FEATURED RESIDENT-NOVEMBER 2009-ANTOINETTE KERN
FEATURED RESIDENT-NOVEMBER 2009-ANTOINETTE KERN
In that charming little home right across from our town hall here in New Dosey Township lives one of the nicest and friendliest people you would ever want to meet.
Antoinette Lucille Kern was born on January 27, 1944, to Doris and Tony Fornengo, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Superior, Wisconsin. (Years later, Antoinette has occasion to see the hospital bill for her birth and it was only $47.00!) She was the 3rd oldest of 6 children. Antoinette was raised right here in Cloverton and went all 8 grades of grade school at our old school. Back in those days, elementary schools held graduation exercises and Antoinette can recall vividly the ceremony in the beautiful auditorium of that school. She also fondly remembers former residents Helen and Al Feldt as janitor and school bus driver, respectively.
Antoinette attended high school in Sandstone at the old school building located across from the dentist office today. She says’ High School was a really happy time in my life. I had all my friends and dad was the bus driver”.
After high school graduation in 1962, she went to work in the Accounts Receivable Department for Brown & Bigelow in the Twin Cities. Her older sister Mary Lee was already employed there. After 2 years with Brown & Bigelow, Antoinette left and went to work for Employers Overload in Minneapolis.
Through mutual friends she met a young man, Ron Kern, from Danbury. They actually met at a baseball game. They were married in 1965 and lived in Minneapolis for many years. Their son Ronnie was born in 1965. Sadly, Ron died of asthma in 1988 and the family later learned that the inhaler on the market in those days caused heart problems.
Son Todd was born in 1967 and lives in Danbury today. Daughter Laurie came along in 1970 and she and her family live in Dairyland. Their 4th and last child Larry was born in 1971 and he lives with his family on the Kingsdale Road in Wisconsin.
Antoinette is exceptionally proud of her 8 grandchildren- Travis (18), Brandon (18), Cody (16), Marissa (15), Meghan (15), Nicholas (11), Dustin (9) and Will (8).
Antoinette and Ron moved back to Cloverton in 1970 when Laurie was born. Ron continued to work as an operating engineer in the Cities for many years. Antoinette worked as a “stay at home” mom until their children were in high school. She went to work for awhile as a Home Health Aide, then as a Teacher’s Aide, and eventually, she and her sister-in-law Robin and 2 women from Sandstone worked on a book about the Sandstone School. For some reason, the project was dropped after awhile.
In 1999, she started being the substitute mail carrier for Ed Magnuson on a mail route out of the Danbury Post Office. When Ed passed away, she took over the route herself and still has that job today. She said she likes it so much, she is finding it hard to retire
Antoinette’s leisure time activities include “following the grandkids around to all of their sports, etc.”, sewing, gardening, and going on her computer. She has cut back on her computer time, however, because she felt it was becoming too much. She and Ron have been watching a flock of Hungarian grouse that have been hanging in their yard all autumn.
Antoinette sums her life up as being all about her family and friends. What a nice way to live!