Lena Louise Hanson ^{3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14}

   Cause of her death was Cardio respiratory failure.⁶

   Another name for Lena was Leone Louise Hanson.²

  General Notes:

She always used the nickname of Lena during her life and was called Lee by her 2nd husband, Vinson Rice.
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It would appear that her true given name may have been Leone but she always went by Lena. In fact, an abstract of birth record was obtained in 1943 with affidavits giving her name as Lena. But a newspaper article about her wedding and even the original wedding invitation from her parents gave her name as Leone, but that may have been the more formal name given by the parents.
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My cousin and fellow researcher, Robert C. Westphal, writes the following biography about Lena Hanson.

THE LIFE OF LENA HANSON
By Robert C. Westphal, Jr. (Grandson)

Compiled in part during personal interviews in 1977, while staying with Lena (Hanson Drugan) and Vinson Rice, Winona, MN

FORWARD
Living in Pleasanton, CA at the time, I had gone to Winona in the Spring of 1977 to look into attending Winona State University and planned to stop off and visit my grandparents for a few days. The day after my arrival, grandma woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning complaining of a severe burning sensation in her stomach. Against her wishes, I called an ambulance and she was taken to Winona General Hospital. They performed X -rays and determined that she had an aortic aneurysm and that it was life threatening. She was transferred, by ambulance, to the Mayo Clinic in nearby Rochester, MN, and immediately underwent cardiac surgery at St. Mary's - Mayo to repair the weak spot in her aorta. The surgery was successful, but her surgeon later indicated that had surgery been postponed for another half an hour, she would have "bled out" and died.

Whitey and I stayed for a week in a nearby motel while Lena recovered. Then, on the day she was scheduled to go home, she tried to get out of bed without assistance, and fell, breaking her hip. Another (hip replacement) surgery was planned for the following week. Whitey and I returned home to Winona where we lived as "bachelors" for the next two weeks - while grandma recovered in Rochester. She did very well through the surgeries, and was released early under the condition that I would remain in Winona to help care for her over the next month.

During her recovery, we spent many hours talking about her life. I documented most of the "high points," and have countless pages of other little stories that she told. It was difficult caring for both of them; constant cooking, bathing, medications, doctor's visits, etc., but the experience gave me, at 19 years old, the valuable opportunity to know my grandparents on a very personal level. As a child, I was a "grandma's boy," spending far more time with grandma than with grandpa during visits to Winona. But, this time with them allowed me to really develop a deeper relationship with grandpa (Whitey). Despite his gruff exterior, I found him to be a wonderful man with a heart of pure gold. We went bowling together every week, played checkers together, took long walks together, went for drives around Lake Winona, and went grocery shopping together. It was evident that he was scared to death to lose his wife, and I'm so happy to have been there for both of them to offer what comfort I could.

When grandma died, it was decided that I would be the one to tell Whitey of her death. It was among the most difficult things I've had to do in my life. When I told him, (while he was living as a patient in the Watkins Home, Winona), he clutched my hand and said, "Oh, no... oh no. I love her so much. I explained to him how much suffering she had been going through, and how she was now in God's hands and suffering no more. I sat and held him for hours, and, at one point, he looked up at me and said, "At least we have each other, Robby." Those words meant the world to me.

It would be impossible to convey the love and respect I had for these two dynamic people -- people that have given me the gift of so many beautiful memories. Genealogy is, for me, so much more than dates, places and records. It's a collection of cherished memories that seem to become much more vivid as one ages. Through these small histories, we can better survive our own challenges in life by learning from the countless examples of both triumph and tragedy left behind by our ancestors.

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY
Lena Louise Hanson was born March 19, 1894 in Trempealeau, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, then a small village of approx. 500 inhabitants situated on the Mississippi River, approx. 10 miles north of the city of La Crosse.

Her father, Louis Hanson, (aka Lars Syversen Hanson) was born December 2 7, 1855 in Klanderudtangen, Eidskog, Hedmark, Norway, and, at the time of Lena's birth, owned and operated a shop in Trempealeau that made harnesses, shoes, tanned leather and also sold and repaired bicycles. Her mother, Lena Catherine Kramer, born July 25, 1855 in Lewiston, Winona County, Minnesota, was a homemaker. Lena's paternal ancestors were of Norwegian ancestry, and her maternal ancestors were of German ancestry. Lena was baptized on April 5, 1895 at the Trempealeau Methodist Church, Trempealeau, Wisconsin, where the family attended services regularly.

Lena was the second of four children, including siblings:

Harry Louis Hanson, born October 26, 1899 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Martha Louise "Mattie" Hanson, born March 12, 1897 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Marie Lydia Hanson, born November 1, 1905 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin

When asked about her childhood in Trempealeau, Lena said, "Oh, my gosh, I have so many good memories of when I was a little girl! Back then, Trempealeau was a bustling little town; lots to see and do; not like today. It's become a ghost town! I was never bored, that's for sure. Along the river there were always steamboats, big paddlewheelers coming and going - lots of people on the streets shopping and doing their business, you know. I used to just love walking into my dad's shop - it smelled so good, just like leather and pipe tobacco. In those days, bicycles were the fashion, so there were always lots of people standing in the window of my dad's shop looking at the bicycles and posters. I can remember dad riding a bicycle to and from work when the weather was nice. All of us kids had bicycles too, you know, but back then most of the streets were either gravel, dirt or brick and it seemed like we were always coming home with skinned knees and elbows!

My father was just a wonderful man. He wore a big red handlebar moustache, which was sort of odd because he had brown hair. He was always good natured and everyone in town liked him. Oh, and he was a wonderful gardener. We had a big garden behind our house; well, actually two gardens, one for flowers and one for vegetables. In the flower garden my mother always had roses, zinnia's, hollyhocks, tulips, and every sort of beautiful thing that she'd cut and decorate the table with. My dad kept the vegetables. He grew the sweetest watermelons and cantaloupe, and pole beans that climbed these tall stake contraptions on wire. We had sweet corn, peas, carrots, onions, and cabbage and broccoli in the cooler season. And my Ma kept busy canning everything that dad grew, so we had vegetables in the winter too. And in those days, some people thought tomatoes were poisonous! But my dad grew tomatoes that were as big as softballs and oh so sweet! Not many people maintained their homes like my father did ours. Even our grass, you know, the lawns, were always cut short and neat - never a leaf or blade of grass out of place.

My Ma, well, she was the disciplinarian. Where dad was quiet and reserved, Ma was just a whirling dervish! She always had to be moving or doing something, and I can still hear my dad's voice saying, "Lena, come and sit down, you're making the cat nervous!" My dad, well he was always big on education and saw to it that we did our studies. He read a lot and was especially fond of poetry. He kept a library of books in a big cupboard with glass doors in the parlor. In the evenings, we'd sit on the floor, dad on the chesterfield, and he'd read to us and tell stories. Oh, my what a good storyteller he was! While dad was reading, Ma would sit and play the piano, and later the organ, and sing hymns. When Ma got too loud, dad would stop reading and stare at her until he got her attention - Ma would stop, wave her hand, shake her head, and start playing again, this time a little quieter! This always made us kids laugh and laugh; oh how we'd laugh at those two!"

When asked about hobbies, holidays and free time, Lena recalled, "Well, we certainly didn't have television, radios and all the modern things we have now, but we were never bored. There was always something to do. I played baseball, and so did Harry. Marie and Mattie, well they were more ladylike - I was a tomboy just like your Ma was when she was a girl! I loved baseball and was a very good pitcher. We had leagues back then, and even uniforms. I played for Trempealeau, but we spelled it "Tremplo" on our uniforms because the name was too long. And, let's see, geez, I played for Ettrick too. We played against teams from Dodge, Galesville and Arcadia, teams from all over. It was quite a big deal back then, baseball was. The whole town would turnout to watch a game and everyone would bring food and soda pop for afterwards.

And, of course, like all girls, my Ma taught me to cook, sew, knit, crochet and keep house from the time I was old enough to walk. My Ma, you see, she was a very good seamstress and we always had nice clothes. She would order big bolts of fabric from the General Store and made everything from curtains to tablecloths and bed linens to clothes. And my how that woman kept a clean house! But in those days we didn't have electricity and there weren't vacuum cleaners yet. So we had a mud porch, as we called it, where you would take your shoes off and put house slippers on before coming inside. This kept the rugs clean and the dust down. To clean rugs, Ma would take them into the backyard in the Spring and beat them with a long wire wand to get the dust out.

We didn't take vacations like people do today. Most people planned what we called "outings" that were held in the summer where families and friends would pick a spot and get together for the day. Every so often, we'd go to Perrot Park and have a big family doings. Our whole big extended family was there. We fished, played games, went hiking and ate. So much food! This kept us all in touch and afterward we'd write letters and send post cards to each other. My Ma was always a good organizer of these events too.

Oh, yeah, and holidays; we had Christmas trees and every sort of decoration at Christmas time. We'd all go into the woods to a spot across from the cemetery and cut our Christmas tree and then tow it back home behind my dad's horse driven sleigh. Since dad was in the harness business, he fashioned some very ornate reins with sleigh bells on them. People used to say that they could hear the Hanson's coming from a mile away!

Ma was very particular about decorating the tree. We had beautiful glass ornaments and little candle holders that clipped to the branches. On Christmas Eve, dad would light the candles on the tree while Ma stood by with a bucket of water in case of a fire! Us kids weren't allowed to see the tree until it was decorated and all the candles were lit. This was on Christmas eve only. You seem we'd have to stay upstairs until Ma called us down to "see Christmas." And then we'd eat dinner, usually baked fish, which was our tradition I s'pose. Ma was a very good cook; mostly German food, and we ate a lot of fresh fish and vegetables. So, then, after Christmas Eve dinner, we would have prayers and dad would tell the Christmas story. I don't recall hearing the name Santa Claus until I was older. We were told the story of "Father Christmas," who was St. Nicholas. After the children were asleep, Father Christmas would come and leave little gifts in your stocking (which we tacked up on the mantel piece over the fireplace in the parlor the night before). The next morning, Christmas morning, we would race downstairs to see what was in our stockings. There was always gumdrops, nuts, peppermint candies and coins. If you were a bad girl or boy, Father Christmas would leave willow switches and lumps of coal in your stocking! Luckily, this never happened in our house and I never heard of it happening to anyone else! The stockings would stay up until "Silvester," which is what we, and other German families called New Year's Eve. I'm not sure anymore, but I think this had to do with Saint Sylvester and was some sort of German tradition of my Ma's. New Year's Eve dinner was always split pea soup and sausages. We were allowed to stay up until midnight, when everyone would run out into the street and yell Happy New Year or Gutes Neues Jahr! Ma would give each of us kids big spoons and pots to take outside and make noise! While we were outside, dad and Ma would put dried fruit and nuts in our stockings, along with small tins of licorice.

Then, on Christmas day, we would exchange small gifts. I remember getting dolls, porcelain dolls that were beautiful. Those were the "girl gifts." Mother would hand stitch and embroider their clothes. Harry would get toy guns, little metal motorcars, and trains, "boy gifts." Ma and dad would exchange gifts too. It seemed that Ma always bought a tin of pipe tobacco for dad, and dad always bought jewelry for Ma. After gifts, we'd have prayers of thanks, and then sit down to a big Christmas dinner. Uncle Hans and auntie Tillie were always there Christmas Day, along with other family and friends. Ma would start cooking the Christmas meal at 3 in the morning. We always had a Christmas goose, mashed potatoes, apple stuffing, and cranberry sauce. In Norwegian tradition, dad always ate dessert first, before the main meal. Christmas was the only day us kids were allowed to eat dessert first! Ma made pies, tortes, strudel, lebkuchen, gingerbread; enough sweets to feed an army! Dad didn't eat sweets very often unless they were chocolate. He loved chocolate. Long after everyone had finished their meal, dad would still be at the table. He ate slower than anyone I ever knew! He always said, "...if you chew your food 100 times, you will never have a belly ache!" Ma, on the other hand, ate like she was in a race, and always ate like a bird. Like dad, she had a weakness for chocolate and had a good number of hiding places for it throughout the house!

At Easter, well, we had the "Easter Bunny" tradition and the town would have Easter egg hunts at the park. Ma would make small candy baskets for us, with chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and cookies decorated like flowers. We'd make bonfires in the street in front of the house the night before Easter Sunday, as would many other families. This seemed to be a tradition of my dad, who said it symbolized the warmth and coming of spring, even though the fire would often be burning on an a patch of ice! Easter was a big church celebration where we performed dances and such after services, and then went home and always had a lamb dinner. Ma would even bake a sweet cake in the shape of a lamb, and we'd joke, "cut me a leg, please", "I'll have an eyeball, please", "I'll take a bite of the tail, please!" - and so on! My father loved to eat homemade mint jelly with his lamb, which I thought was just disgusting!

The 4th of July was always a big event, and we had parades that most everyone took part in. We'd start down by the river and go through town. Most of the businesses would open their doors and serve soda pop and cider. My dad would always dress up in costume and ride a bicycle in the parade; I s'pose he was advertising! We had fireworks that were just amazing, fired off from the riverbank next to the railroad tracks and shot out over the river. One year, a big paddleboat anchored offshore to watch the fireworks, and my brother Harry won a ticket and took me with him. I was beautiful, just beautiful. There always seemed to be a big picnic going on for one holiday or another. During the summer, since we didn't have electric fans or air conditioning like nowadays, most people spent time outdoors where it was cooler. Oh, and I can remember my dad volunteering for the job of "lamplighter." We had several gas street lamps, or maybe they were kerosene, that were lit at night downtown. Men from the community would volunteer to light the lamps and then extinguish them in the early morning hours. I went with my dad, as a young girl, to light the lamps. I thought it was such an important job! Life was so simple then.

Also, one, or I should say two - other holidays that are important to mention were Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween wasn't like it is today. It was more of a festival. Our family didn't celebrate Halloween, but, as we became more "Americanized" (I s'pose), we did go trick-or-treating from house to house, once that I can recall. But I don't remember dressing up in a costume. This tradition was more popular years later. Thanksgiving was a big holiday though. One year, my aunt, uncle, and cousins came all the way from South Dakota to spend Thanksgiving with us, and ended up staying almost two weeks because of a bad snowstorm. Even the railroad shut down for some time. Ma would spend days and days baking and preparing the meal. We would have turkey, goose, and sometimes even duck too. My dad had a little smokehouse in the back and would always smoke fish for Thanksgiving. He made wonderful sausage too. It always smelled so good when the coals were smoldering for days on end. Thanksgiving and the 4th of July were holidays that my parents seemed to celebrate as Americans, but the other holidays were very, very tradition al Norwegian and German. These were the times, it seemed, that my parents would speak in their native languages, especially when their families were around. My mother would speak nothing but German when her family was there, and my dad would speak nothing but Norwegian around his family."

EDUCATION
Lena was educated in local schools in Trempealeau, and graduated from Trempealeau high school in 1912. She was an excellent student and was offered a scholarship to attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Her career aspirations were to become a school teacher. However, shortly after graduating high school, she met her future husband, David Drugan, and decided not to pursue a college education. Lena recalled, "I enjoyed literature and history the most. But our lessons were well rounded. I took physics, algebra, biology and even Latin. The day I graduated, it was announced that I was eligible, because of my high marks, to attend St. Olaf on scholarship. This was quite a big deal, especially for a girl. I can still remember my dad standing there with tears in his eyes, so proud of me. I wanted to become a teacher, and maybe travel someday to Chicago or New York and see what it was like to live in a big city."

MARRIAGE
On April 21, 1913, at the courthouse in Winona, MN, Lena married David Glenn Drugan, born February 24, 1889 in Trempealeau, WI to Patrick Drugan and Elizabeth Keeffe. When asked about her wedding, Lena replied, "Well, back then your grandpa was Catholic and I, of course, was raised in the Methodist church. Both of our families wanted us to be married in their own church, you know. Well, we didn't want to cause an argument, so your grandpa had the idea to get married at the courthouse and figure the rest out later! And so we did; thankfully too, with blessings from both our families."

MOVE TO CHICAGO
David and Lena's first residence was in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago, approx. 4 miles from downtown. David and Lena lived within walking distance of the railroad depot where David worked. When asked about living in Chicago as newlyweds, Lena replied, "Oh, my, those were exciting times! We went all the way to Chicago by train with all our belongings aboard, which weren't much, but the Northwestern paid for everything, even the food in the dining car. Irving Park was a very nice place with lots of big beautiful homes and parks. We hadn't lived there long when your grandpa took me to a big fireworks show at Independence Park, on the 4th of July. Of course, being from a small place like Trempealeau, I'd never seen anything like that in my life! There were hundreds of people there and also a big carnival where your grandpa entered a ball pitching contest and won a coupon for $5.00 worth of groceries - and that was a big deal back then. We didn't have a car yet, so we walked everywhere or took the train. One time we went downtown (Chicago) and had a picnic on the lakefront with a beautiful view of the lake on one side and all of the big buildings on the other side. There was so much to see and do that we didn't have time to be homesick!"

MOVE TO WINONA, MN
After less than a year in Chicago, David was transferred to Winona, Minnesota, and the couple made their home at 467 E. Fourth Street. David continued his work as a brakeman for Chicago & Northwestern, and began to make regular runs from Winona to Baraboo, Wisconsin and back. When asked about David's job, Lena said, "He liked his job with the railroad and made good money, benefits and so, but didn't really want to take a spot as an engineer, although he easily could have. You see, in those days the engineers traveled almost constantly. They called the wives of engineers "railroad widows" because their husbands were never, or almost never home. So your grandpa stayed put as a brakeman. He liked the job and was very well liked by the men he worked with."

The birth of their first daughter, Catherine "Bernice" came in 1915. Lena said she would often board the train in Winona in the morning, and ride to Trempealeau with David, who then went on to Baraboo (and back). This gave her much needed time with her mother as she was learning the ropes of new motherhood. "Your grandpa was such a good father. Through the years, he was always patient and loving with our kids, all of them. Even when he'd come home tired and dragging after a long day at work, he'd spend time with them. He was a pretty quiet and even tempered guy, you know, much like your uncle David. Oh, he had an Irish temper though, that came out at work at times! But, you know, home was his serenity, even with all the kids running around."

In order of birth, David and Lena had the following children:

Catherine Bernice Drugan, born January 26, 1915 at Winona, Minnesota
Margaret Elizabeth Drugan, born June 12, 1916 at Winona, Minnesota
David Glenn Drugan, Jr., born May 31, 1918 at Winona, Minnesota
Ruth Marie Drugan, born September 13, 1921 at Winona, Minnesota
Martha Mae Drugan, born June 1, 1923 at Winona, Minnesota
John Louis Drugan, born January 25, 1925 at Winona, Minnesota
William Patrick Drugan, born April 24, 1929 at Winona, Minnesota

THE GREAT DEPRESSION YEARS
During the depression, David maintained his position with Chicago & Northwestern. Despite the modest pay of a brakeman, at least he was employed and not in constant fear of losing his job. But, having to make ends meet with seven children to feed was not an easy task, even in the best of times. The family moved (within Winona) frequently, never saving enough money to purchase a home. Martha (Drugan) Westphal said, "It seemed like we were always moving. I can remember going with dad to rent a house one time. I was about 7 years old. Dad told me not to say anything to the landlord about how many brothers and sisters I had. He told the landlord that he had three kids! Obviously, nobody wanted to rent a house to such a big family. I remember one time when a landlord came by to collect the rent. The guy was a real jerk. He pulled up at the curb, saw all of us kids playing in the front yard and asked dad who all the kids belonged to. Dad just said, matter-of-factly, "oh, those kids? A couple are mine and the rest belong to the neighborhood!" It wasn't long before we were moving again, after finding an eviction notice on the front door. Funny thing was, Ma would worry constantly, but dad would always take it all in stride. Nothing ever seemed to bother him. He was always on an even keel."

FAMILY TIES AND HOLIDAYS
David remained close to his parents throughout his life, and in their later years, often devoted weekends to traveling across the river to Trempealeau and helping them with household chores and caring for their medical needs. His mother passed away in 1915, and it is said that this was a crushing blow to him. He always said that at least his mother got to hold one of his children before her death.

Having a large family on a limited income, especially during the depression had its pitfalls for David and Lena. David would cut Christmas trees right out of the woods and bring them home on the train from Trempealeau. Ornaments were hand-made and often just pictures cut out of old magazines and catalogs and tied to the tree with string. The tree was lit with small candles on Christmas eve. Christmas dinner usually consisted of a ham or a turkey that David would "commandeer" through his connections on the railroad, or, as was the case during several Christmas' (weather permitting), the family would spend Christmas in Trempealeau with Lena's parents who were much better off financially. For months prior to Christmas, David would retire to the basement and hand carve small wooden toys for his children. Martha (Drugan) Westphal recalls, "When I was 8 years old, my dad gave me the best gift ever - a small hand-carved wooden baby cradle that he made himself. It was painted pink and baby blue, and had a little painted rose on the headboard. When my dad gave it to me, I was so happy that I cried! I only had one doll in my life, a "Flossie Flirt," doll that was another gift from dad. Out of all the kids, the girls anyway, I was dad's favorite even though he took great pains not to have favorites. He just spent more time with me, especially after he got sick."

Birthday parties were very small scale occasions, with children's gifts usually consisting a something practical like a used coat, a pair of shoes, or socks - most reconditioned hand-me-downs; things that would have otherwise been purchased as necessities. The only time during the year that David and Lena went out on the town together was on the occasion of Lena's birthday, March 19th. Lena recalls this as the only day of the year that the couple would eat dinner "out" or have a glass of wine or beer. "Your grandpa was a very handsome fellow! On my birthday, we would get dressed up and go out on the town; he looked like a movie star and was such a gentleman. One time, his brother Ed and his wife Mary came with us, and what a good time we had dancing, even though your grandpa had two left feet on the dance floor and was always shy when it came to dancing!" recalled Lena, "But, oh, what a dashing man he was!"

HOBBIES
Lena was an avid seamstress and loved to crochet, needlepoint, and knit . She was also an avid letter writer, and kept in touch with family members regularly. Lena recalled, "Between grandpa and I, we had hundreds of relatives scattered all over the place! I always took care to keep in touch with everyone, especially those that lived far away, you know, out of state and such." David enjoyed wood carving, gardening, and took great pride in raising homing pigeons and exotic chickens that he often showed at the county fair. In competitions, he often received first or second place. Martha (Drugan) Westphal recalls her father coming home from work with big pocketful of cracked corn and bird seed that he'd pick up from grain cars on railroad sidings to feed his birds with. "He'd build chicken coupes and pigeon cages out of old railroad freight boxes that were housed in the basement during the cold winter months. Dad would spend hours out in the backyard with the pigeons and chickens, making sure they were well cared for. We always had a little garden too, and dad would carefully dig up and transplant everything he could every time we had to move!" said Martha (Drugan) Westphal.

RELIGION
Despite his strict catholic upbringing, David went to church periodically, usually on the important catholic holy days of obligation. Martha ( Drugan) Westphal recalls, "Dad and Ma saw to it that each one of us was baptized and confirmed in the catholic church. We always prayed before meals and before bed. Old Father O'Day once said to dad (as he entered the front door of St. Thomas), "I'm glad to see you finally found time to make it to mass, Mr. Drugan." At that time, dad was struggling with cancer and was so sick and tired he could hardly walk. Dad, without saying a word to the priest, walked into church holding my hand and muttered, "a-hole." For months and months after that, dad would take me, alone, on Sunday mornings to church, each time to a different church. I think dad was looking for peace and looking for answers. He knew he was very sick and the catholic faith offered him little, if any comfort."

DEATH OF LENA'S HUSBAND, DAVID
David's final years were spent trying hard to conceal the physical pain and mental anguish of stomach cancer. He'd underwent an operation in Rochester, Minnesota in late 1928 that allowed him to live another five years, years that he spent in and out of hospitals and in great mental and physical pain. Martha (Drugan) Westphal indicated that he'd come home from work and literally collapse on the sofa, exhausted. "Dad would motion me to come and rub his shoulders, and I'd do so until my little hands hurt. I didn't know there was anything wrong with him, but toward the end, noticed that he wasn't eating much except soup and that he'd lost so much weight that his railroad uniform had to be taken in regularly. When I'd rub his back and shoulders, I could feel every bone in his body. It wasn't long after that he died. Even at his funeral, I was too young to realize that he was never going to come back. Weeks passed before I really felt the sadness set in. I missed him so much it hurt. And, I don't know how, but Ma managed to be there for every one of us. I think dad's death was a lot harder on Ma and the older kids. Dad's many friends, co-workers from the railroad, were all very helpful in our time of need. Especially dad's best friend, Ori Dubois who put his whole life on hold to make sure Ma and all us kids were well taken care of. What a good man he was."

LENA AS A SINGLE PARENT
David died, at the young age of 45, on October 6th 1934 and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Winona, Minnesota two days later. Lena was left to raise 7 children virtually by herself. She took jobs, often several at a time to make ends meet. She worked as a seamstress in a glove factory, worked as a cleaning woman, worked for a fur company, worked in a beauty shop, and, was one of the first "Avon Ladies" in southern Minnesota. When asked what it was like raising seven children in the depression, Lena said, "Well, you just have to do what you have to do, that's all. Just about everyone was poor and struggling. The farmers and their families were better off because they had gardens and food. But, we had to rely on the grocery store and never seemed to have enough money to make ends meet. Oh, sure, it was hard, yes. But I knew, when your grandpa got sick that I'd have to do something, so you sort of plan for the future. He was sick for a long time, so as hard as it was, there was still, at least, some time to prepare. Not like when someone dies suddenly in an accident. We went on relief too, and that was hard. People would look down on you, even at church. But I just said - to heck with them - and did what I had to do. It was difficult, I s'pose, but you never thought of that; you were just glad to have a job and happy that your kids were good kids, that's all. And, boy, that's one thing I can say - I had good kids, every one of them!

There was always someone worse off than you back then. Hobos, and bums would come to the back door asking for food or rags or a few cents. I would always have them in, at least for a cup of coffee and a piece of bread. And then have them sweep the porch or shovel snow so they felt some pride. Most were good men, just jobless and hungry. Oh, and there were the drunkards too, but they needed a cup of coffee just like anyone else. You know, Robby, I prayed a lot too and that's what kept me going . It always seemed like when we were down to our last penny, or I'd poured my last cup of coffee into a beggar's cup, something wonderful would happen the next day. A caller would come by with food, or somebody would bring a blanket by or a coat that they didn't need. We did just fine because we all stuck together. Everybody pitched in and worked, did their chores and helped me; all my kids. What a blessing. And if it weren't for your grandpa's friends from the railroad, I don't know what I would have done. Ori Dubois, who was your grandpa's best friend; oh, what a Godsend he was. And the Goodfellows, who'd bring food and warm clothes. And my dear dad and Ma and everyone else who watched over us. So I can't take all the credit because everyone pitched in. And God, well, He sure did watch over us day and night."

LENA'S SECOND HUSBAND, VINSON A. RICE
Lena met Vinson Rice in 1937, while she and her children were living at 618 W. Howard St. in Winona, close to four years after the death of her husband. Vinson, born March 5, 1904, was from Pierce County, Wisconsin, and had come to Winona to work for the Froedtert Grain & Malt Co. When asked how he met Lena, Vinson said, "I was a carpenter and working for Froedtert Malt. And I did side work too. Those were rough times, boy. I got asked by Lee's landlord to fix a leak in the roof of the house she was living in. That's when we first met. She made me coffee one day when I was done working and we got to talking. And then she forced me in to marrying her!" Although Lena's version of the story is a bit different, the two were married on the 12th of November, 1938 at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Winona. Vinson, nicknamed "Whitey" because of his light blonde hair, was previously married to Frances Jenks and had a son named Lauren who was born August 20, 1927. Lauren, at the time, was living with his grandparents on their farm in Union Township near Plum City, Wisconsin.

Vinson, a journeyman carpenter, worked on numerous large local construction projects in the Winona area over the years, including St. Anne's Hospice, St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Watkins Manor, later to become the Watkins United Methodist Home where he passed away March 4, 1982 . Other notable projects that he took part in include restoration of the shipping locks at Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, and modernization of the Alaska Highway, both government projects - just prior to and during WWII.

THE WEST END CABINS, WINONA, MN
Over the years, "Whitey" and Lena embarked on numerous business ventures including purchasing the West End Modern Cabins and Trailer Park, located at 1603 W. 5th Street in Winona in 1943. The property consisted of a home where Whitey and Lena lived, along with a dozen or so small cabins and a trailer park. The cabins were rented either short or long term, as were onsite trailers and trailer spaces. Whitey took care of the grounds and maintained the buildings, while Lena did housekeeping and bookkeeping. In May 1955, they sold the business to John Quinlan of St. Paul, and moved to Madeline Island, just across the bay from Ashland, Wisconsin in Lake Superior.

MOVE TO MADELINE ISLAND (LAKE SUPERIOR)
They purchased a home on Madeline Island where Whitey spent the first year remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms. "I put in all new cabinets, repaired the roof, and finished the basement off. You had to go clear to Bayfield on the ferry to pickup lumber and materials and then haul it back to the island. It was a lot of back-and-forth just to get what you needed to do the job. Lee (Lena) did all the painting on the inside . It looked real good in the end," recalled Whitey. In addition to working on their own home, they had taken a position as caretakers of a large estate owned by Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Gary who only used the estate as a vacation home during the summer months. "There wasn't a lot of work to do for the Gary's. I kept the grounds mowed down, and, when guests would come, I'd fire up the furnace and show them around. Lee, well, she'd make up the beds and make sure water was running and keep the place clean inside. When we'd leave for the winter, I'd put up storm sash, turn the water off and make sure everything was locked up. The Garys were nice folks. Boy, they had real money too, but you'd never know it," said Whitey.

During the cold winter months, Whitey and Lena would leave Madeline Island and travel to warmer climates. They spent several winters in California where they stayed with Lena's daughter Martha (Drugan) Westphal and her family in San Jose, and in nearby Fremont, California.

THE HILLCREST MOTEL, ALMA, WI
After living five years on Madeline Island, Whitey and Lena sold their home to Mr. and Mrs. Gary who later turned it into a guest house. From Madeline Island, they moved back to Winona where Whitey took a job with the P. Earl Schwab Construction Company as a carpentry foreman. While in Winona, they purchased two homes that were slated for demolition near Winona State College, and had them moved to lots in Goodview, a small suburb of Winona. They remodeled both homes, sold one, and moved into the other where they lived for three years.

After selling their home in Goodview, they purchased the Hillcrest Motel in Alma, Wisconsin in 1963 and operated it until selling out and moving to Fountain City, Wisconsin in 1968. The Motel was situated on the side of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. During the summer months, they rarely had a vacancy, and during the winter, ice fisherman and snowmobilers kept the vacancy rate down to a minimum. As the motel became too much work for them to keep up with, they decided to sell out and retire, purchasing a home in Fountain City several months after the sale.

FINAL DAYS
After several more moves within the local area (Fountain City and Cochrane, WI), they returned to Winona and moved into a high rise retirement apartment where they lived until they could no longer care for themselves. They relocated to a nursing home in La Crescent, Minnesota where their health declined rapidly. At this time, Martha (Drugan) Westphal and her family relocated to Winona from California to care for Whitey and Lena, spending three years there looking after their needs. Lena contracted pneumonia and passed away at Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin on March 1, 1980, just hours after a visit from her daughter Martha and grandson Robert Westphal, Jr.

After Lena's death, David Drugan, Jr. and his sister Martha (Drugan) Westphal decided to relocate Whitey to Winona so he would be closer to his family. He was moved into the Watkins United Methodist Home, Winona, where he remained until his death, March 4, 1982.

Whitey and Lena were a very social and civic minded couple. Even in their golden years, they were active in civic affairs and many local clubs and societies. Both belonged to the Eagle's Club, where Lena was president of the auxiliary for many years. Whitey was president, for several terms, of the West End Commercial Club, an organization that promoted local business and trade, as well as a key member of several regional tourist councils and sports clubs. Both were avid bowlers, traveled frequently, were valued members of the Lutheran Church, and had many, many close friends.

Assuming the role of stepfather of seven children during terrible economic times was far from being an easy role for Whitey, but through his dedication, loyalty and tireless effort, he came to be a valued and loved member of our family. Both Lena and Whitey were dynamic people; a dynamic couple, who left a legacy of 27 grandchildren and 19 great -grandchildren. The good memories they have left us with will live forever in our hearts.

BIRTH
Trempealeau County Birth Records, Vol. 37, page 356
Original Birth Record - Delayed
Place of Birth: Trempealeau, Trempealeau, Wisconsin

Lena Louise Hanson
Female
White
Date of Birth: March 19, 1894
Father: Lewis S. Hanson
Mother's Maiden Name: Lena Kramer
Issued: October 18, 1943
Abstract of Supporting Evidence:
1. Baptismal Record from Trempealeau Methodist Church, E. C. Foster, Pastor (Baptism April 5, 1895)
2. Census Record: Certified copy of 1905 Wis. State census enumerating Lena Hanson in Trempealeau, Wis., Family No. 16
3. Affidavit of Lena Kramer Hanson, Trempealeau, Wis. (mother of applicant)
Signed by, Carl N. Neupert, November 2, 1943
(Copy of original in possession of Robert Westphal, Jr., 2003)

1914 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Leone)--Brakeman--C&BW Railway--Residence--467 E. 4th

1916 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Lena)--Brakeman--Residence--467 E. 4th

1923 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Lena)--Brakeman--Residence--215 Grand

1925 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Lena L.)--Brakeman--Residence--552 West 5th

1927 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Mina)--Brakeman--C&NW Railway--Residence--552 West 5th

1931 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Lena)--Brakeman--Res--761 West 5th
Margaret Drugan--Clerk--Res--761 West 5th
Bernice Drugan--Clerk--Res--761 West 5th

1934 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
David G. Drugan--(Lena)--Brakeman--C&NW Railway--Residence--209 Grand

1943 Winona, Minnesota City Directory
Vinson Rice--(Lena)--Carpenter--Residence--253 Olmstead

OCCUPATIONS
Occupation - Last: Motel Owner, Hillcrest Motel, Alma Wisconsin
Prev. Landlord
Prev. Employee, Winona Glove Factory
Prev. Hotel and Tavern Owner
Event: Occupations - Prev. Launderist
Prev. Motel / Trailer Park Owner; West End Cabins, Winona, Minnesota
Prev. Salesperson, Avon Products, Winona, MN
Prev. Seamstress, Conrad Furs, Winona, MN
Prev. Shelton Beauty Parlor Assistant, Winona, MN

CHURCH
Member of Trempealeau Methodist Church, Trempealeau, WI (childhood)
Member of Central Lutheran Church, Winona, MN

FRATERNAL
Eagles Club, Winona Eagles Auxiliary, Winona, MN (held position as president)

PUBLICATIONS

TREMPEALEAU
Mrs. Glen R. Drugan of Winona spent a few days here visiting with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Hanson and other friends.

Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 16 Dec 1926, page 16
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RETURN FROM CONVENTION
Mrs. Glen Drugan and Mrs. Henry Kurth have returned from Chicago, where they attended the May convention of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Women's Club, held Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at the Sherman Hotel. Mrs. Drugan and Mrs. Kurth were the official delegates representing the local club at the convention. Their report of the sessions of the convention will form a part of the program of the next meeting which is to be held Thursday of the coming week.

Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 21 May 1927, page 5
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DEGREE OF HONOR
Winona Lodge No. 12, Degree of Honor Protective Association, will meet Monday evening at 7:30 at Eureka Hall. There will be initiation. Mrs. Glen Drugan, chairman, assisted by Mrs. Paul Knopp, Mrs. Charles Roberts and Mrs. Arthur Schuppel, will be in charge of the entertainment for the evening.

Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 3 Nov 1928, page 10
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ENTERTAINS AT CARDS
Mrs. Frank Chamberlain, 107-1/2 East Third Street, entertained Monday evening for her niece, Miss Dorothy Nelson of St. Paul, in honor of her birthday. The evening was spent playing bridge and 500, high honors for bridge going to Miss Edna Helgamoe and Verna Helgamoe, Gladys Breed, Violet Bentz, Bernice and Margaret Drugan, Marjorie and Alice Bohn, and the Mesdames Leonard Helgamoe, Marie Vose, Walter Lokowich, Lena Drugan, Marguerite Bohn, Winona; and the Mesdames Albert Nelson and her daughters, Miss Dorothy Nelson and Mrs. John O'Malley, St. Paul, are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Chamerlain.

Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 30 Jun 1936, page 4
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SOCIETY -- THANKSGIVING GUESTS
Thanksgiving day guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vinson Rice were Miss Laberta Rice, Mrs. Paul Bobko, Miss Ruth Drugan and Mr. Leighton O'Hara of Chicago; Mrs. Lena Hanson of Trempealeau, Mrs. Robert Vose, Jr., and children, and Gerald Schuppell of Winona.

Source: Winona Republican Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 22 Nov 1941, page 11
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NEPHEW OF WINONA WOMAN CITED FOR PEARL HARBOR ACT
Harry L. Hanson, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hanson of Baraboo and a nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Vinson Rice, 253 Olmstead Street, has been cited by military authorities for gallantry at Pearl Harbor on December 7 and also has been advanced in rank, it was learned today.

The surprise attack of the Japanese paralyzed radio communication because the antenna on the administration building had been shot down. The citation states young Hanson mounted the building under fire and other danger and restored the antenna, and as a result communication for the air forces was resumed. The Baraboo boy further kept the radio communication functioning throughout the fight, the citation says.

Harry enlisted in the Navy at the La Crosse recruiting center in November, 1940. He has a grandmother, Mrs. Lena Hanson, residing in Trempealeau, Wis.

Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 19 Feb 1942, page 3
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VISITING HERE
Mrs. William Petrasek and daughter Linda Lee, Mrs. Willard Miller and daughter Cheryl and Mrs. Robert Westphal and her husband, a Seaman 1st Class who is on leave, are visiting the women's mother, Mrs. Vinson Rice , 253 Olmstead Street. Seaman and Mrs. Westphal will visit his parents at Baraboo, Wis., during his leave.

Source: Winona Republican Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 16 May 1944, page 2
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VFW SEWING CLUB
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Sewing Club, after an evening of sewing Tuesday at the home of Mrs. William Vogel, 477 West King Street, enjoyed a potluck lunch. Present were Mrs. Vogel, Mrs. Ben Ahrens, Mrs. Frank Ciszak, Mrs. B. J. Cardelli, Mrs. Helen Lilla, Mrs. Phillip Hicks, Mrs. Joseph Schneider, Mrs. Roman Springer, Mrs. Vinson Rice and Mrs. Elmer Lande. Announcement will be made later of the next meeting date.

Source: Winona Republican Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 29 Jun 1944, page 8
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VINSON RICE SELLS WEST END CABINS
Sale of the West End Modern Cabins and Trailer Park to a St. Paul man was announced today by Vinson A. Rice.

New owner of the cabins and park is John A, Quinlan, who will assume ownership Monday. His wife and family will move to Winona at the end of the school year. The Quinlan's have three daughters and a son and will reside in the home now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Rice at 1063 W. 5th St.

Mr. and Mrs. Rice, who have operated the business for ten years, will retire, spending summers at a home they have purchased on Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, near Bayfield, Wis., and wintering in California.

Source: Winona Republican Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 5 May 1955, page 3
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WHO'S NEW CLUB SEES EXHIBITS OF APPETIZERS
Mrs. A.M. Gorgan of Northern States Power Co. demonstrated how to make appetizers for the Winona Who's New Club at the YWCA Tuesday evening.

Mrs. William Mills, vice president, reported on the new interclub activities groups. Mrs. Joseph Gerlach, president, reminded members of the Dutch treat luncheon at 1 p.m. Nov. 29 at the YWCA.

The door prize went to Mrs. William King. Newcomers introduced were Mmes. Robert Westphal, Vinson Rice, Kenneth Benjaminson, Kathy Roe, June Webster, Richard Strand and Betty McNally. Coffee and dessert were served.

Source: Winona Republican Herald, Winona, Minnesota, 15 Nov 1961, page 18
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DEATH

Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-1997
Name: Lena Louise Rice
Death Date: 1 Mar 1980
Certificate: 004504

Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current
Name: Lena Rice
Last Residence: 55987 Winona, Winona, Minnesota, USA
BORN: 19 Mar 1894
Last Benefit: 55987 Winona, Winona, Minnesota, United States of America
Died: Mar 1980
State (Year) SSN issued: Minnesota (Before 1951)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Birth Notes:

Trempealeau County Birth Records, Vol. 37, page 356
Original Birth Record - Delayed
Place of Birth: Trempealeau, Trempealeau, Wisconsin
LENA LOUISE HANSON
Female, White
Date of Birth: March 19, 1894
Father: Lewis S. Hanson
Mother's Maiden Name: Lena Kramer
Issued: October 18, 1943
Abstract of Supporting Evidence:
1. Baptismal Record from Trempealeau Methodist Church, E. C. Foster, Past or (Baptism April 5, 1895)
2. Census Record: Certified copy of 1905 Wis. State census enumerating Lena Hanson in Trempealeau, Wis., Family No. 16
3. Affidavit of Lena Kramer Hanson, Trempealeau, Wis. (mother of applicant)
Signed by, Carl N. Neupert, November 2, 1943
(Copy of original in possession of Robert Westphal, Jr., 2003)
---------------------------------------------------------

  Death Notes:

Age: 86
Name: Lena Rice
Birth Date: 19 March 1894
State: Minnesota
Last Place of Residence: Winona, Minnesota
Previous Residence Postal Code: 55987
Event Date: March 1980

Citing this Record:
"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JLKD-S6X : accessed 16 Sep 2014), Lena Rice, Mar 1980; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
-------------------------------------------------------

Name: Lena Louise Rice
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 01 Mar 1980
Event Place: , , Wisconsin
Residence Place: 0728, Wisconsin
Certificate Number: 004504

Citing this Record:
"Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V83Q-H8X : accessed 16 Sep 2014), Lena Louise Rice, 01 Mar 1980; citing "Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-1997," Ancestry.com; certificate number 004504, , , Wisconsin, Department of Health, Madison.
------------------------------------------------------------

  Noted events in her life were:

• She was educated at Grade School in , Trempealeau County, WI. ⁶

• She was educated at High School in , Trempealeau County, WI. ⁶

• She was educated at Middle School in , Trempealeau County, WI. ⁶

• She worked as a Beauty Parlor Assistant. ¹⁵
Shelton Beauty Parlor

• She worked as a Factory Worker in Winona, MN. ¹⁵
Winona Glove Factory

• She was baptized at the Methodist Church on 5 Apr 1895 in Trempealeau, WI.

¹⁵

• She appeared on the 1900 US Census in Trempealeau, WI on 6 Jun 1900. ⁹

1900 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 137, Family 65
Trempealeau, Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Home owned, no mortgage
Lena Hanson..Daughter..Mar 1893..6..WI

(Living with parents.)

NOTE - Her birth date should have been March 1894 instead of March 1893.

• She appeared on the 1905 Wisconsin State Census in Trempealeau, WI in Jun 1905. ¹⁰

1905 Wisconsin State Census
Page 458, Family 16, Line 61
Trempealeau, Trempealeau, Wisconsin
House owned
Lena Hanson..Daughter..11..WI

(Living with parents.)

• She appeared on the 1910 US Census in Trempealeau, WI on 18 Apr 1910. ¹¹

1910 US Census
Sheet 5A, District 173, Family 129, Roll 1739
Trempealeau, Trempealeau, Wisconsin
Lena L. Hanson..Daughter..15..WI

(Living with parents.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 19 Mar 1894, then her age should have been 16 instead of 15.

• She appeared on the 1920 US Census in Winona, MN on 28 Jan 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 4B, District 207, Family 80, Roll 865
Winona, Winona, Minnesota
467 East Fourth Street; house rented
Lena Drugan..Wife..24..WI

(Living with husband and 3 children.)

NOTE - If her birth date was 19 Mar 1894, then her age should have been 25 instead of 24.

• She appeared on the 1930 US Census in Winona, MN on 14 Apr 1930. ⁴

1930 US Census
Sheet 15A, District 29, Family 355, Roll 1135
Winona, Winona, Minnesota
552 West 4th Street; Rent $25
Lena Drugan..Wife..35..WI..Married. at age 19

(Living with husband and 7 children.)

• Her occupation in 1934 was a Launderist in Winona, MN. ¹⁵

• She resided at 209 Grand Street Oct 1934 to Dec 1934 in Winona, MN.
Following the death of David, Lena and the family continued to live at this address until they could no longer afford the rent.

• She resided at 610 West Fifth Street in May 1937 in Winona, MN.
Address taken from newspaper article listing son, David Drugan Jr., as a graduate of Winona High School.

• She resided at 618 West Howard Street in Nov 1938 in Winona, MN.
The wedding announcement published in the Winona newspaper stated that she lived at this address. After her marriage to Vinson Rice, it appears they both continued to live at this address for another year or two.

• Her occupation in 1940 was a Seamstress in a garment factory in Winona, MN.
Worked for Conrad Furs

• She appeared on the 1940 US Census in Winona, MN on 9 Apr 1940. ⁷

1940 US Census
Sheet 8B, District 85-30A, Family 170, Roll 1969
Winona, Winona, Minnesota
618 West Howard Street; house rented $18
Same place in 1935
Leana Rice..Wife..45..WI..12th grade..Seamstress, Garmet Factory..seeking work for past 12 weeks..earned $0 in 1939

(Living with 2nd husband and 6 children.)

• Her occupation about 1948 was a Hotel and Tavern Owner in Baraboo, WI. ¹⁵

• Her occupation between 1950 and 1960 was a Motel/Trailer Park Owner in Winona, MN. ¹⁵
"West End Modern Cabins"

• Her occupation in 1970-1980 was a Motel Owner/Operator in Alma, WI. ¹⁵
"Hillcrest Motel"

• Her obituary was published in the Winona Daily News after 1 Mar 1980 in Winona, MN.

¹⁶ Funeral services for Mrs. Vinson (Lena) Rice, 85, La Crescent, Minnesota, former Winona resident who died Saturday at Lutheran Hospital, La Crosse, Wisconsin were held today at Central Lutheran Church.

The Rev. G. H. Huggenvik officiated and burial was in Saint Mary's Cemetery.

She was a seamstress for Stott & Sons Glove Company and for Conrad Fur Company, then owned and operated the West End Cabins.

The daughter of Louis S. and Lena Kramer Hanson, she was born in Trempealeau, Wisconsin, March 19, 1894. She married David G. Drugan in 1913. He died in October 1934. She married Vinson Rice in November 1936. She was a member of Central Lutheran Church and a member and past president of Winona Eagles Auxiliary.

Survivors are: her husband; three sons, David G. Drugan, Winona; John L. Drugan, Warren Mich., and William P. Drugan, Colorado Springs, Colorado; three daughters, Mrs. William (Bernice) Petrasek, Highlands, NJ, Mrs. David (Ruth) Gilpin, Springfield, Illinois, and Mrs. Robert (Martha) Westphal, Winona; 27 grandchildren,19 great-grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs. Mattie Motschenbacher, Trempealeau, Wisconsin, and Mrs. Marie Vose, Daggett, Calif. A daughter and a brother have died.

Pallbearers were Robert Jr. and Daniel Westphal, Frank Lightfoot, Allen Staige, Wayne Hamernik and John Drugan, Jr.

(Source: Winona Daily News, Winona, Minnesota, unknown date)
----------------------------------------

• She was buried on 4 Mar 1980 in the Saint Marys Cemetery in Winona, MN.

Find A Grave Memorial #104938370
¹⁴

Lena married David Glenn Drugan Sr., son of Patrick Drugan Jr. and Elizabeth Jane Keeffe, on 21 Apr 1913 in Winona, MN.^{2 3 4 6} (David Glenn Drugan Sr. was born on 26 Feb 1889 in Trempealeau, WI,^{3 6 17 18 19 20} died on 6 Oct 1934 in Winona, MN ^{6 20 21 22} and was buried on 8 Oct 1934 in Saint Marys Cemetery, Winona, MN ²⁰.). The cause of his death was Carcinoma of Stomach.⁶

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Image: 21 Apr 1913, in Winona, MN. ²

• They resided at 467 East Fourth Street on 5 Jun 1917 in Winona, MN.

• They resided at 467 East Fifth Street in Feb 1918 in Winona, MN.
A Winona newspaper article about their home being the setting for a marriage for friends gave this address.

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Winona, MN on 28 Jan 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 4B, District 207, Dwelling 76, Family 80, Roll 865
Winona, Winona County, Minnesota
467 East Fourth Street; house rented
David G. Drugan..Head..30..WI..Railroad Brakeman
Lena Drugan..Wife..24..WI
Bernice Drugan..Dau..4y 11m..MN
Marguerite Drugan..Dau..3y 6m..MN
David Drugan..Son..1y 7m..MN

• They resided at 215 Grand Street Jul 1920 to Sep 1921 in Winona, MN.
A Winona newspaper article detailing Lena's prized chickens gave this address. Another article detailing David's winning a prize at the railroad also gave this address. Ruth's birth announcement in Sep 1921 used this address.

• They resided at 216 Grand Street in Jun 1923 in Winona, MN.
Winona birth announcement for Martha gave this address. It might be a misprint and should be the same 215 number as before or perhaps the family did indeed move just across the street.

• They resided at 761 West Fifth Street in 1924 in Winona, MN.
According to Jack Drugan, the family lived at this house after being kicked out of the house on Grand Street because the family could not pay the rent. "They moved to 761 West 5th Street. On that corner, the street cars would make their stop, going east and west. It would cost about 2-3 cents per trip ,but the cost soon went up to a nickel. Jack recalls later on, it was 3 ride tokens for 25 cents. They could take the street car from one end to another, but everyone walked in those days."

• They resided at 552 West Fifth Street Jan 1926 to Nov 1928 in Winona, MN.
Winona newspaper obituary for Patrick Drugan, Jr. gave this address of D. G. Drugan.

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Winona, MN on 14 Apr 1930. ⁴

1930 US Census
Sheet 15A, District 29, Dwelling 326, Family 355, Roll 1135
Winona, Winona County, Minnesota
552 West 4th Street; Rent $25
David Drugan..Head..44..WI..Railroad Brakeman..Marr. at 25
Lena Drugan..Wife..35..WI..Marr. at 19
Bernice Drugan..Dau..15..MN
Margaret Drugan..Dau..13..MN
David Drugan..Son..11..MN
Ruth Drugan..Dau..8..MN
Martha Drugan..Dau..6..MN
John Drugan..Son..5..MN
William Drugan..Son..11m..MN

• They resided at 552 West Fourth Street on 14 Apr 1930 in Winona, MN.

• They resided at 579 West Sanborn Street in May 1933 in Winona, MN.
The obituary for Harry Drugan gave this address for David Drugan.

• They resided at 209 Grand Street in Oct 1934 in Winona, MN.
²³ A Winona newspaper article about David Drugan, Jr. displaying prize chickens at a poultry show gave this address. Obituary for David Drugan, Sr. gave this address.

  Marriage Notes:

It is interesting to note that the wedding announcement from Lena's parents indicated that the marriage was 21 Apr 1913 in Trempealeau, Wisconsin but the marriage license was issued in Winona, MN and it indicates the marriage was performed by the Judge of the Probate Court of Winona County, MN. The Drugans were Catholic and the Hansons were Methodist so the young couple merely traveled to the courthouse in Winona to be married without causing any arguments between the families and ultimately with all their blessings.
-------------------------------------------------

Name: David G Drugan
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 21 Apr 1913
Event Place: Winona, Minnesota, United States
Event Place (Original): Winona, Minnesota, United States
Gender: Male
Spouse's Name: Leone E Hanson
Spouse's Gender: Female
Certificate Number: Page 32

Citing this Record
"Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M5-F5JX : 15 May 2020), David G Drugan and Leone E Hanson, 1913.
-----------------------------------------------------

Mr. & Mrs. Louis S. Hanson announce the marriage of their daughter Leone Louise and Mr. David Glenn Drugan on Monday morning, April the twenty-first One thousand nine hundred and thirteen at ten o'clock Trempealeau, Wisconsin. At Home after June the twentieth Irving Park, Illinois
----------------------------------------

Mr. and Mrs. D. G. Drugan entertained the following at a card party Wednesday evening: Mr. and Mrs. F. Jennison, Mr. and Mrs. O. W. DuBois, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Brink, Mr. and Mrs. J. Braisdale of Minneapolis, Mrs. J. Eickemeyer, Mrs. R. Losinski, and Mrs. Glenn Courtier. Dainty refreshments were served and a pleasant time was enjoyed by all.

(Source: Winona Daily Republican; Date: 1921 Jan 27; Section: None; Page Number: 2)
----------------------------------------

Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Hanson and daughter Marie spend Christmas day with (Mr.) and Mrs. Glen D. Drugan at Winona. Mrs. Drugan is a daughter to the Hansons.

(Source: Winona Daily Republican; Date: 1921 Dec 27; Section: None; Page Number: 7)
---------------------------------------

All the Drugan children went to Madison School in Winona for elementary school. Jack Drugan said he went to Lincoln school for only two months, when they moved to Mill Street for a short time. They had to move because his brother, Billy, age 4, was playing with matches in the attic and there was a fire. Not much damage, but some smoke damage.
-------------------------------------

A most interesting article was found in the 11 June 1927 edition of the Winona Republican-Herald newspaper. It detailed a special children's program that was being given by the McKinley Methodist Church and it listed Bernice, Ruth, and Margaret Drugan all as participants. It was commonly believed amongst the Drugan family that following the marriage to David Glenn Drugan, Lena Hanson left her Methodist upbringing and raised all her children in the catholic church but this article would seem to show otherwise.
-------------------------------------------

Trempealeau - Glenn Drugan of Winona moved his family here last Tuesday in the A. A. Holmes house on Third Street.

(Source: Winona Republican-Herald, Saturday, May 17, 1930, Page: 12)

NOTE - David had moved himself back to Trempealeau after receiving the grim medical report following his abdominal operations. He apparently wanted to be back in the area where he was born. Although the article says he moved his family there, the family actually remained back in Winona. He had one or more of the children join him there in Trempealeau during the summer months.
-------------------------------------------

Lena next married Vinson Arthur Rice, son of Arthur Rice and Minnie Deering, on 12 Nov 1938 in Winona, MN.^{5 6 7} (Vinson Arthur Rice was born on 5 Mar 1904 in Rock Elm Township, Pierce County, WI,^{7 24 25} died on 4 Mar 1982 in Winona, MN ^{6 25} and was buried on 6 Mar 1982 in Winona, MN ⁶.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They resided at 618 West Howard Street Nov 1938 to Apr 1940 in Winona, MN.
A Winona newspaper article dated Feb 1939 about David Drugan's appendicitis gave this address.

• They appeared on the 1940 US Census in Winona, MN on 9 Apr 1940. ⁷

1940 US Census
Sheet 8B, Roll 1969, District 85-30A, Family 170
Winona, Winona County, Minnesota
618 West Howard Street; house rented $18
same place in 1935
Vincent Rice..Head..35..WI..9th grade..Carpenter, Building Construction..worked 48 hours in previous week..worked 26 weeks last year..earned $800 in 1939
Leana Rice..Wife..45..WI..12th grade..Seamstress, Garmet Factory..seeking work for past 12 weeks..earned $0 in 1939
Bernice Drugan..Dau..25..MN..11th grade..Sales Clerk, Retail Store..worked 8 hours in previous week..worked 52 weeks last year..earned $780 in 1939
David Drugan..Son..21..MN..12th grade..Common Laborer, Road Construction..seeking work for 105 weeks..worked 52 weeks last year..earned $680 in 1939
Ruth Drugan..Dau..18..MN..12th grade
Martha Drugan..Dau..16..MN..10th grade
John Drugan..Son..15..MN..8th grade
William Drugan..Son..11..MN..4th grade

• They resided at 253 Olmstead Street Feb 1941 to Jun 1944 in Winona, MN.
Winona newspaper articles about David Drugan's military career and a marriage announcement for Bernice Drugan gave this address.

• They resided in Baraboo, WI Feb 1945 to Jun 1945.
A Winona, MN newspaper article about David Drugan's impending discharge from the military indicated their address as Baraboo.

• They resided at 1603 West Fifth Street Nov 1945 to May 1955 in Winona, MN.
This was the West End Cabins. Newspaper wedding announcements for William and John Drugan said parents lived at this address. Vinson Rice sold the West End Cabins in May 1955 to John N. Quinlan.

• Photo: Abt 1955, Winona, MN.

• They resided at Madeline Island Jun 1955 to Sep1958 in La Pointe, WI.
Large house with 14 rooms. Used in summer only. In the winter time, they went to California staying with the Westphals and Lightfoots. Supposed stayed at Madeline Island a total of 5 years.

• They resided at 935 40th Avenue Oct 1961 to 1964 in Goodview, MN.
Whitey Rice purchased two houses that had to be moved for the expansion of Winona State College and moved them both to Goodview. He sold one and lived in the one at this address. For several years, Frank Lightfoot Jr. also lived there while he was attending Winona State.

• They resided at Hillcrest Motel about 1966-Jan 1968 in Alma, WI.

• They resided in Durand, WI Jan 1968 to Mar 1968.
Lived here only 3 months.

• They resided at 47 North Street Apr 1968 to Jun 1969 in Fountain City, WI.

• They resided in Trempealeau, WI Jul 1969 to Nov 1969.
I'm not sure if they actually moved to Trempealeau but an article in the Winona, MN newspaper mentioned visits by Norris Northup to Lena Rice who had moved to Trempealeau "this summer".

• They resided in Fountain City, WI in Apr 1974.

• They resided in Cochrane, WI in Apr 1976.

• They resided in La Crescent, MN in Mar 1980.
This location was given in the obituary for Lena.

  Marriage Notes:

Announcement was made today of the marriage of Mrs. Lena L. Drugan, 618 West Howard Street, daughter of Mrs. Louis Hanson, Trempealeau, Wisconsin, to Vinson A. Rice, Winona, son of Mrs. Martha Rice, Plum City, Wisconsin. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. A. L. Mennicke at the St. Matthew's Lutheran Church last Saturday morning. Attendants were Miss Margaret Drugan, daughter of the bride, and Clair Weir. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are now making their home in Winona where Mr. Rice is employed at Froedtert Grain and Malting Company plant. Showers were given last week for Mrs. Rice at her home.

Guests were the Mesdames Michael Sonsalla, O. W. DuBois, Joseph Hamernik, Bert Sherman, Mary Blank, Arthur Squires, Walter Nelson, August Schutz, Marie Voss, Frank Renswick, Florence Besaw, Stella Kochta, Ida Helgamoe, Lillian Mochling, Randolph Karsten, Alvin Danielson, Rex Wilbright, Verna Helwig, and Leonard Helgamoe, the Misses Lois Strum, Meta Steuernagel, Edna Helgamoe, Delores Borland, Bernice Drugan, and Margaret Drugtan. Out-of-town guests were Mrs. Eli Motchenbacher, Onalaska, and Mrs. Lewis Hanson, Mrs. Edward Drugan, Mrs. Leo Drugan, and Mrs. Swen Newfeldt, Trempealeau, Wis.

(Source: Winona Republican-Herald, 18 Nov 1938, Page 6)
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