She said she was fortunate because her mother, who had four siblings born within one year of each other, all slept in one bed, crossways.
The Billing family basically ate three foods for dinner and supper: potatoes, salt pork, which was kept in a 20-gallon jar, and sauerkraut. Hilda said sauerkraut is a great food, but it doesn't like her.
Hilda married George Dobberstein on the April 12, 1943 at St. Peter Lutheran Church in New Richland. As Hilda and George were making wedding plans, George was called upon to serve in World War II. They did get married after George completed basic training, before he was sent to the Philippines.
George completed his tour of duty in Hawaii, and was able to return home to Minnesota in 1945. Hilda had hoped she and George would be able to go to Hawaii for a visit someday, but they never did get there.
The Dobbersteins lived on the family farm, which consisted of 120 acres, until 1987. They raised cows, chickens and pigs, and later rented a small acreage.
Hilda said they never went hungry. They had a little bit of all of the different farm animals on their farm and raised everything they ate. She canned and preserved many foods and feels though it was a lot of work, it was a much healthier regimen from what we are offered today.
Hilda and George were the parents of four children. Their daughter, Betty, was their oldest. She was married to LaRuen Johnson and they lived in Owatonna. Betty passed away, suddenly, at the age of 45. Their three sons include: Wayne and Marie, who live in rural Ellendale, Gary and Deb of Waseca, and Ralph and Cheryl, who now live on the family farm.
Hilda was a farmer’s wife and a stay at home mom, though she did work for a few years doing different jobs. She is remembered more for volunteering at the New Richland Care Center and other functions in her community.
She was a faithful church worker at St. Peter’s, her lifetime church, where she was involved with Luther League and sang in the choir. Hilda was a member of the Home Extension Club for many years, as well as a neighborhood club.
Though her vision has diminished, making it difficult for her to read, she still can sew and does. Hilda shared stories about how she made cute little suits for the boys, which included pants, shirts, vests and ties, when the boys were little, often recycling other clothing. Hilda loved sewing quilt tops for her church and made a very large number of them over the years, recently sewing 20 more quilt tops on her old treadle sewing machine.
She also enjoys doing needlework, and has a framed "God Grant Me The Serenity" picture on her wall in the living room that she stitched. She is currently working on a set of pillow cases.
Due to her declining eye sight, Hilda is not able to do any reading or watch much television, but she "reads her own story" and just sits and thinks, like writing a book about her life experiences. Hilda talked at length about the many things that were meaningful in her life, something she read and reviewed often in her mind.
Hilda has 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, and wonders at her age what projects she could complete so everybody in her family is remembered with something she made.
Hilda currently lives at Latham Place, and her sister, Malinda Fennert, lives in Colony Court, both in Waseca. Hilda has been living at Latham Place, an assisted living home in the northwest corner of Waseca, by Loon Lake, for three years. Latham Place is seven years old and has room for 28 residents. It is connected to the Lakeshore Inn Nursing Home. Hilda takes part in breakfast and dinner with other residents at the home, and makes her own evening meal.
While visiting Hilda, it was time for dinner, and Hilda commented about the meals served at Latham Place and how pleasant the time was. She said the meals were presented as if served in an expensive restaurant. She said breakfast was the most important meal of the day next to dinner, which was and still should be considered a noon meal. Lunch just doesn't seem appropriate, remembering when lunch was a coffee break, dinner was at noon and in the evening we ate supper.
Hilda said her mother made home fried doughnuts for the "thrashers," and made great pies, and that her dad always felt he had to have fried potatoes for breakfast.
Hilda continued to use a lot of her mother’s recipes, plus some of her own over the years while she cooked for her family.
"Nothing fancy", Hilda said. "Farmers liked their meat and potatoes, which they needed due to all the hard work required of living on the farm."
She laughingly remembers her first try at brussel sprouts, something she didn't eat as a child.
Hilda misses New Richland and said it was hard for her to sell her home. When she left her home, she gave many of her things to her family, including special items she had made.
Hilda jokingly said that she did graduate, from 8th grade, which was normal for that time period. She and one of her sisters both wanted to be teachers, but she would have had to go to Wells to further her education, which was a long way to go at that time. Plus, Hilda’s dad wasn't much for education, which wasn't unusual in that day and age, so she didn't pursue it.
When asked about her close friends while she was growing up, Hilda said she had outlived most of them and that everybody is her friend now. She has such a loving personality and is loved and admired by many. Hilda said back in her “growing up” years, everybody was kept busy on the farm, and they didn't have a great deal of free time for socializing.
Hilda did have a best friend in grade school, Pola. Hilda had to miss an entire school year of because of illness, and had to stay in the same grade the next year as Pola went on to the next level of classes. Their friendship changed somewhat.
Hilda was able to drive into her 90s. Unbeknown to her, her boys kept a watchful eye on her and when she voluntarily decided to quit driving, when her license was to be renewed, they wondered why it was not. She had earlier limited her long distance driving to Albert Lea and Waseca and didn't drive at night, but did often continue to pick up friends for church. She said though it was hard to give up driving, she remembered how upset her father was when the family told him he could no longer drive. She felt it was for the best that she make her own decision.
Speaking of driving and having a driver’s license, Hilda recalled wanting to purchase a quantity of craft supplies at the Hobby Lobby before she moved to Latham Place. Hilda explained that when she went to write a check for her purchases, and didn't have a credit card, something she never felt a need for, the store would not honor her check, even though her son said she could use his ID. She left most of the merchandise there.
When asked how Hilda was going to celebrate her 95th birthday, she said she had already had a big celebration when she turned 94. Her boys had asked her what she wanted to do, or where she wanted to go for her 94th birthday. She informed them she and her husband had always said they were going to visit Hawaii together, but they never got there, so Hilda’s family rented the party room at Latham Place and transformed it into a Hawaiian party. Hilda said she had a lot of fun, and she even got to wear a Hawaiian lei!
In regards to her birthday this year, she and her family decided they would have an early Easter together on Palm Sunday, as well as celebrate her birthday at Wayne and Marie’s home, just family.
Knowing Hilda has always been a pleasure. Interviewing her at 95 was a gift.
