Individual Details
John J. Winsness
(20 Jun 1912 - 14 Jan 1972)
John Winsness was born prematurely and not expected to live. He was placed in a shoe box and put by the wood cook stove. As he said, every time they opened it he was alive so they fed him and he lived. He was always technically inclined and on the farm had the respected position of running the steam engine throughout harvest.
However, in 2005, Lilly Tangney told Jim that her mother had confided with her that Emma was pregnant when Jens and Emma married. Lilly's parents were married exactly 1 year after Jens and Emma, and she asked how John could be 14 months older.
A teacher talked to Jens and Emma and stated that John should go to the University of ND and he did so graduating top of his class. He worked at Pembina building a dam until joining GE in 1937 in Schenectady. Peggy Jones joined him there and they married at the Lutheran Church. 50 years later their son Jim while working at GE in Schenectady realized he worked with the grandson of the minister who married John and Peggy.
After major cancer treatments, John retired from GE as Manager of Engineering in Chamblee Georgia and died at his place on Lake Lanier. He is buried nearby.
---------------Obituary in Fessenden Free Press-----------
1972
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
John J. Winsness
John J. Winsness, 59, Lanier Shores Court, Buford, Ga., formerly of Atlanta, Ga. passed away January 14. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jens Winsness.
He was born in Hamburg Township and attended Fessenden High School and graduated from the University of North Dakota. He accepted a job with the General Electric Co. in 1936 and worked with that company 33 years before retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Peggy Winsness, Buford; three sons, John H. Winsness, Tucker Jerry R. Winsness, Norcross; D. James Winsness, Charleston, S.C.; six grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Charles Matthews, Rochester, Minn.
Funeral services were held Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 from the chapel of Tapp Funeral Home with the remains placed in state at 2 p.m. Rev. Gene Davis officiated
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Letter from Raymond Oleson - 16 Mar 1999
Raymond Oleson
3131 Buttercup Drive
Billings, Mont 59102-4419
John H. Winsness
James Winsness
P.O. Box 118
Pine Mountain Balley, GA
Dear Winsness Family
Thanks for your letters and the write up in the Wells Co. Historical Newsletter.
I was aware that your Dad was a Electrical Engineer for GE but was surprised that he had passed away so early in life. I am sure he was the best as he had so much enthusiasm and I think Jens and Emma Winsness had taught Joe how to read and wright before he had started school as he was always one step ahead. I don't think he was twenty years old when he took the responsibility to run that Steam thrasher engine as a professional.
Arene's Buggy race sure came on a bum time during the thrashing - think of the stress it must have been on Emmy and Jens with the thrashing crew of 20 to keep going to feed etc.
I hauled grain on that thrashing crew and latter helped with the fall plowing. I was paid a dollar a day for the farm fall work.
Your grandmother was a good engineer also as she sure would manipulate lots of good meals on that large coal and wood range that she had in the kitchen, no running water, no electricity no plumbing and always JOLLY.
Growing up in North Dakota before and during the depression needed a lot of encouragement that was at times difficult. Joe had that enthusiasm and encouragement.
I am 85 years old and now have emphysema and my wife Palma the past two months has had the shingles.
Thanks to John and James for communicating and revamping the write up for the historical news was great - thanks.
Sincerely
Raymond Oleson
-----------------
In the 1930 census, at age 17, my father was shown as "Joseph" - so I wrote the family and told them:
Look at my father's name. It was not John it was Joseph! We had heard he was always called Joe when he was young. He's 17 at the time of the census - not real young.
We were told he added the "J" to his name making it John J. Winsness when he went to college as they needed something for a middle name and he never had one. It looks like he just decided he would like to be "John" and not "Joseph" so he filled out his college enrollment as John J. - he sure was Joseph a year earlier!
Mom misled us also. She said my brother John was named using his father's name for the first name and he got a middle name Howard after her father (true). She said that Jerry got his grandfather Howard Robert Jones' middle name. We found out a few years ago that Howard's middle name was Richard (and mom wrote "Richard" on his death certificate so she knew all the time it was not Robert.)
OK so what does it mean - my brother John was supposed to be named after his father but his father's name wasn't really John it was Joseph. My brother Jerry Robert wasn't named after his grandfathers middle name either. Since I was named Denis after my father's boss's son, none of us were really named after anyone in the family I guess.
OH I wish I could talk to Mom and Dad and find the story behind all these name changes!
However, in 2005, Lilly Tangney told Jim that her mother had confided with her that Emma was pregnant when Jens and Emma married. Lilly's parents were married exactly 1 year after Jens and Emma, and she asked how John could be 14 months older.
A teacher talked to Jens and Emma and stated that John should go to the University of ND and he did so graduating top of his class. He worked at Pembina building a dam until joining GE in 1937 in Schenectady. Peggy Jones joined him there and they married at the Lutheran Church. 50 years later their son Jim while working at GE in Schenectady realized he worked with the grandson of the minister who married John and Peggy.
After major cancer treatments, John retired from GE as Manager of Engineering in Chamblee Georgia and died at his place on Lake Lanier. He is buried nearby.
---------------Obituary in Fessenden Free Press-----------
1972
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
John J. Winsness
John J. Winsness, 59, Lanier Shores Court, Buford, Ga., formerly of Atlanta, Ga. passed away January 14. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jens Winsness.
He was born in Hamburg Township and attended Fessenden High School and graduated from the University of North Dakota. He accepted a job with the General Electric Co. in 1936 and worked with that company 33 years before retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Peggy Winsness, Buford; three sons, John H. Winsness, Tucker Jerry R. Winsness, Norcross; D. James Winsness, Charleston, S.C.; six grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Charles Matthews, Rochester, Minn.
Funeral services were held Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2:30 from the chapel of Tapp Funeral Home with the remains placed in state at 2 p.m. Rev. Gene Davis officiated
--------------------------
Letter from Raymond Oleson - 16 Mar 1999
Raymond Oleson
3131 Buttercup Drive
Billings, Mont 59102-4419
John H. Winsness
James Winsness
P.O. Box 118
Pine Mountain Balley, GA
Dear Winsness Family
Thanks for your letters and the write up in the Wells Co. Historical Newsletter.
I was aware that your Dad was a Electrical Engineer for GE but was surprised that he had passed away so early in life. I am sure he was the best as he had so much enthusiasm and I think Jens and Emma Winsness had taught Joe how to read and wright before he had started school as he was always one step ahead. I don't think he was twenty years old when he took the responsibility to run that Steam thrasher engine as a professional.
Arene's Buggy race sure came on a bum time during the thrashing - think of the stress it must have been on Emmy and Jens with the thrashing crew of 20 to keep going to feed etc.
I hauled grain on that thrashing crew and latter helped with the fall plowing. I was paid a dollar a day for the farm fall work.
Your grandmother was a good engineer also as she sure would manipulate lots of good meals on that large coal and wood range that she had in the kitchen, no running water, no electricity no plumbing and always JOLLY.
Growing up in North Dakota before and during the depression needed a lot of encouragement that was at times difficult. Joe had that enthusiasm and encouragement.
I am 85 years old and now have emphysema and my wife Palma the past two months has had the shingles.
Thanks to John and James for communicating and revamping the write up for the historical news was great - thanks.
Sincerely
Raymond Oleson
-----------------
In the 1930 census, at age 17, my father was shown as "Joseph" - so I wrote the family and told them:
Look at my father's name. It was not John it was Joseph! We had heard he was always called Joe when he was young. He's 17 at the time of the census - not real young.
We were told he added the "J" to his name making it John J. Winsness when he went to college as they needed something for a middle name and he never had one. It looks like he just decided he would like to be "John" and not "Joseph" so he filled out his college enrollment as John J. - he sure was Joseph a year earlier!
Mom misled us also. She said my brother John was named using his father's name for the first name and he got a middle name Howard after her father (true). She said that Jerry got his grandfather Howard Robert Jones' middle name. We found out a few years ago that Howard's middle name was Richard (and mom wrote "Richard" on his death certificate so she knew all the time it was not Robert.)
OK so what does it mean - my brother John was supposed to be named after his father but his father's name wasn't really John it was Joseph. My brother Jerry Robert wasn't named after his grandfathers middle name either. Since I was named Denis after my father's boss's son, none of us were really named after anyone in the family I guess.
OH I wish I could talk to Mom and Dad and find the story behind all these name changes!
Events
| Birth | 20 Jun 1912 | Cathay, Wells County, ND | |||
| Marriage | 19 Jun 1937 | Schenectady, NY - Margaret Louise Jones | |||
| Death | 14 Jan 1972 | Buford, Hall County, GA | |||
| Occupation | Mgr. Engineering GE | ||||
| Burial | Broadlawn Memorial Gardens ]] |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret Louise Jones (1915 - 1991) |
| Child | Jerry Robert Winsness |
| Child | John Howard Winsness |
| Child | Denis James Winsness |
| Father | Jens Jensen Winsness ( - 1956) |
| Mother | Emma Bjugstad (1888 - 1954) |
| Sibling | Cora June Winsness (1914 - 2003) |
| Sibling | Arnold Winsness (1918 - 1970) |