Gladys (Urdahl) Rempel

June 10, 2009

Gladys (Urdahl) Rempel, 84, died of a heart attack on Sunday, May 3, 2009, in her apartment in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

She was born on February 20, 1925 in Lisbon, North Dakota, to Carl and Ernestine Urdahl and moved to Northwood, Iowa the following year. She attended the Northwood Schools and graduated in 1945; attended St. Olaf College, attended and graduated as an RN from Swedish Hospital Training in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Her parents and her husband preceded her in death.

Family members surviving are her daughter, Randi Robin of Vancouver, British Columbia; a sister, Doris E. Johnson of Northwood; a nephew, Mark A. Johnson of Cresco; and sister-in-law, Mary Rempel of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Timothy Dean Morris

May 20, 2009

Timothy Dean Morris, born Timothy Alton Herfendal, age 40, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A memorial service was held at 3:00 p.m., on Wednesday, May 13, at the Evergreen Community Church in Raleigh, with the Bright Funeral Home and Cremation handling the arrangements. Local memorial services were held at 1:30 p.m., on Saturday, May 16, at the Sion Lutheran Church, rural Lake Mills, with Pastor Randy Baldwin officiating. Inurnment was in the Sion Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation with the family was one hour prior to the services at the church on Saturday.

Timothy Dean Morris, was born on July 23, 1968 in Mason City, Iowa, to Lorraine Morris and Arden Herfendal. He was baptized and confirmed at the Sion Lutheran Church, rural Lake Mills. He attended and graduated from the Lake Mills High School in 1986 and went immediately into the United States Army. Timothy served at various bases in the United States and overseas in Germany, Panama and Korea. After leaving the army, he worked for a time at a small newspaper in Thornton, Iowa. It was during this time that Timothy met his life partner, Rick Wolfe. In 1992, Tim and Rick moved to San Diego, California and from there to Wake Forest, North Carolina in 1994. In 1998, Tim and Rick took in Rick's nephew, Nathan Mincks, to live with them. Nathan was eight years old and Tim and Rick raised him as their own. Tim began working at The Body Shop in 1997 and was employed there at the time of his death.

Survivors include his life partner, Rick Wolfe and their "son" Nathan Mincks of Wake Forest; mother, Lorraine Morris of Northwood; father, Arden Herfendal of Fairmont, Minnesota; sister, Melanie (Dan) DeVries of Northwood and their children, Brittany, Shaun, Zakkary, Stephen and Katie; grandmother, Jeanette Herfendahl of Fairmont, Minnesota; grandfather, Dean Morris of Northwood; many aunts, uncles and cousins; and Rick's large family in Iowa.

Tim was preceded in death by his grandmother, Geneva Morris and grandfather, Alton Herfendahl.

Tim will be remembered for his love of family and friends. He always made people laugh and his laugh was contagious. He always had a cup of coffee, Coke, or cigarette in one hand and a book in the other. He was a wonderful provider for Rick and Nathan and he will truly be missed.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Jeff Koster

May 20, 2009

Jeff Koster, 49, passed away in his Palmer Lake, Colorado home, on Saturday morning, May 9, 2009.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, May 14, at the Mtn. View Mortuary in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A memorial service will be held at the St. Ansgar Methodist Church, on Saturday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m. At Jeff's request, cremation was chosen and his ashes will be dispersed in the Missouri River near his fishing cabin. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Lymphoma Foundation via the internet.

Jeff graduated from the St. Ansgar High School and received a degree in forestry management from the Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He was the owner of Koster Welding and an avid outdoorsman and NASCAR enthusiast.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Michele; his three children, Bryan Koster of Northwood, Kade and Jennifer Koster of Wellington, Colorado; his brother, Jon (Jean) Koster of St. Ansgar; and his two step-children, Josh and Lindsey Goetzmann.

He was preceded in death by his father, Jack Koster; his mother, Shirley Koster; and his brother, Steven Koster.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Conrad Julseth

May 20, 2009

Conrad “Connie” Julseth, 85, of Northwood, died on Sunday, May 10, 2009, at the Lutheran Retirement Home, Northwood.

Memorial services were held at 11:00 a.m., on Thursday, May 14, at the Elk Creek Lutheran Church, Kensett, with Rev. Tom Martin officiating. Burial was in the Elk Creek Cemetery. Visitation was held on Wednesday, May 13, from 5–7:00 p.m., at Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, Northwood.

Conrad “Connie” Marvin Julseth, was born on October 17, 1923 at Kensett, Iowa. Parents were Cliff and Minnie (Brunsvold) Julseth. He was baptized on November 5, 1923, at the Elk Creek Lutheran Church by Pastor Sigmond. His confirmation of the Christian faith took place on May 1, 1938 at the Elk Creek Church. Connie’s entire life was spent as a member of Elk Creek. After attending country school, Connie graduated from the Kensett High School on May 21, 1942. Connie joined the Navy in December 1942 and was given an honorable discharge in June 1946. Upon returning home, Connie worked for the Mortenson Produce of Northwood for several years. His next job was working for the Worth County Secondary Road Department for years when he retired.

Connie spent his younger years going dancing with his friends and later taking up golf and playing cards with family and friends. He spent a lot of time at the Senior Center, Meals on Wheels and at the Northwood VFW. Connie will always be remembered as a fair and honest man, who cared for everyone and would be willing to help out at anytime. He could always be seen biking or walking around town, stopping to talk whenever possible.

Survivors include his sister, Thelma Gaarder of Sibley, Iowa; sisters-in-law, Neva Julseth of Northwood and Lois Julseth of Kensett; and nieces and nephews, Angelyn (Bob) Dolan, Brian (Carolyn) Gaarder, Scott (Judy) Gaarder, Ronald (Beth Ann) Julseth, James (Sue) Julseth, Russell (Colette) Julseth, Janice (Ben) Helgeson, Janine (Charles) Jontz, John (Peg) Julseth, Joan (Mike) Dierenfeld, Peter Julseth and Nancy (Steve) Paztor. Also surviving are many great-nieces and nephews who have so many great memories of “Uncle Connie.”

Preceding him in death were his parents, Cliff and Minnie Julseth; brothers, Orville, Alvin, Truman and Richard David; sisters-in-law, Phylis Julseth and Lorainne Julseth; and brother-in-law, Hoyt Gaarder.

He was truly a great guy to all.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Charles Weieneth

May 27, 2009

Charles Weieneth, was born on September 3, 1926 at Manly, Iowa, the third son of Armont and Clara Wise Weieneth. He was raised in Northwood, graduating from the Northwood High School in 1944, then started employment at Northwestern Bell. In the Fall of 1944, Charlie joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the U.S.S. Saratoga. He was present at the atom bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. Following his honorable discharge in 1947, Charlie returned to Northwestern Bell at Northwood. In 1948, he transferred to Northwestern Bell at Webster City, where he married Verna Gantenbein in July of 1948. They raised three children, Rene, Bob and Dave and were happily married for 60 years.

Charlie was a member of the American Legion Post #191, Elks Lodge, Acacia Lodge #176 A. F. & A. M., Communications Workers of America and was an active member of the First Congregational Church. He enjoyed family, friends and golf.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers; a nephew; and a granddaughter.

Charlie is survived by his beautiful wife, Verna; daughter, Rene (Joe) Didio; sons, Robert (Sandi) Weieneth and David (Elizabeth) Weieneth; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, at 11:00 a.m., on Thursday, May 21. Memorial preference is to the Hamilton Hospital Foundation, Webster City, Iowa. Charlie never met a stranger. He has left behind a legacy of happy memories. He will be missed by all.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Richard H. Elwell

June 3, 2009

Richard H. Elwell, passed away at the Namaste Alzheimer’s Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday, May 12, 2009.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m., at the Community of Fellowship of Christians, Lake George, Colorado.

He was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Harold and Barbara (Brown) Elwell. He was a former resident of Northwood. Richard moved to Woodland Park, Colorado, in 1956 and was employed by Park Hardware and operated Dick Elwells Electric until his retirement.

He was a member of the Community Fellowship of Christians Church.

Richard is survived by his wife, Mavis (Bakken) Elwell; sons, Michael and David; daughter, Dawn; three grandchildren, Matthew (Christina) Elwell, Amanda (Martin) Valenzuela and Jennifer (Nico) Valenzuela; six great-grandchildren, Ethan, Evan, Leila Valenzuela, Jayden, Madison and Nolan Elwell; brother, Jack (Beverly) Elwell; many brothers and sisters-in-law; and nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his son, Rodney D. Elwell; and his parents.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Alice Helena Oetken

May 27, 2009

Alice Helena Oetken, age 100, of Osage, died on Saturday, May 16, 2009, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Funeral services were at 1:00 p.m., on Friday, May 22, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, with Pastor Paul Brown officiating. Burial was in the St. John’s Cemetery, Rock Township, east of Grafton. Visitation was on Thursday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.

A. Helena Oetken, was born in Schyler County, Queen City, Missouri, on February 2, 1909, to Clarence and Clara Edna (Johnson) Van Meter. During her early childhood, the family moved to northern Iowa and in 1916 established their home in Hurley, Iowa. She received her education in the Hurley School and the Rockwell High School. On September 19, 1927, she was united in marriage to Fred Oetken at the Baptist Parsonage in Swaledale, Iowa. During the early years of their marriage, they made their home in several towns in Iowa and Illinois. Then in 1939, with their young family, they moved to Northwood and resided there for a number of years.

Helena enjoyed her homemaker tasks of baking, preserving food, and sewing. During the summer months, she enjoyed working with her husband maintaining their big yard with beautiful flower beds and bird life. In the early 1950s, her artistic talent was beginning to spark her interest as she began to study oil painting from the Campana School of Art, Chicago, Illinois, which eventually included the study of porcelain decorating. In 1960, she began teaching this art to others and continued for 36 years. Color was her great interest; she made an eight year study of mineral colors experimenting with combined color values. She published a booklet on these combinations, which was sold in the United States and some foreign countries. From 1970 to 1985, she was a porcelain art consultant in Iowa and neighboring states. In addition, she attended a number of state and national art shows in Washington, D.C., California, Florida and other states. Her professional naturalistic talent enabled her to produce a number of landscape scenes that depicted flowers and bird life that graced the homes of her children. Other artistic skills included painting and dressing porcelain dolls, designing and sewing garments for herself and daughters and knitting and crocheting beautiful articles for family, friends and missions.

She was the last surviving charter member of the Iowa State Porcelain Teachers, organized in July of 1966. In that organization, she served in all offices and was president for two years. In July 1967, she was accepted as a member of the International Teachers of Porcelain Art and was featured several times in the International Magazine. In addition, she was a member of the World Organization of China Painters and organized the Flower-de-Luce China Club in Osage. She also was a member of the Audubon Society for 50 years. In 1978, she moved from Northwood to Osage to be closer to her daughter and family. She continued her china painting classes in her Osage home, which included students from Forest City, Albert Lea, Freeborn, Austin and Riceville. She taught these weekly classes until October 1996, retiring at age 87.

She enjoyed her fellowship with her many friends in the Osage Senior Citizen Organization. During the years, she was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Osage and the “Ever Ready Circle.”

Survivors include a son, Armand F. (Phyllis) Oetken of Mason City; a daughter, Mariedna (Allen) Wilde of Osage; son-in-law, Orville Jorgenson of Oskaloosa; four grandsons, Mark D. Lindflott of Polk City, Terry F. (Susan) Oetken of Northwood, Brian G. (Phyllis) Wilde of Stratford and Barry A. Wilde of Edina, Minnesota; four great-grandchildren, Dr. Sherri Oetken of Harrison Township, Michigan, Kati Oetken of Cedar Falls, Blair Wilde of Webster City and Brittaney Wilde of Stratford; three step-grandsons, Merill and Daniel Jorgenson of Newton and Charles Jorgenson of Waterville, Minnesota; nieces and nephews, Clarence (Ruth) Oetken of Rockwell, Jerry (Sandra) Oetken, Ruth Godwin and Bonnie Harmon, all of Florida, Gary Frerichs, Sandra Treadway and Cynthia Paulsen, all of Clear Lake, Jerry (Carol) Miller of Lynnwood, Washington and Nola Jean Miller of California.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Fred on February 17, 1975; a daughter, Bette Lou Jorgenson on March 1, 2005; two sisters, Eugenia Oetken and Juanita Frerichs; and a brother, Lieutenant Colonel Clarence M. Van Meter.
© Northwood Anchor 2009

Inez N. Tweed

June 3, 2009

Inez (pronounced Inice) N. Tweed, age 86, of Joice, died on Friday, May 29, 2009, at the Lake Mills Care Center in Lake Mills, Iowa.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday, June 2, at the Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in rural Joice, with Pastor Kevin Olson officiating. Visitation was from 5-7:00 p.m., on Monday evening, at the Mittelstadt Funeral Home in Lake Mills and again one hour prior to the services at the church. Burial was in the Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church Cemetery in rural Joice. Anyone considering making a donation in her memory, the family suggests that they be made to Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church or to the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Inez Nelson Tweed, was born on June 8, 1922 in Blumenhoff, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Jacob and Agnes (Austring) Nelson. Norwegian was her first language. She learned English after her brother, Jim went to school. After finishing grade 12, she went on to "Normal School" or teacher training in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. She taught school for two years. Inez went to Bible School in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. She came to Iowa during the summer to help her brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Helen Nelson, with their two handicapped boys. While in Joice she met Elvin Tweed. She graduated from Bible School in the spring of ’47 where she acquired many lifelong friends.

Inez and Elvin were married on 7-7-47 on her parents' 30th anniversary. (7-7-17). Inez and Elvin had three children, Nancy, Peter and Pamela. While their kids were in grade school, Inez finished her college education at Moorhead State College. She received her teaching certificate there. She wanted to finance her children's Hillcrest tuition and their college education. Inez taught sixth grade Math at Northwood- Kensett Schools for 18 years. She retired in 1982, shortly after Elvin's death in 1981. She continued Elvin's Rawleigh sales for a few years.

Inez always loved kids and took as many as she could to Bible Camp at Inspiration Point near Fergus Falls. She picked up neighboring kids for Sunday School. She loved God, the Lutheran Brethren Synod, Bethel LB Church, her own family and especially her nine grandchildren. Inez lived for 50 years on the family farm south of Joice, Iowa. She spent six years at Mills Harbor and the last two years and five months at the Lake Mills Care Center.

The most important activity in her life was attending church at Bethel. She loved to bring flowers from her garden and to provide special music when she was able. She loved to work in the garden, tend to her flower beds, play Scrabble and work crossword puzzles.

Inez was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; a sister and brother in childhood; and a brother.

She is survived by her children, Nancy (Michael) Osmundson of Oakdale, California, Peter (Wanda) Tweed of Ossian, Iowa and Pamela (Kenneth) Heimdal of Lakeville, Minnesota; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and many foster children, especially Amy Waage, her last foster child.

Blessed be the memory of Inez Tweed.
© Northwood Anchor 2009