Robert Hamner was born in 1922 in Minneapolis. Franklin D. Roosevelt was President. A loaf of bread would set you back around seven cents at the time he was born. Robert certainly has seen many changes in his 95 years on this earth. He is a fascinating fellow and I enjoy him a great deal.
Robert was 11 months old when his father passed away at the age of 51. Robert and his mother continued to live in Minneapolis and enjoyed spending time during the summer with relatives in Becker and Milaca, eventually moving to the Becker area when his mother married Peter Peterson of the Snake River area.
Robert shared memories with me of attending Snake River School District 22 in Becker Township and working with his dad on the farm. As a young boy he would often go light the fire at school early, so it would be warm when the teacher and other students arrived. Robert smiled as he recalled how Clarence Olson, whom he described as ‘barely old enough to see over the steering wheel’, would drop off carloads of children for Bible school at Snake River. It seems Snake River was a lively place even in the 1930’s, with over 30 children often attending Bible School!
Robert recalled fondly how he and his classmates at Snake River one-room school would play ball against neighboring one-room schools, such as Kragero and District 20 and Santiago one room school. They often attended each other’s Halloween and Christmas programs.
Robert reminisced about how his grandmother Lundberg (who spoke only Swedish) lit the wood stove at Snake River Midsummer to make coffee outside in the late 1920’s.
In 1946, Robert married Alice Sjolander and the couple bought a 280 acre farm from Carl Edson in the Snake River area. They raised dairy and beef cattle and did general farming.
Robert and Alice were able to take a 19 day trip of a lifetime visiting relatives in Sweden in 1981. Robert and Alice’s fathers were born in Sweden in different areas. Alice’s dad was born in Gnarp, Halsingland and Robert’s dad was born in Hamneda, Smaland. All of Robert and Alice's forefathers were of Swedish descent.
Alice passed away in 2003. Robert continues to live in the same location south of the Santiago Township line, enjoying his 72nd winter on his farm north of Becker!
Hamner’s children Gary and Cheryl continue to live with him on the same homestead. Dale is married and lives near Princeton.
Much like in my own family, the Hamner kids grew up helping with the farm work alongside their dad from a very young age. Robert and Gary milked cows until a
tornado went through on the evening of July 22, 1967 and did serious damage to the barn. Hamners were fortunate, as they only lost trees and had damage to the roof of the house. Although the tornado removed part of the roof of their house, not one window was broken!
After the tornado, Hamners transitioned to raising beef cattle and continued to raise crops, they own approximately 475 acres. Gary talked about how the effects of that tornado continued for decades, as so many downed trees in their large pastures affected their cows as they were often drawn to the downed trees, causing damage to their udders.
Farmland nowadays in Sherburne County is sparse. I am grateful for farmers such as the Hamners, as I enjoy the blessing of pastures over housing developments.
Hamners don’t live very far as the crow flies from my parents’ farm. My sister, Terri and her husband own a home very near one of Hamner’s pastures. Terri often talks about what a joy it is to have Hamner’s cattle grazing in the pasture during the summer months.
The day my sister and I stopped to visit, Gary had been grinding feed and Robert had been outside a couple times (depsite the bitter cold and treacherous winter weather).
I enjoyed our visit with the Hamners very much. Our lives intersect with the Hamners on many levels. Farm families were abundant in this area through the 1980’s.
As I visited with Robert and his children this week, I certainly felt connected to the past. Robert reminisced how he enjoyed visiting with my dad so much when he delivered fuel oil while working for Virgil Gilyard. My dad passed away in 1998 at the age of 76. My dad was 3 months older than Robert and would also be 95 if he were alive. I can’t help but think that if my father were still alive, he would also still be farming, much like Robert. Such is the life of a farmer - the blessing of being able to get up each morning and enjoy the day the good Lord has provided - be it the harsh bitter winter cold or glorious spring, summer and fall days.
My sister and I chatted a long time with Hamners, sharing memories of days gone by and stories about old timers in the area, many who are no longer with us.
Life is different in 2018 than when Robert was growing up. He laughed as he looked at my smart phone during our visit: “I had a tablet growing up, too. It only cost a nickel!” he said. It was the kind of tablet that was used to practice penmanship.
I asked Robert his thoughts about the secret to his longevity. He said: “There’s no use worrying about the future!” He commented that in his lifetime he witnessed several neighbors and friends suffer serious health issues - many of which were fatal.
A person would never guess Robert Hamner is 95 years young. He is a storehouse of memories. He is quick witted and smiling comes easy for him, perhaps one of the reasons for his longevity. He has had a few health issues in the past year, but that is not unexpected for a nonagenarian (person who is from 90 to 99 years old). Robert continues to stay very active. He is an inspiration.
