served in the Army (1946-1947) and the Navy (1953-1955). Oscar followed his father’s footsteps and was one of the top IDS salesmen. On 14 Mar 1959 in Quincy, IL Oscar married Margaret Eva Harvey . Margaret was an instructor at Luther College at the time. They lived on the ‘Josvanger homestead”, owned by Oscar’s parents. The "summer kitchen” had been moved from behind the farm house to the east side of the driveway and remodeled into living quarters for the newlyweds.

The family had moved to Mason City, IA in 1962. Here Oscar continued in his work with IDS until his retirement and death 16 Apr 1993 from a heart attack when he and Margaret were on their way to a vacation in the Ozarks. Margaret continues to live in their home in Mason City, but visits Decorah often to take care of the ’Josvanger-Aspenson Farm”, a Century Farm, which they purchased some years ago.

Atkins, Ira and Elizabeth (Washbond)

(Verl D. Nash)

Ira Bruce Atkins made his way to Decorah, IA where he met and married Elizabeth WashbondA/Vashburn. Rev. J.B. Collins was the step-father of Lizzie. Her mother was Betsey (Perry, Rowan, Washbond) Collins. Lizzie lost her father, Jesse Washbond, in a runaway oxen accident when she was just over a year old.

Addie Belle Atkins was the first child of the marriage of Ira Bruce Atkins and Elizabeth Washbond.

The Ira Atkins family made their way to Traer, IA after the birth of Our Dewdrops Atkins in Minnehaha Co., SD. She died shortly after her birth and the next child was born in Tama Co., IA. The Atkins also had a child born in Howard Co., IA.

Mr. Atkins opened a restaurant in Traer in 1875 and then was a grocer. He later opened a news stand and dealt in newspapers, magazines, etc. He died in 1910 at the age of 80. Elizabeth Atkins died in Grand Meadows, MN on 24 Oct 1927.

Addie Belle Atkins married Samuel Nash 22 Dec 1886 in Traer, IA. Soon after that, the couple moved to Sioux Falls, SD where they had eight sons. Two of the sons died in infancy. The other six were: Raymond, George, Harry, Floyd, Glenn and Alpha.

George married Pearl Iris Nornholm of Boone, IA whom he met in Nurses Training in Nevada, IA. They were married in 1919 in Sioux City, IA on their way to Sioux Falls, SD. They had two sons: Jack Byron and Verl.Jack Bryon Nash married Virginia Newkirk in Sioux Falls after World War II when Jack who working at the Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls. He was later called back to active duty with the Army during the Korean Conflict. He stayed in the Army until about 1961. Jack and Virginia lived in Albuquerque, NM at the time of his death 31 Dec 1978. They had 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter. They lost their middle son in 1955. Their oldest son, Kirk, lives with his son in San Antonio, TX after losing his wife to cancer. Carrie and her husband Philip Scott have two children and live in Albuquerque where she teaches school and Phil is presently an insurance salesman and is working toward a degree at the University of New Mexico.

Verl, the other son of George and Pearl, retired in 1991 after 39 years in education. He taught six years in Colorado, four years in Wyoming, five more years in Colorado before moving to Shatter, CA and teaching at the high school for 24 years. His wife is the former Suzanne Davis, whom he met in college and married just before graduation in 1952. Sue retired from teaching and counseling in 1991. She took some time off to raise two children, David and Karla.

David is in Marketing for Certified Grocers of Southern California. His wife is an angioplast nurse at Western Medical Center Hospital at Anaheim, CA. They have two children, a daughter and a son. Both are in school at this time.

Karla moved back to Washington, DC after graduating from Fresno State University. She went back as a representative for Tony Coehlo (D) Representative from California. She stayed with him for 5 1/2 years and was his executive assistant when he became the majority whip and moved to the Capitol Building. Karla got tired of the long hours and went to work in the office of Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. She then decided to get off the Hill and is presently the Operations Director for Robinson, Lake, Sawyer, and Miller a public relations firm in Washington, DC. She is married to Clifford Tabor who is a vice president for Advanta, a firm specializing in computer programs and hardware for medical insurance. They have two sons, Andrew and James.