Oronoco was blessed when Elsie and Harold Boutelle chose Oronoco for their retirement home. Since they were members of my church in Rochester, Minnesota, I had come to know them already before they moved here so I knew they would be an asset to Oronoco.

Both of them were very talented and interesting to be with. There was much they did for our village. Harold built beautiful doll houses and Elsie outfitted them with furnishings and little people dressed in stylish clothing.

Another Oronoco citizen, Harlem Albers, used to play his accordion in a band at old-time dances, but was now unable to use his left hand because of a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome. He was also stricken with leukemia with which he struggled for a long time. He hated to give up his music However, he hated to give up his music. He rounded up some of the members of the Oronoco Seniors and started a Kitchen Band. They entertained and enjoyed it for quite a while. Harriet Glasenapp played the piano and helped fill in the base chords for Harlem, and Carl Culver filled in on the harmonica. Harold Boutelle played music on an instrument he made out of a collection of cash register bells. The rhythm section consisted of several women who used various kitchen gadgets. Among them were Elsie Boutelle, Shirley Koenig, Barbara Smallbrock, Doris Ritter, Corky Stuve, Lois Haglund, Lydia Culver, and Ann Schmidt. I also played piano with them once in a while.

One time Harlem had cancer on a part of his mouth and had to have it removed just before we were scheduled to perform at a nursing home. Harlem did a lot of singing at these gigs. He couldn’t sing with part of his mouth cut off and the rest bandaged up. He called each of us to tell us that the gig was off. He told me “we won’t be singing this week.” Then he added “I will never sing again.”

Within a week or so, Harlem called again to tell us of another date he had made for us to perform again. He was a hard man to keep down. However, eventually, he did get very bad eventually and had to quit. Knowing it would be the last time we would all perform, he called us all together for our last supper at the Fisherman’s Inn.

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When the Oronoco Senior Citizens needed a leader, Elsie and Harold volunteered and arranged the meetings and bus tours and made fun events for all the attendees. The group voted Harold and Elsie as King and Queen in their pageant and they rode in a convertible in several parades.

Most of you know about Elsie’s wonderful book about Oronoco history called ORONOCO, PAST AND PRESENT. Permission has been granted and some excerpts will appear on our web page from time to time, but you may also read the entire book at the Oronoco Area History Center. The book is not to be taken away from the Center however.

A terrible tragedy struck the Boutelle family on April 21, 1997. In preparation for a yard sale, Harold went out on Highway 52 to put up a sign. As he attempted to cross the highway, a vehicle came along and struck him knocking him down and causing him multiple fractures. He was transported to Saint Marys from the scene by helicopter. The accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. near the intersection of U.S. 52 and First Street Northwest. The driver was not injured and no charges were filed. Harold did not recover from the accident, but was very ill from that day forward until his death over four years later.

Obituary: Harold Irwin Boutelle – Rochester - 06/29/2001

The funeral for Harold Irwin Boutelle will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Homestead United Methodist Church in Rochester, with the Rev. Duane M. Gebhard officiating. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester. Mr. Boutelle, 90, of Rochester, formerly of Oronoco and retired owner of Harold’s Auto Electric, died Thursday (June 28, 2001) at Samaritan Bethany Heights, where he had resided four years. Born March 30, 1911, in Cascade Township, Olmsted County, he lived in Rochester until 1973 and then in Oronoco until returning to Rochester in 1997. On Dec. 10, 1931, he married Elsie Marie Patterson. She is a homemaker and former bookkeeper. After working at several Rochester garages, including Alexander Auto Electric, he opened Harold’s Auto Electric in 1949 and operated it until his retirement in 1973. Mr. Boutelle was a longtime member of Homestead United Methodist Church. He and his wife were co-presidents of the Oronoco Senior Citizens for 12 years. Survivors include his wife; two sons, Richard (Peg) of Rochester and the Rev. Gerald (Judy) of Petersburg, Ill.; a daughter, Beverly (William) Van Devender of Oskaloosa, Iowa; nine grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Seven brothers and three sisters preceded him in death. Friends may call from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ranfranz Funeral Home and an hour before the service Saturday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Homestead United Methodist Church or Samaritan Bethany Inc.

Obituary: Elsie M. Boutelle – Rochester - 03/18/2002

The funeral for Elsie M. Boutelle will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at Homestead United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Duane M. Gebhard officiating. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens. Mrs. Boutelle, 88, of Rochester, a former bookkeeper at Harold’s Auto Electric, died Friday (March 15, 2002) at Samaritan Bethany Heights. Elsie M. Patterson was born Nov. 3, 1913, near Waterloo, Iowa, moved to Minnesota with her family as an infant and attended Rochester public schools. On Dec. 10, 1931, she married Harold Boutelle. Her husband owned Harold’s Auto Electric and she did bookkeeping for the company. In 1973 they sold the business to their son and retired to Oronoco. Mr. Boutelle died June 28, 2001. The couple were co-presidents of the Oronoco Seniors Club for 12 years, and her book, “Oronoco, Past and Present,” was published in 1983. Mrs. Boutelle returned to Rochester in 1997. She was a longtime member of Homestead United Methodist Church. Survivors include a daughter, Beverly (William) Van Devender of Oskaloosa, Iowa; two sons, Richard (Margaret) of Rochester and the Rev. Gerald (Judy) of Petersburg, Ill.; nine grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Two brothers and a sister also preceded her in death. Friends may call from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ranfranz Funeral Home and an hour before the service Tuesday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Homestead United Methodist Church or Samaritan Bethany Heights.

Elsie and Harold Boutelle will live on in the hearts and memories of many of us with great fondness and love.

Sincerely, Hazel Markham