Esther Mullins

Esther Jorgenson was born March 10, 1903 at Artichoke Township in Big Stone County at the home farm to her parents, Anton and Hannah (Gaard) Jorgensen who homesteaded there in 1889. She was one of eleven children. Esther attended country school at District 26 but preferred the teacher at the more distant District 49 in Stevens County with Earl Lund and Bill Spark and still remembered the adventures of walking to school with the fun-hearted boys. Esther went to high school at Bethel Academy in St. Paul, MN and graduated in 1926. She married Raymond Mullins on June 4, 1928 and they had four children; Pauline, Gordon, Yvonne and James. Esther and Ray farmed from 1929 to about 1968 when they retired to Ortonville.



Not one to stay idle, she cooked for Big Stone Camp for Christ for eleven years. She belonged to a garden club and enjoyed flowers. She was a member of Artichoke Lake Baptist Church for many years.



Ray and Esther started a bell collection in 1939, the first bell was from a string of sleigh bells from Artichoke Lake Township. The collection grew to 216 bells from 26 countries. Most of them are housed in the Big Stone Historical Museum in Ortonville.







Left to cherish Esther?s memory are her children; Gordon (Ann) Mullins, Yvonne (Terry) Miller; nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Also left to cherish her memory are two sisters; Gladys Goesel, Nina Birkland, many nieces, nephews and many friends.







She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; one son, James and a daughter, Pauline, one sister and six brothers.







Blessed be her memory.