First Rate Care

Elsie Gullekson

Elsie was born the youngest of 12 children on November 25,1934 to Andrew and Ingeborg Anderson of Fosston, MN. Unlike her siblings, she was not birthed in the family log cabin but in a new, modern, stick-built home constructed by her father. As a child she spent lots of time on the farm helping with chores and playing with her dog Bell. Later in her teen years she loved riding her palomino horse, Silver. She attended a rural Fosston school through the eighth grade and then went to work for local families helping with childcare and homemaking. Later on she went to work in Crookston as a Nurse's aide. One of her patients thought that Elsie should meet her oldest son, to which she agreed. Her first date with Roland was at the Norman county fair in Ada, They married when she was 22 years old on May 4th, 1957 at the St Petry country church near Fosston.

She and Roland owned and operated their rural Fertile farm for several decades. They raised a plethora of livestock over the years starting with sheep, then dairy and beef cattle, chickens, and a few pigs. Early in their marriage Elsie hopped a train to the twin cities area and selected 3 Jersey cows to begin their dairy herd with. She was very involved in the dairy operation, hauling kids out to the barn during milking and chore time. As her brood grew to 2 boys and 2 girls, her duties shifted from chasing cows to chasing children. Like most moms of her day, she baked bread, sewed clothes, gardened, taught Sunday school, and a host of other things. She was a den mother when her boys were in Scouts and sewed costumes for school plays. Her days were full. She did find time however to grow her interests. Woodworking projects, oil painting, and truck gardening expanded her horizons. Elsie has a quick wit and a grand sense of humor. Making up jokes and riddles was a frequent occurrence. She could often be seen sitting in a solitary chair, her shoulders convulsing in muffled laughter. Everyone knew that a joke was about to be birthed. At the age of 40, she taught herself piano and has spent many hours playing favorite tunes by ear.

After their dairy days were done, they felt the call of freedom and warm weather, so they packed up kids and critters and headed to Arizona for a few winters.

During her empty-nest years she was a volunteer coordinator at the Agassiz Nature Center and they did a bit of traveling together to Arizona and Washington.

Roland and Elsie celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary and one month later Elsie had to say goodbye to her beloved husband who died of brain cancer. Adjusting to life without him was difficult so she filled her days as a Foster grandparent at the Fertile-Beltrami school, where she was dearly loved. She was also a regular helper at the Hardware Hank store in Fertile and she loved helping her kids and grandkids whenever she could. 

Besides her 4 children, Elsie boasts 14 grandchildren and 20 great grands. Her quiver is full. She has worn many hats throughout the years. But the one hat she has never taken off is that of Christian. Elsie is a woman of faith. A woman of prayer. A woman of the Word. The Proverbs 31 kind. Her children and those that come after her, rise up and call her blessed.