March 2021
Dear Family and Friends,
My daughters, Cindy and Jean, are helping me curate some of the stories and memories that have shaped my life. Because my hands and fingers are too gnarled and stiff, I am unable to use a keyboard. So, instead, Jean and Cindy are collaborating to help write my stories.
Isolating during COVID in a care facility was extremely lonely. My kids and grandkids kept in touch with me by phone and Zoom, but I miss seeing my family and friends. Working on this family history project with Jean and Cindy helped me cope. I never tire of reminiscing about my life stories.
Cindy visits me at my window. We talk by phone while looking at each other through the glass. I enjoy her updates about friends and family and chatting about my online memoirs. Cindy (or sometimes John) takes me to essential medical appointments—the only times that I can leave Brookdale Assisted Living. She brings my beloved (and spoiled) dog, Mittsi, which makes me very happy. Cindy prolongs my outings with a scenic drive along the river. These escapes are pleasant, but it’s always hard to go back.
Saturday, August 13
Lois passed away on August 6, 2022, surrounded by loved ones. In honor of her life, we are making her stories accessible to anyone who is interested in reading and sharing them. You do not need to register. If you have any problems accessing the stories email: jean@storlietelling.com.
When my mom gave me a kitchen chore that I didn’t like, I ran out to the field to hang out with my dad and the men. I crawled into his lap while he drove the wagon. This is how I learned how to drive a four-horse hitch by the time I was 11 years…
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I really liked growing up on the farm. It was a simple life, but my dad and grandpa were big teases. They stirred up trouble and kept me on my toes! Grandpa Clarence had a big roll-top desk where he locked up all his important papers. My brother, Clarence, and I knew that he also…
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My mom, Esther Sprague, attained her teacher’s certification and started teaching when she was barely 18 years old. Some of the male students were older than her. She was pretty and soon attracted the attention of the single gentlemen in the area―including my dad, George Sprague. Dad boasted about how the young men spruced up…
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I had a pony, named Betty. She was a beautiful pony but very stubborn. My dad taught me that you have to show a horse affection but also teach them who is boss. I brushed her coat and curried her mane. But when it was time to ride, I kept a firm grip on the…
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I went to a one-room schoolhouse with 12-20 kids from 1st to 8th grade. I was a competitive scholar. My dad bragged that I was quick as a whip with numbers! No one could keep up with me … sometimes, not even the teacher. I won 1st Place in the Eau Claire County Achievement Contest.…
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My Grandpa Clarence died suddenly when I was eleven, but Grandma Mimmi and Aunt Helen continued to live with us. Our house was “sort-of” divided, so they had a little kitchen and few rooms to themselves. When I wasn’t doing kitchen chores or helping in the field, I liked to visit with Mimmi and Helen.…
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“Brother” (which became his nickname) was born when I was four. And I could count on him to play along with my games. Clarence wrote a funny story about me a few years ago. It pretty much sums up our childhood relationship: “Lois was impressed with the authority of her teacher at our one-room school.…
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The youngest of eleven, my Grandma Mary (Mimmi) was born in Malselv, Norway, a mountainous, apline region about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In 1879, when Mimmi was about a year old, her parents, Ole and Marit Olson made a big decision to relocate to Oslo in the hopes of securing a better…
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My sister, Linda, was born when I was 14, right about the time I started high school. I was thrilled to have a little sister. And Linda was an adorable baby with a round, dimpled face surrounded with wispy curls. By then I could drive, so my mom let me get her all fixed up…
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When I was in high school, Mimmi and Helen moved to Eau Claire into a house they had built on Ferry Street. I think that my mom put her foot down and told my dad that he needed to figure something out. I don’t know what happened … but I knew that something happened. Mimmi…
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