Mike Keifer Family

KEIFER, KLETT, IHNEN, MILLER, BURLEY, BLOM, NELSON

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 3/7/2007 at 08:14:19

Mike Keifer Family

Michael (Mike) Keifer and Sadie Klett were married February 11, 1896, and farmed in the Harris area for many years.

On March 1, 1919, Mr. and Mrs. Keifer and their five youngest children moved from Round Lake, to their recently purchased farm 2 ½ miles northeast of Harris. A month later their oldest son, Hollie, returned from military service in World War I. They lived on this farm until March 1, 1928, when they moved to a farm three miles southwest of Harris, on the Harris-Hartley road. It was while living on this farm that Mr. Keifer was killed in a car-train crash at the crossing of Highway 9, between Harris and Ocheyedan, on June 23, 1933. After Mr. Keifer’s death, Mrs. Keifer made her home with her youngest daughter, Florence. They lived in Harris until 1944, when they moved to Spirit Lake. Mrs. Keifer passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1948, at their home in Spirit Lake.

Of the six Keifer children there are just two remaining; Orville and Florence, both of whom live at Worthington. Even though we have lived in other localities, our roots tend to keep growing back in the direction of Harris.

Children: Hollie married Emma Ihnen from Harris. They were the parents of six children. The family lived most of their married life in the Tyler-Balaton area in Minnesota.

Viota, a Harris telephone operator, married George Miller. They had two sons, Lyle and Dwight. Viola and George lived in the Harris vicinity until they purchased a lake resort in 1948, and moved to Park Rapids, Minnesota. Lyle now resides in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Dwight at Aitken, Minnesota.(Transcriber note: Her name typed as written-Viota and Viola)

Orville married Grace Burley from Harris. There were three daughters in the family. Arlene passed away several years ago. Lois now lives at Worthington, and JoAnn lives in Vienna, Virginia. The family lived in the Harris, Spirit Lake, and Worthington areas.

Leora married John Blom from May City, Iowa. They had two sons. Leora was injured in a basketball game while playing on the Harris High School team. This injury later caused her to have sleeping sickness, which was the cause of her death. She graduated from Harris High School in 1921.

Leon was also a graduate from Harris High School in 1922. He married Dorothy Nelson from Round Lake. There were no children. He lived in the Round Lake area and in later years resided in Minneapolis.

Florence graduated from Harris with the class of 1928. She had various jobs in Harris, before beginning her lifetime profession as an automotive accountant, at which she worked for 31 years. She is single.