Karl and Ida: The final years

In 1948 Karl and Ida moved into the same house they had lived in following the fire.  This move was made so Horace could purchase and move to the home place.  Karl continued to farm his north quarter.

On July 26, 1953 Shirley married Robert Westacott at Calvary Lutheran church in St. Hilaire, Minnesota. 

Dad had purchased a new Coop E3 tractor  in the late 1940’s and it was while driving the Coop E3 tractor to the land up north on November 18, 1954 that the tractor rolled over on him killing him.  He most likely suffered a stroke or heart attack rendering him unable to control the tractor.  He had turned off the tractor’s ignition.

Thorstein Walseth, a neighbor, remembered clearly the clear November day in 1954 when Dad died on his tractor.  The tractor had rolled over on its side and one of the big wheels was pinning his leg.  Thorstein said, “We thought that was the trouble, that he was pinned but he was also dead.”  Thorstein and Paul Anderson, another neighbor, had the job of telling my mother that my dad had died in a tractor accident.  This was a couple of hours after the accident.  Thorstein remembered Mother saying, “Oh, didn’t he get further than that?”  Dad had died a couple of hours earlier and mother didn’t know it.  Mother appeared to take things pretty calmly.  This was the way it was at the fire also.  After the fire, Dad had stayed with James and Irene Franze for a while but mother stayed on the farm.  Mother seemed to react to stress pretty calmly.  However, following the fire mother’s black hair turned white in less than a year.  Dad’s sister Julia came at this time, staying for a while, and was a frequent visitor over the years and was always a comforting influence.

Ida spent many of her remaining years on the farm.  It was during this period that Gloria Johnson, wife of Harlow Johnson from our neighborhood, got to know mother through ladies aid.  When working with mother in the church kitchen preparing food, mother had reminded her that when buttering bread or buns, be sure to spread the butter to the edge of the bread.  

It was during the summer of 1960 or 1961, when Phyllis and I were home from Camrose, Canada that the garage door fell on mother and broke her leg.  When she got out of the hospital she went to live with Shirley’s family.  She recovered from this break quite well and enjoyed many years living with Shirley and Bob and the Westacott children.  She got to know and enjoy those children like Phyllis and I are getting to know and enjoy Nathan’s and Darcie’s daughters Marryn and Annika.  Mother died October 18, 1971.

Acknowledgements

Many people and organizations have helped me with material for this family history.  The North Dakota Historical Library for microfilm of the Deering, Glenburn, and Sherwood newspapers.  The Thief River Falls Library for microfilm of the St. Hilaire Spectator.  Also Margaret Dalager Lindroth for providing Aunt Julia’s letters.  To the following people for taped interviews:  Helga Johnson, Benny Johnson, Dorothy Gunstad Hanson, Shirley and Vincent Dalager, Evelyn Peterson Hegreness, Gladys Peterson Johannick, Joe Peterson, Uncle James Franze, Thorestine Walseth and others.