ERIKSEN, LEONARD E. AND VIRGINIA L (HODGES)

by Sonja E. Mather

Entry F129 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Virginia L. (Hodges) Eriksen.

Leonard E. Eriksen

The Leonard Eriksen Family. Back Row L-R: Virginia and Leonard.
Front Row: Nancy, John, Sonja.

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.