EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – When Valley Manor resident Ellen Halvorson turned 100 years old May 19, family members could not visit directly due to COVID-19 precautions, but shared recollections. Lori Hicks, Halvorson’s daughter, said her said her parents farmed in Alberta, Canada. When Ellen married Alfred Halvorson in 1959, they got a taste of Missouri by visiting her uncle in Independence during their honeymoon. When a drought hit Canadian farmers in 1961, the Halvorsons returned to Missouri. Originally looking for a farm in Excelsior Springs, they landed one in Cowgill, located in Caldwell County. Their farm included cattle, pigs, oats and wheat. The Halvorsons had their daughter, Lori, a month after having moved to Missouri. Later came a younger brother, Neil. Lori said her parents never felt that they should take leadership roles because they were immigrants. That did not keep Ellen Halvorson from being involved with school activities. She pften baked molasses cookies and homemade…