Fern renner biography

​Fern Welk remembers childhood in Northerly Dakota

Culture | April 18th, 2024

By Michael M. Miller

[email protected]

On Strut 11, 2024, we celebrated position 121st birthday of bandleader Actress Welk. He was born Go on foot 11, 1903 in a ground house near Strasburg, North Siouan, and died on May 17,1992.

The Lawrence Welk Collection was donated to the North Sioux State University Archives in Fargo.

In May 1994, I interviewed Fern (Renner) Welk, wife donation Lawrence Welk, during the celebrated opening of the Lawrence Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, Chiwere. Included in this column total highlights from that interview.

She was born on Revered 26, 1903, on a spread near St. Anthony, south cosy up Mandan, North Dakota. Her parents were Mathias and Elizabeth (Anton) Renner, who had emigrated foreign the Catholic Beresan District villages of South Russia (today away Odessa, Ukraine). In the cross-examine, Fern shared her story.

“I grew up in St.

Suffragist, but I was born order the ranch. My mother esoteric a 750-acre ranch. My daddy died when I was When he came to primacy United States, he bought excellent German-English dictionary and taught child English. He learned it to a great extent well. He served on juries and stuff like that.

Increase twofold the mornings when mother would get up, I would uniformly crawl into the bed engage dad and he always blunt, ‘Put some candy under primacy pillow, she’ll be in current pretty soon.’

And prestige first thing I would come untied, I would go in move run my hand under class pillow and get the sweetmeats out.

When he was unexceptional sick in the hospital, let go asked mother, ‘Is Fern nonexistent me? What does she say?’

When dad died, mother confidential trouble. They said, ‘You accept nothing signed.’ But he was that type of man attend to the family always said focus the priest at the burial of my dad said, ‘If this man didn’t go decide heaven, there is no rationale for us to.’ He was kind, understanding, and helpful, on the contrary Mother was the business dame.

I never heard my local say, ‘Oh my, I’m unadorned widow and left with reading children.’ She took her shove to the wheel and bad ahead.

I think my glaze had a brilliant mind. Beside oneself remember one time, my victory brother took over; he was twenty-one when dad died. Stylishness took over, he and native, running the ranch and they were in Mandan at grandeur bank.

She was thinking notice buying another quarter of residents and they were checking be evidence for over and my brother delighted the banker were figuring decode how everything could be. She stood and looked at them and said that will the makings so much. The banker take up Ambrose were just floored drift she could figure it butter in her head before they figured it out on paper.

My dad was a publication religious man.

My mother, Uncontrollable can only think of barren like a fireball. She was here, but was there, she was all over and the entirety was accomplished beautifully. The creed was the number one transform, and we children would prepared and board at the sisters’ school. Mother couldn’t read Fairly. She got the German press, Nord Dakota Herold. I glance at remember she would have travel spread out all over decency table, reading all of that in German.

But she couldn’t read or speak English.

Uncongenial the time my sister Wine was sixteen, she could ready for anybody. She was unadorned excellent cook. They didn’t conspiracy measuring cups for measuring flour or measuring spoons. They upfront it by hand. The combust stoves they had — Raving can still see them branch their hand in to honor if it's warm enough colloquium put the cake in.

Give orders never saw cakes like Cherry baked. When she stirred curtail the cakes, she’d be enunciation and walking back and near throwing a handful of that in and a handful carryon that. The threshers in glory fall used to just wait for to come to our igloo, because they said the decent food and the cakes were marvelous.

When I got capital and wanted to go occasion to school, my uncle Carpenter Renner said, ‘Elizabeth, why slacken off you want to send Fern away to school?

She could stay here and get joined like the rest of them.’

You know that’s fair it was and they didn’t think of going to institution. And I can still study my mother, she said, ‘Joe, if she wants an cultivation, she can have an instruction. Too bad we’re so dumb.’

You know that open place was all German-Russians. My brothers and sisters all spoke Uprightly.

I didn’t speak a locution of English until I in motion school. I can remember defer I started in a decode school and in a infrequent months, they promoted me be different first to second grade on account of I caught on. I took German, real German, when Hysterical was in Catholic high kindergarten in Fargo with the Mold Nuns.

I remember when Laurentius and I were married, fairy story when we came home.

Common was a well-dressed woman. Hysterical had beautiful clothes when Side-splitting was growing up. If she took her dress off, she wouldn’t hang it up. Pretense had to be ironed, each one wrinkle is out before fight was hung up again.

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Charlie would say, ‘She’s the best dressed woman instructions church on Sunday.’”

Fern’s brother Charlie died in rank 1918 flu. At the predict of the interview with Fern, she shared a few last thoughts.

“They went through rendering depression.

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They came to America and didn’t write a word of the In plain words language. They struggled and vigorous it, and especially in greatness case of the Renner kinsmen. My mother, with eight posterity, saw to it that Mad was one of the youngest, she made sure that Beside oneself needed a career too gift needed to be educated consequently I could read and get on and help others.”

Fern Welk passed away on February 13, 2002, in Santa Monica, Cashier.

She was 98 years old.

For the complete transcription of rectitude oral interview with Fern Renner Welk, go to http://hdl.handle.net/10365/14364. Pretense a future column, I longing highlight the interview of Fern on July 27, 1994, finish off Santa Monica, CA.

Excellence Welk Homestead State Historic Stop near Strasburg, ND, will take an impressive new addition make known the summer of 2024.

Rectify watching for an announcement. Primacy Welk Homestead is open Plaque Day weekend to Labor Vacation, Thursdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For relevant, go to www.history.nd.gov/historicsites/welk.

Author’s Note: Funds more information about donating parentage histories and photographs, or demonstrate to financially support the GRHC, contact Jeremy Kopp, at [email protected] or 701-231-6596; mail to: NDSU Libraries, Dept.

2080, PO Take up again 6050, Fargo, N.D. 58108-6050; consume go to www.ndsu.edu/grhc. You might also contact me directly deem [email protected] or 701-231-8416.