There are certain people in life that you can always count on to step up and stand out. Philip Abrahamson is one of those people for many reasons. In this specific instance, we are talking about Abrahamson’s 60 years of service to Holt Township as the treasurer of the township board.
The Holt Township Board consists of Loren Berge – chairman, Don Ruen – supervisor, Karroll Gudmundson – supervisor, Chris Gudmundson – clerk, and until now, Philip Abrahamson as treasurer.
“The main responsibility of the township board is maintaining the roads,” commented Berge. And with approximately 41 miles of roads in Holt Township to be taken care of, it is a very important task.
The Holt Township board celebrated Abrahamson following the board meeting held on March 11, 2025, at the Sons of Norway Heimbygda Lodge in Lanesboro, Minn. Berge presented Abrahamson with a plaque in appreciation of his 60 years of service followed by refreshments of cake and punch. Fellow board members also presented him with a card signed by the group and a gift card to the Branding Iron in Preston, Minn.
Abrahamson explained that he became a member of the Holt Township board because his father Arnold was the treasurer before him, and his grandfather Peter served as clerk on the board many years ago. “My dad thought it would be a good thing, so I said okay,” stated Abrahamson.
The day that Abrahamson became a member of the township board was a memorable one for a few reasons. “It was even interesting when I signed up for this job because Highway 16 was going to be resurfaced, but it wasn’t yet. Our family – my mother and my dad – we went up to Camera Art to have a family picture taken that day at Lewiston. On the way back, on Highway 250 north of Lanesboro, the road was covered with ice. The car slid sideways from one side of the road to the other,” he explained. They were able to get chains put on their car and made it home.
The same afternoon they went went to Pete’s Place (a local establishment at the time) in Whalan, where he signed up to be treasurer of the Holt Township board. “That afternoon the road really got covered with ice; we made it home, my dad and I, but there were many vehicles in the ditch between Whalan and Lanesboro that day,” he recalled.
“It’s been an interesting 60 years,” said Abrahamson. Reflecting on how things have changed over time, he reminisced about when he first began on the board, they met in Whalan and the train would go through Whalan and Lanesboro, as it did for another 13 years.
“For one thing, back then they had a bounty, like we just talked about the gopher bounty, but back in those days they had a rattlesnake bounty too, so we paid for rattlesnakes too, and of course today they are protected,”
he shared.
Abrahamson expressed that he would miss seeing everyone at the Holt Township board meetings on the second Monday of each month. “I will miss it, oh absolutely. It has been part of my life for a while, you know, every month,” he commented. When asked what he will do on those Monday nights that the township board meets, Abrahamson laughed and said he will probably just stay home and find other things to do.
Carolyn Freese has accepted the treasurer position following Abrahamson’s retirement from the township board. “She has some pretty big shoes to fill,” stated Chris Gudmundson, but the board is excited to have Freese join the team.
The entire Holt Township board thanked Abrahamson for his years of service as they enjoyed each other’s company during the celebration.
In appreciation, we say thank you to Philip Abrahamson for your years of service to Holt Township.
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