• Home
  • About
  • Connect
  • Press/Media

The Pinke Post

  • Life in North Dakota
  • Recipes
  • Small Town Living
  • Women In Ag

Posted By Katie On August 28, 2008 Leave a Comment

103rd birthday

Filed Under: Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Iris in January 1980…holding me

Iris in July 2008…holding sweet Miss E

Today is Iris’s 103rd birthday. Iris is an amazing lady. I know I have written about her before but today is a tribute to Iris. She was the sister to my maternal great grandfather, Odin. Iris was my pen pal my entire childhood–and before that she was my mom’s pen pal and my grandma’s. She has been a special aunt for generations to all of our family and extended family.

In 1928, Iris was the first in my family to graduate from the University of North Dakota and went on to have a successful career as a school teacher and then librarian. In 1990, Iris moved from southern Minnesota to be near family in eastern North Dakota and moved in just down the hall from my great-grandparents apartment. It was 5 minute drive from our house and we spent many fun times together like trick or treating every year to her apartment, playing my piano recitals pieces on the grand piano in their building and most of all listening to stories that Iris can tell from the past. She does not forget anything and is a living history herself.

After the flood of 1997, Iris lived with us at the farm until she could get back into her apartment. And when Hunter was born she walked (she has never been one to drive!) to the hospital to see us and it was a moment I will never forget. Touching and thoughtful. Iris asks very little of anyone and is always giving. One time she did ask me for a ride to Hillsboro ND to attend a class reunion of her former students. I will never forget walking into that museum where the reunion was held and the sheer excitement from Iris’s former students that she had come to their reunion. Now these people were well into their 70’s in age and Iris looked younger and better than all of them. She definitely had made an impact on these people as many came up to me and told stories how their favorite teacher in all their years of schooling had always been Iris.

While I was at UND, Hunter and I would go and pick up Iris and take her to McDonald’s with us. We have shared many good times over a McDonald’s hamburger. While her eye sight and hearing is failing, she still writes to us often and there is nothing I look forward to more when getting the mail than finding a letter from Iris. And hopefully today Iris is receiving many birthday cards in her mailbox!

Happy 103rd Birthday, Iris. We love you.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Print
Previous Post: « The end of August…
Next Post: In honor of Alaska »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to the Prairie…

I am a mom of three kids and a wife to Nathan. Together we live on the North Dakota prairie, 97 miles from a Starbuck's. I share about family, food, farming and the prairie that I love. I used to commute 98 miles one-way to work but it required too much coffee. So now I am home, consulting, speaking, writing and primarily, juggling family life.
See more of our life on the prairie... Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Stay in Touch…

Get the news from the prairie delivered directly to your inbox when it's hot off the press!

from my kitchen. . .

7 things to know in a Cashew Chicken Recipe

Crock-Pot Pinto Bean & Ham Soup Recipe

Crock Pot Spare Rib Recipe

farm life

Favorite Farm Girls

  • Beyer Beware
  • GOODEness Gracious
  • The Wife of a Dairyman
  • Fresh from the Farm

Griggs Dakota

Visit our 5th generation family farm...

Latest Recipes

How To Make Snowman Sundaes

Real Farmwives & Friends: My Favorite Christmas Entertaining Recipes

Rhubarb Sauce Recipe

More Posts from this Category

Life on the Prairie…

More Posts from this Category

Women in Agriculture

Ladies Night on a North Dakota farm

Sarah Nasello’s Party on the Prairie Giveaway

Debbie Lyons-Blythe of Kids, Cows and Grass & The Need For Organ Donors

More Posts from this Category

Footer

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2021 ·Captivating Theme ·Custom Designed by Design Chicky· Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.