The first time I met Ellion was in the late summer of 1954. I had just joined my mother and sister at the Starch farm near Nerstrand, Minnesota. My sister, Jennifer, and I were walking along the creek below our farm house where there was a deep swimming hole and along came this kid who turned out to be Ellion. He lived west about three quarters of a mile from our place and had followed the creek down our way. Little did I know that we would become good friends.
Although we lived close to each other, he went to a different country school than I, and rode a different bus when we moved on to high school in Kenyon. One of the highlights of High School was singing Second Bass with Ellion in the school chorus. It was during this time that Ellion and I would send away for free information on various states using ads we found in National Geographic Magazines. One that Ellion received was addressed to a Mr. Edison Boomfleth! We laughed about that for years!
In the early spring of 1957 I moved with my family to Colorado. When Ellion sent me the School annual which he had classmates sign for me, he wrote a lengthy note in it that said he missed our Sunday afternoon drives around the area in his dad's pickup. We were out experimenting with "freedom" from the farm and maybe smoking cigarettes.
Our paths didn't cross until years later, but we managed to keep in contact. In 1965, Ellion visited me in Winona on leave from the Air Force and decided to join me in Winona and continue his education at Winona State after his discharge. At Winona, he joined Cliff Koxlein and me as housemates. Ellion also worked for Filter Queen while going to school, making $50 for each vacuum cleaner he sold. A good salesman, he sold a machine to a family that did not have electricity.
After marriage, and moving around a bit to further his education, he had several jobs in Minnesota before being hired by the state of Wisconsin as a commercial assessor and moving his family to the sand prairie farm between Mondovi and Eau Claire.
By this time we both had young families and began a tradition of sharing Thanksgivings together. I always enjoyed the trip across the river to the Bornfleth home. Our families also enjoyed picnics together in the Lake City area each summer when we could.
With his move to Arizona we continued our friendship. Ellion returned most summers during the Kenyon Rose Fest for the Class of 1959 lunch get together and to visit his sons who live in the Twin Cities area. He manage to get in a round or two of golf with Cliff and me also.
On one of his trips I rode back with him to Payson. On the way we stopped in Ouray, Colorado and we hooked up with his Payson hiking friends for a hike in the San Juan Mountains to Ice Lake which is around 12,000 feet in elevation. We came very close to reaching the lake but did not quite make it. Over the years, I was able to visit Ellion at his Payson home three times, once with my wife Robyn.
Ellion was a friend! He was a good friend! He is my best friend!
