Mr. & Mrs. Alvin C. Larsen - Castana, Iowa

MARRIAGE: Grandma Alice (Jensen) Larsen and Grandpa Alvin Christian Larsen. They were married in Ida Grove, Iowa but lived in rural Castana, Iowa in Monona County on their farm all their married life. They were married on November 14th, 1933 at the Ida Grove Lutheran parsonage by Reverand E.C. Zschoche at 10:00 a.m. in the morning.

Grandma wrote in her Journal, we were driving in Bert's car, as Alvin had a roadster with a rumble seat and too cold for a long ride in a rumble seat. My sister and husband Iva and Art Barrett had invited us to come to their place in Sioux City for supper. So after having dinner in Ida Grove we drove to Sioux City. After a delicious supper we were again on our way home. When we got home, which was at my parents, as we were going to stay there and Alvin work for Dad and that way I could continue to help take care of Mom (Dagmar) Jensen who was an invalid and had been since March of 1926. It was a cold nite, but a large group of friends came to chivalry us, soon after we got home. We invited them in for "coffee and a visit."

 

Grandma Alice truly was a historian, genealogist and a keeper of memories. The painted picture was one of their wedding gifts painted by Grandpa Alvin's uncle (Ernest Mortensen) wife Maxine (Skaw) Mortensen who was also Grandma Alice's long distant cousin.

The family picture is of Alvin and Alice and their five sons in 1948. The oldest to the youngest are Norman, Arnie, Milo, Alan (my dad) and Eric.

Grandpa and Grandma are buried at the Center Cemetery in rural Castana in Monona County along with their youngest son Eric who passed away at 8 years of age from leukemia.

I believe they had a wonderful life even though they had some tough life challenges such as grandma being a caregiver for great grandma Dagmar, losing Eric at the age of 8 to cancer and living through the great depression. She loved her family and friends dearly and cherished all of them with all her heart. ~Family Contributor, Kim Larsen Hunter