Olga Ellen Victoria Appelgren Peterson

My Aunt Ellen, my Dad's youngest sister, died on Thursday, April 10, 2008. Her name was Olga Ellen Victoria Appelgren Peterson, and she lived most of her life in Wolf Point, Montana. She died at the age of 98. She was born on 12-16-08 in Winthrop, Minnesota. Both her parents, my grandparents, were born in Sweden.

Up until a couple of years ago, most people would have a difficult time keeping up with her. She scrubbed her kitchen and bathroom floor on her hands and knees because it wasn't clean enough unless she did. For years before Christmas, she made 50 DOZEN krumkaka (Swedish cookies) to give away to people at church, family, and friends. She didn't just read a book once in awhile. She believed it was important to be well informed. She felt it was your duty and your obligation to keep up. She read Time Magazine, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report at the same time. She read countless other magazines, journals, and several national newspapers. She read the classics and any book she felt was important to read.

My Aunt Ellen was a country school teacher. She held high leadership positions within the structure of the Lutheran Church in Montana. She taught at the university. During the summers, she took a small trailer up into the mountains to teach the Hutterite children. She was a writer who earned extra money writing articles for GRIT Magazine.

She was a doer. She had tremendous strength. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. I was always proud of her, her strength, her courage, and all she accomplished. She was the one who took care of people and nursed them back to health when others needed help.

I love you, Aunt Ellen. I will miss you. My Aunt Ellen could do anything. She was one of the greatest influences on my life. One of my biggest regrets is that I haven't had the money in the last few years to spend time with her by taking a month, staying at a motel, and just listening to her. My Aunt Ellen believed it was important to be kind to everyone, work hard, and help others.