Mabel Drager

Mabel was born Clara Mabel Campbell on February 25, 1911 in Swanville, Minnesota to Daniel Hebron Campbell and Clara Edna (Edden) Campbell, the second of five children: Howard, Mabel, Dorothy, Leland, and Evelyn. She used her middle name “Mabel” throughout her life, due to her mother having the same first name, Clara. During her youth she lived on the family farm in Culdrum Township, which was homesteaded in 1866 by her grandfather Daniel Hemphill Campbell, and which remains today occupied by the fifth and sixth generation of her family. Mabel attended country school in Culdrum Township District 118 with her last four years at Swanville High School, graduating from there in the Class of 1927. After high school she attended one year of teaching training school in Little Falls and went on to teach country school in three different Morrison County schools for the next five years. On October 3, 1933 she married Herbert Otto Drager, the son of Richard and Otillie (Feska) Drager in the Congregational Church parsonage in Little Falls. Following their marriage they moved into the home in Swanville where she has lived her entire life. Early in her life she worked in the former Gosch’s Grocery Store located in the former Albion Hotel building and the McMahon Drug Store in Swanville. At that time of her life she enjoyed reading, collecting antiques and refinishing old furniture with which she furnished much of her home. In the early 1950’s Mabel did substitute teaching at Swanville High School and in 1959 became the secretary for Principal Joseph Oven. She retired from that position twenty-four years later in 1982 at the age 71. Mabel enjoyed collecting swans and other souvenirs of her many trips throughout the United States with members of her family, as well as from her thirteen trips to Europe between 1973 and 1998 with her son, Lowell. In 1981 she traveled to Venezuela as a member of the Friendship Force. Her most memorable and what she considered the trip of her lifetime was in September of 1994 when she was able to fly the British Concorde from New York to London, ride the Orient Express train, spend five days in London, and sail home for five days on the Queen Elizabeth II passenger ship. Her last trip to Europe in 1998 was with her son Lowell, grandson Scott, great-grandson Eric, sister Evelyn and niece Julie Christle. Mabel is survived by her two sons, Lowell Campbell Drager and Curt J. and wife, Lila (Thompson) Drager; three grandchildren, Steve Drager, Scott Drager and Vicki (Drager) Kipka; three great-grandchildren, Erin Kipka, Taylor Drager and Tanner Drager; sister, Evelyn (Campbell) Christle of St. Cloud, MN; sisters-in-law, Iris (Mrs. Howard) Campbell of Sauk Centre, MN and Vollie (Mrs. Leland) Campbell of Pasadena, Texas and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Clara (Edden) Campbell; husband, Herbert Drager and his parents; son David Drager; great-grandson, Eric Kipka and his dad, Keith “Doug” Kipka; sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Emmett Eilers; brothers, Howard and Leland Campbell; and brother-in-law, James Christle. In conclusion, as Mabel and her family were fond of saying, “so there...PERIOD...Frances”.

Tributes

Mabel Drager

February 25, 1911 - November 13, 2006