Chris and Elizabeth Boilesen's six children were Floyd, Lester, Lois, Fern, Axel, and Garold. All were born and raised on their farm west of Cotesfield, Nebraska. Because of finances and the Depression the family moved in 1943 'across the river' east of Cotesfield to a farm with Garold the only child still in the house.

Axel, Lester, Garold and Floyd ca. 1938

 

Lois, Fern holding Garold, and Axel, 1937

 

Family portrait - Backrow L-R Fern, Floyd, Axel, Lester, Lois; Front row Garold, and parents Elizabeth and Chris, circa 1941

 

 

The four brothers L-R Axel, Lester, Floyd and Garold in front

 

 

Fern and Lois

 

Cotesfield News: The Phonograph, St. Paul, Nebraska October 7, 1936

 

Lois and Fern

 

Ray and Lois, Mildred and Floyd 1939

 

"1940 there about"

 

1949 (Cotesfield farm across the river)

 

Lois, Fern and Betty

 

Circa 1951

 

Floyd and Mildred lived in Salina, Kan., Burwell, Scotia and Loup City before settling on a farm near Ord in 1948. They farmed until 1958 and then moved to Ord and ran agricultural enterprises, selling the business in 1980.

 

Lester Andrew Boilesen was born on August 28, 1918 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

Rev. Lester passed on March 23, 1994.

Bernice Hasenpflug was born on July 1, 1924 to Arthur A. and Marian A. (Brandau) Hasenpflug in Brownhelm, Ohio.

Bernice passed on August 15, 2016.

Bernice and Lester served many United Methodist churches in Nebraska during a period of more than 40 years.

Lois Marie Boilesen, was born December 17, 1919 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

 

Lois was baptized as a child in the Dannevirke Danish Lutheran Church.

Lois and Ray Stevens were married in St. Paul, Nebraska, on January 21, 1939.

 

Lois and Ray first made their home on the Stevens family farm northeast of Cotesfield where they farmed until 1961 (Ray, Lois, Russell, Leila and Jeanne).

 

Raymond Paul Stevens was born on April 4, 1919 to Willie and Agnes Stevens.

Ray Stevens passed on July 7, 1991.

Lois Marie Boilesen, was born December 17, 1919 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

Lois Stevens passed on January 27, 2007.

Fern Johanna Boilesen was born on February 12, 1921 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

Fern Boilesen Stroh passed on August 26, 1990.

Albert Glenn Stroh was born on December 11, 1920.

Rev. Albert passed on September 16, 2005.

Here's how the Cotesfield Department section of the Howard County Herald reported his birth in their Thursday, April 26, 1923 edition:

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Chris Boilsen (sic) on Wednesday morning, a bright little baby boy, with Dr. Arnold of St. Paul and Mrs. Wm. Lint, in attendance. All concerned are doing nicely, as well as circumstances will allow, as the mother had been suffering with pleurisy for several days before the arrival of the baby. She is resting very comfortably at this writing (Monday).

Betty Ann Barr was born on August 26, 1924.

Betty Boilesen passed on October 26, 2000.

Axel Christian Boilesen was born on April 18, 1923 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

Axel Boilesen passed on March 21, 2013.

 

After graduating from high school Garold attended Northrop Aeronautical Institute in Inglewood Ca. for training and certification as an Airframe and Power-plant mechanic. Here's how Garold described that time period and his next steps:

The job market was tight between the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. The USAF had certain career fields with by-pass programs whereby with Test completion a person could go directly to work from USAF basic Training. This was relatively a time of peace so not much family worry. I was 20 years old. A USAF recruiter came to the farm and told me I would probably be a B-47 pilot. I never saw him again.

The hope of being a pilot had some precedence in his family. His older brother Axel had wanted to become a pilot when he joined the Army to serve in World War II. Garold was only seven at the time but probably knew that his brother's military dream was to fly a P-38 which they occasionally would see fly over their farm. Axel's failed depth perception test, however, ended that dream. Garold's neighbor and cousin Dwain R. Rasmussen likewise wanted to fly and was deployed in Europe as a 'left-side waist gunner' on a B-17. On Dwain's 33rd mission, January 9, 1945, his B-17 went down in the English Channel.

After his certification Garold would join the Air Force in 1956. He would not become a B-47 pilot but he continued his aircraft mechanics training while in the Air Force.

Airplanes and tools and motors would continue to define Garold's career, his hobbies, where he would live and what he would fix next.

Upon completing his military service in 1960 Garold joined Braniff International Airways, Inc. and moved to Des Moines, Iowa. While in Des Moines he met and married Andrea Huddleston, who also worked for Braniff.

Andrea "Andy" Boilesen was born on February 14, 1939 to Robert and Lillian Huddleston and raised in Williams, Iowa.

Andy attended Iowa State University and went on to work for the airlines, initially as a flight attendant based in New York City. She met her husband, Garold “Jerry” Boilesen, in 1963, through mutual friends–Andy was a ticket agent and Jerry was an aircraft mechanic at the Des Moines airport. They married on August 8, 1964.

After marriage Garold and Andy moved to Miami in 1969 and then to Denver; next to Des Moines and back to Denver. After joining Northwest Airlines in 1983 they lived in Minneapolis until retirement in 2005. In 2006 their official retirement destination was completed with their move to Webster City, Iowa. Andy and Garold had two children, Karen and Robert.

Andrea "Andy" Boilesen was born on February 14, 1939 to Robert and Lillian Huddleston and raised in Williams, Iowa.

Andrea passed on March 24, 2018.

Garold Eugene Boilesen was born on November 23, 1935 in Cotesfield, Nebraska.

Garold passed on February 21, 2023. He was the last surviving sibling of the Chris and Elizabeth Boilesen family.