Dad was born at home in McVille North Dakota and lived in an area made up of mostly Norwegian immigrants. He was the first child born to Magnus & Gertie Midstokke. His brother was born a few years later & they lived their early years on a farm. My Dad always talked fondly of his early years in North Dakota & the long winters. When he was about 10 years old his family moved to California. His father worked as a plumber and taught both his sons the trade. My Father was a paperboy in his teens and met my Mother while delivering papers. He also found his first dog, Skippy on his paper route. The mother dog had been hit by a car leaving behind a batch of puppy's only a couple weeks old. My father took one of the puppy's home with him. Being afraid his Mother would not allow him to keep the puppy he hid it in a box under his bed for a few days before his Mother discovered the pup. She allowed him to keep the puppy & my Dad had his first, Skippy for 17 years. In 1943 my father joined the US Navy. He did his training in San Diego, California and then was assigned to an Air Transport division, flying wounded soldiers to hospitals. After the war was over he was stationed in San Juan Puerto Rico and then Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He received an Honorable Discharge from the Navy in 4th of August 1947. He married my Mother, MaryAlice Prouty on the 11th of August 1947. He went to work with his father at his Plumbing shop, Mike's Plumbing and later for Union 78 Plumbing in Los Angeles. My parents made their home first in Landcaster & then in Torrance. They had 6 children, 5 girls & 1 boy. My Dad loved tropical fish and was an active member of the Harbor Aquarium society. He loved to build Fish Tanks and ended up opening a tropical fish store in Torrance, Smuggler's Wherehouse. My Dad & Mom both loved the central coast area of California & always dreamed of moving to Morro Bay California. They bought a lot with the hopes of one day being able to build their dream house their. In 1975 my Dad "retired" and we moved to Morro Bay. I was the youngest child and the only one still home when they made the move to Morro Bay. My Dad started building our home. We had a Saanen Milk goat named Penny that my Dad would often let out of her pen while he worked on the house. Penny would always try to follow my Dad around while he worked. The house was two stories and one day while working on the roof Penny tried to follow him up the latter. She made it up but the latter ended up falling. So there was my Dad and Penny the goat stuck on the roof for the next 6 hours. He tried to wave a few people down when they drove by but they just waived back. Dad always loved his animals they were much more then pets to him. My Dad build their Dream house but was not happy with being retired. So he first open Morro Bay's Sharp Saw Service. He then bought a large commercial lot in Morro Bay and built Morro Bay Hardware Store, making the Sharp Saw Service part of it. My Dad had a true love of people and had the gift of gab, to him there were no strangers only friends he had not yet met. My Dad got his second dog Skippy in 1995, she was a Jack Russell Terrier. She became his best friend (next to my Mom) and he took her everywhere. His first Skippy had also been a Terrier, he had many pets after him but not another Terrier. I had found Skippy(2) for him and she looked very much like her namesake. I think she came into his life at the perfect time. She loved going to the Beach to chase Seagulls & could play fetch for hours. When my Dad got sick in 1999, Skippy never left his side. My Dad passed away on February 14th 2000 at home with my Mom and his dog Skippy by his side. Skippy then became my Mom's companion for the rest of her life, helping her deal with the loss of my Dad. My Dad had been a member of the Morro Bay Lutheran Church, he had not always been good about going to church. He always went for Christmas & Easter, but the last 5 years of his life he became active in Church again and renewed his faith. My Dad was much more then a Dad to me, he had his faults but his goodness out shined all of them. He was one of my best friends and I miss him everyday. My Mother joined my father in 2008 and I know one day we will all be reunited. Their Dog, Skippy now lives with me helping me cope with the loss of both my parents until the day she goes to join them.
Dad was born at home in McVille North Dakota and lived in an area made up of mostly Norwegian immigrants. He was the first child born to Magnus & Gertie Midstokke. His brother was born a few years later & they lived their early years on a farm. My Dad always talked fondly of his early years in North Dakota & the long winters. When he was about 10 years old his family moved to California. His father worked as a plumber and taught both his sons the trade. My Father was a paperboy in his teens and met my Mother while delivering papers. He also found his first dog, Skippy on his paper route. The mother dog had been hit by a car leaving behind a batch of puppy's only a couple weeks old. My father took one of the puppy's home with him. Being afraid his Mother would not allow him to keep the puppy he hid it in a box under his bed for a few days before his Mother discovered the pup. She allowed him to keep the puppy & my Dad had his first, Skippy for 17 years. In 1943 my father joined the US Navy. He did his training in San Diego, California and then was assigned to an Air Transport division, flying wounded soldiers to hospitals. After the war was over he was stationed in San Juan Puerto Rico and then Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He received an Honorable Discharge from the Navy in 4th of August 1947. He married my Mother, MaryAlice Prouty on the 11th of August 1947. He went to work with his father at his Plumbing shop, Mike's Plumbing and later for Union 78 Plumbing in Los Angeles. My parents made their home first in Landcaster & then in Torrance. They had 6 children, 5 girls & 1 boy. My Dad loved tropical fish and was an active member of the Harbor Aquarium society. He loved to build Fish Tanks and ended up opening a tropical fish store in Torrance, Smuggler's Wherehouse. My Dad & Mom both loved the central coast area of California & always dreamed of moving to Morro Bay California. They bought a lot with the hopes of one day being able to build their dream house their. In 1975 my Dad "retired" and we moved to Morro Bay. I was the youngest child and the only one still home when they made the move to Morro Bay. My Dad started building our home. We had a Saanen Milk goat named Penny that my Dad would often let out of her pen while he worked on the house. Penny would always try to follow my Dad around while he worked. The house was two stories and one day while working on the roof Penny tried to follow him up the latter. She made it up but the latter ended up falling. So there was my Dad and Penny the goat stuck on the roof for the next 6 hours. He tried to wave a few people down when they drove by but they just waived back. Dad always loved his animals they were much more then pets to him. My Dad build their Dream house but was not happy with being retired. So he first open Morro Bay's Sharp Saw Service. He then bought a large commercial lot in Morro Bay and built Morro Bay Hardware Store, making the Sharp Saw Service part of it. My Dad had a true love of people and had the gift of gab, to him there were no strangers only friends he had not yet met. My Dad got his second dog Skippy in 1995, she was a Jack Russell Terrier. She became his best friend (next to my Mom) and he took her everywhere. His first Skippy had also been a Terrier, he had many pets after him but not another Terrier. I had found Skippy(2) for him and she looked very much like her namesake. I think she came into his life at the perfect time. She loved going to the Beach to chase Seagulls & could play fetch for hours. When my Dad got sick in 1999, Skippy never left his side. My Dad passed away on February 14th 2000 at home with my Mom and his dog Skippy by his side. Skippy then became my Mom's companion for the rest of her life, helping her deal with the loss of my Dad. My Dad had been a member of the Morro Bay Lutheran Church, he had not always been good about going to church. He always went for Christmas & Easter, but the last 5 years of his life he became active in Church again and renewed his faith. My Dad was much more then a Dad to me, he had his faults but his goodness out shined all of them. He was one of my best friends and I miss him everyday. My Mother joined my father in 2008 and I know one day we will all be reunited. Their Dog, Skippy now lives with me helping me cope with the loss of both my parents until the day she goes to join them.
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