Two Harbors Native Morrie Moen Marks 100th Birthday Amid North Shore Blizzard

Two Harbors resident Maurice “Morrie” Moen marked his 100th birthday on February 17, 2026 while the North Shore braced for a major blizzard that began that day, turning a local milestone into a test of services for older neighbors. “On February 17, 2026 — the same date a major North Shore blizzard began this year — Two Harbors native Maurice ‘Morrie’ Moen celebrated his 100th birthday,” reads a contemporaneous account noting the coincidence.

Moen’s life, as sketched in local records, reaches back to rural Two Harbors in 1926; he was born that year to Ed and Gertrude Moen and his early arrival is tied to a dramatic winter scene. “To celebrate Morrie at 100 is to celebrate a century of Two Harbors' history, beginning with a mother's courage in a whiteout. Growing up,” is how a North Shore Journal excerpt frames the opening of his story, connecting his family’s farm roots to the community’s weatherbound past.

Education and World War II service followed his upbringing: Vets-hall records state that he graduated from high school in 1944 and that “He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces on May 19, 1944.” Those same veteran history documents list his stations as Reno Army Air Base, Nevada; Hamilton Army Air Field, California; Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, California; Sioux Falls Army Air Base, South Dakota; Love Field, Texas; and Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska. The record notes, “His rank was Corporal,” and that “He was discharged on June 6, 1946.” Decorations recorded on the Veterans’ Memorial Hall form include the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, Air Crew Wings, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Local reporting has recently revisited Moen’s life in fuller detail: “The North Shore Journal published an in-depth profile on March 4, 2026 recounting Moen’s life from a farm birth during a 1926 bli” appears in archival fragments of coverage that trace his century-long arc from farm boy to decorated aircrew. The Veterans’ Memorial Hall in St. Louis County holds his veteran history form as part of its collection; the museum page also carries a line urging support that reads in part, “Support The Museum - Help us continue our work of saving and educating the public about our local veterans. Visit us on Facebook and keep up to date with us!”

Moen’s centennial arriving on the first day of the Feb. 17, 2026 North Shore blizzard highlights an urgent public-health and equity question for Lake County’s North Shore communities: how prepared are emergency services, caregivers and outreach programs to reach people in their 90s and beyond when heavy snow and whiteout conditions limit travel? The coincidence of a 100th birthday and a major storm underscores gaps in rural warming-center access, home-delivery of medications, and targeted checks for isolated elders in places like Two Harbors that have deep ties to farm life and seasonal extremes.

As One Hundred-year markers go, Moen’s ties to local history and to World War II service are now documented in both a recent North Shore Journal profile and the Veterans’ Memorial Hall record; the overlap of his birthday and the Feb. 17 blizzard leaves a clear, practical takeaway for Lake County leaders and community organizations to review emergency plans for the oldest residents of the North Shore.