Cynthia Beaudette of the Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Mitt Romney’s fond memories of Muscatine do not begin with his Republican presidential campaign.

During a stop this morning at the historical Hotel Muscatine, now known as the Pearlview, in the city’s downtown district, Romney said he was a pre-teen when he first began visiting Muscatine.

His family would stop in Muscatine on its way to visit relatives in Michigan, Romney said. In Iowa, his family made it a point to visit his cousin, Joan Erickson, who, with her husband Paul, was a foster parent for many children.

“She had several kids of her own,” Romney said as he spoke to more than 100 people during his morning stop. “We considered her an angel. I figured if anyone was going to get to heaven and pull the rest of us Romney’s along, it would be Joan.”

Romney, 60, said his cousin has since died, but there were some people in the audience who nodded when he asked if anyone had known her.

And the Muscatine connections didn’t stop there for this former Massachusetts governor.

He made a friendly acknowledgement to state Sen. Jim Hahn, R Muscatine. “It’s good to see you here,” Romney said.

During a question-and-answer session, Muscatine businessman Marv Krieger told Romney he shook hands with his father, George Romney, in Chicago in 1958.

Krieger, who co-founded Krieger Auto Co. of Muscatine with his father, Joseph Krieger, in 1956, sold American Motors cars and George Romney was president of American Motors.

George Romney, a former Michigan governor, died in 1995 at age 88 while exercising on a treadmill.

Mitt Romney and Krieger, 82, engaged in a humorous conversation about the Rambler, a car manufactured by American Motors in the mid-20th century.

“I drove a Rambler,” joked Romney. “My friends called it Mrs. Romney’s grocery getter.”