Bio for THOMPSON, Blanche Maxine (TOLSTEAD)(b.1919 d.1998), Mower Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Rollins Submitted: February 2007 ========================================================================= BLANCHE TOLSTEAD THOMPSON Blanche Maxine Tolstead was born on November 7, 1919 in Taopi, Minnesota. She was the second child and first daughter born to Harold and Lydia Stern Tolstead. Blanche grew up to be a petite beauty. She lived to adulthood in Taopi and attended high school in Adams, Minnesota, graduating in 1937. After graduating from High School, Blanche worked as a waitress in a bakery in LeRoy, and later worked in a bank in Austin. She met and married Wilbur C. "Wib" Thompson on Valentine's Day (February 14th) 1942 in St.Louis, Missouri, at the age of 23 (refer to newspaper article regarding their wedding below). Wib's hometown was LeRoy, Minnesota, about 12 miles south of Austin, Minnesota on the Minnesota/Iowa border. Wib and Blanche lived in St. Louis at the time of their marriage where Wib worked for the Emerson Electric Company before being drafted into the air force. He served in the pacific theatre during World War II. He was also in West Palm Beach before being shipped over seas. After Wib's discharge from the service, Blanche and Wib lived in Austin. They became the parents of two daughters. Their oldest daughter Janice was born on September 5, 1945 in Austin. Their second daughter Linda was born two years later on September 4, 1947. A third child, Mary Ellen, was stillborn in 1959 . Wib, Blanche, Janice and Linda lived in Austin for many years. Wib managed Cleveland Hardware in Austin, selling electric appliances and televisions and later worked for the Sears Roebuck Company. No doubt related to his occupation they were the first members of the family to have a television. Lucille Heffern Tolstead remembers how novel it was to have a TV and how "snowy" the black and white picture was when they first viewed the new television. Janice and Linda both graduated from High School in Austin. Janice later graduated from Gustavus Adolfus College, majoring in Art. Linda attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Winona State and graduated from Bemidji State with a degree in physical education. Janice married George Crockett. They are the parents of two sons, Seth and Nathan. Seth and his wife Emma have a son Isaac. At the time this is being written Janice and George live in Shakopee., Minnesota. Linda married Glen Kooyer. Linda and Glen have two sons Brian and Adam, and lived in Lakeville, Minnesota. Brian and his wife Wendy have a son Evan Kooyer. In the summer of 2005 Glen died in a boating accident near Duluth, Minnesota. Wib and Blanche moved from Austin to Rochester in 1967. Wib managed and co-owned a successful hardware and appliance business in Rochester, Big "G". They lived in Sun City, Arizona and Rochester after his retirement. Wib acted as care giver for Blanche eventually moving to the Martin Luther Home in Bloomington, Minnesota due to her increasing memory loss and confusion, and his health problems. Wib died in Rochester in 1997, and Blanche died on September 14, 1998, at the age of 78. Her funeral was held in Lakeville on September 17, 1998. Blanche and Wib are buried with their daughter Mary Ellen in the Grandview Memorial Cemetery in Austin, Minnesota. I remember celebrating holidays in Blanche and Wib's home in Austin as a child. Blanche was a warm, kind aunt, who was a great support and care giver to Grandma Lydia and Art and Elsie Christgau in their later years. She was petite and appeared frail but was a very strong and capable leader in her family. TOLSTEAD Mr. and Mrs. H.J. born November 7th, a baby girl (Mower County Transcript 12 Nov 1919, Page 5 column 3) +++++++++++++ Tolstead, Miss Blanche and Wilbur C. Thompson Feb 14, 1942 The marriage of Miss Blanche Maxine Tolstead, Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Tolstead of Taiopi to Wilbur C. Thompson son of the late MR. and Mrs. W.E. Thompson of LeRoy took place at the 3rd United Presbyterian Church St. Louis Missouri Saturday evening Feb 14th at6:30, the Rev. C.G. Lunan performing the ceremony. Miss Tolstead is a graduate if the Adams High School and Mr. Thompson is a graduate of the LeRoy High School. They reside in St. Louis where the groom is employed by the Emerson Electric Co. (The Le Roy Independent, 27 Feb 1942, front page column 1.) +++++++++++++++++ Blanche Thompson, 78 Blanche Maxine Thompson, 78, of Bloomington, Minnesota, formerly of Austin and Rochester, died September 14, 1998 at Luther Manor in Bloomington. She is survived by daughters, Linda (Glen ) Kooyer, Lakeville, Minn., Jan (George) Crockett, Shakopee, Minn.; four grandchildren ; two great- grandchildren; sisters, Shirley Meyer, Austin, Marilyn Smith, Englewood, Florida; and brothers Donald (Lucille) Tolstead, Austin and Robert Tolstead, San Antonio, Texas. -Service: 10 am, Thursday, Sept.17, at White Funeral Home, 20134 Kenwood Terrace, in Lakeville, the Rev. Norman Hoffelt officiating. Interment: 1:30 P.M. Thursday at Grandview Memorial Gardens, Austin. Obituary Wilbur Chester Thompson The funeral for Wilbur Chester Thompson will be 10:30 A.M. Saturday at Martin Luther Manor in Bloomington, Minn., with the Rev. Norman Hoffelt officiating. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Austin. Mr. Thompson, 78, of Bloomington, formerly of Austin and Rochester, died April 2, 1997 at Martin Luther Manor. He was born January 9, 1919 in LeRoy. Mr. Thompson managed Cleveland Hardware Store in Austin until 1967and then was a partner in Big "G" Hardware in Rochester. Survivors include his wife, Blanche; two daughters, Jan (Mrs. George) Crockett of Chaska, Minn., and Linda (Mrs. Glenn) Kooyer of Lakeville; and five grandchildren. White Funeral Home in Lakeville is in charge of arrangements. (Rochester Post Bulletin 4/4/1997 ========================================================================= Copyright Diane Rollins 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm =========================================================================