Olive G. Gilbertson

FOREST CITY — Olive G. Gilbertson, 89, of Forest City died Wednesday (Aug. 10, 2005) at Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Forest Evangelical Lutheran Church in Forest City with the Rev. Ted Gullixson officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery in Forest City.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Petersen Lund Funeral Home, 505 N. Clark St., Forest City, and one hour prior to service at the church.

Olive Geneva (Tweeten) Gilbertson was born on May 13, 1916, in Winnebago County near Joice, the daughter of Gilbert and Cora (Myre) Tweeten. She was baptized and confirmed at Winnebago Lutheran Church in rural Lake Mills. She attended rural school at the Dahlen school in Mt. Valley Township, attended Waldorf Academy for three years and graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1933. She graduated from a one-year business course at Waldorf College in 1934.

Olive was united in marriage to Leonard Gilbertson on July 23, 1936. Leonard and Olive owned and operated the Forest City Hatchery for several years. She worked eight years at the Forest City Canning Company. Olive then worked for more than 20 years at Greatwestern Products Company, retiring in 1983.

Olive was a longtime member of Forest Evangelical Lutheran Church and active in ladies aid. She served on the altar committee for many years.

Olive was a loving mother and grandmother. She enjoyed her family, baking, flowers and gardening.

She is survived by her children, Allan and his wife, Donna, of Forest City and James and his wife, Karen, of Prairie Village, Kan.; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a sister, Ruth Holtan; four brothers, James Tweeten, Stanley Tweeten, Lutheran Tweeten and Maynard Tweeten; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; stepmother, husband and two brothers, Komer Johnson and Alvin Tweeten.

Petersen Lund Funeral Home, (641) 585-2685.

Thora Moss

LAKE MILLS — Thora Moss, 89, of Lake Mills died Tuesday (Aug. 9, 2005) at her home in Lake Mills.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills with the Rev. Roger Dykstra officiating. Burial will take place at Salem Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation was held from  5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 E. Main St. in Lake Mills, and will continue one hour prior to services today at the church.

Thora (Oseng) Moss, was born July 26, 1916, to parents Anton and Signe (Haugo) Oseng near Watford City, N.D., in McKinzie County. Thora's family moved from North Dakota to Trail, Minn., in 1924. She attended and graduated with the class of 1935 from Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minn.

Following her education, Thora worked in Minneapolis and in Thief River Falls. In 1942, during World War II, Thora worked at St. Paul Modification Center at the airport where they converted planes for military use. She worked there until 1945.

On Jan. 19, 1946, Thora was united in marriage with Arndt Moss at Elkhorn, Wis., The couple made their home in Chicago, Ill., for three years, then Peoria, Ill., for six years, before moving to rural Joice, where they farmed 300 acres for 12 years. This area was the Haugo homestead.

Thora loved to farm and enjoyed spending time outdoors. It was while she was working in the field-plowing-that Thora and God had a close bond. While clearing the plow, she felt the presence of God who told her not to worry, be herself, and not be anxious. From that moment forward, she put her trust in Him and felt the comfort and confidence of God.

Thora and Arndt sold the farm and moved into Lake Mills in 1966. Thora began working at Deluxe Products-Fleetguard Industries in the early 1960s. She worked with the assembly of filters for 17 years until her retirement in 1981.

Thora had many interests: flowers, ornamental gardening, and traveling (she went to Norway and never really did enough traveling to suit her). She enjoyed Norwegian goodies such as pastries, lefsa, and lutefisk, and especially liked sharing them over coffee and good conversation with friends. Thora was also truly interested in politics and she kept up on news items nationally, state-wide and locally.

Survivors include two nieces: Alice Magoon and her husband, Jerry, of Blackduck, Minn., and Shirley Sonstelie and her husband, Gordon, of Erskine, Minn.; and two nephews: Graydon Garlough and his wife, Sandy; and Walter Pederson and his wife, Leona, of Fosston, Minn.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Arndt, in 1991; a brother, Oscar Oseng; and three sisters: Alice Oseng, Mabel Garlough, and Marie Pederson.

Mittelstadt Funeral Home, (641) 592-0221.

Carolyn Kay Smith

MESERVEY — Carolyn Kay Smith, 62, of rural Meservey, passed away Thursday (Aug. 11, 2005)   at Belmond Medical  Center in Belmond, Iowa.

Funeral services for Carolyn Smith will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Immanuel Reformed Church, east of Belmond, with Pastor Rob Ford officiating. Burial will be in the Immanuel Reformed Church Cemetery.

Visitation for Carolyn Smith will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Dugger Ewing Funeral Home, 111 Luick's Lane S. in Belmond, and one hour prior to services at the church on Monday.

Carolyn was born March 27, 1943, in Manilla, Iowa, the daughter of Robert and Mary Ella (Schnuettgen) McCaffrey. She received her education from Manilla High School and continued at Stuart School of Cosmetology in Sioux City. Upon completion, she worked as a hair stylist in Forest City.

Carolyn was united in marriage to Robert Smith on Dec. 27, 1963, at Immanuel Reformed Parsonage in Belmond. She and Robert spent 10 months in Japan when he was in the military service. Upon returning home, they made their home in the Belmond and Meservey rural areas, where they raised their seven children. Carolyn was a hair stylist in Belmond for a few years. She spent 15 years at the Belmond-Klemme School as a head cook in the food service. Due to her health, she retired from the school one and a half years ago.

Carolyn enjoyed cooking and was always looking for and trying new recipes. She also had a knack for decorating with flowers, food, lace, and antiques which she enjoyed shopping for. Carolyn valued spending time with her family, including holidays, birthdays, McCaffrey campouts, flea markets, and back road sight seeing. Gardening and flowers were some of her other loves.

Left to cherish Carolyn's memory include her husband, Robert; her children: Kim Soma and husband, Mark, of Belmond, Steve and wife, Devin, of West Branch, Roy and wife, Monique, of Cedar Rapids, Kerri Pals and husband, Dave, of Belmond, Brandon of Belmond, Bryan Smith of Portland, Ore.; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild: Ashley, Sarah, Katelyn, Makayla, Jenna, Rebecca, Andrew, Brooklyn; mother, Mary McCaffrey, of Denison; two sisters: Karen Brockelsby of Ankeny, and Marilyn Stoll and husband, Pat, of Denison; three brothers: Roger of Denison, Mark and wife, Jan, of Red Oak, and Daryl and wife, Mickey, of South Sioux City, Neb.; and numerous other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Carolyn is preceded in death by her father, Robert McCaffrey, and a son, Michael Lee Smith, in 1973.

Dugger Ewing Funeral Home Belmond, (641) 444-3248.

Margaret ‘Marge' Johnson

THOMPSON — Margaret "Marge" Johnson, 80, of Thompson died Friday, (August 12, 2005) at her home.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Buffalo Center with Mr. Perry Aalgaard officiating. Burial will be at Bethel Lutheran Cemetery in Vinje.

Visitation will be today from 5-8 p.m. at Winter Funeral Home in Buffalo Center and one hour before the service at the church.

Winter Funeral Home of Buffalo Center is assisting the family.

Margaret Alicia (Nuzum) Johnson was born to Russell Alexander and Vivian Esther (Rush) Nuzum on June 23, 1925, and died at her rural Thompson home on August 12, 2005.

She was born at the farm of her grandparents, Dennis and Margaret (Lahs) Rush, in Mower County, Minnesota, the third of nine children. She was reared there until age three, and carried the wisdom of her grandfather, with whom she remained close, throughout her life.

When she was three, her parents moved to a farm near Wick, Iowa, then later to a farm near St. Charles, Iowa. As she grew up, Margie walked to school and played in the covered bridges of Madison County. She was confirmed in the Presbyterian Church in St. Charles.

She lived with her aunt and uncle, Estella and Sophus Carstens, on their farm near Burchinal, Iowa, during her high school years, graduating from Swaledale High School in 1943.

She played clarinet in band and was Swaledale's representative to the North Iowa Band Festival. She was also selected as Miss Clear Lake for the July 4th celebration in 1943.

Following her high school graduation, Marge attended Hamilton Business College in Mason City. The outdoors and farming always called to Marge, and she said that in the spring, she would quit school at Hamilton to be on the farm. She was gifted at helping others heal their hurt, mind and body. Like her mother before her, Marge also had a gift for nursing sick animals.

When she was 19 she met the love of her life, Harland Everette Johnson, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. They were married on September 20, 1945, at Miller Lutheran Church, Miller, Iowa. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary shortly before Harland's death in October 2002.

After Harland was released from active duty in 1946, Harland and Marge farmed near Miller, Iowa for three years, before moving to their "hill," rural Thompson, where they shared 52 years. They were a handsome and charming couple who were active in their church and community.

Marge was a loyal friend and trusted confidant who only remembered the good. She respected others and placed the most charitable construction on peoples' words and deeds. She was unfailingly kind, gracious, and classy. She loved to discuss new ideas, religion, and politics. She found gossip boring and would not abide it.

As a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Buffalo Center, Iowa, she worked diligently at all the tasks she undertook: teaching Sunday school and Bible School, serving as Ladies Aid President, quilting for Lutheran World Relief, and singing in Loren Larson's choir. Her lifelong verse was "This is the day which the Lord hath made; We shall rejoice and be glad in it." When things were not going well, she would adjust the motto to "This is the day the Lord has made. Let's do the best we can with it."

In the early years of their marriage, she also enjoyed the neighborhood birthday club. She was a member of the Lady Washington Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Her intellectual curiosity and varied interests led to a diverse group of lifetime friends and acquaintances. She considered herself a "farming wife" and ran tractors and large machinery as an equal partner with her husband. For several years, she worked at the Thompson Courier doing editing and photography, at which she became quite good.

Marge was a proud and active Democrat. She served as county Democratic chair, and had a skill in sharing her enthusiasm with others.  As the Democratic 6th District chairperson, she was an early and active supporter of President Jimmy Carter in the Iowa Caucuses. Democratic candidates such as Berkley Bedell and Tom Harkin also had her complete political support. Her behind-the-scenes, logical arguments and political support frequently swayed others to her views.

Respected and loved by her children, son-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, she was dubbed by family members as "Saint Margaret." With her unfailing humility and self-deprecating manner, she never felt deserving of such praise. She smiled her way through life, even when life's difficulties came her way. She joked that Kirk Winter better put a last smile on her face after she died, because that was how she lived her life.

She had a lovely singing voice. She frequently used her wide repertoire of old and funny songs which she sang or hummed softly to herself, applying certain songs to lighten various situations for her and for her family.

She spent most of her life caring for others, providing extended in-home care for her mother-in-law, her aunt, and, for ten years, her husband. Marge was one of the original North Iowa Hospice volunteers, using knowledge gleaned from training as a home health aide and her own innate kindness to provide care for others.

Since 2001, Marge had endured the effects of Lewy Body Dementia. She worked hard at keeping her sense of humor and sweet nature, despite frustrations as her health declined. She referred to her disease as "that stuff I have," in keeping with her style of always forgetting anything bad.

Harland and Marge were the parents of two daughters and two sons: Ruth Cody, Amherst, New York, Patricia Jensvold and husband, Marcus, Houston, Texas, Harland "Dann" and wife, Sandy Johnson, Thompson, Iowa, and Ned and wife, Myra Johnson, Montfort, Wis. 

Grandchildren are Kevin and wife, Jennifer Johnson, Lucas Johnson and fiancée, Amy Innerbichler, Kimberly Johnson and fiancé, Matthew Baker, Joshua, Micah, Caleb, Alicia, and Anya Johnson, Christopher Cody, Michael and Taran Margaret Jensvold. Great-granchildren are Hunter Bailey Johnson and Parker Harland Johnson.

Marge is survived by three treasured sisters: Charlotte (Mrs. Emery Joe Rognehaugh) of Forest City, Corleen (Mrs. Merrill Hayden), St. Charles, and Carolyn (Mrs. Larry Taylor) of Solon; and her beloved brother, Raymond Nuzum of Winterset, as well as her wonderful nieces, nephews, and a wealth of friends.

Winter Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Buffalo Center, (641) 562-2858.

                    Posted by Gene Manning