The rest of the story: Original owner of decorated piano tells history of instrument

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by Patty Cheffey

The Palmyra Spectator was contacted last week by Emma Hoerr, a former resident of Taylor, Mo., who shared the “rest of the story” concerning Carol Bezler’s piano turned flower pot.

According to Hoerr, the piano was originally hers and passed down to other family members, until Amy Adrian advertised it for free for pick-up and Bezler saw the ad.

Before that, however, several members of the Hoerr family used it for piano lessons.

According to Mrs. Hoerr, she and her husband, Robert, purchased the used piano from Charlie Brown for $400.

It survived a flood to the family farm in 1973 and again in 1993.

In the 1970s, Mrs. Hoerr said she wanted all of her five children, Brent, Scott, Ted, Amy and Carrie, to take piano lessons, so she took them to LaGrange for lessons from Mrs. McPike.

“It was a struggle to get those boys to practice,” Mrs. Hoerr remembered. “The piano teacher told them they would all turn out to be hippies if they didn’t practice.” 

While they still didn’t practice, they did not turn out to be hippies, noted the proud mother, stating, her children all turned out to be good Christians.”

Still, she said, she doesn’t regret a single penny she spent on piano lessons for her kids.

“I got to go to LaGrange for a while and spend some time there,” she said.

While none of her children ended up playing the piano, two of her grandchildren play “beautifully,” she said.

After the second flood in 1993 and when the Hoerrs decided they would not be moving back into their home, the piano went to daughter, Amy, who is now the wife of Rusty Adrian.

“It was used in a lot of senior plays,” Mrs. Hoerr recalled.

After Bezler saw the piano was available and asked about it, she asked Adrian if she could pay her something for it.

While the answer was no on that, Adrian did ask Bezler if she would instead make a donation to Connect, a fund set up by her grandson, Adam Adrian, to help with resources for foster families.

While Mrs. Hoerr no longer lives in Taylor, but has moved to the Apostolic Home in Sabetha, Kan., she said she enjoyed the story about her piano’s new home.