By Bill Anderson

The 1 to 3 inches of snow predicted for Rutland and vicinity on the afternoon and evening of Friday, December 17, and the morning of Saturday, December 18, turned out to be about a foot of the fluffy white stuff. Maybe the hyphen shouldn’t have been between the 1 and the 3. The heaviest snowfall in the region was along the State Line, from Ellendale to Fairmount. According to the official Kulzer’s Hardware yardstick, 12 inches of snow fell in Rutland, and 13 inches were awarded to our neighbors in Havana. City Maintenance man Scott Haan was out opening streets in the still dark hours of early morning and kept at it all day long. It looks as if Rutland’s late Mayor, Ron Narum, has a worthy successor in the snow pushing department.

This community was saddened last Thursday when word was received here that Gwendolyn (Prindiville) Young of Rutland had passed away on Tuesday, December 14, at her winter home in Mesa AZ. Gwen had attained the age of 101 years, 3 months and 27 days at the time of her death. Gwendolyn Prindiville was born on August 17, 1920, on the Prindiville farm just south of Rutland, to John D. & Naomi (Barnhart) Prindiville. She was the second of their 6 children, and their only daughter. Gwen grew up in the Rutland community and completed both elementary and high school in Rutland, graduating in the RHS Class of ’38. Gwen’s high school class suffered tragedy when 4 RHS students were killed and 4 were injured in a collision with a Great Northern Railway locomotive near Fairmount during “Skip Day” just prior to graduation. At the outbreak of World War II, Gwen enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and participated in the invasion of North Africa in November of 1942 as a member of General Eisenhower’s headquarters staff. She served in Eisenhower’s headquarters in Algiers in 1943. While in Algiers, she met and married another soldier, John Young of Chicago IL. Following her military service, Gwen returned to Rutland. She and her husband had 4 children: John; Patrick; Harold; and Vincent. After being discharged from the Army and returning to Rutland, Gwen was employed as secretary by the Sargent County States Attorney, and later as office manager for the Sargent County office of the USDA’s Farmers Home Administration. In 1961 she succeeded her father as Postmaster at the Rutland Post Office, and she served in that capacity until her retirement in 1981. Gwen was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church; of Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion, and of the American Legion Auxiliary; of the Rutland Community Club; and, of the Friendly Garden Club. She is survived by 2 sons: Harold Young; and Vincent Young; both of Mesa AZ; by 2 brothers: John “Pat” Prindiville of Horace ND; and Alan “Mike” Prindiville of Spokane WA; by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and, by a host of friends. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; by 3 brothers: Dennis; Gerald; and Roger; and by 2 of her sons: John; and Patrick. Gwen donated her body to a medical school in Arizona for medical research and training. A celebration of her life and inurnment of her cremains will take place in Rutland this coming Spring. The Rutland community extends condolences to the family and friends of Gwendolyn Young, a strong and resourceful woman who endured hard times with calm strength and good cheer.

Rutland native Corrine (Narum) Romereim of Wahpeton reports that she is making a good recovery after an accident back in October that left her with a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and a large bump on her head. Corrine said that she had stepped outside her farm home west of Wahpeton to help untangle a dog that had wrapped its lead rope around a porch post. Once freed, the dog was so excited that it wrapped the rope around Corrine’s ankles, causing her to fall on the concrete driveway. “It can happen fast,” said Corrine. “You’re OK one second, and a second later you’re badly injured.” Fortunately for Corrine, her son, Rod, arrived at her home a short time later, found her in the driveway, and got her to the Emergency Room for care. She spent several days in the hospital, and several weeks in a rehab facility in Fargo before returning to her home. She is still doing the rehabilitation exercises, she said, and expects to continue them for some time to come.

Rodney & Andrea Erickson and their girls: Abbie; Maddie; and, Sophie; are in Florida this week, visiting friends, and enjoying the sunny, snow free weather.

Joanne Harris reports that her son, Captain Mike Harris USN, and daughter-in-law, Joy Harris, will be Christmas guests at her home this weekend. Mike will be celebrating his 56^th birthday on Christmas Eve. They grow up so fast! Mike has spent more than 30 years in the Navy, and is currently stationed at San Diego CA, where there is no snow and the sun will be shining this weekend.

Rob & Dana Wyum and Cameron & Jenny Gulleson took a brief vacation trip to San Antonio TX last week. Cameron reports that they enjoyed a nice, relaxing holiday in the home of “The River Walk” and “The Alamo,” and even took a look at the nearby King Ranch, which covers a couple of hundred thousand acres. He says that the King Ranch is somewhat larger than the Wyum and Gulleson farms in North Dakota. Every bit of fun has to be paid for with some pain, though, and Rob suffered an attack of the flu on their return trip that stranded him in Minneapolis for a day. Everybody’s home now, though, and only the good memories remain. Grandparents Mark & Kathy Wyum and Bill & Pam Gulleson took care of the grandchildren while the parents were in Texas.

It’s a short column this week, due to the early publication deadline needed to get the paper out before the Christmas holiday weekend. 

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office and remember to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Merry Christmas to all and may the Spirit of Christmas be yours this holiday season, and throughout the coming year. Later.