Rozworld’s WebLog

On Saturday, Rosalind and I met up with a neighborhood group, some Boy Scouts, and a few UW college students to help clean up our local park. It was a good day and together Roz and I filled a large garbage bag full of all sorts of discarded waste products.

On Sunday, Earth Day, all three of us, helped plant a bunch of trees at Madison’s new and forming Central Park. We had a good turn out, including some from Rosalind’s Daisy Troop. It was organized by UrbanOpen Space which is trying to turn a former industrial area into a beautiful park in the heart of Madison’s East side.

Then Rosalind and Jean went out on Monday and cleaned another local park. Great work to Rosalind for getting out there all three days and making a difference for our local environment!

Inga Ager

Leader-Telegram Staff

Inga Louise Pederson Ager, 100, of 809 Grant St., Chippewa Falls, died Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at Luther Hospital in Eau Claire.

She was born July 4, 1906, in Running Valley, Chippewa County, to Helga (Ludvigson) and Andrew Pederson. She was raised on her parents’ farm in Running Valley, and baptized and confirmed at the North Running Valley Lutheran Church. She came to Eau Claire to work and met Eyvind B. Ager at the Vikings Lodge. They formed a friendship that led to marriage. Inga and Eyvind were married in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 18, 1927. They made their home in Eau Claire until 1948, when they moved to Chippewa Falls. In 1955, they moved to Milwaukee, returning to Chippewa Falls in 1970.

Inga joined the Sons of Norway in 1924, and has been an active member for 83 years. She was a charter member of Christ Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls, where she was involved in their women’s circle and quilters. Inga was also a member of the Waldemar Ager Association. She loved cooking and baking cookies for her sons and grandchildren; and Inga’s kitchen was open 24 hours a day and serving since 1927.

Survivors include two sons, Waldemar (Charlotte) Ager of Chetek, Frederik (Mariann) Ager of Arlington, Texas; one daughter, Borgny Ager of Chippewa Falls; 11 grandchildren, Roger (Gloria) Ager, Nancy Ager, Susan (Thomas) Avery and Lizbeth (Michael Persson) Ager; Lauren Ager, Linda (Brett Hart) Ager, Kristine (John) Bejin, Frederik and Daniel Ager, Kristina (Mark) Mabey, Andrea (Piqush Khare) Deger-Khare; 17 great-grandchildren; three great-great-granddaughters; three sisters, Clara Tweet of Eau Claire, Agnes Cieslik of Chippewa Falls and Ella Gough of Petoskey, Mich.; two sisters-in-law, Gudrun Ager Bergh and Barbara Peterson; three brothers-in-law, Albert Rehberg, Roald S. Ager and Dr. John W. Best. Inga is also survived by Beatrice Leer Ager Meyer of Chippewa Falls; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Eyvind Ager on Aug. 11, 1998; one son, Roald A. Ager in 1969; her parents; three brothers, Emil Pederson, Harold Peterson and Alvin Peterson; four sisters, Hilda Rooney, Aagot Johnson, Bertha Boschette and Elfreda Rehberg.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 16, 2007, at Christ Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls, with the Rev. Mark Homp officiating. Burial will be in Lakeview Cemetery, Eau Claire.

Friends may call from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel in Chippewa Falls, and one hour prior to the service Monday at the church.

Memorials in Inga’s memory may be directed to Christ Lutheran Church, to the Waldemar Ager Association, or to the donor’s choice.

Visit pedersonvolker.com to express online condolences.

Dear Grandma Inga,

We are so glad to have known you, thank you for everything. We loved your home-made cookies and the sweet smell of freshly made lefsa. You always made sure we had enough on our plates during lunch and dinner. When we had cleaned our plates, (and we always did at your house), you wondered why we did not take more and seemed hurt if we didn’t. If the people around someone is a measure of a successful life, you had more friends and family than I can count. Your extended family remains more than I can comprehend. Merrill’s book is only half the story. You were our connection to the past, to our origins into the early days of rural life in Wisconsin and to that thread that binds us still to the old country.

Grandma, you had such life. You knew what was important in life. Friends and family were on top of your list of things that mattered to you. You were always happy to receive unexpected company and a meal was always whipped together in a moments notice.

Grandma, you had such a good memory. You would talk about some things as if they were yesterday, but in reality the events you recalled would’ve happened 80 or 90 years ago. I remember the story you told me when you and your cousin were walking along a country road and you heard the most dreadful noise coming along behind you. The two of you were so frightened that you both ran into the nearby cornfield to hide. When you looked out to see what it was, you saw that it was one of those new contraptions people are now riding in called automobiles. You had never seen one before.

Sometimes I wished medical science could have done more to allow you to see and hear better in those declining years. I can’t imagine what it was like to have the world slowly cut off and be left to your memories and thoughts. You were indeed brave. The last time I saw you wondered why you had been kept alive so long. I think I know why. It’s not only because you lived a pure life but it was to teach us how to live ours. I know you said you missed your life partner more than anything. Now you are together, forever.

Thank you for everything.

Love,
Bill

This is just one of many videos I took of Grandma Inga the last time we got to see her in November.

For Spring break vacation we stayed one night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells. We met Beth and Teddy, Jake, Jamie and Maddy and Jamie’s sister Misty and her family. We had a great time on the unlimited water slides and other activities. The kids really had a ball too! Rosalind was able go down many of the bigger water slides including “The Tornado”. Which included a 12 foot drop on a raft. We also had a nice birthday party for Jake and Jamie’s nephew Matthew.

My only real complaint was that the Great Wolf Lodge has a problem with their billing system because they over-charged Beth on her room by $50. However, in their defense they did correct the billing error after it was pointed out at the desk that our rooms were identical but the price was different. Hmm. I think they need to look at that problem a little closer.

We stayed another night on our own at another water park. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge in the Dells. This one was over-crowded, not as clean, but much cheaper. What it gives up in quality it makes up with quantity, with 3 large water parks spread over a 1/2 mile connected through lodges and cat-walks. We ended up not even swimming at this one but Rosalind and I did have fun at the arcade and in the Laser tag maze.

Matthew’s 7th Birthday, with Maddy, Roz, Ted and Matthew.	In front of Paul Bunyan’s
Rosalind	Teddy
Teddy and Rosalind	Teddy and Rosalind