Susan Roussin

Aug. 16, 2013

ROLLA, N.D. – Susan Roussin, 71, Rolla, died Friday in her home.  

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Susan Roussin

Aug. 16, 2013

ROLLA, N.D. – Susan Roussin, 71, Rolla, died Friday in her home.

Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., with a rosary service at 8 p.m., Monday at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Belcourt, N.D. The funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Tuesday in the church. Fr. Dennis Mary Dugan will be presiding. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Arrangements by Elick Funeral Home in Rolla.

7/12/2013 Dunseith Alumni Reunion, Lake Metigoshe

Reply to Mel Kuhn’s story posted on Blog #1829

Yes, during one point at the reunion I distinctly remember visiting with Mel Kuhn.  We were talking about how progressive the city of St, john is, and how the people living there must have some real progressive attitudes and are following through with their believes.  The city is definitely growing.

 During the conversations, Mel kept bringing up the fact he loves the German Sausage made by Cloverdale Co, in Mandan, ND. Who have a store right to the west of their Meat Plant along I-94.   But whenever he goes there or has someone go there to pick some up some German Sausage for him they are sold out.  I checked into this for you Mel.  They say, the way to get it is for you or have someone go in and place an order for you, and they will hold the order, until the date you say, you will pick it up.   I ordered some recently and it is good sausage.  I also ordered and bought some kielbasa (Polish Sausage). Very good!  My wife hates to take me shopping there as the shopping cart gets full and the freezer at home seems to shrink.

These were all legitimist conversations (Tim the Tool Man type with groaning and grunting here and there) we were having, Dick Johnson and my brother Henry were all involved.   Then it happened Mel Kuhn in one breath mentioned that he had a new recipe and how good the rhubarb was this year, and that he had made rhubarb crisp.

 I looked around, every woman in the place was looking in our direction, their ears had perked up and were noticeable through their hair, and Henry and Dick were gone.  Every man knows that you don’t say the word recipe in a room full of women.  They were all up on their feet moving toward Mel.  They all knew that they had a better recipe than Mel, and if they didn’t they weren’t going to tell him or anyone else anyways. I knew they weren’t about to let a man steel their thunder.  Mel was standing there as proud as a peacock with its tail in full flair.   I saw an opening in the encirclement of women, and I went for it.  Mel was alone in middle of that gathering of woman, I couldn’t tell if he was enjoying himself or not.  I saw Mel’s wife moving in and I knew right there that if anyone took advantage of Mel or If Mel started whispering secret recipes into anyone of them gals ears, they were going to get hit with that purse, that she was carrying.  I don’t know if Mel was safe in this situation or not, all I knew was that I was gone.

I saw Warren Anderson sitting down at end of the table, at the other end of the room.  I don’t know where the hell Dick and Henry went.  I think they left the building?  Apparently they weren’t born yesterday. 

I sat down by Warren, as I knew he would have some stories about horses or farming or something on that order. Warren immediately told me that he had been working out at his folk’s old place repairing and replacing some fence. (Ahh, A Tim The Tool Man Story, grunt, grunt, burp).  He was telling me that it was hard work for an old man.  God, I hope and pray I never get that old (small prayer).   I knew what he was talking about, in my younger years I had fenced in the Turtle Mountains and I have also fenced on the prairie.  Installing fence in the Turtle Mountains is hard work. On the prairie You augured a hole with a post hole auger to a depth of 18inches to two feet installed a post, blunt end didn’t need sharpening and tamped some dirt around it, so that it was tight in the hole.  The country was flat and wide open so there was usually a breeze that kept you cool and also kept the mosquitoes away.

 In the Turtle Mountains the ground is usually wet and sticky, the grass tall and brush thick, no breeze, mosquitoes and ticks everywhere, the weather hot and humid.  You sharpened the posts like you would a #2 pencil.  Only thing, the sharpener was an ax, and you were the operator of the ax and you chopped and shaped the end of that post until you had a point, and the post looked like a pencil with bark.   You then found the spot where you wanted to install the post.  You than took the 6 ft. long 20 lb. steel crowbar and plunged it into the soggy ground over and over again to make a hole, you then installed the sharpened end of the oak or ash post into the hole. You then grabbed the 16 pound steel maul with a 4 ft. handle running through the center of it and started pounding that post into the ground as far as you could.  Then after you had your line of posts in the ground and standing nice and straight like centuries on a battle field, you would stretch 4 to 5 strands of barbed wire along the posts and then staple the barbed wire to the post starting at 3 inches from the top and at 10 inch increments down the post.  Very hard work, and with the heat and the humidity and the mosquitoes and the ticks, you definitely had to man up.  At the end of the day you knew you had accomplished something.  This is definitely Tim The Tool Man grunting work.  No wonder Warren was feeling a little stiff and worn.

I was thinking and wondering why Mel brought up rhubarb in such an awkward setting.  Then it occurred to me that I had written that story about rhubarb (blog #1816).  The story wasn’t really about rhubarb.  I considered it kind of a public service gesture on my part.  Over my life time I have noticed a lot of men wearing hats and caps and some even wearing beanies or even bandanas (1950’s kerchiefs) on their heads when inside a building.  I was taught as a young man and when I was in the service that the polite thing to do was to remove your head covering when entering a building. So, what I am saying here is that the story was more about the yak then the rhubarb.  Apparently Mel picked up on the rhubarb part of the story and it made him hungry.  Therefore the rhubarb crisp?  Actually what I was insinuating with the rhubarb story was that these men would not have to be wearing head covering inside a building, if they had just ate their rhubarb as young men and continued to eat it, into their old age.  It was just a suggestion! Whether it would work for them or not is the question, or maybe Mel just thought that he would give it a shot with that rhubarb crisp?  That’s another question!

While sitting there with Warren along came this other fellow, who Warren recognized as one of his old teachers.  Warren started in on him immediately about his grades.  Apparently Warren thought his grades should be much higher then what he was given by that teacher, in that country school.  His reasoning being that he was kicked in the head when he was a little shaver by a horse, and that the teacher should have taken that into consideration when grading him.  I guess this horse was not a human whisperer!  Anyway this teachers eyes and everybody else’s eyes went immediately to Warrens head.  I think we were all looking for dents or scars or something to verify what he was saying.  I could tell Warren wasn’t about to give up on this teacher.  When that teacher moved, Warren moved with him.  From what I gathered from the conversation, I don’t think the teacher was going up his grades.  Actually I’m wondering if Warren had used  that kicked in the head story with any other teachers, as he looked and acted like this story should work for him.

Mel made the nice gesture again in reply to my story.  He said that he and Dick would have me out for coffee again whenever they make their next trip to Bismarck.  Most don’t know this, but the last time they invited me out for coffee, we ended up at a soft drink place with no coffee.  I ended up drinking water.  Next time them fellows come down to Bismarck, I fully intend to steer them into a coffee shop where they have to spend some actual money to buy me coffee.

Gladys Ida Smith, 91, of Mountain Iron, died Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Chestnut Grove Assisted Living in Virginia. Memorial services will be Thursday, August 22, 2013 at 11:00APM at Messiah Lutheran Church in Mountain Iron with visitation one hour prior. Pastor Ellen Taube will officiate. Memorials are preferred.  Arrangements are with Range Funeral Home in Virginia. To sign the online guest book or to send condolences, please visit rangefuneralhomes.com.

 
 Gladys was born in Dunseith, ND on January 18, 1922. She was the daughter of Ole and Hilda Ryan. On July 23, 1941, she married Henry Smith and they lived on a farm in Dunseith, where they raised crops and cattle. Gladys also worked at the San Haven in Dunseith, which was a hospital for TB patients. In 1955, her family moved to Parkville MN and then to Mt. Iron (South Grove) in 1956, where she resided with her family until February of 2008 at which time she entered the Virginia Convalescent Center. In October of 2008, she moved to the Chestnut Grove Assisted Living Memory Care Unit.

Gladys and Henry raised their family on camping, fishing and gardening. She enjoyed sewing, knitting and crocheting. She also did a lot of canning; baking homemade bread and cinnamon rolls was her specialty. She had a great sense of humor. Even in the late stages of Alzheimers, she always had a quick witty answer for everyone. She was loved by all who knew her.

A very special THANK YOU to all the wonderful workers at the VCC, East Range Hospice and Chestnut Grove. We will never forget the “loving care” you showed our mother. She was a wonderful mother and will be greatly missed by her family.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Henry, son Wallace, brothers Russell, Anthony, Adolph, and Dary Ryan and sister Kenrose Medlang and infant grandson Kyle Smith.

Survivors include:

Daughters:

                Bonnie (Robert) Kohler of Mt. Iron

                Harriet (Joseph) Scinto of Mt. Iron

Son:

                Marlo (Rosemary) Smith of Eveleth

Grandchildren:

                Craig (Holly) Kohler

                Carrie (Jeff) LaMourea

                Tara (Jeremy) LaMourea

                Joseph Scinto

                Russell Smith

Cass (Ryan) Rackley

Angela (Craig) Sistand

Andrea (Derek) Erchul

Great-Grandchildren:

Jamie, Lily and Anders Kohler

Tyler and Matthew LaMourea

Dylan Anderson Scinto

Royce and Thatcher Rackley

Ariana and Brendan Russell

Cortney and Kaylen Erchul

Milan, Chase and Elizabeth Sistand

Sister:

                Helen Schultz of Bellingham WA

Daughter-in-law:

                Theresa Smith

Many nieces and nephews