I recently visited Doris Clitty on her 95th birthday at her cozy rambler in Spring Lake Park. It was colder than a sled dog’s toenails the day of our visit, but that was not a problem.
Doris clearly has the gift of hospitality and quickly invited me in and offered me food!
Doris is delightful. She has such a welcoming way about her. Many of Doris’ children were present and flocked around her, enjoying this milestone birthday.
Doris’ home is full of treasures and several hutches full of lovely antiques. As we visited about some of her antiques, Doris shared that she has hosted an annual garage sale at her house for many years, but she was disappointed she didn’t think she would be able to pull that off this year.
Visiting with Doris reminded me of a bygone era. Doris was born just a few years after my father (who passed away in 1998). I really enjoyed hearing the details of Doris’ childhood. Doris was born in Hudson, South Dakota on Jan. 21, 1925 to Gust and Anna Ring. Doris had one sister (Ellen) and one brother (Gordon). While Doris only had two siblings, she had a multitude of cousins. Her mother had 12 in her family and her father had 8. “On Saturday night, my family would load up and go to town (Hudson, South Dakota). We would bring in our cream and eggs to sell and use the money to buy groceries. My sister and I would get a nickel and I would spend my nickel on two hot dogs. We were poor, but we had love”, Doris said. Doris moved to Sherburne County at the age of 17.
As I visited with Doris, I asked her about a fascinating photo on her wall. Doris explained it was a photo of her husband’s parents, Hattie (Bailey) Clitty and her husband, Joseph. Hattie was born in 1883 on a farm in Orrock township. Joseph Clitty moved to the Becker area with his parents and siblings from Janesville, Wisconsin. The Clitty family settled in a sod house on the banks of the Elk River east of the Salida Road (now County Road 11).
Doris told me about her in-laws’ (Joseph and Hattie) interesting love story. Joseph Clitty and his family lived near Hattie Bailey and her family. When Hattie was born, Joseph held Hattie in his arms, not realizing that many years later, he would marry that little girl! After working on the railroad out west to earn money, Joseph (39) moved back to Becker and ended up marrying Hattie Bailey (17) in September of 1900.
The Clitty family has a very long history with the Becker area. Joseph Clitty’s parents had moved to Sherburne County from the Great Lakes area in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was campaigning for president in that area. In fact, the torch that was used in Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 campaign ended up in the Clitty archives and at one point the Clitty family received a letter on White House stationary signed by Jackie Kennedy asking if they would consider donating to the White House, as a part of a White House Restoration project, with a goal was to restore historical and original artifacts to the White House because so many of the original political collectible items had been stolen or removed. The Clitty family later received a follow up letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson. The family opted to keep the torch and still have the artifact. Doris Ring married Charles Clitty July 20, 1942. Doris and Charles bought the Clitty family farm in Becker off Edgewood (south of Becker City Park). Doris and her husband, Charles, raised 9 children. Doris told me they milked 32 cows. Besides taking care of her family and cooking for a large crew daily, Charles worked as an electrician in Elk River.
Doris also worked outside the home, riveting aircraft during World War II at the Char-Gale plant in St. Cloud. The company originally hired men, but as the need to fill jobs increased they were forced to seek help from across state lines, and even hire women.
Doris told me: “I usually got up around 4 a.m. to milk the cows and do the other chores and often drove the tractor and then went to my full-time job in St. Cloud. I was able to save enough money to buy electric milking machines.”
The children’s paternal grandmother, Hattie Clitty, took care of the children for many years on the farm. Doris recalled that at one point, she had several babies breastfeeding, so she and Hattie devised a clever signal to let Doris know she needed to come. Hattie would come out in the yard and wave a white dish towel if one of the children needed to be nursed!
Doris and Charles raised 9 children: Jerry, Joey, Chuck, Randy, Dawn, Steve, Renee, Joel and Rhonda. Doris has experienced her share of heartache, having lost two children early on. Joey died in the early 1950’s of a brain tumor at the age of 6 or 7. Chuck died at age 19 on June 11, 1968 after being wounded while serving in Vietnam.
Doris and Charles moved from Becker to Spring Lake Park in 1959, although most of the kids continued to spend the summers on the farm in Becker through the 1970’s. Doris’ son Randy purchased the Clitty farm in the 1970’s and currently lives there.
Doris became a widow in her early seventies when her husband Charles passed away in 1998. When asked how she managed to juggle so much, Doris said: “We just kept going. We had to. We rarely sat down. We even had to haul the manure at night sometimes!”
Doris has a warmth about her and such a positive outlook. She smiles often. Despite having had part of one leg amputated and being in hospice, she remains incredibly upbeat. She chuckled as she told me: “I’m in hospice here at home. They say I probably will die soon, but I feel pretty good! I really don’t have very much pain. I went to scratch my foot during the night recently and realized it wasn’t there!”
“Growing up in South Dakota, my family was poor. I only had one pair of shoes and I had to use those to do farm chores and for school. I often went barefoot to save my shoes for good. I only had two dresses. We helped our parents with a huge garden. I did the same when I raised my own family. Even now, I’m still poor! But we have love and our family!”
Family has always been a priority for Doris. Doris Doris’ great niece, Judy (Pittman) Welch told me: “Doris rarely missed any family functions. She always made it a priority to attend her children and grandchildren’s events. Weddings, funerals. Any family function - you would always see Doris.”
Doris shared this advice after her 95 years: “I didn’t drink or smoke and tried not to swear! I made a point to never go to bed mad.”
