Grace M. (Monserud) Sersland - 1919-2011
MONSERUD, HUNSTAD, BOTTOLFSON, LARSON, SERSLAND, BIGLER, VEEDER, ROONEY, ROBINSON, PARKS, SCHNOEBELEN, BURGESS, BOSIER
Posted By: Connie Ellis (email)
Date: 5/7/2011 at 22:08:42
SOURCE: Decorah, Iowa Fjelstul Funeral Home obituary May 5, 2011
Contributor: Connie Ellis (Not related)Grace M. Sersland, age 91, of Decorah, Iowa, died Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at Wellington Place, Decorah, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, May 9 at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Decorah with Rev. Mark Kvate officiating. Burial will be in the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church cemetery. Fjelstul Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Grace Mercedes Monserud was born May 7, 1919 in Taylor Township, Allamakee County, Iowa, near Harpers Ferry, Iowa. She was the daughter of William O. and Mabel(Hunstad) Monserud. She was born on the homestead farm of her great-grandparents Niels and Maren Louise (Larson) Bottolfson. She was baptized on June 22, 1919 and confirmed on August 5, 1933 at the East Paint Creek Evangelical Synod Lutheran Church near Waterville, Iowa. She attended the Excelsior District No. 6 School in Taylor Township through the eighth grade and graduated from the Waterville High School in May of 1937. She was a graduate of the Dubuque, Iowa Cosmetology College in September of 1940. For 3 and a half years Grace was employed at and managed the Mariposa Beauty Shop in Waukon, Iowa.
On October 15, 1943 Grace was married to Rudolph M. Sersland at the East Paint Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waterville, Iowa. Rudolph and Grace farmed on Section 18 in Frankville Township until his death on February 13, 1983. They were the parents of five children.
Grace was interested in nature, music, reading, writing and driving to visit cousins and friends in Allamakee County. She enjoyed family and church history and had done an abundance amount of research in her later years, enjoying immensely meeting and getting to know many people and relatives of her parents and grandparents. She was instrumental in organizing several family reunions.
Grace was the Washington Prairie area news correspondant for the Decorah newspapers for 16 years as a service to the community. She was also a caregiver when needed. She was a member of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church and American Lutheran Church Women's Group. She enjoyed Search Bible studies, taught Sunday School and Bible School. She served as A.L.C.W. Stewardship Officer and Bible Leader.
She enjoyed helping her children and grandchildren with their interests and school projects. She raised flowers and gardens from the time she was a girl and loved to hike in the woods looking for wildflowers and bittersweet.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Rudolph; a brother Wesley Monserud, and a sister Edna Bosier in addition to seven other siblings who died in infancy.
She is survived by her five children: Leslie Sersland of Decorah, Iowa, Colleen (David) Bigler of Decorah, Iowa, Eunice (Jim) Veeder of Decorah, Iowa, Daniel Sersland of Pompano Beach, Florida and Michael Sersland of Decorah, Iowa; 8 grandchildren: Nathan (Shannon Salmon) Veeder, Tobias (Lisa Angelella) Veeder, Timothy (Leslie) Veeder, Annette (David) Rooney, Matthew (Shelley) Bigler, Brian (Kristin) Bigler, Amy (Jerald) Robinson and Rachel (Jason) Parks; 21 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters, Edith (Clayton) Schnoebelen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Nora Ann Burgess of Marion, Iowa; and one sister-in-law, Jean Monserud of Waukon, Iowa.
Allamakee Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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