from "​Double Cousins" by Ralph Hammersborg,  A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996

Ralph Hammersborg had asked his Mother’s cousins to write about their lives.  The cousin's stories are taken from "Double Cousins by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996.”   Birth dates of living relatives have been removed from the original text.

1920 - Marian Deline (Johnson) (Sundholm) Alverts 
born February 7, 1920, died at age 93 on November 29, 2013
Daughter of Johnie & Marie Johnson

Written in 1996

I was born February 7, 1920 in Binford, North Dakota to Johnie and Marie Johnson. They named me Marian Deline. In speaking of my birth, my father often said, “I jumped on horseback in 0° weather and a North Dakota blizzard to get a doctor to bring you into the world."

 I have faint memories of being at Grandma and Grandpa Susag's in Minnesota. My mom told me that it was at their house where I had my arm cut badly and I still have the scar.  When I was 2 years old the folks sold out in North Dakota.  My father and Gundor Rust moved to Blaine, Washington where both men were hired at the lumber mill.  Several months later they sent for their families to come west.  The moms and kids, arrived by train in Blaine where the families purchased homes across the street from each other.  This was the beginning of a lifelong family friendship.

When I was about 4 years old, I contracted a light case of polio. I can remember having to spend time in bed, but I was very fortunate to have not suffered any paralysis.  I did end up with one foot shorter than the other, which always causes interesting comments from shoe salesman.

 While living in Blaine, I attended Blaine grade school until the 5th grade when we moved to a small, 10 acre farm.  This was halfway between Custer and Ferndale and the Rusts had also moved to the same area.  I finished my school days in Ferndale and graduated from Ferndale High School in 1938.

 I have many wonderful memories of my childhood and teenage years. One of these was the time when our cousins, Johnny, Arnold and Lester moved to our area.  It was fun to have relatives living close by.  Otherwise they all lived in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Norway.  Another memory is the time when Uncle Sig and family (who lived in Canada) were coming to Ferndale to be with us for Thanksgiving.  When they got to the border they were not allowed to come across because they didn't have the proper papers with them.  The officers at the border said that there were tables in the jail and the families could celebrate Thanksgiving there.  We had no phone at the time so I don't know how we got the message but somehow we did and our dear mom packed up everything and we all went to the Blaine border and had our Thanksgiving dinner in the jail dining hall. The anger and disappointment calmed down and we had a great Thanksgiving.

 Another wonderful memory was that when I was 9 years old my father gave his heart to the Lord and it brought many happy changes to our family.  My daughter loves to to hear me tell how I came home wearing lipstick once and my father took it from me and threw it clear across Brown's field.

 After graduation I worked in Bellingham and then came home to stay while Mom went to Minnesota for her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.  She made the trip with her nephews Johnnie, Arnold and Lester and they had great family time on this occasion.

 In the fall of 1938 I moved to Seattle to find my fortune. I worked as a domestic in a dentist home and they were so wonderful to me. From there I went to work at Van De Kamp's bakery.  I attended First Covenant Church with a friend from Bellingham and there I met Victor Sundholm.  We dated for a year and a half and were married at First Covenant Church on May 11, 1940.

 Vic and I had three children.  Richard is married to the former Carol Knutson and they live in Seattle. They have three children.  Dick became a part of his father's electrical business in 1968 and took over prior to Vic's passing.  James, born in 1945, met Carol Anderson at North Park College and they married in 1972.  They live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Jim and Carol have three children.  Jim is a pastor of an inner-city church in Minneapolis.  Through one of life's coincidences, Jim discovered that a member of his church is living in the same retirement home as Jim and Grace Phau.  She was Grace Susag and is the cousin that bought Aunt Deline's home in Lake Park, Minnesota after being neighbors to her previously.  My daughter, Jean, is married to Tom Mohrweis and they too live in Seattle.  They have three children.  Jean is a receptionist at Harris Electric.  In 1947, during the time I was enjoying my new family, we received word that my father drowned while working on the fish line in Alaska.  I was so thankful that he knew Christ and I will someday see him again.

 1978 was an eventful year.  Vic and I made our first retirement trip to Arizona.  We enjoyed it so much we purchased a mobile home in Mesa where many friends lived.  We enjoyed this time for four winters.  This same year we sold our home to Tom and Jean and moved into a condo.  We also made a trip to Mexico with our daughter-in-laws parents.  During this trip Vic became very ill and was hospitalized.  After the third day we flew home and he went right into Swedish Hospital where the doctor diagnosed him with cancer.  He had treatment and did quite well for 3 years but passed away in March 1981 at the age of 66.

I continued to live in our condominium and was able to enjoy the company of and do some traveling with another friend whose husband died a few months before Vic.  In 1982 Jim and Carol invited me to make a trip with them to Scandinavia.  Jim was a member of the Covenant Minister's Choir which was touring Sweden and Norway.  Their first concert was in Oslo, Norway.  Before the concert our cousin Torleif and his family came and picked me up and I had a pleasant afternoon and dinner with them.  Afterwards they all came to the concert.  At the end of the Swedish concert tour Jim, Carol, and I took the train back into Norway.  We arrived in Naarvik which had been completely destroyed in the war and was rebuilt.  Here we rented a car and drove to Sortland, in the Lofotan Islands.  We stopped at a small store and asked for the home of our Aunt Margit Gunderson.  The clerk looked surprised and said, “Yah-hern er min tante.”  She is my aunt, too.  She then sent a boy on a bike to lead us to her house.  We had such a great visit with Margit and her family.  One son that farms the place is a real accordion player like Johnnie.  From there we took the boat to Boda and then the train to Trondheim.  We did stop at Namsos for a great visit with Mom's cousin Asta.  In Trondheim our cousin Arne picked us up at our hotel.  We had a wonderful dinner with them and some of their children.  We also visited with Hjardis and John. Our Aunt Lena was living with them.  We had a good visit with her and she was so happy to meet Johnnie's children.  From there it was back to Oslo and home.

In 1984, through a mutual friend, I was a reacquainted with Elmer Alverts.  He and his wife, Florence, were friends with Vic and I during our early married years.  After a short courtship, Elmer and I were married in August of 1984.  We both enjoy traveling and have been able to take many interesting trips, both via air and in our R.V.   O ne especially fun time was the summer of 1992 when Elmer and I traveled with Pearl and Phil Carlson to North Dakota. We stopped in Valley City, North Dakota where we met our cousins Hillard, Joyce, Eleanor, and Nina.  Hillard took us on an unbelievable tour through the countryside to Binford, including a visit to the house where I was born.  There, while dining in the only cafe in town, Elmer got to talking to some of the locals and told them that I had been born in Binford and was revisiting. The mayor of the town was dining a few tables away and on learning that I was visiting my birthplace, he asked us to meet him at his office in about 30 minutes.  There he officially welcomed me back and gave me a rose.  It was a great experience.

So I end this story where I began, at my birthplace. I can't end it until I give thanks to God for his companionship through all of my life, good times and bad. He has abundantly blessed me.

Click on a link below to continue with the JOHNSON FAMILY photos and stories.

Same links as the Home page

Johnson Family (home)  - Kinstories (home)  -  Susag Family  -  Flatau Family  -  Beckman Family
Granquist Family  -  Anderson Family  -  Stout Family  -  Walker Family  -  Peterson Family  -  Morris Family  - Cauble Family