On October 22, 1942 Amanda Hilda Christine Haabala was born to Alexander Mathias Haabala and Hilda Emelia Haabala (Lander); she was the middle of three children. She was baptized in the spring of 1943 at the Finnish Apostolic Church in Moe Township and confirmed in the Christian faith in 1956 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Moe Township. She grew up on their family farm south of Brandon, MN in a Finnish community. She attended country school for four years and graduated from Brandon High School in 1960 as Valedictorian of her class. After high school, she moved to the Twin Cities to pursue ...