His name is Keith. He is one of the Nordby boys. I have written about his brother Richard before, but never about Keith. I first got to know him because his was one of the first families to live by the Victory Flagpole. Besides that, he is my cousin.
His dad and mom, Warren and Alice Hussey Nordby, lived at 3310 Lake Drive in Robbinsdale. Keith was born June 22, 1926 and they lived in their house until 1929, when they moved to 4315 Emerson Ave. N. When his father died in 1938, the family pulled up stakes and moved to their grandparents (Hussey’s) house at 4225 Colfax Ave. N. and later to a new home they had built at 4210 Emerson Ave. N.
The brothers went to Hamilton Elementary School and Patrick Henry High, with Keith graduating in June of 1944. I’m sure that just about everyone in this community knows him. Why do I say that? Because he was one of the morticians in this area, having several funeral homes, and sooner or later everyone gets to meet a mortician!
I was so surprised when as a teen, I heard that Keith was attending the College of Mortuary Science at the University of Minnesota. I always imagined him as a doctor, a bank executive or even as a barber, like his father. So how did all this come about? Well, Keith was attending the U of M and so was a special girl, Charlotte (Chuck) Howe, who was majoring in education. No, they didn’t bump into each other on campus, but Keith was thinking about this girl who had been in his 9th grade class at Henry but later transferred to Robbinsdale High. He gave her a call and they started dating. Keith did not have a car, so he would borrow one from a neighbor. One winter night, on the way home from a movie, they were hit broadside by another car. Keith had asked Charlotte if they were clear, and she said “yes” even though it was cold and the window was frosted up. Oops, the sound of loud crunching metal was heard— a fine way to start a relationship! But they paid for the damages and the relationship continued intact.
When Keith graduated from the College of Mortuary Sciences in June of 1947, he started working at the Swanson Funeral Home on Lowry Ave. N. Keith and Charlotte dated for a year, but in June of 1948 Keith popped the question and asked Charlotte to marry him. The wedding was the following September 15 at Brooklyn Methodist Church.
Charlotte still had one year of college left, so they moved in with Keith’s mom at the Emerson house. The following June she graduated and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. She taught at Cleveland Elementary School. Both receiving salaries now, they saved for a home of their own. Their dream came true in 1951, when Charlotte’s dad, a prominent farmer in Brooklyn Center, sold them a lot for $1. They built a house and moved in, in the fall of 1952. Also, this same year they found out they were going to be parents and they were about to purchase a funeral home. This was the Evans Funeral and Furniture Establishment on the main street of Osseo. At the same time, they were looking for property to build just a funeral home. They purchased a lot a block off the main street in Osseo and had one built.
Meanwhile, Charlotte left teaching in April of ‘53 and their baby boy, Kent Howe Nordby, was born in July, 1953. Kent immediately became part of the building plans, being toted to Osseo every day, playing in his playpen, while mom painted walls, sewed draperies and did whatever was needed to finish the funeral home. One lucky thing was that the structure included an apartment. They lived there for 37 years. Their funeral home served an area of about 30 miles around Osseo.
In the fall of 1954, Charlotte had another venture. She went back to the U of M to take the short course in Mortuary Science. She took the exam, interned under Keith for a year and became a licensed funeral director in her own right. She became a full partner to Keith, and was one of only a few female funeral directors back then.
Even though the Osseo Funeral Home was thriving, they desired to have a second establishment. They purchased a house at 6000 Osseo Road in Brooklyn Center, moved the house and had a new structure built. Open house was in May 1961.
This too was successful. In August 1990, Keith and Charlotte sold the funeral home business to their son, Kent, following in his parent’s footsteps, and to longtime employee, Tom Weber. It was since remodeled and updated and continues to operate the same quality services. Keith and Charlotte then retired, but kept an active interest in all the ventures. They were freed up to travel the world, aside from both being involved in church, civic and community organizations.
Note: Charlotte Howe Nordby passed away on October 9, 2004.