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Memories
of Gurolle Blestren Ager
By Carolyn Gabrielsen Barstad
Gurolle
Blestren Ager, Waldemar T. Ager's wife, and Johndine Blestren
Gabrielsen, my grandmother, were sisters. Since I was born in
1941, the year Mr. Ager died, I did not
know him. However, Gurolle Ager lived until 1951, so I do remember
her and visits to
"Auntie Ager' quite well. In fact, the Ager House at 514
Madison Street and the
Gabrielsen House at 405 Lake Street were both on the Historical
Homes of Eau Claire
Tour in fall, 2006, so my husband, John, and I decided to go
on the home tour. Since I
had not been in it since I was a child, we decided we would
stop at the Ager home first
to test my memory and see if it was really as I remembered it
from many years ago.
After that, we would walk through my past at the Gabrielsen
home.
| A
photograph, taken at the Gabrielsen home in 1944 or 1945,
shows `Auntie Ager' sitting next to her son, Roald Ager,
and smiling at Carolyn. Auntie Ager is holding a book of
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. |
My memories
from childhood of Auntie Ager and visits to her have always
been warm
and comfortable, almost like being wrapped in a fuzzy blanket
and given a newly-baked sugar cookie, so when I walked in the
front door of the Ager House for the tour, I, instantly, felt
welcome and almost expected to see "Auntie," with
a smile on her face, telling us to come in. I remembered the
lovely, winding stairway and the foyer as being very familiar,
and when I walked into the living room and study, I could still
see Auntie Ager sitting in a big, overstuffed chair in the corner.
As Mary Burt gave us a tour of the house, I kept thinking, "It
is. It is just like I remembered it." After Mary finished
the explanation of the home, I asked her a couple of questions,
and we began to chat about the family and the house. I left
that day with one of Waldemar Ager's books, Sons of the Old
Country, and an application for membership in the Ager Association.
Shortly after that visit, I was asked to be on the Board of
Directors for the Ager House.
I began my term in late fall, 2006, and am enjoying the experience
very much. The
members of the Board of Directors are dedicated people who work
very hard for the
Association. As the "new kid on the block" I'm impressed
with all that has been done
at the Ager home and all that continues to be done. It's exciting
to be part of such a hard-working group, and I'm grateful to
have an opportunity to share good times at
Auntie Ager's house again.
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