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From Aggie Casavant (69): Fort Mill, SC
Hi Gary
Reading Dicks memories of his Grandpa Hans,and his rolled Prince Albert cigarettes brought to mind another episode with Maryann, Eddie, Bobby and I.
One day when our Mom and Dad went into town to get groceries,Maryann,Eddie,and Bobby and I saw that Dadddy had left his rolling papers on the kitchen counter right next to this big round can of Prince Albert. So we all agreed that we were going to have a contest who could make the biggest and the best cigarette,and we were gonna smoke them. We had talked about doing it other times but our Dad would always just have the little flat cans,and we knew he would notice someone used his tobbacco and we would get in trouble,But this time we felt we could pull it off because the can was so big that he wouldn’t miss a few cigarettes. So the contest began and we were all in our own corners making our own cigarette.At some point Bobby saw that he was going to loose the contest,so he comes into the room with a full page from the Minot Daily News in one hand and the big can of Prince Albert under his other arm.As he layed the paper on the floor and started pouring the tobbacco down the seam in the newspaper he said,”I’d like to see any of you make a bigger cigarette than this! By that time some of us were done making our cigarette and were puffing and choking.But we really started choking when we saw that Bobby was going to use that whole can of Prince Albert on that huge cigarette,and we were really going to get in trouble. We were yelling, No Bobby! you can’t do that. But by that time he already had rolled it up with both hands,and had it up to his mouth like he was playing the flute yelling,”Light it Eddie! Light it! Well by that time we were all laughing, and jumping around cheering him on. Well needless to say there was more newspaper than tobbacco,and the end of the cigarette started on fire. Well Bobby was puffing for all he was worth and all he got at his end was newspaper ashes,and fire.(If there ever was a time he could of been a Dunseith “Dragon” mascot it was then). All of a sudden we heard our older sister who had been down at the barn milking cows,come into the house.We threw the cigarette on the floor that was still in flames,and started stomping it out…She could smell something burning and hollered,”What are you kids doing? So we ran into the kitchen where she was and said,”We were playing with matches,and handed them over to her. When she went back outside,we ran back in the living room and started sweeping up the mess,trying hard to save as much tobbacco as we could to put back in the can, so our Dad wouldn’t notice…Well we salvaged alot of the tobbacco,but along with it was alot of newspaper ashes and whatever else was on the floor,but we didn’t care we were so sure that we would have our Dad fooled. When he got home and we saw him go for that can of tobbacco,and all of a sudden heard him say “Those 3 words in French,that he always said when he was,first baffled then mad….all of us scattered out of any door we could find.
Like Dick said,there was something about that sweet smell of Prince Albert that was special…As the years have gone by I’ve collected Prince Albert cans. Most all of them are the small flat ones,I have one full can of Velvet, but the most special one I found in a small antique shop in Nashville,Tennessee about 13 years ago was a big round Prince Albert can….chocked full of memories. Thanks Gary! Aggie
Dale Pritchard’s (63) reply to Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59): Leesville, LA
I remember the first time I ran across this program. I was driving into
town, going through the radio stations, and I came into the middle of one of
their ketchup skits. I kept thinking “What kind of commercial is this.” I
especially like their skits on Lake Woebegone and the Norwegian bachelors.
It comes on here in Southern Louisiana Saturday nights then reruns on Sunday
afternoons. Folks, this is a national PBS program that comes out of
Minneapolis. Pull up a search of “Prairie Home Companion” to get a schedule
for your area. I, and I guess Sharron also, recommend it for some good,
clean, radio listening.
Dale
Message/Pictures from Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59): Everett, WA.
Ernest Victor Boucher, son of Victor and Emma Boucher, is 99 today living in Fort Benton, MT. My words will not do justice to Ernie Boucher; he has been friend, mentor, father and fellow well met his many years to so many. I’ve heard and recorded several of the many stories related about the how when and where persons have met Ernest, all reflect the esteem which they hold for the man.
He first met Dale Gottbreht at Notre Dame Academy, 1922; “First time I saw a boy wearing high top laced shoes. Dale was ever mischievous, but never malicious.” Ernest was the only one of his brothers to graduate from High School. Many of you know the countless tasks of an older son growing up in a farm village; Ernie did them all. Horse and trap escort of the parish priest from Thorne to St. Antoine every other week; milk delivery before daylight throughout the village [The spookiest was when his uncle Art Perrin lay in the Boucher parlor – he was certain that his deceased uncle road with him that night!]; working at the SC Pidgeon General Store and always part of the labor force at surrounding farms every harvest season. He attended Business College in East Grand Forks and worked for a Beer distributor during and after college.
Ernest went from boot camp to England and from England to France after D Day. He downplays his roll in the war being part of the support team behind the battle front. I am sure he related to his brothers his experiences, many of them painful to witness. His cousins, Harvey Grenier and Ollard Boucher, and so many others did not return from WWII so I take his silence as a matter of respect.
My husband Victor first met Ernie at the 50th wedding anniversary of Hector and Celia Boucher in Wisconsin. Victor asked uncle to relate the secret of his financial success. Ernie said it was all quite by chance. His former boss in beer haulage was retiring and had no sons. He offered his two top men the market for Schlitz and Grain Belt. Ernie told his fellow heir to choose first, the gentleman chose Schlitz! Ernie settle for Grain Belt which later became Bud. The greater community of Grand Forks has done well by the generosity of their favored son, Ernest.
The third picture offered was taken after Ernie Gottbreht had taken Mom, Ivan, Blake and I fishing to Lake of the Prairie, SASK in 1984. I’ve never experienced Walleye fishing on that scale since! Ernie knew exactly what he was in for and invited Joe Boguslawski along to help bait hooks, etc. Both Ivan and I felt we needed arm splints! In the photo, we have just finished a lunch of mom’s Walleye Chowder and Uncles Ernie and Roland Mongeon, who turned the 97 page yesterday, then got busy moving Alma to her new apartment.
After retirement, Ernest lived for a time in Prince Albert, SASK, and now lives in Fort Benton, MT where he gardened for years, watched the seasonal progress of huge grain farms and delights in living day to day close to the Missouri with all the wild life and fowl it attracts. It is my hope to visit him in the next few weeks and get beat one more time during his 100th year by this very dear and cheerful Pinochle wizard.
Sharron
Ernest Boucher July 4 1937
Ernest Boucher in England or Europe c 1944
Sharron & Ivan Shen, Alma & Ernie Gottbreht and Ernest Boucher summer 1984
Note: Obituary reposted with Thurman’s picture:
From Neola Kofoid Garbe:Minot & Bottineau, ND.
Thurman Parrill, age 91, of Bottineau, died Tuesday, August 4, 2009, at a Bottineau hospital.
His funeral will be held on Wednesday, August 12, at 2 p.m. at the Peace Lutheran Church in Dunseith. Visitation will be Tuesday, August 11, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau. Burial will be at the Rendahl Cemetery near Dunseith.
Thurman Merton Parrill was born December 13, 1917, to Cecil Day and Laura Melhus Parrill near Thorne, N.D. His father passed away in the 1918 flu epidemic when Thurman was one year old. He grew up in the Bottineau area and attended area schools. The family later moved to Mountain, N.D., and he worked on the family farm until he joined the U.S. Navy on May 23, 1944. He served in the Pacific Theater on the SS Mormachawk and SS Orvetta during World War II. He was honorably discharged from the Navy on Feb. 15, 1946. After the war, he came to the Dunseith area and began farming in Rolette County.
On November 24, 1947, he married Marie J. Nelson at the Lutheran church in Dunseith. They moved to a farm in Bottineau County, where they raised their five children. In 1995, they sold the farm and moved to Bottineau, where they had since resided.
Thurman was a past member of Rendahl Lutheran Church and a current member of Peace Lutheran Church of Dunseith. He served as a Township Supervisor of Homan Township for many years. Thurman enjoyed playing cards and enjoyed spending as much time as possible with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is survived by: his wife of more than 61 years, Marie, of Bottineau; and his children, Janet (George) LeNoue of Lexington, Ky., Lynda (Curtis) Jordan of Yerrington, Nev., and Clayton (Linda), Rodney (Ann), and Myron (Kathy) Parrill, all of Bottineau. He has nine grandchildren: Christy LeNoue, Michelle (Carter) Newton, Troy (Meagan) Jordan, Stephanie Swartz, Katie (Tyrell) Lauckner, David, Brooke, Krystle and Shelby Parrill; and four great-grandchildren: Levi, Braxton and Declan Lauckner and Jordan Swartz. Also surviving are his half sister, Shirley (Oliver) Johnson of Grand Forks; half brothers, Don (Roberta) Cox of Cavalier, Joe (Gladys) Cox of Seattle, Wash., Ben Cox, Cavalier, and Paul Cox, Grand Forks; stepsister, Hazel Cox of Davenport, Iowa; brother-in-law, John N. Nelson, Minot; and sisters-in-law, Mildred Parrill and Eugenie Walker of Bottineau, Judy Cox, Cavalier, and Fern Cox, Union Mills, Ind.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Dean Parrill, Darrell Cox, Mytroen Cox and Howard Cox; sisters, Avis Vivatson, Deedee Anderson, Fern Grimm, Edith Baratach, Esther Leonard and infant sister Helen Cox; stepfather, J.R. Cox; and nephew, Clark Parrill.
Posted by Neola Kofoid Garbe:Minot & Bottineau, ND.
Folks,
Dick Johnson’s wife Brenda sent me and also Bill Grimme a copy of this beautiful CD album of theirs. They were unaware that they were being recorded, so Dick didn’t think it was of premium quality to be sending out. It’s a great album! Sometimes one can be too self critical. It’s 50 plus minutes of great music with Dick singing. Like I told Dick, I can sure pick up that good ole ND accent in the Album. I’m not sure if this album is for sale or not. For those of you interested in having a copy will have to ask Dick/Brenda that question.
Gary
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