Alda was born January 15, 1928 in Wilcox, Nebraska to William and Emma Grote and moved with her family to Harrison as an infant. She attended country grade school and Sioux County High School. After graduation she taught country school.

 

She was united in marriage to Morris Engebretsen, also of Harrison on September 12, 1949, and together they owned and operated the Sioux Motel until 1971 when they moved to Loveland, Colorado. She worked at Hewlett Packard until moving back to Harrison in 1979. She really enjoyed operating a Bed & Breakfast in their earth home in Sowbelly Canyon until it burned down in the Pine Ridge fire of July 2006. Alda & Morris fixed up two houses in Harrison, one of which they were residing in at the time of her death.