“I hope I never have to be poor again. Because I remember how much my mother struggled to raise the family when my father passed away...” –John Carl Sundqvist (1914-2004)
John’s mother, Hilma Louisa Granberg Nordstrom, had to make a living by herself weaving rugs and growing raspberries in the back yard of her house, in Sparta, Montana. She was such an ambitious lady. With 7 children to take care of, working part time for the city of Eveleth, she is a symbol of virtue in our family. In this picture she is weaving a rug.
John’s mother, Hilma Louisa Granberg Nordstrom, had to make a living by herself weaving rugs and growing raspberries in the back yard of her house, in Sparta, Montana. She was such an ambitious lady. With 7 children to take care of, working part time for the city of Eveleth, she is a symbol of virtue in our family. In this picture she is weaving a rug.
“My mother, Hilma, was a hard working Swede who loved all of her children. She worked hard to support herself and family using the skills she learned as a young girl growing up in Sweden. She made and sold rag rugs, raised raspberries and even gave people, who needed it, the Swedish Massage. She remained a happy person throughout her life. She was lonesome to return to Sweden to visit her father Daniel, her brother Gustav and her sister Maria, but sadly it never came to pass.” (Written by John Sundquist on April 30, 2003).
"Sparta had all kinds of people from all over the world, Europe, Italy, and they all melded together. John’s mother was an outgoing person and she could understand all languages, she learned Italian, etc. But her husband Oscar died when John was 14 yrs old and he vaguely remembered them." (Testimony by Ellen Oquist, John's wife, Dec. 2006)
