around town. His silver hair was closely shorn, per regulations, and he wore wire-frame glasses and flimsy terry-cloth slippers. In a good year, the three orchards brought in more than $100,000, so Bonnie remained comfortably in the house, paying longtime foreman Gaspar Carachero to maintain the farm. Though Connie became her temporary guardian, more instability ensued. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. If he was coming to worship and study, that was fine, but we didnt want that anger, explained Pastor Sam Crosby. Assist all periodontal surgeries, perform all post-operative follow-up appointments, assist patients . Harkey was, recalled family friend Donna Bush, one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew.. When I reached out to Bruce for his side of things, he sent me a letter. Searchers tramped past a barn, an old metal shack, through the high grass of the riverbank, and along Tommy Lee Joness fence line, where horses grazed sedately on the other side. Bruce began to spend more time with his nephew Carl, who was now 24. Bruce was infuriated. They ate out all the time, they got into online gaming, explained Wilkerson, who obtained Bruces bank records during his investigation. I do not take any medicine that would cause unsafe driving. But the marriage couldnt weather their sorrow, and by January they had divorced. When shed tell a story, hed interrupt and say, No, thats not the way it goes, recalled Bonnies sister. But Carl was inconsolable, the days events washing over him with sudden, horrifying clarity. Read More. The three kids did not take well to one another, and John and Bruce treated their stepmother unkindly from the outset. House District: 103 Senate District: 42 County District: Board Of Commissioners District 5 School Board District: School Board Dist 5. One thing theyd disagreed on was the day-to-day operations of the farm; Bruce wanted Spinks to pay him a salary to manage the orchards, but Spinks leased the property to Winston Millican. A local lawyer by the name of Dick Miller stepped in on Bonnies behalf, asking his law partner, Darrel Spinks, to get involved. Carl then went to find Bonnie and asked if they could pray together in her bedroom. Bruce Harkey is Bonnie Harkeys stepson. She got confused at church, showing up at the wrong Sunday school class one week. Bonnie, with her hazel eyes and red-tinted hair,as well as her knowledge of motherhood, was instantly attractive to Riley. 4d. The Harkey family owns hundreds of acres of walnut farmland in Central Texas. Why are pecans more expensive than other nuts? This labor-intensive process takes time and costs money.
Bonnie Heakins Harkey - Facebook I dont want nothin to do with it. Who owns the biggest pecan farm in the world? Portraits of several generations of Harkeys, including white-haired matriarch Bonnie Harkey. She agreed, and after sitting together at the foot of the bed, Carl lunged toward her with a pillow. Entre communaut active de 450 000 Malters en Europe, leve de fonds . Finally, at two in the morning, after repeatedly calling Carls cellphone, Sheriff Brown reached Carl himself. including 3 cats, a dog, a gecko and a pet snake. And I said, Forwhat? Despite his protestations, he was arrested two days later, for criminal solicitation of capital murder, an allegation he pronounced absolutely and totally ludicrous. He vociferously contested Carls version of events. All I wanna do is get this cleared up and go home. He remains hopeful that his case will be overturned on appeal. Later that day, Bonnie Harkeys body was found covered in leaves in a creek bed nearly 200 miles east in Leon County. According to Carl, he approached another potential hit man about killing Bonnie and Spinks but found the $10,000 asking price too steep. As a signal, Pressleys girlfriend rang the doorbell and when the caretaker came to the door, Pressley snuck-up behind the caretaker, killed her and kidnapped his grandmother. Carlbrought his grandmother to a campground where he held her head underwater and then buried her body in a shallow grave. And several years later, when their son planted 2,000 acres of walnuts in Australia, the Stahmanns became the world's largest walnut producing family. Six months earlier, she had been diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, and it was only a matter of time, everyone knew, before it claimed her.