Bio: Loberg, Stella (100^th Birthday - 2011)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Loberg

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) January 12, 2011

Loberg, Stella (100^th Birthday - 2 January 2011)

By Peter Spicer

       Stella & Her Son, Orville Loberg

Longtime Clark County Press news correspondent Stella Loberg recently celebrated her 100^th birthday and has spent many of those years in this area.

Loberg, who is a Neillsville Care and Rehab resident, turned 100 Monday, Jan. 3.  A well-attended celebration was held for her at the facility, Sunday, Jan. 2.

Loberg was born in 1911 in Tony, a town seven miles east of Ladysmith where her parents farmed.  She was the fourth of 11 children and enjoyed five sisters and five brothers.

Loberg recalled her family owning bees and extracting honey at the farm.

As for recreation at the farm, Loberg stated, "We just did everything," from climbing trees, playing games and of course, dodging bees.

Loberg attended school in Tony and graduated from the high school before working at Figi’s and at a box factory in Marshfield; she also trained to be a nurse’s aide.

Loberg married her husband, Kenneth, in 1940 and moved to Christie, where Kenneth farmed and drove a truck. Their crops included hay, corn, popcorn and sweet corn, which Loberg said they ate off the cob.

"I enjoyed my life there," recalled Loberg.  "I loved everything I was doing."

During the early 1960s, Loberg received a call from a Clark County Press employee who asked her if she would work as a news correspondent, writing a column about news in the Christie, Globe, Greenwood and Granton communities.  "We need somebody [to write news]," Loberg was told.

"I’ll try," Loberg said and then wrote for 29 years.

Although the column kept Loberg busy, she stated "It was fun, though.  I enjoyed it."

Meeting others was the job’s highlight for Loberg, who stated "I got to know lots of people. I just loved to talk to people on the phone."

Loberg stated people were more sociable at that time, enjoyed being together and liked seeing their names in the paper.  These days, people keep to themselves more and want to stay out of the news, she joked.

Those providing news to Loberg "were mostly neighbors or friends."

Loberg worked as a correspondent until 1992 when she became a nursing home resident.

I just couldn’t quit [the job]," joked Loberg, who still enjoys reading and participating in as many care and rehab facility activities as possible.  If Loberg isn’t able to participate in an activity, she "watches what I can’t do."

Loberg, who took piano lessons and enjoyed playing the piano, enjoys listening to music at Neillsville Care and Rehab.

Loberg and Kenneth, who passed away eight years ago, raised two children, Shannon and Orville. Shannon is a registered nurse and Orville a retired farmer and Memorial Medical Center (MMC) employee.

Orville, who still lives in Christie, farmed for 27 years before spending 25 years at MMC.  Orville worked in MMC’s housekeeping department for 15 years before spending 10 years in the maintenance department.

Orville learned many life lessons from his mom, who told him "If you work hard, good things will happen."