Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, Bible School, circa 1938-40

My parents Roy E. Dietle and Estalene (Korns) Dietle told my sister and I that they didn't know each other as children, but had seen a Bible School group photograph from the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church where Roy was standing behind Estalene. When my uncle Ralph Dietle died on November 30, 2023, he left me a box of family photographs, including some that had belonged to my grandfather Irvin H. Dietle. The picture below (scanned here at 300 dpi grayscale) was in the box. When I examined the picture under magnification, I could see my father standing behind my mother, as highlighted farther below in an enlargement. The church building is located at 39.76929684, -78.91227771, at a place called the White Oaks in Larimer Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Click here to access a zoomable higher resolution cell phone camera-based photo of the picture in jpg format. Also, here are left-hand and right-hand cell phone camera-based enlargements in jpg format, at somewhat higher resolution.
Bible school group photo, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church at the White Oaks in Larimer Township.

Bible school group photo, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church at the White Oaks in Larimer Township.

The enlargement below shows Roy E. Dietle standing behind his future wife Estalene Korns. Roy was born on January 3, 1932 and Estalene was born on April 13, 1933. Based on their apparent ages in the Bible School picture, I think the picture was taken in the 1938 to 1940 timeframe. A copy of the picture that is on display at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church is labeled as being a 1936 Bible School picture, but I think the 1936 date is wrong because Roy looks older than four, and Estalene looks older than three. My sister Dana and I wonder if the individual standing to the right of Estalene may be Geraldine "Gerry" Hittie, who married Richard "Dick" Tipton.
Roy E. Dietle standing behind Estalene Korns at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in Larimer Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

In the following enlargement from the Bible School group photo, the individual identified by the red arrow is Luther "Bud" Dietle, older brother of Roy E. Dietle.
Luther Dietle at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in Larimer Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

For comparison, here is a family photo of Irvin H. Dietle standing with three of his sons in front of his Larimer Township farm house. From left to right, the individuals are Irvin Dietle, Jr., Luther "Bud" Dietle, Irvin Dietle, Sr., and Roy E. Dietle.
Dietle group photo.

The following enlargement from the Bible School group photo identifies Julia "Sis" Dietle. Julia is the daughter of Irvin Dietle, Sr. and married Irving Saylor.
Julia Dietle

In the following enlargement from the Bible School group photo, the individual identified by the red arrow is Mildred Bittner, who married John Sass.

For comparison, here is a photo taken at the Korns farm that shows Estalene Korns on the left, Mildred Bittner in the middle, and Luther Korns on the right. All three are holding babies. Luther is Estalene's brother, and Mildred is Estalene's aunt.
Estalene Korns, Mildred Bittner

Wayne Steinly found his father Oscar Steinly in the Bible School photo. In the following enlargement, Oscar Steinly is identified by a red arrow:

Marlene Henry found her mother Wauneta Shuck, her aunts Pauline and Ada Shuck in the Bible School photo, along with Betty Weimer. They are identified in the following photo.
Shuck family members

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