Folks, Bernadette’s brother had a stroke several years. As with a lot of stroke victims, he never fully recovered. His right side and his mind were affected. Several weeks ago he started refusing all his medications. Yesterday he had another stroke that has pretty much done him in. He is currently non responsive on life support with no hope of recovery. They are currently making funeral arrangements. With Bernadette being the oldest, they are asking her to make the call for removing his life support. Bernadette has asked that his wife and children make that decision. I think they have agreed to remove his life support when they have his funeral arrangements made. He is living on the Island of Mindanao. Since he is from Cebu, they plan on bringing his body to Cebu for his funeral services and burial. His body will be at our house, on our porch, for 10 days for the 10 days of prayers and then he will be buried in the same grave sight as his father. There are 4 kids in the family with Jose being the only boy. Their youngest sister is married to a Japanese guy and lives in Japan.
Christmas 2008:Back: Bernadette & her sister Berlinda who lives next doorFront: Jose & Alot who lives in Japan
Belcourt Police – Lillian Burchum LaFontaine:
Reply from Vickie Hiatt LaFontaine (73): Grafton, ND
It was so neat to see the Belcourt police picture. My mother-in-law was Lillian LaFontaine and she took such pride in her job. She died on 9-30-05 and she is truley missed. She was from Dunseith maiden name Burchum and I remember when I first was dating Myron ( he being a divorced man and Lillian being Louies second wife) I remember her saying Well my boy I see you are like your dad you had to go to dunseith to get a good women. I married in to such a wonderful family I have truly been blessed.
Don Nelson:
Request from Tom Hagen (51): Mesa, AZ & Williston, ND
Hi Gary, thanks so much for all your work sending your daily blogs to us
older alumni of Dunseith High. Would you please include Don and Sharon
Nelson (my nephew) who lived with us nearly his entire life (mainly with
Orvin and Mom Hagen) He will know many of the people who write. His
e-mail address is : Thanks, Tom Hagen
older alumni of Dunseith High. Would you please include Don and Sharon
Nelson (my nephew) who lived with us nearly his entire life (mainly with
Orvin and Mom Hagen) He will know many of the people who write. His
e-mail address is : Thanks, Tom Hagen
Don or Donnie as Orvin would say. You are for sure Orvin Hagen’s kid. I know he and his mother raised you, after your mother died. She died when you were, I think, still a baby. Your mother was Orvin’s sister. Many of our folks will remember and know you.Orvin was the head Gardener at the Peace Garden for years too. He still loves his flowers. What a great guy he was and continues to be today. Many of us had Orvin for a 4-H leader. He was a 4-H leader for nearly the entire duration of the Mountaineers 4-H club. That would have been 25 to 30 years. What dedication. Gary
Reply from Bonnie Awalt Houle (56): Becker, MN
Hi Gary and Dick Johnson,
I do remember Halloween in Dunseith, what fun times. The oil drums at Lamoureux’s Garage were a target for every generation. They would get rolled throughout the town, blocking streets, doors, and riding on the merry-go-round at the school. Out door “biffies” were also a prime targets especially Adrian Eggberts. After a while Adrian began moving his biffy around so you never knew for certain where the hole was, talk about offering up a challenge to Teens! One Halloween we went out to trick one of the local farmers, we sat on the corral fence flipping a penny to see who would have to go throw the switch on the main pole for the farm. That way the farmer couldn’t turn on the yard lights and catch us. But this farmer was waiting for us, he was sitting in the hayloft of the barn right above our heads. (He must have been laughing as he watched us light a match to read the penny to see who would throw the switch) I lost and ran to throw the switch but the farmer had already thrown the stitch so when I hit the switch it was like Christmas, every light on the farm came on!!!! The farmer let go with a blast of buckshot into the air and kids scattered everywhere. I was farther from the car then anyone else but was the first one back, I didn’t even wait for the door to get opened, I jumped through the window. That was one Halloween that the farmer had a much better time than the kids doing the Halloweening. It seems the community put up with a lot of monkey business.
Bonnie Awalt Houle 1956
Reply from Aggie Casavant (69): Fort Mill, SC
To Dick J.
I couldn’t help but smile reading your memories of “trick or treat” night back in the days. I distinctly remember my Mom and Dad talking about the Sy Kadry outhouse incident…That was crazy…. I remember of hearing about the bike incident at the top of the flag pole.That was totally funny.And the paper bag full of “cow stuff” I remembering hearing about,but don’t recall an actual incident of it…but Russell Pigeon does come to mind….don’t know why…maybe cuz he rode our bus,and he would always have a story.
I came across your other story,about country schools. WoW everything you mentione was right on. The globe,big map.picture of the president. Your dad was right of hearing the same grade subjects over and over again,cuz there was 4 grade classes in one room. Our family went to Russell School. There was like 30 kids from the 1st to the 8th grade. It was divided into 2 rooms. They were called “big room” and “little room”.We went to school in Dunseith before I got to the “big room”. I started in Dunseith in the 5th grade.
I remember when Mr.and Mrs.Aus came to teach at Russell School. They drove this big shiney black cadillac.We only lived like 1/8 of a mile east of the school.One day they were driving around looking at the countryside,when our Mom saw them coming down the road a ways. She told us kids, ” The new school teachers are coming down the road,go sit out on the fron’t steps and wave to them,and say hi” so we all ran out and lined up on the front steps.They were coming down the road pretty slow,but came to a crawl when they saw all of us kids,lined up on the steps,all waving and giving a shout out,HHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!! I remember big Mr.Aus waving and laughing,and Mrs. Aus smiling and waving. (We only lived like 75ft from the road,so we both got a pretty good look at each other) Later as Mr. Aus got to know our family better,he told us that, the day they drove past and saw all us kids,he told Mrs. Aus “I beleive this half our school right here”. Mr.and Mrs. Aus was so nice to us kids. They lived in the basement of the school,and sometimes,on Friday nites after all the other kids went home,they would have us kids over. They were campers,so they would clear the classroom,and would set up a tent in the classroom,and show us all there camping equipment,and feed us hot dogs and ice cream,and the “BEST” choclate cake.
I remember how sad to tears us kids were when they were going to close Russell School,cuz we would never see Mr.and Mrs. Aus again.I remember those being some sad,scarry summer months leading up to our first day of school in this “Big City School” without Mr.and Mrs. Aus.One day us kids walked across the field to say good-bye. I remember Mrs.Aus giving us a hug,and saying,”Guess what? Were going to teach in Dunseith…she said,”We just aren’t ready to say goodbye to our kids…Wheather that really played a part in it or not, it sure did make us feel loved and special.
Mrs. Aus had her classroom in the old gym up on the stage. Everyday for some time a couple of us kids were visiting her on our lunch hour.I didn’t realize it at the time,but I believe Mr.and Mrs. Aus knew in there hearts what a comfort they were to us kids during our transition.
Mr.and Mrs. Aus taught a couple years in Dunseith,then eventually moved back to Norwich,where Mr.Aus farmed his Dad’s land.Us kids were in touch with them over the years off and on. My family said they saw them I think at a reunion of some kind about 8 yrs.ago. Mr. Aus has since past away…I think Mrs.Aus still lives on the farm,her sons farm the land… I guess I’ll be looking up Mrs.Aus when I come home in May… I hope I didn’t wait too long… Ms. Aggie
Striker Family Information Request:
From Ken Striker: Dayton OH
Gary- I am forwarding an obit for Alan H Allickson. I would like to learn more about the family. He would have been a gr-grand son of settler Wm Elmer Striker (see H1c1 below):
May 18, 1945-July 4, 2008 RUGBY: Alan Howard Allickson, 63, Rugby, died Friday, July 4, 2008, in a Minot hospital.He was born May 18, 1945, to Herman and Ethel Allickson in Rugby. He married Beth Hancock June 22, 1968, in Willow City. He served in the Army National Guard from 1964 until 1970. Survivors: wife; sons, Jay and Kevin, both Rugby; daughter, Tracy Corum, Rugby; seven grandchildren; sister, Roberta Heim, Amherst, N.Y.Funeral: Tuesday, 2 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Rugby.Burial: Persilla Watts Cemetery, Rugby
H1 William Elmer Striker b 14 Aug 1862 d 19 Dec 1953 Seattle King Co. WA
+Adele Schefter (16 Mar 1864- 2 Nov 1918) m 12 Jul 1884 Adams Co, IN. According to a W.E. Striker History written by Sylvia Lockhart Bergan of Bottineau N.D., on the occasion of the Dunseith Centennial of 1983, William Elmer and family left Berne IN in April of 1900 headed for North Dakota. They settled in Rolette Co about 13 miles north of Dunseith N.D, which is about a mile from the Canadian border. They came in two boxcars. William and the livestock were in one and the mother and children arrived earlier. William was a farmer and a blacksmith. Adele died from a flu epidemic of 1918. Adele is buried at Rolette Co ND Little Prairie Cem. In 1943 he and his daughter Ellen moved into Dunseith and later they moved to Seattle. He died at the age of 91. H1d1 Sylvia Bergan Lockhart and I corresponded in the mid 80’s. She was a big help with the Wm Elmer Striker family. H1j3 Joy Peterson provided update in 2009. Joy writes: “the house that my granddpa Striker and Auntie Ellen lived in at Dunseith is just across the street from me. We lived on a farm up by the International Peace Garden. My youngest son Scott is on the farm and lives in Dunseith.”
H1a Pearl Striker b March 1884 died ca 1895 age 11
H1b Perry Striker 1886 died as an infant
H1c Della Striker b 1 Aug 1887 Berne IN d 1971 Della was the eldest of the family
+Virgil Lockhart Sr. b 25 Jun 1879 Della is buried at Egeland Union Cem. ND
+Virgil Lockhart Sr. b 25 Jun 1879 Della is buried at Egeland Union Cem. ND
H1c1 Ethel Lockhart b 1908 Towner Co ND
+Herman Allickson b ab1906 4 children
+Herman Allickson b ab1906 4 children