Remembrances of
Herman Frithjof Johnson
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My Memories of Herman

Debbie Kerwin
(La Porte, IN)
drkerwin@adsnet.com

My memories of Herman begin when I was a little girl. At any given moment he would just pull into our driveway and "pop in" for a visit. He would go and stand at our dining room window and look out into our woods. He'd call me over and start pointing at something he'd just spotted. It was almost always an Indian warrior or an Indian maiden. (Our house was built on Pottawattamie land.) I would stand next to him and stare until I could see it, also.

He would have all of us gathered around the dining room table at my grandparents' house listening to his every word. He had us captivated with his latest ghost story and at the most crucial time he might throw up his arms, yell, and almost always fall to the floor! He was the best storyteller!

We would be invited over to his house for dinner, and I was always fascinated because he would open a trap door in his floor and climb up and down a ladder to his basement (his kitchen and bath were located downstairs at that time). He would even let me go with him sometimes!

He never missed a family gathering, if at all possible. Whether it was Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, a day along the Tippecanoe River, family reunions, Halloween parties, weddings, anniversaries or birthdays. Herman and Helen were always the most dependable and reliable party attendees. It did not matter if it was snowing a blizzard or one of them wasn't feeling just right--they were always there!

If they told you they were coming--they would be there. We have kept a wonderful tradition in our family--our Swedish Christmas Eve dinner. Originally my grandmother made all the food, but for the past 35 years my mother and my aunt make the dinner. We always had lutfisk for Herman, and probably for the last 20 years, he was the only person who would eat it! I think this past Christmas Eve might be the first Christmas he's missed.

Another family tradition has been our Easter egg hunt. Herman hunted for those eggs every year until he was restricted to his wheelchair. He would hunt and hunt and hardly ever, if ever, find one. But my aunt would always give him a large Fannie May chocolate bunny regardless--and he would promptly ask for a large glass of milk to go along with his chocolate prize!

Helen and Herman were gracious enough to host our annual family reunion at their "country estate" for several years. We were always grateful for that.

Herman has always been a special member of our family--Herman, you are and will be missed. Debbie Kerwin (Herman's "second" cousin) LaPorte, IN

Debbie Kerwin
(La Porte, IN)
drkerwin@adsnet.com


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