Edna Viola "Vi" Helgason Blomster 1909-2008

BLOMSTER, HELGASON, JENSEN, MCVICKER, DEGRAZIA, HILGENDORF, AHART, DIEKMAN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 6/24/2014 at 20:24:06

Edna Blomster
FAIRMONT - A celebration of life memorial service for Edna "Vi" Blomster will be 11 a.m. Friday, December 12, at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont with Rev. Neil Christopherson officiating. Burial will be in the Armstrong Grove Cemetery in Armstrong, Iowa.

Edna "Vi" Blomster passed away Tuesday afternoon, December 9, 2008, at the Lutz Wing of the Fairmont Medical Center. Visitation with the family will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont is handling the arrangements for the family.

Edna Viola Helgason (Vi) was born December 13, 1909, on their family farm on the edge of Armstrong, Iowa. She was the youngest of five siblings and born to Edward Helgason and Mary (Jensen) Helgason. She graduated from Armstrong High School and then Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls, Iowa, after which she accepted a fourth-grade teaching position in Swea City, Iowa. It was there she met Virgil Blomster. They eloped to Winner, South Dakota, where they secretly married on July 2, 1932. A few years later, she and Virgil started a grocery store in Swea City. They were forced to sell the store upon Virgil being drafted into World War II. Upon his return, she became a devoted housewife and mother.

In their younger years of marriage, they would talk about all the ballrooms in this area and the tremendous amount of time they spent dancing. She also enjoyed the many years they spent at their cabin on Lake of the Woods. They moved to Fairmont in September 1981. She enjoyed golf and was a member of Interlaken Golf Club. Virgil passed away on May 28, 1995. A few years later, at the age of 89, Vi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, given less than six months to live, and put in Hospice. Her sister, Polly Diekman, then came to stay with her. She flunked out of Hospice a few months later and Polly continued to live with her until earlier this year. They became truly devoted to one another and you would seldom see one without the other. Vi's great passion was cards, particularly Bridge. Many have commented upon her ability to play and keep score that she did right up to her passing.

She will be remembered as a truly devoted Christian (member of Grace Lutheran), very loving wife and mother, and a soft-spoken gracious friend to many.

Her family includes her daughter, Mary Lou Blomster McVicker (husband Roger) of Seattle, Wash.; and son, Bill Blomster (wife Joyce) of Fairmont, Minn.; grandchildren are Kara DeGrazia, Brad DeGrazia (wife Helena), Lance Blomster (wife Rosemary), Keri Hilgendorf (husband Dan); great grandchildren, Bianca DeGrazia, Sydney and Kendra Blomster, Blake and Emma Hilgendorf.

Preceding her in death are husband Virgil W Blomster; brothers, Lloyd and Bud (Lorenzo) Helgason; and sisters, Ione Ahart and Polly Diekman. (Fairmont Sentinel, Fairmont, MN, December 11, 2008)