by Deb Seminary

Editor’s note: There are seven Buresh sisters. I met with Anita Twardoski, the middle and only sister who lives in Bismarck. I was able to reach the others by phone and chat for a few minutes. Here is the result of those conversations…

The Buresh sisters grew up on a dairy farm 18 miles north of South Heart. Along with their parents, the family also included two boys. “We are very fond of our brothers, even though they always got out of milking the cows,” said Linda. The family’s house was located along the Green River, which offered the siblings activities during every season. “We had more fun in that river – swimming in the summer and skating in the winter,” said Anita.

Karen remembered the river also causing trouble when the whole yard flooded in the spring. “The chicken coop floated away,” she said. “Dad opened the door and the chicks floated out.” She also recalled something her parents still may not know. “Whenever we knew Mom and Dad would be gone for a long time, we would jump in the river,” said Karen. “We would pull the bloodsuckers off, dry off and get dressed before they came home.”

Having a large family had many advantages, especially when playing games. “We had enough kids for a game of basketball, football, baseball – whatever we wanted to play,” said Anita. “Our dad would play with us, too. Whenever we weren’t working we would be outside. In the winter after dinner, if all the chores were done, we would get all bundled up and go snowmobiling.”

Lavonne reminisced about how much fun it was to live on the farm. “Four kids would ride to school on the motorcycle,” she said. “Dad would take us on the tractor if there was too much snow.”

Of course, life on the farm was not all fun and games. “Our parents brought us up to respect others and work hard,” said Anita. “Every one of us has a very, very good work ethic. The girls milked the cows and the boys worked in the field.”

“We had to limit our sports and extra-curricular activities because someone had to milk the cows,” recalled Lavonne. “Our parents sold the cows when we all left because there was no one to milk them!”

The siblings were always busy on the farm. “Saturdays were cleaning day,” said Lavonne. “The house would get cleaned from top to bottom. I also remember no one ever wanted to do dishes – we would rather feed the pigs.”

The sisters remain extremely close, and more than one gave most of the credit to their mother. “Our mom prays for us every day,” said Karen. “She is our rock. She always has a good attitude and keeps in touch with us.

“Our mother is our rock,” echoed Mary. “She has always been there for each of us. She is an angel. When I was in third grade I got a bladder infection and had to be in the hospital for a week. My mom never left my side.”

And the sisters know they are still missed at home. “I think my mom would still rather have us all at home,” said Anita. “They can’t get enough of us!”

There was always excitement at the Buresh home and even a bit of trouble, according to the sisters. Mary’s arm was broken in an interesting accident that was hidden from their parents for many years “We were on the three-wheeler and my youngest sister, Michelle, wanted to drive,” recalled Anita. “I put her in the front of me and Mary was in the back. Michelle gave it some gas and the next thing we knew, we were balancing on the back tires and of course we all fell off. I fell onto Mary and when we got her back on, her arm was just hanging. We hid her in the barn until Mom and Dad left for dinner. She suffered the whole night and the next morning we told them she got her arm caught in ______________. We didn’t tell Mom (the real story) for years.”

“We were always supposed to be working,” explained Mary of the circumstances surrounding the accident. “Dad would have been so mad if he would have known we were just playing around.”

“There was never a dull moment,” said Leslie of life with her sisters.

Recently all the siblings were in Las Vegas for a family wedding. They shared two adjoining rooms and had a blast. “My brother Allen, who I am really close to, even bunked with us girls,” said Anita. “When we were younger, people used to think we were twins and I still talk to him every day, even though he lives in Minneapolis. He always wants to go on our girl trips, too.”

The Buresh sisters try to do an annual ‘girls-only’ trip, if someone isn’t pregnant, but it is getting harder as their own families grow.

“When we get together we like to just sit and visit,” said Anita. “There can be ten conversations going on and you get in on every one of them. Everybody talks at once. Our husbands just shake their heads.” Anita said there was a time of adjustment when the sisters’ spouses joined the family. “When I first got married, I remember my husband felt left out,” she continued. “There was a part of me that had to break away (from my sisters) and realize I had a husband. There were times he had to remind me I should discuss things with him and not just my sisters.”

The Buresh sisters realize they are lucky to have such a close family. “It is so amazing to be from such a large family,” said Michelle. “We didn’t have a lot of time for relationships outside of family, so we were all each other’s best friend. We are best friends for life.”

“For a big family, we all get along so well,” agreed Leslie. “Mom and Dad were always so busy, it was nice to have sisters to confide in and ask questions.”

The family has continued to grow closer and appreciate each other more with each passing year. “As we grow older, we seem to be getting closer – like having conversations about our parents,” said Anita. “The challenge right now is getting used to the fact our dad is slowing down a bit. He had a series of mini-strokes last year and can’t run alongside us anymore. Our parents did everything for us kids and never did anything for themselves. It is hard when you have aging parents.”

The many games of childhood baseball and basketball continue to influence the family’s activities. “When we go to Dickinson to visit Mom and Dad, we head to the Rec Center,” said Anita. “The kids go swimming and we’ll get a game of basketball together. My brother and his wife are big marathon runners. Whenever we get together, there is a group of us that go for a morning run. Someone once mentioned, wouldn’t it be neat if the seven sisters ran a marathon and went on Oprah!”

The Buresh sisters truely enjoy a relationship many others envy. “For every problem you have, there is a sister you can call,” said Lavonne. “Everyone has their different gifts they can give.”

“A lot of our friends will ask if they can be our sisters, they are jealous of our closeness,” added Anita. “I have a lot of wonderful girlfriends. As wonderful as they are, it is not like having a sister, my sisters.”