Mae Isabel Smithson [16757] ²⁹⁰³

   Another name for Mae was Mae Smithson Gravgaard.

  General Notes:

Mac Smithson Gravgnard of Willmar. Minnesota, was born July 4, 1896 at Hawick, Minnesota, the daughter of Margaret Henderson and Alfred James "Allie" Smithson. She attended schools near Hawick and graduated from St. Cloud Teachers College in St. Cloud. Following graduation. Mae taught at Breckenridge, Minnesota for two years and then in District #19, Kandiyohi County for three years.
On April 21, 1917, Mae was united in marriage to Oswald Gravgaard at the Smithson family homestead. This union was blessed with two daughters, Aileen and Audrey. Mae and Oswald farmed the Smithson homestead and Oswald was very involved in starting the Rural Electric Association from 1930 until his death in 1975. They both traveled thoughout the United States to attend meetings of REA. Mae continued to live in Hawick until 1980 when she moved to Spicer and has lived in Willmar since 1992.
Mae was baptized, confirmed and was a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church of Hawick. She served as church organist for over 30 years and also taught Sunday School and was active with the Methodist Church Women. Her strong moral character with her Scottish and English heritage taught her never to be wasteful.
She had a wonderful life span from the horse and buggy days to the world of outer space. Mae's first love was music, playing her own "Happy Birthday" song on her 100^th birthday. She especially enjoyed church music, always playing with a peppy beat. Audrey sang to her this past week and Mae would nod her head and lap her fingers on her chair arm. There will surely be music in heaven with her arrival.
Everyone who ate her apple pies will always remember how good they were. She loved to sew dresses for her granddaughters and make afghans. Mae was an avid reader and enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. She wrote an article about Roseville Township and the Hawick Community, places she dearly loved, which was published in a book called, "The Round Robin of Kandiyohi County".
On Thursday, June 5, 1997, Mae died at Ashwood Care Center in Willmar, Minnesota at the age of 100 years, 11 months and 1 day. Surviving is her daughter: Audrey (and Don) Halvorson of Willmar, two grand-daughters, Judy Dahlseid and Patricia Neer, both of Twin Cities, five great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Oswald; daughter, Aileen Bruske; sister. Beatrice Smithson Finney and a brother, John Smithson.
Services were held June 10, 1997 at United Methodist Church in Hawick and interment in Roseville Cemetery in Hawick, Minnesota. Editor thanks Jane Smithson Irwin for forwarding copy of Mae's Memorial.

Mae married Oswald Nels Gravgaard [16673] [MRIN: 6180], son of Laurits Gravgaard [2693] and Dorthe Marie Jensen [3327], on 21 Apr 1917 in United States.²⁹⁰³ (Oswald Nels Gravgaard [16673] was born on 4 Mar 1893 in Iowa, United States,²⁹⁰³ died on 10 Aug 1975 in Minnesota, United States ²⁹⁰³ and was buried in Aug 1975 in Roseville Cemetery, Hawick, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States.)