Mary

Mary Magdelene (Palczewski) Monson

Date of Birth: January 26, 1918 at home in Bowman, ND.
Died February 8, 1997. Buried in Bowman, ND next to her husband, Teddy.

Spouse: Theodore Monson born September 3, 1904 in Rotabaken, MN. Married: July 18, 1939 in Scranton, ND.
Died November 6, 1940. Buried in Bowman, ND.

Children:
Donald Gary Monson born March 18, 1940 in Bowman, ND.

Education:
Two years of high school in Bowman, ND. Lived with the Lyle Strothman family and cared for their children.

Mary and Don Monson (1944)

Memories of my Mom
by Don Monson (May 1997)

   In the early years, I remember mom cooking, etc. for Uncle Frank. She worked so hard that in the afternoon, she would lie down with me so I would take a nap. That’s when I would get up and go out and play while she slept, sometimes getting into trouble with Uncle Frank, like playing in the watering tank.
   I think it was in 1946 that we moved to Minnesota. Mom worked at a lot of jobs in the early days, garment factory, part time at a bakery, mmmmm those rolls. She worked at the Faribo Woolen Mill for over 30 years, most of those years as manager of the woolen mill store. She retired in 1980. In her spare time, she sewed for many people, from alterations to wedding dresses.
   Mom spent many hours braiding rugs from blanket strips. She would make strips from blanket remnants, braid them, and put them together with nylon stockings. I think her largest was a 9 X 12.
   Mom also loved her plants and gardening. In the summer, she would be out in the yard planting flowers and picking weeds. In the winter, she had the house full of plants, and at one time even had a lemon tree.
   I remember the holidays and mom making the BIG meals, and at Easter, always the lamb cake, white frosting, and coconut.
   Mom was very proud of her Polish heritage and her brothers and sisters and her parents. Mom was a people person. She worked very hard and was loved by many and will be missed deeply.

Palczewski Memories
by Don Monson (December 2002)

   I remember going out to North Dakota with Mom on the train in tthose early years for a visit from Minnesota. When I got a little older, she would leave me out with the Uncles and Aunts. As I got older, I even got to work: mowing hay for Stanley, Richard, and Carl, driving truck when Frank and Stanley were combining, a lot of summer fallow for most of the Uncles.
   A young memory was when Aunt Myrt and Mom were in Grandma Elizabeth's bedroom. They were talking and clipping my fingernails and pushing up the cuticles on my fingers. It hurt like blazes. They were a couple of young knockouts in those days.
   And then tere was the famous summer of 1987, when no chicken in these United States of America was safe from those Aunts and their frying pans at the family reunion, and then into the night and the laughter.

Frank, Martha, Carl, Mary, and Stanley (1940s)

Donald Gary Monson

Date of Birth: March 18, 1940. Born at home in Bowman, ND

Address: 525 Hooterville Avenue, Le Center, MN 56057-9656

Spouse: Judith Marie Forster born February 19, 1942 at Springfield MN.
Married: July 29, 1961

Children:
Christopher Jon Vincent Monson born February 18, 1962 at England Air Force Base Hospital, Alexandria, VA
Lucy Terase Monson born January 6, 1963 in Mankato, MN
Patrick Sean Monson born June 12, 1964 in Mankato, MN
Megan Maureen Monson born June 25, 1965 in Mankato, MN
Donald Gary Monson, Jr. (Jay) born October 15, 1971 in St. Peter, MN

Family Information:
Father: Theodore Monson, son of Thorvald Monson and Albertine Elstad Blagsvedt.
Born September 3, 1904 at Rotabaken, MN. Died November 6, 1940. Buried in Bowman, ND.

Mother: Mary Magdelene Palczewski, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Weise Palczewski.
Born January 26, 1918 at home in Bowman, ND. Died February 8, 1997. Buried in Bowman, ND.

Education:
Mankato State University and Winona State University

Places Lived and Careers:
Lived in North Dakota until 6 years of age. Faribault, MN through high school.
Mankato and Winona, MN in college.
Missouri and Louisiana in the Army.
Back to Mankato, MN in sales.
MN State Highway Patrol police officer in Mankato and Le Center.
We still live in Le Center since I retired.

Interests, Social & Civic Positions, Hobbies, Sports, etc.:
   Delegate to the Troopers Association (elected position) for 20 years, last 5 years as a legislative delegate for the Association. This was aside from patrol duties where I was the station Sgt. in charge of the Color Guard which originated out of Mankato about 20 some years ago.
   Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Retired Troopers Association, MN Wings Motorcycle Club.
   Hobbies: Fish, golf, garden, motorcycling: Arizona in Winter, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado in Summer.
   Started a Bobcat/Skidloader Business 3 years ago.
   Joined local Izaac Walton Organization.

Major Vacations:
25th Anniversary to Cayman Islands
Two trips to Alaska with a pal
Yearly motorcycle trips out west

Back row: Lucy, Pat, Chris.
Front row: Megan, Don, Judith, Jay
(1998 at Jay's wedding)

Don and Judith in their new entry, 2002.
Judith's sculpture in background.

Don and Judi with their nine grandchildren
(Front l to r): Daniel Barta, Luke Conlon, Beth Conlon.
(Back l to r): Emily Barta, Ben Conlon, Sam Conlon, Tess Monson, Tony Monson, and Jessica Monson

Christopher Jon-Vincent Monson

Date of Birth: February 18, 1962 in Alexandria, LA

Address: P.O. Box 1886, Mississippi State, MS 39762

Spouse: None yet!

Children: None

Education:
Le Center High School 1976-80, Graduated with Honor
St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN 1980-82
University of Minnesota School of Architecture, Bachelor of Architecture 1987
Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Master of Architecture with Distinction 1993

Lucy Terase Monson-Barta

Date of Birth: January 6, 1963 at St. Joseph the Worker Hospital in Mankato, MN

Address: Rt. 4, Box 3496, New Prague, MN 56071, dbarta@bevcomm.net

Spouse: David Gerard Barta born February 22, 1958 at Queen of Peace Hospital, New Prague, MN.
Married August 6, 1983

Children:
Emily Terase Barta born September 10, 1988 at Queen of Peace Hospital, New Prague, MN
Daniel David Barta born October 18, 1993 at Queen of Peace Hospital, New Prague, MN

Education:
Riverland Technical College, Medical Laboratory Technician Degree 1983
Dental Hygiene Degree 1999

Places Lived & Careers:
Lived in New Prague for almost 20 years.
Worked as a Lab Tech for 15 years.
Graduated from Dental Hygiene School in 1999
Work at Lonsdale Family Dental in Lonsdale, MN since graduation.
(Lonsdale is 10 minutes from New Prague)
Dave is a self employed contractor.

Interests, Social, & Civic Positions, Hobbies, Sports, etc.:
Lucy enjoys gardening, softball, walking (in warm weather!), and anything that involves the children.
Dave hunts and fishes (but never enough!) and whatever else he can muster up outside. Dave is chairman of the maintenance committee at our Catholic Church.

Travel & Vacations:
We are "learning" to travel more. We finally made it out of the country this year. Dave and I (with Mom's help) were able to "honeymoon" in Mexico. We've been to FL, LA, & CA with the kids and of course one of their favorite trips.....to SD.

Family Memories:
All the talk of "chicken" at the last Reunion.
Our visits to Grandma Mary's and all her good food.
No one will ever laugh the way Auntie Myrt, Aunt Izzy, and Grandma Mary did when those three got together!
We "Monsons" thought it was so neat to jump back and forth to North and South Dakota on one of the Great Uncle's farms.
I was always so impressed with the way Jerry and Bimbo could waterski.
I remember scheming with Cathy and Joan to sneak beer at Uncle Stanley and Aunt Marlene's.

Dave, Emily, Daniel and Lucy
at Emily's St. Wencesiaus 8th grade graduation

Daniel, Sugar, and Emily Barta, 2002

Patrick Sean Monson

Date of Birth: June 12, 1964 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Mankato, Minnesota

Address: 3342 NW 70th Ave., Margate, FL 33063

Spouse: Lynn Renae Weatherson. Born April 9, 1965 in Great Falls, Montana.
Married May 3, 1986 in Overland Park, Kansas. Divorced.

Children:
Anthony Patrick Monson born December 9, 1987 in Overland Park, Kansas
Tess Renae Monson born April 11, 1989 in Overland Park, Kansas
Jessica Lynn Monson born September 24, 1992 in Shawnee Mission, Kansas

Education:

Megan Maureen Monson-Conlon

Date of Birth: June 25, 1965 in Mankato, MN

Address: Rt 3 Box 108, St. Peter, MN 56082

Spouse: Christopher Michael Conlon born December 1, 1962 in Mankato, MN.
Married December 16, 1988

Children:
Samuel Christopher Conlon born November 24, 1990 in New Prague, MN
Benjamin Michael Conlon born April 28, 1992 in New Prague, MN
Lucas John Conlon born December 4, 1993 in New Prague, MN
Elizabeth Maureen Conlon born July 5, 1995 in New Prague, MN

Education:
Graduated from LeCenter High School
Graduated from Mankato Stat University with a BA in Teaching

Chris, Megan, Sam, Ben, Luke, and Beth Conlon, 2001

Donald Gary Monson Jr. (Jay)

Date of Birth: October 15, 1971 in St. Peter, MN
Address: 1928 MacFarlane Road, Duluth, MN 55811, jsmons@mac.com
Spouse: Sara Alison Reul-Monson born November 7, 1971 in Duluth, MN
Married June 20, 1998 in Mankato, MN.

Children: None

Education:
Graduated from LeCenter High School 1990
Graduated Mankato State University with BS in Teaching 1994

Jay's Education:
Elementary and High School in LeCenter, Minnesota (1990). BS in Elementary Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato (1994). Graduate School work at University of Minnesota, Duluth (2000-present).

Sara's Education:
Elementary School in Duluth, Minnesota. High School at Fargo South, Fargo, North Dakota (1990). BS in Elementary Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato (1995). Master's of Education (M.Ed.), University of Minnesota, Duluth (2002)

Places Lived:
Mankato & Duluth

Careers:
Elementary School Teachers (since 1994)

Interests, Hobbies, Sports, etc.
Canoeing the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area), Backpacking, Running, Volleyball, Golf, Training our Chocolate Lab "Jack"

Travel and Vacations:
Europe in 1990 and 1991, BWCA trips for the past 6 years, backpacking in Crazy Mountains (MT), Bighorns (WY), Wind River Range (WY) and Rockies in (Southwest CO). Backpacked most of the Superior Hiking Trail along the North Shore of Lake Superior from Duluth, MN to Canada. Family related trips to Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Northern East Coast, and California.

Family Memories:
Staying with Grandma Mary in Faribault for a week in the summer, eating her strawberry jam on toast for breakfast. Hiking in the watershed ravines behind Grandma's house. Playing croquet and Jarts in her yard. Playing darts downstairs always wondering if there was a monster in the pantry. Going to the Faribault Woolen Mill, taking tours, and getting pennies to buy gum balls out of machine. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day playing, celebrating, and eating way too much. Visiting the brass candy bowl on the coffee table.

Riding three wheeler/four wheeler around the dusty trails of ND(1982, 1987). Rainstorm during reunion and playing in all the deep puddles of "who knows what" at Stanley and Marlene's (1982). Water skiing near the dam. Fireworks gone wild at the dam(1992). Staying at Sylvan Lake and hiking up Harney Peak. Sitting by Carl next to the fire as he told tales of the "old" days on the prairie (1997). Going out to Richard's farm. Driving to the middle of nowhere to eat dinner with Carl and Esther (1987). Hiking up White Butte with Dianne and cousin crew (1992). Marlene's house riding horses and hanging out (1987). Bowman for breakfast (1987/1992).