Sunday's Obituary: Sharon N Luze Watt

Grandmas hold onto our hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever.  Grandma, you will be missed.

In Loving Memory of Sharon N. Luze

Sharon N. Luze Watt, age 72, of Volga, died Monday, September 10, 2012, at Brookview Manor in Brookings. Memorial services will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 15, 2012, at Lake Campbell Lutheran Church, rural Volga, with interment of cremated remains in the church cemetery. Visitations will be from 5-7 P.M. Friday at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. Memorials may be directed to the Parkinson’s Support Group at the Brookings Hospital.

Sharon Noreen Luze Watt was born May 29, 1940, in Volga, South Dakota, the tenth child of Norman and Stella (Waage) Jorenby . She received her education in the Volga Schools and was a graduate of Volga High School in 1958. She was united in marriage to Curtis Luze on January 30, 1959. She provided daycare while raising their four children. Sharon then worked at the Brookings HyVee Store for 27 years before she retired. She was married to James Watt, Sr. in June 1996.

Sharon was a member of Lake Campbell Lutheran Church. She loved baking, sewing, and working on the family tree. She liked spending time with family and friends.

Survivors include her two sons: Allen (Lisa) Luze, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Bryon (fiancé, Misty Moser) Luze, of Brookings South Dakota; two daughters: Loretta (Eldon) Crapser and Linda (Ron) Horst, all of Brookings; stepsons: Cordell (Stacey) Watt, James Watt III, and Jerad (LaJuana) Watt; 15 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; three brothers: Lyle, Cliff (Lori), and David Jorenby; one sister, Marjorie (Alton) Quam; and two sister-in-laws; Garnet Jorenby and Lois Jorenby; along with several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers: Carroll, John, Don and Burton; one sister, Betty Bovee; and one sister-in-law, Mildred.

Sunday's Obituary: Curtis D. Luze

 

Grandpa, you will be missed.

In Memory of Curtis D. Luze

Curtis D. Luze, age 73, passed away at the Sanford Medical Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. Funeral Services have been set for 10:30am Saturday, September 1, 2012 at Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings, SD. Visitation will be from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Friday, August 31, 2012 at Rude’s Funeral Home, Brookings, SD.

Curtis was born on March 4, 1939, in Brookings, SD, the son of Harold and Irene (Christianson) Luze. He received his education in the Brookings Schools and was a graduate of the Brookings High School in 1957. After receiving his education he served in the National Guard for 26 years. He was employed at various places in Brookings until 1971 when he was employed at 3M. He continued working at 3M until his retirement in 1994. Curtis was then employed at Conveyance Vans in Brookings. Curtis was united in marriage to Sharon Jorenby on January 30, 1959.

Curtis was a member of the First Lutheran Church and the Brookings American Legion Post #74. He enjoyed woodworking, cabinet making and traveling. He especially enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

He was survived by two sons Allen (Lisa) Luze of Sioux Falls, SD, Bryon (his fiance’, Misty Moser) Luze of Brookings, SD, two daughters Loretta (Eldon) Crapser, Linda (Ron) Horst all of Brookings; 15 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; and one brother DuWayne (Sandy) Luze of Tacoma, WA; along with several nephews and nieces.

Curtis was preceded in death by his parents, and one sister Joan.

 

Waage and Jorenby Family Reunion

Descendants of John Waage & Ida Wicks will gather for the 50th Annual Waage Family Reunion.
AND
Descendants of Harald Jorenby & Siri "Sarah" Lie will gather for a summer Jorenby Family Reunion.

When: Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 12 noon
Where: Volga, SD (see invitation or contact me for details)

Please bring:

• a favorite dish or two to share
• table service
• family photos, stories, and memories

Invitations will be sent out this week with family information sheets.  Please review the family sheets and let me know of any updates to ensure they are included in the printed tree at the reunion. 

If you believe you are related and don't receive an invitation, please let me know. 

Sunday's Obituary: Bernard Singsaas

Bernard Singsaas - Louisville, Colo.

Bernard Singsaas, 86, died of natural causes Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, at the Balfour Retirement Community in Louisville, Colo., after a short stay in the Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties care center.

A memorial service will be held at a later date at the Singsaas Church near Hendricks, Minn.

Bernie was born on the family farm in Oak Lake Township, near the Minnesota border, son of Ingebrigt Singsaas, from Singsaas, Norway, and Christine Trooien.  He attended a one-room school house then boarded in the nearest town to graduate from Astoria High School.  He worked on the farm and at odd jobs and then graduated in accounting from a one-year business school before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in January 1942.  he served in Navy construction battalions in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and, after four years, left the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer.

Bernie married Carole Maxine Bailey on Aug. 5 1950, in Witchita, Kan., after a four-month courtship while he was hospitalized following a car crash that almost killed him.  Carole died in September 1965, and Bernie never remarried.

He worked as an office manager for nearly 30 years with Peter Kiewit and Sons, a construction company with headquarters in the U.S. and Canada, which took Bernie and his family to many locations, including Vancouver Island, Utah, Montreal, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas, Arizona, New Orleans, Nebraska, Montana, and Alaska, as well as Kansas.  Family vacations by car crossed every other state.

He was an avid reader, bridge player, playing in many bridge tournaments and achieving Lifetime Master status, and traveler, doing extensive research on the family history in Norway.  After retiring to San Diego, he enjoyed daily golf games between frequent travels that took him to most countries and all seven continents, making many friends along the way.  He sold his car and golf clubs and moved to Boulder County, Colo., in 2001, just before his 81st birthday, to be close to family.

Survivors include  two daughters, Christine Howard of Louisville and Cathryn Grimland of Loveland, Colo., and six grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his wife, a son Steven Eric Singsaas, and all eight siblings.


From the Brookings Register, Sept 13, 2006

Sunday's Obituary: Irene Knutson

Irene M. Knutson
(March 30, 1918 - October 24, 2005)

Irene M. Knutson was born on March 30, 1918 in Deuel County, SD the daughter of Martin and Ingeborg (Singsaas) Christianson.  She died on Monday, October 24, 2005 at Brookiview Manor in Brookings at the age of 87.  Irene received her education in rural school in Brookings County, SD.  In 1936, she married Harold Luze in Brookings.  Harold died in 1970.  She was united in marriage to F. Gordon Knutson on June 20, 1976 in Brookings.  Irene was employed at SDSU in Student Housing for 29 years before retiring in 1983.  She was a member of the First Lutheran Church in Brookings, Sons of Norway and Mission Interest.  She enjoyed reading, quilting, sewing, traveling to Alaska and several trips to Norway.  She especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  Irene is survived by her husband Gordon of Brookings; two sons Curtis Luze of Brookings, DuWayne Luze of Tacoma, WA; 20 grandchildren; three great grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, first husband, one daughter Joann Mennis, three brothers Ervin, Ernest and Vernon and four sisters Julia, Thelma, Merle and Alice.

Funeral services 10:30 AM, Thursday, October 27, 2005 First Lutheran Church Brookings, SD Rev. Nyla Schoeld, Officiating.

Visitation: 4PM until 7PM Wednesday Rude's Funeral Home Brookings, SD

Interment: Greenwood Cemetery Brookings, SD



CORRECTION: At the time of Irene's death she had 13 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren.

Follow Friday: Hendricks MN; Collignon-Foley Family

Two sites I've been hovering around lately are the Hendricks Minnesota Family Tree Project and the Collingnon-Foley Family Tree.

Hendricks MN Family Tree Project
http://djwinsness.com/hendricks/index.htm
Hendricks MN is home to my Singsaas and Christianson family lines. The Hendricks MN Family Tree Project seeks to connect the families of 31 original settlers of Hendricks. All of the original settlers came from the same town, Singsaas, Norway.  It is believed all 31 were descended from Per Persen Vinsnes (b. 1638).  While my ancestors don't appear to be amongst the original settlers, they were from Singsaas, Norway and eventually ended up in Hendricks.


Collignon-Foley Family Tree
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kcf&id=I01010
This is my Christianson family line. I've been in contact with cousin Karen Foley in the past, but have lost touch in recent years. When I go looking for Christianson family information, I usually end up looking at Karen's work of art here. Thanks, Karen!

Sunday's Obituary: Norma Sharp

Norma Ann Sharp

August 23, 1937 - May 7, 2012

Mrs. Norma Ann Sharp, 74, of Philadelphia, MS died Monday, May 7, 2012 at Neshoba County Nursing Home in Philadelphia, MS.

She was a native of Brookings, SD and had been a resident of Philadelphia, MS since 1973. She formerly worked at Nemanco, Inc. and Wells-Lamont Corp. in Philadelphia, MS. Mrs. Sharp was Methodist by faith. She was a classic example of an army wife. She raised their family while her husband served in the military for 24 years, including tours in both Korea and Vietnam, until his retirement.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James (Jim) Sharp; parents, Pete and Hazel Carter; and brother, Larry (Bubby) Carter.

Survivors include daughters, Lori Sharp Vowell (Brian) of Columbus, MS and Angela Sharp Kelly (Jerry) of Philadelphia, MS; sons, Danny Sharp (Sharon) of Atlanta, GA, Joe Sharp (Donna) of Philadelphia, MS and Randy Sharp of Philadelphia, MS; grandchildren, Brent Vowell, Katie Vowell, Gunner Vowell, Mariah Kelly, Randi Kelly, Shondae Walker, Megan Day, Chris Sharp, Chad Sharp, Mandy Sharp, Colby Sharp, and Jaden Sharp; great-grandchild, Destiny Sharp; sisters, Dee Hust of Las Vegas, NV, Jeannette Crapser of Brookings, SD and Kay Cox of Brown City, MI; and numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

Obituary from McClain-Hays Funeral Home

Happy Easter!

Okay, normally I wouldn't do this, but I'm about to post one of those emails that gets forwarded over and over again.  I've convinced myself that since I've waited a year and am posting it to my blog, it isn't the same as forwarding the message via email.  Right?  Anyway, I think it's kind of cute, so here goes ...

All I need to know, I learned from the Easter Bunny:

• Don't put all your eggs in one basket. 
•  Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
• There's no such thing as too much candy.
• All work and no play can make you a basket case.
• A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.
• Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
• Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
• Some body parts should be floppy.
• Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.
• Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.
• The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
• To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
• The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Have a Hoppity Good Easter!!

Haktor Olsen Wicks Lineage

I received a nice tip via email recently in regards to the Wicks family line.  A Mr. Glen Larson has suggested I look up "Arnes Telles Slekt" to find out more about the Haktor Olsen Vika family.  Glen says that the Arnes Telles Slekt tree contains the complete line of Haktor Olsen, which indicates he has 10 children by three wives.

Here's one link I found:
http://www.tjellbjorn.net/phpgedview/indilist.php?surname=VIKA&ged=tjelle.ged

Just browsing through it quickly, it sure looks like the same line as our Haktor T Wicks and Haktor H Wicks line to me.  (See posts on Connecting Haktor to Haktor.) I'll have to take some time and go through it more thoroughly though.

Air Force names building after fallen Osprey pilot - Randy Voas

Randell Voas, a cousin in the Glenn/Dempster family line has been honored by the Air Force for his service.  Here's the beginning of the story from the U.S. Army  news:

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (Mar. 1, 2012) -- Maj. Randell D. Voas lost his life in a CV-22 crash in Afghanistan on April 9, 2010, but his legacy will now continue to influence future Aviators in the Air Force's 23rd Flying Training Squadron at Fort Rucker.

On Feb. 24, the squadron named its new consolidated operations center after Voas who was in the Army for eight years before transitioning to the Air Force where he flew missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as an instructor pilot for the 23rd FTS at Fort Rucker.

"I'm challenged to find a better name to put on this building," said Col. James Cardoso, commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M., during his dedication ceremony address.

All Air Force helicopter pilots start their rotary-wing training with the 23rd FTS at Fort Rucker. "As we teach them the skills, it's appropriate that we also show them what they're going to be a part of," he said, adding that many of the instructors and evaluators currently with the 23rd FTS were trained or mentored by Voas.

He went on to say Voas was a "decorated combat Aviator, a quiet professional and a humble guy" who loved to instruct and pass on the lessons he'd learned during his time on the battlefield.

During the ceremony, much applause was given for each person on a list of honored guests, but the loudest applause was given to the members of the Voas Family. The late major's wife, Jill, and their two children, Maddeline and Mitchell, were there along with several other Family members.

Jo Kallemeyn, the mother of Voas, said the ceremony was "quite an honor for Randy's memory."

"The main thing I want and that our Family wants is that he's not forgotten," she said.

Kallemeyn said her son loved to fly. He was given the Cheney Award in 2003, an annual award given by the Air Force for an act of valor or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest, but she said his response was to say he was just doing his job. "But, he did it very well," she added.

"I have learned so much about Randy since this happened. He was my son, and we had good conversations, but I just never really understood the depth of his involvement and what he meant to so many people," she said.  
Read More 

Save the Date: Waage & Jorenby Family Reunion Aug 2012

Descendants of John & Ida (Wicks) Waage

and

Descendants of John & Isabelle (Anderson) Jorenby

will gather for a combined family reunion on

Sunday, August 12, 2012

at Lake Campbell Lutheran Church

More information to follow via email, facebook, and U.S. Mail.  Please make sure to email me at genes dot pcrapser at gmail dot com with your current contact information, any family updates and photos.

Follow Friday: Portraits are more than a piece of paper

A friend shared the following post on Facebook and I just have to share it with you as well.

A photographer, Jeanine Thurston, received a letter from a former client that decided to cancel a portrait session and spend the several hundred dollars in other frivolous ways.  The client later learned that portraits are more than just pieces of paper.

Here's the letter Jeanine found on her doorstep:

July 2nd, 2011

Jeanine -
Today I am writing for a couple of reasons. I have some quiet time at the moment and need to get a couple of things off my mind. I will leave this for my husband to deliver to you when he is ready.

You photographed my wedding, you photographed my first pregnancy and my first baby. I contacted you awhile back to photograph my 2nd child and family. After getting prices and realizing I would want all of the pictures as we love your work – I decided against spending $500+ – which is what I normally spend for portraits and prints with you.. Please know it is not because I don’t value your amazing eye, or how much we love the experience.

That week that I decided to NOT do a session with you, this is how I spent some money.
On Sunday I called and cancelled our session. Monday I went out and got my hair cut ($39+tip), and colored ($65), Thursday I had my nails done ($24), my family went out to dinner at a somewhat expensive restaurant for no particular reason costing us $79 + tip. This was just 4 days since canceling our session, already totaling over $200 for unnecessary things. My nails only lasted about 2 weeks, my hair is gone, and seven weeks passed when I got the phone call from our doctor. It was not something I expected and the cancer has spread very quickly. I will be leaving my husband, my 6 year old girl and my now 2 year old – not by choice. It is very hard for me to talk about it which is why I need to write you.

I watch your Facebook page and your posts about the value of a photo and if I could give back all of those things that I purchased this few weeks after I cancelled my session with you, knowing what I know now, and have that session, well… I would do it in a heartbeat.
Now my time is done and there are no more chances for me. The next time someone cancels a session – my wish is that you forward this letter to them. Time is fragile, it is gone before you know you had it. If you charged $200 for one print it wouldn’t be enough for what it is actually worth. I cringe to think that my priorities were a manicure over a memory to pass onto my babies and husband.
My love and thanks for what you have given us from past photos. I am so sorry that I did not see it as more than paper until now.

Karen L.

I find this so true.  While digging through all the family photos that you've seen here on the blog and in photo albums, I've seen the faces of family members light up at the memories of those loved ones pictured.  The photos usually bring about some reminiscing, which of course helps with the genealogy!


Thanks go out to Jeanine for sharing this heartfelt letter on her blog over at Fototails Photography.

Jorenby Family Reunion 2012

The Annual Jorenby Reunion will be held this coming Sunday at the Volga Community Center. Bring a dish or dessert to share. It will be from 12:00 - 3:0 0pm.


Don't forget to bring family pictures and stories to share!