No Regrets

Donna Smith, her niece, and often welcomed other family members for extended visits in the Neslund home. Ruth went back to visit her family in Illinois, Ohio, and Louisiana just as often as, if not more often than, Rolf kept in touch with his siblings in Norway. Despite some of her sisters’ belief that Ruth had “hurried” the death of their mother to collect her insurance, she was still welcomed by other family members in the Midwest. Herolder brother, Robert Myers, was visiting during the summer of 1980, and, as she had said in one of her many statements to deputies, Rolf had asked Robert to look after her as he left.
    Robert had been very ill early in 1980 with failing kidneys and prostate trouble, but he had slowly regained his strength after having surgery. He had looked forward to spending many months with Ruth and Rolf, and both of them had welcomed him.
    If Rolf had indeed asked Robert to take care of Ruth after he left, Robert apparently had done that. He had remained with Ruth into the autumn months.
    Any argument Ruth and her sister Mamie had once had over how to raise Donna Smith had long since been resolved, and Mamie wrote to Ruth often from Mt. Sterling, Ohio. The family letters were normal, like any letters one gets from older relatives. It was hard to imagine that anything as dark as bloody murder could be a part of their lives.
    Mamie wrote to Ruth on September 26, 1980: “I was terribly worried about you. I am afraid you are overdoing it. I guess you know why I was so glad you had Bob with you now. I hope you get along all right with him. I’m sure you will.
    “Don’t you worry about me. I know I will be allright [sic]. You can let me know how you are ...I know you are worn out. You rest as much as you can.
    “I hope you come out ahead with Rolf. It’s a shame he is so greedy.”
    (Obviously, Ruth had told her sister that Rolf had left her without funds, and that he was a stingy man.)
    Mamie Anderson wrote about her own arthritis, visiting the cemetery to pull weeds from relatives’ graves, andof various family members who were ailing, in the hospital, poor, or, in some cases, dead.
    “Gladys is doing allright. She has no income now—except for [her] Veteran’s Widow’s Pension. She will have to work 3 years before she can get S. Security.”
    Ruth promptly sent checks to help out.
    It did seem that having her brother Robert with her was a blessing for Ruth. Robert was her escort even to social events. Oddly, Ruth hadn’t mentioned one of the Pilots’ Association parties to Clever and Caputo. Captain Gunnar Olsborg had phoned Ruth and invited Rolf and Ruth to a retirement awards dinner to be held on August 17, 1980—a party where Rolf was to be honored. Ruth had cheerily accepted for them. But when the evening came, Rolf wasn’t there. Ruth brought her brother Robert along instead.
    Robert had extended his visit at the Neslund home for some time after Rolf left, but he eventually returned to his home in Beardstown, Illinois. There was a long delay during that trip when none of his relatives heard from him. Ruth and Mamie were worried about where he was. Ruth and her son, Butch, were especially concerned about who he was talking to.
    Another brother, Paul Myers, was supposed to be somewhere in the Northwest.
    Finally, Robert wrote to say that he had arrived in good shape in Illinois. His letters from the Midwest were just as down-home as Mamie’s, although his spelling and grammar were not up to hers. He wrote to Ruth from Mt. Sterling after he returned home. Ruth had bought him an old log patrol boat so he could fish off Lopez Island. Robert spent a lot of time cutting it in half and rebuilding it, only to find that he could not get it licensed in WashingtonState, so he had loaded it onto a trailer Ruth owned and headed for Illinois.
    His first letter read:
    Dear Sister,
    I guess you wonder why it took me so long to drive across the country, the reason was because I couldn’t drive over 30MPH. When I tried to go faster, the trailer would sway. The Boat weighs 4½ tons. The trailer and Boat Weighs 11000 lbs. The next ride for The Boat will be 7 miles to a Ramp on the river at Meredosia, Il. Then I’ll Run it to Peoria.
    Robert and his son, Carl, were planning to make money in building a few boats for other fisherman so Robert could finish up his boat. He wrote that they would use ash, elm, oak, and sassafras wood. He seemed elated with his gift from Ruth, and he planned to do a