Harold met Gladys Kenyon at a Lutheran Church in Kansas City. Gladys is the daughter of Ray Kenneth Kenyon and Olea Tillie Anderson. Her two brothers are Earle Wayne,  who lives in new Braunsfels, TX and Donald Roger, who lives in Kansas City.

Harold and Gladys were married on 21 Aug 1948. In January of 1949 they moved to the Lommen farm, Military Twp, Winneshiek Co. They farmed until 1977 raising dairy cattle, hogs and chickens.

Harold and Gladys have 7 children: Thea Marie, Eric Lvnn, Leon Solomon, Neil Wavne, Gwen Lee , Beth Louise  and Nena Kave.

Thea, a computer programmer analyst, married Robert Adams, a lawyer on 15 Dec 1973. They have one child: Henry Travis . They live in Buffalo, MN. Henry is an exchange student in India for the 1995-1996 school year.

Eric married LuAnn Neisen on 4 Jul 1975. They have 2 children: Sara Beth and Bret Adam . Eric is plant manager of Marshall Tool Co. LuAnn is a laboratory technician at the Sedalia Missouri Hospital. She also teaches night college courses.

Leon married Anna Kuennen on 28 Jul 1979. Anna is the daughter of Richard and Dolorita Bushman Kuennen. Anna's brothers are: Keith, Terry, Ricky, Danny, Jeff, Mike and she has one sister, Shelly Knutson. Anna and Leon have 4 children: Jamie Lee ; Dustin Michael ; Brice Allen  and Dillon Richard . Leon works in partnership with Richard Kuennen in farm related sales and service. Anna works in quality control in a factory and does bookkeeping. Their home and business is in Festina, IA.

Neil has 2 daughters: Shanna Noell  and Lisa Nicole. He is service manager at John Deere Implement in Clermont.

Gwen teaches pre-school handicapped children in Ketchikan, Alaska. She also teaches evening college courses. She graduated from the State University of Iowa and received her Master's Degree from Mankato State College, MN.

Beth married Thomas Torres on 30 Dec 1989. They have one child: “TJ.” . Beth does computer bookkeeping in Ketchikan. Tommy is a commercial fisherman.

Nena married “Mike" (John Michael) Tyson 6 Jun 1990. They live in Seattle, WA. Nena is dessert and salad maker at a seafood restaurant. Mike keeps busy with two jobs.

Harold and Gladys keep busy with gardening, flowers, making firewood and traveling.

Hamre, Clarence R. and Ida O. (Gunval)

(Kenneth Bergan)

Clarence Roy Hamre was born 9 Dec 1890 in Decorah, IA to Tollef (Tom) and Sarah (Nelson Ringstad) Hamre. He was the second of five children: Edith (m. Wm. Linnevold); Simenson (Sip); Alice (m. Paul Rygg); and Stella (m. Donald Bullard).

Ida and Clarence Hamre

As a young man Clarence worked at a milk farm in the Decorah area, then as a chemist for a flour mill in Minneapolis, MN. He returned to Decorah and married Ida O. Gunval. She was born 3 Jul 1895 to Nels and Kirsten (Samuelson) Gunval, near Ridgeway. Ida was the third of four children: Gustav (died at age 11); Emma (m. I.R. Myrland); and Gina (m. H.E. Jones).

Clarence and Ida had two children: Ruth Lorraine (b. 5 Dec 1913, m. H.T Josendahl) and Vivian Frances (b. 18 Dec 1917, m. K.N. Bergan). Clarence and Ida operated the Gunval farm near Ridgeway until Neis’s death in Mar 1939. That spring they and Grandma Gunval moved to Decorah where Clarence worked for Bolson Feed Co. About a year and an half later, they and Grandma Gunval moved to Northfield, MN. Clarence drove taxi for his brother-in-law, H.E. Jones. Later he became custodian at the Carlton College Chapel. Grandma Gunval died in 1941 in Northfield.

Clarence retired in 1955. He died 19 May 1957. “Kenny" as he was known, was a friendly “people" person. Children rallied round him and he entertained them. Ida had attended Valders College in Decorah and was first chairperson of Ladies of the Farm Bureau. She continued to live in Northfield until she moved to Ebenezer Home, Minneapolis, MN where she died 17 May 1957.

Hamre, Cora (Knutson)

(Alice Hamre Arneson)

Cora Othilia Knutson was born 7 Jun 1905 on a farm near Echo, MN the oldest of 9 children of Andrew (Aklestad) Knutson from near Akre Alesund, Norway and Caroline Elefson, parents from Tinn Telemark, Norway.

After graduating from 8th grade and being confirmed, she worked in several homes near Echo. In 1927 Cora took the LBI Bible course at Lake Independence, Maple Plain and Minneapolis, MN. She answered an ad in the Decorah Posten stating that the superintendent of Aase Haugen Home near Decorah was taking a trip to Norway and a temporary replacement was needed during the summer of 1928. Cora age 23 was hired.