Mary L. Hoefling Gustafson
82755 Gustafson Road
Port Wing, WI 43865
Phone: 715.774.3623
Willie had to work very hard on the farm in Port Wing. He was involved in all the farm chores, including milking the cows and feeding the animals. Ernest was quite strict with the children, and if the chores were not done to his specifications, there was swift punishment dealt out.
At school, Willie would have a good time as well. He used to tell some stories about boxing matches that kids would have at noon hour and after school. There would be some pretty big brawls. Kids would bring boxing gloves. Willie learned how to box from "Big" John Erickson, who was a professional boxer and wrestler who lived near Herbster and also lived at one point in Port Wing. Big John would give the kids boxing lessons. Willie could hold his own pretty well. There was one story about Jim Fay. Jim was a nice kid, and there was the school yard bully. The bully would pick on Willie and challenged Jim to a fight after school. This kid was tough and Willie was worried that Jim would get whipped. When the time came for the fight, Jim whipped the bully pretty good, in fact, he knocked him down many times and soundly beat him. That was the last time the bully picked on Willie.
When Willie was about 17 years old, Ernest was killed in a car accident. On the day of Ernest's funeral, Harry Jardine paid a visit to Ida and the rest of the Gustafson family and presented them with a bill (possibly for his work on the house in town). Right after that, Willie quit high school and worked at odd jobs to help pay the bill off.
Willie must have learned some pretty good boxing skills, because when he went into the Army during WWII, there was a big guy who would challenge all of the other Army guys to a boxing match. He challenged Willie and Willie declined. Then the guy called him "chicken". That was all it took. Willie put on the boxing gloves and the match began. A lot of the other Army guys were there and were rooting for Willie. The other boxer kept swinging for Willie's head. Willie ducked successfully and would counterpunch to the body every time. His strategy was to "get him where he lived". After a few rounds, Willie knocked the other boxer down and won the match. The next day a commanding officer came to talk to him and asked him what he did to the other guy. When Willie asked why the officer let Willie know that the other boxer was in the hospital with borken ribs! Willi was was a pwerful guy.
When Willie was in the Army he was stationed down in Monahans, Texas, at an Army hospital. He was a cook in the Army. During the war, at one point there were some German soldiers, Prisoners of War, who were brought to the base. They were kept confined at the base. Their food rations were quite minimal. Willie felt sorry for them and brought them some decent food from the hospital where he worked. They were very grateful for this and gave him some presents, including some cigarette holders that they fashioned while being held prinsoner and some coins from Germany.
While Willie was stationed in Texas, his sweetheart from Port Wing, Mary Hoefling and he got married. Mary traveled by train down to Texas when she was 19 years old (Willie was 24) on July 28, 1943. Mary recalls getting off of the train, being driven to a trailer to change and getting married within a couple of hours of arriving in Texas. She did not have anyone she know at her wedding - except her new husband. Willie and Mary had their first child, Jerry, while they lived in Texas.
After the war, Willie and Mary traveled back and lived in Port Wing. Willie worked for local fisherman for awhile, and then started his own business, making fishcrates with a small sawmill. Willie also worked at logging his whole life. He took some side jobs with his bulldozer making roads and doing various jobs for people. His work was always top quality. Whatever Willie attempted to do, he did with precision and excellence.
In 1974, at the age of 55, Willie died from a cancerous brain tumor during a short stay in the hospital.
William (Bill) G. Gustafson, Jr.
Suzanne Gustafson Mieritz
Nancy Gustafson Allen
Steven D. Gustafson
Clendon W. Gustafson
Suzie, Steve, Mary, Clendon
