Doloros Elisebeth Erhart

Doloros was born October 20, 1917, the fourth child of nine to Appolonia (Hauer) Kraft and Henry Kraft of Bentley, North Dakota. Farming in North Dakota was very difficult in the dry years and the family decided to move to Pine City, Minnesota, in the fall of 1919. They temporarily located east of Pine City and then moved to their permanent home southwest of Pine City a few months later (commonly known as the Fritz Kraft Farm). They continued farming the land and the family grew. In early childhood, there was always something to do with her other eight siblings. They would play games like “fox and goose” in the winter and “kick the can” in the summer. Doloros’s family was very religious and attended church every Sunday. Even in the cold Minnesota winters, they would take the horse and sleigh and ride into town. They would use horse blankets and irons to keep warm. In the summer time, their bedrooms upstairs became very hot and they would move their beds downstairs to stay cool. During most of this time, there was no telephone or electricity. Doloros thought that these were the best inventions ever. Sadly, in 1926, Doloros’s father died as a result of a farm accident. The combination of the Depression and the unexpected death of her father when Doloros was only 8 made growing up a challenge for the Kraft family. Hard times required that all family members help out. The family planted a large garden and everyone chipped in. Doloros remembered having to carry heavy water pails from the pump house into their house. The family also received help from some of the neighbors as well as from Aunt Kate and Uncle Will Sauser. With the Kraft persistence, they were able to overcome the early hardship. Doloros attended grade school at District 9 and walked two miles to school everyday starting at 5 a.m. Following grade school, Doloros attended high school walking four miles to Pine City. In high school, she was involved in track, girl scouts, and home economics. She graduated in 1934 when she was 16 years old. After high school, Doloros attended one year of normal training earning a teaching certificate. At age 17, she was responsible for 25 to 28 children. She taught for five years first at Mission Creek and then at District 9 just southwest of Pine City. The pay was $50 per month. She received a $2.50 raise the next year. In her last year of teaching, she made $75 per month. Doloros’s philosophy in teaching included the quest for her students to learn and make good citizens. She strongly felt that the future for her students should include education so that they could be successful with their careers and their family. Doloros met her husband, Albrecht (“Al”), in 1934, at a dance at the Crystal Palace during the depression, and they went together for six years. Doloros fondly remembered her wedding (June 17, 1940). The day started out raining, but the show went on after her husband brought a canvas to protect the ceremony and guests from the rain. After the wedding, they returned to their home for dinner and enjoyed wedding cake and fruitcake with their guests. They also had a dance to celebrate. Doloros recalled that her feet were so sore that they stayed in town that evening to avoid the trip home. After their marriage, Doloros and Al purchased Al’s parents’ farm and became full-time dairy farmers until 1977. During that time, they raised three sons (Dan, Tim, and Bill) who each graduated from Pine City High School and the University of Minnesota. Doloros loved her daughters-in-law – Kathy, Dawn, and Elizabeth. In the late 1970’s, Al and Doloros decided to retire from farming. They auctioned off their cattle and machinery and moved from the farm where they raised their children to a new house they built in Pine City in 1981. Doloros continued to work outside the home as the Food Stamp Supervisor for Pine County. After 13 and a half years, she retired in 1983. Al and Doloros loved to travel and during their later years in farming and while retired, they traveled to five different continents and all but three states. The first vacation they took after being married was to Spain. On their 25th wedding anniversary, they went to Boston. Doloros believed that she needed to be an intrical part of the community and give back through volunteerism. She was involved in many ways. She was a charter member of the Pine Area Lioness Club receiving the Key Award and the Melvin Jones Award. She was a member of the Pine County Historical Society serving on the committee to establish the rural school museum and was Secretary for 22 years. She received the Governor’s Award for grant writing. The grant established the Pine City Senior Citizen Center. Doloros was a member of the Catholic Council of Women. She taught Sunday school and summer school at Immaculate Conception Church. She was a volunteer driver to transport people to doctor appointments. Doloros volunteered at the Pine County Fair for many years. She was a 4-H leader for ten years and delivered Meals on Wheels for 15 years. She was a member of the Pine Senior Citizens and helped write successful grant proposals for the group. Doloros took the U.S. Census twice and was named Pine County Senior Citizen of the Year in 1991. Doloros continued to live in Pine City after her husband died in 2001. In 2003, she moved to Cambridge residing at Grace Point Crossing until her death. Doloros has a total of eight grandchildren including Alison, Angela, Andrew, Theodore (Kelly), Nick, Emily, Ellen, and Lianna. Doloros said that the best part of being a grandparent is that you can send the kids home after you spoil them. Doloros’s sisters were Viola Baum, Bernadette Wurm, Agnes Dekkes, Elenor Libra, Philomeina Kraft. Her brothers were Anthony, Wilfred “Fritz”, and Henry. Doloros was the last surviving member of the Kraft family who overcame difficult issues growing up with the loss of a father and the difficulty of farming during severe drought and the Depression. Yet, they prevailed and each were very successful in their own way. Doloros said that she wanted people to remember her as a good-hearted person that always did things for other people and that she was always there when someone needed something. She was very religious and she always worked hard and was very honest. Life taught her that you have to work hard and have patience. She believed that to get someplace in life you have to put your mind to it and get as much education as possible. She advised that future generations learn at every opportunity they get. She also said that you should save money for retirement. She had high hopes that everyone would be able to have a decent paying job to help support their families. Al and Doloros enjoyed a rich tradition of farm life with a close-knit community of neighbors and relatives, and Doloros believed in having a partner in life, which was her husband. Doloros peacefully passed away Dec. 15, 2012 at the age of 95 at Grace Pointe Crossing, River Hills Assisted Living in Cambridge, MN. She is survived by her children;  Dan (Kathy), Tim (Dawne) & Bill (Liz) Erhart.  She had 8 grandchildren;  Ted, Nick, Alison, Angela, Emily, Andrew, Ellen and Lianna.  Monsignor Aleksander Suchan celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at Immaculate Conception Church. Interment was in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Funeral and Cremation Service - Swanson Chapel, Pine City