Fern Helen Mason Thompson 1910-2010

THOMPSON, MASON, ROBERTS, HERRING, LOECHLER, JENSEN, GRIFFIN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 3/6/2012 at 23:48:35

Funeral services for Fern Thompson, 99, of Estherville will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church in Estherville with Pastor Mark Gabbard officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church in Estherville. Interment will be at East Side Cemetery in Estherville.

She died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville.

She was born Fern Helen Mason on Nov. 26, 1910, on a farm near Gilmore City, the daughter of Amos W. and Jeannie (Roberts) Mason.

After several moves in Iowa her family moved to South Dakota in 1919, to North Dakota in 1923 and returned to Iowa in 1926. At that time they moved to Estherville, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Fern started school in a country school, and she ultimately graduated from Estherville High School in 1929. That fall she started work at Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, where she retired in 1965. At times she also worked as a bookkeeper for Harker-Beauman Lumber, Jennings Implement and Estherville Drug.

On June 10, 1939 Fern was united in marriage with Vernon W. Thompson at Estherville. Vernon died Dec. 19, 1974. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the P.W. Circle, and Major-Agers. She loved gardening (especially flowers), reading, traveling, playing cards, knitting and all kinds of handwork.

Fern is survived by one son, Larry, and wife Susan of Plymouth, Minn. She is survived by three grandchildren, Dana Herring and husband, Blake, of Chaska, Minn., Denise Thompson and husband, Andrew Loechler, of Minnetonka, Minn. and Craig Thompson and wife Elizabeth (Lisa) of Eagan, Minn.; and by two step-grandchildren, Lisa Jensen and husband, Chad, of Lakeville, Minn. and Sarah Griffin of Tomball, Texas. She is survived by seven great-grandchildren, Abigail, Matthew, John (Jack), and Michael Thompson; Mackenzie and Cassandra Herring; and William Loechler; and by two step-great-grandchildren, Zakery and Bridget Griffin. She also is survived by several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her sister, Mildred. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, August 3, 2010)