Linnea Tweidt

                        Linnea (Hansen) Tweidt, daughter of Josef Hansen and Selma (Olson), was born on May 8, 1913 at the family farm just east of Hendon. Linnea has four siblings: Hans, Sadie, Edith, and John.

                        Both of her parents were born in Sweden . Her Dad, Josef Hansen, immigrated to America when he was 17 years old. He filed the papers for his homestead just east of Hendon (section 6, township 36, range 12) in 1905. He met Selma Olson in Sweden and she immigrated to Canada in 1909. The couple was married in Wadena and lived on Josef’s homestead.

                        Linnea spoke Swedish at home and had little English until she went to school. She spent her first years of schooling at Wolverton and finished at Rotnum. After school she took a course in hairdressing. The farm pulled her back though and she spent many years working at home.

                        In 1943, she married Carl Tweidt. The first winter they were married Linnea followed Carl to a logging camp north of Love to cook for him and the other men in the camp. That spring they moved onto Carl’s farm (section 11, township 36, range 13).

                        Linnea has four children. Marie married Jack Evans and has two children: Janice and Jason. Cheryl married Jim Holte and has three Children: Catherine, Donna, and Denise. Carolyn married Brian Statiuk and had four children – Angela, Marsha, Melanie, and Benjamin – before her passing in 1990. Calvin married Joyce and has two children: Cameron and Jena Mae. Linnea has nine great grandchildren.

                        Linnea was an active member of the Scandia Lutheran Church until its closing and is now an active member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church . She is part of the Scandia ELW (Evangelic Lutheran Women), the Hendon Community Club and the Hendon Co-op Guild.

                        Linnea has a garden in town that covers a whole lot and spends many hours there. She is known for her delicious raspberries which she offers freely to all her friends and family. Linnea also loves to cook. She makes amazing Swedish cookies and angel food birthday cakes. It is also her tradition to cook Lutefish for the Tweidt family get-together on Christmas Eve.

                        Linnea and Carl Tweidt moved into Linnea’s parents’ house in town, leaving their son Calvin to take over the family farm, in 1980. Carl passed away in 1992 and Linnea has lived there alone since.

She spends many hours playing cards in the Wadena Seniors Citizens Drop in Center and in the senior center in Hendon whenever she can get a ride out there. She also regularly attends the seniors’ exercises at Spruce Manor not far from her home. She spends many hours crocheting as her grandchildren’s beautiful lace tablecloths and her great grandchildren’s afghans rightly show.