Folks,

Bernadette, with her birthday today, has caught up to me in age. We are now the same age (61) for 3 weeks. We are going out for a Sunday brunch at a Gustavian Restaurant this morning. We have reservations for 10:30. This evening we plan on going out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant of Bernadette’s choosing. I told her McDonald’s is just fine for my birthday, but she may have something to say about that.

Gary

Francie Gottbreht Dutra (63): Olympia, WA

Folks, please update your address books with Francie’s new email address

Reply to yesterday’s message from Jean Nicholas Miller (66): GLENDALE, AZ

Gary,
Yes. that is my mother without the glasses. Thanks.
Jean Nicholas Miller

Memories from Vickie Metcalfe (70): Bottineau, ND

GARY,
THE METCALFE’S AND EVAN’S WERE NEIGHBORS ON RABBIT CITY LAKE. ARNE
EVANS, WAS DAD’S AGE, AND THEY ATTENDED THE SAME GRADES TOGETHER AT
HILLSIDE/BERGAN SCHOOL DAD SHARED THAT AS LITTLE CHILDREN, HE AND
ARNE WERE NOT BUDDIES AND DIDN’T ESPECIALLY CARE FOR EACH OTHER.
HOWEVER, ONE HOT, JULY DAY IN 1935,SCHOOL WAS RELEASED, SOMEONE CAME
AND TOLD THE CHILDREN ON THEIR WAY WALKING HOME. THE LATEST NEWS,
.BILL METCALFE (my grandfather) HAD DIED. THE CHILDREN ALL
SCATTERED, LEAVING TWELVE YEAR OLD CLIFF, MY DAD BEHIND. DAD BECAME
VERY DISTRAUGHT, RAN AND RAN,STUMBLING, BLINDLY THROUGH TEARS AND
BRUSH, FALLING DOWN AND RUNNING SOME MORE…. RAN AND RAN UNTIL
FINALLY… WHEN CLOTHES-LINED ON A FENCE… DROPPED TO THE GROUND
EXHAUSTED…. CRYING, SOBBING……… IT WAS ARNE EVANS WHO CAME TO
HIM HELPED HIM UP,PUTTING HIS ARM AROUND HIM, WALK -GUIDED HIM HOME
LISTENING AND SOOTHING HIM THROUGH HIS HICCUPPS.
DAD NEVER FORGOT A HUMAN KINDNESS OR SIMPLE COMPASSION. HE DID NOT
HAVE TIME OR TOLERANCE FOR THOSE WHO WERE UNFEELING, MEAN OR CRITICAL
TO OTHERS LESS FORTUNATE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, DAD VALUED THOSE WHO
WERE KIND TO THE LESSER FORTUNATE MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY, POOR,
ETC. ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND THE AGED. BUT, FROM THAT JULY DAY ON
HE CONSIDERED ARNE EVANS, FONDLY, AS A VALUED FRIEND.

COUSIN GARY METCALFE SHARED ONE TIME WHEN DISCUSSING HIS UNCLE BING
WITH MY DAD. MY DAD REPLIED TO Gary’s comments. AH….YOU SHOULD HAVE
KNOWN BING EVANS BEFORE THE WAR….HE WAS…DAD WANTED TO EXPRESS
…. BING WAS PHENOMENAL!

I AM ALSO SHARING RECOLLECTIONS OF OLE AND BING EVANS FROM MY SISTER, NANCY.

Subject: pictures of Ole & Bing.

“I remember a Sat. night in Dunseith being carried to the car by dad
with Bing walking beside us. He had on kakki pants & a white shirt.
He reminded me of Uncle Archie. He was likeable to me & I wasn’t
afraid of him. I must have been 2 or 3. I remember when Bing fell
asleep with a cigarette & died in a fire. It was hard on everyone,
he was well liked & the neighborhood hero. I noticed how upsetting
it was for Lola even though we were both so little. He had been in
the army 8 years. Mom took care of Lola while Ella went to the
funeral, she was about 2 or 3. That weekend, the Evan’s (all of
Ella’s brothers, sisters & families) & mom & dad spend that Sun at

Jim’s. There were lots of kids to play with. I knew they were my
cousins cousins & kind of related which made it all the more fun.
Mom’s cousin Evelyn Nerpal (Lizzies daughter) was married to Arnie
Evans & their oldest was Marvin, I knew he was my cousin , he was
about my age.
I remember having night mares then. Dying by being burned in a fire
sounded like a horror movie to me. It seemed like it was
January/February & freezing cold. Ole’s wife Cora & Ella’s sister
Hanna seemed so classy & pretty to me. Ole was really darkskinned &
sat in that chair by the stove next to the stairway. To come down
from playing upstairs and go to the bathroom or kitchen, I had to
walk right by him. Every time I had to come by him he would make the
ugliest face at me. Lola wasn’t afraid of him, she thought it was
funny watching his expression when she pulled her dolls head off.

When we went to go home & milk cows, it was dark and cold. Dad
backed the pickup up over the heavy wire that had come down from the
electric high line pole, Arnie & Ole came out & lifted the back end
of the pickup off so we could get out. This is one of the first
memories I have of a gathering of relatives.”

THANKS GARY. SINCERELY, VICKIE

Reply from Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND

Gary and Friends,

The post card picture of Dunseith is unique in it’s ability to
identify it’s age. The brick addition to the school was built in 1935
and is on the picture. The City Hall is not yet there and was built in
1937, so the picture has to have been taken very close to 1936–within
months. For those of us who really remember where things were, it’s
interesting to look at each city block to see what is or isn’t there yet.

The baseball team has a correction. The guy sitting second from the
right is my uncle Cliff Johnson, but was listed as Gary Morgan. I
contacted Gary and confirmed that it was Cliff. I have to admit, it sure
does resemble Gary in this picture. I gave Cliff a copy of the picture
and he knew all about the team and gave me a rundown on the group. It
looks like Cliff might have had to fight for his spot on the team–he’s
wearing a shiner under his right eye! Thanks Gary!

Dick

Dick, Both of those pictures were posted in May 2008 and I think I remember you making that correction with Cliff and not Gary at that time too and I failed to correct it. I save these pictures referencing the email message they were posted with for future reference. I hope I don’t make this same mistake several years down the road if I repost this same picture. I am amazed at how well you remember and how well you know the history of the area from the very beginning. You are amazing an guy Dick and an inspiration to all of us. We love and look forward to all of your contributions. You are a major contributor to the success of what we have going today. Gary

Memorial service for Violet Hiatt House

Posted by her Daughter Doris House Gillies: Boise, Idaho

Hi Gary,

Just a quick note to let you know that we will be having a memorial service for my Mom ( Violet Hiatt House) on July 18 at 12:00 p.m. It will be held at Greenwood Memorial Park, 350 Monrow Ave. N.E., Renton, Washington 98056. It took awhile to get everything organized since her service is being held in a different state than where she was living. Art (my brother) is finalizing everything on that end, and I’m taking care of all the things here on this end. There sure is a lot of paperwork.

Doris House Gillies

Folks, To visualize where Violet fits into the Hiatt family, I have posted the Hiatt family tree below with Violet highlighted in Blue. Violet was the daughter, 2nd child, of Geroge and Eva Hiatt. Gary