ST. ANSGAR'S OLDEST LIVING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATELydia was born in Worth County on a farm one mile north of Bolan on July 10, 1893 to Jens and Kirsten (Larson). She was sixth of 10 children -- five boys and five girls. Lydia attended the Bolan country school and when she finished the 8th grade in 1909 the Larson family moved to St. Ansgar. They became members of the Norwegian Lutheran Church (First Lutheran Church). She was confirmed in 1910 by Reverend Waldeland. Looking back on her school days, Lydia pondered the importance of getting an education and has this advice for high school students today: "Tend more to your studies and not so much the athletics. Oh, you have to have athletics -- that's important too -- but learning is more important. Remember that." Lydia graduated from St. Ansgar High School on May 31, 1912. Following graduation, she taught school for four years -– the first year at Willow Grove Country School, west of St. Ansgar, two years at Spring Valley, and one year at Mona. Lydia gave up teaching when she married Clarence Halvorson on September 28, 1916. They moved to a farm in Minnesota for four years, but moved back to St. Ansgar where Clarence farmed and was a cream hauler. Together they raised three children. Today, Alton lives on a farm near St. Ansgar. Gerald, a retired school teacher, resides in Arizona, and Ester (Mrs. Melvin) Quam lives near Bloomington, Minnesota. Lydia remained on the farm for nine years following the death of her husband and then moved to Austin, Minnesota in 1968. After undergoing surgery, it was recommended that she live at Burr Oak, where she has resided for the past three years. Though she gets around in a wheel chair, and has a little rouble hearing, Lydia exhibits the spunk of someone who has not seen nearly as many years as she! As Lydia approaches the century milestone, one has to wonder how it feels to be 100 years old. When asked, Lydia just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Ah, I don't feel any different than I ever did, really. I look back and think how different things are. We had the telegraph and electricity and then the telepone. But Oh! How things have changed! If you ask me, I think it was better in the old days. Of course, that's just my opinion." Of Lydia's nine brothers and sisters, only one sister remains. Stella Larsen Packwood is 96 years old and lives in Bellview, washington. Her brother Harvey lived to be 102. Lydia attributes her long life to just one thing. "Simple living. We lived pretty simple then," Lydia informed. "We ate good, common sense food. I remember when I ate town bread (store bought) for the first time. It was nothing like homemade bread! And we used to work hard helping in the harvest field." In conclusion Lydia commented, "I have been fortunate. I have three wonderful children who are awfully good to me and good friends to each other. I've been healthy all my life and I thank God I've lived so long and have been so happy."
|
Lydia spent the first 15 years of her life on the farm doing what most farm children did those days -– work.