DeAnn Gottbreht

Posted by Paula Fassett (71): North Branch, MN

Hi Gary:

I have DeAnn’s approval to send you this…………I would like to let everyone know of a fund raiser that will be held this month for DeAnn Gottbreht. DeAnn is the daughter of Brenda (Hill) Mueller (70) and Ernie Gottbreht (65). A few months ago, DeAnn was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been undergoing chemo and will also undergo surgery sometime in the near future. DeAnn is also expecting her first baby in the next few months, but Mom and Baby are both doing well. If you’d like to check her Caringbridge journal and/or leave her a message, you can find her at:http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/deanngottbreht

DeAnn lives in Portal, ND, where she works as a Customs and Border Protection Officer. On January 21, friends and co-workers there are sponsoring a fund raiser for DeAnn to help with medical expenses. They are sponsoring a soup and sandwich benefit at the Portal School from 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM. All donations will be matched by Thrivent Lutheran. I’ve asked DeAnn about donations from those of us who cannot attend but would like to help out and would also like the donation amount included in the total for the matched amount. DeAnn is going to check with the organizers and will post that info on her Caringbridge site.

Please keep DeAnn – and her very supportive family – in your prayers!

Paula Fassett-Pfuhl

Reply from Roger & Connie Zorn Landsverk: Bottineau, ND

hi just read 01-5-10 Dunseith news alumini.

I didn’t know Alma Halvorson (Mrs, Cliff Halvorson) was a teacher. I took care of Cliff as a Home Health nurse in his home alot before as he died.

I saw Ruth Pederson yesterday @ Good Samaritan center.She was Roger’s teacher. She’s a nice lady. I know Diane Pedie too. She lives in Bismarck & is a retired teacher. That’s a nice pic. of Debby & Bud. Take care Roger & Connie

Connie, is this the Ruth Pederson that was married to Pete and lived in the hills? As I remember they lived in the Long Lake area. Ruth and my mother were very close friends. They were very active members of the Metigoshe Lutheran church Ladies Aid. Gary

Hill Side School:

Reply from Gary Metcalfe (57): Forsyth, MO

Reply to Floyd Dion…Thanks for the come back Floyd. You letter kind of closes a chapter on Hillside Township for me. When we started talking about this area, thanks to Vance Bailey and Gary Stokes, I did not realize what a vital area it was in the old days.In all my years, it was isolated without roads and had been vacated, so now I have a clear picture of where Wilmer Dion lived. When my dad’s old dog got into Wilmer’s chicken coop, it must have been the way Wilmer handled that infraction, as Dad always had great respect for Wilmer. Just one more of his thousand stories.

That great teacher, Laura Olson, was raised about 4 miles east of your old place and you must have some war time stories with six uncles in WW1, looks like Army at that.

I can still smell that glue Alphie used on the boot repair. I don’t think he was aware of the fact that he was so entertaining and that French accent did a lot for Ernie Richard too!

Thanks Gary Stokes and all who contribute. Gary Metcalfe

Spencer Teal:

From Bonnie Awalt Houle (56): Becker, MN

Dear Gary, I am writing to tell you and your family to count their blessings, they could be living in Minnesota where the snow squeaks when you walk, and your car grumbles when you try to start it.

Spencer Teal has been mentioned and I’d like to relate some of my memories about him.

The Teals were close neighbors to us. Spencer considered our home his home away from home. Everyday at noon he would stop at our home for lunch. (No hot lunch program at Dunseith back then.) Lunch was not the only meal he had with us as Spencer kept close tabs on the days that my Mother baked. When Mother baked caramel rolls you could count on Spencer stopping by. Spencer was a good friend of my sister Eleanor and when ever Eleanor and her friends were spending an evening at our home Spencer was included. When the little kids (me) got in the way of the teenagers Spencer would make a deal with us. If we would go to our bedrooms and stay out of the way he would promise to make each of us a drawing of our choice. The next morning we would find our drawings waiting for us. These were not quick crude drawings, they looked almost like photo’s and we loved them. Sometimes they were on paper and often they were done on the large chalk board. They were pictures of “Pokey” Spencer’s cat, and his dog “Judee” and our horse “Star”. Spencer helped us make snowmen that looked just like people. Once the picture of our snowmen was printed in the Dunseith Journal. He treated us like the little brothers and sisters he never had. Spencer was a very talented man.

Bonnie Awalt Houle (56)

Previously posted with message 653

From Dick Johnson (66): Dunseith, ND

Gary and Friends,

One guy from the class of ’46 at DHS was Spencer Teal. He was the son
of Bill and Irene Teal. Bill was the depot agent at Dunseith for many
years. Spencer was traveling with a dance troupe from Paris, France and
was enroute to Japan when the passenger jet he was on crashed on Mt.
Fuji in Japan in 1966. There were no survivors. A young woman from
Leeds, ND was also on that plane. I think she was traveling as part of a
beauty pageant or similar function. I still have the Life Magazine that
tells the entire story of the crash. Spencer was in the same graduating
class as my folks and was a friend of theirs.
Thanks Gary!

Dick

Note: The plane crash aritlce Spencer was killed in is posted with message 654.

Dunseith Alumni Website link – http://garystokes.net/default.aspx

Johnson Families:

From Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND

Gary,

I think Mona will write to you with info on Shirley Johnson
Haagenson. Shirley was a sister to Chuck, Mona’s husband and also a
sister to Warren and Walter Johnson. Their dad was employed at the San.
They too, are a separate ‘Johnson’ and not related to either side of my
family. I think she graduated from DHS in ’51 but would have to look it
up for sure. She and ‘Hogie’ spend their winters in Yuma, AZ and spend a
lot of time with my uncle and aunt, Cliff and Joy Johnson, going to
music jams and visiting. Cliff always has news on what he and Joy and
the Haagensons have been up to.

Dick

Dick, I did not realize that Shirley Johnson Haagenson was a sister to Mona’s husband Chuck and that Johnson family. Putting the class lists together I discovered that Norman/Shirley Johnson Haagenson & Cliff/Joy Nordquist Johnson were very good friends but not related. Norman/Shirley & Cliff/Joy did not have email when I was putting the lists together.

Cliff is a brother to your dad Don. He and Joy live Elmo, MT. Did Cliff attend Dunseith? I don’t have him listed in any of the class lists. He was an educator with a college degree, so he must have attended high school somewhere. Joy (Nordquist) graduated from DHS in 1955.

Norman & Shirley Johnson Haagenson live in Vancouver, WA. They both graduated from DHS in 1951. Gary

Reply from Erling Landsverk (44): Portage, WI

Hi Gary and All!

I knew that there were quite a few children in the Greig family. Most of them had married and moved away. The members that I mentioned were the only ones that were living at home when I knew them.

They seemed to be ignored by some, so we invited the children over to play and visit. We knew they were extremely poor but they were proud and never complained. I remember going to their home once looking for some livestock that had strayed. I was suprised to see that they had dirt floors in their log home. Mrs Greig was very cheery and I liked her immediately. Martin, the oldest boy was a game warden, and I guess Raymond worke where ever he could find it. The three girls and Jimmy were bright students, and never caused any problems at school. I remember Jimmy wearing a felt hat, the style popular with men in the 20’s and 30’s. Must have been a hand me down, He was not very big but he wanted to hunt with me, and he always brought his dog Limpy, a rat terrier with, you guessed it, a limp. He couldn’t have been much older than 9 but he was apretty good shot with a rather disreputable looking slide action 22 caliber rifle. I guess he struck me as someone who would make his own way without help. The reason I asked is that i really would like to talk to one of the family members for old times sake. I am sorry that Jimmy is gone. He was a good kid.

Thanks for listening to an old sentimental fool .

Erling

Erling, Violet Greig Coats lives in AZ. I found an address for a Violet Coats in Mesa, but no phone number. She is 87 years old. There are Greig’s listed in Rugby and Bismarck. I’m pretty sure they are all members of this same family. Gary

Norman Johnson:

Reply from Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND

Gary and Friends,

In answer (maybe) to Gary Metcalfe’s question about Norman
Johnson—-he was a brother to Bennie, Johnnie, and Hank, and all the
sisters. I don’t personally remember him when I was young, but we did
stop by in Washington state to see him once. He was staying with his
daughter, Betty Johnson Belcourt who was married to Alfred Belcourt.
Norman had a son named Wesley, who married Mavis Espe. He also had a
daughter named Bernice, who was married to Billy Metcalfe.I think it was
in the 70s or so that Grandma got the word that he had passed away out
west. I didn’t know he was in the well drilling business around here but
he sure could have been. If this isn’t the Norman Johnson you are asking
about—I’m going to give up! Too many people with the same name! Thanks
Gary!

Dick

Norman Johnson:

Reply from Gary Metcalfe (57): moniesue@yahoo.com Forsyth, MO

Gary,

Sue wrote – Gary thought this was such a neat video that he wanted to share it with you.

The Norman Johnson I am thinking of I am pretty sure was married to one of Nick Lunde’s daughters. He was referred to as “Dry Hole Johnson” and had a colorful past. He was a water well driller.

As if you don’t have enough to think about, Norman “Snooky” Haagenson’s wife, Shirley was Chuck and Walter Johnson’s sister. I am sure you knew of them. Chuck was the Laundry man at San Haven for years.

I thought the BEAR video was educational at the least. Thanks for all your hard work. Gary Metcalfe

http://www.flixxy.com/bear-animal-nature-film.htm