Billy, me, Larry, Barb, Laurie, Susie, and Lenny - about 1964 on Lombard Street
My sister and I, with Grandma Leta, my Mom & our Jorgensen cousins (abt 1967)
Paul Jorgensen, about 1930's, before he met Leta Dunham Farrand
Paul & Leta Jorgensen, about 1953
Paul & Leta Jorgensen, about 1966
Paul Sr., Paul Jr., and Airman 1st Class Lawrence Jorgensen, 1972
My Grandparents, Nelson and Leta, divorced when my father was young. Grandpa
Nelson remarried Grandma Sonja, and Grandma Leta remarried a great big oak tree of a man named Paul Jorgensen.
Paul was a first-generation-American-born child to Danish parents, Anders Jorgensen
and Emma Johansen. Paul's first wife, Helen Quambush, died in 1951, leaving him widowed with two grown children;
Paul, Jr. and Marlene Helyn.
My Grandma Leta and Grandpa Paul were married in 1953, giving my Dad a step brother and
a step sister. This, in addition to a half-sister, Patti, born to his Father (Nelson) and Stepmother (Sonja).
Paul Jr., married and had three children: Lawrence, Leonard and Lauren. They
were much older than me, and I looked up to them and thought they were the coolest because I didn't see them that often, except
for trips to Chicago, or when they came to the Lake.
Marlene married a man named Bob Sorensen, and they also had three children: William,
Barbara, and Susan. They moved to the Lake before we did, so once my folks bought Rod 'n Reel Resort, my sister and
I already had "roots" established at the Lake. Aunt Marlene and Uncle Bob owned a trendy, cosmopolitan resort called
Kon Tiki, and furbished it with icons of Polynesia.
We'd go over there for dinner, and I remember eating Aunt Marlene's fried chicken, and
just wanting to eat the crust because it was so crispy. They also had a huge fish tank, and I would sit transfixed for
an hour.
My cousins had their own rooms, which was just the bomb, because my sister and I only
had a part of the cabin and we had to sleep together, so the thought of "personal space" with a DOOR was absolutely the best
thing. They were teenagers when I was a kid, so I looked up to them and thought the world of them.
Later, my Aunt Marlene and Uncle Bob got divorced and she remarried my good friend's father,
Pete Mehl. THAT was a kicker, because my best friend became my cousin AND neighbor. At least until they sold the
Knotty Pine Resort to the Kuse's from Iowa.
In about 1980-1981, my cousin Barb married a descendant of one of the Pioneer Families
of Camden County, Missouri - Kenny Whitworth. They were dairy & livestock farmers in the southern part of Camden
County, intermingling with the Meads, Doyles and Osborns. She's now a Spanish teacher, and they have 6 sons.
My sister and the Jorgensen/Sorensen cousins all stayed in touch over the years, and she
would attend these annual "reunions". I could never get the time off, working for Marriott, so I missed out on a lot
of memories with them as a young adult. I'm just now trying to make up for lost time, since I've got weekends free,
being a part-time worker and stay-at-home mom.
This year, 2003, was a breakthrough year for Lawrence, Barb and I as far as research is
concerned. Barb shared with us her scrapbooks put together on her Sorensen side, Lawrence shared his Quambush and Jorgensen
information, and I filled them in on Leta's Dunham family. I was also invited to join the "Pioneer Families of Camden
County" website. I'm considering starting yet ANOTHER page, this time for the Whitworths, because I have so many
pictures and history on them.
