I was thinking that last year Marcella Klasen celebrated her 100th birthday in 2007. She has since passed. I wonder who is the oldest person in Holdingford now ?
Marcella would have been 101 this Saturday, here are a couple of articles about her.
Another written by Mark William Miller Sr last year:
Marcella Marie Klasen, who was born in Freeport but lived much of her life in Holdingford, will be celebrating her 100th birthday
Marcella is currently living at Arlington Place Assisted Living Apartments, 21 16th Avenue S.E., St. Joseph.
She was born March 8, 190 7.
Celebrations for Marcella will include a closed birthday party for nephews, nieces, uncles and aunts on March 17.
There will be an open house for the general public on March is.
The time for both events will be 2 to 4 p.m.
Marcella was the fourth child to be born to John Bernard Klasen, known as J.B., and Mary Josephine (Bischoff) Klasen, known as Josie, on March 8, 1907, in the Frontier Inn, Freeport, which J.B. owned and operated, and where he also sold jewelry.
'when J.B. built and opened the First State Bank in Holdingford in 1910, Marcella and the rest of the family moved to Holdingford and started out living in a small house in town. Eventually, they all lived in a large house on the edge of town, which eventually included 10 siblings in addition
to Marcella. She is the only living offspring bom to J.B. and Mary Josephine.
Marcella graduated from Holdingford High School in 1925, where she also participated in such extracurricular activities as music, drama, and basketball. After high school, she attended the College of St. Catherine's, St. Paul, where she graduated with a major in history and minors in music and library science. Upon graduating from college, Marcella attended business school in St. Paul.
Her teaching career involved contracts in Menaga, Wis., Red Wing and then her alma mater, Holdingford, where Marcella taught business classes. She also coached the girls basketball team to three winning seasons. During this time, Marcella also taught private piano lessons. She also served as the high school principal in Holdingford for a few years during her experience there as an educator. During WWII at some time, she left the teaching profession and worked in a private Chicago firm for a few years as a secretary.
Upon Marcella's return to Holdingford she worked in her father's bank and quickly learned the business. After J. B's death, Marcella helped her brother Leo manage the bank, which at that time was called the Security State Bank of Holdingford.
Marcella lived in the family house on the edge of town and often accepted many guests, including nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters and their spouses, both at the Holdingford house and the lake cabin at Little Birch Lake. Nephews and --nieces were always well treated and loved by Marcella, who was always so gracious. She currently has 30 living nephews and nieces. One nephew and one niece are
deceased.
Marcella's community activities have been numerous in the Holdingford area. She was heavily involved with hosting the Red Cross bloodmobile drives, and she was eventually awarded the Clara Barton Centennial Honor Award in 1981 for her "excellence in unselfish and invaluable volunteer service given to the needs of human kind."
Marcella served as St. Mary's Church Choir Director for a few years in Holdingford and also sang in the choir. She was instrumental, along with others, in the creation of an apartment in Holdingford for low and middle income people, a two-story building with 16 units. Anyone within a 10-mile radius who qualified financially in terms of low income, could rent an available unit. She managed the building financially for many years until Catholic Charities assumed financial management upon her request.
Throughout her life, Marcella has been generous with her time and money. For example, she sponsored a seminarian in Africa financially, which allowed him to pursue his divinity studies, and eventually his ordination as a Catholic priest. Marcella donates a scholarship to St. Catherine's College every year.
Marcella lived in the Klasen family residence in Holdingford until the year 2000, when she gave the house up for health reasons. She now is enjoying life in an assisted living residence in St. Joseph at Arlington Place Assisted Living Apartments. Aunt Marcella was an exceptional woman of her time. -If women of today were to look for an exemplary role model, she would qualify.
Tags: Holdingford small cities history Minnesota History
Stearns County History
