ERIKSEN, LEONARD E. AND VIRGINIA L (HODGES)
Leonard Everett Eriksen was born 9/14/03 in Council Bluffs, Iowa and moved to Mullen, Nebr. at the age of three with his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Erik P. Eriksen, where he lived in a sod house on a homestead in Cherry County, Nebr. After graduating from Mullen High School he taught in a rural school in Cherry County for four years. He moved to Mullen in 1923 with his parents and worked as an assistant cashier in the local bank. In later years he opened an insurance and real estate office and began to build the 700 Brand Cattle Ranch. He also was an order buyer for cattle feeders in a number of states. On June 26, 1938 he married Virginia Louise Hodges (born 3/16/1916), a Mullen graduate who had moved to Mullen with her parents from Missouri. Virginia had worked for several years in the advertising section of the "Globe" "Democrat" newspaper in St. Louis' MO. Leonard and Virginia were very active in St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, Eastern Star, the Nebraska Cattleman's Association and a number of other civic organizations aa well as serving as sponsors for a number of youth organizations, band parent's club, etc. They encouraged their children Sonja Lou (1940), Nancy Lynn (1942) and John Dennis (1945) to be active in school activities, 4-H, Scouts, band and orchestra and church activities. Virginia served as organist at St. Joseph's and served on the Alter Guild there for many years. All of the family took an active part in the operations of the 700 Ranch. Especially memorable times were the brandings held every spring when the neighbors would gather to help in the annual vaccination and branding of the new calves. Virginia would oversee the cook-ing of a huge meal for the hungry men, women & children who would then spend the rest of the day pitching horseshoes, playing games & socializing. Barn dances on Saturday nights, street dances for the 4th of July, the Hooker County Fair and the Rodeo held July 3rd & 4th were other eagerly anticipated events. The family enjoyed playing board and card games and crossword puzzles. Saturday night “westerns'' and Sunday afternoon “musicals'' at the local theatre were another treat.
After Leonard's death (3/25/64) Virginia operated the 700 Ranch and became an active partner in the insurance-real estate office which Leonard had founded. She died 1/12/79. Both are buried in the Mullen cemetery. Sonja, Nancy and John received B.S. degrees from the University of Nebras-ka, Lincoln, Nebr. in Home Economics, Elementary Education and English respec-tively. Sonja later received a M.S. degree in Home Economics from the University of Kentucky. Sonja married Loys L. Mather from Imperial, Nebr. on 8/11/62. He is a faculty member in Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky in Lexington Ky. Sonja works as an administrative Assistant in the Office of International Affairs at UKY. Their son Charles (1966) is a senior at the University of the South, majoring in British History and is engaged to marry Ms. Kelley Groenewold from Tulsa, Okla. His brother David (1970) is a senior in high school and plans to study engineering in the Fall.
Nancy married Richard L. Anders from Mullen in 7/14/63 and is currently living in Bellevue, Wash., where they operate a num-ber of gift shops. Their son Kirk (1965) graduated from Whitman College with a degree in Biology and is married to Karen E. Ward also a Whitman grad from Bellevue. Kirsten L. Anders (1966) is attending Whitworth College, majoring in Communica-tions and Gretchen Lynn (1970) is a senior in high school. She plans to study Journalism in College.
After several years in the construction business near San Jose, Calif., John is living in Stuart, Florida with his wife, Cobina Rae, (from Maine) where he is in the home construction business. His step-son Derek is attending college and his daughter, Lisa is the proud mother of Rachelle Baille and living in Lincoln, Nebr. with her husband Rex Baille from near Broken Bow.