DeeDee retires after 39 years
Tue, 06/14/2016 - 10:02am
admin
Sheriff Ken Felt hired DeeDee (Delores) Sundquist as a dispatcher for the county in 1977. Friday, June 3 was her retirement date from her drive to Bagley to work. During her 39 years she worked for five sheriff’s Ken Felt, Marcell Goodwin, Denny Trandem, Mike Erickson and the present Sheriff Darin Halverson.
She graduated from Gonvick High School in 1974 and attended one year at Northland Community College in Thief River Falls where her major was law enforcement. She started working for the Thief River Falls Police Department.
She moved on to work for Clearwater County and Sheriff Felt as a dispatcher in 1977. He began the 911 program that same year for the county. It had service for residents 24 hours, 7 days a week and all year long. A saying on DeeDee’s 911 award that was presented to her said, “The dispatchers have two contant companions, other Dispatchers and stress. They depend on the one and they try to ignore the other!”
The very first 911 call that was received in the county was from Estell Nelson of Clearbrook. She reported that her husband David had his arm caught in the Power Take Off shaft. His arm had been pulled off and he was bleeding. A call went to the Clearbrook Fire Department and they retrieved the arm and put it on ice and got him to the hospital where they reattached the arm.
She has seen many changes with the building of the new jail and upgrading the whole courthouse. Instead of having to climb the steps to the top floor they were relocated to the bottom floor with an easy acccess to outside.
DeeDee is the oldest daughter of eight children born to Bud and Ann Severson of Gonvick. There were also four other sisters and three brothers.
She and Stanley Sundquist were married October 5, 1979. They have three children: sons Andrew and Doug and daughter Dawn Hawk. They also have three grandchildren Courtney, Amanda and Travis and one great granddaughter Crystal.
She and Stanley are now getting used to retirement and what to do with their time. DeeDee is catching up on her sleep.