MONROE - Gary Hessel enjoys his friends and family to the fullest -now in his 80s and retired, the long-time Monroe resident is still volunteering, traveling and enjoying life after spending his career and raising his family in the town that has become, and will always be, considered home. Hessel was born in Garnavillo, Iowa and his family soon moved to Boone, Iowa, where he grew up with two sisters. Hessel calls himself a "Depression baby" and remembers standing in line at a bakery to purchase a loaf of day-old bread for 5 cents.