My Grandma Helga Gillie 1915-2013

My Grandmother Helga Gillie in a portrait I took of her in the Two River Lutheran Church in 2004. She recently passed away and her funeral was held in the century old country church that has now been moved to the Kittson County Historical Museum in Lake Bronson. It was very fitting place for her last rights. When discussing her final wishes with my Uncle David it was suggested that the funeral be held at the church. She thought about it for a while and said, “Well, I was baptized there, I was married there, I might as well be buried there.”

She was very involved in the museum by volunteering and helping write several history books on Kittson County. I guess I got my appreciation for history and antiques from Grandma.

This church is also where I was baptized, although I have no recollection of attending the church. It was disbanded in 1971 when I was 4 and merged with Grace Lutheran Church in Hallock where Grandma was a member for the rest of her life and were I was confirmed.

I spent a little time in the Two River Lutheran Church last week the day before the funeral to take some photos with my cell phone and reflect on Grandma’s life. My Grandma Helga and Grandpa George spent their entire lives farming east of Hallock on the farm where I grew up. It’s very easy to forget about the efforts of those who came before us and paved the way for us. George and Helga’s lifetime of hard work farming on the open prairie helped make it possible for me to be who I am today. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.

The Two River Lutheran Church is also where my great grandfather and great grandmother George and Inga Foss where married in 1914. (Helga’s parents) I am lucky to have a few memories of my great grandparents from when I was little.

Not only is this the baptismal font my Grandmother was baptized in, it is also the same one I was baptized in!

The Gillie Family has a long history in Kittson County, this is a detail from the headstone of William and Rena Gillie, who homesteaded east of Hallock in 1899 on the same farm I grew up on. Nazan and I are honored to still have the spinning wheel owned by Rena in our living room in Madison. The  farm was taken over by my Grandparents George and Helga and farmed until their retirement and was passed to my father Jerry. The farm is still being farmed by my brother Keith, his wife Theresia and their son Byrce. Now the 5th generation of Gillie on the farm.

The church still has most of the original items still in the building. Including the mail slots for the church bulletin, which my grandparents and great grandparents names are still on the labels.

You can imagine what living in this wide open isolated prairie was like with it’s unforgiving winds and brutally cold winters and see why faith played a big role in the early settlers lives. This church meant a great deal to a lot of people. I’m glad it is being preserved in a museum setting when so many country churches are disappearing.