Noel
First of all, I need to preface what I will share about my Grandparents. I really never had the privilege of being close to my grandparents. Living in Minnesota, California and Nebraska meant I never really was around them. The only one who was close by was my Grandmother Petrea, and that was during those six years we were in California.
I never got to know my dad’s father, PCK Petersen. He died in 1943 in Hutchinson, Minnesota. We had just moved to Easton, so I am unsure who could travel back to Minnesota for the funeral.
My Grandmother Petrea moved to Easton in 1946, staying with my Uncle Laurius, who moved there early in 1946. He was one of the head custodians at the High School and lived on the High School campus, so they were close to where we lived. I did get to see her more often but have no memories of doing anything with her. The only time I recall was when she went with us up to the mountains and she got scared by the bear in a car. She moved there at the age of 76 and died after we had moved to Nebraska. Have no memories of her death.
It is hard to recall any feelings I might have had at the time of their deaths.
My mother’s father was Arthur Hofgaard. He was married to Anna. I didn’t really get to know them until we moved to Nebraska, and they lived about 90 miles from us, so we got to see them now and then. My parents did move to Minden the year I graduated from High School – 1956. My father became administrator of Bethany Home. My grandfather retired at that time. I am not sure when my grandfather died. When we got married on December 29, 1960, we went to Minden to see my Grandmother, who was in Bethany Home. Grandpa had already died. Grandma Anna was 82 at the time. I don’t recall we did much with them as kids. I do remember my Grandpa’s rolltop desk and him sitting in his chair, but as to why I don’t know, except I liked the desk. Grandpa always wore his pants above his belly and, of course, had to use suspenders. I wasn’t around when both of them died, so I don’t recall how I felt.
This I do know. Grandchildren who live close to their grandparents count it a blessing. I wish I had known mine better.
Ruby
I (Ruby) really don’t have much to say about my grandparents. I was blessed to have lived a few miles from my maternal grandparents, Alfred and Ingeborg Lorenzen, in Ferndale, California. They lived in town, and I lived in the country. I don’t remember much about my Grandpa Lorenzen, except I remember him with a raspy cough. It may have been from smoking. He really didn’t interact with us kids much. He passed away on Thanksgiving Day at age 55. We were waiting for them to come to our home for dinner and got the sad phone call. It was a shock, so I imagine we didn’t eat much Thanksgiving dinner. Our Grandmother Ingeborg was a fun grandma. I remember her trying to be strong with her hands in mine and attempting to get me to kneel on the floor. Many times she was stronger than I…a fun laughable memory. She wore make-up and always pronounced the word “rouge” with a cute slur. She always wore a dress at home. She was a hard worker and always had leftover food in the fridge when I walked to her house after high school classes. I loved her “goulash” and the many kinds of pies she made. She had a flair for plastic flower bouquets in her home and would paint the wooden kitchen chairs different colors every so often. She loved gardening and had a beautiful rose garden in the back of the house and various other plants in the front. Grandma did her laundry with a wringer wash machine. She got her arm caught in the roller one time and had to go to the doctor. Grandma passed away while I was in college, and I was sad that I would never see her again when I returned to Ferndale. I’m thankful for good memories.
My paternal grandparents, Alfred and Cena Hansen, lived in Ruskin, Nebraska, on a farm. We only got to visit them when our family took a vacation to Ruskin. Grandma Cena was a quiet little lady, worked hard, and had a sensitive nature. She cooked many meals on the wood stove in the kitchen and had a washhouse where she did the laundry. Grandma heated water on the woodstove in the wash house to do the laundry. She also had a blue porcelain double boiler on the stove on wash day, in which she was making rice for her family’s supper meal. I have that double boiler and use it when I cook rice. The sliding wooden doors to the living room were always closed unless there was company. They had a pump organ in that room, and I found it fun to play. The furniture there was off-limits to daily living.
Grandpa was of a happy nature and interacted more with us. He milked cows and farmed the land with horses. I remember his wooden shoes from Denmark always sat outside by the steps. One of their sons brought them a TV, which they did not want. Grandpa then got addicted to the TV show” As the World Turns.” We had laughs about that.
Both Grandma and Grandpa lived their faith in the Lord. They read their Bibles, prayed for their family, had family devotions, and listened to “The Lutheran Hour” broadcast from Lincoln daily on the big radio. Grandma and Grandpa had a party-line phone, on which grandpa loved to listen to the news from the neighbors.
Grandma and Grandpa were in their 80’s and 90’s when they passed away. I was blessed to know my godly heritage, and prayers came from my grandparents’ faith.