Time Will Tell: Update Doris Eleanore Lundwall DeVowe

Born February 17, 1915 in Commonwealth, Wisconsin

Family Members

Parents

Fritz Oscar Lundwall 1884 – 1944  

Teckla Matilda Ekquist 1889 – 1967 

Spouse & Children

Husband:

David W. DeVowe (1912-2011)

Children:

Jon David DeVowe 1938

Gerald DeVowe 1942

Eugene DeVowe 1946

Timeline:

Birth – 17 February 1915, Commonwealth, Florence County, Wisconsin

Residence 1920 – Age: 5, Caspian, Iron County, Michigan

Residence 1930 – Age 15 Spurr, Baraga County, Michigan (Michigamme)

Residence 1935 – Trout Creek, Michigan working for the Weidman Family

Married to David W. DeVowe on September 19, 1936

Residence 1940 – Interior, Ontonagon County , Michigan (Trout Creek)

Death 24 June 1983, Age 68, Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota; Residence Trout Creek, Michigan

Sources:

1920 US Federal Census

1930 US Federal Census

1940 US Federal Census

Minnesota Death Index 1908-2002

From Davey:

My Mother - Doris Eleanor Lundwall and my Father - David William DeVowe were married on September 19, 1936 by William Yauch, a Presbyterian minister in Ontonagon, Michigan. (Nancy’s note: Doris and Dave attended the Presbyterian Church in Trout Creek.) Attendants were Bert Saari & Cecelia Bessen. Dad told us that they spent the evening dancing at the Maple Grove hall, although the hall in the early days was in a different location and closer to Bruce Crossing, MI.

Dad worked for the Weidman Lumber Company and Mother was the housekeeper/maid at the Weidman house.

The Weidman lumberyard workers
David DeVowe, Row 1, 3nd from left - Clem Weber the first on the left is difficult to see.
Marlin Lundwall, Row 8, 3rd from left

Mother and Dad lived in the front part of a house across from Sliger's gas station and Reino (Bert's brother) & Elsie Saari lived in the back and they shared the same outhouse. The house had no water so Dad had to haul all of it (drinking, bathing & washing) from the well at the school which was located about 1/4 mile away Then they rented a house on Weidman Street which was closer to the lumber mill where Dad worked for about 40 years. They eventually purchased a home in 1944 about 100 yards from the house they shared with the Saari's and it became their permanent residence for the rest of their lives except for about 5 years that Dad was in nursing homes in Ontonagon and Iron River.

This house had running water, toilet, plus an outhouse, kitchen sink with no drain, but a slop pail as they called it, kitchen wood stove and a wood heater in the dining room. I vividly recall Gerald and myself would get up in the morning and go downstairs to stand between the wall and the wood heater to gather as much heat as we could as soon as Dad had lit the fire. There was no vent to allow heat to the upstairs and it could get very cold. We could almost guess the temperature outside by checking how thick the ice was on the inside of the window.

Over the years, many hunting, fishing and trapping expeditions originated from Mom & Dad's house as well as inviting family to stay with them over the years. Ones that come to mind are Mother's brothers, Uncle Marlin & Uncle Ray (who both worked at the lumber mill), Roger Schubert, and Ted & Ronnie Chiolak. Some were only for the summer and others stayed for a longer period of time.

Grandma Lundwall lived with them for an unknown period of time and Eugene told the story of how Grandma Lundwall was standing by the kitchen sink and looking out of the window. Dad came home from work and he asked Grandma "who are you looking for?" and she said, "David." Dad asked, "What do you think of that guy?" Grandma replied, "not much."

When Grandma Lundwall was living with Marlin & Madilene and apparently Madilene had to go someplace, Grandma Lundwall stayed with us for the day when we lived in Merriweather and Leona was making apple pie, and Grandma was sitting at the table watching her. She told Leona, "You don't put nutmeg in apple pie."

There were many other family relatives that would come to spend the weekend for hunting, fishing or just visiting. It made me very happy to see Aunts & Uncles drive up since that meant "I didn't have to do the dishes." Dad mentioned many times that Grandpa Lundwall would come to hunt and fish and all of the game that they would get.

Grandpa died in 1944, the same year that Mom & Dad purchased the house. Since that time, it is hard to imagine how many fish were cleaned in the sinks of that house in Trout Creek over the years. Sometimes it was quite full. (Nancy’s note – Not only the sink was full, the house was often full of relatives as well. The men slept upstairs, and the women and girls slept downstairs! We were part of the visiting relatives and we visited at least every six weeks or so. David DeVowe was Ward's best friend, and he was especially close to his sister Doris. It was a real treat to be there when the men and boys returned from fishing. I well remember those breakfasts of fresh trout, fried potatoes and eggs accompanied by fish (and other) stories, fun talk and lots of laughter. Being a girl, I was never allowed to go fishing with the men, so I spent my time reading. One of the books in the bookshelf upstairs was “Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates.” Aunt Doris also had a subscription to a paper that had all kinds of good news, jokes, and comic strips including “Marmaduke the Magician.” Unfortunately, I am unable to remember the name of that paper/magazine any more and I only had access to it in Trout Creek! I wasn't unhappy reading at the house while my mother baked. In the afternoon, we all piled into the cars and went to Iron River to visit the rest of the relatives.)

Over the years, Mother & Dad would motor to Palmer every 2 weeks in all kinds of weather to Grandma & Grandpa's house. (Nancy’s note: This must be the reason there were always photos of “Davey and Nancy Adele." Since we lived in Negaunee, we spent lots of time in Palmer on the weekends. My mother’s family was in Hibbing, Minnesota, and both of her parents died before she was 18. The Lundwall family was a very close family and my mother was always so happy that she finally had sisters! For the rest of her life, she talked about and was close to “The Girls.”) They told me that I had stayed with Grandma & Grandpa on one occasion and to return home, they put me on a train (by myself, at age 5) and Mother & Dad were at the train depot in Trout Creek to pick me up. Apparently the conductor was also a baby-sitter. I have no memories of that. (Nancy's note -- it may very well be a photo of Uncle Dave and Davey below.)

Could very well be Uncle Dave and one of their sons at the Trout Creek Depot

I do remember staying about a week each time with Uncle Lloyd & Aunt Joyce in Stambaugh and Uncle Ward & Aunt Margaret in Hibbing, Minnesota. On both occasions, I had my bike and the highlights of riding it was going down the Stambaugh hill and hoping that the brakes would work and pedaling up to the open pit iron ore mine in North Hibbing and trying to visualize how big the equipment was that looked so small at the bottom of the pit.