Lewis L. "Lasse" Gunderson 1851-1934

GUNDERSON, SANDE, JENSEN, RUSTAD, WOLDEN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 5/24/2013 at 00:19:16

L.L. Gunderson Rites Friday
Dies at Home in Wallingford
L.L. Gunderson of Wallingford died at 5:15 p.m. yesterday at his home.

A brief funeral service will be held Friday at 1:30 at the home followed by services at 2 p.m. at the Riverside church. The Rev. G.O. Paulsrud of Randall, and the Rev. J. Hanson of Lakefield, Minn., will assist the Rev. Peder Nordsletten in charge of the rites. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, January 2, 1934)

L.L. Gunderson Funeral Friday
Services To Be In Wallingford
Lewis L. Gunderson, 82, will be buried Friday in the Wallingford cemetery after funeral services at 1:30 p.m. at his home in Wallingford at 2 p.m. in the Riverside church.

Gunderson, a retired farmer, died at 5:15 p.m. Monday.

A native of Norway, he came to America when ten years old. He has lived in and near Wallingford for 55 years. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, January 3, 1934)

Lewis L. Gunderson died at his home at 5:15 Monday at the age of 82. He was born in Norway on August 15, 1851, and came to the United States when he was eleven years old. He came to Emmet county in 1878. He is survived by four children, his wife passing away a few years ago.

Funeral services will be held in Wallingford Friday at 1:30 at the house and 2:00 at the Riverside church. Rev. Peder Nordsletten will have charge of the services and will be assisted by Rev. G.O. Paulsrud and Rev. T. Hanson of Lakefield, Minn.

A complete obituary will be in next week’s paper. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, January 4, 1934)

Obituary
Mr. L.L. Gunderson of Wallingford, Iowa, was laid to rest in the Wallingford Lutheran Church cemetery Friday, Jan. 5, 1934.

A brief service was held at the house at 1:30 p.m. At 2 p.m. the service commenced at the Wallingford church, one mile east of town. Rev. Peder Nordsletten, pastor of the congregation, was in charge of the service. He was assisted by Rev. G.O. Paulsrud, Randall, Iow; Rev. T. Hanson, Lakefield, Minn.; Rev. S. Strand, Wallingford; Rev. L.A. Mathre, Estherville, and Mr. J.M.. Wolden of Estherville. Rev. O.I. Rossing of Bagley, Minn., sang a solo. The choir furnished two anthems during the service. A group of singers furnished the singing at the grave, where the committal was in charge of Rev. G.O. Paulsrud.

The following men, close friends of the deceased for many years, served as the casket-bearers: Halvor Egertson, Tom Natterstad, P.S. Anderson, Anfin Shaw, Louis Jacobson, and Andrew Anderson.

In addition to the many floral offerings that were given in the memory of the late Mr. Gunderson, several memoriams in the form of currency were given to different missions and institutions; this totaled $34. It was distributed: $6.00 from the six children to the Beresford Orphans’ Home, Beresford, S.D.; $4 from the daughter, Lena Gunderson, Lutheran Bible Institute, Minneapolis, Minn.; $6 to the Zion Society for Israel from neighbors and friends; $3 to the same society from the Halvor Egertson family; $5 from the Wallingford Lutheran Ladies Aid to Foreign Missions; $5 from the Northern Iowa Inner-Mission Society for home mission work; $5 from relatives in Chicago and other places to the Home for the Aged, Witterberg, Wis.

Lewis L. Gunderson was born at Husebo in Sogn, Norway, the 15th of August, 1851. He emigrated from Norway with his parents in 1861 when he was 9 years old. He was confirmed by Rev. Elling Eielson. His father’s name was Lasse Lasseson Husebo and his mother’s maiden name was Magdalena Jensen. The name later was changed to Gunderson which was characteristic of emigrants from Norway. His father was a shoemaker by trade and so were his brothers, named Gunder and Andrew. He was the youngest and last of a family of seven children. Jensina, Gunder, Hans, Ingebjor, Andrew and Ellen. At the death of his mother he was only 12 years old. His father died of smallpox at Norway Grove, Wis.

When he was a young man he worked in the pineries of Wisconsin during the winters. The hardest and most difficult work was in the spring when logging or running the rafts down the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. At time the rafts jammed on the sand bars and at other times caught on snag when in getting the logs afloat again they often had to get in the water which was cold and icy.

This brought about his first illness and he was bedfast about two years with heart trouble.

He married Julia Sande the 13th day of January 1878 at Dodi, Wis., Rev. R.O. Hill performing the ceremony. To this union were born seven children. One of the boys died in infancy, namely Joseph Saverin. Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson moved to this county on the 11th of July, 1878, coming in a pioneer wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen. They brought 5 head of cattle with them and were on the way 15 ½ days. They spent the first winter in a sod house with his brother, Andrew Gunderson, which was located just west of the hills of Wallingford where a few trees are still standing. Then in the spring of 1879 they moved on a farm a mile west of Wallingford. At this time there were only the wild prairie west of his home with the exception of the Peter Solberg homestead on the shore of 12 Mile Lake. The first years were full of hardships but Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson were industrious and saving.

As a citizen Mr. Gunderson was active in civil and school duties. He served for years as assessor and as a trustee of 12 Mile Lake. He also served as secretary of the first creamery of Wallingford.

He was elected secretary of the first meeting which was held by the Immanuel Des Moines and Natanel congregations in the Brujeld schoolhouse, Nov. 12, 1887, for the purpose of building a joint church building. He also served as secretary of the Natanel or Hauges congregation for many years and as treasurer of the Northern Iowa Inner Mission Society. He took great interest in the uniting of the Lutheran church.

Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson moved to Wallingford in 1910. Mr. Gunderson was taken sick the second week in October of last fall, and had not been able to completely recover. He passed away on New Year’s day at 5:15 p.m. He is preceded in death by his wife who passed away in 1924.

Surviving are daughters, Magdalena Gunderson, Mrs. Lewis Rustad, Mrs. Fred Wolden; sons, Henry Gunderson of Granite Falls, Minn., Albert and George of Wallingford, and 16 grandchildren. One of his nephews, Sam Gunderson, made his home with him continually for 35 years. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, January 9, 1934)

Also printed in the Estherville Enterprise with the following addition:
Amid very ideal winter weather and in the presence of a large gathering of neighbors and friends the late Mr. L.L. Gunderon of Wallingford, Iowa, was laid to rest in the Wallingford Lutheran cemetery on last Friday, January 5, 1934. With the passing away of Mr. Gunderson, Emmet county lost one of its most revered citizens. Having lived in and near Wallingford for 55 years he became very highly respected for his moral and Christian life.