MAGGIE LEE, Staff Writer
Posted: Saturday, January 2, 2010 1:15 am

Warren and Beth Closson were always active in the community, sometimes working in partnership, sometimes working individually. I guess I knew Beth better than I knew Warren. Sometimes when we were shorthanded at the News, she pitched in and helped us out.

Born May 2, 1915, to Charles and Pearl (Harmer) Cowell, her actual name was Elizabeth Jane, but she was always known by her nickname. She spent her early years in Castle Rock, but lived most of her life in Northfield. Warren Foster Closson was born June 3, 1916, to Elbert and Edith (Foster) Closson. Both graduated from Northfield High School. Beth then attended Carleton College, but did not graduate. About 30 years later, when she was 53 years old, she graduated from Mankato State.

The couple was married on June 17, 1940, in the Northfield Methodist Church. The couple lived for a time in Billings, Mont., where their only child, a daughter Ranah, was born.

Warren entered World War II service, the Navy, from there. His duties were aboard an AKA near San Francisco and in the Philippines, always involving cutting meat or cooking.

After the war, the family moved to Northfield. Warren had early in his life been employed in a Northfield food store owned by Les Drentlaw and gotten his initial experience as a meat cutter. While he lived in Montana, he was employed in the meat department of a supermarket. Back in Northfield he became market manager at the National Tea Store, Later he was employed at the St. Olaf locker plant then owned by A.E. Armstrong who also owned the adjacent Ole Store.

Next Warren joined Warren DeWolfe in ownership of the Southside Grocery, a neighborhood food store at the corner of Division and Woodley streets. After two years, DeWolfe sold his share to Harold Bresnahan.

I think it was during this period that I became acquainted with Beth. I was living with my parents and working at the News. Our home was at Union and Fremont, three blocks from the store, and it was handy to run over there. Beth was actually employed at the Laura Baker School, teaching and testing, but she spent much time at the store. If I remember right, the store was open evenings.

It was during this time that I discovered that Beth wished that she could have been a newspaper reporter. She had the necessary curiosity and a flair for putting together a story. So quite a number of times she helped out when we were short handed. Then she also filled in for the Northfield correspondent of the Faribault Daily News.

After Warren had been involved with the store for eight and a half years, he closed it down and became involved with Harry Stearns and Fran Petricka in the ownership of Harry’s and Fran’s Red Owl. He took over operation of the meat department while Stearns took charge of produce and Petricka, the grocery department. He was only there for a year, taking over the meat department of Foodmaster, supermarket that operated in the current location of NAPA Auto Parts.

In 1960 he purchased the Dennison Locker Plant. Besides renting lockers, he provided such services as slaughtering, cutting, wrapping and freezing meat. He also sold beef quarters. Later he worked about a year in a meat processing plant at Kenyon.

In 1973 Warren and his nephew, Clayton Closson (who very recently died) bought the supper club, Castle Gardens, near Castle Rock. Beth was active in that business.



—Reach Maggie Lee or at 507-645-1119.