Magnuson Family History

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1. Jackie Sampson - August 30, 2007

Bonnie was out of the family home by the time I was born so I have none of those early recollections that Barbara might have. My impression of Bonnie is that she was a “take charge kind of person”. One you could count on and that wasn’t afraid to tackle anything. Perhaps she was a little intimidating to me as a youngster. Bonnie and Natalie lived with us on the farm for a short period of time when Ralph was in the service and Natalie had an illness (diagnosed or mis diagnosed – I would be interested in her take of that) and was hospitalized in Lincoln, then put in a body cast – they said Undulent fever. Dad had our cows tested (as it was said it could be transmitted by cow’s milk). The cows were fine. Anyway that had to be a most difficult time for Natalie as a little girl to be incapacitated. She spent a lot of time lying on the windowseat in our kitchen keeping occupied with paper, colors, whatever. I hope you, Natalie will expand on that time of your life and what after effect it had on you.
When Barbara and I went to Boise at the time of Vi’s death we visited the gift shop Bonnie had opened. It was a lovely shop and I think that was an interesting venture for her.
Bonnie came back to Nebr. for visits fairly often, bringing Natalie and Brad. Then when Ralph bought his airplane he flew that back. It was the first plane ride both Don and I had when he took us up and we flew around the area.
Ralph was a great guy, lots of moxie, and had lots of stories. Once he came to the farm and built in a wonderful cupboard for our mother. As I remember it was tall and wide and she loved having a place to store her dishes. I think it had glass doors. Barbara probably remembers it better than I.
They were an industrious couple and made the most of their lives. Unfortunately it wasn’t long enough for either of them. Others might expand on their love of fishing trips, etc.

2. Natalie Boyer - September 18, 2007

Yes, Jackie, mother was a “take charge” kind of person. She was very good at everything she did…except golf! I think she could have been good at that too, however I don’t think she cared that much for it. Mother made all of my clothes including coats and formals. I recall wanting a special brand of crop pants with white stitching and they laced up a ways on the side (I believe they were White Stag) and so mother made them for me. My friends could not tell they weren’t “brand name.”
I was hospitalized a lot as a child and had a full body cast and two different leg casts due to a large swelling in the right knee which caused me to limp. I also wore a brace for the first couple of years I was in school. It was never definitively diagnosed (misdiagnosed as Udulent Fever, Polio and a list of things I can’t remember) and today the doctors believe that I had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. That was the leg that grew the longest (1&3/4″ longer than the other) which of course caused back problems. After slipping a disc in my back, I had that leg shortened to relieve the pressure on my back. It was a relatively new technique at the time and what took 13mos. back then is accomplished in 6-8 weeks now with a bone stimulator. The lasting effects have been minimal, however that was the first knee to go and is now replaced with a Titanium one. The left knee will follow shortly I am certain as it is beginning to give me grief.
Dad loved to fly and so our road trips to Nebraska were replaced with flying. If Dad couldn’t spend as much time as mother wanted to spend in Nebraska, mother would drive and then Dad would fly in. I recall one trip that I made with Dad in the airplane. He flew so low we could name the crops as we flew acre after acre. Dad didn’t take chances though and was a very safe pilot.
Mother and Dad both loved to travel and they loved life. They loved to fish and hunt. Pheasant season always started on or near my birthday and dad was either gone or we were out on a Pheasant hunting trip somewhere. I remember having shotgun shells for candles on a birthday cake one year. Mother had forgotten to bring candles, but she did bake me a cake! When mom and dad discovered Salmon fishing, it became a yearly event. They would take their own boat out on the ocean and most years brought home enough canned salmon for us and all of their friends. They worked hard and played hard and they both died too young.

3. Diane Bird - September 18, 2007

Bonnie made a profound difference in my life. She was influential in convincing my parents (Vi & Dick) to settle in Boise with them in 1946, when Daddy was originally intending to move us out of Nebraska and all the way to the west coast. Our house set right next to Bonnie and Ralph’s for many years, until they moved a mile or so away to a larger home with some land. That was sometime between ’55 and ’58, I think. Natalie, Vicki and I were about the same age, as were Teresa and Brad, so we had built in playmates with connecting back yards.
Mother and Daddy shared trout fishing trips with Bonnie and Ralph early on, and there were some hunting trips for the guys as well, for elk and for bear and probably other unsuspecting wildlife. Bonnie liked camping much more than Mother; she was always first up in the morning making coffee and frying the first fish that had been caught and cleaned. She was a marvelous cook, and Mother said that Bonnie clearly was the best. We enjoyed many delicious holiday meals at Bonnie’s.
When Daddy died, Bonnie helped Mother through it; it was an awful time, but Bonnie remained strong and supportive. When Mother got sick, Bonnie was there again, with empathy, kindness, generosity and love. It had to be hard, watching your sister fail and die, but Bonnie gave of herself freely over and over again. When Mother died, Bonnie willingly stepped in to help settle the estate, go through Mother’s things, sell the house, and take over those duties that Vicki, Teresa and I were unable to take care of at the time. How does a person ever say thank you enough for that special, enduring, constant love such as Bonnie showed all of us? She was truly a tower of strength.

I do have some more light-hearted stories about Bonnie! When Vicki and I were kids, we often played with Natalie, but usually outside. Bonnie had lots of rules. If we came inside we had to make sure our shoes were clean or were left at the entrance. No one was allowed in the living room. If we used the bathroom, Bonnie monitored the hand-washing afterwards. She wasn’t mean, she just seemed awfully stern, not someone you would dare talk back to or argue with.

Bonnie loved to entertain, and was a great hostess, guiding the conversation, making sure everyone was included, and attending to all the details that make a get-together special. She and Ralph would get going with their jokes and stories until everyone was having a good laugh. One Thanksgiving, Bonnie was baking the turkey in a pressure cooker and it blew up, splattering turkey all over the kitchen ceiling and just everywhere. We children feared a similar blow up from Bonnie, but her response was just to laugh and laugh some more. The kitchen was filled with hilarity, and the party continued smoothly on.

When Bonnie got mad, watch out! Many’s the time I heard her yelling, “Jay…sus Kee…rist!!” I doubt she learned that at her mother’s knee

Then there’s the story of the picket fence, which had been put up between our back yards (maybe to keep the dogs apart? I don’t remember.) One weekend, Bonnie and Daddy set to work painting that fence, Bonnie on the Rice’s side, Daddy on the Dickerson side. They decided to reward themselves with a beer every 10 pickets. By the time they got near the end of the fence they were sitting on the ground laughing their heads off and getting more paint on themselves than on the fence. I imagine Mother was shaking her head and trying to neither see nor hear them. We kids thought it was hilarious, of course.

4. Natalie Boyer - September 22, 2007

I have posted a picture album for Bonnie and Paul and added a picture of Helen and George to Helen’s album at magnufamily.dotphoto.com.