Susann Harriet Brakken was born August 4, 1927, the second daughter of Samuel and Hellen (Welta) Brakken, in the house that her grandfather built on the east side of Lake Ida. A neighbor lady helped Susann’s mother with her birth. Susann was baptized on October 30, 1927, at the Norwegian Lutheran Church by Pastor C.E. Hansen, and confirmed by Pastor Hansen on May 24, 1943, at that same church. She grew up during the Great Depression and remembered how dry it was. The wind would blow sand up around the porch steps. They were farmers so, thankfully, they always had enough to eat.