When two interesting

people have a 

conversation,

they completely 

forget to

talk about themselves. 

- Ed Latimore 

 

The above quote seemed fitting as I sat down earlier this week to chat with longtime Becker residents Oliver Knutson and Muriel Schaapveld, who were part of the Becker Class of 1945 (18 students). As of last fall, the following students from Becker Class of 1945 were still alive: Muriel (Christensen) Schaapveld of Becker, Oliver Knutson of Becker, Alta (Hansen) Norlund of Becker, Muriel (Peterson) Foehringer of Buffalo, Fred Hansen (unsure of location), Jim Williams of Apple Valley and Phoebe McCalla, Buffalo Lake.

 

Muriel talked about her transition from country school to town school: “At the country school, they only had female teachers. Attending town school in Becker during the war was such a change for us. We were known as the World War II class. I was sitting in assembly hall when FDR declared war. We didn’t have enough sense to be scared, yet we knew our lives were going to change forever. I was scared to death! By the time we hit our sophomore year, all the male teachers except Mr. Merias had left for the service. Even the superintendent had to teach class because there was a shortage of teachers.” 

 

Germany surrendered by the time Muriel got out of school, she told me.

 

There was gas and food rationing at that time. Muriel shared: “We only had a John Deere tractor that used diesel fuel, so we never got a gas break. We had to get along with the three gallons of gas we were allowed. In the spring, if we had play practice, we couldn’t attend unless someone from school would take pity on us. During play practice season, we would stay at a friend’s house a couple nights per week. Mom would often ask Richard and Carrie Leverton (who owned Jack Sprat mercantile and grocery store in downtown Becker) if I could stay overnight a couple nights per week and they would take her to play practice. 

 

Because of the war, we couldn’t buy stockings with elastic because everything went to the service. Nylons came during the war. And something as simple as overshoes we couldn’t get either, as they all went to the men in the war, as well. We had tire patches on our boots! Many men got jobs in the war plants (Federal Cartridge and Northern Pump) and moved their families out of the Becker area. It was traumatic because we lost many friends. One of my best friends (her dad was a school bus driver), Bev Rush, moved to the cities because he got a job offer in Minneapolis.”

 

Muriel grew up north of Becker and attended Snake River Country School. She met her husband Maynard in school, as he was two grades ahead of Muriel at Becker schools. Maynard was engaged to be married to a gal who ended up writing him a Dear John letter when he was stationed in the Phillipines in the Army. When Maynard was home on furlough in 1946 and spent time with one of Muriel’s brothers and he set Maynard and Muriel up. Muriel and Maynard got married in June of 1947 and lived near Kragero school and later near Snake River. 

 

Muriel shared many interesting stories during our visit. Muriels parents were Carl and Anna (Simpson) Christensen. My grandpa Carl (Erickson) would often visit Muriel’s family farm and share coffee and stories. Muriel giggled as she shared this funny story with me: “Your grandpa moved really fast and talked really fast! When he would visit, our collie dog was overstimulated and we had to put the dog in the barn!” 

 

Muriel talked about when she worked at the Santiago General store for a couple years in 1950 and 1951. She said it was not uncommon to see local residents from Becker Baptist Church street evangelism team (such as Leonard Olson), preaching in front of the store.

 

Muriel is what I like to call a ‘mover and a shaker’. She worked at every restautant in the area, usually a total of seven days a week. She worked at The Gin Mill and Hanging Kettle for Hilda Mclamb; the Family Affair/Coffee Cup in Becker and Tracy’s Supper Club on the lake (Big Lake). Next, she worked for Ethel Cox at the Lake Cafe in Big Lake, followed by a stint as a waitress at the Oaks Restaurant in Becker and then worked at Jubilee/Food Pride in Becker for four years making all the soups and salads in the deli. Her last job was working as a waitress for her son and daughter-in-law (Jon and Jill Schaapveld) at the Palmer House for a number of years before retirement at the age of 80.

 

I am not convinced Muriel will ever retire. She remains active in church, often helping in the kitchen with funerals and events at Faith Lutheran Church in Becker. 

 

Muriel and Maynard raised four wonderful children: Joan, Jayne, Jay and Jon. She thoroughly enjoys her children, 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Maynard passed away in 1980. Muriel lives in her own home in Becker and says she is grateful for “the best neighbors in the whole world!”

 

Those who lived through World War II and exprienced rations and hardships provide a good lesson for all of us. Many in our society are accustomed to having easy access to everything they need. Resources have not always been plentiful.

 

At 91 years young, Muriel has seen many changes in her life. She is truly an inspiration!