Ralph Stenoien

My‎ grandfather‎ was‎ a‎ man‎ of‎ few‎ words… ‎ but‎ those‎ few‎ words‎ were‎ the‎ ones‎ that‎ stuck‎ and‎ guided‎ me‎ my‎ entire‎ life.‎ He‎ was‎ not‎ the‎ type‎ who‎ cared‎ what‎ other‎ people‎ thought‎ of‎ him‎ and‎ I‎ never‎ heard‎ him‎ speak‎ badly‎ of‎ another‎ person.‎ Perfectly‎ happy‎ by‎ himself‎ watching‎ the‎ grass‎ grow‎ while‎ everyone‎ else‎ ran‎ around‎ like‎ chickens‎ squabbling.‎ Out‎ of‎ everyone‎ in‎ my‎ family,‎ I‎ feel‎ the‎ most‎ like‎ him‎ in‎ that‎ respect.‎

He‎ called‎ me‎ Buck,‎ which‎ is‎ the‎ same‎ thing‎ he‎ called‎ his‎ sons.‎ I‎ never‎ corrected‎ him‎ because‎ he‎ took‎ me‎ fishing‎ and‎ asked‎ me‎ questions‎ that‎ tested‎ my‎ ability‎ to‎ think.‎ My‎ kids‎ can‎ thank‎ him‎ for‎ that‎ and‎ also‎ for‎ the‎ mandatory‎ playing‎ of‎ Jeopardy‎ during‎ dinner.

Once,‎ we‎ went‎ to‎ a‎ restaurant/tavern‎ and‎ ordered‎ some‎ food.‎ After‎ we‎ ate,‎ he‎ gave‎ me‎ a‎ handful‎ of‎ quarters‎ for‎ the‎ machines‎ and‎ he‎ went‎ off‎ to‎ play‎ some‎ pool.‎ When‎ I‎ ran‎ out‎ of‎ money,‎ I‎ sat‎ down‎ and‎ watched‎ him‎ finish‎ up‎ a‎ series‎ of‎ games‎ with‎ a‎ couple‎ of‎ guys‎ who‎ were‎ quite‎ upset‎ about‎ losing‎ their‎ money‎ after‎ agreeing‎ to‎ double‎ nothing‎ and‎ him‎ miraculously‎ running‎ the‎ table.‎ He‎ sucked‎ in‎ his‎ breath‎ and‎ his‎ pants‎ fell‎ down‎ around‎ his‎ ankles.‎ He‎ feigned‎ embarrassment‎ and‎ they‎ started‎ laughing‎ at‎ him.‎ He‎ nodded‎ at‎ me‎ towards‎ the‎ door.‎ I‎ caught‎ the‎ drift‎ and‎ slipped‎ out‎ with‎ him‎ right‎ behind‎ me.‎ He‎ didn’t‎ need‎ to‎ make‎ me‎ promise‎ not‎ to‎ tell‎ Gramma.

-Angela‎ Tackett

 


Ralph Stenoien was born to Mary Larson and Alex Goodrie on June 20, 1914 in Grand Forks, ND. Mary was left to her own to raise the twins, and it was decided that she would keep Russell Stenoien; Ole and Johanna Stenoien raised Ralph Stenoien as one their own. In the 1941 census, Ralph, Russell and Mary are listed as living together in the Minneapolis directory. 

Ralph spoke only Norwegian until the age of five, learning English when he started school.

Twin brother Russell Goodrie was born June 20, 1914, in Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, son of Alex Goodrie and Mary Larson. He died March 5, 1959, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, aged 44 years, 8 months and 15 days, and was buried in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens, Crystal, Hennepin County, Minnesota.

On November 1, 1941, Russell was united in marriage to Anne Marion Kobliska in a ceremony performed F. J. Swenson of Chetek. She was born in 1913, at Chetek, Barron County, Wisconsin, daughter of Joseph Louis Kobliska and Mary Eliza Dean. She died February 12, 1992, aged 79 years, while living at the Crystal Lake Health Care Center at Crystal, Minnesota and was buried besides the remains of her husband in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens, Crystal, Minnesota. Their two children, both born in Minneapolis, Minnesota were:

Barbara Ann Goodrie born 5 Feb 1943.
Robert Russel Goodrie 2 May 1947.

Russell was a railroad switch tender at Minneapolis, at the time of his marriage, a position he held the rest of his life. Ann retired as a Supervisor for an insurance company in Minneapolis and lived at 4946 Emerson Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Anne Marion Kobliska, daughter of Joseph Louis Kobliska and Mary Eliza Dean, was born in 1913, at Chetek, Barron County, Wisconsin. She graduated from the Weyerhauser, Wisconsin High School in 1930. She died February 12, 1992, aged 79 years, while living at the Crystal Lake Health Care Center at Crystal, Minnesota and was buried besides the remains of her husband in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens, Crystal, Minnesota.

On November 1, 1941, while employed as a stenographer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was united in marriage to Russell Goodrie, in a ceremony performed by F. J. Swenson of Chetek. The flower girl at their wedding was Janet Merle Niederloh. Russell was born June 20, 1914, in Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, son of Alex Goodrie and Mary Larson. He died March 5, 1959, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, aged 44 years, 8 months and 15 days, and was buried in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens, Crystal, Hennepin County, Minnesota.

References: Marriage License, Ann Kobliska & Russell Goodrie, Volume 13, page 487, Barron County Register of Deeds, Barron, Wisconsin.