Happy Birthday Rene Casavant (’65): Mesa, AZ 
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Happy Birthday Cheryl Haagenson (’71): Dunseith, ND
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Brent & Teri (Vandal) Armentrout
Posted by Larry Liere (1955) Devils Lake, ND & Mesa, AZ
Finding friends from the Bottineau, Dunseith, and Willow City area.
Once a month our wives have book club at the homes of one of the members so the
husbands have a boys night out. Last night since it was Lent we thought we should
go to the Monastery. While we were visiting a young couple walked in and started to
visit with us. Since Mesa, AZ has a lot of Snow Birds most people ask where you
are from so when I said North Dakota the young man said he was from Bottineau and
his wife was from the Willow City area. I then said I lived in Dunseith until 3rd. grade
and the conversation was on. We had a great time talking about people we all
knew from the area around Dunseith, Rolette, Bottineau, and Willow City. I thought
it was great that these young people (I am older then his Dad) knew at least by
name people my age. The couple I met was Brent & Teri (Vandale) Armentrout,
His Dad is Rodney Armentrout and his Mom Marlene was a Kraft. I have to thank
Teri & Brent for the drink they purchased you see the Monastery is a bar & grill with
volleyball courts outside and a place to grill if you want to grill your own. It is a very
small world.
Larry,Yes indeed it is a small world. Teri’s dad, Mike Vandal, was our very first bus driver following the closing of Ackworth. Her granddad, Arnold Zeiler, was his back-up driver. This past summer I saw Mike and Sandra Zeiler Vandal in the Bottineau bakery. Rodney and Marlene are Prominent Dunseith folks too. All wonder people.Gary
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Blog (49) posted on March 19, 2008
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Gary thanks so much for putting this website together, its so fun and interesting to read,and catch up on everyone, and old memories. I especially enjoy the stories from Dick Johnson, he has such a gift in making stories from back in the day so vivid, it brings you right back to Dunseith, and the photos are great .Thanks Dick, keep the stories and pictures coming. Aggie (not ever never Agnes) Casavant.
Gary, I just sent my first e-mail, then came across Dicks e-mail about that cold breezeway going down to the lunchroom, who could forget it, you could smell Mrs Knutson’s chile or chicken noodle soup all the way down the hallway, you knew when you got to those steep steps in the old building that you were on the home strectch. Thanks Gary for the kind words especially about our mom who cooked in the kitchen, as for our family its gotten bigger, like 52 nephews and neices,and approx 18 great ones. Were all still very close in heart, but Joe and I are the only ones who live out of state. Joe near Minneapolis and me here in South Carolina, which has been home now for a total of 23 yrs. And still working with kids in lockdown, sad to say, a field with a lot of job security these days. But all and all I live a very blest life, and loving most minutes of it. So if anyones ever out this way, you’ll have to give me a call 1-803 389- 2368. Aggie Casavant
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Aggie, I have 13 of your family siblings in our class lists. I am missing 3 of you. I will send you the list of who I have so you can tell me who I’m missing. You come from a wonderful family of 16 and you are all alive and well. Gary
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On weekends when we were in gradeschool, Bev and I and sometimes Diane and Deb would pack a picnic and go to the creek to play. We would go to Morinville’s store and get hot dogs or bologna and bread and Nectar. I remember it being really strong. I’m wondering what we mixed it with. Surely not creek water! Do you remember Bev?
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Hi Gary,
I just talked to Erling Landsverk who is a cousin of mine and lives in Portage Wi. He was in the class of 44 in Dunseith and they lived up in the Turtle Mts. around where you lived I think. He remembers the Stokes. The family moved to Wi. and he spent his last year of highschool in Rio. I told him about all the different families that he knew more than I did since he is the age of my brother Howard; 13 years younger than me. Those guys really know how to reminise and I know he would like to read the E-Mails.
His e-mail address is: joannanderling@
They live at Portage Wi. Please add him to your list.
Thanks a lot,
Marjorie Fish 57
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Erling, It’s my pleasure to add you to our list. I’m assuming that you probably lived in the Willow Lake school area. Gary
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your very welcome Gary , just wanted u to also know my radaition is getting harder each day , my mouth inside is all burned and now and at the point where i ca’t eat except for boost . keep me in your prayers please . 3 qnd 1/2 weeks to go Bev
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Message from Bonnie Awalt Houle (56):
Dear Gary,
I did a lot of babysitting when I was a teenager. One that stands out is babysitting for Dick Johnson. Dickey loved to play ball, every day we would play catch or as I told my Dad, Dickey would play catch and I would play run. Dick could catch the ball but he had lousy aim and I was always running after the balls that he threw. I told my Dad that Dick Johnson might play baseball some day but he would never be a pitcher because the kid couldn’t aim! My Dad told me it was a case of the baby outsmarting the babysitter, that Dick probably enjoyed watching me run after all those balls. So next time I babysat I explained that if he threw a wild ball he would be made to run after it. It was amazing how much his aim improved. Altho, I bet he never improved enough to become a pitcher. I babysat for Mark and Gerald Anderson, the Mornville kids and the LaCroix kids. I also baby sat for the Hosmer Girls. It was one of the best ways to make money in Dunseith. Janice Leonard and I would help Hosmers store take inventory during Christmas Vacation every year, Helen Watkins and Mrs. Peliter, were so fun to work with, they treated us great.
Bonnie (Awalt) Houle, Class of 56
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There is a huge buffalo ranch north of where I live, between Ft Collins and Cheyenne. These big boys were just hanging out in a corner of the pasture and came right up to let me feed and pet them. I didn’t know until that day that buffalo have long black tongues. Pretty kool huh?
Trish
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Gary,
Diane Fugere, Denise Hagel, Vicky Johnson, Carolee Casavant, Gail Henning, Debbie Fugere, Laurie Evans, and Diane Hill.
Some of the gals from the Class of ’75.
Diane Fugere
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Gary and friends
These pictures were taken in the spring of 1945. The kids were
in the back of Dad’s Dodge truck on the way to Belcourt to
watch a baseball game between Dunseith and St. John. Some of
the kids in the truck are LaRose Ketterling,Audrey Hassen, and
Shirley Olson {Mom’s sister}. Dad had this truck while he was
in high school to make a few bucks hauling grain and gravel,
etc. I don’t know how often he had hauled kids, but this time
he did! Those of you who can identify others, please do. As you
can see, Dunseith won 13 to 11!
Dick
