Lucille Jennings

Lucille Jennings, last member of the large Elias and Kjersten Haarsager pioneer family, died February 5 in Minneapolis. Her passing at age 94 closes another chapter of homesteader days in the history of the Litchville area and of LaMoure County.

Her 15 sisters and brothers all were born at the farm home in Black Loam Township with the aid of a midwife. Only Lucille, the

youngest family member, was born in a hospital, St. Luke's Hospital in Fargo. The date was June 24, 1914, not long before the outbreak of World War 1.

Her father Elias was one of three Haarsager brothers who emigrated to America fromStadsbygd, near Trondhjem (now Trondheim), Norway, in the 19th century. They married three Fenstad sisters who lived nearby and had been orphaned, who also became immigrants and when married, became Homesteaders on claims near one another.

All of these people established farms in LaMoure County. Many hard-working years later, when Elias and Kjersten Haarsager retired,

Lucille was a young girl and moved with her parents to Litchville. They lived in the Victorian house opposite the Litchville Museum, which is still standing.

Lucille went to school in Litchville and graduated from Litchville High School in 1932, after which she worked at the North LaMoure Store on Highway 1, operated by her sister and brother-in-law, Dagne and Ben Osterberg.

She went to Ketchikan, Alaska, when she married Erling Ness of the Helge Ness family not far from The Store. After that marriage ended in divorce she enlisted in the Navy WAVES in World War 2. Her training in postal duties was at Hunter College in New York City.

She was stationed in Seattle for years and had attained the rating of Mailman First Class when she met and married Charles Philllip Jennings, also serving in the Navy. Lucille and Chuck had one son, Phillip Charles, who survives her.

In the postwar years they lived in Valley City, and Chuck became a barber. The little family moved to Edgeley in the late Forties, bought a house, and Lucille went to work at the Edgeley Post Office.

The couple lived there for more than 50 years.

Lucille and Chuck were founding members of Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church. Lucille was the church organist for many years.

Chuck's health began deteriorating due to strokes, and it was decided to move to Bethany Homes in Fargo. He died there in 2006 and some months later Lucille moved to Minneapolis and lived at the Jones-Harrison home, where she died.

Survivors besides Phillip and his wife Bonnie McClain of Golden Valley, his daughters Mary McCarl and Heather McCarl and their son

Logan Phillip of St. Paul, and his son Benjamin Elias Jennings of Ripon, Wis.

Nieces and nephews are Alys Kennedy of Fargo, Marvel Brodnick of Largo, Florida, Byron Botner of Valley City, June Osterberg of San Francisco, Dennis Haarsager of Washington, D.C., Dudley Haarsager of Yankton, S.D., Margaret Johnson of Centerville, S.D., and Robert Haarsager of Falcon Heights, Minn., as well as in the Grand Forks area, Karen Ebertowski, Guy Haarsager, Nancy Nice and Kristie Wolff.

There will be visitation at the Lisko Funeral Chapel on Main Street in Edgeley on Friday, February 13, from 10 am to 7 pm.

Funeral services will be at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church on Saturday the 14th at 11 am.

Graveside services and interment will be in the spring.