Bertina OLSEN b. Apr 08 1869 Illinois d. Dec 06 1960: Our Family History

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1869 - 1960 (~ 90 years)

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Name	Bertina OLSEN
Birth	Apr 08 1869	Illinois
Gender	Female
Death	Dec 06 1960
Burial	Oakridge-Glen Oak Cemetery, Westchester, Cook, IL, United States
Person ID	I697	Fisher
Last Modified	5 Jul 2021

Notes

Memories by Nadine Gunn Fisher I had many wonderful times with my grandmother because she enjoyed having fun. I often stayed overnight and I loved to hear the ticking of her clock as I lay nestled in her warm bed. Grandma Tena read poems to me from Edgar A. Guest and because I liked them so much she wrote in her book, "Belonging to Nadine." Another favorite was "101 Famous Poems." And she she told me over and over the story of "The Little Match Girl." I am always reminded of her as I read that story to my grandchildren. She had a marvelous sense of humor and loved to play bizarre tricks on me such as flipping out her false teeth and stuffing paper in the toes of my shoes when I was asleep. If I didn't hang up my clothes, she would spread them out all over the floor as a reminder. Grandma Tena sang "Su Ru Relta" to me and "Rita rita runka", and said things like "fie scump a dey", songs and phrases that I have passed down to my grand children. Some may question whether those were the exact words but that is what they sounded like to me. She loved her great grandchildren and when she was playing with them, she would stick them in a shopping bag and pull them across the floor. Grandma Tena was an excellent seamstress and for our son Doug she made his first Easter coat. She also made slippers of left over material and sold them on consignment at various retail outlets. Our daughter, Janice Bertena was named after my grandmother. Because Jan does such fine sewing and has fantastic craft skills, I am sure she inherited them from Grandma Tena. Grandma was pleased when we named Jan after her and she left her 100 dollars in ten $10.00 bills when she died. She was always busy and often went into Chicago's loop on public transportation. She especially enjoyed visiting the Chicago Temple and hearing Doctor Preston Bradley preach. My grandmother and grandfather lived separate lives for many years under the same roof and I hardly knew my grandfather. Grandma prepared his meals, left them on the kitchen table, then left the room so she and Charles wouldn't have to talk. I have no idea what happened to cause these unhappy circumstances.

Event Map

Burial - - Oakridge-Glen Oak Cemetery, Westchester, Cook, IL, United States

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