By TRISTAN GEHRING
Staff Writer
Darlene Abraham has been a resident of the New Richland Area nearly her entire life. Born in 1936 in Waseca, she spent her early childhood in the Lemond area. Her family moved to New Richland when she was in the middle of the seventh grade. “She has a caring soul, is well liked by all, and is proud of her community,” says her son Dennis.
“I had love from the very minute I was born,” Darlene says. While her mother, Dora, was pregnant with her, Dora lost her husband, father, and twenty-five-year-old brother to illness in the span of three months. Darlene describes the mid-1930s as “the Pneumonia era.” Her family stems from her mother, Dora (Palm) Lund and Albert Palm, the biological father she never knew. Throughout her childhood, she, an older brother named Roger, and younger sisters Judy and Natalie referred to Dora’s second husband, Art Lund, as “Dad.”
Darlene married Clarence Abraham in a small, intimate setting shortly after her high school graduation, and the two had two children – Dennis and Dawn Abraham. They were married nearly forty years before he died.
Today, Darlene has three grandchildren and one recently born great-grandchild. She also has nieces and nephews, and their families. Darlene's love for her family – both close and distant – echo in the photos that adorn her home and the passion in her voice when she speaks of the beauty of family.
Growing up in the 1940s was different from today, Darlene emphasized. The first house she remembers living in had no electricity or running water. Darlene and her siblings and friends always had something to do – whether work around the house, making and playing with homemade toys, or taking in free shows and entertainment. Her family didn't have much money, but Darlene says as kids they hardly knew that. Life was slower, and had less stress, she says. “That's not to say,” she emphasized, “that it was easy; our parents worked from morn until night, and us kids had jobs around the house too.” She describes her mother as a “superwoman,” who was not only a fastidious homemaker, but also worked outside the home while raising her children to be the best people they could be. She recalls doctors making prompt housecalls when she was young, and when her own children were young as well. “Now you can't even get in when you want to,” she comments.
As a child, Darlene attended two different country schools; both were one-room, mixed-age settings usually taught by a single teacher. For the first years of her education, Darlene attended the country school in Lemond. When she was approaching seventh grade, a rezoning meant she had to change to an area school just over the Steele County line. Then, during her seventh-grade year, her family moved to Bath. She attended New Richland High School, which she says was a dramatic change for her.
While attending high school, Darlene worked as a dishwasher and occasionally waited tables at the Horn Inn. The family that ran the inn treated her like one of their own, she says, and she looks back fondly on her time there. It was also at the Horn Inn that Darlene met Clarence Abraham. Following high school, she spent six months attending commercial college [an earlier name for “trade school”] in Mankato while working as a nanny to pay her way. Darlene lived in Austin for a short time, during which she was a secretary at Hormel. Until she married Clarence, Darlene lived in Austin in a boarding house with three other girls.
After returning to New Richland, Darlene spent decades working at Abraham's Store – located where Wagner's now stands. The store was all family-run, with the primary people Darlene worked alongside being Clarence, his brother Floyd and Floyd's wife, and the three “single girls” from the Abraham family – Elvina, Rosy, and Vivian. Darlene worked the meats section of the store alongside her husband. Clarence, she recalls, was well-known for his quality meats and his service to the customers. Often in the summer, she also recalls, nephews of the Abraham family who lived out of state would come to stay in New Richland and help out at the store.
Following the closure of Abraham's Store, Darlene spent four and a half years working as a paraprofessional educator. She then spent time taking care of her young grandkids before spending a year working in a shoe store in the Medford Outlet, followed by thirteen years at Kristy's Boutique. Darlene was 65 when she began working at the boutique, and recalls being surprised that she was wanted there, but she fostered a love of fashion and considers the time she spent at the boutique until her retirement to be a special time in her life.
Darlene has rarely traveled far. “We went to Hartland like people now fly to New Zealand,” she said lightly, but she does recall feeling blessed when she and her family got a chance to visit her brother Roger, who was in the service at the time, in Hawaii.
“I was directed to be here, even though I wanted to get away,” Darlene claims, explaining she means “Directed by God.” Darlene has a strong faith and has been an active member of several churches over her lifetime. As a child, she attended the Pontippidan church. She had her confirmation in LeSeuer, then began attending Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. She stayed active there with various groups for adults, children, and families over the years. It was Trinity Luthern where her children were raised and confirmed; Darlene emphasized how special the church community is to her and her family. Now, she says, she has slowed down and is less active, but still attends. Her faith in God is something she returns to repeatedly, emphasizing how blessed she feels in her life. “It's all blessings, mixed in with a few pitfalls,” she recalls. She describes life as a merry-go-round, with its ups and downs. Thinking over something she recently read, she asked herself, “Would I do it all over again? I think I would.” In her life, Darlene has experienced many losses, but she always returns to how blessed she feels. “What could be better than to be around people who care?” she asks. She also reflects on the way people remember small kindnesses throughout their life – a teacher writing in a yearbook, friendly supports, and so on.
Darlene has a deep appreciation for natural beauty – talking about the recent full moon with awe in her voice, and trips to Lake Superior with Dennis when he was in the Boy Scouts. She and Clarence used to golf and bowl, she explains. Now her favorite things to do are crosswords, going for walks, and driving, adding, “Oh, watch out for me in a red car!”
Darlene says there have been many defining moments in her life. All the highlights, she says, come from her family. Probably the most impactful moment on her life was her marriage to Clarence. “I wouldn't be here otherwise,” she said, referring to the life she's built in New Richland. Her advice to young people is to find an occupation that suits them. “Working has been so rewarding,” she explained, “if you like your work. And the people you'll meet!”
To close, Darlene asked to say a few words to the people in her life. “Anyone that I've hurt in any way,” she said, “I want to say I'm sorry. I’m thankful to God for this journey. Thankful for my beautiful family, friends, and everyone who has touched my life in any way and so much more.”