Peter D. Johnson

In February, 2013, after living nearly 40 years in Thief River Falls, MN, Judy and I made the big move back “home” to Grantsburg.  I had retired from Family Practice medicine in 2004 and, with no family in TRF, it was time to move.  We down-sized considerably with an estate sale and now are very happy in our townhouse in Blossom Acres on the north side of town.

We are happy to be here with Carol and had anticipated much more time with David too.  We continue to feel his loss deeply.  We enjoy being close to the Twin Cities and Matthew who is employed there.  He has a diverse group of friends and finds time for broomball, ultimate frisbee, trivia contests, and pool.  We enjoy dining with him at a variety of restaurants in the cities, especially ethnic ones.

Thomas and Heidi  live in Spokane, WA with their four children where Thomas teaches 5th grade at a private Christian school.  This year Noheami (10) is in his class and excels in speech activities.  Anna (13) loves school, volleyball, and her friends.  Kairos (8) does well in speech contests and is developing his athletic skills in soccer.  Heidi keeps the busy family schedule organized, and this year is home-schooling their youngest, Simeon (5), who enjoys the quality time with his mom.

We typically get to Spokane annually to enjoy our grandkids.  For the past several summers we have had an extended time with Kolarsky’s at our cabin on Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada.  Fishing is the prime activity, and the walleyes have cooperated nicely!

One of the advantages of living in Grantsburg is the proximity to my siblings and their spouses.  With Paul/Barb and Connie/Gary in the Twin Cities area, we have been able to gather for a meal now and then.   It seems we learned that from our parents, aunts, and uncles who enjoyed being together too.  Judy has relatives near Anoka, MN and we have had good times with them as well.

What has it meant to be a “Peterson”?  It might be summed up in the adage “Try to do the right thing.”  I think it is the advice we got, spoken or not, from our parents, aunts, and uncles.  The reputation of our Peterson family was good in the Grantsburg area, and for the most part, they did the right thing.  The Christian principles they were taught at home by Otto and Hulda and at Wood River Baptist found fertile ground and flourished.

My mom Parn seemed always to think of others and how she might help.  She wanted our Wood Lake cabin to be available to family and friends for a summer get-together.  Dad certainly supported her in that idea.  The same “giving” attitude seemed present in all the Peterson siblings.

I don’t have many memories of Grandma Peterson since I was 9 when she died in 1953.  Our family moved from Falun to Grantsburg in 1950 so we were only a few blocks from her house up the hill from the Ford garage.  I recall her warm little kitchen and also a family Christmas Eve when the whole relation gathered in her small house.  I got a small battery-powered electric motor that year from Maurice and Agnes that I have to this day.  I remember Grandma’s pug hairstyle and the apron she wore constantly.  I think she rode with us to Wood River Baptist on Sundays.

Annie and Fred, although childless, seemed to claim us all as their own.  I recall a stay-over at their farm with some other cousins when we played ball in their front yard, Annie included.  Their massive garden yielded untold vegetables, and Annie made sure we left with an ample supply after a visit.  One particularly stormy Christmas Eve, despite the weather, the whole clan made it there for the annual celebration.  Annie skillfully accompanied a time of singing at the piano.  I’m sure those singing times did much to foster my music appreciation.  Who could forget the Peterson Doxology before a meal, a cappella of course?  Only the angels in heaven could rival that harmonic sound!  It remains a tradition in our family today.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Annie and Fred’s love and concern for the Viola Lake community.  It seemed they were always helping someone there in one way or another.  They had many friends there that they wanted us to meet.

Othelia, Vic, and the boys at their farm, the former Peterson home place, were always fun to visit for us “city people.”  There was always food available.  I enjoyed Othelia’s Swedish pancakes, and it was there that I learned to enjoy hot water with a little cream and a couple sugar lumps.  There was often a big cooking pot of milk, pasteurizing on the kitchen wood stove in the evening after chores.

A long path led to Tyberg’s barn with a light pole halfway from the house.  Rodney reminds me that I nearly drowned one of their cats while trying to see if it could swim in the stock tank!  They had Holstein cattle, and I learned how to help wash the Surge milkers when chores were done.  Had it not been for Tyberg’s and Sandberg’s, I would have been ignorant of farm life.  I recall being disappointed at afternoon Peterson get-togethers when their families had to leave early to get home for evening chores.

Othelia and Vic had a heart for people going through difficult times in their lives.  There were several people who lived with them for extended periods, and they were accepted as part of the family.  Judy enjoyed Sunday School classes taught by Othelia, getting sheets of her hand-written mimeographed notes for class.  They were pillars of Wood River and Elim churches where they served tirelessly.

Rudy and Katy and their sons were those relatives in Washington that we never got to really know because of the geographical distance.  I recall one visit they made to Wisconsin in the mid 50s. One of the boys, Gordon, Gary, or Grant was driving a Jaguar convertible.  He wore special gloves while driving it–very impressive to a boy my age!  I was also impressed to learn that Grant later had a fairly high position in the Reagan administration.

Irene and LaVerne’s farm was the place where the Peterson clan gathered most often.  Whether in the summer kitchen or the house, there was always good food and fellowship.  Who can forget Irene’s fried chicken or watermelon on a hot summer evening?  We were warmly greeted by Verne and Irene when Judy and I brought just- adopted Matthew to their house after we spent his first night in the USA at their lake cabin.

I spent the summer after 7th grade working at Sandberg’s farm.  I liked their Massey-Harris tractor and still can’t believe Verne trusted me to cultivate corn with it.  Fred Sandberg, Verne’s dad, had Kate and Mabel, a team of horses, that he loved dearly and did some of the farm work with them.  Sandberg’s had Guernsey cattle and used DeLaval milkers in the barn.  I can still hear Verne calling the cows in for evening chores:  ”Come boss, come boss.”  The barn was a busy place at chore time with WCCO radio providing background to the “psst, psst” of the milkers.

It was LaVerne Jr. who got our relation started on water sports with his surfboard and boat powered by a 12-horse Elgin outboard.  Many happy Sunday afternoons were spent at Sandberg’s cabin.  Irene was always encouraging us kids to sing in church.  She accompanied many of us and instilled the love of music in us.  Her many years as a devoted teacher made her skillful in this regard.

LaVone and Irvin, like Annie and Fred, considered us all as their kids.  It was always fun to visit their Alpha house and the imposing creamery next to it.  Good fresh butter was always available to enhance LaVone’s good cooking.  After 8th grade I worked with Irvin for the summer in the creamery.  Each morning we packed freshly churned butter in boxes to be shipped out.  There were always a few scraps of butter left in the big churn, and once I nearly got sick from eating too much of it.

Irvin and LaVone were the first to get a good stereo record player.  I enjoyed many of their records with that great sound.  They had a clock with Westminster chimes on their buffet that sounded every 15 minutes.  It may have inspired my interest in mechanical clocks of which I have a collection. Tiger, their cat, gave them many hours of enjoyment.  Irvin often had scratched hands from teasing Tiger.  They enjoyed their little cabin in Karlsborg during the summers after Irvin had retired from the creamery.

It was good to have Irvin and LaVone working at Bethel while we were students there.  We were always welcome at Idaho Manor for a little taste of home.  After they had moved to a mobile home in New Brighton, they hosted celebrations of the arrival of Matthew first and then Heidi from Korea–truly memorable events for our family.  After Irvin died, Judy and I had many good times staying with LaVone in the cities.  Irvin and LaVone were integral parts of Wood River and Salem Baptist churches, well respected by all who knew and loved them.

Delroy and Verone were fun.  It seemed Delroy always had a teasing word and a twinkle in his eye.  Verone’s delicious hamburger noodle hotdish and brownies always were hits at a potluck.  To me, the outstanding features of their Alpha home were the ping pong table and small basketball hoop in the basement.  We played a lot of intense games on both.  As kids it was always fun to go to the feed store where Delroy worked and climb on the sacks there.  I can still recall the particular aroma of the freshly ground grain in that place.

No one could lead singing in church like Delroy.  Sunday evenings at Wood River were unforgettable with Delroy leading an extended sing time, especially when he asked for favorites.  The Peterson quartet with Verone, Parn, Maurice, and Delroy was classic, as was the Swanstrom trio: Verone, Lois, and Eunice.  We were truly blessed with good music!

When I think of Maurice, I think of the Ford garage and barbershop quartet music.  I remember him behind the counter helping Roy Blomberg run the place.  There was always friendly banter among the Peterson’s as to which was the better car, Ford or Chevrolet, and Maurice came down on the Ford side.  He loved to sing and was a long-time member of the Indianhead Barbershop Chorus.  Agnes was a quiet, gentle lady and devoted many years to nursing as well as raising Valerie, Ann, and Becky.  Joyce was, and is the quintessential hostess, always making you welcome in their home.  Maurice and Joyce hosted several Peterson Christmases at Webster Baptist after our relation grew too numerous for a single home.

Maurice taught me how to chart a football game, recording the progress of each play.  After Ford, he worked at Grantsburg Lumber.  While there, he cut off his thumb with a saw.  It was reattached by a local doctor but never worked too well for him after that.

I can still see Roger impressively decked out in his military dress uniform.  His wife Sarah always seemed a sophisticated lady.  I never felt I really knew them since they were home only occasionally.  When Roger became critically ill with his kidney disease while in California, Delroy, Maurice, Irvin, and Don decided they needed to get out there fast.  They rotated driving duties in Delroy’s car and made it there before he died.  His funeral was a solemn one at Wood River with Delmar Dahl officiating.  When you enter the southwest gate at Wood River cemetery, Roger’s grave is the first you see.

In that southwest quadrant of Wood River cemetery are the graves of most of our uncles, aunts, and parents.  A visit there opens the floodgates of memories and reminds us of our rich heritage. We were fortunate to grow up in a time when people stayed close to home.  Most of our family lived in the Grantsburg area and were together often.  We grew up knowing our uncles, aunts, and cousins well.  I am so grateful for that opportunity.

Well, enough said!  Even though I’m a Johnson, I value my Peterson roots highly.  God has blessed our family!

November 27, 2015

There are so many special memories! The early years when we all got together for Christmas are especially good memories.