Obituaries from the week of March 23, 2005

Verna Severson, 90

Funeral services were held today, Wednesday, March 23, 2005 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Dovray, MN for Verna Severson. Officiants were Pastor Melba Smith and Pastor Dave Teig. Pianists was Marian Johnson and Mark Johnson with Jerome Mickelson as soloist.

Honorary casket bearers were her granddaughters.

Casket bearers were her grandsons Vic Roberts, Joe Roberts, John Roberts, James Roberts, Nathan Teig, Mark Johnson, Todd Severson and Jake Severson.

Verna Pearl Severson was born June 5, 1914 to Roy and Alma (Knutson) Shaw on the family farm in Murray County, near Dovray, MN. She was baptized and later confirmed at Willow Lake Lutheran Church, rural Tracy. She received her education attending country school, District #24, in Murray County.

On November 5, 1932, she and Stanley Severson were married in Westbrook at the parsonage by Pastor Estrem. They always lived in Murray County, near Dovray, where they farmed and raised their five children. Following Stanley’s death in 1968, Verna lived in the Dovray and Westbrook communities. In 2002, Verna entered the Prairie View Healthcare Center in Tracy, and later moved to the Westbrook Good Samaritan Home where she resided until the time of her death on March 19, 2005. She was 90 years old.

Verna was a homemaker, and assisted her husband on the family farm. She also worked at the Dovray Manor for 5 years. Verna was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Dovray, where she was active in Ladies Aid and Dorcas, and was also a member of the Dovray Booster club. She enjoyed playing the piano, playing cards and dancing. She loved baseball, and especially the Minnesota Twins. Other interests included quilting and gardening.

Survivors include three daughters, Bonnie (Joe) Richard, Kansas City, KS; Dixie (Dave) Teig, Amery, WI; Sue (Steve) Johnson, Avoca, MN; two sons, Stanley (Joyce) Severson, Jr., Currie, MN; and Steve (Dixie) Severson, Westbrook, MN; 24 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; five brothers, Clinton Shaw, Curtis Shaw, Kenneth Shaw of Tracy, MN; Robert Shaw, Mesa, AZ; Lee Shaw, Marshall, MN; sister, Linda Shaw, Tracy, MN; sister-in-law, Norine Shaw, Richfield, MN and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Roy and Alma Shaw; husband Stanley; step-mother, Hazel (Severson) Shaw; 2 sisters Ruby Mickelson and Lucille Makovsky; one brother, Chester Shaw; grandson, David and son-in-law, Bart Roberts.

Interment was at Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery, Dovray, MN with the Almlie Funeral Home of Westbrook handling the arrangements.

Judith Mortensen, 62

Judith A. Mortensen, age 62, of Minneota, formerly of Tracy, passed away at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls on Friday, March 18, 2005. Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 22, 2005 at the Hamilton Funeral Home, Marshall, MN. Burial was in the Tracy City Cemetery.

Judith Adelle Mortensen was born to LaVern Edward and Dorothy Jane (Eastman) Mortensen on March 28, 1942 in Parkston, South Dakota. She was baptized on July 30, 1944, at the Methodist church in Gayville, South Dakota. She and her parents lived in Sioux Falls and moved to Tracy in 1949. She graduated from the Tracy High School in 1961. In 1999, she moved to Marshall, and then moved to the Minneota Manor on January 2, 2004.

Judith passed away on Friday, March 18, 2005 at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. She had reached the age of 62 years, 11 months and 21 days.

She is survived by her aunt, Shirley Lefler, of Hemet, California.

She was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Diana Mortensen.

Judith’s enjoyments in life included shopping, collecting dolls, listening to cassette tapes, and reading with Braille books.