Gena was born 3 February 1893 at Pleasant Prairie Township, Eddy County, North Dakota, the daughter of John Olson and Carrie Holte.[1]
Gena grew up on the family farm, where she was born. She was confirmed in the Kvernes Lutheran Church on June 25, 1911 by the Pastor O. J. Hungness.[2] Gena loved music and could play by ear very well. Her sister, Dorothy, remembered that Gena was a very beautiful lady, with auburn hair which had golden highlights.
Gena did housework for neighbors until her marriage to Palmer. Palmer had been born on the farm of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter P. Harrang, near Underwood. He grew to manhood there and later moved to New Rockford where he and Gena were married. A few years later, the family moved to Underwood, Minnesota, where they lived on and operated a farm.[3]
While her children were still young, Gena suffered a stroke which left her disabled. She died at the age of fifty.[4] At the time of her death, her daughter, Beatrice was already married and living in Tracy, Minnesota; Leland was in the army air corps in Alabama; David, Wallace and Willard were still living at home.[5]
After her death, Palmer continued living on the family farm, while his children moved west. Palmer would visit his children every winter; in January of 1953, while he was visiting Beatrice in Turlock, California, he took ill.
At first, it was thought that he had the flu; but he had been suffering from a heart ailment for the last year and when he didn't improve the doctors moved him to the hospital and placed him in an oxygen tent. All efforts to save his life were unavailable, death being due to a blood clot.[6]
At the time of his death, Beatrice was living at Turlock, California; Leland in Gardena, California; David in Seattle; Wallace in the air corps in Texas; and Willard, also in the service and in California.[7]
The Harrangs were a family that enjoyed flying. Leland, Wallace, and Willard, all served in the air corp, while David eventually became an airline pilot based in Seattle.
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Gena is 27 degrees from Herbert Adair, 26 degrees from Richard Adams, 21 degrees from Mel Blanc, 27 degrees from Dick Bruna, 26 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 36 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 24 degrees from Sam Edwards, 22 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 24 degrees from Marty Krofft, 19 degrees from Junius Matthews, 18 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 23 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.