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Show Friends Help Stricken Man Build Restaurant For Blind Neighbor LA CROSSE, Wis What would you do if you suddenly went blind? John Knebes had to find the answer an-swer to that question, because blindness came upon him last April. His wife, Leona, had to go down to the Heilemann brewery, where he worked as cellar supervisor, and help him home. Diabetes had taken his sight. At 36, with a wife and two children to support, Knebes was helpless. But before you pass the hat for John Knebes, hear out the story of a determined wife, a loyal bunch of in-laws and 35 pairs of helping hands. The unemployment compensation checks ran out in five weeks. After that, the Knebes family had a choice of eking out an existence on state pensions or finding another way to make a living. Leona and John talked it over. They discarded first one scheme and then another. They decided that they might be able to make a go of a drive-in restaurant. The matter might have ended right there if it hadn't been for encouragement encour-agement from Leona's father, John Pretasky, and the urgings of her brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. William Fries. Fries is a fireman. fire-man. Before the Knebeses knew it, they had agreed to build and operate oper-ate Knebes' Drive-In. Dad Pretasky, Pretas-ky, a hog farmer, bought four lots near the Knebes home, and $300 worth of fill was packed in. By the time the concrete floor was laid, there had been dozens of offers of free labor after regular working hours. Work on the frame construction was started, with Pretasky and Bill Fries leading volunteers. A couple of genuine carpenters kept the work laid out. Before long, there was plenty of help. Firemen from Bill Fries' shift turned up when they weren't on duty; Leona's brother. Lt. Harold Pretasky. also on the fire department, showed up. "Where did all the help come from? I don't know," Leona said. "There have been 35 rren wnr'-e here at one time or a"o'.her I dor'i know how T"1 ever - i. thank them all " |