NameFlorence L. WILDY
Death18 Dec 1997, Evergreen, CO
Birth22 Dec 1902, New Athens, St. Clair County, IL
Misc. Notes
An obituary in the Bismarck Tribune:
Florence C. Klusman, 94, Evergreen, Colo., and formerly of New Salem, died Dec. 18, 1997, in Evergreen. Services will be held at 1 p.m. MST Monday, at Salem United Church of Christ, New Salem, with the Rev. Ken Trana officiating. Burial will be in Peace Cemetery, New Salem.
Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church on Monday.
Florence was born on Dec. 22, 1902, the daughter of Henry and Lena (Schneider) Wildy. She married Charles A. Klusman on Dec. 2, 1923, in New Athens, Ill. They farmed near New Salem until 1952, when they moved to Bismarck. Florence worked in the dry goods department at both the Lucas Department Store and J.C. Penney during the 1950s. They moved to Evergreen, Colo., in 1964.
She and her husband were members of of the Presbyterian Church of the Hills, in Evergreen. Charles died in 1990.
She is survived by one daughter and son-in-law, Lois and Jeral R. Serviss, Evergreen; one son and daughter-in-law, Roger and Elaine, New Salem; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and three great great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband; and one daughter and son-in-law, Muriel and Harold Edison. (Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan)
Spouses
Death8 May 1990, Denver, CO
Birth29 Jan 1898, Mexico, Missouri
OccupationOwned and managed the Klusman Stock Farm until 1952.
Misc. Notes
OBITUARY:
Services for Charles A. Klusman, 92, of Evergreen, Colo, formerly of New Salem, will be held at 2pm MDT at Peace United Church of Christ, New Salem, with the Rev. Elmer Baker officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. He died May 8, 1990, in a Denver hospital.
Visitation begins at 2pm Friday at Buehler-Larson Funeral Chapel, New Salem, and continues at the church one hour before services.
Mr. Klusman was born Jan 28, 1898, at Mexico, Missouri. The family moved to the New Salem area, where he was raised and educated. He married Florence Wildy Dec. 2, 1923, at New Athens, Illinois. They owned a dairy farm near New Salem until they retired in 1952 and moved to Bismarck. They moved to Evergreen in 1964.
He was a life member of the National Holstein Association and a member of the New Salem Horsemen’s Club.
He is survived by his wife; one son, Roger, New Salem; one daughter, Mrs. J. R. (Lois) Serviss, Evergreen; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
A memorial booklet published after a big Klusmann Family Reunion in New Salem in June 2005 says this about Charles:
Charles A. (Jr.) was born on January 9, 1898, in Mexico, Missouri, to Charles Sr. and Anna (Gaebe) Klusmann. He moved to New Salem with his family in 1900. They purchased a farm located eight miles north of New Salem. Charles A. had three sisters and two brothers.
Florence Wildy was born on December 22, 1902, in New Athens, Illinois.
Charles A. and Florence were married in New Salem and had three children: Muriel (deceased) married to Harold Eidson (deceased), Lois married to Jerry Serviss II (deceased), and Roger married to Elaine Job.
During the time that Charles A. was operating the farm, it became one of the first dairy farms in the New Salem area to deliver grade A milk to the city of Bismarck. This meant that every morning the milk (in ten gallon cans) was hauled in the family car (which had all but the driver’s seat removed) to New Salem to meet the early eastbound passenger and mail train to Bismarck. The milk had to be cooled by ice water before it was taken in. This was kept up until enough dairy farmers were interested in selling milk to Bismarck and that warranted having a truck come and get it. This was the beginning of New Salem area farmers supplying a large share of Bismarck and Mandan’s grade A milk.
Charles and Florence retired from the farm and moved to Bismarck and later to Colorado. Charles died on May 8, 1990, and Florence died on December 21, 1997.
Their son, Roger, and his wife, Elaine, took over the farm in 1952. Registered Holstein cattle have been an important part of this farm since the early 1900s. Roger and Elaine have retired and moved to New Salem. Their sons David and Paul operate the farm.
Marriage2 Dec 1923, New Athens, IL