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Joyce (Ledin) From
Joyce Evangeline From (Ledin) of Cambridge passed away on December 23, 2014 at the age of ninety-six. She was born in Braham, Minnesota, on August 12, 1918, to Joseph and Hilma (Bloom) Ledin. Joyce was baptized and confirmed at the Braham Evangelical Lutheran Church. She graduated from Braham High School in 1936. After graduation she worked at the Eat Shop in Cambridge, where she met Marvin From. After noticing he had a missing button on his overcoat, she offered to sew it back on. That was the beginning of their courtship, and three years later, they were married
on June 15, 1940. They had four children: Judy, Janet, Steven, and Suze. Their first child, Judy, was stillborn.
Joyce worked at Cambridge State Hospital for many years, where she helped develop the physical therapy department. Marv and Joyce owned and operated a tree farm west of Cambridge and were known for their beautiful Christmas trees. After retirement they spent winters in Arizona and traveled to many interesting places in the United States and Europe.
Faith, family, and friends were at the center of Joyce’s life. She was a devoted member of Cambridge Lutheran Church and served the church in many ways. Joyce enjoyed entertaining family and friends at her home, where everyone felt welcome, well fed, and loved.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, infant daughter Judy, husband, and siblings Oliver, Verna, Nilow, Muriel, June, Donald, and Delores. She is survived by Janet Hanson and husband, Jim, Steven From and wife, Nancy, and Suze From and husband, Paul Deaner; four grandchildren, Michael Hanson, Adam From and wife, Angela, Eric From, and Emma Deaner; and sister-in-law Phyllis Ledin, brother-in-law Chet Brown, and sister-in-law Marilyn From.
Jeffrey Larson
Jeffrey Ellsworth Larson, 57, of Cambridge died on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at his home.
He was born on June 14, 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Gerald and Iris (Peterson) Larson. He was baptized and confirmed at Cambridge Lutheran Church. Jeff attended school in Cambridge and graduated from Cambridge High School in 1974. After high school he attended Gustavus Adolphus College and graduated with a Business and Economics degree in 1979.
Jeff worked a few years as a bank auditor, as an attendant with 3M on their private jet and clerked in the Judicial Court system in St. Paul while in law school. He attended William Mitchell School of Law, graduating from there in 1987. Soon after graduating, he started his own practice in Cambridge; Jeffrey E. Larson Attorney at Law. The past summer he worked at Glacier National Park in Montana.
He was a member Cambridge Lutheran Church and a member of the Minnesota Bar. Jeff earned his pilot’s license and enjoyed flying. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed boating, going to the family cabin on Sand Lake, hiking and skiing. Jeff was adventurous and enjoyed trying new things and was involved with Outward Bound. He was a kind and sweet man who was always willing to help anyone in need and was always interested in his family members and what was happening in their lives.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, and father Gerald. Jeff is survived by his mother Iris Larson of Cambridge, brother Scott and wife Nancy Larson of Cambridge, sister Stephanie and husband Ed Stec of Wyoming, MN, nieces and nephews Emily (Drew) Graham of Jackson Hole, WY, Heidi (Craig) Leitha of Clear Lake, MN, Molly (Matt) Grell of Isanti, Matt (Angie) Stec of Woodbury, Tim Stec, Andy Stec, Tobie Stec and Hannah Stec of Wyoming, MN, great niece and nephew Reese and Carter Leitha, aunts and uncles Dean and Shirley Goplerud of Richmond, VA, Janet and Hillman Lueddemann of Portland, OR, Jerry Weld of Minnetonka, and Penny Peterson of Florida, as well as many other relatives and friends.
Tami Westberg
Tami Jo Westberg, 53, of Cambridge went home to be with the Lord on December 30, 2014 while surrounded by her family. She fought a seven month battle with leukemia courageously with kindness and grace.
She was born on January 30, 1961 to Wally and Faith Gabrielson. When she was 13 years old, Tami was gladly welcomed into the family of Chuck and Juanita Peterson. Tami graduated from Cambridge High School in 1979 and continued her education at the University of Minnesota, Waseca, earning a degree in Horticulture. She went on to earn her Surgical Technologist Certification from Anoka Technical College. Tami enjoyed working at the Cambridge Medical Center for the past 32 years.
Tami’s friend set her up on a blind date and she knew not too long after that she would spend the rest of her life with Alan Westberg. On October 18, 1986, they were married
at First Baptist Church, where Tami had attended since childhood. Alan and Tami welcomed Kaaren Jo into their family on September 29, 1989 and three years later welcomed Jonathan Alan on June 19, 1992. Their family was complete.
Family was what Tami lived for and loved most. She enjoyed several family trips to places like Big Sky, Europe, Canada, and Alaska. It was always fun to be on vacation with family. Her faith in God was very important to her and helped guide her and Alan as they raised their children to love and lean on Jesus. She loved to scrap book and spent hours putting together pages of fun memories with her children. She also found much enjoyment in planting flowers and vegetable gardening.
Tami’s family would like to acknowledge the staff at Cambridge Medical Center and Mayo Hospitals and Clinics for their dedication and kindness. Her nurses were especially supportive and attended to Tami’s every need. Coming home just in time for Thanksgiving, she left blessed to spend her last days with her husband and children.
She was preceded in death by her parents Wally and Faith Gabrielson, and her mother-in-law Doris Westberg. Tami will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her husband Alan, her daughter Kaaren, her son Jonathan, parents Chuck and Juanita Peterson, father-in-law Arnold Westberg, sister-in-law, Ann Nacey, brother-in-law Wayne (Dianne) Westberg, many nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and a host of friends.
Dorothy Johnson
Johnson, Dorothy A. (Jestus) age 86 of Cambridge, formerly of Deerwood, St. Louis Park and Howard Lake, passed away peacefully on Monday, Novemeber 17, 2014
preceded in death by her son Dan; brother Howard Jestus and sister Helen Larson.
Survived by her husband of 66 years Doug “Corky”; daughters Diane Wright, Deanna Phipps and Denise (Chris) May; son David; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Also survived by her brother John Marlin (Noreta) Jestus.
Funeral service will be at 11 AM on November 20, 2014 at Cambridge Lutheran Church 621 Old North Main St. Cambridge. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service at church. Interment Ft. Snelling National cemetery, Mineeapolis.
Memorials preferred to a local Food Shelf or Cambridge Lutheran Church.
Arrangement are in the care of Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Cambridge.
Iris Larson
Iris Mae Larson, 85, of Cambridge passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at GracePointe Crossing Gables West.
She was born on March 15, 1929 in Duluth, Minnesota to Henning and Goodvue (Jerstad) Peterson. Iris grew up in Duluth where she attended school and graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1947. She went on to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth and graduated in 1951 with a degree in teaching. Iris spent one year teaching music in Anchorage, Alaska before returning to Duluth.
While Iris was in college she met Gerald Larson and on June 29, 1952 the couple was married
in Duluth. They would make their home in Cambridge where Gerald was beginning his doctor’s practice with Ray Magnuson. Iris was very helpful with the practice, working wherever she was needed. Iris and Gerry raised their three children Scott, Jeffrey and Stephanie . Iris loved being a mother and enjoyed living in and raising their kids in Cambridge. After retiring, Iris and Gerry spent winters in Florida, but were always home for Christmas to be with family. They spent much of their summers at the cabin on Sand Lake. They both loved to travel and went on many trips all over the world. Jerry passed away in 1998. Iris would continue to live in the house, spending much time at Sand Lake in the summers, and would travel to Florida in the winters until 2011. As her health declined, she more recently was residing at GracePointe Crossing Gables West.
Iris was a longtime active member of the Cambridge Lutheran Church where she volunteered in several areas, sang in the church choir. She loved singing and also sang with the East Central Chorale, Minnesota Chorale, and the Prime Time Singers. Iris was a member of the American Medical Association Auxiliary where she also served as president, traveling to every county in Minnesota promoting the Auxiliary. She volunteered at the Cambridge Medical Center Gift Shop. Iris loved to fly and worked on getting her pilot’s license, she was one flight short of getting that accomplished. She liked to golf, go downhill skiing, swimming and running. She especially loved entertaining friends and family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Gerald, son Jeffrey in 2013, brother Jack Peterson, sisters Joyce Olson and Mary Weld. Iris is survived by son Scott and wife Nancy Larson of Cambridge, daughter Stephanie and husband Ed Stec of Wyomng, MN, eight grandchildren Emily Graham, Heidi Lietha, Molly Grell, Matthew Stec, Timothy Stec, Andy Stec, Tobie Stec and Hannah Stec, three great grandchildren Reese and Carter Lietha, and Greta Graham, sister-in-law Penny Peterson of Florida, brother-in-law Jerry Weld of Minnetonka, as well as nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Lorraine Anderson
Lorraine Anderson, a loving wife and mother who helped improve her church and her community, died peacefully Oct. 22 with her daughters and long-time pastor at her side. She was 86.
Lorraine Soderberg was born July 25, 1928 in Springvale and attended grade school there until she moved with her family to Blomford in 1938. Sometime in 1946, Lorraine went on a double date with her friend and two young men. But it was her friend’s date who caught her eye. She joked that she and Orville were winking at each other from the start. She began dating Orville shortly thereafter in February 1946. They fell for each other quickly. Orville often swooped in to the Cambridge Co-Op where Lorraine worked to see her. They became inseparable, going out dancing and socializing with friends almost every night.
Orville and Lorraine married
on Sept. 21, 1946 at South Isanti Baptist Church. Their love was timeless, passing milestone after milestone, including a 50th and 60th anniversary. Orville died in 2011, and even in Lorraine’s final days she longed to be with him once again.
Lorraine and Orville had two daughters, Pam and Teri, in 1948 and 1949, respectively. Lorraine raised them, led their 4-H group and taught them to help out on the farm while Orville worked in the fields. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lorraine worked at the American Can Co., where she met several lifelong friends.
Despite her humble upbringing, Lorraine quickly blossomed into a fantastic cook with help from Orville’s mother. Her family, especially her grandchildren, always looked forward to her mashed potatoes, which included sinful amounts of cream and butter, secret-recipe corn pudding and her desserts during holidays and family gatherings. Orville, meanwhile, frowned on any restaurant food because he knew Lorraine’s cooking was best. Whether it was a meal for the farmers, her family or a gather of friends, no one ever went away hungry and there were always extra meals sent home for everyone. Lorraine also helped turn their house into a picturesque example of a rural Minnesota farm home. It was the site of dozens of cozy family dinners, friendly card games and family reunions. The Minnesota Farm Bureau honored it with the Century Farm Award in 2001.
Lorraine took homemaking to higher levels, too. She designed and sewed clothing for her children and grandchildren, made her own square dancing skirts and patched up clothing for Orville and other farm hands. She was among the first members of the Border Belles homemakers, which celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2003.
Orville and Lorraine were very active at Fish Lake Lutheran Church. Lorraine was on the worship and music committee. The group would choose hymns to coincide with the sermon for that day, but she often thought the songs were too bland and long-winded, so she tried to sneak in better songs and clipped a few of the verses if they were too long. She also was in charge of the “cookie jar, ” trying her best to supply tasty treats for the congregation without spending too much. Along with her friends, Lorraine helped create the church’s first outside polka service, which included a dinner and a quilt raffle.
Lorraine had a delicate and attentive touch with her friends and family, making sure to send birthday and holiday cards to everyone and helping out anyone who was in need. She made holidays with her family special by cooking savory meals, decorating and maintaining lively conversations. Lorraine helped make the calls to ensure Santa Claus visited on Christmas Eve. But she would smile and tell anyone to never stopped believing in Santa Claus.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Florence Soderberg, and her husband, Orville. She is survived by her daughters Pam West (North Branch) and Teri (Darrell) Wistrom (Cambridge); grandchildren Kelly West (Blackduck), David West (Isanti), Jenny (David) Tschoepe (Austin, TX), Brent Wistrom (Austin, TX) and great granddaughters Lauren West and Peyton Tschoepe, brother Skip Soderberg (Isanti), as well as other relatives and friends.
Virginia Anderson
In putting the pieces together of Virginia’s story, there’s a verse recorded in all four of the Gospels which clearly summarizes her life serving her Lord, family and multitudes of others: “She did what she could.“ (and far more than what most of us would have ever thought could be done!)
In the early 1900s, southern Saskatchewan became the new home of many Swedish immigrants. Anton and Emma Sjodin were among the pioneers in the Kipling area, which was no Garden of Eden. The Sjodins dug in to the arduous task of pioneering and establishing a homestead, eeking out a living on a barren and foreboding piece of real estate. Besides working the ground to plant crops, they also planted seeds of faith in a big God which continue to produce eternal fruit.
As if life wasn’t difficult enough, Anton and Emma buried their first daughter, Estelle, in her infancy. Two years later, in 1919, God blessed them with the birth of Virginia Martha, then Stanley in 1921 and Glenn in 1930.
When Virginia was 12 yrs. of age her father died from blood poisoning, leaving young mother Emma to raise her, Stanley, 11, and Glenn only 7 weeks old. Virginia (also known as Virgie or Virg) and Stan picked up more of “the reins” to help keep the small farm on its feet. Virg is known to have become quite the horse team driver. “She did what she could.”
The Sjodins didn’t just work the dry Saskatchewan land. Because they had made God’s work on earth an important part of their lives, they gave back to Him a piece of their land on which to build the Highland Baptist Church and faithfully lived out what they believed. Virginia learned early in life the joy of showing hospitality to all who came near her door.
As a young girl, Virginia attended the local one-room school until 8th grade and then stayed home to help with the work on their small family farm. Life became even more challenging during the Depression years. Not everything would grow on their property, but raspberries certainly did and throughout the rest of Virginia’s life, we knew better than to have raspberries on the menu!
Through the lives and ministry of various people in the Highland area, God had been faithfully planting the seed of His Word in Virginia’s heart and as a young teenager, she put her trust in Jesus Christ as her Savior. Her desire to know and love the Lord Jesus and be in His Word became a common theme throughout the rest of her life.
For several winters in the late 1930s, she attended Alberta Baptist Bible Academy (ABBA) in Wetaskiwin, AB, 700 miles northwest of Kipling. During the summer months, she was back at home helping on the farm and other families in the area. “She did what she could.”
During the winter of 1937, she met a young man, Lorne Anderson, who attended a 6-wk. ABBA Bible course which was held at Virginia’s home church at Highland, SK. In the winter months of 1939-40 they both attended ABBA, and among other things they did together, they sang in quartets and duets in churches, on radio broadcasts - and on the side, their love for each other began to blossom. On a lovely summer’s day, July 5, 1942, they were married
at Virginia’s home church in Highland, SK .
Although of humble beginnings in every way, God blessed Virginia with more than a beautiful voice to sing - she was a multi-talented gal. When asked a few years ago how, when and where she learned to play a variety of musical instruments, she replied nonchalantly, “Oh, I don’t know.” She could play by ear, by note, transpose off the top of her head whether playing piano, organ, guitar or autoharp. At the same time, she could sing and harmonize any part from soprano to tenor and, believe it or not, our Mama sang bass! During a lifetime of serving her Lord, she also taught us kids to sing together, as a family, helped with children’s choirs and seldom missed an opportunity to sing in whatever choir herself. “She did what she could.”
In the summer of 1943, while Lorne was deployed overseas, Virginia taught Daily Vacation Bible School at small churches, eventually returning to ABBA, graduating spring of 1945. When Lorne returned the end of that year they lived in Kildeer, SK where their first child, Elaine, was born. Two years later, they relocated to Lloydminster, SK and by 1954, God had blessed their little family with Carol, Joan and Norris. In July 1955, as active members of Lloydminster Baptist Church and with four young children in tow, Virginia and Lorne helped pioneer a summer camping program which was the first of many they would be involved in the rest of their lives.
In 1957, God opened the way to relocate to northern Minnesota to pastor Sand Lake Baptist Church as well as to minister to the Chippewa Indians on Inger reservation close by. God had been preparing Virginia to be a pastor’s wife and she continued to invest her gifts and talents creatively into the lives of many people without partiality. She practiced hospitality at every turn. Our living room was on occasion the scene of a native wedding ceremony and annually the same room was a sorting depot for boxes of used clothing for native people.
The family was not complete yet and in 1958, God added another son, Brian. From humble beginnings through humble “continuings”, our Mom was a great mother to us five kids five - a handful, she’d often say. Her good ol’ home cooking was quickly savored then devoured by her family who were all born with healthy Swedish appetites. Our plates were always licked clean so rarely were there any leftovers, but somehow, some way, there was always room for one or a dozen more at our table. “She did what she could.”
Summer camp work continued to be a big part of Virginia’s life and ministry, whether at Waskish Bible Camp on Red Lake or helping establish Tabor Bible Camp at Jesse Lake. Of course, Virginia was always found in the kitchen organizing and helping cook for hungry mouths.
Life was not easy at any stage, but Virginia was always up for the challenge and never one to complain. Among her many gifts and talents was the ability to live on a shoestring budget. As the family bookkeeper and secretary, she kept that black ledger book balanced to the penny! And if anyone could stretch the “dough”, it was our Mom! Speaking of dough, pizza had already been invented, but we believe our Mom went a step further and invented (and should have patented!) “Thin Crust Pizza” back in the day!
Her lifestyle embodied the word “thrifty”. If anyone could “make do”, it was our Mom. Whether it was mending and re-mending, re-using and re-using plastic bags, canning and freezing garden produce, making jams, jellies, syrups, or something out of all the berries her voracious berry-picking husband brought home, “She did what she could.”
But don’t feel too sorry for us - we also dined on delicacies such as venison, fresh-water fish, wild rice and maple syrup - all without the price tag! There’s something about our early years we have to admit though. Some of us kids were actually embarrassed that our school lunches were made with homemade bread. We begged Mom to buy store-bought white bread for a treat - imagine! But we recanted long ago and have since been raving about her cinnamon rolls, Swedish pancakes, lefse, delicious waffles and Christmas morning tea ring - to name a few things!
In 1962, God led Lorne, Virginia and family to SpringVale Baptist Church near Cambridge, MN. Besides meeting the challenges of raising a growing family, Virginia joyfully served her Lord and others as a pastor’s wife and again in summer Bible camps at Trout Lake and Mink Lake.
God opened up a new kind of ministry in 1966 and Virginia accepted the challenge of working outside the home with mentally impaired residents at the local state hospital and in the kitchen at Grandview Christian Home. The following few years, Virginia and Lorne were involved in the beginnings of King’s Ranch, a retreat center near Cambridge and once again Virginia’s hands and feet were serving meals to yet many more.
In the early 1970’s, God opened up another new chapter for Virginia and Lorne in northwestern Ontario and for Virginia it included more cooking and taking care of native students. She always made time to be involved in Ladies’ Bible Studies and prayer groups and never hesitated to lend a hand or two to help babysit for neighbors and friends. Retirement didn’t change Virginia’s activity level much and she didn’t hang up her apron by any stretch of the imagination!
In 1987 after moving back to the USA, settling into community and church life at First Baptist in Cambridge, MN, they did volunteer work for Meals-on-Wheels, Senior Center and Grandview Christian Home. Virginia willingly gave of her time and energies to Shalom Shop and MOMS, but was never too busy to help family, friends and neighbors and participate in Bible Study and Prayer groups. “She did what she could”.
Expanding their volunteer work to the warm and sunny south during the cold northern winters, Virginia did more than putting on her apron again. She said she’d never go to Florida just to sit on the beach :) At New Tribes Mission Homes for retired missionaries, she, along with other volunteers, did whatever needed to be done which included helping to pioneer new property, camping out and literally running for water. Nothing was beneath her to lend a hand to.
As if she wasn’t busy enough in any chapter of her life, she faithfully corresponded, by hand. Until she could no longer write legibly, she kept in touch with family and friends across the globe - a delight both to her and all those on the receiving end.
Virginia certainly knew how to work and she also knew how to have fun. Working alongside other volunteers from around the country brought new friendships into her life, some of which developed while playing Skip-bo and Scrabble. In fact, she became known as Scrabble Queen. Until the last couple years of her life, you’d be hard-pressed to beat her in the game! And you didn’t really need a dictionary when playing with her since she knew off the top of her head if a word was permissible or not. If there was any word she didn’t know the meaning of, it was the word “bored” :)
In her youth, she loved to play baseball and in her later years, she watched and cheered for the Minnesota Twins regularly. One evening when residing at Mill Ridge, Lorne said in a phone call to daughter Elaine that they probably wouldn’t play Scrabble that evening because he couldn’t pry Virginia away from the ball game! She, age 93 then, added that she would play Scrabble - if she could work it into her schedule :)
Throughout her life in her quiet way, she moved the hand of God through prayer, not only for family and friends, but for people and needs around the world. Eternity will reveal the fruit of her life on earth. She set a high standard, leaving us an example to faithfully follow the Lord to the very end. Because she simply trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior, she is secure and rejoicing in His presence forever.
“Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: ‘There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.”
Proverbs 31: 28-31
Beloved wife, mother sister, grandma, great-grandma, auntie and friend Virginia is survived by her husband Lorne Anderson of Cambridge, MN; brothers: Stanley Sjodin of Estevan, SK, Glenn (Sylvia) Sjodin of Bend, OR; five children: Elaine (Richard) Wood of Bethany, OK, Carol (James) Sperry of Cambridge, MN, Joan (Ralph) Sharp of Edmonton, AB, Norris Anderson of Lake Lillian, MN, Brian (Melissa) Anderson of San Antonio, TX; 12 grandchildren: Julia (Bradley) Baurain of Caronport, SK, Priscilla Wood of Bethany, OK, Peter (Jennifer) Sperry of Hugo, MN, Anne Sperry of Minneapolis, MN, Jodi (Edward) Gardiner of Temecula, CA, Amy (Mark) Schiffner of Billings, MT, Heidi Sharp of Calgary, AB, Jonathan Sharp of Grande Prairie, AB, Nate (Brittany) Anderson of Moorhead, MN, Stacy Anderson of Charlotte, NC, Willow Anderson of San Antonio, TX, Leif Anderson of San Antonio, TX; 16 great-grandchildren: Kristen, Caroline, Isaiah and Anna Baurain, Blair, Livia and Erik Sperry, Emma, Meghan, Katie and Andrew Gardiner, Alec, Annika, Marissa and Judith Schiffner, Harper Anderson, and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
The family of Virginia Anderson wishes to extend our sincere thanks to all the wonderful caring staff of Gracepointe Crossing, Dr. Barry Larson, Guardian Angels Elim Home Care and Hospice staff, and all in the church and community who visited. For all the kind help and support of Carlson-Lillemoen Funeral Home of Cambridge, the family is extremely grateful.
