Meet your neighbor: Jan Kalbow

The small town of Hartland has a population of about 315. Contributing to that number for more than 60 years has been Jan Kalbow, 83. She consented to be the subject as the Star Eagle launches a new series meant to help people get to know their fellow subscribers.

 

Kalbow was born in Freeborn, Minn., 83 years ago. She married Bob Kalbow in 1960 and they lived in Hartland together. Sadly, Robert passed away 14 years ago. They raised two children. Their daughter Lynn Somage, lives in Owatonna and has three children, twins Tory and Chris, 39, and Calvin, 37. Her son Kerry Kalbow lives in New Richland and has one daughter, Kaylee, 29.

 

Currently retired, Jan worked for EF Johnson’s out of Waseca for 34 years. She ended up retiring from Truth Hardware in Owatonna after a 13-year stint there; she says she preferred that job because she was able to be friendlier and have more fun. Since retiring, she’s vacationed in Florida for a month at a time for three consecutive years and she once spent a month in Texas. Her vacations have brought her to Europe, and both the east and west coasts, but her favorite place to visit was Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. Said Kalbow, “I would love to take the tour of Elvis’s house again, and see his gravesite. I loved his house.” She also wouldn’t mind visiting Hawaii again: “I especially liked the Pearl Harbor tour I took, and that museum. That was a very emotional visit, seeing that ship under the water, knowing what those sailors went through that day must’ve been awful.”

 

She doubts she’ll be traveling much anymore, “As I’ve gotten older, I don’t like traveling so much. Small towns are so much safer and people look out for each other, good neighbors, good friends, less worry. For example, my neighbor mows my lawn and keeps my driveway clean, there’s a lot of trust in a small town.”

 

Her favorite movies are the two “Top Gun” movies, both the original and Maverick. “I saw the tavern from the first movie, that and the museum ship tour I took in California just won me over. I even had two brothers in the Navy.” She chooses not to name any particular book she’s read, but says she likes romances and love stories: “But I don’t like books with a lot of violence, not at all.”

 

Jan loves the Twins, her Vikings, the Gophers, and her precious Lynx. But her current favorite thing to do is to see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “I have six great grandkids, ages 11 through three. I call them my crew. Here comes my crew, they call me granny; they put the love in my heart. I also like to tell them that Elvis is my boyfriend.” But before the great grandkids get there, in her spare time she likes to work out, color in adult coloring books, and sometimes visit Diamond Joe’s Casino, so she can hit the slots. She plays Bunco once a month with 11 of her friends at the Red Leaf Café in New Richland. Jan also takes part in the Albert Lea senior center bingo events and day trips. Her favorite food wherever she eats is shrimp.

 

Work out, read, adult coloring books, casino-slots Diamond Joe’s, active in the senior center in Albert Lea bingo trips-day trips. One thing that bothers her is people who are negative. But if she could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be her parents because she misses them, or her older brother Bill, who passed away many years ago.