|
a.
|
Note: Both of Helga's parents come from Norway. When Elsie DeLonge was born on December 28, 1888, in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, her father, Soren, was 35, and her mother, Karen, was 44.
Helga "Elsie" Severson
She was called Elsie. Born in Black River Falls, WI, December 28, 1888. Her mother had died when she was 10 years old and Elsie moved from one Family to another working as a maid and babysitter.
Elsie married John Francis Delonge and they had 10 children. John was in a TB Sanitarium in Anoka , MN in 1916. Years later he was released with no TB. It was determined that his symptoms were caused from his cigarette smoking.
Elsie could not care for all of the children alone. Nine of the children were cared for by the Catholic Sisters in St. Michael Orphanage in
La Cross, WI. Elsie kept infant Dick with her. She married Charles Bourque but on the wedding certificate it was spelled Bourke. They had seven children but Charles was seldom home to help take care of them.
When Kenneth was born, Elsie and the baby nearly died. The 2 oldest boys, Virgil and Chuck were cared for in a Catholic Boys school and home in Minneapolis, MN. Geri and I were placed in wonderful foster homes for several years and I started Kindergarten in 1931 when I was six years old.
Dick DeLonge was adopted by Charles Bourque's mother, Edith Wilson Reno and her husband Edward Reno, Mpls., MN.
Robert William was born in 1931. The family lived on Goverment Relieve Aid until Helga Elsie died in 1956.
The kids had been told about their 10 brothers and sisters living in an orphanage in WI. They kids started coming to my home one at a time. Elsie welcomed them with love and kindness and helped them start a new live in Minneapolis, MN, there was always room for one more.
Helga Elsie was pretty, 5'2" tall with chubby cheeks. She was a happy person, most of the time. She loved to dance at the Norway Hall and Lunda Hall. She taught Virgil and me how to dance and took us with her to some of the dances.
Our family had lots of friends. Our home was like another YMCA and everyone called Elsie "mom". We had our very own full-time baseball team played in the back alley. We made snow forts, for snow ball fights and skating rinks in the back yard and would skate after dark. Mother had hot chocolate and special goodies hot from the oven when we came in to warm up our hands and feet.
Elsie was the best cook. Flat Bread, Funtiment, Yulekoka, Liefsa, Lutafisk, corn fritters, Johnny Cakes. We did a lot of canning in the summertime. We were proud to be Norweigan. Charles Bourque was French and Irish.
Around 1939 Elsie had cancer of the uterus and the Drs. could not operate because they were afraid that it would spread so they gave her radium instead. In1940 they treated the rotted bones with silver coils and she was in a body cast with a metal bar betwen her knees to keep her legs in position. It would take four nurses to turn her several times a day in her bed. I was 14 at the time and 5'6" tall so I was strong for my age and it fell to me to do most of her rehabilitation and Elsie was a spunky and she beat the cancer. The U of M provided free service in exchange for using her as a study subject.
Many beautiful grandchildren came into her life and filled her with joy. Elsie's favorite times were trips to WI to visit her daughter Mary Grace on the farm.
We all enjoyed Aunt Clara Britton's visits to our home, and the fresh, frozen, chickens she would mail to us at Chrismas time. We like to listen to them chat and laugh together.
In 1955 they discovered cancer in Elsie's right hip and she had to have her leg amputated. I was was 29 years old, married with 2 girls of my own and we lived in Tulsa, OK at the time but I still managed to spend six weeks with her while she was still in the hosital. Her ordeal was a horror story.
Her son Chuck spent a great deal of time with her at the hospital and in the nursing home. I have kept some of the letters Chuck had written for Elsie to me since I was pregnant and could not attend Elsie's funeral because I could not travel.
Helga Elsie Seversen, DeLonge, Bourke, died April 1956 - Hanson-Nugent Funeral Home, buried her in a paupers grave yard. Helga Elsie had 48 grandchildren. Greats ???? She raised all of the children to be Catholic.
I would give anything to have another cup of coffee at her kitchen table, she was quite a chatter box. We loved her very much.
Remembered by Elsie and written by her daugher.
Shirley M. Bourke-Scherrer - 1996 Kansas City, MO.
|
