When I married into the Sutherland family, I came to learn a great story that created an early lesson in working with an eye on the clock for Doug and his younger brothers.
My father-in-law had purchased a pony from a fellow who had given up on her ever producing offspring. Princess was a calm, sweet pony who became one of the family. Before the year was out, she had surprisingly brought a filly into the world, solidifying Doug’s love of ponies.
Don and Edie owned the drive-up Dari Delight on the northside of New London, Ohio, at that time, selling homemade food and various ice cream treats. The village was a thriving place at that time with various industries supplying jobs. The idea of putting Princess and the kids to work lit a fire under the young boys, with Doug being the oldest, followed by Rod, Terry and Larry.
A pretty little surrey with a fringe on top became the most important item which set success in motion. Don was crafty enough to fit it perfectly for Princess to pull, four boys to ride and a spot for the frozen inventory.
While Don walked a postal delivery route each day, Edie would fill a big insulated thermos with ice cream treats. After being put to work most of the morning peeling potatoes, the afternoons became the boys’ bread-and-butter time.
They would time their tour around town to hit various businesses on scheduled break times. They quite often would have to point Princess back to refill the thermos as they sold out on hot summer days.
Princess, with her little filly walking alongside her, became a beloved creature all over that town. And Don and Edie’s boys learned the art of salesmanship and its rewards while still quite young. Doug recalls his cut of profits being as high as $25 a week at the height of their success, which the brothers conducted every summer school break from 1960 through 1964.
Yesterday, the surrey with the fringe on top made what will be its last appearance as a Sutherland gem as the four brothers were part of the New London Labor Day parade, the rest of us walking along. Thousands of popsicles were given away to those who lined the parade route.
Don and Edie’s boys and this successful gig may not have even been remembered by the vast majority of people enjoying the parade, but those of us who loved them paid tribute to their great parenting which built so many precious memories and a rock-solid work ethic in the boys they raised.
Whenever the pony-driven ice cream route business comes up, Doug doesn’t miss an opportunity to say loud enough for the women to hear, “…yep, and they married us for our money!”
