There are some very bright, sunny spots in this decade.  I am still vertical.  I am still alert.  I still enjoy reading, knitting, music and the wonderful family I have.  Darian was born in August.  She is a delightful little girl, with dark eyes and hair and smooth olive skin.  She is loving and sweet and I really enjoy being with her – as well as with her sister.  Now I have two great-granddaughters.  Just the other night, when I was playing Farm Town, I saw “Gramma, it's me, Darian”.  What a neat surprise.  Made me smile. 

 Tina graduated from high school in 2001 and from college (Metro State) as an English teacher in December 2010.  She has a daughter – third great-granddaughter – Avory Rush Ferguson.  She looks a lot like her Mommy as a little girl and like her paternal grandmother, Yvonne.  She is very shy of me, just like her Mom was as a little girl.  Again I think it may be my laugh that scares her.  She and her Mom, her Aunt Railey, and her grandfather, Dale, came and decorated my Christmas tree for me.  Avory, Tina, and Dale came for Christmas Day too.  That was nice. 

 I have taken train trips – from here to Chicago, to Albuquerque, to LA, to Seattle and back home.  My love of trains continues.  That trip was with Faith.  Then I took a train trip by myself to New Mexico and home.  I felt bad because that one upset Phil and Sue and I didn't mean to do that.  I never thought twice about it.  I have taken airplanes to see Sue – twice in 2010 – and once in 2009.  I don't like them at all.  They are the only places I have ever been that make me feel claustrophobic.  I can't get off them until they land – no matter how bad things get.  Scares me. 

 In January Jason and Jennifer, had a little girl, Sally Christine Listerud.  She is a really sweet little person.  We had fun when she was a baby and Jason and Jen bought me a ticket to come out and stay with them for two weeks.  She was so inquisitive and sunny-natured.  This last fall, 2010, Jason and Jen brought their children and came to visit.  Sally and Avory had a wonderful time together.  They did not want to be separated.  In January Jason and Jennifer had a little boy, Lowell Isak,  Isak is a cute little guy – enough energy for more than one 2 year old or more than one poodle.  He and the youngest poodle got along well.  It was wonderful to have some time to spend with them.  Sally came back after they were half way down the hall when they left, and gave me another hug.  That was so sweet. 

 Bjorn and Christy married in June 2008 but had their wedding celebration in April 2009.  We all went to San Antonio and they renewed their vows then.  They had wanted to be married before Bjorn was deployed the first time.  We had a wonderful time in San Antonio and enjoyed the reception at Christy's aunt's home so very much.  I was at Sue and Chris's so they drove over with me.  It was a nice trip although a little bit hot.  The River Walk was nice and it was fun to see the Alamo.  It is hard to believe that such a terrible tragedy took place there so long ago.  Bjorn and Christy came in October of 2009 and it was cold with snow on the big pumpkins.  When Jason and Jen came in October of 2010, it was hot – went to the zoo in 86 degree weather.  Only in Minnesota.

 Mark and Rachel married and had a little daughter, Noelle in December.   My sixth great-grandchild and fifth great-granddaughter.  Noelle is a pretty little girl.  She has dark eyes and dark hair and she definitely belongs to her  parents.  She dances to the music with perfect rhythm, and she seems to love all of us.     

 This winter reminds me of those long-ago winters in Duluth – when first the snowstorm and then the lake effect snow buried us.  I remember the pictures and the houses on Park Point with the snow so deep people had to come out the second story windows and climb down the drifts.  We have had the second highest snow total ever starting on November 13th.  Too bad I am not young enough to take out a pair of cross-country skis and really enjoy it.  However, I have vivid memories of those days.  I remember skating on the frozen pond near our house and pretending I was in Sun Valley because I had seen the movie. 

 A lot of years, a lot of memories, a lot of fun, a lot of sorrow – but overall it has been wonderful and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  I love you, my family.  I really appreciate the kindness you have shown me, and the patience.  I hope I am able to keep my head about me, and my heart in tune with those I love. 

I lost the last three remaining members of my family of origin in the 1990s.  Aunt Florence died in 1991, Uncle Cy died in 1995, and Ethel died in 1996.  The most terrible loss was the loss of Nathan in 1994.  I miss him so much and will until I see him again.  Nathan had a lovely wedding to Sharon Kerler and I am glad we were all, as a family and friends, able to enjoy that time together.  The loss was terrible for Phil and Sue, and because of their youth, was an unusually deep loss and hurt for Matt and Mark.  Nathan had charm and kindness and was convinced that he could help others he loved so that they would be happier people.  He left us with memories full of laughter and love.

 Angelique married Joe Jaquez and Cheyenne Jaquez was born in June.  My first great-grandchild, and a girl.  That was a surprise.  She is a sweetheart.  It has been fun to get to know her.  She is rather quiet with a sweet smile.  She is also an excellent athlete.  Both in volleyball and basketball, she has done really well.  As a student, she excels in science. 

 Dale and Paula had a daughter, Raylee in February.  She is the last of my grandchildren and another girl – so there are four girls and seven boys.  She has red hair and big blue eyes.  I am not sure how soon I will see her.  Dale and Paula are planning to divorce but Dale does have visitation.  When I did see her again – when she came to Dale's for her weekends, she called me “gragow” and came down the stairs to see me.  I was pleased at that.  I know her quite well now and she and I seem to be able to talk with one another about lots of things.

 Aspen Clinics disbanded transcription on March 10, 2000.  It was hard to leave after over 14 years, but I did go to work for the service that got the Aspen account and went on transcribing for the same physicians.  I had hoped to work for another year and retire.  Now I was not sure how this would go.  There is a time of grieving for a lost job when it is one you have really enjoyed.  Phil and Sue helped me with the computer purchase and the equipment that would be necessary for the working at home.  I am very grateful to them. 

 In 1999, I went to Montana for Jason's graduation and here for Matthew's.  In 2000, I went to Montana for Bjorn's graduation and here for Mark's.  It was fun to be there for them.  I also went to Jeremy's graduation on December 1999 from New Mexico State University.  He received his degree in structural engineering. That seemed to be the last of my ability to travel for graduations.  Brian had gone to Greece over the Christmas holiday and was in New York City on New Year's Eve to see the ball drop in Times Square.  I am happy that he had that last trip.  He certainly lived to travel. 

 Brian came here for the summer to earn money and to try to relax somewhat.  I was very distressed because he had such a problem with sleep.  He would fall asleep sitting up in the middle of a sentence, then jerk awake and finish the sentence.  I didn't know that much about sleep apnea then, but I did suggest that he get checked and that he not drive at night, but he told me he preferred that.  We did have a good summer.  He lived with Dale, but spent a lot of time with Phil and Sue.  He spent a lot of time with his Dad and when Fred died in August, Sue and Chris came up too.  We really had a nice time.  Phil and Brian had a chance to see their cousins – Dick and Alan especially.  Brian sang at Fred's funeral and his voice was so lovely.  I wish I could hear it again.  Brian fell asleep while driving home.  They believe he died instantly and did not suffer which is a blessing.  All of my other kids took it very hard as did his own kids.  Solveig in particular seemed to be inconsolable.  I gathered my kids and grandkids together and we all went out for the viewing, but it was strange.  Then Sue came back with me and she and I went to the Memorial Service which was very nice.  There were certainly a lot of people who liked and admired him.  His musical abilities, knowledge, and professionalism earned him a great deal of respect.  When his ashes had come here for burial, Sue did leave to go home, but she stayed for a long while which I appreciated so much.  I also really appreciated Phil and Sue taking me by car so I could be with my remaining children through that difficult time.  It would have been so much easier for them to fly.  Brian always made such a point of being with each of us for a time every year and we miss him.

Now we come to “the year of the child”, and the year that filled my life with such joy.  It had a very rocky start, but improved for one of the children.  More about that later.  By this time I was working as patient representative at St Joseph's Hospital and really enjoyed that job.  I can't say the same for my supervisor.  She had a very bad temper and a most unprofessional way of showing it.  In front of patients who came in to question their bills, she would get angry and interrupt our conversation and kick the file cabinets and act like a two year old with a tantrum.  That was very difficult for me and for the patient as well. 

 Brian and Chris had a second son.  Bjorn Listerud was born on his brother's second birthday.  He was as blond and blue-eyed as his brother.  Bjorn didn't see me very often at first and he wasn't too sure about me.  I remember that he didn't like to say goodbye and so he would hide when it was time to go.  I finally talked him into letting me say hello when he left.  I think he thought that was funny. 

In June Mark Alan was born.  I thought other babies were tiny, Mark was so small and fragile that I spent months praying for him nearly constantly.  I remember the months before he was able to come home and still I can feel those same feelings of fear.  I love you, Mark.  I remember when you and Bjorn were two years old and you both were at my house.  We were having a picnic in the back yard and the two of you ran down the hill toward Stryker Avenue, which was a very busy street.  I ran after you and scooped one of you onto each of my arms and carried you back up the hill.  I realized that my holding you under your chest was causing you to have trouble breathing and Bjorn was biting my arm because, I think, he was insulted at being picked up that way.  That was another not-so-smooth move.  I saved you from the traffic but I certainly didn't do well on the other scores.

 In October Tina Listerud was born.  There were five grandsons between Angelique and Tina.  I thought perhaps Angelique was the only granddaughter I would have.  It was amazing to hear of another little girl.  Tina was a bigger baby – not the biggest but bigger than Angelique, Jeremy, and certainly Matthew and Mark – more in a league with Jason, Bjorn, and Nathan.  Tina was afraid of me.  She was the first of my descendents to be afraid of me.  That lasted until she was about 2. I am not sure why, but perhaps it was my laugh that scared her.  Tina was very attached to Jeremy.  She didn't want to be anywhere without him.  He must have been a source of security and she liked to have him near her.   She and I have done well together since she was about two. 

 Then we come to the “month of the child”.  In February Christopher Ryan Wortman was  born in New Mexico.  I took the bus down there and got snowed in so I went through Tulsa and was much later than my luggage.  The bus also got snowed in on the way back.  I decided that my love affair with trains which started when I was three, was a much better idea.  I heard your first cry, Ryan, and I was very pleased you were strong and well.  

 In February Solveig was born in Missoula Montana and again I hopped on the good old Greyhound and set off to see her.  On the trip out, I did okay, but on the trip back we spent 10 hours in the depot in Billings and 8 hours in the depot in Fargo.  I almost totally ran out of money so I was very hungry by the time I got home.  Solveig was the biggest of my grandbabies at 9 lbs.  I had no worries about this little one.  I now had three granddaughters and was feeling rather pleased.  It is nice to have some of each to spoil.

 We sold the duplex in 1985 and I started working for Aspen Medical Group in West St. Paul as a medical transcriptionist.  I had last transcribed in 1956-1957 at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth but it all came back pretty fast.  I enjoyed working at Aspen.  The people were friendly and nice.  It was interesting to read the notes as I was typing them and I was content to finish out my working years there.  I made some good friends there and still have contact with them.

Nathaniel Christopher Listerud was born in July.  My first grandchild.  He was a sweetheart and I was ecstatic.  More children, more babies, more people to love.  Phil did a lot of theater work and took classes in theater.  He expressed an interest in technical directing and did a bit of really fine acting.  I was pleased to see that interest.  Brian, of course, was totally interested in music and Sue abandoned her previous desire for nursing to think she would love to do interior design.  Dale was still enchanted by engines and I was happy with them all. 

 I was still at social work and I did like my friends at Dakota County Welfare Department.  I had tried 3 ½ years in supervision and did not like it at all.  I quit and went back to social work – licensing day care homes.  Perhaps I should have gone into the financial side of the work when they separated social service from financial, but I didn't.  Sue met Chris Wortman in the fall of l971.  They fell in love and Sue received her engagement ring on her graduation night in June.  Val also graduated at that time and we had a fun party for both of them. Sue and Chris were married in Forest Lake.  I had Sue almost late for her wedding.  I don't think either of them has actually forgiven me for that.  In typical ADD fashion, I checked out the map of the Twin Cities and thought I could get to Columbia Heights to pick up Louise and then go on to Forest Lake.  What I was seeing on the map was the proposed 494/694 route around the Cities.  I did take the beltline, but that is not a very fast route to travel.

 At the beginning of this decade I was extremely happy but then tragedy struck.  Valery died in March and the next few years were very rocky for us all.  Brian and Chris got married in August l973 and they did a baroque wedding.  I never did get a picture of Dale in his costume – or Greg either.  They were pages.  We got pictures of everyone else – and Sue's Chris was a good sport about it.  He looked good in his costume, so did Sue with the high crown hat with the veil.  That was a fun wedding but bittersweet in so many ways.  Phil was able to be his brother's best man and looked great in his costume too.  I was impressed.

The next arrival in our family was Angelique Carol Wortman.  She was a little mite and very cute.  Sue and Chris took a two week motorcycle trip with their friend Tony.  They went to New Mexico and came back looking like reverse raccoons.  I had Angelique while they were gone and I couldn't get her to drink milk, so I made her strawberry Quik feeling she needed the milk.  Unfortunately, she refused to drink milk after they came home without the strawberry in it and then became allergic to strawberries – she still is.  That was not my brightest moment. 

Not many months later, Dale and Sharon had Jeremy Scott Listerud.  He was also a little mite at a little over 5 lbs.  He had the biggest smile and was always smiling.  Dale and Sharon decided against adoption for Jeremy and both of them finished school at vocational school, Dale in small engine mechanics and Sharon in central supply technician.  They married on Jeremy's fourth birthday, March 29, 1980.

Phil and Sue married in May.  They have a close and long relationship.  It is good to see them happy together.   There is much humor in their lives and much love.  I enjoy the times I can spend with them and enjoy their pets too.  The poodles are fun – refreshing and cute.

Brian and Chris lived in Montana, first in Wolf Point, then in Great Falls, and for the rest of the time in Lolo, Stevensville, and Missoula.  In April, they had Lowell Jason Listerud.  Jason was the last of her great-grandchildren that my mother saw.  He looked a lot like his dad when he was little.  I always enjoyed him.  This family is growing, more fun, more babies.  In November my Mom died.  She was 2 days shy of her 81st birthday.  I wish she had not had the atrial fibrillation because she was always so alive, and she loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren so much. 

In December Matthew was born.  He was truly a little mite – a little over 3 lbs.  We were all very concerned about him, but the staff at Regions Hospital said he would do really well.  The little ones seem to be so fragile, but Matthew was strong.  I remember his little hand holding my finger while we waited for his Mom to be able to come and take over.  Nathan was frantic about  his little brother.  He was afraid Matthew would be born on the freeway.  He was really relieved that didn't happen.  Matthew has always been a fascinating person.  I enjoy his creativity and compassion.  Now Phil and Sue have two boys. 

In l962, we moved back to Duluth and Jim and I married on December 29, l962.  The older kids had a lot of fun and adventures when we lived there.  Some of the adventures were pretty dangerous and upset me badly when I heard about them.  The worst one was the raft on Lake Superior held by a rope which someone on the shore held on to.    I still shudder thinking about that.  Another was making a rocket which turned out to be a pipe bomb and blew down the retaining wall by the basement.  That was a chemistry set gone wrong.

 I made a shift from teaching to social work in January 1963.  It was an occupation I would keep for approximately 15 years.  In many ways I did like it.  I felt useful, but I always missed the stimulation of the classroom.  Kids have such a refreshing way of looking at life and there are so many ways to teach English.  It makes a good combination.  Sometimes social work can be terribly demanding and there is not much fun in it – except if you are working in adoption.  I have seen much sadness, despair, fear, hurt and poverty working in that field.  I spent some of my free time working as a back-up counselor for Hennepin County's Suicide Prevention hotline.  That was a challenging experience but it did afford me an opportunity to be in the right place at the right time for someone else which was extremely rewarding for me.  It is very rare to really see the results of something positive you have helped set in motion.

 We moved to North St. Paul on June 1st, 1964.  Dale immediately made a very good friend in Phil Schlief who lived next door.  Those boys had lots of fun together.  Brian and Phil went to separate junior high schools and I think they missed each other a lot.  We did take some really fun trips.  In l965, we went to Yellowstone Park and camped in a tent trailer.  It was pretty cold, but we did see a lot of new things.  The highlights of the years for me were our trips.  In 1966, we went to Montana and spent some time in Wise River with the rainbow trout and climbing mountains.  We saw so many places of great beauty but I didn't realize that Phil would have preferred to spend his birthday at home with friends to help him celebrate.  We went back to Montana in 1967 and then went to Alaska in 1968. 

 The trip to Alaska was fun.  Everyone has heard about the U-Haul with the canned goods, jostling so much that all the labels wore off.  The net result was dinners that often consisted of three different kinds of vegetables, or dinners of soup, canned chicken, and chili.  To add to the problem, I got carried away with the pepper and have never lived that down.  We did see beautiful scenery, especially when we got off the gravel of the AlCan highway.  The gravel road was too dusty to see much.  I woke the whole campground up to see Mt. McKinley perfectly clear.  However, Brian, who could see nothing without his glasses, opened the drapes, said “Beautiful” and went right back to sleep.  It was too bad he missed it because he never got back there again.  We fished from the spit at Homer, looked through the fog at Valdez, chopped ice from a glacier for the refrigerator (lasted for days and days), and washed all the glacial silt off in the laundry/shower facilities right at the start of the blacktop.  We also chased mosquitoes that were huge, washed in the hot ponds about half way up the highway, and nearly were boiled alive.  The air was cool, so we would duck in, come up and swat, and duck back down again.  Not exactly how I had imagined it.

 Brian graduated in 1969 and started at Mankato State College in September 1969.  Phil graduated in 1970.  Phil married Valery in November of 1970.  It seems like life is going by too fast for me now.  I wish I could slow it down and enjoy each minute for two minutes worth of time, at least.  Dale was into motorcycles, as were both Brian and Phil.  They had a lot of fun with the bikes, but I worried – tried not to let it show.  Phil had some great (and some not so great) cars.  Brian didn't seem to worry about cars except to have something that could get to Mankato and back.

Brian was actually born in the third decade.  My next exciting event was the birth of Phil .  He was born on Aunt Ethel's birthday and he was always very special to her.  I lost my Dad on June 30th 1951.  That was a very difficult time for me.  He had always made me feel loved.  He also had that wonderful sense of humor that my brother had and that my kids have.  He made our lives sparkle with his wit and his kindness also.  After Dad died, Mom asked us to come and live with her and asked me if she could stay at home and care for my children while I went and worked as my training, though unfinished, was more recent than hers.  In the fall of l951, I started my junior year of college at UMD where I had wanted to be from the beginning.  I also started to work full time at St. Luke's Hospital in Central Supply.  Going to school at UMD was fun.  Also I did quite well in spite of the hours of work. 

When Phil was about 6 months old, I had to go to a play rehearsal (part of my speech minor), Fred was working, and Mom had to go and give a speech at a church.  Phil got very angry at the idea of having a baby sitter and absolutely screamed.  Finally, I took him with me.  The theater director, a very good professor of drama, held Phil so I could go on stage and act.  Phil was perfectly content with him.  I am not sure why he didn't want to stay home with Janet.  Brian thought it was fine and he was of an age where it was more apt to bother a child.  Janet is their cousin and she lived across the street so she knew them.  Quite an adventure.

 Sue was born on September 11, 1954.  In the meantime, I had graduated from UMD and gone to work for Chun King Foods, working in the foods lab.  The job was strange.  The foods lab was next to the loading dock and the fumes from the forklifts came in all day.  I had to mix the chemicals for the bean sprouts.  These chemicals made the sprouts grow faster,  I would take them up to the top story in the big warehouse and put them in the growing bins.  The sprouts were grown in cold water.  Actually the whole building was so cold the girls in the sprout-growing area wore their boots, jackets and caps up there. 

 The worst part of the job was having to taste the frozen chow mein off the line every hour and having to taste the chop suey off the cannery line every 3-4 hours.  Between the smell of the forklifts and the taste of the food, I lost my taste for Oriental food until recently – and then no chow mein or chop suey for me.  I left that job to write television commercials for a while, then got a teaching job about 25 miles from Duluth.  In the meantime, I did get to spend 8 months at home with my three children.  Mom went to live with Ethel because Ethel's mom had died and Ethel was lonely.  Mom could not stay away from her grandchildren and so she returned.  I really enjoyed those eight months. 

 One incident stands out from that eight months.  It was winter and Brian and Phil had taken their sleds and gone down the hill by our house.  They were 3 and 2 years old then.  It had melted and formed a crust of ice on top of the snow and they broke through and were down at the bottom of the hill crying.  I was in the house with Sue who was sleeping, so I brought her bassinette right up to the front door, threw on my coat, and checked the furnace to be sure it was functioning okay.  Then I ran down the hill, got my boys, and made it back with no problems.  The ice on top of the snow broke through with my weight, of course, and I had cuts from my knees to the top of my boots.  The incident frightened me so much.  I was afraid to leave Sue alone for that amount of time, and I couldn't bear to hear my little ones crying like that. 

 We moved into a new house in Duluth in 1956 and it was very nice.  We had four good years there and then Dale was born on March 20, 1960.  Shortly after that, Fred and I were divorced and I moved with Mom and the children down to Lyle, MN where I had obtained a teaching job.  Brian used to call the two years in Lyle his “little rascals” years.  He really enjoyed it there.  Phil missed Duluth a lot although I think he has some good memories too.  Sue really liked school there and liked her friends.  The kids swam in the creek, played hide and seek in the cornfields, and generally did all the fun things that children in very small towns do.  They performed in plays, and went to all the basketball games.  Dale, of course, missed out on that fun.  He was two when we left there.

The first memorable event of 1941 was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.  I was outdoors playing in tunnels my neighbor friends and I had made in the large snowdrifts left by the snowplows and shoveling.  Dad opened the door and called to me to come in and listen to the radio.  He said, “When you are grown up, you will want to remember this.”  The radio was playing with the news reports of the bombing and the speeches of our president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and other world leaders.  There was no more hope for diplomatic maneuvers, we were now involved in World War II.  War was declared on the Japanese and the Nazis as well as Italy on the next day.  Congress was the only governmental body that could declare war at the time.  It was extremely frightening and we spent the next four years not being certain if we would be victorious or if we would be subjected to rule by the Axis powers.  For the rest of the winter, all the children in our schools in Duluth were taught to knit and we made squares to be sewn together to make afghans and blankets for wounded servicemen.  As you know, knitting developed into a lifelong hobby for me. 

 I finished elementary school in June 1942 and then went to Lincoln Junior High School for grades 7, 8 and 9.  I played trombone in the band and in the orchestra and thoroughly enjoyed that activity.  I continued to participate in Girl Scouts and began to attend confirmation classes as well as youth fellowship.  I also went to Bible Camp and made friends there who are still my friends.  We had a lot of fun and also learned a great many things about our faith and its origins.

 As part of our Girl Scout activities, we did strange things for the war effort.  One I remember well was having a Saturday morning route, where I would collect cooking fat which the ladies in the neighborhood had saved for making bombs.  As I walked this route through the neighborhood I noticed the flags in the windows of the homes where there were men who were in the service.  Those flags had blue stars, one for each serviceman who lived in that home.  As time went on, I began to see one, and then another of the blue stars replaced by gold ones.   Whenever a serviceman died, his star was changed to gold and sometimes the tears came as I walked by.  I remembered some of them taking the younger kids on bobsleds they had made on long rides down the hill, and remembered watching them making ski jumps and good ski hills, packed with snow which they let us use – only the lower parts – kind of like bunny hills. 

 In junior high school, I won a silver medal in speech for the WCTU speech contest.  I was astonished.  The next year, in 8th grade, I came in second in the gold medal contest and was shocked at the angry response my mother made to that loss.  She made me feel as if I were only of value when I won.  It really hurt.  In 9th grade, I won the gold medal, but it didn't mean much to me.  Also in 9th grade, I was elected president of the student council.  It was a good thing that I had had so much experience in speech as I had to lead a discussion in front of a couple hundred of student council members from the various junior high schools in Duluth on leisure time activities.  I wasn't afraid so it went really well.

 The 9th grade party was a lot of fun and I was able to choose my own dress for it.  That was exciting for me.  V-E day was in the spring of 1945 and V-J day in August of 1945.  I remember the crowds shouting, the bands playing, and the happiness of the people.  We had been so frightened that it was a wonderful relief to know that our country was safe and we could live in peace. 

 My high school years went by swiftly – activities were band, orchestra, speech, debate team, volleyball team, and being a water lily in a water pageant at the YWCA.  The  part of the lily pad was kind of fun.  We just floated around with our heads, in our white bathing caps, sticking up through a hole in the center of a linoleum – green, of course – draped over an inflated balloon bicycle tire.  My summers were spent with camping and summer band.  The summer of my junior year, I went to a business college and took typing.  As I look back over my life, that course helped me earn my living far more than any other course I took.  I had a rather active social life in high school.  There were DeMolay dances, Job's Daughters dances, youth fellowship fun, ball games and a trip with the band to the Twin Cities to watch my high school team win the l947 state basketball title.  We girls slept in a dormitory which they had arranged in the ballroom of one of the Minneapolis hotels, and there was a lot of giggling.  One of my friends was determined to wash her hair after lights out and we had quite a time getting it dry.  She had lovely thick blond hair and, unlike my thin hair, it didn't dry very fast.

 I graduated from high school in June 1948 and worked on the switchboard at the Duluth Superior Transit Company that summer.  In the fall, I went off to Hamline University, a school which I did not enjoy.  I missed my friends, my church, my parents, my home, Lake Superior, the sounds of the boats, trains and foghorn.  The summer between my freshman and sophomore years at Hamline I met Fred and married him a year later.  I think somehow on an unconscious level, I saw that as a way to get back home, as well as being attracted to him.  He lived across the street from me – so “the boy next door” and that made me feel as if I knew him – because I knew the family (his brother, sister-in-law, and their children). 

 He and I dated throughout my sophomore year at Hamline.  He would come to the Cities each weekend to see me and stay at his sister's home.  We did share a love of music and he would play the guitar and both of us would sing.  We also shared a love of nature, fishing, camping, dancing, and we had a lot of fun. 

 In March  Brian was born.  My Dad was ecstatic.  He had had three children but I was the only one to have had children, and he so badly wanted to have grandchildren to enjoy.  One of my favorite memories is of my Dad sitting in the big armchair, holding Brian on his chest.  He looked so content and his warm smile has remained in my memory.

The most exciting thing I remember from the first part of my first decade was the trip my parents and I made to the Chicago World's Fair, A Century of Progress, in 1934, the second year of the exposition.  We took the train from Duluth to Minneapolis, and my most vivid memory of the train trip was coming into the old Minneapolis depot across the Mississippi River.  There were arches on the railroad bridge with lamps lighting the water.  My Dad told me we were crossing the biggest river in our country.  I thought that was pretty special. 

 We spent the night in a hotel in Minneapolis and I was so excited I could not sleep.  My poor Mom was trying very hard to keep me quiet so my Dad could sleep.  We caught the train from Minneapolis to Chicago the next morning after breakfast.  The first excitement in Chicago was riding the elevated trains and I spent a long time wondering about the “tall, tall ladies” who could hang their laundry on the clotheslines stretching out from the windows and fire escapes of the apartment buildings.  Eventually I got so curious I asked Dad and he explained about the pulleys and that the ladies weren't unusually tall after all.  I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to see any giants.

 Aunt Florence and Uncle Cy and Uncle Perry and Aunt Margaret lived in Chicago at that time and so we stayed with Aunt Florence and Uncle Cy and Uncle Perry and Aunt Margaret visited us there.  I remember being teased for asking for “a piece of chee”.  Mom sternly told me that I didn't talk baby talk but I got upset and said, “I don't want two pieces so I couldn't say cheese as when you said words with s on them it meant two or more.”  Dad understood what I meant immediately and explained that some words just ended with an s sound.  I have, obviously, never forgotten that. 

 When we went to the fair itself, two memories stand out.  One was of a large room with a big board up on the wall near the ceiling.  It had lights flashing on and off and what looked like light going down a tube and going from one of the flashing lights to the next.  I remember something about electrons and about our bodies and that we are not solid after all.  It went right over my head for many years, but later on I realized it was explaining molecules, atoms, electrons and protons.

 The other memory I have of the fair itself was of the amusement park at the fair.  Dad took me to the merry-go-round and gave me a ticket so I could go and ride.  Much to my embarrassment, I gave my ticket to the wrong man and, worse yet, after the ride I got my foot caught in the stirrup and Dad had to come and rescue me.  He said I had done just fine and I shouldn't feel embarrassed. 

In 1937, I caught scarlet fever and spent 3 weeks in the hospital.  I never did finish kindergarten.  That may have explained later problems.  LOL   I was too sick to eat ice cream and that made me very upset.  The rest of those years were populated with the usual things – learning to skate and ski, belonging to the Girl Scouts and going to camps, learning to swim, learning lifesaving, piano lessons, trombone lessons,  speech lessons and as much play time as I could sandwich in between the other activities.  I also remember my 10th birthday party in 1941.  It was the first time I had ever seen ice cream made in the form of little flower pots with flowers in them.

Her family and friends are all deeply saddened by Carol's passing.  Carol was born in Duluth Minnesota to Lois and Chauncey Tuttle.  She grew up in Duluth and retained a fondness for her hometown throughout her life returning frequently to visit.  After graduating from Denfield High School in June 1948 Carol left Duluth to attend Hamline University.  While there she missed her friends, her church, her parents, Lake Superior, the sounds of the boats, trains and foghorns.  She met her first husband Lowell (Fred) Listerud between her freshman and sophomore years at Hamline and then moved back Duluth to marry Fred and finish her college education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Carol and Fred had four children - Lowell Brian, Rodney Phillip, Susan Kay and Dale Keith Listerud. 

After graduating from UMD, Carol worked at Chun King foods, created television commercials and taught school in the Duluth area.  She loved being a teacher and frequently entertained her family with stories about her students and teaching.  Carol left Duluth in 1960 and moved to Lyle Minnesota to teach school there.   Carol married her second husband, Jim Alseth, while she was in Lyle and once again relocated back to Duluth where she took the position of social worker for St. Louis County.  In 1965 Carol moved her family to North St. Paul Minnesota and became a social worker for Dakota County - a position she held for 15 years.

The first of her precious grandchildren was born while Carol worked for Dakota County.  Carol loved all of her grandchildren and liked nothing better than to spend time surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  In her own words, “‘More children, more babies, more people to love.”  Carol took on a new career as a medical transcriptionist in 1985.  She loved this job since she wanted to be a doctor earlier in her college career.  Carol retired from this job when she was in her early 70s and focused her remaining time on her three loves - traveling to see family, spending time with family and knitting.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, brothers Phillip and Robert Tuttle, son Lowell (Brian) Listerud, daughter-in-law Valery Ro Listerud, and grandson Nathaniel Christopher Listerud. She is survived by and missed by her children - Susan and Chris Wortman, Rodney and Susan Listerud, and Dale Listerud; by grandchildren - Jeremy, Tina and Raylee Listerud;  Angelique Jaquez; Christopher (Ryan) Wortman; Matthew, Mark and Rachel Listerud; Lowell (Jason) and Jennifer, Bjorn and Christine and Solveig Listerud.  Also missing Carol are great-grandchildren - Cheyenne and Darian Jaquez; Sally, Lowell (Isak) and Emily Listerud; Noelle Listerud and Avory Ferguson.   

A spring memorial service is being planned.