My Dear Aunt Shirley

My dear aunt, born Shirley Ann Tangen in February of 1945, passed away on March 28, 2020.  Because of all the Covid-19 restrictions, her immediate family was not able to have a service with extended family and friends. I decided that I would share a few memories and photos that I have to celebrate her life. The family may have some these photos but there was a housefire sometime after they moved to Oregon and how many of those were lost or who they went to, I do not know.  My mother, Bernadine, was Shirley's oldest sister and was already married.  In fact, when my parents were getting married in June of 1944, Shirley was a little "bun in the oven" and the parents hadn't told anyone of their suspicions yet. They were waiting until after the wedding! I think a lot of these photos were taken by my parents on their annual visits.  Since Mom was already gone from home, she didn't grow up with Shirley who was twenty two years younger. Shirley was more like an older cousin to me than an aunt.

Shirley Ann Tangen, 6 years old.

Shirley's father, Ole O Tangen, was son of Ole K Tangen and Ella Mae Dokken, who were Norwegian immigrants and came to this country in 1868.  (Ole K's parents were Knut Olsen Tollefsrud  and Guri Johnsdtr Aavestrud who remained in Norway.)  Ole O is the young man on the far left in the photo below.

Ole K and Ella Mae had nine children. Most of their children grew up and many became homesteaders in the Dakotas and many of their descendants are still there.  Ole O (the O doesn't stand for anything other than to differentiate him from his father Ole K) had a homestead there for awhile in Sioux County, North Dakota (1915 census). Ella Mae's parents were Nels Olson Dokken and Kristina (Christine) Trustem.  They had immigrated to the US in 1867.  They settled in Iowa near Hanlontown.

Nels Olsen Dokken and Kristina Trustem.

My mother, Shirley's oldest sibling, said she thought that this is a photo of Ole O while he was in the Dakotas.  She wasn't sure if it was Wisconsin or Dakotas but it does look like Dakotas to me!  Sometime after he began homesteading in the Dakotas, Ole O enlisted in the army in WWI and worked with the military police.  Family lore is that he was part of the security at the signing of the treaty at Versailles but we have found no way to confirm that.  He enlisted in the Army on March 29, 1918  and was discharged on July 11, 1919.

After the war, he returned to North Dakota.  He fell in love with Kathryn, daughter of Charles Vandervort and Mary McCauley.  Kathryn was only a few months old when her mother died of typhoid fever and she was raised by step-mother Ida.  Charles worked for the railroad as a machinist. Charles parents were James Baker Vandervort and Anna Mary McIntyre.  Charles' family could trace linneage back to 1624 in New Amsterdam, now Manhattan.  Mary Ann's parents were Peter McCauley and Annie Lauless, who both immigrated separately from Ireland in the mid-1800's.

VANDERVORT HOME IN TOMAH, WISCONSIN.  Charles Vandervort is in the middle of the photo and  Kathryn, his daughter and Shirley's mother, is the little girl second from the left. Ida (step-mother) is between them.

Ole Tangen

Kathryn Vandervort

Ole and Kathryn were married in 1922 the same year that Ole K passed away.  They left the homestead and came back to Iowa to try to help keep the family farm running. They did what they could to help but were not able to turn it around in time and they lost the farm for taxes.  After that Ole and Kathryn moved to Wisconsin where they would rent farms and work to support their family.  His mother, Ella Mae, lived with them until she passed away in 1942. My mother loved that their grandmother lived with them and was very sad when she passed away.

This was one of the last family photos that were taken right before they moved across the US  to Oregon. No hint of Shirley yet at the time of this photo.  This next photo is of Ella Mae with her son Ole and grandchildren, Bernadine, Marjorie and Bruce.

Shirley was not yet born while the family lived in Wisconsin.  In 1943 or thereabouts the Ole O Tangen Family, two parents and five kids, drove across the country from Wisconsin to Oregon.  Ole was apparently planning on farming but  what he had arranged before they moved fell through..  I believe he ended up at some point working at the Alcoa aluminum plant.  If I find any relatives with more information I will be happy to edit this along the way.

The Tangen family moved to Oregon in 1943 and moved into a house on Division Street in Gresham sometime within the first year or so.  Here is a birdseye view of their property.  I don't know what year this was taken but looks very much like what I remember.  

  

The large building in the center of the photo was a tire company business.  Just above that you can see a long and skinny driveway with a house and garage near the back of the property.  The house sits almost dead center in the photo a quarter of the way down from the top. My parents (my dad was in the Air Force) tried to make sure that we would get back to see family as much as possible. I have lots of fond memories of the time spent there.

 This is sister L along with Shirley at six months old.    

These two  may be the earliest photos of Shirley.  Photo says this is with sister Marjorie and that Shirley is 6 months old.

Shirley's dad Ole was a kind and loving man!!

And this is one of the earlier ones with just Shirley and her parents.  

Easter would have been on April 21st in 1946 so Shirley here could be about 14 months old. Kathryn must have been taking the photograph!

 Shirley and her mom in 1946

Shirley hanging onto the dining room chair.  The table, chairs and buffet came from Ole and Kathryn and my mother said they were a wedding present from Charles and Ida (stepmom) Vandervort.  I think they were to go to someone else after Grandma Kathryn passed away, but after 10 years of the dining room set sitting in my parent's basement unclaimed, I took them and we've lived happily ever after!!  I figured if they ever got claimed I could give them back but no one has asked in 30 years.

 Looking good!!

 Things weren't apparently going very well this fine evening!  

 At some point in time there was a fire in the house.  I don't know if this is some of the debris left over or what this was.  I don't have personal memories of it!

Bernadine with Shirley, along with sister M.

I love this photo of Shirley and her parents.

 Looks like this is birthday #6!

This is the way that I remember the grandparents home.  This is the same house from a different vantage point.  We spent hours playing croquet in this yard.  There was a hammock in the backyard along with an Italian prune tree.  Yum! I can't be sure but based on age I think it is likely that it could be Shirley in the photo or myself on a visit. Most likely Shirley.  This home is where all of my direct memories of Aunt Shirley begin.  

Sister L and M with Shirley in the center! 

 Shirley in 1951 at six years of age.

Around 6 years of age! Center of the photo!

 Shirley at 6 years of age.

This photo says the date is 1954 so Shirley - 4th person from the left - would have been about nine years old.

This photo also says 1954 on it.

 Teenage Shirley with  parents and sister L.

I remember one time we visited and grandma always made huge molasses cookies  - with icing on them - mmmm!.  Shirly is on the left side of this photo and at about that age she "predicted our future" with a needle and thread.  She held the thread and the needle would act like a pendulum.  However times it crossed your wrist and in which directions was the objective of knowledge.  I was supposed to have five children - a boy, three girls, and a boy.  Oh well, so much for that!!  I also remember little bowls of vanilla ice cream with LOTS of Hershey's Syrup.  If Shirley was to rein in the cousins she wasn't very effective.  She had the room that looked out over the garage and she would climb out and sit on the roof.  We thought she was so clever and grown up!  My memories are only for the various trips that we made.

 Same visit with all the sibling.   This was likely taken not too long before Ole passed away from Leukemia.  

 This is a photo of the siblings in 1975 -- oldest to youngest - Bernadine, Marjorie, Bruce, M, L and Shirley.

Shirley was married twice.  With her second husband Alan she had their son who shared his first birthday with them in 1981.

In 1986 this is photo of Shirley at her oldest son's wedding.

Around 1990 Shirley and her husband took a trip to Hawaii

This photo was taken about 1997 at a 50th wedding anniversary party.  Shirley is second from the right.   

(I do not identify names of living people in my blog other than with an initial or just by relationship)

It is sad that Shirley had the misfortune to pass away during this Covid-19 pandemic (of other causes) which has impacted our lives in so many ways.  I am sure she was welcomed into heaven by a large group of extended family and friends but we were unable to give her an appropriate send off. I would have loved to have been there to remember so many things with others who love her. I know that the Lord knows our length of days from beginning to end and was not caught by surprise. I hope that these early photos and memories are a blessing and a virtual contribution celebrating her life. Go with Jesus, Aunt Shirley. He loves you and we love  you as well. You are not forgotten.

Ida Sherman Vandervort Radloff Breaks a Leg at 95

Grandma Ida around 1950 with her first great grandchild

 

Whenever I think of Great Grandma Ida, I reflect on the fact that she was very well loved and liked by family when she was in her 90's, but not so much when she was in her 20s and 30's.  My grandmother, Kathryn, youngest of three, was born in November of 1902, less than four months before her mother, Mary McCauley Vandervort, passed away of typhoid fever, contracted from a bad water source. The typhoid fever is documented, the water source cause, a family history/legend. A month after Kathryn turned two years old, Charles Lorenzo Vandervort married Ida Sherman. Another bit of family history/legend is that a grandson of hers noted that Charles could have married Ida or her sister but he "chose the wrong one." Apparently Ida fit the traditional stereotype of a step-mother, not so much in favoring her own children (of which she had none) but of not being very warm and fuzzy or otherwise nurturing. She was, according to my mother, her granddaughter, quite a Tartar!  She outlived her first husband, Charles Vandervort, who died in 1941 and later married John Radloff in May of 1950.

We join Ida's story here --

May 19, 1976

 Dear Bernadine and family,

            I hate to be the bearer of bad news but seems (Aunt Ida) your grandmother fell and broke her leg above the knee. As soon as the swelling goes down the doctor will set it and put a cast on it.  She had quite a cold too. I just called the hospital and was told Aunt Ida was OK. The doctor is waiting for the swelling to go down just as I said above. We had hoped this wouldn’t happen.  Shirley will be able to tell you about the wedding reception they attended on Sat. evening.  Aunt Ida said she just couldn’t miss that but she was so tired that she told a friend not to call her in the morning as she intended to sleep after Shirley left.  (Inadvertently I didn’t get to meet Shirley or you when you were here. Both of you were here such a short time). Willowdean and Harold called from Florida about 11 o’clock and about 11:15 on her return to bed she got dizzy and went down on the floor.  She managed to pull the bed clothes off the bed to cover her and in so doing the receiver on the telephone got pulled off so no one to get to her on the phone. Mrs. Carow tried calling about 4, got the busy signal so assumed she might be talking to me.  After many calls she called the operator and was told something was wrong with the phone. Frank Sherman, a grad-nephew happened to be visiting in Ironwood came over and had to break into the house as Aunt Ida keeps all the doors hooked then locked with a key. She even had the living room door locked between the bedroom and living room. Frank finally got in.  They called the doctor and ambulance so [she] is as comfortable as possible at Grand View Hospital, Room 204, Ironwood, Mich 49938.

            I have a problem in having transportation. I do drive a car and there is no public transportation between Ironwood and Bessemer where I live.  It’s about six miles between these two cities. Don’t know whether Aunt Ida ever spoke of me. I am not really a niece but got used to calling her Aunt when I was small. My mother was Aunt Ida’s 1^st cousin.  I remember your mother very well. She taught me in the Presbyterian summer vacation Bible school many years ago.  Also remember your grandfather.  I lived in Hurley, Wis as a child. I taught the deaf in Gooding, Idaho for 6 years and spent one Christmas in Salem, Oregon with Marjorie Naylor.  We have lost all touch with her.  Do you ever see her?

            I have meant to write to you before but just never got around to it.  Since Aunt Ida has a problem with her sight it is hard for her to write and I know she misses her correspondence.  Is this your telephone number 503-761-7598 Would you please let the others in your family know about the accident.  I have tried to write to several people that I thought should know about the accident.

            I’m afraid Aunt Ida will be laid up for some time and don’t know what will happen.  She does not want to go to a nursing home.  We are not mentioning this to her now.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                                Glenna Sealy Baird

Mrs. William S. Baird

407 E Mary Street

Bessemer, Michigan 49911

And from another relative a few days later --

May 27, 1976

Dear Folks: 

Just a line to let you know that Aunt Ida is in the hospital with a broken leg.  She fell about fifteen minutes after Shirley left.  She was going back to bed for awhile as was early six o’clock when Shirley left.  She is doing pretty good.  They took x-rays the other day and the break is starting to knit.  The break is about half way between her knee and hip.  She [has] a cast on from her hip to her foot.  She has a cough but doctor is treating her for that.  Her right ear has an abscess so she can not hear to good. Otherwise she is fine.  If you want to write her

Mrs. John Radloff,

Room 202,

Grand View Hospital

Ironwood, Michigan 49938

She looks for mail every day.  I have been busy around the place. We are finally getting the electric line in here.  I got to get this in the mail box before the mail man comes.  Hope you are all well as I am fine.

                                                            Yours Truly,

                                                                        Verner Johnson

Verner Johnson

Springstead Rt

Park Falls, Wis 54552

There is something to be said for being a strong and formidable woman when facing adversity. Ida Radloff lived another five years after breaking her leg at the youthful age of 95. Another family legend is that when told she would never walk again her response was "you and whose army" and the next thing they knew she was up and around with a walker. She was apparently also told she would not be able to move back into her house and live independently and again her response was "You and whose army" and soon she was settled back into her home and had acquired personal assistance for a certain number of hours per week. That could all be legend but I do remember visiting her at her home after she had broken her leg. I had not considered the significance of it before this very time, but while visiting she gave us each a small cactus from her windowsill. I had mine for several decades before it got lost in the shuffle of a move or something. But amazingly, I inherited the cactus my parents received from her and it is still on my windowsill now 40 years later. Over her ten decades, Ida apparently mellowed out and all my recollections of her are positive. They were short visits so I may never have seen a demonstration of her whole character. I am also sure that life and losses, reflections on what was really important and if nothing else, just the momentum of passing time eroded the prickles that had marked her youth. When she passed away in 1981 it was said that her last words were greeting Charlie and she was gone. 

 Grandma Ida's cactus that has been in the family for at least four decades

Charles Vandervort is center man in this photo.  To the left is his second wife, Ida Sherman Vandervort and to her left is young Kathryn Tangen

 

*     *     *    *    *     *     *

 

Obituary information for any extended family that like data!

 

Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan
Saturday 5 February 1972 page 6

Mrs. J. Radloff, 91 Is Honored

Mrs. John Radloff, 137 W. Ridge St., celebrated her 91st birthday anniversary Thursday, Feb. 3. The former Ida Sherman was born Feb. 3, 1881 in Emerald, Wis. When she was 9 years old the family moved to Ironwood. Five years later they moved to Powell, Wis. She was married to Charles Vandervort in 1904 and then to John Radloff in May, 1950. The lived in Milwaukee until September 1963 when she returned to make her home here.

Mrs. Radloff does her own housekeeping and makes her own bread. She used to enjoy handwork and crocheting. Now she's content to watch her television programs. Her only family here consists of a cousin, Mrs. William Baird, Bessemer. Hostesses for the afternoon social were Mrs. Baird and Mrs. Lucien Perron.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan
Friday, Sept. 25, 1981 page 6 Obituaries

Ida M. Radloff, 100, 137 W. Ridge St., Ironwood, died at her home Thursday. She was born in Emerald, Wis., on Feb. 3, 1881. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Sherman, she married Charles Vandervort on Dec. 4, 1904, at Gladstone, Mich. He died March 17, 1940. She married John Radloff May 3, 1950, at Green Bay, Wis. He died March 28, 1963.

Surviving are two stepsons, Harold and Milton Radloff, Venice, Fla., 14 grandchildren, many great grandchildren and numerous great, great grandchildren. Preceding her in death were four brothers, Herbert, John, Frank and Elmer Sherman, and a sister, Mrs. Mayme Peterson. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Engstrom Funeral Home with the Rev. George Hunt officiating. Burial will be in the Hurley Cemetery. The Engstrom Funeral Home will be open for visitation at 9 a.m. Saturday until the time of the funeral. Pallbearers are Fred Tezak, James Kolinsky (name crossed out by someone), Wilmer Carow, Paul Winters, Ronald Winters, Jr., Wm Baird (Wm. Baird added in pen). 

Two Grandma's and a Mom, Early Thoughts for Mother's Day

Forty-two years ago this month my maternal grandmother Kathryn, who was born a Vandervort (with roots back to very  early New Amsterdam), passed away.  She died on April 4, 1973 at 70 years of age.  After being notified, my paternal grandmother Susan twelve days later began to pen a letter to my mother.  She was reaching out to comfort her, but it is obvious she was at a loss for words, as all of us are at a time like that.  I enjoy the letter not only for its intent, but also for the descriptions of daily life in the transition months from winter to spring in Wisconsin -- on the old family farm.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee:  because He trusteth in Thee.”  Isa. 26:3.  “The God of all Comfort:  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any need, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” II Cor. 1:4

The Old Wisconsin Farm

April 16, 1973

South Porch

Temperature 60 degrees F – Calm

Cloudy-Misty, 5:45 PM

 Dear Precious Little Daughter and All,
            My thoughts and prayers have been with you much during these days since you telephoned me of your Mother’s passing and, as I said, I have so wished I could take you in my arms and comfort you.  (Breeze is starting up and guess it is going to rain again as it did this morning and all during the church and Sunday School hours – Yes, here it comes so will have to move to east porch as the wind is from the west or south west.  The water is starting to drop off the eaves and the birds are singing spring songs in the rain.)

Here is Grandma, the writer of this missive, in the yard of their farm with the porches she is describing behind her.  This photo was taken many years prior to this letter before Grandpa died, but as all in our family, she had pure white hair very early. in life.  She continues:

 

           Thought to write last Sunday but your newspapers, radio and television have told you of our “spring blizzard” and “winter again” starting last Sunday noon and it kept me busy trying to get food out for the birds and also preparing food for dog, cat and myself as I had to “start at scratch” as the saying is and grind corn and wheat since I had used up most of flour and it takes about an hour to grind enough in my hand grinder for a loaf of “quick bread.”  (It is getting “breezy and cool here on the east porch so will have to go in). 

 

            Temperature 50 degrees F, West Wind, Sunny April 17, 1973

            It is a perfectly lovely, sunny day now at 9:00 but since I have not been up long don’t know whether sun rose under a cloud or in a clear sky, so can’t make any predictions as to the rest of the day.  Am glad it looks to be a good day (except for some roads) as there is a district (or possibly State) Baptist Convention of some kind at the Kendall Federated Church so it will be a busy day for the Woman’s Society who will be serving the meals.  This convention was scheduled for last Tuesday but although it was a lovely sunny day a week ago also, snow drifts were so high, roads closed over most of the state, so that school and everything requiring travel was “at a standstill” not only during the blizzard Monday, but Tuesday as well, as the snow was so wet and heavy and packed so that the snow plows had trouble getting through and it was  harder than usual to push out of the road.

            Well, if the telephone rings many more times this letter won’t get off today either.  It rang several times during the paragraph above.  Anyhow I can not give the excuse of going to sleep today even though that has been a big part of the reason the last twenty four hours before this morning. One of the calls was from some one who knew I was having trouble getting some Social Security information necessary to apply for “Homestead Tax Relief” for low income elderly people.  Had saved a little over $100 last year and should receive a little less this year since taxes are less this year, but so far have not been able to make application because of not receiving answer from Soc Sec office concerning one question on the application form. Listened to the program this person told me was on Tomah radio but that did not help me so now it is nearly time for the mail carrier so will have to send this without writing the things which I had hoped to be able to write in this letter.

            The Milton and Janesville Webers will be up after their early church service Easter according to present plans and Selma Hutson has invited me over to her home and have accepted unless something of weather or otherwise interferes.  Big drift in driveway to house here yet but probably will be gone by then.

            Nearly time for carrier – will try to write soon the things I had hoped to send now. So much love and  prayers with you and for you.            

                                                                                         Grandmother-Mother

This letter was written so many years ago to my mother, who  has also been gone now for almost five years, along with both her mother and her mother-in-law.  Looking ahead toward Mother's Day, I am so thankful for Godly grandparents and parents who have passed on their values from one generation to the next. 

Tangen Family Wishes Across the Miles and Across the Years

This postcard (above and below) was sent to Ole O Tangen by his daughters Bernadine and Marjorie.  They were visiting in St. Paul, Minnesota and it was November 2, 1942

This postcard (above and below) was sent from Bruce and Rosalie Tangen to Bob and Bernadine Tangen Weber.  This was sent from Montana in 1962.

 

This postcard (above and below) was sent from Pvt Carlyle Kaasa to his grandmother Ella Mae Tangen.  He did not know that she had passed away two days before. 

It was sent on October 12, 1942

This postcard (above and below) was sent from Donald Laverne Allen to his cousin Bernadine Tangen.  The postmark does not give the date, but Berndine still lived in Frederic, WI.

This postcard (above and below) was sent to Bob and Bernadine Tangen Weber by Bernadine's mother, Kathryn Vandervort Tangen.  This was sent in September of 1964.  The "future son-in-law" was a reference to Paul Knedel who would marry Kathryn's daughter LaVonne the next spring.

This postcard (above and below) was sent to Ole and Kathryn Tangen by their daughter Marjorie Norma Tangen,  It was sent in July of 1942.

This postcard (above and below) was sent by Marjorie Tangen Whitlock to her sister Bernadine Tangen Weber in April of 1951.  Her concern for how her sister was feeling was because Bernadine and Bob had had a son in August of 1948 who had passed away two days later.  Bernadine was again pregnant -- this time with me!  It was touch and go there for awhile as she thought she had miscarried, but here I am.  Mom always thought I might have been a twin.  Will find out in heaven!