"I went around the world and married my neighbor," said Norbie Derhaag.
Norbert always was a home body, and he wouldn't have gone so far away in the first place except for the call of Uncle Sam.  Heck, Norbie knew he was aimin' to get fixed up with the neighbor girl soon's he laid eyes on her.  And soon's the army spell was over and done with.
"We met on the school bus," said Theresa, who explained that both of their families farmed in the vicinity of Marsh Lake Road, which should become part of Victoria with annexation just around the corner, along with spring.
"My dad told me that she was a nice girl and I should go out with her," said Norbie, a man without guile, "so I called her up to go to a movie one Sunday.  She was nice and she looked good.  We only went out a couple times and then I went into the army."
The neighbor girl was smitten.  "I wrote him every week for thirteen months," said Theresa.  "He was the same type of person I was.  We were compat-ible.  We had the same ideas on life.  He was hard working.  We were comfortable together."
But the thirteen months of army life, which had taken him to many parts of Korea, stretched into 26 months for Norbert as his tour of duty was extended during the Berlin Crisis, "when the wall went up."  Then he became a security police officer for a missile firing device at Fort Bliss, Texas.  Theresa's letter writing continued and ensured that Norbert's heart would remain at home.
"When he got home in March of 1962 we started going out again," said Theresa.
"And we got married in September of 1962," said Norbie.
"You shoulda heard the tongues wag then!" declared Theresa.  "Oh, my, they were waggin' every which way!"
It seems that all those folks with the waggin' tongues didn't know about the long distance courtship for pret'ner two years, or else they simply didn't put any stock in letter writin'.  Country folks can get riled sometimes if'n there's not enough time between the seasons of plantin' and growin'.
But the little country girl thought time had gone on plenty long enough and was lookin' to catch up.  In her own words, "I had expected a ring for my birthday in May and so I didn't expect it that night I said yes."
Was it a romantic proposal?  Depends on how you look at it.  It was no Star Dust or Moon River.  It was more of a Star of the Sea or Ave Maria.  In other words, it was also religious, and it laid the foundation for the rest of their lives. 
"It was at Ascension Church in Norwood," said Norbie, "and we went up by the Blessed Virgin and I asked Theresa to marry me."  The entire scene and pro-posal was all Norbert's doing.  Theresa was working in Norwood at that time, so it seemed the place to begin.  Today he admits, "I was kinda nervous."
After the proposal, and Theresa's yes, the couple went out to eat at Mueller's in Norwood.  To this day their hearts remain at home with each other and with their faith.

Norbert was the tenth and final child born to Henry and Catherine Derhaag, on November 21st, 1936.  "I was born at home on the farm in Bowlus, Minnesota," said Norbie.  "That's about thirty miles northwest of St. cloud.  I never went to a doctor 'til I played football in high school." 
When Norbert was five years old the family moved south to Chaska and lived "in that big bed and breakfast house on Bluff Creek Road."  The youngster attended Guardian Angels Catholic School and, when the family moved to Shakopee, he attended St. Mary's Catholic School in Shakopee, then Shakopee High School, graduating from Chaska High School in 1954.
It was in March of 1953 that the Derhaag family planted some long term roots when they moved to Marsh Lake Road just north of Kelzer's Corner.  The school bus picked up kids from all the farms along those roads, and one of the little Schmieg girls on the bus had eyes for one of the little neighbor boys on the bus.
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