2812 Humboldt

Here’s our home in 1923 – years before we knew it.

Company A, West High School (March 1923)

It would be another three decades before we would get to know and love this house across the street from West High School on Humboldt Avenue in South Minneapolis.

On September 11, 1952, Connie Stoep, the first wife of my dad (Richard Byron Lohman), died suddenly during the polio epidemic of a rare form of the disease called bulbar polio. My dad was left with three small children – Jeanne, Doug, and Paul. 

On the day of her funeral, Dad’s sister and brother-in-law, Priscilla and Raymond Jensen, approached him with an idea. 

“Richard, we know you’re not ready to think about this now, but we want to tell you now so that when you are ready, you’ll remember this. If you are willing to sell your small house and buy a larger one, we’ll move in with you and help take care of the children.” My Uncle Ray, who wrote a moving account of this period in his memoir, Threads of Love, wrote, “I don’t remember that Richard responded in words… nor did we expect him to. His hug and tears of gratitude said all that was needed.”

At first Dad tried to make thing work by hiring a string of housekeepers, but it was soon clear that this wasn’t going to be a long-term solution. 

After some searching, Dad found 2812 Humboldt Avenue South, and on December 31, 1952, they moved in. Two families with nine children under the age of nine all under one roof!

When my dad later married my mom, Charlotte Pauline Hovick Thompson, the Jensen’s moved back to their own home. This new Lohman family formed and came together under this roof, and here the family grew, adding Jeffrey in 1955 and me, David, in 1961. We remained here until 1965 when Dad finished seminary, was ordained, and received his first call to a pair of churches in Butterfield, Minnesota.

Life at 2812… on the Front Steps

Paul, Charles, Jeanne, Jeffrey, Douglas

Paul, Charles, Jeffrey, Douglas

Paul, Douglas, Jeffrey, Jeanne, David, Charles

The Front Yard

Paul, Charles, unknown, David

Douglas, Paul, Charles, Jeffrey

Richard’s Ordination Celebration on June 20, 1965:

Charlotte & Richard

Richard & Charlotte

Jeanne, David, Charles, Douglas, Paul (nice lampshade, Jeanne!)

Richard and his mother, Grace

Richard & Charlotte: Engaged on the First Date!

1952-1953: The Year That Changed My Life

By Charlotte Lohman, 1993

After the death of my first husband Warren in 1952…

…and the birth of our son Chuck in 1952…

…nursing at Fairview Hospital, together with being a single parent, became my career.

Chuck and myself, along with another recent widow, Mona Hjortland and her son David, moved in together; and with the help of our babysitter, Grandma Turk, Mona and I were able to work. Our life together was good.

One Sunday in October, 1952, Mona and I decided to eat at the then-famous Hasty Tasty Café at 50th and France [two doors down from the Edina Cinema]. 

As we looked at the people enjoying their dinner, Mona spotted a man and his young daughter, whom she had previously met. 

This man, Dick Lohman, had very recently lost his wife from bulbar polio, leaving him alone with two sons, Paul, age two, Douglas, four, and his daughter Jeanne, six.

After finishing our meals, we went over to greet them. Our hearts ached for him, knowing what he must be going through. But after a pleasant visit, we went on our way.

It wasn’t long before Dick started to come to see us after he got his children to bed – just to talk and share his grief. We understood what he was going through. [He dubbed us the “Merry Widows.”] Sometimes another recent widow friend, Merlyn, would come and join us. They were good times for us all. My “playing Cupid” instincts were being aroused, so I would encourage Dick to take Merlyn home. He willingly did, but he always immediately returned to our home to continue to visit. Playing Cupid wasn’t working, so I dropped the thought!

Time passed and our get-togethers continued. Mona was soon engaged to a seminary student, and she decided that she now wanted to play Cupid with Dick and I. I said, “Nope, he’s too short for me!” My reaction to Mona was silly, but I had always been tall for my age. My Dad and first husband Warren were both 6’4”, so this was a new experience for me. (Before I go further, I want to say that I was less than ½“ taller than Dick. How silly! I later came to just wear low-heeled shoes. What a simple solution!) 

One evening in April, 1953, I was working the 3:00-11:00 pm shift at the hospital and the phone rang. It was none other than Dick asking me for a date to see the newly released film, Martin Luther. That sounded like fun, so I said yes.

By this time, I had not wanted to admit to myself or anyone else that I was starting to like Dick, not only as a friend, but some romantic feelings were creeping in, too. So I was excited about this date – my first since 1951 when Warren died. Mona was delighted – she had been right!

The fateful night arrived and off we went and had a wonderful time [first at the Uptown Theater…

 …and then a few doors down at the Rainbow Café.]

I must have been excited when I left home, because I left my keys and Mona wasn’t home to let us in. So Dick came to the rescue, got a window opened and in we went. We talked and talked about so many things, and he finally said, “Will you marry me?” Without hesitation, I knew that I was in love and said, “Yes.” It just felt so right. Our first date and now we were engaged. This was unbelievable. Nothing slow about us! 

We went to introduce Dick to my mother. She had heard about him being short. But as she opened the door and laid eyes on him, the first thing she said was, “You’re no shrimp!” They loved each other immediately.

On August 15, 1953, our family became a “Yours and Mine” family,

 and later, in 1955 and again in 1961, a

family when our two sons Jeffrey and David were born.

But really, it’s always simply been an “Ours” family.

This was forty years ago as I write this in 1993, and we still stand in awe of how blessed we have been by God.

The Wedding: August 15, 1953

Richard Lohman’s calendar:  (These events took place in 1953. He was using an old calendar from 1949.) April 17, 1953 – “Became engaged to Char” May 25, 1953: “Gave ring to Char!” Total cost of ring = $102 ($10 down payment, $92 balance)

Northwestern Lutheran Seminary Chapel 100 East 22nd Street, Minneapolis

Charlotte and Richard Lohman

Mona Berg, Charlotte, Richard, Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson, Mona Berg, Charlotte, Richard, Rev. Eugene Hasselquist

Rev. Eugene Hasselquist, Charlotte, Richard

The Marriage Service

Pastor Hasselquist’s homily notes

The Reception

Richard, Pauline Hovick (Charlotte’s mother), Grace Lohman (Richard’s mother), Charlotte

back: Grandma Helland (from Richard’s late first wife’s family, more research on her needs to be done), Grace Lohman, Pauline Hovick, Agnes Libby (Richard’s maternal grandmother) front: Richard, Gustav Lohman (Richard’s father), Paul, Douglas, Mabel Thompson (mother of Charlotte’s late first husband, Warren), Jeanne, Charles, Charles Thompson (father of Charlotte’s late first husband), Charlotte

back: Richard, Charles, Charlotte front: Jeanne, Paul, Douglas

From the Northfield (Minnesota) Independent

Welcome!

Welcome to the Lohman Family Album,
devoted to the family of:

Richard Byron Lohman  (born: April 3, 1925 in Minneapolis, Minnesota;  died: April 14, 2004 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

and

Charlotte Pauline Hovick Thompson Lohman (born: October 9, 1925 in Madison, Minnesota died: November 8, 2015 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

and their children:

Jeanne Marie Lohman  (born: November 2, 1946 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Douglas Richard Lohman  (born: July 22, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Paul Wescott Lohman  (born: January 31, 1951 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Charles Warren Bjorn Thompson Lohman  (born: January 4, 1952 in Northfield, Minnesota;  died: March 25, 1993 in Bodega Bay, California)

Jeffrey Allen Lohman  (born: March 7, 1955 in Minneapolis, Minnesota;  died: November 27, 1962 in Minneapolis, Minnesota)

David Brian Lohman  (born: July 8, 1961 in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota)