October 11, on the way to my scheduled
appointment at the Mayo Clinic this day we
left the Interstate to drive a country road. We
drove east from Forest Lake to highway 95. This
is beautiful country and a very enjoyable drive.
12 miles north of Stillwater we stopped at
Marine on St.Croix. It is one of the oldest
communities in Minnesota
http://marine.govoffice.com/. What is nice
about this small city is the old buildings are
still in use.
Then I remembered Bill
Woods telling me his cousin John Ostlund had an
automobile service garage in this historic
community. Sure enough we found his business. I
walked into the shop and asked if there was
anyone there from Gheen. That got John's
attention and we took twenty minutes of his busy
day. We also enjoyed meeting his wife Toni who
has been battling cancer for sometime. She could
be the poster gal for fighting cancer as she was
just a joy to visit with.
John's
grandparents John Ostlund
77,1960 & Olga
81,1973 (Flank) Ostlund homesteaded west
of the Gheen Corners back in 1910 or so. His
Uncle Al Ostlund 66,1980
owned a resort at Crane Lake. His Aunt Mabel
61,1984 married
George Woods 62,1982,
they raised their children in Field Township
west of Cook, they are; Larry (Rita), Bill
(Karen), Ron (Bonnie), Kathy (Esko) and David
(Shirley) Woods. John's father is Kenneth who
lives near Marine on St. Croix and is a 1951
graduate of the Orr High School.
John and
Toni were very gracous in allowing us their time
as we dropped in unexpected. They have a very
clean, well run business. I would have my car
serviced there if I lived in the area.
Sent: Thursday, October 21,
2010
Subject: Thank you
Hi Don;
I had a phone call
yesterday from my nephew Bill Woods. Bill
told me to check the Cook web site to read a
story about Toni and John at the Marine
Garage. Don, I can't tell you what a thrill
it was for me to read that great article you
wrote about our son John and his wife Toni.
Toni has got a rough road ahead of her, but
she is a fighter, and she will not give up.
The life story that you
wrote about Bill Lobe was another great work
on your part. I have read it several times,
because it always brings back so many great
memories, not only of Bill, but also all of
the fellows that I knew that worked in his
shop. My sister Elsie is in a retirement
home and does not have a computer. So I
printed that article and gave it to her to
read. Her impression was the same as mine
"wonderful". Elsie also remembered most of
the fellows, and of course Bill and Mary
Jane (Mary Jane VanEtta, right?) Speaking of
my sister, did Elsie have the beauty shop
when you came to Cook? I remember so well
when Elsie rented the old mortuary that was
located between Atley Swanson's drug store
and Mike Sorvori's grocery store. The first
time we looked at the building it still had
some caskets stored in it. I remember saying
to Elsie, "Are you sure that you want to
have a beauty shop in here?". My younger
sister Mabel was going to beauty school
then, so after she graduated, she worked
with Elsie in the shop.
Don, thinking
about Bill Lobe
again, I have to tell you about my first
car. When I was a young kid in high school,
I traded my old 22 caliber Marlin rifle to
my cousin for his 1936 Ford. That old V-8
engine was so wore out, when I would drive
down the road there was a cloud of blue
smoke behind me, I carried a five gallon can
of drain oil in the back. Don Delich had the
Pure Oil station in town, and he would keep
me supplied with oil. It was about thirteen
miles from the farm to Cook. When I got to
Cook, I would have to add a quart or two to
get back home.
.
One day I saw that Bill
had a nice little 1937 Chevy. in the lot. I
looked at it several times until I got the
courage to go in and talk to Bill about
making a deal. Bill looked at my Ford, and
my prayers were answered, he didn't take it
for a ride, or even start the engine.(maybe
he didn't want to hurt my feelings). Bill
could see it sitting in front of the window,
and he told me, "Ken, I have to have $125
and your old Ford". I told him that I only
have $75 to my name, so that is all that I
can pay. Bill then said, "Ken, I've known
your family for years, your credit is good
as gold, give me the $75, and you can bring
me $5 or $10 whenever you have the money,
until it's paid off". I told him that I
can't do that. I counted out the $75 on his
counter and said to Bill. "Either you pickup
the money, and give me the keys to the
Chevy, or you say no, and I will put the
money back in my pocket and go home until I
have saved more". Bill lit his pipe, looked
at me for a long time, then said "You are
just like your Dad, If you can't pay cash
for it, you will wait until you can.----Take
the darn Chevy. There was never any hard
feelings, Bill and I were always good
friends.
This is probably more
than you wanted to hear, but I just had to
tell you some stories of long ago. But Don,
again I want to thank you for that nice
article that you wrote about John and Toni,
I truly appreciate it
Sincerely.
Thanks to Ken Ostlund, Orr Class of
1951 and the father of John Ostlund, the
owner of the Marine Garage.
.
John & Toni Ostlund, Muriel
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