Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.02.1995, Blaðsíða 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 17. febrúar 1995
MEMORIES FRO M VESTFOLD
A Friend Remembered
by Lilja B. Stefansson
In 1984 my cousin Vi Zeebeck,
accompanied Evelyn Rogers, my
usual travelling companion, and
myself on a trip to Vancouver. We
spent a few days with Stefania (Olsen)
Morris and her husband Joe. They
treated us royally. Joe took a day to
drive us around Vancouver and show
us the sights. I remember Stefania
seemed to get a great deal of enjoy-
ment from a train trip around Stanley
Park. That way she could see things
better as her walking ability was limit-
ed even then. We had a day to be
remembered.
This trip came to mind recently,
when I learned that Stefania died at
eighty-three years of age. Some of you
will remember reading her writings in
LögbergHeimskringla. It also got me
thinking back to Vestfold where
Stefania was brought up on her par-
ents’, Fred and Gusta Olsen, farm,
which was four miles from the
Stefansson farm, my home. She was
enough older than I that she was no
longer going to school when I started,
so I’m not as familiar with her as I
would have been had she still been in
school.
The outstanding memoiy is that she
and her brother, Bjorgvin, came down
with polio, then known as Infantile
Paralysis. Strangely, they were the only
two cases in that neighbourhood.
Stefania was the sicker one and was
taken to Winnipeg and spent some
time there. Bjorgvin seemed to have
recovered completely though he was
never again the robust youngster he
had been. Stefania had quite a struggle
to recover but she did. However, she
wore a heavy corset for the rest of her
life. This was because her spine had
been affected and she was bent over
very badly. So she had a serious opera-
tion on the spine to fuse three disks.
Sha^did not let this stop her.
During the depression many men
were hired by farmers because the gov-
ernment paid the man five dollars and
the farmer five dollars to keep him.
Due to this program Fred Olsen,
Stefania’s father hired Joe Morris,
although he did not usually have hired
men. Eventually jobs became a little
easier to get so Joe moved to the coast.
Stefania and Joe corresponded. When
he had found a fairly good job, she
took the train out to Vancouver and
they were married there. This seemed
like a very daring, brave thing for a
young woman with the liability of the
aftermath of polio to do.
In spite of her vulnerability she
raised a family of three. She helped Joe
in many ways. They managed a small
apartment building and she looked
after renting it, etc. She also had her
mother, Gusta Olsen, living with her
for many years and cared for her until
her death at age one hundred and one.
I’m not aware of all her activities but
she was also a good neighbour as I
know she looked after my sister Fjola’s
children when necessary from time to
time.
After Joe died, she picked up the
threads of her life, joined several
Icelandic clubs and was very active in
them. She even had an audio tape
made of a play that she took part in.
She had a number of her writings
published, some in Lögberg-Heims-
kringla. I must apologize that my
knowledge of her accomplishments are
hazy as these later ones are garnered
long distance. It is also a long time
since we were neighbours in Vestfold.
Stefania’s courage and determination,
Stefania Morris
Stefania Morris was bom in the
Interlake district of Manitoba at
the family farm, Fair Oaks. Life
on a wilderness farm included hard
work, the security of a close knit fami-
ly and neighbours and a playground of
gentle knolls, quiet marshlands and
lush green trees.
As a teenager, she experienced the
struggles of homestead life, the Great
Depression and a debilitating attack of
polio. Her own suffering did not inhib-
it her development as a kind and
thoughtful person always ready to love
and help others.
She was married to Joseph on July
7, 1937. They set up their home in
Port Albemi and later in Vancouver.
She had two sons, Wayne and Barry,
and one daughter, Dale. Her home
was full of visitors and friends. Stefa,
like her mother Augusta, taught her
kindness and how to love and respect
others.
Like all Icelanders, she had a love
for knowledge; reading and education
was always encouraged in the Fred
Olsen home. She continued to learn
all her life by reading, writing and
through formal studies.
She moved to White Rock in 1985
shortly before her husband died.
While living independently in her
apartment, she was constantly busy
with friends, interest groups and clubs.
As her strength declined she concen-
trated on writing family history. Many
other stories and articles appearing in
local newspapers and magazines.
She died peacefully on January 7,
1995 surrounded by her family.
despite health problems should be a
lesson for all of us. She was a valued
friend and will always be remembered
by her family and friends.
To honour Stefania
Iwas very pleased.to see the neat way you set up my short anecdotes
from Vestfold. I am particularly pleased to have my byline in this
paper as it was always in my home when I was growing up. At that
time however, it was two separate papers.
I enjoy reading your paper, particularly Einar Amason’s writings as he
often mentions people I knew including my parents. Also being familiar
with the area he wrote about made it good reading for me. I am sorry to
hear he is not well and hope he will recover and be back at his desk writ-
ing again. Most of the Icelanders from the Interlake area have done well
despite growing up in such an isolated area, or is it because of that?
I felt Stefania Morris deserved some mention in your paper, which I
know was dear to her heart. I know I am not really doing her the credit
she deserves as, although very meaningful to me, my visits with her were
rare so my sketch is fragmentary.
Respectfully yours
Lilja B. Stefansson
Ethel Thorlacius retires after 21 years
Readers may have noticed a new
column in Lögberg-Heims-
kringla under the heading
“Amma’s Penni”. The author of this
column is Ethel Thorlacius. Mrs.
Thorlacius recently retired from her
job as an Activities Director at IGttson
Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
in Hallock, North Dakota.
Mrs. Thorlacius has had a plenti-
tude of life experiences, which she
now likes to write about for her grand-
children and her local community.
She is also going to share these stories
with the readers of
Lögberg-Heimskringla
from time to time.
Mrs. Thorlacius and
her husband Harlan
raised a family of six
children and when she
lost both parents in
her mid-twenties they
took responsibility for
raising her two broth-
ers and a sister as well,
until they could go out
on their own.
As busy as she was
at home, Thorlacius
felt a need to find
work beyond her
home, partially to supplement her hus-
band’s salary as a depot agent, but also
because she felt that she needed some-
thing of her own.
Her first job was as a school book-
keeper and secretary at the Walhalla
school, which she did for seven years,
until her husband was transferred to
Stephen where she could not find sim-
ilar work.
By this time, Thorlacius was not
contented to be “just a housewife”.
She applied for a job as a nurse’s aid
at Kittson Memorial and was hired in
1972 and has made the 23-mile com-
Minnist
I erfðaskrám yðar
mute between Stephen and Hallock
for the past 21 years. After working for
six years as a nurse’s aid, Thorlacius
was offered the job of Activities
Director in 1978. In spite of the fact
that she had no formal training as a
social worker, she managed to take
charge of the job and to build up the
Activities Department at the hospital.
Thorlacius will stay busy in retire-
ment. She has converted a portion of
her home to be a bed and breakfast
facility, which she calls “Grandma’s
House”. She will also continue to
serve the people at the Activities
Department by volunteering one day
per week as an activities aid.
We are looking foreward to hearing
from her and to read about life in her
community. Gunnurlsfeld
m
p,
SPP
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