Civic Club and director of the Security State Bank
which he had helped organize.
Ditmanson cherished the church, backing it
financially, also with his time and energy. He was
a member of Hope Lutheran. He supported 2
native evangelists in China; also provided financial
aid to a brother, Frederick, missionary in China
for 30 years. He helped develop Luther Bible
Camp, Chetek, and spent many a summer there
with church youth.
Mr. Ditmanson, age 68, died April 23, 1951.
Survivors include his wife, Anna Marie; son,
Harold; and 2 brothers, Frederick, missionary in
China, and Elof, farmer in Webster, SD. Andrew,
Ditmanson's silent partner, died in 1949. Rev.
Henry Erickson, pastor and friend, conducted the
last rites. Ditmanson's will provided for the bulk of
his estate to be used for college, mission and educa-
tional activities of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of America.
Anna Marie Ditmanson, age 69, died in 1953.
She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin
Olsen, Marinette, Mi. Her marriage to Thorwald
Ditmanson took place at Marinette, July 17, 1907.
She is survived by one son, Harold Ditmanson,
Northfield, MN; 3 grandchildren, Barb, Mary,
and Anne; a sister, Mrs. Knute Knutson, and a
brother.
Harold is a professor at St. Olaf College. He
received his doctorate in religion at Yale Universi-
Sgraduate School. By Leah SoIsrud (Condensed
from obituaries published in the Ladysmith News
1951 and 1953)
DOBROWOLSKI FAMILY
I was one of ten children. My father was Stanley
Dobrowolski. He came from Poland. His ship land-
ed in Texas and then he traveled to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin.
My mother, Mary Jaworski came from New
York to Milwaukee. They met there and got mar-
ried. The first two children were born there. Then
they bought a farm in Rusk County.

Adam and Irene Dobrowolski

I was the third child and the first that was born
on the farm on September 1, 1914. There were ten
children in all. I was number three, then there
were seven after me. I started school when I was
seven at the Bear Lake School. I graduated from
the eighth grade from that school.
In my early years I worked on our farm. As time
went by, I became a hired hand each summer to
other farmers. After that, I came to Chicago per-
manently to work. I worked for the National Tea
Company in the bakery as a clean-up man. Then
after four years, I became a baker.
I met my wife, Irene at this time. We got mar-
ried a year after meeting. We had two children,
Marianna and Adam. Then I became a foreman,
bought a house until the company closed.
I went to work as a maintenance foreman for
Delta Airlines at O'Hare Airport. I stayed there
six years and then I retired.
Our daughter is married and is celebrating her
25th Anniversary this year. Her husband, Lou and
she have a home near Park Ridge, Illinois. They
have five daughters of which we are proud to be
their grandparents.
140

Our son is married to Lois. They have a home in
Des Plaines, Illinois.
Now that I am retired, I do work around my
home. I also help out around our children's homes.
All my brothers and sisters are still going strong
except for one who died later in life.
Enjoying my retirement and I feel I'm not get-
ting older in body, just in age! Adam and Irene
Dobrowolski
BERNARD DOBROWOLSKI
FAMILY
My father, Stanley Dobrowolski, was born in
Poland, December 22, 1887. He came to the
United States by way of Texas, later coming to
Milwaukee where he met my mother, Mary
(Mamie) Jawarski. She was born in New York
State, June 11, 1894. They were married in
Milwaukee in 1910.
Brother Henry, and I were born in Milwaukee
I in 1911. In 1914 we moved to a farm at Bear
Lake, Town of Rusk. Here eight more children
were born: Adam, Alice, Elizabeth, Edward,
George, Anna, Martha, and Joseph. All are living
except Elizabeth.
Being from a large family provided wonderful
memories of our "growing up" years. Summer
days on the farm were long and the work hard, but
when the chores were finished we all grabbed soap
and towel and headed back across our pasture,
over the fence to Dead Goose Lake in Will Scott's
pasture for a long refreshing swim. This same lake
supplied plenty of pan fish for our family's meals.
In fact a few of us still fish there on our vacations
from various areas of the country.
We enjoyed the abundance of wild blackberries
in our pasture each summer and mushrooms in the
fall. Mother strung the mushrooms across the kit-
chen to dry for winter use.
Our large family also provided a complete ball
team when we had leisure time. In the winter we
could always play cards to pass time, or have sled-
ding parties on the hill in front of our house. I
learned to play the concertina, which I still enjoy.
In the early 30s we built a large barn and each
summer before the hay went in we would have
barn dances with music provided by anyone who
could play an instrument. These dances were at-
tended by friends from a wide area.
We attended Bear Lake School and I will never
forget my first day. Henry and I started school the
same year. The teacher was Margie Speed who
later married Ervin Tubbs. Mother left us at
school and when I discovered she was gone I ran
screaming from the building. Joe Vechera caught
and held me. I kicked and screamed until Mother
came back, spanked me, and set me in my seat.
In 1927 I left for work in Milwaukee. After two
years I returned home because of the depression
and worked as a hired man and did any odd job I
could find. In 1937 I went to Chicago to work
where I met Olga Zalewski. We were married
June 29, 1940. We came to Barron County and
bought a farm just over the Rusk County line,

where we lived until our recent retirement. We
now have a new home near Bass Lake, east of
Chetek.
Three children were born to us. Our daughter,
Cynthia Sarkiss, is an Intern in the Ministry of the
Lutheran Church. She has two children, Ginger
and Blair. Duane is a supervisor for Mexican
Airlines. His wife, Alcira is from Bogota, Colom-
bia, South America. Our youngest daughter, Mar-
cia Walker Riemsnider, is Vice President of To-
Day Incorporated. Bernard Dobrowolski
THE DONALD DODSON
FAMILY
To live in Wisconsin had been our goal for near-
ly 20 years.
In 1962 we bought the Bjorkman farm which is
bordered by the Chippewa on one side and the
other side by the Thornapple.
At that time Don was foreman at the Keystone
Steel in Peoria, Illinois. Ellen (that's me) was
teaching in a consolidated unit.
In addition we had a Christmas tree business
(acquired by accident  but it's a long story). We
grew trees in Wisconsin and Illinois. This included
a good sized flocking business.
By 1973 Don had enough years (32) and
because of a back ailment he retired. A couple
years later I retired after teaching nearly 27 years.
In 1981 we sold our Illinois property including
our trees. Since we couldn't find anyone to take
care of my invalid sister while we moved, I stayed
in Wisconsin with her. Don and our good neighbor,
Gilbert Nelson and some of Don's relatives did all
the moving.
Streator, Illinois was my birthplace, Don was
born on a farm near Gridley, Illinois. Our paths
crossed when I went to board at their house to
teach the local school. We were married August 3,
1940.
Don's great-grandfather had settled in that area
around 1850. We acquired about 3000 acres of
prairie land. A brother, Lloyd, and a sister,
Charlotte and families are still living on part of it.
Don has another brother Merle, who lives in
Peoria.
Don's great-grandfather donated the land on
which Illinois State University now stands. He also
donated land to a Christian church which has
recently been moved to Lake Bloomington, Illinois
and made into a historical building.
One of the great-grandchildren was married
there recently.
My dad, Bill Lewis, was a railroad engineer.
Many years before I was born, he was in a bad
train accident which cost him his leg. He learned
to cope and raised 5 children: Erma (who is the on-
ly one besides me still living), Ralph, Mildred,
Lucille, and me. Dad had several sisters who
taught in Chicago for many years.
Don can trace his ancestry back to the Gregory's
of England around 1200 A.D. Mine has been
traced as far back as Meriweather Lewis of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Stanley and Maymie Dobrowolski Family 50th Anniversary - 1960