On both sides, my grandparents were immigrants. My mother’s parents lived in Skagit Valley on Fir Island near Conway or Mt. Vernon. My Swedish grandfather could not speak a word of English. He was very successful, but he didn’t trust everyone. I think he had been taken advantage of at some time because of his inability to speak English. My grandmother and grandfather milked 25 cows twice a day and ran a one-hundred acre farm. Never a day off. They had five children and sent two through college.
My other grandparents came from Norway. My Norwegian grandfather also could not speak English. I was told he had been a fisherman and had NO fear of the sea or bad weather. I loved the cookies my grandmother made and she always had some to share with my sister and me. We loved our grandparents.
Don Sivertson is a retired airplane mechanic who shares his stories at the Greenwood Senior Center’s Write about Your Life class.
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