52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 19: Nurture: Thelma Gorrell Loved Everyone

This is my second year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

This week before Mother’s Day is appropriate for talking about my second mother, Thelma Marie Nilsen Gorrell, my mother-in-law.

She was the oldest daughter of Arthur Nathaniel Nilsen and Agnes Hilma Carolina Lundquist. Four brothers were born before her, one brother after her, and then three sisters, one who died as an infant.

So being the oldest daughter, a lot of responsibility fell on her that did not fall to her older brothers. Inside work was “women’s” work. Her mother was weak and bedridden. Because of her  mother’s sickness, Thelma took care of many household chores.

At the age of ten, it was Thelma who found her mother had passed away. She had to go to the neighbor’s home to get help.

When her father remarried, the step mother expected a lot from Thelma as well. She had to come home straight from school to do chores and couldn’t join Girl Scouts or be in the chorus or on a sports team.

Still, even though her childhood was hard, she had a loving soul. She saw the positive in everyone. She gave freely of her money and helped whenever she could.

I felt this, the first time my future husband brought me home to meet his family. Thelma was so welcoming. I knew we’d be kinship souls when I saw the kinds of books she read. She loved mysteries and the westerns written by Louis L’Amour, as do I. At the first Christmas together, she had presents (yes plural) for me so I felt like part of the family.

Over the years she was very active with her church, singing in the choir and working as their bookkeeper. She put in a lot of hours but it was clearly her calling.

She also loved and adored all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Whether they were biological or step, it didn’t matter. She loved spending time with them and also buying them Christmas presents. Every child had a subscription to Highlights or another magazine. She thought it was very important that a special magazine was addressed specifically to each child.

Four of her granddaughters lived nearby and she would buy or make matching dresses. She adorned having them stay with her. They went to the State Fair or county or city parks. Often they went camping. She played games with them or cooked or baked in the kitchen. A favorite among the girls were Swedish Pancakes.

Thelma passed away in 2018 at the age of 92. She lived a very long, loving life, and is greatly missed.

Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.